No. 449
N300
14.09.14
FOR GOD AND COUNTRY
NIGERIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPER
Leadership Newspapers
Obasanjo Visits Injured Son In Jos
Nigeria Mourns Civil War ar Veteran eneral Benjamin General Adekunle
NEWS, PAGE 6
NEWS, PAGE 11
Chibok Diary
@leadershipNGA
States Turn To IGR As Revenue Allocation Crisis Deepens NEWS, PAGE 61
DAY
153
Senator Zanna To Visit BBOG Today
> Page 2
2015: Plot To Stop Jonathan Thickens Groups forge legal trap, lawyers debate eligibility
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Mu’azu, Anyim Escape As TAN Campaign Stage Collapses 28 injured BY ABU NMODU, Minna
The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) rally yesterday in Minna was marred by tragedy, as no fewer than 28 people were injured when the pavilion where top dignitaries were sitting suddenly collapsed. Other north-central governors shunned the rally. The tragedy did not however deter Emir of Zazzau Alhaji Shehu Idris welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan at the Kaduna Airport on his arrival to attend the passingout parade and commissioning of Course 61 Regular and Short Service courses, 42 Cadet, in Kaduna, yesterday. PHOTO BY REMI AKUNLEYAN
➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
My Church Was Attacked By Terrorists – TB Joshua
> Page 12
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
chibok diary 153 DAY
CHIBOK QUOTES #BringBackOurGirls
@WingateRose Hope our social web site should keep on putting pressure on international community to #BringBackOurGirls safely & destroy BOKO @KinotiJimm After 150 days, the #ChibokGirls are still missing and we have shunned them to the Boko Haramia. @Maomaxilily GEJ couldn't deploy 50,000 soldiers for #BringBackOurGirls, but deployed 73,000 soldiers for a state election. Dia iz God. @SharonDAgostino We cannot forget that there are over 200 girls in Nigeria depending on us to keep the world aware of their captivity. #BringBackOurGirls @chairmanNHRC 150 days after, we must remember not to forget. They're not just #Chibokgirls, they're our sisters, daughters, children #BringBackourGirls @umarsule Day 151 and the girls aint back but our leaders are here on tv dancing to pullover, and turning up for elections. kmt #BringBackOurGirls COMPILED BY MICHAEL OCHE
Members of #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) advocate group at a sit-out meeting at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO
Senator Zanna To Visit BBOG Today BY CHIKA MEFOR AND EJIKE EJIKE, Abuja
The senator representing Borno Central Senatorial district, Senator Ahmed Zanna is set to visit the #BringBackOurGirls group today, after failing yesterday to make it to the daily village sit - out of the group, which has been advocating for the rescue of the 219 Chibok School girls abducted on April 14 by the Boko Haram group. The prominent and outspoken senator had promised to pay a solidarity visit to the BBOG at its usual venue of the daily sit-out, however, he failed to make it after sending a message excussing himself due to some emergency meeting he had to attend to. The BBOG, however, explained that the distinguished senator had sent his apologies for failing to make it to the meeting, promising to send a representative, but up until the closure of the meeting, there was no sign of the representative. The visit of the Borno senator, would add value to the advocacy, after the obvious fact that since the initial outrage for the rescue of the Chibok, there has been decline in the number of Borno representatives in the BBOG. The BBOG group, however, called on the government to be truthful with the Nigerian people and tell them the real situation of things in the country, as the frequent denials of insurgency situations in the North East is worrisome. "Lack of truthfulness of the government is quite alarming as the insurgency continues. This untruthfulness might lead to further rift in terms of breakdown of trust between the government and the public. We need a change starting with building our armed forces. The armed forces have been degraded in terms of fighting capacity and the government, not agreeing to this fact, is worsening the situation", they lamented.
3
our stand Sunday, September 14, 2014
DIMGBA IGWE, 1956 -2014:
Man Of The Media
T
he death of Dimgba Igwe, ace journalist, publisher, author, biographer and pastor, was shocking to most Nigerians, especially his colleagues who saw him as a role model. The manner the respected journalist and vice chairman of The Sun Publishing Limited kissed goodbye to this world on Saturday, September 6, was equally perplexing, curious and most cruel. He was knocked down that Saturday morning by a hit-and-run motorist while he was jogging near his residence in Okota, Lagos. Help could not come from three different hospitals he was taken to, due to inadequate facilities and incapacity to stop the bleeding. He finally gave up the ghost at the Lagos State University Hospital, Ikeja,Lagos. These circumstances call to question the nation’s preparedness for emergency situations, citizens’ obligations and social order. It is equally an indictment on the nation’s security and the unreliability of the country’s healthcare service. While the police and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) seem to be at a loss as to how to apprehend his murderer, the citizens around where the sad incident
occurred are, up until now, askance. As days roll by, it is likely that this may go into the same ocean of unsolved murders in our justice administration system. Indeed, given his calling as a critic of obscene practices in society and as an inveterate columnist, the conjecture that he might have been killed by a hireling needs to be taken into account by the concerned authorities. No one has been able to give details of the agents of darkness that snuffed life out of a bubbly citizen just out to exercise. Igwe’s demise at 58 has, no doubt, created a void in responsible journalism. His legacies would serve as a template and a
Ag. Editor Auwal Sa’id Mu’azu Deputy Editor Kazeem Akintunde Editorial Board Safiya M. Adamu, Chairman Christian Ochiama, Deputy Chairman Standards Aniebo Nwamu, Director ’Lara Olugbemi, Assistant Director
Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah
reference point for present and future generations of Nigerian journalists. But, as the nation mourns, conscious efforts must be made by all security forces to address the menace of reckless driving in the country, and apprehend recalcitrant drivers with penchant for contravening traffic rules and regulations. More importantly, they should demystify this hit-and-run theory in the death of someone known for his acerbic expressions in his writings. Almost everyone acknowledges the celebrated columnist’s excellence, his thoughts and prose style. But a more fitting tribute will be to find his murderer(s). Dimgba Igwe made a mark in his total devotion to his first love, journalism. He was also a pastor, the deputy general overseer of Evangel Pentecostal Church, Okota, Lagos. Igwe would be missed by all, especially his soul mate, Mike Awoyinfa, with whom he added verve to Nigerian journalism when they set up Weekend Concord in 1989. The duo pioneered The Sun Newspapers in 2003; Igwe was appointed vice chairman of the company last year. He was a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and is survived by his wife and four children.
Chairman Hajiya Ireti Kingibe Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Executive Directors Michael Okpere Dr Kazeem Durodoye Divisional Directors Iyobosa Uwugiaren Ademola Oladosu Salisu Alhassan Bichi General Managers Aminu Abubakar Sule Abdulmumin Balogun Zipporah D. Tanko Joy Adekanye
Leadership Holdings
Managing Director Abraham Nda-Isaiah Executive Director Nnamdi Samuel New York Office Mohammed Bello Shehu London Office Dr Bello Salihu Johannesburg Office Abiodun Oguntuase
LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital. We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed. We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being: For God and country!
4 PHOTO NEWS
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Scenes from funeral service of late Mr Chiedu Emmanuel Ndulue at St. Philips Anglican Church, NkewedeOgidi, Idemili-North local government area of Anambra State on Friday, September 12, 2014.
L-R: Sir Johnson Ikhide-Arumemi, chairman, Arik Air Limited and Mr Chris Ndulue, MD, Arik Air Limited during the funeral service of late Chiedu Emmanuel Ndulue, elder brother to Arik Air MD.
L-R: Managing director, Arik Air Limited, Mr Chris Ndulue and his younger brother, Ifeanyi during the funeral service of Mr Chiedu Emmanuel Ndulue, at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Nkwelle-Ogidi, Friday.
L-R: Engr Biyi Sangowawa, director, Rockson Engineering/ Arik Air and Engr. Paul Nwokobia, director, Rockson Engineering during the funeral service. Chris Ndulue and his sister, Mrs Adanne Nwachukwu at the funeral service.
L-R: Rahul Pandby, Asst. vice-president (Engineering and Planning), Arik Air Limited; Rajan Nambia, senior vice-president (Finance), Arik Air Limited and Trevon Henry, asst. vice-president (Global Sales), Arik Air Limited at the funeral service.
Arik Air Limited family at the funeral service
Kevin Erinheri, vice-president (InfoTech), Arik Air Limited at the funeral service (fore-ground) and Simeron Disouza (Cabin Crew Manager), Arik Air at the funeral.
Pall-bearers carrying the coffin bearing the remains of the late Mr Chinedu Emmanuel Ndulue, after the funeral service at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Nkwelle-Ogidi.
NEWS 5
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2015: Plot To Stop LIVING TO BE 100 Jonathan Thickens One health tip daily Greener Grass May Not Be Better Weed killers contain chemicals that are toxic to our nervous systems and have even been confirmed to cause cancer. If you want to live a long life, stop using chemical herbicides and artificial fertilizers on your lawns. Instead, fertilize with organic compost or manure, pull weeds regularly, and reseed areas that are overgrown. Do not cut the grass too short, as this will expose the root system and leave the grass vulnerable to disease. Also avoid lingering on the golf course too long, especially under a hot sun: extreme heat can strengthen herbicides’ noxious effects.
Mu’azu, Anyim Escape As TAN Campaign Stage Collapses ➔ FROM COVER
the minister of information, Mr Labaran Maku, who said that the north would vote President Goodluck Jonathan. He was apparently replying the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) that said the north would not vote Jonathan if he failed to solve the security problem bedevilling the north. The collapse of the pavilion occurred in the three front rows where the governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, his wife Hajiya Jummai Babangida Aliyu, SGF Anyim Pius Anyim, Senator Barnabas Gemade (the representative of the Senate president), Minister Maku , deputy governor of Kogi Arc Yomi Awoniyi, deputy governor of Sokoto Mukhtar Shagari, Professor Jerry Gana, Senator Zainab Kure, Senator Philip Aduda, former deputy Senate president Ibrahim Mantu and a host of other dignitaries were sitting. LEADERSHIP Sunday observed that the incident which occurred at about 11:30am when the event was about to start made the dignitaries scamper for safety. Many thought it was a bomb blast. It was learnt that those who received serious injuries were the aides of the top dignitaries who were struggling to ensure the safety of their bosses who were already falling into the collapsed pavilion. LEADERSHIP Sunday observed
Mu’azu
also that Governor Aliyu smartly held the rods of one of the pavilion and was able to come out unhurt, while the aides of other dignitaries struggled to bring out their bosses who had already fallen under the pavilion. The aides of the SGF and Senator Gemade were able to quickly evacuate their bosses, while Maku who was granting an interview at the time the incident occurred was able to hold on to the reporter interviewing him to avoid being thrown under the pavilion. Those injured were mainly the aides of the top functionaries. They were rushed into NEMA and Niger State Government House ambulance to General Hospital, IBB Specialist Hospital, Bay Clin➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
BY GEORGE AGBA, ADESUWA TSAN, KUNLE OLASANMI, Abuja AND SOLA ADEBAYO, Warri
Uncertain about the eligibility or otherwise of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest in 2015, some powerful politicians and groups in the country have assembled a team of lawyers to challenge him whenever he declares his intention to take a shot at the nation’s No. 1 job, LEADERSHIP Sunday has gathered. The constitution provides that a president can only serve two terms, which President Goodluck has served already. Checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday show that some top politicians are waiting for the president to declare to enable them embark on the legal battle, as any move in that direction now would amount to a wild goose chase. Consequently, Jonathan is reportedly having serious thoughts over his 2015 re-election ambition because of the constitutional obstacles in his way. Lawyers across the country have also started debating the issue. It was gathered that the president is presently scouting for a candidate from the northern part of the country he can trust, in the event that he failed to scale through the legal hurdle. LEADERSHIP also gathered from sources close to Jonathan that he has been on the lookout for a northern candidate since it became obvious that declaring intention to run in the 2015 elections will be greeted by various lawsuits contesting his constitutional eligibility. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “There are two constitutional provisions that are in question. The first is section 135 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which states that no president can take the oath of office of the president of Nigeria more than twice. “You will recall that on May 6, 2010, President Jonathan was sworn in by Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu as the fifth president of Nigeria after the death of then president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Upon winning the presidential election in 2011, he was again sworn in and took the oath of office as the sixth president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This means he has been sworn in twice already, not as acting president but with full powers as commander-inchief.” Section 135 (1) & (2) of the Constitution provide thus: “(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, a person shall hold the office of President until – (a) his successor in office takes the oath of office; (b) he dies whilst holding such office; or (c) the date
when his resignation from office takes effect; or (d) he otherwise ceases to hold office in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. (2) Subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of four years commencing from the date, when – (a) in the case of a person first elected as President under this Constitution, he took the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of office; and (b) in any case, the person last elected to that office under this Constitution took the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of office but, for his death, has taken such oaths”. According to the source, the president is aware that there are people who are patiently waiting for a declaration of intent to run for the office in 2015 before they proceed to the courts for interpretation of the section and, ultimately, to stop him. Jonathan, he continued, has never been desperate to return in 2015 but for pressure from his kinsmen and other political associates who have been egging him on. “Also, his aspiration is not based on his conviction but due to pressure from the south-south and, specifically, the Ijaw people. This is one of the reasons he has been postponing declaration for 2015.” Jonathan is also said to be concerned that if he decides to take his chances and declare for 2015 and in the event that the courts deliver a verdict ruling him out of the race, the PDP may lose the presidency without a ready candidate in place as flag-bearer of the party. The president, it was learnt, is also worried that his delayed declaration may also impede the 2015 transition in view of INEC’s demand for the list of each party’s candidates by October-November this year. “The timetable released by INEC states that parties must submit the list of their candidates by November, latest, this year, and pegged presidential elections for February. From November to that date is roughly two months and Mr president is aware that there is really no time to go through the processes of a court case even if it is expedited. Another consideration he is making is that there may not be enough time for the party to get a flag-bearer if he is disqualified and this may lead to losing the presidency to the opposition,” the source added. So far, Jonathan is yet to settle on any candidate; he is reportedly being careful with choosing a successor whom he can truly trust. Groups forge legal trap, lawyers debate eligibility Prominent lawyers in the country were however divided in their
Jonathan
opinions on the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election. While some said he is eligible to contest, others are of the view that his election into office again in 2015 will amount to a third term in office. A senior advocate, Abubakar Malami, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that what Nigerians should be talking about now is the duration of the tenure of the president in office and not how many times he takes the oath of office. According to him, if the president is elected again, he would have spent more than eight years in office against the provisions of the constitution. “He is not eligible to contest because he would have been in the office for more than eight years. There is clear constitutional breach that has to be addressed,” Malami said. A professor of law and a senior advocate, Chief Awa Kalu, disagreed with the views expressed by Malami. He said the period President Jonathan took over as acting president should not be seen as part of his first term in office. He said taking over as president is not about the number of times you take the oath of office but about the number of years you spend in office. On his part, Mr Ahmed Raji, another senior advocate who was cautious in his approach to the issue, did not reach any conclusion. Mr Raji said section 137(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution is the appropriate section that should be applied in dealing with the issue. He said the question to ask is whether he has been elected twice into office. “He was sworn into office in 2010 after the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The swearing-in does not amount to an election. “In 2012, in the case of Governor Nyako and four other governors, the Supreme Court said nobody can spend more than eight years in office cumulatively. How ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
6 NEWS
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2015: Plot To Stop Jonathan Thickens ➔ FROM PAGE 5
is the Supreme Court going to resolve this issue?” he asked. Lagos lawyer Mr Festus Keyamo said the constitution is silent on the kind of problem we are having now. According to him, what the constitution anticipates is a person who has been elected and not a person who has not taken the oath of office twice. Efforts by this paper to get the Presidency to react to this development did not yield results. Attempts by our correspondent to reach the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, on phone proved futile as his mobile phone numbers could not go through. Even text messages and e-mail sent to him to confirm whether the president was having second thoughts about running and whether it was true that he is searching for a successor were not replied. The message sent to him by our correspondent reads thus: “Good evening sir. There is a report in my office for tomorrow’s (today’s)
publication that some powerful interests in the country’s political circle are about to file a suit to challenge and stop the president from contesting the 2015 presidential election on the ground that he has already taken 2 oaths of office as president as stated in section 135 (1) and (2) of the constitution. Because of this, they said the president is likely to shelve his ambition and is searching for a credible northern candidate. Is the presidency aware of this?” But Abati had, a few weeks ago, spoken to LEADERSHIP in an exclusive interview on whether, with the House of Reps caucus of the PDP and some other groups coming to ask him to do so, the president was thinking of declaring his ambition soon. He said he had no information on this, and no authorisation to make a categorical statement on the president’s 2015 presidential ambition. The presidential spokesman said: “I don’t have any information on that as at this moment, and I have no authorization to make any categorical statement, but you
know that in a political situation such as we are in -- it is not just members of the House of Representatives and some other groups who have been commending President Jonathan for his sterling performance, for his quality leadership, for his visionary leadership, for the success of his transformation agenda and for the purposedriven government that he has provided. And the commendation is in order. “But in terms of declaring for 2015, President Jonathan has responded to this question on many occasions in the recent past and he has said that when the time comes, it will be his responsibility to address Nigerians on what his choice, his decision, in the matter is. So, people should just wait for him to do so at his own time and not play games with what is clearly a simple matter. It is like a wedding proposal: You do or you do not? Yes, I do…” It is an exercise in futility – NACOJSP The National Coalition for Jonathan and Sambo Presidency (NA-
COJSP), has described the attempt to stop President Goodluck Jonathan through the Supreme Court, as an exercise in futility. NACOJSP said the issue of eligibility of Jonathan to seek re-election in the 2015 presidential election has been settled by courts of competent jurisdictions, adding that those planning to approach the Supreme Court to revisit the matter, were merely “wasting their time to re-open a settled case.” The National Secretary of the Baord of Trustees of NACOJSP, Dr. Benjamin Irikefe, in his reaction yesterday night, said such action would be tantamount to a waste of judicial process. Irikefe expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would waste no time in dismissing such case, which he described as a “frivolous and handiwork of desperate political jobbers.” He said various courts of competent jurisdiction, which had earlier tried similar cases, had pronounced that Jonathan was eligible and qualified to run. “The issue of eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015 is a settled matter. Any attempt to re-open
the case is an exercise in futility. This case was dead and buried but some desperate and failed politicians are trying to exhume it for self-seeking motives.” “This case had been listed and tried by many courts which have returned the same judgement that President Jonathan is very eligible and qualified to seek fresh mandate of Nigerians in 2015. “Let them go to Supreme Court to waste thier time because the case would be dismissed with ignominy as a waste of judicial process. Let those opposed to Jonathan go to the polls with him to test their popularity rather than seeking to manipulate the judiciary. This will only be an opportunity for the Supreme Court to re-affirm the judgements of the various lower courts that President is not disallowed by the constitution to seek another four-year mandate of Nigerians. “This is not a new thing but the latest gang-up will also fail as usual because President Goodluck Jonathan has intimidating support base nationwide that would make his re-election in 2015 a mere formality,” Irikefe added.
not want his name in print, the younger Obasanjo was at the 3rd Amoured Division Medical Centre, while other sources close to the family said that the injured officer may have already been treated and discharged and may simply be waiting in Jos to re-join his colleagues in the battle against insurgents in the north-east axis. The former president reportedly left his guest house at exactly 7:09pm back to the Yakubu Gowon Airport after holding a meeting with his son, security chiefs, Gbong Gwom Jos and deputy governor Longjan.
Obasanjo
the north would vote for Jonathan in 2015 because he has brought development to the north, adding that those who said that the north would not vote Jonathan unless he solved some of the security problems were not being sincere. He said: “I learnt that, about three days ago, some people said that the north will not vote for Jonathan. The north will vote for Jonathan. I am telling you; I am from Nasarawa State and Nasarawa is ready to give Jonathan 95 per cent of our votes in 2015.” “Wherever the north-central goes, Nigeria goes with them; north central will vote for Goodluck overwhelmingly in 2015.” Niger State governor Aliyu, in his speech, said that regardless of religious and ethnic background, anybody could aspire to be president of Nigeria. He said he was
happy that those who did not support Jonathan in 2011 were now his supporters. Apparently referring to the ACF’s stand on security, Aliyu said: “I know insecurity is an issue that must end soon. We are concerned; people must know that security problem is everybody’s problem.” Similarly, the secretary to the government of federation (SGF) has stated that the north-central had collected 1,126,885 signatures so far across the six northcentral states and Abuja asking Goodluck Jonathan to contest in 2015 and that the signature collection was ongoing. LEADERSHIP Sunday observed that the only governor present at the TAN rally was that of Niger. The governor of Kogi State sent his deputy; other north-central governors were not present and did not send representatives.
Obasanjo Visits Injured Son In Jos BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo flew into Jos, the Plateau State capital, at 5:45pm yesterday to see his wounded son, Lt. Col. Adeboye Obasanjo. He had been injured during a clash with Boko Haram in Maiduguri. Our correspondent gathered that Adeboye is currently receiving treatment at 3rd Amoured Division Medical Centre, Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Rukuba Barracks in the Tin City. The former president flew in amidst heavy secu-
rity along the Airport Road that leads into the city. Last week, the younger Obasanjo, who led a platoon in Adamawa State, was said to have been injured during a fierce battle between Boko Haram and the Nigerian security forces. LEADERSHIP Sunday reliably gathered that the former president arrived at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Heipang, where he was received by the deputy governor of Plateau State, Ambassador Ignatius Longjan, and Gbong Gwom Jos His Majesty Da Jacob
Gyang Buba and other security chiefs, including the commander of the Special Task Force on Jos crisis, Major General David Eniete, the commissioner of police and the director of SSS. From the airport the former president, the deputy governor and other security chiefs drove straight to Obasanjo’s guest house along Wase Close where his injured son was waiting for him. Our correspondent gathered that his son rushed to him to welcome him and they embraced each other. According to a source who did
Mu’azu, Anyim Escape As TAN Campaign Stage Collapses ➔ FROM PAGE 5
ic and top medical facilities all in Minna. As at the time of filing this report, the identities of some of the victims were not clear but it was learnt that the senator-elect for Niger East Senatorial District, Dr Shem Nuhu Zagbayi, was involved while the commissioner of works Niger State, Alhaji Mohammed Muazu Bawa, Campaign for Democracy activist Mohammed Jabi, and a chief protocol officer with Niger State House of Assembly were said to be involved. The deputy governor of Kogi Anyim State was said to be among those who received minor injury but was occurred as a result of faulty rods able to join the rally after about used by the contractors engaged one hour, an indication that he by TAN to construct the pavilion was not seriously affected by the without due consultation with the accident. local organizers who usually used It was learnt that the collapse woods for such an occasion.
