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The
Herbert Wigwe:
BOSS
BOSS NEWSPAPER
WEEK
of the
Great Achiever, Banker Extraordinaire
H
By Eric Elezuo
ave you seen a man diligent in his work, he will dine with kings, and not with mean men, so says the inspired Holy Bible of the Christian faith, and so
cer and Group Managing Director of Access Bank, one of Nigeria's top five banking institutions, is a force to reckon with in the finance world, even before he succeeded his
joining Access Bank in March 2002 as Deputy Managing Director, Wigwe made indelible marks and contributions that signalled that he is responsible and has strong
Banking and Finance. The man, who knew from the on start what he wishes to do with his future, went further to the University of London, where he obtained an MSc in Finan-
ing as a Chartered Accountant. After a stint at Capital Bank, he joined GTBank where he spent over a decade working in corporate and institutional banking, rising to become
is exemplified in the life of one of Nigeria’s most accomplished bankers and achiever of great repute, Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe. Born on August 15, 1966 in Lagos, Wigwe, who is currently the Chief Executive Offi-
business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhede in January 2014. In his over a decade in Guaranty Trust Bank where he superintended several portfolios, including financial institutions, Corporates and Multinationals before
leadership credentials. Quite an early riser, Herbert, a diligent go-getter, has a degree in Accountancy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, from where he proceeded to the University College of North Wales (now Bangor), for a Masters in
cial Economics. He is also an Alumnus of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Program. Well equipped, Wigwe began his career at Coopers & Lybrand, Lagos as a Management Consultant later qualify-
the Executive Director in charge of institutional banking. In 2002, Herbert, described as a pro-active thinker, and his bosom business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, saw a unique opportunity and grabbed it, acquiring what
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of the
was then a small commercial bank, Access Bank, which at the time was the 65th largest of the 89 banks in the country. Presently, and by a divine as well as intellectually motivated turnaround, Wigwe’s Access Bank is one of the top 5 banks in Nigeria and ranked among the top 500 global banks, according to a 2015 report by The Banker magazine. That is not all; the bank is aiming to be Africa’s top bank. It currently serves over 6.5 million individual and corporate account holders, through 350 branches and with more than 1,500 ATMs in major centres across Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK. Not subjecting himself to one pie, and tapping from the inexhaustible experience as one of Nigeria’s foremost corporate bankers, Wigwe has helped develop some of Africa’s biggest companies in the construction, telecommunications, energy and oil and gas sectors through a unique model, which involves understanding, and providing financial support and expertise. His career in financial services spans
more than 25-years including over a decade as Deputy managing director. A complete allrounder, Herbert has also served as the Chairman of Access Bank Ghana Limited, Access Investment & Securities Limited, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) and is the current Chairman of Access Bank (UK) Limited. He is a board member of Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company and a member of the advisory Board for Friends Africa. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN – FCA), a Fellow of The Institute of Credit Administration, and an Honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. In January 2015, he was described by one of Nigeria’s frontline newspapers, Punch, as “one of Nigeria’s stylish top executives” and in November 2016, he was nominated as banker of the year by The Sun. Wigwe is happily married to Chizoba Wigwe (née Nwuba) and has four excellent children; Chizi, Tochi, Han-
nah and David. The family lives in the headquarter city of Access Bank, Lagos. Serially describe as an extremely cerebral individual reputed for his number-crunching aptitude, Wigwe is known for being media shy, a quality that has set him apart as disciplined and humble. Notwithstanding, the gold fish has no hiding place, and so his larger than life existence is always in the public domain for the benefit of the people he is religiously serving. While not in the habit of blowing his own trumpet, Credit Analysts, who have had the privilege of working with him, are filled with glowing testimonies about him as one of Nigeria’s finest Bankers and insightful credit writers. His name is decently etched on plagues in offices across the country for his role in execution of some of the complex banking transactions that have positively changed the socio-economic landscape in Nigeria. Wigwe is a physical enigma! Known for his willingness to inspire and lead by example, Wigwe’s
brilliant mind is an abode of philosophical and inspirational talks that he ceaselessly shares with youths and his colleagues. Chief amongst his rules are these two, which he called rules to success, “Never give up on your dreams and do not break rule number one”. “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t. Always learn from the mistakes of other people. Life is too short to learn through your own mistakes. God won’t stop the rain; but if you ask Him… and believe, He will take you through it,” forms one of his all time quotes while inspiring the up and coming. Herbert feels indebted to the younger generation of Nigerians and has earmarked both his time and resources to help them become better than his own generation. Humble and accommodating, when in the first quarter of 2016, Access Bank recorded a profit rise of 42 percent, Wigwe, a team-player of great repute, ascribed the success to the bank’s ‘ever-trusting shareholders, formidable board of directors and employees’.
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A great supporter of corporate social responsibility, the pillar of today’s Access Bank Plc, has said that the Bank would sustain its support to the vulnerable children, orphans and internationally displaced persons in the northern part of Nigeria through its collaboration with UNICEF. He made the declaration at the 2016 Access Bank Polo Day, in association with Fifth Chukker, at the Guards Polo Club, Windsor, UK, one of the events the company, under his watch sponsors. “We are conscious of our role as a change agent in Nigeria that can help institute socio-economic development through responsible business practice and environmental considerations,” he said. “In addition, we are continually seeking ways through which more resources can be pooled towards supporting the children. We are part of the community and as such should support its well-being.” Personally, Herbert Wigwe is a giver, sporadically giving back to the society through his personal foundation, HOW Foundation. In the not distant past, he conducted malaria test on and donated mosquito nets to 1,000 people in Otuokpo, Rivers State. One of Herbert Wigwe’s How Foundation’s aims is to give a new lease of life to orphaned and vulnerable children in the society. Just recently, the bank Wigwe is heading successfully conducted the 2nd edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon where mouth watering cash prices were given to both winners and participants. The event, reputed as the 2nd biggest marathon event in the whole of Africa, has Wigwe’s signature heavily embedded on it.
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The
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BOSS NEWSPAPER
Implosion: Can Tinubu Save the APC? By Eric Elezuo and Bamidele Salako
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igeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) has been teetering on a trampoline of collapse for a while now. When the party was
as being capable only of sustaining interests but not friendships. Political watchers prophesied that it would not be long before the cracks would begin to appear and that
formed shortly before the 2015 general elections, many christened the conglomeration of politicians from different political parties a marriage of strange bedfellows. Politicians are generally fabled
the big egos and big personalities in the APC would only be able to unite for power, and that once power was acquired, ego clashes would become inevitable as differing interests would begin
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to set the different actors in the party on a collision course. Well, with 2019 fast approaching, those political pundits have been proven true. Cracks have appeared. Egos have clashed. The “union” is under threat and the head of the union, President Muhammadu Buhari, obviously concerned over what the situation could spell for him come 2019 has turned to none other than the master political strategist, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to salvage the situation. President Buhari has appointed Tinubu who incidentally was the mastermind behind the coalition, to rescue the party from its drowning situation by reconciling aggrieved members and party leaders. The question on everyone’s lips is can Tinubu successfully prosecute what, for all intents and purposes, seems
an impossible mission? Only time will tell. Here, The Boss outlines some of the key conflicts that are threatening to tear through the very fabric of the party and the uphill task that lies ahead of the Tinubu-led Reconciliation Committee in their quest to restore peace and unity to what
Lasun/Diekola Two top political figures in Osun State – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Lasun and the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola have been engaged in a battle for supremacy. Their unending battle has seen each politician’s supporting camp pitched against the other including, notably, APC chieftain in the state, Alhaji Fatai Diekola who is in a protracted standoff with Chief Kayode Idowu Esuleke. Aspersions have flown back and forth between and among this foursome in a curious disregard for the fact that they all belong to the same party - the All Progressives Congress (APC). Diekola had, at an empowerment programme organized by Hon. Lasun in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, described Aregbesola as an imperialist, who has brought nothing but hardship to party members. He
could well be a sinking was quoted to have beship. rated the governor of the Aregbesola/Esuleke vs state for singlehandedly
Cover Story ruling the affairs of the state and the party without recourse to party members. He went ahead to claim that it was he who brought Aregbesola to power from Lagos and will send him back. Chief Kayode Idowu Esuleke, among others, quickly sprang to Aregbesola’s defense, labelling Dieokola a liar and deceiver that must not be given any credence. The foursome and their followers have continued to maintain a cat and mouse relationship.
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none is willing to make way for the other. Adebayo Shittu Vs Abiola Ajimobi The desire of Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, to replace
one, drawing the ire of the governor. Consequently, Shittu petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over what he described as the “unbecoming behaviour” of Abiola Ajimobi. Copy-
Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi The no love lost relationship between these two former helmsmen of the incumbent Governor ing APC Chairman, John Ekiti State dates back to of Oyo State, Senator Abi- Odigie-Oyegun, and na2010 when a court action ola Ajimobi come 2019 tional leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, Shittu accused the governor of nepotism, arrogance, creating division within the party in Oyo and disenfranchising members. Shittu also alleged that the governor ordered the demolition of his computer based test centre which was still under construction. The governor’s grouse, according to Shittu is his acceptance of a chieftaincy title from the Olubadan of Ibadan land initiated by Fayemi of the has pitched both men and his 2019 governorship defunct Action Congress against each other. ambition. The petition of Nigeria (ACN) sacked While Ajimobi is read in part: “I am conOni from office after three busy preparing an strained to bring to your years. The only communi- anointed replacement who notice the unsavoury decation both ever had in the definitely isn’t Shittu, the velopment in our great three years that followed Minister has been parad- party in Oyo State and the were just court summons after which the Supreme Court pronounced Fayemi victor. Fayemi’s judicial victory intensified the enmity between the duo. Fayemi is reported to hold the belief that his defeat to current governor, Ayodele Fayose at the 2014 polls succeeded in part because Segun Oni worked against him. Now, both stalwarts have found themselves in the same party and are eyeing the governorship seat again, and it seems ing himself as the chosen unbecoming behaviour of
Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who is expected to provide sound moral and exemplary leadership to the citizens of our dear state. “It is an open secret that the fortune of the
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APC has nose-dived in the state due to Governor Ajimobi’s undue arrogance, grandstanding, nepotism, caustic and unguarded utterances and creating unnecessary divisions among party leaders and members, thereby balka-
ple with as both men are openly expressing their bitterness with each other. A few days ago, Governor Ganduje hinted that he has ways with parted Kwankwaso, stating that any chance of a reconciliation between both of them is practically nonexistent. Narrating the genesis of their fight, Ganduje revealed that Kwankwaso insulted him and his parents because the former governor felt the current administration has not matched his expectations. According to him, Kwankwaso used unsavory words against his (Ganduje’s) parents because he claimed Ganduje did not continue his legacies of free education, foreign trips and others. Another angle to the row between the incumbent governor and his former boss is that their disagreement started when former commission-
nising the party along group lines. The two warhorses don’t see eye to eye. Kwankwaso vs Ganduje The fracas between the immediate past governor of Kano State and senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, and his successor, Alhaji Ganduje, is perhaps the most notable standoff that Tinubu will have to grap-
ers under the administration of Kwankwaso went against Ganduje over his refusal to reappoint some of them, and also for not paying their severance allowance after serving the immediate past administration. The cold war between commissioners who served under Kwankwaso and Ganduje has been lingering for some time now and has resulted to a protracted war of words over
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local radio stations, pur- el-Rufai's Kaduna APC a clownish buffoon. A health sector unearthed portedly sponsored by the held about eight press man so chronically de- some putrid cans of commissioners. conferences and all the spised and dismissed by worms that called the integrity of all parties involved into question. Professor Usman Yusuf is a kinsman of President Buhari from Katsina State. He had been invited by the president from the United States where he was a Professor of Paediatrics at St. Jude Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to head the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as Executive Secretary with an executive mandate to transform the fortunes of the flailing government agency and to weed out A clash of the two eight press conferences even the cabinet members corruption. gladiators was recently were about 'suspending of his government and the The honeymoon averted after the men Shehu Sani' or 'confirming chose same day, same lo- the suspension of Shehu cation and same time for a Sani' or "ratifying the suspolitical rally but pension of Shehu Sani" or Kwankwaso withdrew 'affirming the suspension and declined attending at of Shehu Sani,' Sani said. the last minute. Their once The two gladiators have cordial relationship has disagreed over almost deteriorated so badly that everything including Kwankwaso has not been Rufai’s removal of begto the state for close to gars from the streets of three years since he left Kaduna, the sacking of for Abuja to take up his ‘incompetent’ teachers, senatorial job. the governor’s financial Shehu Sani vs El-Rufai settlement of herdsmen to The fight between refrain from attacking the Kaduna State Gover- people in Southern nor, Nasir El-Rufai, and Kaduna and el-Rufai’s alSenator Shehu Sani has leged payment of 'Excos' remained more of ideo- of Kaduna APC to suslogical, and as the leader pend Shehu. of the party in the state, He accused ElEl-Rufai had made sus- Rufai of seeking and get- party members in the period was soon over and pending Sani from the ting his political advice state.’ roses quickly turned to party a routine from an ‘adviser who has Sani traced their un- thorns as Yusuf was himfriendly attitude towards self soon mired in allegaeach other to the election where he defeated elRufai’s favourite candidate. He said that after the election, he was sidelined in position sharing. Sani accused El-Rufai of taking what he called ‘wrong steps’ and vowed not to support him in carrying them through because of his love for the downtrodden. Isaac Adewole vs Usman Yusuf “Since we came to never won an election; a The clash of these office on May 29, 2015, serial lickspittle, a duffer, two titans within the www.thebossnewspapers.com
Cover tions of “monumental fraud, gross abuse of office and nepotism.” Late June this year, Yusuf appeared before an Hon. Chike Okafor-led House of Representatives Committee on Health Services for a public hearing to look into the activities of Health Management Organisations (HMOs) in the country. At the hearing, he gave earthshattering revelations of how even though the HMOs had been paid N351 billion since inception in 2005 and had also been paid administrative fees to the tune of N60 billion, only 450, 000 Nigerians in a country with an estimated population of 180million people had received health insurance coverage. Meanwhile, he also disclosed that the HMOs were owing debts to the tune of N2.276 billion to hospitals across the country. The revelations were damning. In a sudden turn of events however, several petitions, reports and allegations of corruption and abuse of office against Yusuf soon landed on the table of the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, who wasted no time in sending Yusuf on a three month suspension while directing an investigative panel of inquiry to look into the matter – reportedly at the instance of Vice President (then Act-