The governor of Niger State, it was learnt, ordered that those with serious injury should be transferred to Abuja for a more comprehensive medical attention while all doctors in public hospitals within Minna were ordered to resume at Minna General Hospital and IBB Specialist Hospital immediately to attend to the emergencies. Aliyu alongside his wife Jumma, secretary to the state government Hon. Saidu Ndako Kpaki and commissioner of health Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim later visited those who were injured at the IBB Specialist Hospital. Thirteen of those involved were on admission there. He said that government would take care of their bills and prayed that God grant the people quick recovery. Meanwhile, Maku stated that
NEWS ACROSS THE STATES 7
Sunday, September 14, 2014
SHORT NEWS Ghastly Road Accident Kills Corps Member, 7 Others In Delta A ghastly motor accident in the early hours of yesterday along Benin –Asaba expressway claimed the lives of a youth corps member and seven others. Eye witness said the accident occurred after the driver of the 18-seater bus of a privately owned company with registration number AA 326 XI veered off his way in his attempt to escape pot holes and rammed into a stationary trailer vehicle, leaving the corps member and seven others dead on the spot. By Kola EkeOgiugo, Asaba
2014 Hajj: Sultan Urges Pilgrims To Pray For Restoration Of Peace In Nigeria BY YAHYA SARKI, Kebbi
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on the intending pilgrims from Kebbi State and other parts of the country to remember Nigeria in their prayers while at the Holy land. The Sultan made the remarks at the flag-off of the 2014 Hajj operation and maiden airlift of the state’s pilgrims at the newly constructed Sir Ahmadu Bello Airport, Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
The airlift of pilgrims of the state who boarded MaxAir Boeing 747 from the airport, was witnessed by Governor Dakingari, the emirs of Gwandu, Argungu, Yauri, and Zuru; top government officials, politicians and cross sections of the public. The spiritual leader who is also the national Amirul Hajj, urged the pilgrims to pray for the restoration of peace to Nigeria in view of the present security challenges espe-
cially in the North East and for the upcoming 2015 general election. “I urge you to pray for peace in Nigeria for things to get better, pray for leaders and also consider the 2015 election in your prayers,” he said. He further explained that the challenge experienced as a result of delay in the release of pilgrims visa from Saudi authorities was due to thorough measures taken by the Saudi government over Eb-
ola virus but assured that this year, 66,000 pilgrims will perform the 2014 Hajj in Saudi Arabia, adding that 16,000 have already been airlifted to the Holy land and expressed the hoped that all the remaining pilgrims would be airlifted before the closure of Jedda airport on September 26. He congratulated the government and people of Kebbi for the new airport calling it ‘a new edifice’.
L-R: Chairman the Sun Newspapers, former governor of Abia State, cheif Orji Uzor Kalu; wife of Late Dimgba Igwe, Mrs Obioma Dimgba Igwe, Victory Igwe and Glory Igwe (children), during a condolence visit to the family of Dimgba Igwe, vice-chairman of Sun Newspapers, in Lagos.
Police Arrest 3 Native Doctors, Housewife Over Suspected Charms Determined to eradicate all forms of crimes, detectives at the Delta State Police Command, Asaba have arrested three suspected native doctors and a housewife over their alleged involvement in the discovery of substances suspected to be charms buried at a popular church premises. Reports said trouble has been brewing in the popular Pentecostal church (name withheld) along Abraka road, Asaba after some of its members alleged-
ly confessed to be witches and wizards thereby creating problems in the church. DSP Celestina Kalu, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed that the detectives arrested the suspects after a tip off adding that the alleged witches, during their confessions, opened cans of worms, especially on how they allegedly hired the native doctors to do the damage in the church. It was gathered that trouble started when the alleged witches and wizards were suspended from their positions as dea-
conesses and elders in what was said to be a suspicious involvement in the death of a member’s daughter. This, sources said, did not go down well as they allegedly vowed to frustrate the efforts of the pastor as well as ensure the desolation of members in the church. Speaking further, the PPRO said upon interrogation, the suspects, who are currently helping the police, confessed to the crime, saying they were hired by members who allegedly confessed to witchcraft.
She said that the suspects were taken to the premises where they exhumed the buried substance suspected to be charms. Speaking to LEADERSHIP Sunday, the pastor in charge of the church, who did not want his name in the print said, “We fasted when things became very funny in the church and in less than two weeks, some members whom we had suspended from positions, confessed to evil acts”, adding that the matter was reported to the police, who upon the report, swung into action.
Ember Months: LASG Tasks Private Sector On Safety Initiatives BY GEORGE OKOJIE and ABIODUN SIVOWAKU, Lagos
To guaranty safety of lives and property in the country in the last four months of the year, Lagos State government has charged the private sector to support the safety initiatives of the government. The state commissioner for Transport, Mr Kayode Opeifa, solicited their support at the Ember Awareness Dinner on safety awareness organised by Hybrid Consulting Limited and Steerite Driving School held at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos. He called on more private firms
Lady Docked For Setting Lover Ablaze An Akure Chief Magistrate Court has ordered a 23-year-old woman, Ajowele Busayo to be remanded at Olokuta Prison custody for allegedly setting her lover, a 42-year- old man, Anthony David ablaze. Presiding Magistrate, Mrs Charity Adeyanju ordered that the accused be remanded at Olokuta Prison custody pending the legal advice from office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state as requested by the prosecution. The accused person was said to have committed the offence on July 14, 2014 at about 9am at Liberty Street, Basiribasiri Area, off Ondo Road in Akure. By Tope Fayehun, Akure
PHOTO BY GBENGA OLAJOBI
BY KOLA EKE-OGIUGO, Asaba
SHORT NEWS
to come up with safety awareness initiative programme on road usage and safety. Opeifa said, “We are short of advocacy on road safety on our roads. You can imagine how frequent serious road accident occurs on our roads. That is the reason we are calling for more safety. That is why reaching out is important.” The commissioner who harped on the programmes that have been designed for the state said, “We have planned passenger insurance policy with one of the insurance companies in case loss of lives occur on our roads and that is in the region of two million naira.
“Also, we have set October 15 this year as ‘horn free day’. The essence is to bring element of patience, respect of persons and discipline on road usage.” Earlier, the managing director of Hybrid Consulting Limited, Mr Dapo Omolade, said the aim of the programme is to prevent and reduce the rate of crashes on the nation’s roads. He lamented people’s indifference on road usage, saying the attitude is dangerous. According to him, “ It involves everyone in the society and that is why we have brought the government, enforcement agency and also the
road users to this place to let them know that safety is every one’s responsibility. “The Ember Awareness Programme is a road safety initiative and the whole purpose of this initiative at this time is for us to drive on our roads safely from the top to the bottom, which simply means we are looking at the very important aspect of road safety, which is called road safety enforcement. “One of the things we have found out is that during the ember months, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other agencies should come out to engage road users on how to use the roads.”
Rivers Youths Commend Senator Abe’s Empowerment Projects An umbrella body known as Rivers Youths Forum (RYF), comprising political activists, civil society groups, professionals and various youth associations, have expressed utmost satisfaction with what it described as the “sterling performance” of one of their own, Senator Magnus Abe, chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, at the National Assembly. In a communique signed by the RYF Protem chairman, Comrade Benibo Jack and made available to journalists, the group noted that through his focused, dynamic and people-oriented representation, Senator Abe’s tenure has paved way for the political liberation and socio-economic emancipation of the people of Rivers East Senatorial Zone. According to the statement, “…a visionary Senator Magnus Abe has initiated numerous projects, schemes, programmes and interventions that have gone a long way in providing succour for the teeming youths, women, farmers, artisans, widows, the infirm and physically challenged members of the society thus boosting the socio-economic fortunes of his constituents.” By Onukogu Kanayo Jubal, Abuja
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
TRIBUTE 9
Sunday, September 14, 2014
These Are Tough Times For Nigeria BY BISHOP MATTHEW HASSAN KUKAH
Let us pause and remember that today is the 13th anniversary of the day the doors of evil were thrown open by the sad events of destruction of the twin towers and the dastardly killing of thousands of innocent lives in New York. May God grant them peace, console their families and give the world peace. I now personally believe that I may live to be 80 or beyond because God has spoken to me indirectly this year. Let me recap so you can appreciate the basis of my optimism and please, say Amen to my prayer. Otherwise, how do I explain the privilege of being associated with so many 80 year olds in just one year? This year, I was in Oguta and presided over the burial of our father and friend, the inimitable and loving Justice Chukwudifu Oputa who had died at the age of 94. I had received an invitation to speak at the 94th birthday of the famous Financial Consultant, Chief Akintola Williams, a man I have never met. Although the event was called off at the lasts minute, I considered the invitation a great honour especially as I had been told that the great old man had insisted that he wanted me to speak at the event. On July 13, I spoke at the 80th Birthday of Professor Wole Soyinka in Abeokuta. The following week, Professor Iruku and another over 80-year-old man, my friend Chief Berkhout had refused to take no for an answer and insisted that I chair the book launch to mark Professor Iruku’s 80th birthday. Now, I am here to preach at the 80th birthday of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin. Next month, I have already received my invitation to the celebration of the 80th birthday of our one and only General Yakubu Gowon. If after all these, I do not live to be at least 80 like them, then, I will hold these old men responsible for not interceding enough for me. Chief Igbinedion is not a Catholic, but he is celebrating his 80th birthday in St. Gabriel the Archangel’s Catholic Church which he personally built and donated to the Catholic Church. I have had quite a good number of Christians who have built mosques and donated to Muslims. Some Governors who are Christians and wealthy non-Muslims have built huge and medium size mosques for their Muslim constituents, but I am yet to hear the same thing from our Muslim brothers. Chief Awolowo was perhaps the first person to set up a Muslim Pilgrim’s welfare Board in the early 60s even before the Federal government. Would it not be a great country if we can hear the same good stories from our Muslim brothers and sisters especially in northern Nigeria? When I received a letter from Cherry, the wife of the celebrant to
be at this Mass, I was quite taken aback because I have neither met her nor the husband formally. Of all the Igbinedion family, perhaps Michael is the one I can claim to know a bit more than his elder brother. We first met formally when he came to my rescue some years ago after we apparently flew on the same flight from Lagos to Accra. The driver who had been detailed to pick me did not show up. As I looked around for the drive, Peter walked up to me and introduced himself. He offered to give me a lift to wherever I was going. I told him of my predicament, but he offered to wait for me. After over 30 minutes, he himself suggested that he would give me a ride. I had taken a risk of trusting my hosts who had said I would be picked up. Peter then not only offered me a ride, but insisted on checking me into the hotel he himself had booked. I finally connected with my hosts but Peter hired a taxi and sent me off the next day. Now, Peter, I am returning a favour. Ordinary Nigerians must be wondering why so many Catholic Bishops have gathered to mark the 80th birthday of this great Nigerians. I imagine the Chief himself must be shocked by the huge turn out of Catholic Bishops because first, I do not imagine he knows a fraction of us here nor did he invite us. People like the emeritus Archbishop of Benin are here as elder brothers while Cardinal Okogie is here as a dress rehearsal to see how 80th birthdays are celebrated since his is barely two years away. Most of us are here more or less by accident but Chief Igbinedion must be a happy man to receive such a gathering of bishops at absolutely no cost and without formal invitations to most of them! This is because, the Catholic Bishops are all on our way to Warri later today to start the second biannual annual meeting of the Bishops’ Conference. But perhaps far more than that, he owes Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, the Archbishop of Benin and Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference a ton of gratitude because he literally persuaded most of us to come and spend the night in Benin and to also attend this event all at his own cost. Your Grace, thank you. My standing here to preach is purely accidental. When I received the invitation from Mrs Cherry Igbinedion, I was rather taken aback. I then called Archbishop Akubeze to let him know. I said that since I will be heading to Warri anyway, I would join him at the Mass. We more or less concluded the discussion. I had barely ended the call when he called again and asked that I should say a few words. I told him that I only knew the Chief by reputation and that I did not think I had much to say. He said rather bluntly: Just speak about growing old gracefully, philanthropy and so on. The finality
in his voice was a signal that there was not much room for me to manoeuvre. And, even as Bishop, I feared that you couldn’t say no to a President or his Vice without consequences, so I obeyed. I may not qualify to speak about Chief Igbinedion but since people like Chief Tony Anenih, his senior brother by one year cannot climb the altar to fix a sermon, Chief Tom Ikimi is only a young man of 70, and since Comrade Governor is far too young even by my own standard, and despite not being a titled Bini Chief, I derive my authority from the Catholic Church given to me through the Archbishop of Benin. The quest for wealth and fortune has been part of human history and it remains a legitimate pursuit. The real challenge is how we go about finding wealth and by what means we employ. Here, like most things in life, most people agree that although hard work is vital to success in life, not every hard working person is necessarily a rich person. By whatever means we may have become rich, the future largely depends on what we do with the proceeds of our fortune and whether that changes us for the good. The parable of the servants and the talents entrusted to them by their master in the Gospel of St Matthew (25: 14-30) suggests to us that God has given each and everyone of us a gift, and that this gift is a trust and that He will demand us to render account on the last day. He will not demand of you what He will demand of the Governor, He will not demand of the Governor what He gave to the President and He will not demand of the President what He gave to the Senator, nor demand from the Priest what he gave to the Bishop, or from the farmer what He gave to the Governor of the Central Bank. So, He will not demand of the beggar on the street what He gave to a Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, but demand He will since, as He says, He has given each according to his ability (Mt. 25: 15). This is why our lives as Christians are measured by faithfulness and stewardship of over whatever God has entrusted to us, no matter our station in life. Jesus Himself laid the perfect example when He said, I have not lost a single one of what those you gave to me, except the one who chose destruction (Jn. 17:12). One of the key reasons why we often fail in our stewardship is Pride, a sin that the Catholic Church refers to as a deadly sin. It is what sent the devil out of Heaven and it is what has led to the fall of those to whom God has entrusted so much in life. This is why we often hear the saying: Pride comes before a fall! When Solomon was chosen to be king, he was quite young but God gave Him an opportunity that was uncommon: What will you like me to give you?, God asked him (1 Kg. 3:3). Solomon asked for wisdom, an act that so pleased God that God
Igbenedion
Himself said: Because you have asked for wisdom to rule justly instead of long life for yourself, or riches or the death of your enemy, I will do what you have asked and I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. I will also give you what you have not asked for, all your life, you will have wealth and honour more than any other king (vv11-14). We see in this story, God’s graciousness, His gratuitousness, that is, His generousity in giving us well beyond a measure of our requests, what the Psalmist means when he says his cup is overflowing (Ps 23:5). The challenge is not the gift, but its administration. For as we see in the case of Solomon, in the end, all of this got into his head. He married 700 princesses and had 300 concubines and not unexpectedly, they made him turn away from God (1 Kg 11: 13). Solomon is not alone in this misuse of the precious gift of God and their disastrous ends are always predictable. Every gift of God is a trust and, as we have seen, God will demand an account of how we managed what He gave to us. In the end, as we see, the justice of God is measured by the law of opposites. He brings down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly (Lk. 1: 52). It is the poor, the opposite of the rich that God measures our faithfulness. As long as you did this to the least of my brethren, you did it to me ( Mt. 25:40). It is therefore not so much how we flaunt our wealth and what we use it for, but the extent to which we used it as a parachute to rescue others less fortunate than we are. A few examples will illustrate our point. Dives was so rich that he dressed in purple and feasted every day (Lk.
16:19). Lazarus on the other hand was so poor he was full of sores and the dogs licked his wounds for their own meals (vv 20-21). Dives was quite generous by allowing Lazarus sit in front of his house. His sin lay in the fact that he was insensitive to the plight of Lazarus. Lazarus had become so familiar to him and those around, that his condition became some kind of a sign post for visitors……when you come to where one dirty old man is sitting and begging, you know you have come to my house, that is where the party is holding, Dives, his wife or steward must have tried to describe their house to their hundreds of daily guests. This is what offended God. We know the story of the rich young man, at best a spoilt brat, who walked up to Jesus and asked what it would cost him to inherit the kingdom of God. Since he had inherited his father’s wealth, and had what we could call unearned income, arrogance led him to believe that everything, including God’s kingdom had a price. He lost a chance of lifetime because he is the only one we are told openly that Jesus loved at first sight (Mk. 10:21). However, when he put his wealth first, he went away a very sad man (Mark 10: 22). At the last judgment, Jesus brings the totality of our lives to an even more dramatic end as we see in the long account of the trials in Matthew’s Gospel chapter 15:3346. We are told that going to heaven or hell is tied to what we did to the least of our brethren. The story is too familiar to merit repetition. It is also quite instructive that this story is preceded in the same chapter with two stories that are illustrative of the fact that a careful and dedicated use of what God CONTINUES ON PAGE 10
10 TRIBUTE
Sunday, September 14, 2014
These Are Tough Times For Nigeria FROM PAGE 9
has given us or entrusted to us is fundamental to saving our souls. We read in the beginning of this chapter, the story of the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish and how the foolish ones lost their chance by taking their ability to buy oil for granted, while the next few verses tell us the story of the stewards who were all entrusted with different gifts by their master. The master later comes to demand an account of how they had invested what they had been given. In each case, our lives are in our hands as the story illustrates. It is not the amount that we have been given that matters, but how we used it. Do not envy others. Bishop Matthew Hassan KUKAH I do not know the celebrant enough to list his accomplishments, but he has become larger than life in Nigeria. Whatever else may be said of him, it seems evident that he had almost been seen an alternative to government of the former Bendel and now Edo State. His fleet of 32 planes brought the village of Okada into national prominence. The fleet of Okada planes has now been replaced by over a million miniature okadas across the nation! Is this a sign of how wealth spreads? But perhaps far more lasting is the Igbinedion University in the same Okada which has been
in the safe hands of one of our nation’s best scholars, our brother and friend, Rev. Professor Eghosa Osaghae. The university has turned out thousands of young men and women across the country and beyond. We have had no news of strikes or cults. There is a sense in which the failure of our nation can go unnoticed. Today, were it not for individuals like the celebrant, along with the likes of the Arik, Aero, Dana, and a host of other private airlines, where would our nation be today in the area of public services and infrastructure? The years of misrule which have seen crippling inequalities in our nation are a sin against the generosity of a God who loved us and has given us so much. According to a CNN report last year, the ownership of private jets in Nigeria went up by 650%. I am sure the figures have gone up even higher. Rather than celebrate this as achievement, we must own up for what it really is: an indictment to the economic system we are running where unearned income, stolen from our commonwealth is being celebrated. We have been told by the Chairman of the EFCC that these private jets have been registered in some foreign islands that are tax havens and so the sources of incomes cannot be traced, taxes cannot be paid and so on. And yet, we have a Ministry
for Foreign Affairs, and we have bilateral relations with these countries? There is nothing wrong with wealth and we legitimately pray for it. There is nothing wrong with private jets or other toys. But there is something intrinsically and existentially wrong with wealth in Nigeria largely because its bizarre display and dubious sources have diminished our country. While all this is going on, Boko Haram is now an army of occupation which has taken over Catholic Churches, sacked our parishes, many other Churches, driven our people from their homes and are holding our children in bondage. Can we continue to celebrate amidst all this? Every man who hugs his daughter, attends her graduation, gives her out in marriage must pause and think about the Chibok girls. These girls and their fate remain a metaphor for defining our dear country. They are the future we are dreaming of and their bondage is our bondage as a people. We need to generate a greater sense of responsibility and duty to one another. Their freedom is not the subject of politics and I do not think there is anyone who does not wish to see them free. However, if we tie respect, prestige to having the highest number of private jets, the highest number of generators and drinking
BananaRepublic RESTAURANT
the highest amount of champagne in the world, we must prepare for a worse fate. The vultures are circling and Boko Haram is merely a stage if we do not wake up from our slumber and decadence. We must build this country on the blocks of courage and integrity. These are tough times for our country. The times call for sobriety and so, while we celebrate, let us not forget the thousands of our brothers and sisters whose feet are swollen from trekking terribly long distances under harsh conditions, those thousands of our people who are refugees in our own country, those thousands of our soldiers who are daily facing danger and death. Yesterday, from the airport in Abuja to Warri and throughout our journey to Benin City, my brother the Bishop of Yola was busy on the phone struggling with sending out recharge cards to kinsmen and managing over 100 refugees in the Bishop’s house. He is feeding all these without a budget, with no support from federal, state or local governments. We were never prepared for this disaster but the saddest part of it all is how uninterested we all are with what has befallen our nation. Let us pray for our President, the military, security agencies, the government and people of Nigeria that these times will pass away. For their sake alone, let us
be measured in our celebration and remember that we could be next. The late Gandhi said that there will always be enough for all our needs, but there can never be enough for our collective greed. We have to deliberately plan to become a sober nation. While we celebrate the Chief, we must also recall his wife and children who have done so much for him. Last Sunday’s Guardian carried a story about the celebrant. He spoke about having been named Gabriel and how he now sees himself as a Gabriel, a messenger of good news to others. He has done that well and may God preserve his legacy. His wife Cherry has said that taking care of this great man has been a full time job and he is clearly a disciplinarian in all aspects of his life. She said taking care of him is a 24/7 job for her. She is therefore the quintessential wife. It must be of people like her that the Scriptures said: Happy is the husband of a good wife. The number of his years is double (Sir 26:1). Sir, I wish you many more years of joy and peace. God be with you. Being text of a Sermon at the 80th Birthday Mass in honour of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, at the Church of St Gabriel the Archangel, Benin City on September 11, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
NIGERIA MOURNS GEN. ADEKUNLE 11
Black Scorpion Dies In Lagos BY GEORGE AGBA, MICHAEL OCHE, Abuja, and KAZEEM AKINTUNDE, OLAOLU OLADIPO, Lagos
Civil war hero, retired Brigadier General Benjamin Adekunle, popularly known as black scorpion, is dead. He died in Lagos yesterday. His wife Folake confirmed his death to newsmen. His Civil War Role Brigadier General Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle (rtd) was born on June 26, 1936 in Kaduna. His father was a native of Ogbomosho, while his mother was a member of the Bachama tribe. He underwent secondary education at the government college, Okene, Kogi State. He enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1958 shortly after completing his school certificate examinations. When the Nigerian Civil War broke out in July 1967, Adekunle, then a Lieutenant Colonel, was tasked to lead soldiers which included two new battalions (7th and 8th) - to conduct the historic sea borne assault on Bonny in the Bight of Benin on July 26, 1968. This happened after the federal government gained confidence of most south western ethnic groups as a direct result of Biafran push to Midwest State and probe into Western region. Adekunle was promoted to Colonel after the Bonny landing. The 6th (under Major Jalo) and 8th (under Major Ochefu) battalions of the Lagos Garrison subsequently took part in operations to liberate the Midwest following the Biafran invasion of August 1967. The 7th (under Major Abubakar) stayed behind to hold Bonny. Because Major Jalo’s Unit was seconded to Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed’s 2nd Division, Adekunle was left with only the 8th Battalion at Escravos. He, therefore, protested to Army HQ and got
Adekunle Most Courageous, Disciplined General – Fani-Kayode Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode in his reaction described General Benjamin Adekunle as the greatest, the most courageous, the most disciplined and the most effective general in the history of the Nigerian Army. He said Adekunle was the single reason why the Nigerian Armed Forces prevailed over Biafra during the civil war. He was a great son of the yoruba and of Nigeria. He led the gallant men of the 3rd Marine Commando into battle personally and he took no prisoners. He was a man of immense courage that Nigeria refused to honour in life and treated very badly after the war and over the years. He stated in a condolence message that, “It is my sincere hope and prayer that now that he has gone he will be given his proper due and honour by his country. I loved that man. I loved his courage under fire and I loved the role he played not just during the civil war but also during the June 12 struggle when the yoruba were being killed, incarcerated, persecuted and tormented by the military government of that day. He stood up to tyranny then and his entire life was dedicated to fighting for a noble and just cause.
the Lagos garrison upgraded to Brigade status through the creation of the 31 and 32 Battalions (under Majors Aliyu and Hamman, respectively). This formation, combined with elements of the Lagos garrison along the eastern seaboard, was officially designated the 3 Infantry Division. However, Colonel Adekunle did not think the name “3 Infantry Division” was sensational enough nor did it project the nature of the unique terrain in which his men had to fight. Therefore, without formal approval from Army HQ, he renamed it the “3 Marine Commando (3MCDO).” The “Black Scorpion” as he came to be known, was easily the most controversial, celebrated and mythologised figure during the Nigerian civil war. Benjamin Adekunle’s boys in the Midwest seized Escravos, Burutu, Urhonigbe, Owa and Aladima. They captured Bomadi and Patani, Youngtown, Koko, Sapele, Ajagbodudu, Warri, Ughelli, Orerokpe, Umutu and Utagba”. Benjamin Adekunle was promoted to Brigadier in 1972. After the war, Adekunle was put in charge of decongesting the Lagos port that was having a chronic problem of clearing imported goods. He held this position until being compulsorily retired on August 20, 1974. He attributed his problems during and after the war to his rivals in the army. In various interviews, he said there was always a rumour of coup linked to him until the army authority felt the concern to do something about it. He had large followings in both the army and public at large and was the most popular military commander during the war, apart from Obasanjo, who succeeded him and brought the war to an end with the same 3MC.