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ing President) Yemi Osinbajo. Adewole also ordered the embattled NHIS boss to hand over to the most senior executive at the agency with immediate effect. Yusuf however rebuffed the suspension
the health minister extended Yusuf’s suspension indefinitely pending President Buhari’s decision on the matter. Adeosun vs Kemi Hameed Ali For well over a
nance to defend their 2016 budgets in February, 2016. The tussling duo presented conflicting figures and took opposing positions on items in the customs budget reportedly leading to an ex-
order with a letter to his boss, the Minister, citing sections of the NHIS Act which he claimed stipulates that he could only receive marching orders from the President and not from the Minister whom he said was overreaching by suspending him. The House of Representatives also sprung to Yusuf’s defence alleging that the suspended NHIS boss was been witchhunted for his revelations of corruption within the health sector the previous month while demanding that he be reinstated to his position by the Minister. Yusuf’s suspension stood however and by September, the investigative panel indicted him of N919 million fraud in a report it submitted to the Presidency. The panel, in the report said that Yusuf “portrayed a holier-than-thou attitude but in the background, milked the agency dry” by conniving with others to defraud the agency of the sum of N919 million as dubious payments to consultants for staff training and for staff allowances. Consequently,
year, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Colonel Ibrahim Hameed Ali have been at daggers drawn. The Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) puts the customs parastatal under the Ministry of Finance and makes its board subject to the general control of the Minister of Finance thus making Ali answerable to Adeosun. However, in an apparent disregard for statutory requirements, the customs boss has insisted on several occasions and through different actions that he is answerable only to the president. A number of such defiant actions included the retirement of several senior officers of the NCS, the sack of several others and the promotion of 1, 561 junior officers without the approval of Adeosun – his supervising minister. The duo’s frosty relationship became all the more conspicuous when they appeared before Senator John Owan Enoh-led Senate Committee on Fi-
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change of words in which Ali reiterated to the minister that he reports only to the president. Earlier this year, Ali was invited by the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise to explain his actions but he maintained
President Buhari decided to subsume the aviation ministry under the ministry of transport in fulfilment of his campaign promise to reduce the humongous cost of governance in Nigeria and aid administrative efficiency, what he certainly did not foresee were the supremacy battles that such a move would elicit. Those who know the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, say that he is a hard-hitting, tough-as-nails administrator who shoots from the hip without a thought for whose ox gets gored in the process of achieving his objectives and delivering on the expectations of whatever political or elective office he holds. This hard-line approach, reportedly, did not sit well with the Minister of State for Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, who allegedly perceived his boss’s firm and obdurate disposition as overbearing and encroaching. A reported battle for su-
gressive Change (CPC) in the 7th National Assembly. Earlier in the year, reports of a near-public fistfight surfaced in the media which allegedly resulted in the removal of Sirika’s portrait on walls at the airport and buildings of agencies under the aviation sector. Sirika however denied the allegations of a rift saying that the absence of his pictures at airports, offices and agencies was based on his personal choice. “Having pictures everywhere as far as I am concerned is very trivial, unnecessary and it is not my style. My pictures should be put on walls when I have worked. Having my pictures on walls is not the major reason why I was appointed to serve. My dream is to change the industry for better and when that is done, then my pictures can be put everywhere,” Sirika said. The rowing colleagues were however eventually able to circum-
at the Senate that the powers he had been exercising in the NCS without recourse to Adeosun were derived from the appointment letter given to him personally by President Buhari. Rotimi Amaechi vs Hadi Sirika When in 2015,
premacy ensued between the two Buhari associates: one – a staunch financial backer during the 2015 presidential campaign and the other - the president’s kinsman who had served as a senator of the Katsina North Senatorial District under the platform of Congress for Pro-
spectly call a truce before their differences degenerated into a full blown crisis situation especially as calls became rife for Amaechi’s dismissal as transport minister.
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Events
Rev Mother Esther Ajayi Takes Kindness to Odogbolu, Ishaga page 8
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By Eric Elezuo
I
n continuation of her act of kindness and reaching out to those in need, the Esther Ajayi Foundation train was in Odogbolu and Ishaga areas of Ogun and Lagos states respectively to dish out goodies to as many families that were in need. Represented by Abiodun Paseda of Focus on Disability Foundation, who came all the way from London, England, Reverend Mother Esther Ajayi set to work, giving the families hope of a new tomorrow. At Odogbolu, where the team first visited, residents could not hide their joy at such benevolence as they conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and received their food items which included rice, groundnut oil, tomato paste, salt, seasoning cubes among others. The exercise which took www.thebossnewspapers.com
place at the Oba of Odogbolu’s palace witnessed a huhe turnout of beneficiaries, who were filled with appreciation and gratitude. In his speech, the Oba of Odogbolu expressed his heartfelt joy at Reverend Mother Ajayi for con-
sidering his community as one of the beneficiaries of her large heart. “My people and I are happy with the woman of faith, who has made it her duty to continue to give to everybody irrespective of
their class and status. We ask God, in his infinite mercy to continue to bring down His blessings upon her, and enable her help more to help more and more people,” he said. In his response, Reverend
Events Mothers representative and spokesman, Mr. Abiodun Enilari Paseda, appreciated the people for their response to Reverend Ajayi’s benevolence, adding that ‘Mummy’ whose stock in trade is to give and give will continue to do what God called her to do, and
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that is giving. “We appreciate your receiving us here today. Mummy is happy with you and will not stop to care about your wellbeing. She delights in giving and will keep the flag of giving flying in our various lives,” Paseda said.
The situation was not different at Ishaga Akute the next day as families trooped out in their numbers to feel the impact of Reverend Mother Ajayi’s act of kindness. Among the train of the Esther Ajayi Foundation, was the indefatigable 76 years old screen
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queen, Idowu Phillips aka Iya Rainbow, who added spice to the visitations. At all centres, residents were happy to see the TV idol, and in her characteristic energy, she kept the exercise going, spreading fun and laughter.
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Events
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Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye Celebrates The
85 with Launch of Biography,
C
“Dare To Be Different”
hairman of the Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, turned 85 and celebrated the milestone with the launch of his biography, “Dare To Be Different” at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event, which was compered by ace broadcaster,
Story by: Bamidele Salako Photo: Segun Lawal
Akinkugbe, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Mrs Nike Akande, and Prof. Umaa Danbatta amongst others. In a goodwill message earlier conveyed to the senator from the presidency, President Buhari noted that the illustri-
stating that his philosophy leaves a historical landmark of a responsive, forthright and broadminded leader. He affirmed that the distinguished ex-senator’s efforts in fighting for the return of democracy in Nigeria from military rule, promotion of good governance, and entrenchment of the unassailable values of good education, dis-
Senator Durojaiye (m) with Dare Babarinsa (first right) and other dignitaries
Prince Bisi Olatilo and the Chairman of Ovation Media Group, Bashorun Dele Momodu, was well-attended by notable personalities including Nigeria’s Minister of State for Aviation, Hon. Hadi Sirika who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, Ret. Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Rtd. Gen. Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Alex Duduyemi, Chief Martins Kuye, former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Emeritus Professor Oladipo
ous elder statesman’s patriotism, unwavering commitment to the strengthening of political institutions and promotion of inclusive governance continues to inspire both old and young leaders on the innate values of democracy. The President also lauded Sen. Durojaiye’s political philosophy of ensuring that all Nigerians must be given a chance to contribute and participate in the decision making processes that shape their lives,
cipline and hard work, remain glaring examples of his vision for a greater and united Nigeria. In his remarks, the celebrant who was in ebullient mood throughout the event expressed his unalloyed gratitude to all the guests who graced his special celebration stating emphatically that there was no retiring from the service of his beloved nation. He disclosed that all returns from the sales of his biography at the launch would be donated to different
educational causes. Senator Durojaiye was elected Senator for the Ogun East constituency of Ogun State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, in 1999, running on the Alliance for Democracy (AD) platform. In the four years he spent in the upper chamber, he made a mark as one of the most respected lawmakers in the coun-
try. He is also a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1979. He was an accomplished banker, a seasoned administrator and a graduate of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS, Kuru) - the highest centre for policy formulation and leadership training in Nigeria. Senator Durojaiye put in 35 years of meritorious service in Nigeria’s public sector including 28
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years as a top Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Mint.
He also attended professional courses in money and banking with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Federal Reserve System in the U.S.A and the City of London University between 1964 and 1982. In 1992 he was a Presidential hopeful on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Senator Durojaiye’s area of specialization includes commercial law, banking and financial securities, criminal law, constitutional law and land matters.
Senator Biyi Durojaiye and a guest
Chief Momodu and Hon Demola Seriki
Senator Durojaiye and John Meheux
Mr. Yinka Odumakin with another dignitary
Prof Wale Omole
The Celebrant, Chief Dele Momodu and Prince Bola Ajibola
Gen Alani Akinrinade (r)
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Events
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Julius Adelusi in a heart to heart chat with Chief Dele Momodu
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Interview
BOSS NEWSPAPER
At UT Financial Services, We Are Passionate About Growing the SME Sector – Ade Adebajo The
By Eric Elezuo
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been identified as a viable means of growing the nation’s economy. In the country today, ADE ADEBAJO stands tall as a champion in promoting SME growth using his company, UT Financial Services Limited. In this interview, the finance guru describes the SME industry in vivid detail, stressing the surmountable challenges, and opportunities that abound therein as well as how government, corporate organisations and individuals can turn it into a paradise for all. Excerpts: Financial services essentially cover loans meaning that there is a connection between UT Financial Services and SMEs. What in your opinion are the challenges SMEs face in terms of accessing loans? You see, the problem majority of SMEs have ac-
cessing loans is the interest rate. They are small businesses if you agree with me. They go to the bank and the banks are willing to give but at a very high interest rate, and this impacts greatly on the operators’ funds, and in most cases, the banks won’t give because most SME operators do not have collaterals or proper documentation. And the banks want everything on the table, and that’s where we come in – basically to bridge the gap – help. The banks will never help do documentation for anyone, so we are here to help. UT goes the extra mile to ensure operators surmount the challenge of rates because one thing that kills SMEs quicker than anything else is funding. They need funds to kick-start, and that’s where we pull our muscle. We help with the paperwork, help the business to stabilize and grow. In fact, at UT, we see every-
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Photo: Ken Ehimen
thing from start to finish. Honestly, we reasonably bring down the rate. Mark my words, ‘reasonably’ because it must be within reason. Still on the challenges, could you please itemize the remedies UT has outlined to put a smile on the SME operators’ face At UT, we have done a lot. In fact, more than as I have elaborated above. In the first place, we take a cursory look at the business, and then we advise on documentation. Some SME owners come with faulty accounting procedures; either with no business plan or the business plan is not updated. So we advise, as a first step because no one should go into business blindly. The first thing we do is to second the operator to a member of the team that assists, who will become his consultant and give him direction at no cost. He assists them in
looking through their business plans and proffers something durable and workable. Again, we look at the business holistically and decide the amount of money required. Then we do all within our powers to advance this fund at the lowest rate without forgetting our limitations because we have cost of fund to consider. Thereafter, we monitor the business ongoing, using our team whose primary assignment is to monitor businesses in motion. They visit the customer and their businesses, analyze their activities and give suggestions/advice at regular intervals on the way forward. You must understand that we have an obligation here; if the business moves forward, it is also to our advantage so as we are helping them to grow, we are also helping ourselves to grow. If they succeed, we
get our money back, and if they fall, we don’t; and we want to get our money back. So we treat our customers’ business like it is our business. That explains the difference between us and the banks. The bank may give money, but they don’t bother about what happens between you and the money. At UT, we monitor things and follow it through. Now on documentation, most small business owners are illiterate. They are made up of akara sellers, roadside hawkers and the rest. How do you factor them in this documentation thing and others Yes that’s true, and that’s the lower echelon of the SME business. We have that, and have made provisions for them. For instance, our branch at Trade Fair deals exclusively with these cadres of business people. But we also have the small manufacturing group; some people are making sachet and bottled water; another is starting a small furniture company; another is importing pencils and other goods abroad – all these are SMEs as well. For every category of SME, we have people in the market who will give them sound advice in the language they understand – be it Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Swahili, Tui, Ga, Ewe or whatever. There is always someone in UT who will attend to you satisfactorily. And that to us is the essence of being in business – customer satisfaction. In the same vein, for the bigger SMEs, we thoroughly cross check their feasibility studies because they belong to a different level. We engage them to ensure well documented plan, good feasibility studies, adequate comparisons made and profit margin ascertained – all on paper, before they launch out into the market place. That way everybody is taken care of irrespective of business status.