The Late General Adekunle
Jonathan Mourns Adekunle
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday commiserated with the family of late Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle who died yesterday, saying based on his heroic performance during the Nigerian civil war, he will be remembered as a valiant soldier who served his fatherland exceptionally. A statement by presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati noted that the president prayed God Almighty to comfort the grieving family and associates of the late General Adekunle and grant his departed soul eternal rest.
Abati noted, “The President joins them and other Nigerians in mourning the very courageous soldier who achieved national fame during the Nigerian civil war for his gallant leadership of the 3rd Marine Commandoes in the successful effort to defend the unity and territorial integrity of the country. “President Jonathan believes that General Adekunle’s civil war heroics, which made him easily one of the most celebrated military commanders of his generation, have ensured that he will always be honoured and
Adekunle Achieved So Much For Nigeria, Says Obasanjo A former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has described the late Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle (rtd), as a patriot who worked and fought for the unity of the country. Reacting to the death of the deceased whom he described as a friend and course mate, Obasanjo in a statement on Saturday however maintained that his exploits during the war will forever be re-
membered by generations unborn. Waxing nostalgic, the former president recalled their days as cadet officers undergoing a military course in Ghana, saying they achieved much while they were both young men. “I received with shock, the news of the death of my colleague, friend and course mate, Gen Benjamin Adekunle today. I can recall with profound memories what he was
able to achieve as a course mate at Teshi, Accra, Ghana. “The late retired General, made a no mean contribution for the Nigerian civil war. His efforts would be forever remembered and May his soul rest in peace. I am very shocked by this news today. “His vacuum will be difficult to fill in the family, but, I pray for them to have the fortitude to bear this loss.”
Nigeria Was Unfair To Adekunle, Says Akinrinade, Ex-Army Chief A former chief of defence staff, Lt.-General Alani Akinrinade has described the late civil war hero, Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle as a patriot who was unfairly treated by his country. Reacting to the news of the demise of the Ogbomoso, Oyo State born retired officer, Akinrinade lamented that the treatment meted to Adekunle will become a disincentive to people who might seek to undertake patriotic service to the country. Speaking in a telephone chat with LEADERSHIP Sunday yes-
terday, the former Army boss who also fought in the 30-month-old war that pitched the rest of the country against the then break away Biafran nation, lamented that Adekunle’s feat during the war has not received official commendation. Commenting on the life and time of the deceased, Akinrinade stated, “He was a man who was very patriotic to the country. He was someone who could offer anything for the country,” but was quick to add, “Adekunle is a great example of why it is very difficult
to start blaming people when they don’t perform (in office) as you expect.” Recalling the gallantry displayed by Adekunle during the war, he lamented that “No sooner he finished that the powers that be for whatever reason, unexplained till today, started to victimise him. Up till his death, he lived under that fear. “Nobody has ever acknowledged him; he didn’t have a national honour. He doesn’t have anything named after him by anybody.”
remembered as a valiant soldier who served his fatherland exceptionally well at a very trying time in its history. “As the Black Scorpion’s soul returns to the Almighty Creator, President Jonathan enjoins his family, friends, former military colleagues and all who mourn his passing to also give thanks to God for blessing the nation with fearless soldiers and patriots of his calibre who stand ready to lay down their lives for the peace, unity and progress of their country”.
Adekunle Was Lion-hearted Patriot Who Served His Country, Says Tinubu A Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has described the Brigadier-General Benjamin as a man of valour who served his country devotedly when the country most needed him. According to Tinubu in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Muyiwa Dare, the late general was a man of unimaginable bravery and lion-hearted leader of men. Tinubu in the statement stated, “The Generalissimo has fallen. The Great General Benjamin Adekunle (rtd), has left this world and his departure saddens me greatly. “Like most great men, he was greatly misunderstood. His flambouyant and outspoken nature made him a colourful character. However, that never stopped him from emerging as one of the most remarkable icons in Nigeria’s military history.” He added that “The Black Scorpion”, as Tinubu submitted, was a man of uncommon intelligence and fierce determination. On the battle field, he had no equal. He represented the best generation of our military personnel.
12 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES
Sunday, September 14, 2014
My Church Was Attacked By Terrorists – TB Joshua BY GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos
The general overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Pastor Temitope Joshua, yesterday broke silence on the collapse of the guest house being built by his church, saying it was a terrorist attack. Joshua, who said this while addressing the journalists in camera in the church premises yesterday evening, showed a clip taken from the church CCTV showing events that
took place before and after the sixstorey collapsed. From the short video clip, a jet was observed to have hovered four times --11:30am, 11:43am, 11:45am and 11:54 am -- before the building caved in. After the fourth passage over the building, the structure collapsed at exactly 12:44am. He said from the video clip, the building might have been collapsed as a result of chemical substances
poured on it. In his explanation after the video clip, Joshua said the building might have caved in as a result of a terrorist attack: “In a few weeks, the truth behind the collapsed building will be revealed. The last time the Boko Haram issue occurred, the press were against the church including the police but after some weeks, the truth behind the attack was revealed.” Joshua explained why he kept quiet on the issue: “I do not want to
Two APC Govs, Federal Lawmakers Set To Defect- PDP put fear in the minds of Nigerians. We are still battling with the Ebola virus disease, and that was why I have decided to delay my comment till now.” The clergyman urged the pressmen to analyse the video and come to their own conclusion as to what might have happened. He argued that building of such solid foundation would not have collapsed in the manner that the six-storey building came down.
Governor of Niger State Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu and his wife Jummai, commiserating with victims of collapsed VIP pavilion at the North central rally of the transformation ambassadors of Nigeria, at the general hospital Minna, yesterday. PHOTO BY GOVERNMENT HOUSE
FG Develops Implementation Strategies For National Policy On Productivity BY MICHAEL OCHE, Abuja
The federal government is set to restructure the national productivity system to maximize, evaluate and monitor resources invested in the economy towards ensuring performance and service delivery. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr Clement Illoh, who disclosed this in Abuja recently, stated that measures were put in place to develop and apply strategies for the implementation of the National Policy on Productivity.
Declaring open a workshop on “Implementing National Policy on Productivity and Basic Productivity Improvement Techniques in Workplaces”, the permanent secretary noted that productivity improvement tools and techniques were critical instruments for the realization of government’s transformation agenda in the areas of innovation, excellence at work, global competiveness, products and quality services delivery. He expressed concern that over the past two decades, the level of national productivity in
Nigeria, particularly labour productivity, had been on the decline. “Government’s efforts at enhancing productivity have not yielded the desired impact due to low performance resulting from the low capacity of officers charged with responsibility of handling productivity improvement matters”, he stated. Dr Illoh urged the participants to maximize the benefits of the workshop in order to acquire knowledge, skills and competence on productivity measurement and improvement tech-
niques in workplaces. The ministry’s director of Productivity Measurement and Standards, Mrs Theresa Braimah, in her remarks, indicated that the workshop would acquaint the participants with the basic concepts and roles of productivity in national development. She added that the role of productivity in the economy is, “Critical as there can be no meaningful and sustainable development without concerted efforts to institutionalize productivity and productivity advancement structures in our society”.
Army’s Weapon More Sophisticated Than Boko Haram’s – COAS BY ISAIAH BENJAMIN, Kaduna
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah yesterday, denied insinuations that the Boko Haram sect terrorizing the nation particularly the north eastern region has more sophisticated weapons that the Nigerian Army. The army chief said the military is more sophisticated in terms of weapons and ammunitions than the Boko Haram sects, adding that even the weapons and ammunitions in their possession were stolen. “Insurgents are not more so-
phisticated in terms of weapons. Do they have ship, helicopter, and aircraft? Even what they have are stolen, so they cannot be more sophisticated. They do not have more sophisticated weapons than the army”, he stressed. The Army boss stated this during a routine visit to the 44 Army Reference Hospital Kaduna where wounded officers and soldiers, from all the theatres of the operations in the north eastern states code named ‘Operation Zaman Lafia’ were receiving treatment. He said the routine visit was also going to be used to present Purple Heart medals to the
wounded but brave officers and soldiers in recognition of their gallant efforts towards the army’s continued determination to fight all forms of terrorism in the country. According to the COAS, “We are here on a routine visit to 44 army hospitals Kaduna and also to visit all the soldiers and officers who were wounded in action in all the theatres of “Operation Zaman Lafia”. “We use the opportunity to award them medals, private war time medals of purple hearts as part of welfare program, which is presented to them today by the
Honourable Minister of Defence, General Mohammed Aliyu Gusau (rtd). It is part of welfare program to rekindle the fighting spirit and troop efficiency among the soldiers and officers. “It is also part of the extension of the concern of the Nigerian army to officers or solders injured or killed during the operation.” Fifty seven soldiers and three officers, who sustained various degrees of injuries during the operation in the north east and were receiving treatment at the hospital were awarded the Purple Hearts medals by the Nigeria army.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday disclosed that two All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and federal lawmakers were set to join the ruling party. PDP, in a statement, lambasting the APC for attempting to deceive Nigerians by presenting former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as one of President Goodluck Jonathan’s entourage to Chad. It said governors and federal lawmakers intended to move because of APC’s bad image and anti-democratic stance. The statement signed by National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, said “Many more of its (APC) members including two state governors and members of the National Assembly are now set to decamp to the PDP due to the bad image and anti-democratic stance of the APC”. PDP however, described as “repulsive and utterly despicable”, the refusal of the APC to shed its taste for lying, spreading of falsehood and attacks on individuals as means of achieving political control in spite of several counsels by well-meaning Nigerians. By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja
Ebola: Nigeria’s 2014 Economic Growth To Reduce By 0.5% – Okonjo-Iweala The Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the nation’s projected economic growth rate for this year would reduce by 0.5 per cent due to the adverse effects of Ebola virus disease and Boko Haram terror attacks in the country. Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke in Lagos over the weekend after a breakfast meeting with the global chief executive officer of Unilever Plc, Mr Paul Polman said, “We have discounted our growth by a half percentage point this year. We are still projecting to grow around 6.5 per cent but we have discounted that due to the effect of Ebola disease and Boko Haram in the eastern part of the country. The Unilever global CEO, Polman stated that Unilever would invest $200 million in Nigeria and inaugurate one of its new facilities in the country in October. “We feel this is the right time to increase our presence in Nigeria. Our growth potentials are accelerating and we think that a lot of potentials are actually been unlocked right now,” she stated. By Olushola Bello, Lagos
cover story
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Malagari showing his injured leg after surviving Boko Haram massacre in Bama
Modu grieving over his missing wife and 8 children. PHOTOS BY ABDULKA-
REEM HARUNA
Bama: Tears Of A Displaced Kingdom Monday, September 1, 2014, will remain indelible in the minds of a number of Nigerians, particularly the people of Bama in Bama local government area of Borno State. That was the day the town fell to the Boko Haram insurgents, Abdulkareem Haruna writes
When the Boko Haram insurgents attacked Bama two weeks ago, more than half the residents of the town took to their heels. They were joined in the race for life by residents of other surrounding towns and villages
On September 1, 2014, Bama town, the seat of Emir of Bama and former headquarters of the recently relocated Dikwa Emirate, came under the attack of Boko Haram insurgents who forced almost all the residents including the armed security forces fleeing for their dear lives. LEADERSHIP Sunday correspondent who investigated the invasion reports that more than one hundred thousand of the town’s population were either killed, missing or displaced during that attack. Bama local government, according to the 2006 census, has a population figure of 217,199 but with its estimated increasing rate of +2.29 per cent annually, the National Population Commission records, now puts the figure at about 319, 820 people. Bama town which doubles as the local government headquarters comprises about 40 per cent of the entire population of the local government. When the Boko Haram insurgents attacked Bama two weeks ago, more than half the residents of the town took to their heels. They were joined in the race for life by residents of towns and villages around the metropolis of Bama.
On Thursday, September 11, exactly eleven days since the Boko Haram terrorists added Bama to their increasing conquered territories in the northeast of Nigeria, the people of Bama under the aegis of Bama Development Association (BDA), lamented that some of the town’s residents, comprising women, children and aged persons who could not flee for obvious reasons, have remained trapped in the besieged town. For some others who managed to escape, their luck didn’t take them far enough as they were alleged to have eventually drowned in River Yadhzaram, outside Bamka. Most of the victims were said to be women and children, who could not swim. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that while over 7,000 children, women and men of Bama were able to make it to Maiduguri on foot, so many others could not because they got killed or slaughtered by the rampaging insurgents, who went after them in the bushes. The chairman of BDA, Alhaji Muhammed Hassan, who addressed a press conference tagged ‘Bama under Siege’, said though the entire Bama had been displaced and the few trapped within are dying of
hunger and thirst, they seemed to have been abandoned by the government. “From that fateful Monday to date (last Thursday), about 11 days now, Bama, the second largest local government area in Borno State, is under the custody and control of the dreaded Boko Haram sect; this is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “Some of the women and children had drowned at River Yadzaram in the process of fleeing, while others were shot dead... Apart from those in captivity others who managed to cross the river were killed in the nearby bushes, and we still have not been able to recover their corpses for proper burial.” Alhaji Hassan said. The chairman of Borno Committee on Displaced Persons, Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, has said that out of the more than 7,000 displaced persons that arrived Maiduguri 11 days into the Bama attack, 80 per cent of them were being accommodated at various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within Maiduguri and 20 per cent others are in the homes of their relatives and residences of influential persons. Though government, especially of the Borno State has been making necessary efforts to ensure succour and comfort for all the displaced in the camps, the people of Bama are still in pains and grieving endless over the seizure of their ancestral home. Many of them have refused to believe that they would
ever witness this kind of development in their lifetime. The sorrow of the people is further heightened by what they described as the sad reality that their monarch, the Emir of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Ibrahim Elkanemi, had to suffer their shared plight. Tears freely rolled down the cheeks of many as the men had to let go their masculine pride and cried on Monday, September 8, when the Emir of Bama, the man who is supposed to be the cynosure of their cultural existence and the pride of their emirate, visited them in the IDP camp to share in their pains. At the NYSC Orientation camp where more than 2,000 of the Bama IDPs were sheltered, the Emir of Bama himself, accompanied by his Waziri, Alhaji Kyari Sandabe, was emotionally drenched. But for the understandable taboo that forbids His Eminence as the royal father and one who should stand firm even when his subjects are collapsing in pains, the monarch would have cried at the sight of his displaced subjects. The Emir who traditionally would not be publicly addressing his subjects outside his domain spoke through his Waziri (vicegerent) as he urged the people of Bama to persevere and take their plight as test from God almighty. “We must all persevere and be strong in this moment of trial and affliction; violence is not part of us, ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Bama: Tears Of A Displaced Kingdom ➔ FROM PAGE 13 but God that sees this and is silently watching at this happenings, has His reason as to why He allowed it to come, and Him alone would bring us the perfect answers to our prayers for peace if we truly ask for His intervention. We are all pained, our beloved ones were killed, our pride and humanity bastardised but we know God is with us and very soon peace will come back to us and we shall all return home,” said the Waziri who addressed the displaced people in their local Kanuri language. Though the Bama IDPs were consoled by the presence of their monarch, especially by his soothing words of courage, their collective mood was generally sober all day. “If this is as a result of sin that we have committed as a people, we call on God to forgive us, not for our own sake, but for the innocence of our wives and children and even the children that are being delivered in this unconducive environment in the camp,” prayed Ali Gulumba, a displaced Bama trader. “There is nothing that had so debased our humanity and insulted our pride like insurgents forcing us and even our King to stay very far away from our town; our town is our pride, our Emir and the seat of the Emir is more than pride to us; we pray God to save the face of Bama Emirate and Borno State in general. We have suffered, we have seen death and torture in the hands of Boko Haram,” the trader further prayed. LEADERSHIP Sunday spoke with some of the IDPs from Bama, especially those that have interfaced with the Boko Haram terrorists while taking over their town and villages, and their story was a narrative of human bestiality. Alhaji Garba Malagari, is one of the victims of the Boko Haram attack in Bama. He was among some 47 villagers that were tied up and shot dead by the insurgents at a village near Bama. However, he was lucky to have survived because the blood of his kinsmen splashed all over him and the assailants thought he was actually dead. “On the day we were attacked, it was shortly after we had performed the late afternoon prayers, and we were sitting outside our homes, when some men riding on nine motorcycles came to our village, Malumburari, about 20km west of Bama,” said Malagari. “The armed insurgents numbered 18. They took strategic positions rounded our village. They gathered all of us and marched us out of the village on the pretext that they were there to preach Islamic sermons to us at a hamlet called Balteri, right outside our village near Bama. When we were all gathered there, some of them started telling us that they are out to educate us on the need for us to understand that they are not Boko Haram but Jamaatu Ahlil Sunna li Dawati Wal
Jihad. They said the name Boko Haram was improper and they should not be regarded as such; we promised them that we would comply thenceforth. But they insisted that they were not pleased with us because each time their members passed near the village on a mission, we used to alert security operatives; and we all promised never to do that again. But despite our pleas for mercy, one of their leaders ordered that should tie our hands behind our backs and also our legs. After they had bounded all 47 of us, and forced us to face down, they began to shoot at us one after the other. They shot at all of us and having presumed all of us to be dead, they returned to and burnt down our houses. “I was lucky not to be killed because, I pretended that I was shot dead. My body and head was covered by the splashing blood from three persons lying close to me and they thought I was dead too because my entire body and head was covered in the splashing blood from me shot kinsmen. “But when they were about to leave to go and start burning our houses, one of them who may have suspected I was still alive came back and said ‘it seems this man is still alive’. So he decided to shoot at my leg twice. Although I began to writhe, I fought to suppress my pains. Then one said shoot him in the head and the man standing over me fired again. But as luck would have it, the bullet went through the lower part of my head near the right ear and only scratched my skin before it got buried in the dust. They thought I was dead and even I thought I had been hit in the head. That was how I remained still until they left. “After about 30 minutes that they had left, I tried to look up and there was no one in sight, so I decided to drag myself up in an attempt to start walking but my leg was heavy and painful. I saw all the corpses of our village people in the pool of their blood; most of them were shot in the back and head. I began to limp in pain into the village, and luckily I sighted a stray horse that belonged to a man that I know who was also killed, so I went to the horse and mounted it. I rode the horse to another village called Bale, where my elder sister lives with her husband, so that I could get first aid treatment. It was this my in-law that offered to take me to the hospital, after making me promise to pay back the sum of N11,800 he was taking along to pay for my hospital bills. He was keeping the money on behalf of some people. I was moved from the hospital to the camp here in Maiduguri,” Malagari said. The tale of Abubakar Modu, a 45 years old Bread vendor was even more pathetic, because he could not account for the whereabouts of all the nine members of his immediate family whom he was forced to leave behind in Bama as he joined
Badeh
other men to flee from the rampaging Boko Haram gunmen. “I was woken by the sound of gunshots at about 5am on that fateful morning. My wife and eight children were all scared, because we had experienced similar incident in Februay when they came to attack Bama town,” Modu said. “In order to satisfy my curiosity, I and some of my neighbours decided to go out to find out if the shooting was from the enemies or from the soldiers at the barracks; then we saw that some of the shooters were even close by, simultaneously shooting and chanting Islamic slogans; when we tried to run back to our houses, we saw some of our neighbours running towards us and warning that it was more dangerous to go back home because the terrorists were in that direction already. That was how in my confusion, we started running towards the barracks with the hope that they might not harm the women and children.” Modu said their hope of getting a secured refuge at the barracks was dashed the minute they arrived there, because even the soldiers in the barracks had to flee when the terrorists began to advance towards them. “When we got to the barracks, the soldiers screened us inside, but minutes later after some heavy exchange of gunfire, the soldiers began to talk to one another in military language that some of us could not understand immediately, then suddenly, one of the elderly soldiers spoke to us in Hausa that ‘you better start running if you can because we too are leaving’. With that announcement made, all of us joined the soldiers in fleeing in the direction of Maiduguri on foot”, he said. The displaced bread merchant said he was in serious dilemma because he misses all members of his family whom he has no means of finding out what has become of them. “I am afraid for my family, my
wife and my children Ba’ana, 14 years old girl, Umma, 12; Ma’agana, 10, Malummai, 8, Abba, 6, Rawana, 4, Bakura, 2 and Falmata who is just a few months old. I miss them so much and every day I pray for their safety and those of other women and children out there. “The Boko Haram insurgents have been dishing out instructions to our people in the rural areas, in most of those areas they have been patrolling streets, preaching and passing judgments including enforcing capital punishment. In most of those areas our soldiers seemed to have abandoned their posts. The abandoned areas stretch from Gwoza through Gamboru-Ngala to Baga – spanning 10 local government areas. The people are being cowed to accept the Boko Haram sect’s authority. A lucky IDP, Abacha Goni who was able to escape Bama town and made it to Maiduguri on Thursday, September 11, said he hid himself for days, and had to dress up in women’s attire before he managed to creep out at night and escaped through the bush. “I could not run on the day of the attack because they were everywhere around our neighbourhood; so I had to hide inside while my wives and children were feeding me with information of what was going on,” said Goni. “My children informed me how many men were caught and shot; and I had to hide somewhere in my house. Even when they came to harass my family asking if there was any man in the house, I almost fainted, thinking they would discover my hide out.” “Movement was restricted but we only have to send the children to fetch water because they don’t touch them. My family agreed that I should run if I could because the more I remained, the likelihood someone would discover my hideout. So I had to summon courage and luckily, I made it out,” he said.
You better start running if you can because we too are leaving’. With that announcement made, all of us joined the soldiers in fleeing in the direction of Maiduguri on foot
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sunday interview Sunday, September 14, 2014
Expect More From Senate – Sen. Tutare
Sen. Abubakar Umar Tutare is representing Taraba Central in the Senate and he is the deputy chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs. In this encounter with Ruth Choji, he advocated for decentralisation of the Nigeria Police for more efffectiveness among other issues. As the vice chairman, senate committee on police affairs, why is it that whenever there is a civil disturbance, the military instead of the police are called in, does it mean that they are incapable of solving our problems
It is very unfortunate that in Nigeria, we pick the last option as opposed to first option. Military are supposed to be the last option in every situation. If you use them as last option, what else will you have in terms of crises? We are supposing to be using the police to solve internal problems. It is unfortunate that they have not equipped the police to fight some of these things. It is only in Nigeria that you see a policeman on a bike with his gun. It is only in Nigeria, you see policemen without houses, they sleep in the office, you will see them standing in the hot sun without an office or shed. So, the Nigerian police is to be pitied because we don’t take care of them yet we expect the best from them. They are not properly trained, their living conditions have not improved and their salaries are still not enough. How much will it cost to improve the standard of the Nigeria police to meet world standard
Nigerians should expect a lot because this is the last session of the assembly, so naturally it will be full of politicking, campaigning and all that
Sometime in the past, there was a committee that was set up to find out how much it was required to make the police meet world standard. I think the report recommended N1.3 trillion as what will be required for us to have a world standard police. I want to believe that it is even small to solve the problems of the police. I don’t believe that will be enough to solve our problem. What we need is to decentralise the police force, let’s give states and local governments the opportunity to create their own police that will work in synergy with the federal police. With the current insecurity in the land, that will solve the problem of community policing and some of these ills can be curbed at the local government level because they will know the people living in the community and will be monitoring them. Nigerians don’t trust the police, what will it take to build that trust and confidence?
Nigerians don’t trust the police because of what it has been reduced to but if care is not taken, the military will be reduced to that same level. Because right now, they have started doing what the police are doing, they now collect money from motorists and other people like the police. Is that not why people don’t trust the police? Government must look into this issue and equip the police to take their place and protect the people. We must give them what is required to make them do the job well. We should pay them well, give them equipment and uniforms, build houses for them and also train them. They don’t have equipment that will give them courage to face the criminals. Does the manpower of Nigeria police meet the world required standard?