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Now, how does importation of foreign made goods affect the growth of SMEs? That is not just a big challenge, it is a big problem. You see when these goods come in from overseas, especially from places where their government has subsidized things and help get cheaper funds - talk about China, talk about Taiwan - their goods come cheaper and they hamper the growth of our own SMEs because the government of those places has helped them to produce goods at a cheaper rate, and sent it down, and the Nigerian populace as well prefers imported goods. There’s a perception that those are better though it is not always true, but the perception is there, and people go for it. This is really damaging the
pecially in the agriculture sector are doing well because if you don’t bring the rice from Japan, furniture from Italy, and you want people to buy yours then you have to improve it. And I think it should be an ongoing thing. Government should look at more things they can ban so that we can produce it here. As a financial institution, do you conduct orientation campaigns to persuade manufacturers and final consumers to believe that what we produce can be better? We do that within our means, but this is supposed to be the job of the government ministries, especially to engage people and let them know that the products we produce here are equally as good. In our own little way, we hold sem-
doubt, and can attest to the reason the price of some products are high. The levies and taxes from government are high, and VAT also. We want the government to step up their game a bit in the area of taxes. In UK and some other places, you don’t pay taxes or VAT at certain supermarkets and items; this really helps. The government should look closely at the SMEs, especially the start-ups; give them a break of one or two years so that they can grow. You may suffer it as a government, but you will enjoy it later. This is because when they grow, they will pay taxes. So SMEs deserve tax holidays. Like a new born, you make sacrifices for them; they need time to grow. All the tiers of government from the federal to the local governments must begin to review
growth of our own SME industry. It has to stop. How do you think it can be stopped? The first step is a look at government policies, but in all honesty, the government is trying. For example, the government throughout last year tried banning the importation of some items because they are produced here in Nigeria. We need to begin to encourage our own. The problem is, even where they need to improve their own, they won’t, but if importation is banned, they will come together and commit improvement in the making of all products, and that is the way to go. Government is doing a bit. They have banned the importation of some goods, and those in that sector, es-
inars, workshops and road shows, we let people know because we have a heart and passion for SMEs. And when you have a passion for SMEs, it means you have a passion for the growth of Nigeria because SMEs are one of the major contributors of any country’s economy. And like I said, when they grow, we grow. So we disseminate information to people as often as we can, and that’s why our people are trained so that when they go out, they preach the same gospel. Most SME operators complain of major challenges like excessive taxes from government of all tiers, and these have sometimes brought their businesses down. What’s your take? That is true no
their tax policies, especially those of market places. Those are the ways foreign countries have been able to do it and bring in their goods cheaper. It would therefore be easy for us to produce goods here and sell in Britain and other places because the taxes are reduced, and so by doing foreign currencies will come in. Sir, any possibility of SMEs becoming the mainstay of Nigerian economy? Yes I see it. It is very possible if all hands be on deck. We are doing our part at UT, so let all the finance houses come together and do the same thing; let the banks help and it will become the mainstay of this country’s economy. It must interest you to know that SME is the mainstay of
some countries’ economy. If there’s a lot of SMEs, there will be jobs of all sorts like drivers, delivery men and many more. And eventually, you will have them paying taxes to the benefit of the country. Do operators of SMEs have a common forum which they use to lobby for welfare and better deals? Yes they have common but forum in different chapters, so they need to come together a s national group not splinter groups so that the coercion will be strong to make representations to the National Assembly and get through to the Federal Government. They can therefore present cases like tax holidays for so and so number of years and follow it through as well as issues of mutual benefits. We need them to come together. It is just a matter of time, and the Finance Ministry, Chambers of Commerce and other bodies should encourage the motive. To a would-be SME practitioner, what will you advise? Plan very well from the start, do your feasibility studies no matter how small, and come to UT Financial Services for funding and advice. We will visit and follow your business through to make recommendations. We want you back as a customer, and that is why we make it our business to see you succeed. What cushioning effects are available for the people when imported goods are banned in order not to make people lack? If rice is going to be banned for example, the government must make sure that they encourage those producing it to produce much before the ban comes into effect. No government bans before producing the said product otherwise the country will starve. They must be given the right equipment on leases, and opportunity to pay for those equipment over a period of time so that they can produce in large quantities. Let the tax not be a burden to them so they can produce in large quantities. They must be encouraged through seminars, especially as regards the finishing because our products are good, but the finishing and packaging
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have remained a problem. Sometimes the rice that come in from China is not better than the one that come in from Jigawa, but finishing and packaging has remained an issue. When all these are in place then ban the goods and pump more money and energy into it. And before you know it, the country will be exporting to other countries. What can actually distract a determined person from going into and continuing their SME operation? Trying to start big; that’s beyond start-ups’ reach and capacity. Start small with a little loan from family members and friends, and gradually develop. Don’t burden yourself with too much loan, don’t over employ or go ahead and start buying cars. You will still get the bigger clients if you do it well because people appreciate quality. There is a tailor I know who started very small, but because he produces classic wears, the big clients came to him, and he is big now. Are there some things private individuals and corporate bodies can do to support just as financial houses and government are doing? Yes, in many ways. There can be seminars where they can disseminate information to all and sundry on the need to use made in Nigeria product and build the psyche of the people. They can also give grants and save the operator the hassles of sourcing loans. Just look at the impact the Tony Elumelu Foundation is making; how they are helping young people become bosses of their own. Yes, the private sector can come in, and there are lots to do. Private sector organisations and individuals need to come in and the impact will be greater. Those who Nigeria has been good to should see it as pay back. I am really proud of Tony Elumelu. And to those going into SME, UT’s advice is tread carefully, reduce your cost and have a feasibility study of what you are doing. Go to where you will get sound financial advice and lowest interest rate; come to UT Financial Services Limited.
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Interview
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We Will Treat Nigerian Cancer Patients For Free – Samuel Jegede, The
Founder, Cancer Free City By Bamidele Salako Photo: Ken Ehimen
Cancer Free City (CFC) aims to build Africa’s, and perhaps, the world’s first fully-funded integrated cancer management and research center in Nigeria. Treatment will be free for all Nigerians who are diagnosed with the disease. Yes, you read right- FREE! And founder, Samuel Jegede believes that such bold visions are often thought impossible
Lofty but laudable if you ask and for Jegede and his team of fellow visionaries, quite achievable. How did you conceive the idea of Cancer Free City? The idea of Cancer Free City came after a series of events. My mom was diagnosed of cancer and that period was emotional for everybody as we had to raise money for the treatment.
fact, sometimes when people are trying to get cash for treatment, their state worsens, and it might then require more money than initially required. The open cancer statistics in Nigeria brought us to that situation where we have to come up with a solution. Has it ever been done before? Probably not. Is it going to be easy? Probably not. But is it
cer patients in Nigeria, 250,000 cases annually, yet we have no comprehensive cancer treatment in Nigeria. Also, according to the statistics, there are only two functioning radiotherapy machines in Nigeria - a nation of about 200 million people that should ideally have about 200 radiotherapy machines fully functional. We have a dearth of oncolo-
sand naira monthly in two years; that's 240 billion naira. And this will build and fully equip this cancer treatment center. Now, you can check other cancer treatment centers in the world, especially the one in Alberta. I gathered that the Calgary Cancer Center that they intend to build in Alberta, Canada is going to cost $1.4 billion. We intend
till they are accomplished. CFC hopes to raise 240 billion naira through crowdfunding to establish a massive fully equipped facility with the latest cuttingedge technology in cancer treatment and research. The primary objective is to curb Nigeria’s cancer epidemic by treating patients absolutely free and relieving them of the cumbersome financial or debt burden that often weighs heavily on cancer patients and their families. What’s the strategy? CFC will engage five million Nigerians who will partner with a monthly donation of two thousand naira for 24 consecutive months.
The experience put one in a position of reflection. A lot of questions will run through your mind during such a period, but we were fortunate to get a loved one who was willing and able to pay for her treatment. When you check the statistics, you will see that not a lot of people are as lucky as she was to have had loved ones who could foot the treatment bill. So, I got thinking and thought of being a part of any organization that gives free cancer treatment but didn't find one. Therefore, I determined to be part of creating it; and that's how we came about cancer free city. The treatment is costly. In
doable? Yes, it is doable. So, we came up with the idea from personal experience looking at the statistics, and wanting to be part of the solution rather than complaining about the problem. The vision of your organisation is to make free cancer treatment available to all Nigerians. Now, that’s capital intensive – how do you aim to raise the funds to make this happen and what sustainability buffers do you have in place to keep this going? We believe that with collaborative efforts, we can make it happen. According to the last statistics we got, there are over 5 million can-
gists in Nigeria. We believe that a lot of people have been affected by this. We can't sit and wait for someone to come and set up something that will make a lot of money from us. We believe that if as a nation we put funds together and we determine to build these things, we can achieve it and run it for free. Five million Nigerians giving two thousand naira for 24 months. We have created a structure not to cap Nigerians to give two thousand naira; you can give more, but we believe with this structure, if everybody is involved, we can make this happen. Five million Nigerians, two thou-
to build the treatment center, have our specialists fully resident and also create support facilities like schools, staff lodging, shopping centers and the likes. To sustain it, we believe that Nigerians can keep giving to just keep the place going because we want the best hands, and this is more or less like the only income the specialists will have. We need to pay them well, and keep them focused on saving lives. Therefore, we need all hands on deck; we need Nigerians to keep giving. We are also looking at having businesses within this community that would generate more money to pay our staff. We would have
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Interview
shopping centers and a theme park like we said, and other businesses that would generate money. We intend for the treatment to be absolutely free. Is it possible for your nonprofit to accomplish this without government leadership particularly in a developing country like Nigeria? Cancer Free City is a social enterprise quite alright but government alone cannot do everything. Even if they tried, they cannot solve all the problems. They need private sector support. They need people to rise up and come up with initiatives that would make life better for the citizens. That means we need government input. For example, for the land we intend to use, we are willing to partner with any state government that is willing to partner with us. So, government partnership is absolutely necessary. Since you launched a few weeks ago, what type of feedback have you being getting? We have been getting support from a lot of Nigerians. We've seen people reposting and talking about it on social media, and people reaching out too. And you begin to hear some stories that are quite emotional. A guy reached out to us that he lost his mom and dad to cancer. And another said he lost his mom to cancer. This particular story was quite sad because he said he went back to the hospital six months after his mom had passed, and still saw two patients who had been in beds beside his mum’s and they were not let out of the hospital because they were yet to settle their medical bills. It’s feedback like that that keeps us on our toes. Generally speaking, the feedback has been encouraging and it keeps us going. We have made up our minds that we would make this happen but the feedback shows that this is very timely. When this finally gets off the ground, can we explain what the modus operandi for selecting patients would be like? We have a few things in place. First of all, it is going to be on a first come, first served basis and we hope that people will
register online as well. What we hope to do is to have several diagnostic centers in each state, where people can walk in to do some screening, and if found to have cancer, their names would then be forwarded to our list. So, it's going to be strictly a first come, first served thing. It's via our diagnostics center that you can come to the city. If you have been diagnosed of cancer via our center, your name will be sent and you will be given a time to come. Another concern people will have is that when selecting people, abuses like nepotism and favoritism might come in, how do you
lic how many people we've treated and how they were selected. It's going to be televised and the people are going to share their testimonies because people need to see what their money went into. So, anything that would make people term it as nepotism or something of that such, we would desist from it. In terms of fund raising, what transparency and accountability structures do you have in place? We have control systems in place. First is an advisory board comprising Nigerians that have a track record of integrity. Can you mention some?
be able follow up and track money on projects. Even for bids, we are going to disclose the total - if we are going through a bidding process. We are going to disclose all the figures that were presented after picking the best bid. Finally, the external auditors will be given the license to publish any red flag that they see. We believe these four control systems are quite decent. We know that other control systems will come up as we go. So, what challenges do you anticipate in chasing this audacious goal and what steps are you taking to navigate those hurdles? Well, we believe a lot of ap-
intend to address this concern? Firstly, some of the things we intend to do is to have more diagnostics centers in rural areas where people who we know can't afford this live. Two, the issue of transparency; Nigerians are coming together to build this and we don't intend to have a place where because someone knows me or someone in the center, their name would then be moved to the top of the list. However, people who donate to this would be given preference because they made this happen. For example, if there are 10 people who donated, and 10 others who didn't, it only makes sense to give preference to those who donated. They are still going to treat everybody but you attend to those who donated first. In the case of transparency, the registration process will be electronic. In fact, it's going to be as open as possible and we're going to show the pub-
We have the Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Adewale Oke, Popoola Abiodun, Lanre Olusola, Olakunle Sorinyan, to mention a few. We have them on board and this advisory board will also double as the vetting team. And the vetting team will give a unanimous approval before funds can be disbursed, that's one. Two, in the organization, the treasurer is the signatory; the other two signatories are on the vetting committee. So, before any fund goes out, apart from their unanimous approval, you still need their signature. We can't just take impulsive decisions to disburse funds; we have to show and prove to them why, because apart from advising us, they are representing the masses. We've put that in place. Three, we're going to be disclosing our account statement monthly. So, you know how much came in and how much went out. Even the public would
provals will be needed and we would need government support for those approvals to be given fast. We know that a lot of equipment will be shipped and we hope for lots of waivers because we believe Nigerians are going to benefit from this. You must have a heart of stone to intentionally try to stop or discourage such a project, and we believe that a lot of Nigerians in politics and in positions of power would rise up to support this vision. How can people be a part of this laudable drive and what innovative uses of social media are you considering to get the buy-in of Nigerians? Well, social media constitutes like 70% of our campaign strategy, and we believe that everybody has a mobile device, a laptop computer or go to a Cyber Cafe to browse. So, we're going to use the power of social media. We would be requiring the support of influencers basically. We're
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reaching out to some of them and we hope they would reach out to us also to make this possible because this dream can either be frustrated or become easier than we thought. It can be frustrated if people are sending negative vibes but if people say I would do my own part by giving the two thousand required for this project to come to reality, then it will be enabled. We are going to use social media a lot. We want five million Nigerians to donate two thousand naira monthly for support financially. We also need their support in spreading the word. It is only when it goes out there
that we can reach more people. Are people already donating? Yes, people have donated but people can decide to give more than the amount and can decide to give once – for instance, two thousand naira monthly for two years is forty eight thousand naira, so a person can decide to pay this lump sum or can even decide to drop more. They can go to cancerfreecity.org to donate and click on give. And they can decide to give two thousand naira monthly, once they enter their details and give us an order to deduct two thousand naira monthly from their account, and they can decide to give once. The two options are there. We have the heroes and champions categories. And we also need the support of social media influencers to make this dream a reality. It's a big one but we can do this.