According to UN standard, a policeman is supposed to police forty people. But in Nigeria, we have less than 400,000 police officers and we are over 170 million. It means a policeman is policing over five hundred people, how do you expect them to be effective? Taraba State is under tension over sectarian killings. How did the state get to this stage politically?
It is unfortunate that we are where we are in Taraba State today, we have become divided along religions and ethnic lines. I have been in politics since the creation of Taraba State. I was on one of my campaign trails when I heard on the news that we have been made a state in 1991. Then, we didn’t know who is a Muslim or Christian, who is Tiv, Fulani or Mumuye. All we knew was who is a Taraba man. Also at that time, it was SDP and NRC and the SDP was in the minority because NRC had eight local governments while SDP had only four or so. SDP gave Jolly Nyame their ticket for governorship, NRC picked Dr Obadiah Shaki as their candidate. Unfortunately along the line, the Taraba ‘bigmen’ who decide what happens in Taraba, (these men were from his local government) decided to disqualify him because of their local problem. They gave the ticket to professor Jalingo, then he was Dr Ahmed Jalingo who was a Muslim and Jolly Nyame
Tutare
was a Christian and a reverend. The people out of anger voted for Jolly Nyame. Shaki was also a Christian, but we were willing to vote for them. There was nothing like religious sentiments. In 1999, 90 per cent of Taraba people are PDP and so when they presented their candidate, we all supported him, but unfortunately he had an accident and died. His camp which comprises of both Muslims and Christians decided to put up Baba Ali to take over from him and he took over and they worked for him and he succeeded. He is from Wukari and a Christian. On coming to the national secretariat of PDP where we have somebody from Wukari at the helm of affairs, the man stood his grounds and denied Baba Ali the ticket, his own brother from the same place. I am saying this because I want you to understand how Taraba got to the stage it is in now. The man maneouvred everything and gave the ticket to Jolly Nyame who was fourth in the primaries. Baba AIi was first, Barde was second and Idris Waziri was third, while Jolly Nyame came fourth. Obadiah Ando was the candidate of APP. Jolly Nyame became the governor because we voted for him, we didn’t think of religion or tribe then. Coming to 2007, Jolly Nyame wanted his own to take over form him, he brought Danladi Baido from the northern zone, we gave him nomination and he was a Christian, he came first, Abdulaziz was second and Idris Waziri was third and so on. Coming to the national secretariat, they disqualified him and instead of picking second or third in the primaries, they went
and picked someone who did not declare interest to contest. He was a Christina and we worked for him. I was director of finance of that campaign. So is it that it is now we are talking about religion? Were we not Muslims and Christians all this time? What has changed to make religion become a factor in Taraba State? Why are we using religion to divide our people now? We should be thinking of people that will develop our state not which religion he practices. What will it take to restore that peace and unity in Taraba State?
It is for the elites to start sensitising the people on the need to think of the state, not religion or tribe. We must teach our people how to love each other. Anybody that becomes governor must think of the state not his tribe or religion. Taraba is a backward state, but it is blessed with so many things. Even if it is just that Mambila plateau, it is enough to develop the state. How will you assess the acting governor’s performance?
Well, I notice he has continued in the footsteps of the sick governor. I don’t really involve myself in the state’s politics now because of what I went through after the governor won. Some people who saw me as a threat to their selfish ambition came between us and decided to cause friction between me and the governor before his accident. We used to be very close but it is unfortunate that some selfish persons have capitalised on their
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Expect More From Senate – Sen. Tutare Is it not the same Nigerian? What we need is attitudinal change. We must change our ways of doing things. We must also be patriotic, we must put the interest of the country first instead of personal interest. Being a minister or governor does not mean that you should start thinking of how to buy a house in London, how to start a business in other countries and sending your family abroad.
closeness with the governor to cause problems.
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Does it mean that it was after the governor’s accident that these problems started manifesting?
No, it is not. Taraba problem started before the governor’s accident. From 1992 when Jolly was governor, his deputy was a Christian, his speaker was Christian and I was a deputy speaker. In his cabinet then, 50% were Christians and 50% were Muslims. The SSG was a Muslim, so there was a balance in appointment, we were in peace at the state house of assembly. In 1999 when Jolly Nyame came back, there was balance in the administration, but in 2007 when Danbaba came in, the same thing happened until 2011 when he changed the pattern of everything. I told him that it is not fair. We have never had speaker, deputy speaker, majority leader Christians in the state assembly. We have never had 10 out of 13 commissioners as Christians. We never had 12 out of 16 advisers as Christians. So he was the cause of all these things, he started it. His SSG was Christian, almost all the appointments were Christian. He now fell sick, his deputy took over and he is still working with the people Danbaba appointed. I have not heard that he removed anybody and replace him with a Muslim except for the house of assembly where he balanced it. It is not fair in a state where we are almost 50 50 per cent, nobody can claim majority in Taraba State What should Nigerians expect when the senate resumes?
Nigerians should expect a lot because this is the last session of the assembly, so naturally it will be full of politicking, campaigning and all that. I want to believe that this session will be full of political activities. Supposing you are made to give the 7th senate a pass mark on their activities, what percentage will it be?
I will give them 70 per cent because we have really tried. But most Nigerians see the senate as being more loyal to the executive instead of the people that voted them to power, what is your take on this?
This senate has played big roles to ensure that the country remains as one
If you are outside, you will think so, but as one of them, I can tell you that the Nigerian senate is objective and loyal to the electorate. If we are to go the way people want us to go, Nigeria would be in chaos. This senate has played big roles to ensure that the country remains as one. People want to see us fighting and criticising the government which is not what will make any impact. But dialogue and maturity must always prevail. Most of the resolutions passed by the senate have been implemented by the executive unlike some of the resolutions of the house of representatives.
Supposing you are made to assess how president Jonathan leads the PDP administration, what will it be?
Mr President has achieved a lot and he has also failed in some areas. In the aspect of aviation, land transportation, and the rest, he has really tried but on insecurity, he failed woefully. Structurally he has tried. But he has failed woefully in terms of security. If he could tackle security, then it will mean that he is the best president Nigeria has had. What will it take to get it right?
Tutare
You mentioned campaigning, some Nigerians are of the opinion that, if the insecurity is not faced squarely, the general elections could be marred with lots of violence. What do you think?
Yes and no. My only fear is that, if there is no free and fair elections, then we might have some crises, but from the commitment of Mr President and the INEC chairman, I don’t think there will be any crises. If anybody will be given the opportunity to vote who he wants, then the elections will be peaceful. People’s votes must count. We are all going for elections and it is either you win or lose. I have been in politics since 1991 but I have never attempted to rig elections because I don’t want to come in without the support of the people. I want my people to vote for me so that I can operate freely. Some Nigerians are of the opinion that the PDP administration has failed, as a PDP senator, what is your take on this?
PDP did not fail Nigeria, the problem is that, Nigerians are not sincere, we are selfish and don’t have the interest of the country at heart. From the top to the bottom, none of us have the interest of the country at heart. It is always self before country. The opposition that are condemning the PDP are not left out of this because most of them are former PDP members and they left because of their personal interests. These are people that are heading government at the state and local government levels. What have they done that is different? Who can you point out to and say, is doing well? The only person I have respect for among them is governor Fashola of Lagos State and recently Kwankwaso of Kano State. These are the only two peo-
ple that you can point out to in the opposition and say they are making some differences. They have not changed in their style of governance and behaviour. These are the type we want, not those that are just making noise. The country seems to be divided along religious and ethnic lines, what is your take on this?
It is very unfortunate that we have descended to this level and it is the politicians that caused it. The most unfortunate thing is that we don’t elect people based on policies or ideology. We don’t even want to know the programmes they have for us or new ideas they have brought, all we do is use sentiments. If the place is dominated by your religion, you use that to brainwash them into voting for you. Some will use tribe to make people vote for them. The electorate too have their problems, there is no way you will go to campaign without giving them money, they don’t care whether you will perform or not, all they want is your money. And what do you expect from a person that paid you to vote for him? He will have to recover his money first before attending to the needs of the people. So for us to change this perception, we must all change our perception about politics and start talking about real issues, not tribe and religion. There must be a new reorientation But do you think the current INEC under Prof Attahiru Jega can give Nigerians a free, fair and credible elections?
The person heading it is not the problem, but if the person is given the freedom to work, he will do it well. Some believe that independent candidacy will give room for people to choose their choice instead of depending on parties. What difference will that make?
While I am not a security expert, I don’t know the cause of what is happening in Nigeria. The more you see it, the less you understand. So I cannot tell Mr President what to do. He knows more than I do about what is happening in the country. If you call the security chiefs to the senate, what they will tell you will be different from what you are seeing on ground. As a legislator, you can’t go out and do the work of a securityman, you have to rely on what they tell you. But what they tell us goes contrary to what we see on ground, the situation is getting worst every day and by now, we thought they would have come up with a way to solve it or maybe curtail it, instead what we hear and see are worst things taking place right under our nose. But supposing you are asked to formulate a template on how to end the security challenges Nigeria is experiencing, what will it be?
I want to believe the cause of this problem is poverty and illiteracy. If we can solve these two things, it will go a long way in reducing the insecurity and violence Can you say that your being in the senate has afforded you the opportunity to impact the lives of your people?
Yes. You know I come from a rural area. But I have been able to provide them with school, hospital and portable water which are things I think they need. The little I was able to influence, I did for my constituency. What are your plans for 2015?
I am planning to recontest, but coming back will depend on my constituency, if they feel that they are happy with what I have done and so they will vote me back, so be it. But if they feel they have somebody that can do better, so be it, I will work for the person to succeed.
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sunday politics
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2015: Is TAN A Successor Of N2N?
In 2011, aside the mainstream President Goodluck Jonathan’s main campaign Organisation headed by Dr Dalhatu Tafida, ‘Neighbour to Neighbour’ became a potent weapon for the President’s campaign in that election year. Ahead of 2015, however, Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) seems to have ‘hijacked’ the stage in this regard. STANLEY NKWOCHA and Chibuzo Ukaibe write
One of the TAN zonal rallies.
It dropped like a mirage on the centre of a highway. Not many Nigerians knew what the group was up to and had up its sleeves. But the force with which it kept pushing its activities, especially on the media suggested that another potent, seemingly well- funded and indeed influential group, had emerged. Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) may just be a name but to a host of politically conscious Nigerians, there is more to it than this name. Early last year when it commenced subtle media adverts and campaigns across the mass media, not a few Nigerians took them seriously as it was thought that another group that would soon fizzle out had come. It’s been over a year and the activities of TAN has continued to traverse the entire nation. With all the zonal rallies organised by the group in support of the anticipated presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, there is no hiding the fact that TAN has become a strong organ for the re-election bid. Much like TAN today, ‘Neighbour to Neighbour’ (N2N) was a potent political campaign
structure; a well oiled political machine that held Nigerians spell- bound with intense messaging on President Jonathan ahead of the 2011 election. Initiated by former minister for Aviation, Stella Odua, it was also alleged that former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, was associated with the project. These were before they became ministers. Coordinated then by the current director general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA)Michael Omeri, N2N follows its evolution through collapsing all pro-Jonathan groups and adopted an aggressive advertising for President Jonathan. The consistency of the campaigns by ‘Neighbour 2 Neighbour’ naturally portrayed an organisation that had easy access to a lot of funds. Before long, eye brows were raised concerning the source such funds. However, with the 2011 won, and most of its drivers situated in government subsequently, indications were rife that N2N would naturally deploy its machinery ahead of the 2015 presidential elections. This was, moreso, as by Sep-
2015: Kwara PDP And Its Many Gubernatorial Aspirants > 20
With all the zonal rallies organised by the group in support of the anticipated presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, there is no hiding the fact that TAN has become a strong organ
tember 2011, the group, in the guise of transmuting from a purely election campaign group into an advocacy group for “Transformation Agenda”, engaged in a mass recruitment of staff, a move indicative of its preparation for the 2015 elections. In its advertorial for recruitment they described themselves as “A leading support group that contributed immensely to the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo at the April 2011 elections”, noting that they have “Transformed to continue in support of the transformation agenda of Mr President”. They, it was gathered, recruited coordinators for each of the 36 states, each of the 774 local governments, and all the wards in the country. But there was more that pointed to the group angling to remain relevant ahead of 2015. At the height of the subsidy removal debate in 2012, ‘Neighbour 2 Neighbour’ started massive pro-subsidy campaigns nation wide. But with its major initiators engaged in governance and en➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
18 politics
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2015: Is TAN A Successor Of N2N? ➔ FROM PAGE 18
While it is obvious that TAN is making in-roads, it is left to be seen if it will sustain the tempo it has set forth as the nation steps gradually into 2015
gaged by their ministerial and parastatal portfolios, it was hard to maintain the potency of the 2011 organisation, an insider told Leadership Sunday. The source who was an insider at the time, stated that immediately Mrs Odua and Orubebe were appointed ministers, most of the groups’ operations naturally began to grind to a halt. However, with N2N off the scene for a while, TAN swooped in and plugged the vaccum. But what does TAN represents and what are its drive? Speaking with LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, Dr Udenta O Udenta, TAN’s director of Public Communications and Strategy, described TAN as a “non-governmental movement made up of Nigerian patriots who are persuaded that the national transformation agenda of the Jonathan-led administration contains core paradigmatic elements that need to be propagated and extended.” Udenta stressed further that, “A policy construct such as national transformation must first be defined within its philosophic space, as a necessary step towards its actualisation in the context of social practice. National transformation is both a deconstructive and a reconstructive exercise. It deconstructs the nation’s 100 years of colonial and post colonial inheritance in the spheres of democratisation, building of economic structures, and the setting and execution of development goals. This is also to be seen in the spheres of public infrastructure, human security indications that encompass the poverty reduction, job creation, sustainable livelihood spectrum, implantation of positive national values that could engender the construction of a national ideology and the renegotiation of the terms and conditions that underpin the totality of Nigeria’s federalist experience. “The Jonathan-led administration is reconstructing and reconstituting the foundational logic of Nigeria’s democratic system by strengthening the tools and instruments of electoral governance that made the 2011 general elections better than the 2003 and 2007 elections as the expression of the true will of the people. It has equally inaugurated far-reaching transformational processes in the agricultural, aviation, rail transportation, public works and human empowerment sectors, as well as taking bold, revolutionary and risky steps in re-positioning the nation’s problematic power infrastructure as a platform for the inter-play of privative sec-
tor-led entrepreneurial efficiency and governmental regulatory oversight”. As sweet and convincing as the words of Dr Udenta are, the activities of the organ suggests that except they are backed by some ‘heavy weights’, it may not have the wherewithal to embark on some projects it has executed. For instance, aside the numerous media campaigns - aggressive at that, it has also embarked on workshops. However, the latest rallies in support of President Goodluck Jonathan’s aspiration in 2015 shows that indeed, TAN is serious at mobilizing and sensitizing Nigerians on the need to support President Jonathan when he eventually declares to run for the 2015 Presidency. But what makes TAN seemingly different from other organisations known to have performed such roles in the past? It would not be out of place to state that organs such as ‘Neighbor-2-Neighbor’, ‘Friends of Goodluck’ and other structures which helped to support the Jonathan-presidency bid in 2011 contributed, in no small measure, towards his eventual success at that poll. Individuals like Mike Omeri (director general, National Orientation Agency), Ahmed Gulak (immediate past political adviser to the president and sacked minister for Aviation, Stella Oduah all got their appointments based on these initiatives which they propelled. As a matter of fact, reports suggest that Oduah, for instance, has held on to ‘Neighbor 2 Neighbor, and still bent on using it for the president ahead in 2015. But the intimidating posture of TAN suggests that it is either other groups strategise or be shoved out of relevance as TAN has taken the game to another level and visibly upped the ante. But how has TAN done this? It is believed that TAN’s assemblage of some intellectual power houses to run its affairs has given it added impetus for its product delivery to look easy. Needless to state that this assemblage has paid off with its finesse and organisation as a visit to TAN’s office at the highbrow Maitama district will reveal an expansive land that is housing a well equipped office complex. The very expensive edifice that houses this organ even as it radiates serenity also reflects the seriousness with which those running the organisation operate it. This is further demonstrated by the volume of traffic headed to the office as individuals ranging from politicians, bureaucrats and top gov-
Jonathan
ernment officials continue to be on the guest lists of this organisation on a daily basis, simply wanting to identify with it. To the plus of TAN seems to be what could be said to be the tacit support of government towards the initiative. While it is unclear how and who mooted the idea of TAN, it is believed that it took certain bigwigs in government and some of Jonathan’s close associates to make the TAN dream a reality. This can be reflected in the support base for the organ which ranges from influential businessmen, government patronisers, select governors and well wishers. On few occasions, some ministers serving under the Jonathan’s administration have visited the premises of TAN on what some say are ‘spy visits’ to assess the capacity of the the organ. Unlike ‘Neighbour-2-Neighbor’ that was said to have had limited sources of funds, it is alleged that TAN’s massive presence and visibility is as a result of the support and funding of powerful and rich Nigerians. Of particular note is the special funding said to be emanating from the huge purse of an Anambra oil magnate who recently contested the state governorship election last year under a different party, but at the moment, set to move over to join the PDP. It is said that he has galvanised support among his friends and has seen TAN
being pumped up with huge financial contributions. Also, a select group of governors are also said to have donated to TAN, just as a large number of donors are said to be influential politicians. While other factors might have played in, what is said to have largely played out to the advantage of TAN is its media onslaught, which by the way, announced it as no little venture. The speed with which it took over the TV and radio airwaves, depicting highly pragmatic and creative ads and jingles, with some controversial at times, gave it no little milestone. So far, TAN, in an unprecedented move has organised rallies in the South east, South west and South south with unprecedented number of crowds turning out for the rallies. The presence of governors and top notch politicians from the respective regions of the country suggest the respect and influence that TAN now commands. So massive and successful have been the rallies that the opposition has had to frown at the conduct of such rallies especially at this time of Ebola scourge. While it is obvious that TAN is making in-roads, it is left to be seen if it will sustain the tempo it has set forth as the nation steps gradually into 2015. For now it is obvious that TAN is gradually making a mark for itself.
INTERVIEW 19
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Can Atiku Get It Right This Time Around? Unarguably, Atiku Abubakar is one of the most celebrated politicians of our time. He has been around since his adventure into politics after his retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service for twenty years, where he rose up to become the deputy director and joined politics during the Babangida regime. Few days ago, he declared his intention to run for the presidency again under the platform of his new party, APC. But could he get it right this time around? Asks BAYO OLADEJI who also identifies his strengths and weaknesses in this discourse.
Atiku is the most prepared for the job. Nigerians are tired of people stepping into the presidency unprepared
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, 67, has, once again, thrown his hat into the ring for the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as he declares formally his intention to contest on September 24. Garba Shehu, his media adviser, in a statement in Abuja, last week, said Atiku’s campaign will be anchored by a former minister, Babalola Borishade. “Borishade is also a well-known political strategist who worked for the victory of the late Gen Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and thereafter, the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). Borisade also worked as the strategist for President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and 2003 elections, both of which were won resoundingly. “This is not about me; it is about our young people. It is about Nigerians. It is their future, not the past. It is about reforming government, securing the people and reconciling the nation. We need to seize the moment; to give every Nigerian a chance to help redefine Nigeria as a place for them and their children to prosper and feel safe”, the statement quoted Atiku as saying. Abubakar had worked in the Nigeria Customs Service for twenty years, rising to become a deputy director. He retired in April 1989 and took up full-time business and politics. He ran for the office of governor in the Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba States) in 1991. Abubakar has made three unsuc-
Atiku
cessful bids for the presidency in 1993, 2007 and 2011. His first experience in the race was under the political transition under the Babangida military presidency when he placed third after MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries. In 1998, he was elected governor of Adamawa State. While still governor-elect, he was selected by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate as his running mate. The duo went on to win the elections in February 1999, and Abubakar was sworn-in as Nigeria’s second democratically elected vice president on May 29, 1999. It was his ambition that made him parted ways with his former principal, Obasanjo, who stopped him from succeeding him in 2007 and Turaki was subsequently frustrated out of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He joined the Tinubu led- Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) when he contested but lost and came third behind the late President, Umaru Yar Adua and General Muhammadu Buhari. But Turaki argued that it was his opposition to the third term bid of Obasanjo that made him fall out of favour with him but Obasanjo was accusing him of having inordinate ambition. He returned to the PDP after the much-touted reconciliation under the Alex Ekwueme panel but the party he returned to was not the same he left as he was denied the membership of the board of trustees of the party as former vice president. He became a stranger as virtually, all the PDP governors had no sympathy for him unlike before. After the demise of Yar Adua, Atiku and some political elites in the north rose up against President Goodluck Jonathan, who wanted to contest for a fresh term after completing the Yar Adua tenure. To
them, the north should be allowed to regain the power but Jonathan and his supporters asked whoever wanted to run to join but he would contest. The polity was heated and there were threats against the corporate existence of the country but Jonathan with the aid of Obasanjo and the party leadership defeated Atiku who was sponsored as the northern consensus candidate. Jonathan proceeded to defeat Buhari who ran under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). After the 2011 general election, Jonathan hijacked the party machinery and kicked out those who could be opposition against his second term ambition and replaced them with his cronies through the last national convention of the PDP. This, once again, forced him to defect from the party to the mainstream opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), where he is hoping to realize his dream to become Number One citizen. But his media team would not accept that Atiku lost the 2011 presidential primaries to Jonathan. According to his spokesman, Garba Shehu, the 2011 PDP presidential primaries were everything but free and fair. “The PDP didn’t give him a fair chance. Don’t forget that many PDP governors locked him out of their states. He was barred from states such as Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Gombe. Many others locked their delegates from him. He was not allowed to canvass his candidacy with delegates. “When he protested that his agents were not allowed to see sample ballot papers and that many of them were barred from the venue, the PDP leadership ignored him and went ahead to confer victory on Dr Jonathan, their anointed. Live on TV, Nigerians
saw governors seizing ballot papers and filling them out on behalf of delegates from their own states. Yet, in spite of these obstacles, Turaki walked away with about a third of the total votes. The PDP primary in 2011 was transparently rigged”, Garba Shehu said Could Atiku get it right this time around? The answer is not as straightforward as the question. There are some obstacles that are standing between him and his ambition. But Atiku too, is a team player and a political strategist who sees the obstacles as stepping stones to the presidency. THE STRENGTH: HOW HIS CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION RATES HIM: This is what people are saying: “Nigeria is in crisis. Atiku is a religious moderate and yet a true Muslem. Atiku is electable. He is APC’s best bet against President Goodluck Jonathan. Moslems and Christians are comfortable with him. Atiku is the most prepared for the job. Nigerians are tired of people stepping into the presidency unprepared. “ Atiku is a major player in APC. He is a force to reckon with in the party. He has the clout to form major coalitions. The younger elements in the party want a progressive, forward thinking candidate. Muhammadu Buhari is a strong candidate but people are afraid of the Christian vote backlash because of past utterances EXPERIENCE: Atiku, as stated earlier, has taken part thrice in the presidential primaries and whatever option is adopted would never be a problem. When the Adamu Ciroma-led consensus committee was inaugurated, and he was to be considered along with people like General Ibrahim Babangida and General Mohammed Aliyu Gussau, yet he crossed all the huddles and emerged the candidate. Some pundits are of the opinion that chosing Atiku as the APC candidate could be a threat to the PDP dream to retain the power since he knows them too well. POLITICAL STRUCTURE: Atiku as a bridge builder has friends and political associates that cut across all the divides and they are always willing to help him when the need arises. For example, the political heritage of the late General Shehu Musa Yar Adua, the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), which has now become a full fledge party rightly or wrongly, belongs to him and the party would never work against him. He has some political heavyweights in his camp who would not let him down. One of them is former Aviation Minister, Prof Babalola Borishade, who has been named the DG of Atiku campaign organization.