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HOW LABOUR PARTY MAY RESCUE THE THIRD FORCE
By Dele Momodu
F
ellow Nigerians, please, let's continue our 2019 Presidential race permutations today. Since those who subscribe to the idea and possibility of a third force to neutralise and replace the former ruling party PDP and the current APC are beginning to swell by the day, I believe that it is apposite to give some kind of direction to the clamour for a third potent Party to challenge the status quo. This is particularly necessary because those championing a third force movement have not told us on which plank or platform they wish to elect and erect their next President. Let me, therefore, volunteer to make a suggestion to them. In doing so, I must confess that I agree that Nigeria cannot easily move forward in the right direction with the current class and category of politicians and the convoluted political system we have. The time has thus come to look and move in a different direction. To this extent I agree with a third force movement. However, it is my view that such a movement must quickly metamorphose into a political Party if it is to be of any relevance in the scheme of things during the 2019 elections. The third force movement seems to be concentrating only on the Presidential elections. However, as we have seen from the way that the Buhari Presidency has to some extent been shackled, even when it has tried
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to do the right things, this is not enough. Any movement and eventual Party must also aim to provide a significant number of legislators in both national and state legislators as well as a good number of governors. It is only in this way that the progress that we wish to achieve with an alternative to these infested and infectious political Parties that we now have can be crystallised. For me, this third force movement can turn into a quiet workers revo-
and frenetic activity, that many Nigerians are beginning to see what I saw in 2010/11 when I opted for the Labour Party in my quest for the Nigerian Presidency. My reasons were simple and straightforward. I shall set out some of my reasons. I found Labour Party attractive because I reasoned and assumed that it was the workers' Party. However, there was a lot of unnecessary politicking and intrigue coupled with a sheer lack of understanding of the po-
political leadership space that it has been so naturally and strategically built. Though the Labour Party turned out not to be what I expected, I still believe it is not too late and it is possible to repackage that Party into a most revolutionary and formidable movement in our longsuffering country. The Party has proven that it can win elections and that it is not a regional or ethnic Party because it has won elections in the Southern part of Nigeria, including a national legis-
lution and seems to me a vindication of the approach that I sought to bring into the public consciousness in the 2011 Presidential elections. It appears from the current ground swell of emotions
tential of the political platform that the Party represented. This led to those in charge being willing to settle for crumbs from the political landlords, rather than allowing the Party to occupy the
lator. In places where it has not won it has come creditably close to winning. Significantly, apart from other Parties than the main Parties, which are known to be regional Parties, the Party has even
Pendulum produced a Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State. It is therefore clear to me that, if the Labour Party is properly set up with the right leadership, it is significantly poised to take the fight to present crop of corrupt, inefficient and selfish politicians who largely populate the present two main Parties. I must not forget that another Party exists, which has made some waves in the recent past, the Accord Party, but it is my opinion that the Accord Party lacks the necessary credentials or wherewithal to mount a major challenge as a national Party. It certainly does not have the kind of inherent backbone and force that the Labour Party possesses because of the backing the Labour Party receives from organised Labour in Nigeria namely, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Everybody will accept that the biggest sufferers in Nigeria, apart from the unemployed, are actually the workers, whether they be in the public or private sector. This may sound oxymoronic, but it is the reality. Despite some half-hearted legislation which aims to protect workers and workers rights, most Nigerian workers, especially those in the public sector remain poorly remunerated and compensated for their services. It is pathetic that, in fact, it is the junior workers who suffer most when it comes to poor pay and conditions. The minimum wage remains a paltry N18,000 monthly even though it should have been renegotiated since 2015. In any event, a multitude of our workers don't even get paid for months despite promises by our political leaders. These workers have never used their power to punish their oppressors by sacking them from office. Yet, they have the power and are in an unenviable position to do so if they harness the might and resources at their disposal to act as a cohesive unit and speak with one voice through the one mega www.thebossnewspapers.com
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platform that they themselves put together for their advancement, the Labour Party. It has always been my belief that Nigerian workers desperately and urgently need a social welfare system. Only a Party that has their hopes and aspirations at heart can begin to understand their yearnings and make provision for it. These are not highfalutin or inordinate objectives for the Nigerian workers, but necessary and achievable standards that would give a modicum of decency and respectability to the Nigerian workers. I am a fervent believer in social welfarism and I know that it is the generality of the workforce that makes Nigeria the great nation that it is today. There may be entrepreneurs and innovators but ideas are only as good as the people who bring them to fruition, and these are the workers. It is therefore necessary and incumbent on us to ensure that they deserve the commendation and remuneration due to them for their services to the nation. If our political class do not understand this, as it appears to be the case, then it is about time for the workers to muster themselves together and take matters into their own hands. It is elitist to suggest that they do not have the right personnel or temperament for this. These were the reasons that I linked up with the British Labour Party for tutelage in 2010. It was important to me to understand how a Party organised by the workers with their ideals and interests in mind was organised so that we could adapt this to our situation in Nigeria as appropriate. I remain grateful to a British Labour MP, Mr Andy Love, who was kind to offer his time to help us fashion out a new package which would have enabled us to embark on reforms in Education, Health, Agriculture, Transport, Housing and so on. Unfortunately, as I subsequently discovered, the Nigeria Labour Congress which has been a major contributor, was
not in charge or control of the Labour Party. Neither was the Trade Union Congress nor the United Labour Congress. Indeed, by some quirk of fate, politicians had hijacked the Party and turned it on its head, making it merely an avenue to negotiate for a pittance instead of appropriating its destiny and owning its own narrative. There was no vision or understanding in the leadership of the great opportunity presented by the labour Party to pull Nigeria from the brink that it has found itself. To me, recent trends and events in Nigeria including restructuring and the agitation for a change in the kind of leadership that Nigeria has been afflicted with, presents a great opportunity for the Labour Party to come to the fore. The Labour Party is already blessed with a prospective pool of a staggering amount of professionals and technocrats in both the private and public sectors. Most of them are not tainted or tarnished by being in politics. By virtue of their positions, the leadership of organised labour in Nigeria not only know what is wrong with Nigeria, they can fix it. They have suffered the effects of poor political and indolent leadership. They have watched as ineffectual and irrational policies compounded by woeful and inefficient implementation have gradually brought the country to its knees. The result is that the entire nation is almost comatose as it wallows in neglect and abject poverty amidst a blessing of riches, both human and natural. The support of organised labour can put an end to our misery. We do not have to wait for a realignment of political personages and forces that have failed us. The APC experiment has shown that what will simply happen is that the strange bedfellows will inevitably not sleep together and rancour, discord and acrimony will be the order if the day from the outset. The only nat-
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ural outcome can only be a bitter divorce the like of which we may not have seen before. Indeed, this is what is now playing out before our very eyes. A viable Labour Party can spare us the agony of watching and tolerating this distasteful and indecent split between those who never had our interest at heart. The sheer workforce and humongous spread and reach of the Nigerian workers would readily intimidate and neutralise any of our existing political parties. There is already an uncommon database available to the Labour Party if there is a formal and proper synergy between organised Labour and the Party. We must appreciate that we have a chance to make a difference. Workers and the unemployed make the largest pool of voters. They will also be those to conduct and monitor their interests. They will recognise that they have a vested interest in the outcome of the elections and ensure that those who would like to rig us out of our heritage and future do not succeed. That is why I will advocate that we give our unalloyed support to the veritable third force that the Labour Party represents. Let us not be fooled by political warlords who are desperately trying to reclaim some of the political space for themselves. The Labour Party is the Third Force. It is for us to recognise this and embrace the Party. We need to give it fillip because it seems to me that this is the alternative we have been seeking. As the Yoruba’s will say "nkan ti a n’wa lo Sokoto o wa l’apo Sokoto (what we are going to Sokoto – the city – to look for, is actually resting in our pockets". Together we can do this. Let us do it and support a natural progressive Party that has been staring us in the face all this while. Let us unify and associate with the Labour Party. God bless Nigeria.