20 POLITICS feature
Sunday, September 14, 2014
2015: Kwara PDP And Its Many Gubernatorial Aspirants As the 2015 general elections draw nearer, Kwara State is parading political heavy weights. Abdullahi Olesin writes that the roll call of the candidates vying for the governorship position in the state under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP may be its albatross. Many are watching to see how the party will escape internal crisis Since the defection of the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki, his successor and godson, Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed and their supporters to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November 2013, the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been jumping from one crisis to another. Both the ward and local congresses of the party were marred by bloody clashes due to the supremacy battle among top echelons of the party in the state. Though the state congress of the party, which produced the Iyiola Oyedepo-led executives was orderly and peaceful, its outcome was rejected by a group within the party – the Liberation Movement Group. The party, however, survived the wrangling associated with the election of its state executive members through the timely intervention of its national leadership. But another crisis is brewing in the party. This has to do with the desperation with which the PDP’s gubernatorial aspirants in the state are pursuing their ambitions. From all indications, none of the aspirants will be ready to subsume his or her ambition in the larger interest of the party; therefore, there is every tendency that those that may lose out in the party’s primaries coming up in October will jettison the interest of the party. This, they will do, by either dumping their party for another one or stay back to play a spoiler’s role. As at the time of this report, the PDP boasts of five gubernatorial aspirants: the chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Prof Shuaib AbdulRaheem; a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN); a business mogul and chairman/Technical adviser, Lubcon Group of Companies, Alh Jani Ibrahim; Sen Simeon Ajibola and Arch Kale Belgore. The former governorship candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) Senator Gbemisola Saraki; renown oil merchant, Alh AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq and a former sports minister, Hon Ibrahim Bio are also said to be eyeing the plumb position. The problem associated with the lack of a unified leader and the desperation of its gubernatorial aspirants are the twin-factor threaten-
ing the chances of PDP in the next year’s gubernatorial election in the state. The party is likely to go into the race in shreds because of the non-existence of a common lead- Saraki er that can call all the aspirants and their supporters to order. Just like LEADERSHIP Sunday’s publication on the eve of President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Kwara State in February 2014, the state chapter of PDP remains an assemblage of political sworn enemies who can rarely work together as a team. At the bottom of the enmity among the PDP’s chieftains is personal ambition. For instance, it will be difficult for Architect Lola Ashiru to work with Dele Belgore. Ashiru, the sole financier of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, was forced out of the Ajibola party when the national leaders of the then ACN gave the gubernatorial ticket of the party to Dele Belgore in 2011. Princess Bilikisu Gambari, a kind hearted and grass root politician also dumped ACN for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) because of her conviction that there existed a relationship between Dele Belgore and Senator Saraki. Also, the governorship ambition of Prof Shuaib AbdulRaheem, chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Hon Ibrahim Bio, former sports minister and Senator Sulyman Ajadi is constituting a clog in the wheel of progress of the PDP. Although, Prof AbdulRaheem is said not to be desperate, but his supporters are desperately desirous of having him as the next governor of the state. And that Senator Gbemisola Saraki may have a re-think over her membership of PDP is a matter of time. This is because all the speakers at a unity rally organized by the PDP in Ilorin shortly before the president’s visit to the state in February 2014, roundly decried all that her father, the late strongman of Kwara politics, Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki, (Olooye) stood for during his life time. The twoterm senator also lost out in the contest for the ministerial appointment as a result of alleged conspiracy against her by some chieftains of the party in Abuja. Also, her bid to take firm control of the party’s structure in Ilorin West local government area, crumbled penultimate Wednesday as the state chair-
AbdulRaheem
Belgore
man of PDP, Iyiola Oyedepo sworn in the Yusuf Olugbon-led executives. Olugbon who now oversees the affairs of the party as chairman, at the council level, is a loyalist of Prof AbdulRaheem. Also, the age-long battle of supremacy between the Ogunsolas and Ajadis of Babanloma will be an impediment to a cordial working relationship between Dr Femi Ogunslo and Senator Sulyman Ajadi. Though, PDP parades an array of gubernatorial aspirants, political analysts are, however, of the opinion that the race is going to be a straight fight between aspirants from Kwara Central and South districts. These include: Prof AbdulRaheem, an academic per-excellence and grassroots mobilizer was a one-time vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin. The journey to the PDP governorship ticket may be a smooth sail for him having been instrumental to the emergence of Ilorin West local government PDP executives. It is held among political pundits that he stands a better chance among other aspirants seeking the ticket from Kwara Central Senatorial district. Its on record that he assisted a lot of Kwara State indigenes to gain admission into Bayero University in Kano when he worked as a lecturer there and also as vicechancellor of the University of Ilorin. He has also used his present position as the chairman of FCC to assist some youths to secure gainful employments. Dele Belgore is believed to have
a brighter prospect considering his good show in the last governorship election in the state when he contested on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (now part of the APC). He emerged as the runner up in the 2011 poll even as a green horn in politics then. Considering his political clout and admiration by former supporters of the ACN, Belgore is said to be lubricating his hitherto political machinery towards picking the PDP’s ticket when the primary election is eventually conducted. Though Belgore still have a lot to contend with in the PDP having joined the party sometimes this year after he left the APC. For him to be ripe for any elective office in the PDP, his membership must have spanned few years. Jani Ibrahim, the chairman of Lubcon group of companies is an old member of the PDP and is said to be receiving unalloyed support of power brokers in the state’s chapter of the party. Jani is also said to be enjoying the support of the de facto leader of PDP in the state, Hajia Muina Sagaya. Jani, though an Offa indigene in Kwara south senatorial district, has endeared himself to the people of Ilorin Emirate through his philanthropic activities. The people of Ilorin, especially the Islamic scholars appear to have soft spot for him because of his contribution to propagation of Islam. The late grand mufti of Ilorin, Sheikh Sofihullahi Kamaldeen was among the guests that graced Jani’s 55th birthday recently.
The problem associated with the lack of a unified leader and the desperation of its gubernatorial aspirants are the twin-factor s threatening the chances of PDP
politics 21
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Issues,Factors And Parties That May Shape 2015 Governorship Election In Jigawa A new Jigawa is likely to emerge judging from developments on the political scene lately. MUH’D ZANGINA KURAwrites that with the political realignment taking place and the extension of a hand of fellowship by the governor, a new Jigawa is about to be born.
There are many people from different political backgrounds who indicate interest to contest for the party primary and it’s clearly written on the blackboard
Even though the political atmosphere in Jigawa State is relatively calm presently, particularly in relation to who would be the next state governor in 2015, facts, factors and party platforms that may likely sharpe the future of the state in 2015 are evidently growing day by day. For everyone who has been following the political antecedent of the state since its creation 23 years ago, there are some social, political and philosophical divisions among the people of the state which always play key roles in influencing government and public decisions in all aspects. However, since the return of democratic dispensation in 1999, the two political gladiators: the former two terms state governor, Senator Ibrahim Saminu Turaki and the incumbent, Governor Sule Lamido have been vehement political rivals and also been at the centre in determining who would occupy the state number one seat. The issue of emirate dichotomy among the people of five emirates that made up the state has generated a kind of rivalry and struggle to get control of the resources and any social and political operation mechanism in the state. The parochial sentiment of ‘emiratism’ has entrenched into politics, civil service, students union, trade unions and other social organizations in which every emirate use any antics to subvert others in pursuing their interests and compromise the development of others. Even though such hostility among the five emirates have been reduced to the minimum level from 2007 to date, it still has a great impact on influencing who would be the next state governor in 2015 as reflected in the past. After Kazaure emirate produced the state governor in 1999-2007, the proceeding governor was from Dutse emirate and now the three emirates namely Hadejia, Ringim and Gumel are all out to ensure they produce the next state governor. In view of this, all the political parties in the state may likely zone their party flag bearers to any one of the three emirates to ensure they did not give rooms for a technical defeat. In 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party had more brighter chance to win the state governor election but eventually, it lost to the rival party, the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) due to anti party activities by some aggrieves par-
ty leaders. The aggrieved PDP members opted to mobilize their people and voted for ANPP candidate to counter their party national secretariat action of imposing another person as party gubernatorial flag bearer instead of the popular person who won the party primary. Today, PDP is experiencing a similar crisis in Jigawa. The pro-Jonothan faction of the party, under the leadership of Saminu Turaki in the state, are enjoying the support of the presidency and they are all out along with their collaborators within and out side the state to produce the party gubernatorial flag bearer in 2015 by all means. On the other hands, the party structure in the state are completely under the control of governor Sule Lamido faction and they have grassroot support. So, if the party national secretariat dare impose any candidate against the popular choice, there is a tendency for history to repeat it self. Equally, there is a likelihood for the PDP pro-Jonothan faction and their allies within and outside to sacrifice the state and vote for another party if they fail to produce the party candidate. However within the Governor Lamido dynasty in Jigawa PDP, there are many people from different political backgrounds who indicate interest to contest for the party primary and it’s clearly written on the blackboard. Any attempt to influence the party primary to produce unpopular candidate may split the party and make it lose the election woefully. The incumbency had played a greater role for former state governor, Senator Saminu Turaki to win his second term bid in 2003 despite been parted with some powerful forces who helped him to defeated the PDP in 1999. Former Governor Turaki had also used the incumbency factor to the emergence of Governor Lamido as the state governor in 2007. But within a short period the decade of political rivalry between Lamido and Turaki resumed, the two political gladiators fell apart. Similarly, Governor Lamido used the incumbency factor to defy all odds and won his second term bid in 2011 by defeating ACN candidate who enjoyed the support of Senator Saminu Turaki. For the forthcoming 2015, the PDP government may also enjoy power of incumbency advantage to produce the next state gover-
Lamido
nor again. After completing his two term in office, former state governor, Saminu Turaki dumped his party and Joined the PDP where he got a marriage of convenience with his old political rival and they jointly produced the state governor. During the 23rd anniversary of Jigawa State held in August 2014, Governor Lamido, who was known for his staunch criticism and condemnation of Turaki regime, for allegedly failing the state, suddenly appeared to be exonerating Turaki from the state predicament. Lamido also went ahead, by describing Saminu Turaki as a soft and lenient leader, whose people were collectively taking advantage of his soft mind to looted the state treasury, entrenched nepotism in running government and civil service affairs which consequently pushed down the state to the level of the most backwards state in Nigeria by the year 2007. According to some political analysts, Governor Lamido’s speech was indirectly opening his hand for a reconciliation with Senator Saminu Turaki. If the two Jigawa State political gladiators reconcile, there would be all chance for their party to win the 2015 governorship election in the state with high majority as it happened in 2007. For the newly All Progressives Congress (APC), it is widely accepted among the people of the state and it is enjoying the popularity of some of it national, state and grass roots leaders.
APC has a brighter chance to produce the next state governor but this largely depend on who would be the party flag bearer, his popularity and acceptance among the party faithful and general public. As a new party formed by different legacy party, there would be inevitable conflict of interests among the party members who came from different philosophical and political background. The ability of party leaders to manage the foreseen crisis through sacrifice, compromise, maturity and democratic approach would also re-strengthten the party’s chance of wining the election. APC which produced a strong alternative political platform to PDP, also has the ability to seize the opportunity of any slight crisis in PDP to produce the next Jigawa State governor. As a matter of fact, the Peoples Democratic Party has used its eight years in office to impact positively on the life of the people of the state through the execution of projects and programs that transform the state within a short time. Jigawa State PDP government has all it takes to convince the people of the state to vote for the party candidates in the next coming general election. The two political parties: PDP and APC are the only political parties that have enough structures on ground to give each others hot contest in producing next Jigawa State governor.
22 POLITICS feature
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Fintiri, Jibrilla: Beyond Securing Party Tickets The developments leading to the just concluded Adamawa State gubernatorial primaries have come and gone, but the reveberations are yet to settle down. MOHAMMED ISMAIL takes a look at the chances of each aspirant as October 11 draws nearer.
The contest that saw acting governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and his rival in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla picking their party tickets promises to be interesting as the days ahead will be full of intrigues, political brinkmanship and foxy political maneuverings. Sequel to the PDP party primary which took place on September 6, 2014, fourteen aspirants had declared interest to aspire for the party’s gubernatorial ticket to fly the flag of the party in the 11th October, 2014 election as they variously trooped into Adamawa to tell the people of their resolve to be part of the epic battle having picked the party’s ticket from Abuja. But two developments have caused serious anxiety within the ranks of the aspirants following the impromptu defection of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) MallamNuhu Ribadu, who was given a waiver by the NWC of the party to contestthe party’s ticket and the expression of intrest by the acting governor to contest the party primary. The defection of Ribadu caused tension among the aspirants as speculations that the presidency was directly involved in his gubernatorial ambition shook other aspirants to their marrows. For this, ten of them formed a coalition to stop what they termed an attempt to impose a candidate on them, adding that in the event where such imposition occurred, the party will be the looser. The aspiration of the acting governor has similarly drawn bad blood within the party as various contenders for the party ticket said it was morally and constitutionally wrong for him to aspire to contest the election as his role is only to conduct free and fair party primaries. One aspirant that came heavily on the aspiration of the acting governor, was the former adviser on Political Matters to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Ali Gulak, who said for the acting governor to be part of the race, he has to resign his position as the speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly on whose crest he rode to become the acting governor, following the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako and the controversial resignation of his deputy Bala James Ngillari. He added that doing that will also make him to lose the position of
Fintiri
the acting governor because it was by virtue of being the speaker that he became the acting governor. But it became apparent that the acting governor was not perturbed with such vociferous accusations against his aspiration when he picked the party’s ticket at the commencement of sale of the party ticket. The aspiration of the acting governor got its major litmus test when the Senator Mantu-led screening committee disqualified him from the contest citing section 191 of the constitution, a situation that shattered his morale to the extent that he shunned journalists waiting to interview him when he furiously, came out from screening venue at Wadata Plaza. Be that as it may, the acting governor appealed his disqualification to the appeal committee and was later given clearance to contest the party primaries, which he clinched on September 6, 2014. The rest, they say, is now history. Similarly, the September 7, 2014 of the All Progressives Congress Party primaries in the state will linger in the minds of the people as seeming “protest votes” led to the crushing defeat of Ibrahim Mijinyawa, who was touted to be the favoured candidate of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar in the race. The primary, which was keenly
Jibrilla
contested between Senator Muhammadu Umar Jibrilla and Ibrahim Mijinyawa, nearly degenerated into chaos as the supporters of Jibrilla went on rampage few moments before the results were released. They suspected that the outcome may be doctored to produce Mijinyawa as the party’s flag bearer. The irked supporters started singing slogans in support of Jibrilla vowing to resist imposition of favoured candidates as some of them attempted to force their ways into the hall where results were being collated. Report says this made the state commissioner of police, who was in the hall to calm the agitated supporters to promise them that the right thing would be done. The grouse of Jibrilla’s supporters centred on the result sheet of the home town of Jibrilla in Mubi North local government, where he swept all the votes cast as a result of which supporters of Mijinyawa lodged a complaint against the result thereby urging the electoral committee to suspend the announcement of the overall result until the issues surrounding it were cleared. Sensing that danger was lurking around the corner, the chairman of the election committee, Dr Garba Abari, summoned his team for a closed door meeting after which they accepted the re-
sult from Mubi North LGA which was the bane of contention. Before the party primaries was conducted, it was highly speculated that Ibrahim Mijinyawa was singlehandedly conscripted and sponsored to stand in the race by the former vice president in order to have a pliant candidate and ultimately have a significant control over the affairs of the state. A source in the party, who craved anonymity said the former VP singlehandedly picked Mijinyawa against other mature and experienced aspirants and supported him, a development which led to a wide discontent in the party leading to the protest vote. It was alleged that following the pressure mounted by Atiku, who has made it clear that he will only support Mijinyawa, one of the leading aspirants and former director general of the National Boundary Commission, stepped down from the race saying that his action followed signs that internal democracy will not be allowed to prevail during the party primaries. But unperturbed by the withdrawal, other aspirants vowed to see to the end of the race as they pledged never to allow any money bag to intimidate them. For them, election is a repository of the masses and only the masses can decide the fate of anyone in a contest.
The contest that saw acting governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and his rival in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla picking their party tickets promises to be interesting as the days ahead will be full of intrigues, political brinkmanship and foxy political maneuverings.
INTERVIEW 23
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Confab Report Will Transform Nigeria – Anenih
Josephine Anenih was one of the delegates to the just-concluded national conference. She spoke to Ruth Choji on certain misconceptions about some of the resolutions of the conference as well as what Nigerians expect from the resolutions of the conference
After exhaustive deliberations and serious brainstormings, which we did, if these recommendations are implemented, you will not recognize Nigerian in the next five years. We even recommended attitudinal change. Corruption was identified as a monster, a major bane to our development and freedom in this country and all committees, without consulting each other, discussed it and how to handle it. We made recommendations on it. But Nigeria has had several conferences in the past, what will make this one different from the rest?
Can you share some of your experiences at the national conference with us?
They are so many and it was so enlightening. What I find out at the conference was that, when we started, a lot of people came with their individual, group agenda and expectations with different position, perception and lots of fears. Some came with their distrust and prejudice. Just like the generality of Nigerians, a lot of people did not have the confidence that something good will come out of the conference. Some were ready to engage in physical combat and when we sat, by the time the leaders, which I must give kudos to, put their heads together, we couldn’t have had a better team. We started with the rules, debates, argument and the rest and that took time. We went into discussing the president’s inaugural speech and we were wondering if that was what brought us there. Alphabetically, we were given time to comment on the president’s speech and that took some weeks. By then, we had time to eat together and know one another and create rapport. We were now shared into twenty different committees. Twenty groups of patriots whose main agenda was no longer personal, tribal or religious, but what will make this country transform into a better Nigeria. The national revenue sharing formula drew lots of mixed reactions. What were the final recommendations on this matter?
If these recommendations are implemented, you will not recognize Nigerian in the next five years
We all agreed that we will maintain the status quo, but there were new recommendations that some percentages be given for persons involved in the exploration of the resources. For example, if you want to do mining in your state, funds should be given to you to develop it, which is to encourage the people to harness the resources they have. We realized that we should encourage every part of this country to develop what they have as natural resources. But don’t you think this recommendation will give undue advantage to the Niger/Delta over other regions?
If you have been to the Niger/Delta, you will not think they are em-
Anenih
powered more than the rest. Niger/ Delta people have been doing a lot for this country and I think that it is time Nigerians stopped making inflammatory statements that could cause problems. I commend the people of the Niger/Delta for being calm even with the degradation of their lands. I weep for the Niger/Delta and I wished most Nigerians will go there and see what is happening. Because of the activities of oil, gas is flared so forever, they are under heat, all the trees and shrubs are gone. They also experience acid rain and everything is polluted. The oil covers all their rivers, so they don’t have livestocks. The livestocks they used to have was fish, crayfish, crocodile and other marine animals but these animals have ran away because of pollution. They can’t fish. I went to the Niger/Delta sometimes ago and the water that came out was covered with oil. Their rooms smell like petrol and that is the lives they live. What these people get is just 13%. I will advocate for 70% so that they will use the funds to clean up their environment. It is not only Nigeria that drills oil; other countries do but their people don’t suffer the way we do. They don’t have water to drink, they can’t farm their lands. If they want to build a road that will cost any amount in the north, for example, in the Niger/Delta, it will cost higher. That is the disparity. If you want to build a house there, you will have to sand fill and pile the ground before it will get to the foundation. So they are moderate to accept 13% because they want peace in Nigeria. What was the reaction of northern delegates on this recommendation?
I don’t know what their reactions were because I was not part of the committee that handled that, but we all realized that we are to be patriotic. It was not about us as individuals. Our aim was one indivisible Nigeria. Our personal opinion was not
important. It can be quite annoying and upsetting when people want to be unreasonable for the sake of being unreasonable. But how true were reports that the conference recommended scrapping of the local government?
How can we recommend the scrapping of the local government when we know that they are the nearest to the grassroots? Nobody who wants the best for Nigeria will recommend the scrapping of the local governments. What they recommended was the strengthening of the local government and independence of those institutions so that they can be strong and independent and be able to deliver better services to the people of the this country at the grassroots level. There were fears by the opposition that Mr president organized the conference to boost his second term ambition. As a participate, did you sense anything like that?
So, if he didn’t do the conference, would he not contest for his second term? Why are some people so negative? The conference composition was well published for everybody to see. It encompass every sector in Nigeria and I don’t see how overfour hundred and ninety people can affect his second term ambition. From his inaugural speech, it shows the world that Mr President wanted Nigeria to be better. He wanted us to tackle some of the problems that have bedeviled us. He charged us to think outside the box and make new ways of solving these old problems that have refused to go away. So that at the end of the day, the beneficiaries of this report will be Nigerians. Do you think the recommendations will solve Nigeria’s problems?
The recommendation that came out of it. We were given all the documents that came out of previous conferences and were studied all. We found out that some of the recommendations that came out of them would have gone a long way in solving some of our problems, but they were not adopted. What we did was to adopt some of them that were good. Like some of those that were recommended by the Belgore committee because they were still relevant to the situations we have on ground. We came up with new ones because some conditions have changed and society has evolved in one direction or the other. Some of those committees were set up with the military for their own interests. But this one was set up in this civilian regime by somebody that is committed to the Nigerian project. His speech was filled with love and passion for Nigeria. He spoke from his heart. That gave us the confidence that he would not give us a jamboree; he took a risk and if he were thinking of himself or ambition, he couldn’t have succeeded. If you look at the gamut of participants, every region was covered. If you talk of zones, states, disabled, young people, civil society, media, lawyers, doctors, military, women society, market women, women in business, people from the Diaspora, people from different religion, traditional rulers, all these were also included, including retirees. What will happen if the National Assembly fails to adopt the recommendations of the conference?
Our recommendations are in three parts, there are some that were given to the executive, some that have to do with constitutional amendment because there is an ongoing constitutional amendment went to National Assembly. The National Assembly are there for the benefit of the country, so why would they see something that will benefit the country and not adopt it? Some of the recommendations are some of the things that the National Assembly are already working on.
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
Lessons From Niger East By-Election A week after the result of the Niger East Senatorial election was announced, there are lessons to be learnt especially by the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate, David Umaru, who entered the race with the mindset of service for his people The senatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (CPC) Barrister David Umaru might not have been declared winner but to many, he has made his marks; even his political adversaries will concede to the fact that he was a force in the election. In the game of politics, no matter the formula used to clinch power, so far a winner is declared, the winner often takes the glorious position, but the case of David Umaru is different because many believed that he fought gallantly. Barrister David Umaru in the by-election scored 87,485 votes and was defeated by the PDP candidate, Dr Shem Nuhu Zagbayi, who scored 92,056 votes of the total 205,765 accredited voters even though the number of accredited voters is far less than 949,851, voters who are registered voters in Niger East Senatorial district. The invariable fact is that, less than 25 percent of registered voters actually came out to vote during the by-election, an indication of the apathy of the people towards the election. It has become a common knowledge that elections have never been the true reflection of the people’s wish in Nigeria, hence their votes seldom counts. The assumption is that if they are not forced against their wish, they are likely to be induced to vote for immediate gain. Expectantly, the situation and accusation as well as counter accusation was not different in the by-election, where it was alleged that large sum of money was moved to induce voters whereas there were cases of ballot box snatching. It was the view of many that David Umaru would have conveniently and comfortably won the election in a free and fair atmosphere, but was denied because the election was characterized by alleged massive rigging and inducement of voters. The opposition party (APC) and its candidate, Barrister Umaru have never minced words after the PDP candidate was declared winner saying that there were large scale irregularities based on aberrational practices by the ruling party during the election. Report say it was aided by INEC officials in the state and some security chiefs. Albeit, the PDP had always
maintained that, they did not compromise to get victory because their party was popular. The question put forward by the APC publicity secretary, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, in reaction to that claim was that, why did all top government functionaries and PDP chieftains lost in their polling units, wards and local government if the party is so popular as claimed. However, the PDP publicity secretary, Mallam Hassan Mohammed Saba, maintained that the cry of APC is always the cry of the opposition when they lose any election and therefore, advised them to accept defeat. David Umaru, who gave a review of the election to journalists over the week said, “I know that the over 87,000 votes I had were genuine votes and I did not go any way to subvert the system. It is not my kind of politics; my kind of politics is people-oriented”. Umaru said, “As we all know, both elections (August 30 and September 6, 2014) were everything but free and fair. In fact, the supplementary election of September 6, 2014 was ordered following serious malpractices perpetrated by the PDP agents and supporters that involved ballot box snatching, snatching and theft of ballot papers and other sensitive materials, kidnapping of presiding officers along with some fraudulent electoral materials. According to the APC candidate, the entire exercise was allegedly fraught with fraudulent activities, “Perpetrated by the PDP agents/supporters and Niger State government officials in collaboration with INEC officials. All commissioners, permanent secretaries, local government council chairmen and other top state government functionaries were allegedly stationed at various polling units with truck loads of cash, shoes and wrappers which they allegedly used openly to buy up voters and also intimidate them”. Maintaining that the PDP’s victory was ‘loutishly’ acquired through inducement and all other aberrational practices, Barr Umaru told Journalists that, “In fact, in some instances, a voter’s vote was purchased for N30,000. Also, district heads, village heads and ward heads were intimidated and ordered to ensure that their subjects vote for PDP or have their appointments terminated”.
Umaru
He, however, noted that, “Despite all these, you, the good people of Niger East Senatorial district remained resolute and resilient. You came out in your numbers to vote for change and I cannot thank you enough for this. The solidarity and support we have received from our brethren in our two sisters senatorial zones is highly appreciated and I say thank you to all Nigerlites for embracing change”. Umaru, who said that he will wait on the party to know whether to take legal action or not, said that, “ As a result of the wide spread irregularities and vote inflation, I have no difficulty in rejecting the result of this election as declared by the returning officer on September 7, 2014”. “May I conclude this session by saying that we have done well. It may not be the result we expected, but we ran a good race giving it our utmost energy. We have kept faith with our people, hanging on to them even at time most perilous. This is in tandem with my people’s oriented politics”, he declared. The Governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of has described the recently the by-election as the toughest in his political career explaining that internal wranglings almost cost his party the victory at the election Aliyu stated this when the
PDP Senator-elect, Dr Shem Nuhu Zagbayi visited him at the government house to present his certificate of return from INEC. Aliyu, based on the difficulties faced announced the sack of 178 special assistants on political mobilisations insisting that they have been disconnected from the people in their localities. He said, “The difficulty faced by PDP was not because of the opposition, but because some members did not represent the people adequately. Some members of the party are working against the success of the party. Thank God for giving us this election. After I analyzed the election, I realized that this is the toughest election since I started running for offices since 1985”. He explained that a careful look at the election revealed that PDP was not in competition with the opposition party, but because people, who claimed to be members of PDP, were working against the party. “Some did it out of selfishness, some did it for revenge and most importantly, some did it for greed. “We have to go back to the drawing board, we have to have a winning strategy unlike what we were doing before. I have learnt a lot of lessons from this situation and I hope the party have also learnt lessons”, he said.
I know that the over 87,000 votes I had were genuine votes and I did not go any way to subvert the system
CEOConfidential #129, September 14, 2014
ESSENTIALS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
USE OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY >26
>29 INITIATIVES
ARROGANCE OF AFRIC AFRICAN LEADERS: A FORMULA FOR LEADERSHIP FAILURE >31 SECRETS THEY WON’T TEACH YOU AT BUSINESS SCHOOL
FIVE SECRETS TO STARTING A BUSINESS >46 TIPOFFS
WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BET ON DREAMERS, NOT EXPERTS
• Michael Adeleye CEO, Crystal Blend Group
ADELEYE’S DETERMINATION TOWARDS HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
in brief ESSENTIALS
10 QUESTIONS FOR...
FOR ENTREPRENEURS
LARS BOILESEN CEO, OPERA
Use other people’s money “Business is other people’s money.” Delphine de Girardin, 1804-55 French author, who wrote plays and novels under the name of Vicomte Delaunay. Don’t use all of your own financial reserves just in case things go wrong. You may need a fall-back strategy. There are hundreds of investment groups wanting to speak to entrepreneurs. These include rgional investment firms, business angels and government agencies. Approach as many as possible with a solid business plan to see if your idea is worth investing in. You may be fortunate enough to be offered a substantial amount of startup capital and then your business will be off and running. At the very least, you gain another perspective on your idea.
Be what investors are looking for “Investors don’t like uncertainty.” Kenneth Lay, 1942-2006
American businessman, CEO and chairman of Enron Corporation, best known for his role in the widely reported accounting fraud scandal that led to the company’s downfall. The main questions an investor will ask when thinking about an opportunity for investment are: • Is there a market need for this product or service? Prove this with research and market data. • Is the product or service commercially scalable? Provide manufacturing or sales data to show costs diminish with increasing volume in a growth market. • Do you have access to a good management team? Explain how you do. • Are you willing to risk your own finances? If so, then you have taken the risk out of the proposition for the investor. • Are you the right person to make it happen? This is the single most important factor. Are you investor ready?
IF YOU’LL BE... STEVE BALLMER CEO, MICROSOFT Stay competitive Ballmer’s exuberant, aggressive, and highly competitive personality helped shape the company’s strategy and was critical to its success. Many consider him the author of Microsoft’s more aggressive and questionable tactics, aimed not simply at strengthening Microsoft but at weakening the competition. Undeniably, those tactics achieved results— including both dominance of the software market and numerous legal challenges over the years. Move with the right people. Meet with them Ballmer was invited to join a then tiny start-up business, Microsoft by its founder, Bill Gates while in college. He played vital roles though as the deputy to ensure the overall success of the business. Exploit your talents Ballmer was a highly intelligent and enthusiastic student with a talent for maths. He was never far away from any project that requires his attention. He handled the business aspects of Microsoft while Bill Gates and Paul Allen handled the technical sides. – By Olujide Olusola
TIMELESS TRUTHS How to design an office “To maximise the amount of contact among employees, you really ought to put the most valuable staff members in the centre of the room, where the highest number of people can be within their orbit. Or, even better, put all places where people tend to congregate – the public areas- in the centre, so they can draw from as many disparate parts of the company as possible. It is any wonder that creative firms often prefer loft-style buildings, which have usable centres?.” Malcolm Gladwell, author, The Tipping Point
group
CEOConfidential ASST. EDITOR Daniel Udechukwu CORRESPONDENT Salome Anyasodo REPORTER Olusola Olujide GRAPHICS Matthew Akhabue
1. Which companies do you admire? Why? I’ve been working on the Internet for a long time, so, of course, I admire Google, but I think my vote will actually go to Yandex in Russia. 2. Which area of technology excites you most? In the last few years, we’ve really been focusing on mobile consumer technologies at Opera. We’re really a mobile company now. 3. What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do? If you’re someone who’s fresh out of school, you need to work hard and find a good boss from whom you can learn a lot. 4. What is the best advice you ever received? I learned that you have to follow your heart. Life is too short to be someone else. You need to find that thing that you’re passionate about. 5.What’s the next big project you want to tackle? I want to get 500 million users using Opera every month. We have 350 million now. 6. What challenges are facing your business right now? In consumer technology, there are so many things you can do and there are so many ideas. If you have 350 million users, there are lots of opportunities. 7. What was the most important thing you learned in school? The most important phase of my education was when I started university because that was the first time I realised that I had to work hard to get good grades. 8. What is one goal—either personal or professional—that you would like to accomplish during your lifetime? Recently, we had some challenges from the product side that resulted from huge changes in engineering. 9. What do you do to live a balanced life? I try to balance my life with my family, and I have a lot of fun with that. 10. What was the last book you read? It’s called The Master Switch [by Tim Wu].
ACTING EDITOR Auwal Sa'id Mu'azu
FOUNDER Sam Nda-Isaiah CHAIRMAN Hajiya Ireti Kingibe GRP MANAGING DIRECTOR Azubuike Ishiekwene GRP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Michael Okpere, Dr. Kazeem Durodoye
A number of the articles here are sourced from diverse sources. FEEDBACK & ENQUIRIES ceoconfidential@leadership.ng
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
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popular with CEOs Compiled by Salome Anyasodo
THE RECOMMENDER What are the business quotes for this week that make sense or are just humourous?
A BRIEF GUIDE Don’t know what you want to see, hear, smell taste and feel? Don’t worry we did it for you.
SEE Deliver us from Evil
A parent home schooling his son
Health workers evacuating an Ebola victim
School closure: parents need to do more The death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak in history has jumped by almost 200 in a single day, and it’s likely to be higher than that, with Liberia being the worst-affected country. The country faces her greatest threat since its yearslong conflict, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Everyone has a role to play in keeping the virus and diseases far away from Africa. In playing this role, there is the need for each one to tell another that it is important to maintain high level of hygiene to control the spread of any viral disease in our environment. Nigeria has recorded her share
Shekarau
BIZ LINGO
Bathtub curve
of the disease, and in bid to curtail the spread of the virus, the federal government (FG) took a drastic measure which led to the postponement in resumption of all primary and secondary schools till September 22. This decision by the FG has been a welcomed development; however, it is worthy to note that commensurate plans and provision should be adequately put in place to occupy the kids while at home. The bulk of the responsibility first falls on the parents who have their wards at home to occupy them productively. In as
Ibrahim Shekarau, Minister of Education “The decision to postpone resumption became necessary in view of the risk posed by the Ebola virus which could easily spread through schools.”
much as they participate in house chores, they could learn and be engaged by hand crafts, sports or music instruments. Other methods of homeschooling such using electronic, visual and audio aids can be implored to enhance learning. Furthermore, having a curriculum of what the children are to learn in the coming academic year and introducing such to them to familiarise ahead will go a long way since the academic calendar is already two months short and requires a great measure of fast track to catch up.
Desmond-Hellmann
A U-shaped graph, often long horizontally - resembling a bathtub - representing high incidence or measure at the beginning and finish (far left and far right of graph) of a life-cycle or lifetime or period, with much lower incidence over a relatively long middle period (middle of graph), for example when measuring engineering failures in a product over time, in which early development teething problems produce high
Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “We are working urgently with our partners to identify the most effective ways to help them save lives now and stop transmission of this deadly disease.”
failure rates, tending to reduce to lower failure rates due to uncommon random faults, with failure rates again peaking at the end of product life, due to natural ‘wear and tear’/ exhaustion/erosion of components and construction. A Bathtub curve may also equate to a U-shaped graph, for example in describing a type of recession which contains a prolonged period at the lowest point, i.e., a U-shaped recession.
Capitalism knows only one colour: that colour is green; all else is necessarily subservient to it, hence, race, gender and ethnicity cannot be considered within it. THOMAS SOWELL, Economist People don’t resist change. They resist being changed. PETER SENGE,
Scientist
The 118 minutes action/adventure movie, which Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn features New York police officer Ralph Sarchie investigates a series of crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rites of exorcism, to combat the possessions that are terrorising their city.
HEAR CEO, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), Babs Omotowa at the CIPM’s 46th Annual National Conference With the theme: Switch On, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management is organising the event on October 14 through 16, 2014, at Abuja International Conference Centre. The event seeks to groom HR practitioners to tackle business complexity and uncertainties in the field.
TASTE Roasted sweet potatoes sliced with cilantro pesto The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW,
Playwright
Sweet potatoes platter of simple roasted rounds topped with a chutney-inspired pesto of cilantro, coconut, and garlic is a rich recipe for every that has got good taste.
FEEL Sun Kosi River, Nepal
Originating near Mt Shishapangma in Tibet and carving its way through the Himalaya is the mighty Sun Kosi River (literally ‘River of Gold’). Its glacier-fed waters drop for just five months of the year, enough to make it the big, bouncy white-water raftable.
SMELL In business, the competition will bite you if you keep running, if you stand still, they will swallow you. WILLIAM KNUSDEN,
Businessman
My Burberry for women
Burberry fragrance entered the market this September 2014. It comprises sweet peas and citrusy notes of bergamot leading to geranium, freesia flowers and golden quince in the heart. The fragrance is rounded up with patchouli in the base, joined with Damascus and Centifolia rose.
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CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
The CEOConfidential interview Adeleye’s determination towards human capital development The ardent believer of ‘training and developing staff capacity’ reels the strategic efforts he has made to stay afloat despite numerous challenges. INTERVIEW SALOME ANYASODO
ADELEYE IN SHORT Michael Olatunde Adeleye is the CEO of Crystal Blend Group. He studied Business Administration and IT at the College of North East London, and Money and Financial Services at Middlesex University, UK. Adeleye has previously worked with Financial Consultant in the City of London with City Financial Partners, American International Group (AIG), among others. He is a professional career mentor, life coach, trainer, motivational speaker and a face on number of local and national TV stations in Nigeria (especially on Channels TV’s very popular ‘Business Morning’ and ‘Sunrise Daily’ programmes) as a public analyst.
I get restless if I cannot account for achieving at least 80% of my to-dolist on a daily basis... I am a workaholic, but I play hard as well. I always start my day with prayers to God for His protection, and to grant me the goodness and protection of the day. I usually do not take breakfast; it makes me dull and tired. So I usually go for my cup of coffee, attend my meetings with the staff members and most times with clients in or out of my office. I start my work day from about 8.00am and usually return home at about 10.00pm in most cases. I get restless if I can not account for achieving at least 80 percentage of my to-do-list on a daily basis. About Crystal Blend Group… Crystal Blend Group is a (Corporate Recruitment & Bespoke Training and Human Development) multidisciplinary recruitment and training company, servicing both the private and the public sectors respectively. It is situated in Lagos, Nigeria,
with an extension in Port Harcourt, Abuja, Johannesburg, New York and UK. In every failure, there is an opportunity... One of my biggest challenges was the global recession. However, I summoned courage and thought of a way out because of my no-to-failure attitude. When a man falls and he sits or stays down there looking for sympathy, he is finished as a man. Success without failure is not a real success. I did not fold my arms in dejection when I fail. I believe that in every failure, there is an opportunity waiting for you. It is now left for you to pick up the pieces and begin to put them together. You simply need to fail few times to become a successful person. In every failure, there is a knowledge that makes you immune to any other failure that may arise. I am passionate about the Nigerian Youth … I am very passionate about human capital development, tackling and bringing out solutions to
Sunday, September 14, 2014
CEOConfidential
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ADELEYE ON SUCCESS
Lasting success does not come without number of failures
curb youth unemployment that has bedevilled this great country, Nigeria. Also, I am very passionate about ill-treatment of employees by their employers, most especially by foreign employers; child slavery and marriage. I am passionate about the Nigerian Youths who statistically make up over 60 per cent of the Nigerian populace. They are simply the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy whether we like it or not. All these have been my advocacy in the last four years till date, and I have not given up. I am very determined, focused and most importantly visionary... Unfortunately, I see it the other way round. For me, work comes first before anything. I am a very determined, focused and most importantly, a visionary individual. But you will require an angelic soul-mate, partner who understands and believes in your dream to keep a home or family. What drives and keeps a home or family is money. And without a good work, job or business to bring in the money, there will be no family or home. I play hard as well, I really socialise, and it aids building business networks. I have a lot of friends, but very few or just a handful of good ones. Life is all about learning. On faith, I am a Christian but I do not allow religion to rule or dominate me because it is a choice and creation of men. I love sports. I am very passionate about football. I still play active football at my leisure times. Also, I play table-tennis and
really love swimming. My whole life orbits around good music like rhythm and blues, and hip-hop; old-school though. But I get swept away with Jazz music. It is for the mature minds when you really want to relax. I regularly mentor jobseekers... I regularly mentor every jobseeker and the unemployed that visits our office for the next job or on how to settle into a successful career; and how to spot and discover the right employer without becoming a victim. Also, on a regular basis, I give out free jobseekers/ career workshops to communities, faith centres and institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. As a public analyst, I believe I’m giving out credible, useful and educative information to the general public on numerous issues. Lasting success does not come without number of failures... Lasting success does not come without number of failures. When you are broken or has fallen, you can cry, but stop and wipe your tears. Brace yourself and get ready for another challenge rather than staying down there and looking for sympathy from people. They will only mock and laugh at you. I have seen it all. I am always thankful to all those who say no to me. It is because of them I am doing it myself, and it is making me stronger and immune to distractions. If you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks at you, you will never get to your destination.
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
initiatives
29
Lere Baale, lerebaale@gmail.com
Leadership Inspiration Series for Excellence (LIFE Series)
Arrogance of African leaders: A formula for leadership failure (VI) Humility is the “personal orientation founded on a willingness to see the self accurately and a propensity to put oneself in perspective”. Individuals with humility are open to new ideas and to engagement in accurate selfappraisal (of both strengths and weaknesses). They are willing to accept the idea of something greater than the self. Although some believe that humility displayed by a leader projects weakness, researchers have argued for the utility of humility in leadership. Humility prevents excessive self-focus, allowing leaders to develop perspective in relationships with employees. When employees attribute humility to their leaders, they also perceive the leader as more honest, trustworthy, competent, and confident. Accordingly, the employees of a humble leader should be more committed to the leader’s vision and more trusting and receptive of the leader’s expectations and ideas. Existing literature argues that leaders who possess a combination of personal humility and professional will (“Level 5 Leaders”) have been extremely successful in transforming good companies into great companies in the words of Jim Collins, 2001. In conjunction with leader humility literature, empirical findings about the pitfalls of arrogant
OTHER BIZ
behaviour at work suggest that arrogant behaviour at work is detrimental and that replacing arrogance with humility will benefit leaders and their organisations. Fortunately arrogance is a cluster of changeable behaviours, driven by relatively malleable beliefs. Measuring arrogant behaviour at work could be valuable for leaders and organisations, as awareness of such behaviour is necessary before developmental interventions may be designed. As such, the incorporation of a measure such as the WARS into a performance management system would allow organisations to diagnose when workplace problems are a function of arrogant behaviours. This would permit the creation of development plans aimed at replacing arrogance with more appropriate behaviour. Because arrogance is typified in part by low self-confidence and actual poor performance, one developmental intervention likely to be of particular use for arrogant managers is training interventions aimed at improving core (or otherwise deficient) leadership skills. Other interventions might target social interaction skills, for example, training aimed at increasing interpersonal awareness and giving voice to others,
Instilling a learning-oriented climate will redirect arrogant behaviour in its leaders so as to make arrogant individuals understand how their behaviour affects others. In short, the WARS measure of arrogance is potentially beneficial for use as a developmental tool for leaders. Organisational interventions might also target the weak learning orientation of arrogant leaders, which leads them to disregard potentially helpful feedback. A weak learning orientation also causes people to identify others to blame when setbacks or failures are experienced, instead of revising performance strategies or uncovering why problems occurred. Companies can combat these consequences by cultivating an environment where feedback and other diagnostic information are accessible to employees and where mistakes are treated as learning experiences rather than markers of personal inadequacies. Ideally, arrogant behaviours should be addressed early in an individual’s career. Doing so will result in more efficient professional development, allowing the employee to become a better leader over a shorter period of time. This
Major research findings Workplace arrogance can be a serious problem. Arrogant leaders and employees are poor performers who negatively impact social exchange in the workplace. They make little effort to engage in citizenship behaviours and discount feedback that would otherwise help improve their performance. Recent research has led to the development of the WARS, an easily administered and highly valid measure of workplace arrogance. This research recommends incorporating
an assessment of arrogance into performance management systems. Doing so will allow arrogant behaviour to be identified and the actor’s behaviour to be addressed before harm is done to other employees and organisational effectiveness. It is clearly in the best interest of an organisation to redirect arrogant behaviour in its leaders. This can be accomplished by organisational encouragement of: (a) continuing leadership development intended to ensure adequate efficacy for job-related skills, (b) healthy levels of employee humility, and (c) instilling a learningoriented climate. In taking steps to reduce arrogance in the workplace, an organisation provides itself with the competitive advantages associated with effective leadership and productive social interaction of employees. Lere Baale Director of Business School Netherlands (www.bsnmba. org) and Strategy Consultant for Howes Group (www. howesgroup.com). CONCLUDED
Elon Musk: Tesla cars to run on “full auto pilot” in five years Self-driving cars might be on the roads faster than most people think, says Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. Musk told reporters in Tokyo that Tesla is developing the technology for “full autopilot” consumer cars in just five years. This new timeline is faster than some experts--even Musk himself--had anticipated. IHS,
Musk
could ultimately lead to more effective organisations in terms of both productivity as well as social cohesion. Although it is true that some arrogant leaders have experienced considerable success, we argue that these individuals may have been even more effective sans the arrogant behaviour. Interactions with others in the organisation may have been more successful, more effective communication could have taken place, and performance could have been even more impressive if arrogance had been curtailed early on.
a research firm, previously predicted self-driving cars would not be on the road until 2025. Around this time last year, Musk was skeptical of this concept, telling the Financial Times, “My opinion is it’s a bridge too far to go to fully autonomous cars.” Now it appears the ultracompetitive entrepreneur, who is also CTO of SpaceX, is trying
to outdo competitors like Google and Volvo who are also working on autonomous cars. “I think in the long term, all Tesla cars will have auto-pilot capability,” Musk said. Self-driving cars could save thousands of lives per year; in 2012 alone, 33,561 people in the U.S. were killed in motor vehicle accidents.
30 CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
situation reports Compiled by Olujide Olusola
Brand Beginnings Nescafe: Your cup of inspiration
N
escafe is the largest brand for Swiss food giant Nestle. The instant coffee brand derives its name from “Nestle” and “cafe.” The coffee originated in Brazil in the 1930s as a Nestle’s expertise in milk processing to develop the instant coffee. Its popularity spread with the U.S. military during World War II. Nescafe’s biggest launch of 2013 was its Gold Blend Barista Style, which is intended to appeal to customers who want a coffee-shop experience at home. Innovation from the start In 1929, Louis Dapples, the Nestlé Chairman at the time, was presented with an interesting task by his former employer, the Banque Française et Italienne pour l’Amérique du Sud. Following the Wall Street Crash and the collapse of coffee prices, the bank had a lot of coffee sitting unsold in warehouses in Brazil. Nestlé was asked whether these stocks could be turned into a ‘soluble coffee cube’ to be sold to consumers. A chemist Dr Max Morgenthaler joined the company to help its researchers find a solution. After three years of research they discovered that café au lait – coffee mixed with milk and sugar – converted into powder kept its flavour for longer. But this powder was not easily soluble, and the milk and sugar caused production challenges. Nescafé is born However, Dr Morgenthaler found that coffee taste and aroma were better preserved in sweetened milk coffee rather than unsweetened. He also found that the coffee is kept longer after being exposed to high temperature and pressure. Dr Morgenthaler concluded that the secret of preserving the coffee aroma lay in creating a soluble coffee with enough carbohydrates. This was new and went against original thinking.
A year later, he used a specific technique to produce a powder that did this, and presented it to the Nestlé executive board and technical directors as drinkable soluble coffee samples. Two years later on April 1, 1938, the soluble coffee product, named Nescafé, was launched in Switzerland. Nestlé set up a large-scale production line of coffee extraction and ‘spray drying’ coffee beans to produce Nescafé at its factory in the Swiss town of Orbe. The brand was rolled out in the United Kingdom two months later and the United States in 1939. By April 1940 Nescafé was available in 30 countries worldwide. Nescafé during the war effort More than three quarters of Nescafé’s worldwide production was consumed in Switzerland, the UK and the US during the Second World War. Its shelf life – longer than fresh coffee – helped its popularity to grow and sales volumes doubled. The bulk of Nescafé’s production was provided as supplies to US troops. Two production factories were set up in the US by 1943 to keep up with demand. The Nescafé Plan Nestlé has also made significant progress to address responsible farming, sourcing, manufacturing and consumption across its coffee supply chain. In 2010, the company unveiled the Nescafé Plan in Mexico City. It is part of a CHF 500 million investment in coffee projects by 2020. The plan includes a set of global objectives that aims to help Nestlé further optimise its coffee supply chain, including an increase in direct purchasing as well as technical assistance programmes for coffee farmers. Under the Nescafé Plan, the company aims to buy more than 180,000 tonnes of sustainable coffee sourced from about 170,000 farmers by 2015. Machine innovation Nestlé wanted to go further in its innovation and launched Nescafé Dolce Gusto in Switzerland, Germany and the UK in 2006, and in Spain a year later. The “coffee shop-at-home” machine can switch from hot to cold. Nescafé, Nestea and Nesquik capsules are available for the five machine ranges including Melody, Circolo, Piccolo, Fontana and Creativa. Two years, later Nescafé Barista, which is available exclusively in Japan, was developed as the only “at-home coffee by the cup” system of its kind that uses soluble coffee. Nestlé Professional, the Nestlé business that supplies the foodservice out-of-home sector, is also a strong source of innovation for Nescafé, offering three ranges of hot beverages solutions including Nescafé Alegria, Nescafé Milano and Viaggi, by Nescafé.
MANAGEMENT IDEAS
Empowerment
The history of modern business practice began with ‘scientific management’, which wanted the very opposite of empowerment. Until then, each skilled workman had done his job in his own idiosyncratic fashion. Scientific management’s Frederick W. Taylor insisted that they drop all that and carry out the task in the ‘one best way’, which had been measured and timed for perfection. Empowerment just wasn’t in for Taylor, though he did introduce
one small vent for self-expression – the suggestion box. The history of empowerment in the workplace has, in a way, simply been a journey back to the status quo ante. Engaged employees have a stronger emotional bond to the company. They are more likely to recommend the firm to others, to put in time and effort to help it succeed and to come up with their own innovative ideas and solutions to problems.
BUSINESS STARTUP
Why 50 Cent is a genius when it comes to competition Want to use your competition to your advantage? These are the 3 lessons we can learn from 50 Cent. The 50 Cent-Floyd Mayweather feud not only is entertaining but also teaches us a lesson on competition. It’s fair to say that rapper (and successful entrepreneur) 50 Cent has dealt with many adversaries. First he went up against Ja Rule, which resulted in damage to Ja Rule’s career. Since then, he’s taken on big names like Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. Feuds between celebrities happen all the time, but 50 Cent has made using rivals to his advantage into an art form. Many of his tactics apply to business, a playing field where opponents are always trying to bring you down. Here are the three strategies you can take from 50 Cent about how to deal with your competitors. 1. Go after your top competitors Early in 50 Cent’s career, he started his feud with Ja Rule. While Ja Rule had a larger following and more resources at the time, 50 Cent was able to use Ja Rule’s success as a way to build credibility for himself. When speaking to customers, don’t be afraid to mention why you’re an improvement over a top competitor. Your audience will start to think your company is much larger than it really is, giving you instant credibility. Be careful not to bad-mouth your competition; instead state what your company does better and focus more on your service. The other reason this is so smart: Even if your opponent tries to attack you, he or she will be helping you build more attention and boost your reputation. There are advantages to being the underdog, and 50 Cent has perfected how to exploit those benefits. 2. Focus on their greatest weakness When 50 Cent started calling out Floyd Mayweather, it looked as though he was facing a tough battle. Mayweather is not only one of the highestpaid athletes in the world, but also one of the best boxers ever. 50 Cent would have an uphill battle trying to argue otherwise. Instead, he focused on Mayweather’s weakness, his struggle to read.
Curtis James Jackson III
When you talk about how you’re better than your competition, don’t worry about its funding or market share. Study your competitors and look for their weak points. Larger companies take more time to make drastic changes, and their weaknesses are easier to find because of the media attention. Once you’ve found one thing you do better than your competition, see if it could be a differentiator for you in the market. 3. Use competition to motivate your team 50 Cent always looks to build allies against his opposition. When he started building his team for G-Unit, he used his battles with other celebrities as a way to motivate his own team. Warfare is a great way to motivate your employees to work harder and unite against a common cause. When there is a common enemy, members of your organisation will focus and develop a lion mind set to take that rival down. Start recognising members of your team when they steal your rival’s customers. Create a culture that encourages competition, and the competitive spirit will bring your company closer. It’ll also make the office spirit more fun and energetic, which will help push your team forward.
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
getting ahead
31
Richard Branson, one of world’s best-known entrepreneur
Secrets They Won’t Teach You At Business School
DIFFERENTIATE OR DIE
Five secrets to starting a business
Big names are weak
‘What you have when you start a company is a blank canvas; you have to fill it’ There are two questions I get asked all the time. The most popular is: ‘How did you come to name the business Virgin?’ A close second is: ‘What’s your secret to successfully building businesses?’ The first is easy to answer but the second one always takes some thinking about. The fact is that there’s no one thing that characterises Virgin’s many successful ventures or, for that matter, what went wrong when we didn’t get it right. Reflecting across forty years, however, I have come up with five secrets for improving the chances of a new business surviving with luck - something we all need flourishing. I. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it Starting a business takes huge amounts of hard work and time so you had better enjoy doing it. When I started Virgin from a basement in west London, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn’t set out to build a business empire. I simply wanted to create something people would enjoy using, have fun doing it and at the end of the day prayed that it would make enough to pay the bills. For me, building a business is all about doing something to be
BUSINESS ICONS
proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives. Business people are not unlike artists. What you have when you start a company is a blank canvas; you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or woman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up a business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves and it’s also not that easy to paint over your mistakes! If a business person sets out to make a real difference and achieves that objective, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot. 2. Be innovative - create something different Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you’ve got to do something radically different to make your mark today. Look at the most successful businesses of the past twenty years. Microsoft, Google, Apple and Facebook all shook up the world we live in by doing things that had
Generalists like General Electric, though their names are big, are weak in the market.
never been done before and then by continually innovating. They are now among the dominant forces. Not everyone can aspire to such levels; however, should you decide to enter an already crowded segment you had better be ready to offer customer service that blows the competition away. When we started Virgin Atlantic the positive buzz that we created focused on the simple fact that our crews were really nice to our passengers. Go figure - what a breakthrough idea for an airline! 3. Pride of association works wonders Businesses are nothing more than a group of people, and they are by far and away your biggest assets. In fact in probably the majority of businesses your people are your product. For me, there is nothing sadder than hearing someone being apologetic about the place where they are working. When people are proud to be associated with their company, it generates a special level of advocacy and dedication that is a huge differentiator in a world full of mediocrity and indifference. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
Consider a big food name like Kraft. When that name is taken out against specialist brand names, nothing good happens. In mayonnaise, Hellmann’s trounces them. In jellies, Smuckers kills them. In mustard, French’s annihilates them. In yogurt, Dannon destroys them. Lucky for Kraft they have some specialist brands of their own. In fact, Kraft’s biggest brand is one that few people recognize as a Kraft product. It’s Philadelphia brand cream cheese. Even though “Kraft” is on the package, people don’t even see it. To most, it’s all about those little cheese makers in Philadelphia. The Same Goes for Retail Take the retail industry. Which retailers are in trouble today? The department stores. And what’s a department store? A place that sells everything. That’s a recipe for disaster because it’s very hard to differentiate an “everything” place. Campeau, L. J. Hooker, and Gimbel’s all wound up in bankruptcy court. Hills department stores filed for bankruptcy. Macy’s, the worlds’ largest department store, filed for bankruptcy. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
Leadership lessons CONTINUES FROM LAST WEEK
Sam Walton Founder, Wal-Mart
One of the most critical things Walton did for his success was to avidly study other retailers and discounters. He sets about being the best, which meant taking the best ideas and improving them. Later, he was one of the first to implement on a large scale a computerised inventory tracking system. But, perhaps, one of the things Walton did better than any of his competitors was work harder and longer. Copy, Ask Questions, and Improve Walton had a great deal of respect for his competitors, saying “Wal-
Mart wouldn’t be what it is today without a host of fine competition, most especially Harry Cunningham of Kmart, who really designed the first discount store, and who in my opinion, should be remembered as one of the leading retailers of all time” (Walton 1992). He had so much respect, in fact, that copied much of what Cunningham did. Walton was always trying to find new ideas to improve business. His wife Helen, described one of her husband’s most important work habits in his memoir, “What really drove Sam was
that competition across the street ... always. Looking at his prices, looking at his displays, looking at what was going on. He was always looking for a way to do a better job.” From his earliest days in business, Walton raced around with a yellow notebook and a tape recorder in hand, learning from competitors and bringing the best idea into his stores. He was caught taping a conversation with staff in his competitor Sol Price’s store by a manager. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
32 CEOConfidential
housekeeping
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Compiled by Olujide Olusola
Most creative people in business
Jerry Seinfeld
Creator, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
But now it feels timely. I don’t think I could’ve done it even a year or two before I did. You had to have this thing where everybody’s walking around with TVs in their pocket. People expect things on the Internet to be very personal. I went through a period a couple of years ago where I was obsessed with Timberland. I started looking up videos that people make of themselves unboxing new Timberland boots. I don’t want to use sexual terminology, but there’s something pornographic about it. It’s the sound of the paper, the lacing up of the boots, the boot on the wood floor, the squeak sound. I love these videos. That very personal microniche that the Internet world created--it’s like a honeycomb with millions of hexagonal cells, and you’re just interested in four. That seemed like a fun place to play. “I like taking videos of coffee and cars and comedians. Maybe I could weave them into something.” It’s not really a show. I used to say it’s an antishow about a nonevent. And you don’t say that anymore? No, it still is. [Laughs]
For revving up web programming--and online advertising Jerry Seinfeld’s high-concept web show chronicles him picking up various comedians (Chris Rock, SarahSilverman, Howard Stern) in notable, old automobiles (a 1969 Lamborghini Miura, a 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly) and engaging them in amusing banter over delicious caffeinated beverages. But it is viewers who are feeling the rush. Since it debuted in 2012, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, as it’s aptly titled, has become a hit for Sony’s digital-only Crackle network, racking up more than 35 million views as it has grown into a web phenomenon. And Seinfeld isn’t just the host. Starting with season 3, which premiered in January, he has also been the driving force (along with Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld) behind the unusually entertaining Acura ads that frame each episode. Here, he shows us what’s under the hood. You could work on anything you wanted. Why this? Seinfeld: The only thing that appeals to me is being shot into an unknown universe. If I were to walk into a major network and say, “I have an idea for a TV series,” no matter what the idea is, so much has already been decided before I even walk Head of global design, Adidas in that door. We know it’s going to be 21 minutes and 45 seconds. We know how we’re going to promote it. We know too much. The most fun game is one you’ve never played and For leading a product marathon you’re inventing as you go along. Sports apparel is usually a sprinter’s race, with new Why create your own Acura ads for the show? products sometimes hitting shelves in as little as I kind of like advertising, and did some in the ‘90s for six months. James Carnes specializes in a longer American Express. It just seems like the Internet is screaming game--and has led three of the company’s biggest at artists to be creative. It’s like an art-supply store: You walk recent launches: in, and there’s paper and cameras and paint and pencils. It’s Springblade, a radical shoe design with 16 flexing like someone throwing down the gauntlet. polymer blades on each sole angled to propel a How do you put the ads together? Do you crank them runner forward, took six years to create. Its launch out while watching the Mets game? last July was the most successful for a running shoe When I’m watching the Mets game I don’t do anything in company history. else: I’m watching the game. But when the ads come on I Boost, another running shoe, took several years get nauseous. It’s just horrible. To me, car advertising was to produce but was also worth the wait. Carnes is another venue that was suffocating from a lack of creativity. adding its proprietary cushioning--shock-absorbent How did you tackle that? foam used in car bumpers--to other running and By making bad ads on purpose [laughs]. The premise was, basketball shoes. we transport a 2014 Acura back to an incompetent ad Brazuca, the 2014 FIFA World Cup official ball, agency in 1965. A lot of the verbiage in there is real stuff was tested by more than 600 top athletes during from the ‘60s. I mean, “out to impress” was a very common its three-year development. The aerodynamic phrase in the ‘60s in advertising. Nobody talks like that design and grippy material enable moreanymore, but in the ‘60s that’s how they talked about cars. dazzling dribbling, passing, and shooting than “We’re out to impress.” its predecessors, and maintains the same weight In the Tina fey episode, you asked what she would love to be when wet. To hype it, Adidas built one with six HD doing in a year. I’m going to ask you the same question. cameras inside, then had the pros kick it around. Acura and I have just made a new deal to make more shows The company expects to sell millions of Brazucas, [season 4 premieres later this year] and commercials. I was which will contribute to an anticipated $2.7 intending to make 10 [episodes], just as a thing to do. Now billion in soccer revenue this year. “I have a few people really want to be on the show. In the beginning I had key mantras right now,” Carnes says. “Intuitive, to explain to them what it was. premium, precise, and innovative.”
Tim Kendall Head of product, Pinterest For sharpening the pinning process Tim Kendall had a dilemma: How could Pinterest be more useful on mobile? The answer came in a thousand details unveiled last summer, when Kendall launched iPhone, Android, and tablet apps that let recipe pins include ingredients, for example, and travel pins include photos and maps. The result: Some 75% of traffic now comes from mobile platforms. “It was the summer of apps,” he says, “and we worked at breakneck speed.”
Mike Will Made It Music producer For producing unstoppable hits By the time Michael Len Williams II, aka Mike WiLL Made It, met Miley Cyrus, he’d already worked with Rihanna and Kanye West. Cyrus, then still best known as Hannah Montana, was a less-obvious collaborator. But the producer, who has an album of his own due this year, was impressed. “Her voice is crazy,” he says. “There’s really nothing she can’t do.” The result of their partnership, Bangerz (featuring the single he cowrote, “We Can’t Stop”), debuted at No. 1 last October.
James Carnes
Anna Maria Chávez CEO, Girl Scouts For pledging to mean something to today’s girls The cookie program still reaps annual sales near $800 million, but with Girl Scout membership consistently dropping, Anna Maria Chávez is working to lead the organization into the future. Girl Scouts now offers programs and badges in STEM–related fields such as robotics and video-game design, and Chávez recently launched the program BFF (Be a Friend First) to help girls avoid traumatic conflict on the web or in school. In March, she teamed up with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to launch the provocative “Ban Bossy” campaign, which encourages the development of young leaders. Even Beyoncé chimed in: “I’m not bossy,” she says in the video. “I’m the boss.”
Mariam Naficy Founder, CEO, Minted For connecting designers to paperloving buyers Minted doesn’t just sell greeting cards, wall art, and other paper goods; it really helps independent artisans flourish. After users critique works in progress and vote on their favourites, Minted manufactures and sells the most popular creations, paying artists a cash prize plus 6 per cent to 8 per cent of sales. Its products have reached 40 million households, partially through a partnership with West Elm. “It’s not really about stationery,” says Mariam Naficy. “It’s about encouraging and nurturing creative talent.”
A Girl’s Guide HOW TO BE MORE SOCIAL AND GAIN MORE FRIENDS
40
et cetera ...AND OTHER THINGS September 14, 2014
WHY MEN DON’T WEAR WEDDING RINGS The Twitterati, P39
El Rufai prays for Dimgba Igwe
Wish List, P34
Bimbo Balogun loves Toyota Venza
34
et cetera
How I feel about... BEING A PRODUCER
DADEINO BAFYAU-31 Growing up, I clearly remember my gifts being books and movies from my father. If he travelled out of the country for more than a week, I got a postcard. I learnt to read, imagine and get lost in the world of moving pictures. In school, I was a cheeky behind the scenes, note writer and passer. I eventually became the president of the drama club, which I must add with my peacock tail was the coolest club in school. I love words, simple words used in more ways than one. I am seduced by words turned to pictures. My dream was to work in a field where pictures and words merged, I wanted to know how to make them come alive. Today, I am a Television Producer and Amateur Writer. I love what I do; its that simple. To wake up in the morning and not worry about heels or Dorothy, Perkins, pencil, skirt is truly a blessing. I couldn’t pull it off even if I tried! Jeans, T-shirts and easy ankara dresses...where do I sign?. I love to laugh and meet people, my job affords me that and much more. Meeting people, hearing stories, going to places that never crossed your mind, climbing rocks, canoe rides on the River Benue and much more. I work long hours and the job is not without its frustrations. People are unpredictable so they add to the special magic of the job by keeping you on your toes. Once you are on a project its like a high, the type of high you get paid for(toothy grin). Then you get to calm down in solitude and write, turning images, sounds,and textures into words. Your next step merging your words and the pictures into a single piece. Then sitting down to watch your completed work. Your labour of love before you. You watch in silence with fulfilment that words finally cannot describe. I am blessed and lucky to do what I love doing as a job. I do have my days of panic and frustrations when things don’t go as they should, but so far, never a day of regret. I love pictures and I love words. I get to work with both... Ohh did I mention the pictures move? I believe I did, talk about a child and a chocolate bar. Pure joy!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
BIMBO BALOGUN
Own a Toyota Venza
WISH LIST
Live abroad Holiday at with own Boramy bora. family. Lovely The place is hubby with too beautiful. six kids.
The entrepreneur reveals some of her wishes to Zanswat Bowsan
Own a platinum with diamond encrusted Tom Ford watch. Own a room filled with Shoes, bags and clothes.
Own a well furnished mansion house.
Own a very big Asoebi business empire
Own an Estate to my name
DILEMMA
SHOULD I TELL HER?
In a light-hearted weekly column, we take a wry look at the problems of modern life
virgin back then and refused to sleep with him. Though he made the girl abort the baby and moved mountains to make my friend forgive and come back to him. They dated for 7 years, he was her first and she My very close friend has been married for 4 has invested so much time, sweat, energy in years and I just found out that her husband the relationship and now that it has finally has a mistress. My friend is 7 months metamophosed into marriage I just don’t pregnant and is in a very happy phase in her want to be the one to uproot her world. So do life. It hurts me not to tell her but at the same I tell her or wait till she delivers or just let her time I don’t want to be the one to burst the find out herself? bubble especially with her condition. Though Sis Marilyn from Abuja this won’t be the first time he’s cheating on her. He once got a girl pregnant when they You asked for my opinion, so here goes. were dating just because my friend was a First of all, I think you should really mind
et cetera group
your own business. Do not tell your friend anything that will jeopardise her health right now. However, if you know her husband well enough, I suggest you call him out. By doing that, it shows you respect their union and care about your friend. Let them sort out their issues and keep praying for them. My two cents, stay blessed.. Do you have a dilemma that you want help with? Write to blessing.ukemena@ leadership.ng
CONTENT Zanswat Bowsan, Blessing Ukemena DESIGN Matthew Akhabue ACTING EDITOR Auwal Sa'id Mu'azu FOUNDER Sam Nda-Isaiah CHAIRMAN Hajiya Ireti Kingibe GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR Azubuike Ishiekwene GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Michael Okpere, Dr Kazeem Durodoye FEEDBACK AND MAILS Etcetera is published as an insert in LEADERSHIP Sunday. Please do send your pictures, stories, mails and enquiries to osezua.gloria@leadership.ng
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
PEOPLE TRACKER
LADY IN BLACK
Chika Ezekwe sparks up her dress with perfect accessories
You can send your pictures to xanbowsan@yahoo.com
CONFIDENT Taliki is not afraid of anything at all.
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
Vivian Godwins pulls a great look in her yellow dress.
PRETTY
Ndiya Ndukwe looks on to the brighter side
FABULOUSITY Imade Akhigbe rocks in her LRD (little red dress)
MERRILY MERRILY
Lindsey Abudei says life is but a dream
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
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Sunday, September 7, 2014
PEOPLE TRACKER
PEOPLE TRACKER
LESS IS MORE khadija Mohammed Rumah is cool wearing less accessories and make up
BEAUTIFUL
Bisi Haradeyo knows that less is more.
You can send your pictures to xanbowsan@yahoo.com
EXQUISITE
ALLURING
Aisha Aalalu Bello is pretty and she knows it!
Rukkaya Zakari is smart and cheerful
PEARLS
Chibuonu Ezennabuike says more is more with pearls
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
TRENDY
Bisi Aileru isn’t pushed to the wall
Anita Ilabor is ready to fly away
GALLANT CONFIDENT Eniye Oghogbodo in a maxi dress poses akimbo.
Monday Ajayi in smart casual poses for the camera
CHARMING
Aminat Aileru looks good in her orange head gear.
DAZZLING SMILE
Hauwa Bello feels good in the royal colour
PRETTY
Hussaina Ahmed jibril rocks in a simple black dress.
OUTSTANDING
Okonkwo Linda stands out in a simply ankara skirt enhanced with red belt
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
INSIDE STORY
Why Men Don’t Wear Wedding Rings BY BLESSING UKEMENA, Abuja
Getting married takes commitment to a lot of things; putting your spouse first, taking decisions together, going on holidays together, spending money with your spouse and mostly wearing your wedding rings. If you and your spouse married with rings, then it is assumed that wearing the ring is in the list of commitments. Most women take it as a thing of pride to wear their wedding rings but it is not the same for men. To most of them wearing the wedding ring is an inconvenience while to a selected, few it is not even biblical. Mr Johnson Anudiegwu is a journalist and had this to say, “Where is it written in the bible that we must wear wedding rings? This ring thing is a man-made affair. After all it was recorded in the bible that it was similar jewelry that the Israelites melted and started worshipping as a god, so why should we do it? I do not believe in wearing a ring, even though I got married with one and my wife is ok with it. Wearing a ring or not does not stop me from being a randy man because that is a personal decision. The ring should be on its own while I stay on my own,” he said but he also revealed that his wife actually wears a wedding ring. Speaking with Tayo Ajala, a banker in the FCT, he revealed that he has been married for the past 12 years and was not in the habit of always wearing his wedding ring, ‘I don’t see it as a big deal. I used to wear it often in the first year of my marriage but as time went on, I got fatter and my ring could no longer fit my hand so I just left it at home. It does not mean that I am an unfaithful husband. Infact, any man who is still wearing his ring has not crossed the five year mark in marriage. When you are married long enough this ring does not mean a thing. After all there are men who wear their rings and still carry girls, but I am not one of such. However you can
What they said... Why Men Don’t Wear Wedding Rings
rarely see my wife without her wedding ring,” he stated. Ogunjobi Alade is an IT Consultant in the FCT and has been married for five years, “The truth is that I actually lost my ring one day as I came back from a grocery shopping. I had to remove the ring from my finger because it was raining and I put it in my bag. Then I totally forgot about it and since I remove and put stuff in my bag it must have fallen out because I remembered it four days later but I could not find the ring. My wife was upset and I had to buy so many gifts to pacify her. She said that I was trying to be sneaky but I assured her it was not like that. But I have discovered that ladies in Abuja even prefer it when
“Where is it written in the bible that we must wear wedding rings? This ring thing is a man-made affair. After all it was recorded in the bible that it was similar jewelry that the Israelites melted and started worshipping as a god, so why should we do it?" Johnson Anudiegwu, Journalist
you are married. They believe that married men have more money than the young, single guys” he said. Rita Ochaje is a business woman who has been married for the past four years and complained that her husband does not wear his wedding ring, “it was six months into our marriage that he stopped wearing his ring o. I don’t know why and when I ask him he will ask me if the rig will make him more faithful than he already is. I just took the ring and am keeping it for the day that the Holy Spirit will minister to him to wear it because I am fed up. I just pray I don’t wake up one day to find another woman in my house because they will both see fire,” she said. When you are married long enough this ring does not mean a thing. After all there are men who wear their rings and still carry girls, but I am not one of such. However you can rarely see my wife without her wedding ring.” Tayo Ajala, Banker
Patrick Gonja is one of the few men who still wears his wedding ring, “I have been married for the past six years and I always wear my ring because I believe it is part of what I signed up for when I got married. My wife wears her own so why should I not wear mine? It does not change the fact that I cannot be admire other women or even be a friend to them but there is always a limit to being close to other women once you are married, and given my nature, seeing this ring reminds me sometimes when I want to misbehave,” he announced. According to Psychologist Gladeana McMahon says: ‘A lot of men may not want to feel that they are ‘owned’, or look like anyone’s possession, and
“The truth is that I actually lost my ring one day as I came back from a grocery shopping. I had to remove the ring from my finger because it was raining and I put it in my bag. Then I totally forgot about it and since I remove and put stuff in my bag it must have fallen out." Ogunjobi Alade, IT Consultant
We want to know what you think about our inside story above. You can have your say by emailing xanbowsan@yahoo.com
may feel this is the message given out by a wedding ring. If your man refuses to wear a wedding ring, don’t jump to the conclusion that he’s less committed to you than he should be and just waiting for his chance to run off with someone else,” he said. While, of course, there will always be some married men who want to disguise their status, it’s more likely, says Gladeana, that he’s an extremely private person - who prefers to keep his loving gestures just for you, rather than sharing them with the rest of the world. ‘Many men feel that going through the marriage ceremony is more than enough evidence of their commitment to their partner and they don’t need a ring to reinforce that message,’ Gladeana explains. ‘They have made the commitment to her, and it is no-one else’s business. ‘Many men don’t need the emotional commitment to symbolic objects - like keepsakes, love letters and the like - that most women have. For men who want to marry, the action of getting married is what’s important - not the object representing it.’ Women, on the other hand, show their feelings more - they talk openly about them and think nothing of showing them in public. This is why most women want permanent proof of their commitment in marriage. Today’s married women would rather view it with pride as a sign of an important commitment. A man’s choice of whether or not to wear a wedding ring may also be the unconscious continuation of a family tradition. ‘He is very likely to follow his father’s lead, without even realising it,’ says Gladeana. ‘During childhood and growing up, he will have picked up the message that married men do or don’t wear rings, depending on what his father did.”’ So if your man steadfastly refuses to wear a wedding ring even though you’d like him to, it could be that he belongs to this group.
" I have been married for the past six years and I always wear my ring because I believe it is part of what I signed up for when I got married. My wife wears her own so why should I not wear mine? It does not change the fact that I cannot be admire other women or even be a friend to them." Patrick Gonja
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
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THE TWITTERATI CATCH UP WITH WHAT CELEBS HAVE BEEN TWEETING ABOUT
@edomalo
You’re so busy being you, you totally have no idea how completely unprecedented you are. September 8 Ouch!
@MoCheddaH Tori Olorun September 8 What is it now?
@Osuoofia Every guy wants to marry a decent girl. Who will marry the ones you spoilt? September 8 Ask them o!
@iam_Davido
Shoki everywhere I go...lol! September 8 Another musical pandemic
@ElShederico I think the #BringBackGoodluck2015 poster is in terrible taste in view of the fact that the girls are still in captivity going through. September 8 Very good observation.
@elnathan There are kids whose parents are mere commissioners but whose full time job is carrying their parents’ names about. Appreciate Lt. Col Obasanjo September 9 He is one of our heroes. @ScottIgbene Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. September 8 Simply misplaced priorities.
SAD NEWS: May the gentle and caring soul of Dimgba Igwe rest in perfect peace. A good man. Perfect gentleman. Sensible and balanced mind. A big loss! September 7 Touching eulogy.
If you like, put the entire Ababio on a tablet. There is no way on earth I would have learned Chemistry without a teacher. August 30 We are kindred souls
@weirdmcofficial Teleportation? September 8 If only, if only.
@timayatimaya Can’t go broke no more, I lost the ability to go broke. September 8 It’s all about the Benjamins.
@elrufai
@cchukudebelu
@Gwariboy When you call out a cheating person it shouldn’t be considered snitching, especially if you care about the person being cheated. September 8 It is a noble thing
@AndreOgodo
@Blessing_1987 Crazy how much joy my soul derives from just wandering in a bookstore. #bibliophile September 5 Not many people can concur @IBJika Please help yours and keep your ego before coming to me. It doesn’t work around here. September 5 Warn them well o! @nurabatsari We are not tired of saying #BringBackOur Girls September 8 We shouldn’t relent @Sanchos1 Oscar Pistorius your tears have worked the magic! September 11 Another OJ Simpson story
The older you get, the more likely you are to experience difficulties getting pregnant (amongst other things). September 8 Very encouraging tweet
@TobeDadiva That moment when you pay a huge debt you owe and your account weeps for divine mercy. September 1 I know that feeling
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Sunday, September 14, 2014
LIFE101
A GIRL’S GUIDE
HOW TO BE MORE SOCIAL AND GAIN MORE FRIENDS
The way you dress, groom, walk and overall act reflect who you are to people. Maybe you are having a hard time making new friends or putting yourself out there in the social scene in a cool way. Just read this and change your life into a much better and funnier one. Be hygienic. People like to be close to people who are clean and radiate good. So brush your teeth twice a day, take a shower everyday or as many times as it’s healthy in the climate of where you live, and always use deodorant and a cologne or perfume. Bring joy to your dressing style. What type of message are you sending
to people through the way you dress? You like wearing plain clothes, larger clothes or plain colours? Well, try to dress more joyful, then. People are more drawn to people that look like they have joy in their lives. You do not have to change completely, but try to improve a few things. Brighter colours. Instead of going for pales, beiges, dark or greyish tones, go for baby blues, pastel greens, pinks or any colour that transmits happiness. Get updated in fashion. Make a research on the internet, Google about what types of shoes, jeans, shirts and accessories are fashionable right now. There are thousands of
Super Flirt BREATHE
Focus Attention- Draw attention to your eyes by using something to point to them.
websites and blogs out there that can help you. Do not try too hard. You do not have to wear everything that they say it’s fashionable, but do take note of what would look better for your body type, skin colour and personal taste. People look much cooler when they dress in style yet look like it’s effortless. Get a more flattering look. Go on Google and search for what types of haircuts and hairstyles are in right now for your face shape and go for what suits better your personal taste. Once again, you must not look like you’ve been trying too hard. A subtle look is the best. If you want to wear
makeup, you can go on YouTube and search for makeup tutorials. Improve your attitude. Do not slouch! It’s not only bad for your back, but it’s also bad for how people perceive you. Stand up straight, swing your arms a little as you walk and always look people at their face and make eye contact. This shows people you aren’t afraid of life and they will instantly respect you much more. Speak to someone new every day. Pay a compliment on the person, like “By the way, that shirt looks cool on you”. Culled from The Girl’s Guide to Almost Everything
THE MANGO TREE Once upon a time, there lived a big mango tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the mangoes, and took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by. The little boy grew, and he no longer played around the tree. One day, the boy came back to the tree with a sad look on his face. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I am no longer a kid; I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, I don’t have money, but you can pick all my mangoes and sell them so you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He picked all the mangoes on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back. The tree was sad. One day, the boy grown into a man returned. The tree was so excited. “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house, but you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the man cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t come back afterward. The tree was again lonely and sad. One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” The tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and didn’t come back for a long time. Finally, the man returned after he had been gone for so many years. “Sorry, my boy, but I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more mangoes to give you.” The tree said. “I don’t have teeth to bite,” the man replied. “No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now,” the man said. “I really can’t give you anything… the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with sadness. “I don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,” the man replied. “Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled.
FROM LOWERED LASHES TO WICKED WINKS, EYE CONTACT IS THE ULTIMATE FLIRTING TOOL. STAND
The four-and-a-half second scan- a normal scan lasts three seconds, scan for four and a half and its clear they’ve “caught your eye”.
EYE-LOCK
The slide and settle- Let your eyes settle on someone so they’re aware you’ve noticed them, then as they’re still watching, you slide your eyes around the room before settling back on them.
SAFE
The flirting triangle- Eye movement studies show we look at different parts of other people’s faces depending on the situation.
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
bottom lines 9,151 N288, 980,000,000 Number of mobile network towers to be transferred to HIS Holding limited by MTN Nigeria.
IN SHORT
John Holt plc, a Nigerian conglomerate, has succumbed to cost pressures as it posted a loss of N299m in the first two quarters to March 2014, analysis of the financial statement shows. The slowdown at the bottom line level was caused by a 18.11 per cent increase in total operating expenses to N470m in the review period from N574m in the same period of the corresponding year of March 2013. The top line level also took a hit as sales fell by 14.8 per cent to N1.24bn in 2014 as against N1.45bn in the preceding year. However, input costs were low as cost of sales reduced to N914m in 2013 compared to N1.08bn while cost of sales margin dropped to 66.8 per cent in 2014 from 72.8 per cent last year. The company was able to manage direct materials attributable to projects as gross profits increased by 12.8 per cent to N327m in the period under review as against N375m last year, while gross profit margin remained flattish at 26 per cent. John Holt was able to reduce debt as finance costs were down by 15.2 per cent to N117m as against N138m in the same period of last year. Additional total loans in the balance sheet also reduced by N752m from N880m the preceding year, while debt to equity ratio remained flattish at 41 per cent. Total assets were down by 2.46 per cent to N8.39bn in the review period compared with N8.18bn corresponding period of last year.
COMPANY
SECRETS
Rahul Bajaj, chairman, Baja Auto Ltd
Total amount released by the Central Bank of Nigeria to the Bank of Industry in the last four years to finance 573 projects under the Small and Medium Enterprises Restructuring Refinancing Fund.
Guinness Nigeria reports N109bn revenue
John Holt posts N299m loss fuelled by cost pressures
Managing director/chief executive officer, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Seni Adetu
Guinness Nigeria Plc, has released its results for the year ended June 30, 2014. The Board of the brewing giant met on September 4, 2014 and approved the company’s audited results which show a total revenue of N109bn and profit after tax of approximately N10bn. Also following the release of the results, the Board of Directors of the company recommended, subject to approval at the next Annual General Meeting, slated to hold on November 13, 2014 the declaration of dividend of approximately N5bn in respect of the year ended June 30, 2014, which represents 320 kobo per 50 kobo ordinary share. Speaking on the results, Seni Adetu, managing director/chief executive officer of the company said revenue and profit declined due to pricing disadvantage, growth in the value segment
BOOSTING SALES
where the company is a relatively small player, competitor’s aggressive trade practices and increased finance costs. “On the positive side, the various innovations we have launched in recent times especially Orijin Bitters and Orijin Ready to Drink (RTD) have been quite successful, and we expect to further dial up our play in the value segment with Satzenbrau and Dubic Lager.” In the period under review, Guinness Nigeria launched several innovation including Orijin Bitters, Orijin RTD and Alvaro. The company confirmed that sales of its innovation brands like Orijin Bitters, Snapp, Satzenbrau, Dubic and Orijin RTD were still growing, heralding a big boost for Guinness Nigeria’s future performance. Babatunde Savage, chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc, said, “Despite the challenges faced, we progressed in the key areas of cost containment achieving improved cost efficiencies, and the upgrade of our route-toconsumer which is directly linked to volume growth recorded by brand Guinness in the second half of the financial year. The board of Guinness Nigeria is confident that we have the right people and capability to guarantee the delivery of our strategic priorities of driving out cost to invest in growth, turning the business around by strengthening and accelerating our premium core brands, innovating at scale to meet new consumer needs, and extension of our route-to-consumer advantage.” Guinness Nigeria was established in 1950 and listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1965. The company is the custodian of household brands like Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness Extra Smooth, Harp Lager, Malta Guinness and Malta Guinness Low Sugar, Smirnoff Ice, Snapp, Dubic lager and the Orijin brands, amongst others.
Popular brands use celebrities to strengthen credibility
The goal of celebrity endorsement is to use the star power of the celebrity to gain approval for the product, transferring the consumer’s admiration for the celebrity to the product. But it’s expensive, and therefore becomes the purview of the big-budget advertisers. If you think that you could increase your sales with some sort of celebrity endorsement, consider the following ideas: 1. Imagine that you have an unlimited budget to acquire a celebrity to help you tell your story. Who would you pick and why? Is there a local celebrity who could accomplish this same visibility? 2. What would you want the celebrity to say or on behalf of your product? These ideas will show how endorsement could help you increase your sales as well as highlight an advertising approach for your products. Is it possible that you could gain the impact you seek with a more affordable tactic? The bottom line principle of celebrity endorsement is to get prospects attention so you can tell them about your product.
Strategic Alliances Local CEOs are increasingly inclined to form strategic alliance. In Malaysia, for instance, the government investment agency, Khazanah Nasional, has built an entire industrial strategy around the strategic alliance. Through Khazanah, the Malaysian government hopes to form strategic links with foreign technology companies. The agency has already identified nearly
twenty companies in Asia, Europe, and the United States able to supply important technologies, know-how, or strategic positions in key regional markets. The emphasis on strategic alliances signal an interesting and important trend in the major emerging markets. No longer content to take a passive role in the development of their economic interests, companies
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are aggressively looking for opportunities outside their national borders, such as the recent acquisition of Lotus, the U.K car manufacturer, by Proton, Malaysia national automaker. Proton was less interested in adding a high-performance sports car to its product line than it was in importing the engineering talent Malaysia could not hope to produce for many years.
42 CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
hub N487, 000,000,000
Compiled by Olujide Olusola
Amount spent by the federal government to offset the terminal entitlements of former workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
L-R: 2nd vice chairman, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Abuja Branch, Bunmi Ogini; outgoing chairman, CIBN, Abuja Branch, Babatunde Mohammed; chairman, CIBN, Abuja Branch, Steve Ezochala Nwadiuko, and assistant director, CIBN, National Secretariat, Rukayat Yusuf, during the 2014 annual general meeting and elections of Abuja branch executives in Abuja. PHOTO: TUNDE ADENIYI
L-R: Company secretary/director, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Olalekan Saliu; group managing director, Paul Gbededo, and head, legal services, Joseph Umolu, during the company’s press briefing of its annual general meeting, at the company corporate headquarters, Apapa, Lagos recently. PHOTO: BENEDICT UWALAKA
Richard Branson @richardbranson “When you have children, you cease to be the picture & become the frame” Robert T. Kiyosaki @theRealKiyosaki As long as u take a pay check, you’re a slave to it. Most people don’t like thinking of it in those terms but u should.
nikky @nikkytheminx While every business struggles, it’s usually the same reasons that cause the issues mentioned above to lag on indefinitely #CEOsCorner
fav
Bruce Van Horn tweets 2@BruceVH Nothing is random. God is sending the pieces of your life at just the time He planned.
91%
Percentage increase in profit of the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc (CCNN).
L-R: Former deputy governor, CBN, Dr Ernest Ebi; director general, National Pension Commission, Mrs Chinelo Anohu-Amazu; managing director/ chief executive officer, Afrinvest, Ike Chioke, and managing director/ chief executive officer, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, at the official launch of the Nigerian Banking Sector Report 2014, in Lagos recently. PHOTO: GBENGA OLAJOBI
L-R: Group managing director, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Alex Otti; deputy managing directors, Uzoma Dozie and Caroline Anyanwu; chief executive officer, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Dr Stella Okoli, and chairman/ managing director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Mutiu Sunmonu, at the inauguration of Diamond Bank’s flagship branch at Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos recently. PHOTO: GBENGA OLAJOBI
CORE, New York City
CORE puts its members at the centre sensibility and a passion to change the of the curated life. It’s the perfect place world around us. CORE members are to have lunch with your broker, throw a people who have significantly altered birthday party for your loved one, have business, culture, and society. They have coffee with your architect, or Sunday all been brought together by their brunch with the kids, host your desire to be inspired, to explore new next board meeting or enjoy possibilities, and to constantly dinner before a show. It is a place expand their world. Members to relax, recharge or refuel... works include former Yahoo CEO Jerry perfectly and comfortably. In Yang, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd an environment where CEOs and and fashion designer Kenneth Cole. cultural icons comfortably collide, To be a member, the individual has to the vibrant community is a diverse, selfpay $50,000 as registration fee and every selecting group that shares a common year will pay $15,000.
net
CEOConfidential
Sunday, September 14, 2014
$20,000,000 Worth of line of credit Ecobank Nigeria signed with Brazilian Development Bank BNDES.
3,500
Approximate number of mobile phone masts in six African countries to be sold to telecommunications tower company Eaton Towers by India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd.
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1,000
Percentage increase in the retail footprint in Sub_Saharan Africa by DHL Express in less than three years.
YOUR FYI FOR INFORMATION
L-R: General manager (Projects), Mrs Nike Lanre- Ladenegan; managing director, Grenadines Homes Ltd, Mrs Olatunji Noimot, and construction manager, Mr Majid Mulani, during the handing over of Grenadines Homes to Cubic Construction Limited in Abuja recenty. PHOTO: ADEFEMI ADEWUYI
Letting go
Buddhists, too, look for happiness in a future life rather than a future place. In the absence of an Almighty creator, they believe that the purpose of life on earth is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination and to work for their goo, happiness and peace. The aim of the individual is to accept the Four Noble Truths, which hold that life means suffering; that suffering comes from attachment to worldly things; that it’s possible to end suffering by avoiding attachment; and that the way to do this is to follow the Eightfold Path of right View, Intention, speech, Action< Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration. With all that I place, one day, possibly many lives on, the individual soul may achieve enlightenment.
DOING BUSINESS Leadership and status with Estonians
L-R: General manager, Listings, Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mrs Taba Peterside; executive director, NSE, Haruna JaloWaziri; group executive director, Dangote Cement Plc, Devakumar Edwin, and chief operating officer, Dangote Cement Plc ,Olakunle Alake, at the Nigeria Stock Exchange, Lagos. PHOTO: GBENGA OLAJOBI
HOW THEY
BLEW IT
Zhou Zhengyi
Power Politics CONTINUES FROM LAST WEEK
But Zhou saw the impending building boom all around him and was soon investing his profits in a building materials business. Despite communism, China still managed to nurture a culture of entrepreneurship. By the early 1990s Zhou was trading in copper futures and other commodities on the London and Shanghai exchanges. But the big bucks were in property in Shanghai, where land controlled by the state and private developers were clamouring to cash in on the government’s economic reforms. And Zhou, who counted Chen Liangjun, the brother of the former Shanghai party secretary, as an associate, soon did exactly that.
Zhou’s ability to harness the communist political infrastructure to further his own entrepreneurial ends was impressive. And all this in a country where there is a tangible reverence and a general desire to ‘fit in’ and not to rock the boat. Zhou’s property dealings saw him amass a $320m fortune – enormous by normal Chinese standards. But that was not made through simply working hard and being nice to his employees. As the friendship with Chen Liangjun highlights, it is not just hard work that gets you to the top in China- it is who you know. And Zhou knew a lot of people. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
Estonians are very individualistic. Each person feels capable and prefers to lead rather than be led. Since the Soviet collapse, they have shown impatience toward those who have tried to tell them how to run their country. They have a deep sense of capability. Of the three Baltic states, the Estonians were the ones who seized independence most emphatically, with a show of some belligerence (in spite of their smallness and the large number of Russian minority citizens on their soil). They chose incredibly young leaders to guide them through the first delicate years after Soviet withdrawal. They were also the fastest to embrace (rather unpopular) market reforms and resolutely pegged their currency to the German mark. Status is gained in Estonia by achievement, decisiveness and energy. Estonians have no former aristocracy to draw on, only foreign occupiers. Status is therefore demonstrated by educational qualifications, money and possessions.
44 CEOConfidential
entrepreneur
5
Number of hotels Global hospitality giant, Starwood Group is set to add to Nigeria’s hospitality industry by 2017.
SMALL BUSINESS How to decide if entrepreneurship is right for you Starting a business is a lot like becoming a parent. Not only do you have to prepare for your start-up emotionally and financially, but you have to be committed to its constant needs until it’s mature enough to hum along on its own. And even then (much like a child) it will always need you in some capacity, no matter how old it gets. Here are five questions to ask before you start your own business: 1. Am I passionate about my product or service? Let’s face it: the start-up phase is stressful. You will find yourself questioning whether you’ve made the right decision, especially when the hours are long and the initial profits (if any) are lean. As the business owner, you’re also chief salesperson for your company. Your enthusiasm for your product or service— whether it’s hand-knit sweaters or top-notch tax preparation— is often the difference that hooks customers, lands deals and attracts investors. It’s unwise to start down the path of entrepreneurship unless you’ve got a zeal that will get you through rough patches and keep you interested long after the initial enthusiasm has faded. 2. What is my tolerance for risk? Whether it’s quitting your day job or signing a lease on a new space, nothing about starting a business is for the faint of heart. CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
HIS STORY
Sunday, September 14, 2014
4,100
Number of block makers under the auspices of National Association of Blocks Moulders of Nigeria Lafarge Cement WAPCO has trained as a move against building collapse.
REHMAT SUMRA Leading in male-dominated industry Kenya’s construction industry has boomed in recent years with the development of multi-million dollar commercial and residential buildings in urban centres. However the industry remains largely male dominated, Rehmat Sumra teamed up with her husband last year to start Aayat Enterprises, a construction company in which she is the head of operations. This year the 27-year-old was recognised as one of Kenya’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Women’. Sumra says having lots of confidence has been handy in her career, especially when handling people suspicious of women doing what they consider ‘men’s work’ maledominated. “I do see a lot of bias in the construction industry but it is often something that can be overcome. The most I can do is explain to a client what I intend to deliver and how. It is up to the person who wants to give a contract to trust me. If they can’t trust me then I don’t even want that contract. I certainly would not want to work with someone who doesn’t trust me,” she said. She grew up like most girls playing with dolls, wearing bright clothes and reading Cinderella stories. But looking back, she says her family background impacted on her career goals. Watching her parents run the family business drew her towards entrepreneurship. “I loved going to work with my mum from as young as 13. Every time she would buy me a soda and sweet potato. So going to work with her was tempting to me because I knew I would get a reward. I did not know it, but was acquiring skills for my future,” Sumra recalled. In the early days running the family business she faced difficulties ‘handling deals gone wrong.’ She said, “In the beginning, I would take it personally, like it was my failure. But I came to realise that it can happen to everybody and the best you can do is learn from the experience.” Additionally, there were few women to look up to. “I knew a lot of successful businessmen but not many women. Even in the Asian community, I knew of men like Manu Chandaria, the billionaire industrialist, but had few women to identify with. Yes there were some, but their accomplishments were not being celebrated.” She notes that solving Africa’s “role model problem” by celebrating successful women entrepreneurs is critical in getting young girls into traditional male-dominated
industries. “I think African women are the most hardworking the world over. There have been years and years of bias of making us believe we are not worthy of success. It is only recently that people have begun to accept women can perform just as well as men. The mama mbogas (roadside vegetable vendors) you see are often women who did not get a better opportunity because of stereotyping and general gender bias,” she explained. Sumra lists confidence, an eye for opportunities and her ability to make sacrifices, as some of the reasons behind her success. And learning vital business lessons from her parents. She recalls how her father started Roma in 1994 after spotting unused bottles at a friend’s home.
Asuzu Chimezie, MD, Chimes Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services, Abuja How did you get to where you are today? I started this business in 2011 when I came to Abuja. I washed for my priest, and that was how I developed interest in laundry services. What have you learnt over the years? I have learnt to know more about human relations. Also, I learnt to treat clothes according to the owner’s taste. When I make mistakes, I do my best to address it and, pacify the clients in any way possible.
What were the challenges you faced? I did not have any money, but was convinced spiritually that the capital would come. I even went about looking for a location without money. How did you overcome the challenges? God, through His mercy, made people who owed me to pay me. And to His glory, I got equipment, paid for the shop and here I am today. What are your future projections for your business? I want to move to a bigger place where I
can improve my client base.. How do you intend to achieving these projections? I will have to source for more funds and of course God on my side, it will come to fruition. I do not wish to borrow money for that. Any advice for younger entreptrneurs? Find something to do so that you can help yourself and others. Contact Chimezie on 08061134957