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Why Fuel Scarcity, Queues Persist By: Eric Elezuo
A
s mischievous as it may sound, several Nigerians, only a few days back staged a sarcastic celebration of the ongoing fuel crisis on social media in what they tagged ‘Four months of fuel scarcity’ – even managing to create a social media trend in the process. They proceeded to award the current fuel crisis spell the inglorious medal of “Longest ever fuel scarcity in Nigeria’s history.” However, as much as the scarcity cannot be said to be absolute, Nigerians have lamented the unsteady nature of the pricing of the product and its availability, saying ‘you see it today, and tomorrow it disappears.’ In what has become a routine occurrence, agencies in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration have continued to trade blames while the fuel situation worsens to the detriment of the everyday Nigerian. In its avalanche of accusations, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) accused fuel marketers in the country of causing the current scarcity
of the product, alleging that the marketers are hell-bent seeing a hike in the pump price of petrol. The association however stylishly distanced itself from the situation wondering why people were blaming it for the scarcity. It maintained that the scarcity came into effect two weeks before it issued its seven-day strike notice which was later called off in less than 14 hours. Giving reasons to the persistence of the scarcity culminating in long queues in filling stations, even after PENGASSAN had called off its strike notice, the National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Fortune Obi, said: “There is scarcity because marketers want petrol price to be increased.
“They have been arguing that the margin is not profitable and therefore seek increment - which the government has been resisting and pegging at N145 per litre. “Secondly, the rivalry between IPMAN (Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria), MOMAN (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria), and DAPPMA (Depots
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and Petroleum Products Marketers Association) over fuel allocation is a cause,” he said. While stressing that the leadership controversies in IPMAN, hoarding by fuel stations owners and panic buying by Nigerians have also contributed to the scarcity, he recommended that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and government agencies go out to enforce sale of products at fuel stations that are hoarding the product. “Virtually all stations have petrol, but they are not ready to sell so as to exploit the people,” he lamented. Obi further explained that the Federal Government’s issue with IPMAN preceded PENGASSAN’s seven-day ultimatum. “The scarcity started two weeks before PENGASSAN issued a seven day strike ultimatum notice on December 7. Then, the problem of the government and IPMAN was at the front burner, when IPMAN threatened showdown with government over irregular supply of petroleum products. Despite resolving the problem, the scarcity persists,” he said.
The scarcity which sneaked in late November and lasted through the Yuletide period has somehow defied the best efforts of the government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), if not to eradicate the crisis, to at least ameliorate it. In its frustration, the NNPC through its spokesperson, Ndu Ughamadu, has questioned the whereabouts of the huge quantity of fuel released on a daily basis, saying there is basically sabotage. “The same quantity of fuel being pumped into Abuja today is what has always been sustained over the years. How come this time around, when the same volume is pumped it will disappear?” he complained to Premium Times. Ughamadu recalled that earlier in the week, an average of 140 trucks of petrol were channeled to Abuja, compared with 100 trucks in the past, and wondered why most filling stations still say they don’t have fuel. “Where have those trucks gone to?” he asked. Characteristically, he blamed the high prices of
petrol in most states on what he calls “internal and external diversion by marketers”, where products meant for certain places are diverted to other areas where they can be sold above N145 per litre, bringing to bear the question - who are the saboteurs? And again, where are the security agencies while this massive fraudulent activities are being committed? Also, during the week, the NNPC arrested some marketers and hawkers for allegedly diverting and hawking petrol in Abuja; an action that has so far failed to solve the problem. In his assessment, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, who headed a committee set up to look into the persistent crisis, said the major cause of the fuel crisis was a shortfall in supply of petroleum products. He assured at the time that the NNPC was making efforts to ensure that queues at filling stations disappear in a couple of days. That was many days ago! The minister also assured at the time that there was adequate storage facility for imported products, and that emergency measures were in place to ensure that the products were available during the Yuletide and post-January. But the situation then and at the moment have proved otherwise. The Yuletide period, according to a cross section of Nigerians ended up being one of the worst in recent times, and nothing has changed since. This is even as Kachikwu promised that four vessels laden with petroleum products would “berth in a few days and a total of 20 cargoes are also expected with petroleum products’’. Yet, queues have remained a common sight in major cities of the country. Even with the threat of ensuring stricter sanctions on any station that refuses to abide by the rules as well as sealing up or auctioning and dispensing free-of-charge
News their products to consumers any station found hoarding products, did not deter whoever the saboteurs are. “So far, all the agencies of the government associated with oil and gas, are making claims of adequate and appropriate monitoring to ensure everyone plays by the rules, yet hoarding continues, and selling at prices higher that N145 also remains,” says an official of IPMAN in Apapa, who craved anonymity. The DPR, during a routine inspection of some petrol stations also sanctioned some marketers found to be under dispensing the product to members of the public. The crisis has persisted despite reassurances from the Kaduna Refinery that it has commenced production of PMS and will soon flood the market with enough products. Blaming oil marketers, DPR Operations Controller Kaduna Zonal office, Isa Tafida, described actions of marketers as unpatriotic and inhuman. He vowed to sanction any marketer caught in an unwholesome act that will worsen the suffering of innocent citizens. These have all proved to be lip service. Another reason behind the crisis lies behind NNPC disclosure that the Landing Cost of PMS is N171 per litre, meaning that at N145 per litre, the Federal Government is currently paying a subsidy of N26 on a litre of the commodity. A subsidy the FG is clamouring to withdraw. Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, explained that Cost, Insurance and Freight price of PMS was $620 per metric tonne, adding that at N305 to a dollar, the landing cost translates to N171 per litre. In the crossfire of blames the South-West zonal chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ahmed Debo, blamed the NNPC for playing double standards by favouring the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMA) regarding supply of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol. According to him,
Page 21 “NNPC treats private depot owners (DAPPMA) with priority, by giving them products while they now resell to our members at above the recommended ex-depot price. “The recommended ex-depot price supposed to be N133.30 per litre, but they are selling at N138 to N143 per litre. “If we add other costs to it, we cannot sell at N145 per litre. So until NNPC gives us enough supply and makes us to be independent of the private depot owners, over 900 filling stations may be shut due to lack of products and the hardship may continue for long,” he said. A source among the marketers stated that NNPC, being the sole importer of petrol, should be held responsible for the resurfacing of queues across the country. “There is only one vessel at the terminal ready to discharge, all marketers, major, independent and private depot owners, now depend on NNPC for products,” he said.
products. IPMAN Board of Trustees’ Chairman, Aminu Abdulkadir, said the demolition of the retail outlets had become necessary to ensure availability of the products. The meeting, which was presided over by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, was convened by the presidency to find lasting solutions to problems of petroleum scarcity and diversion of the commodity in the country. He said the exercise, if carried out by the federal government, would also serve as deterrent to those who might want to frustrate federal government’s efforts towards ensuring stability and sanity in the oil sector. “But what is true is that there are people who are not licensed marketers, who have access to these products and they are doing what they like best because they want to profiteer from it, thereby constituting these problems for government, marketers and Nigerians at large.
tor in play, saying Nigerians are engaged in panic buying. The allegations did not exonerate ‘some middlemen’ who were fond of hoarding the products in anticipation of possible increase in official price. “You see one thing with petroleum products once there is misinformation to the public, the effect is such that the consumers, the retailers and people who have no even business with the oil would all come out and converge on it and add pressure to this commodity. Abdulkadir schooled. He broke it down as follows: “If somebody has three cars in his house and he knows he can fuel his tanks anytime he will just buy 30 or 40 litres. “Today every Nigerian is buying maximally full tank for all his vehicles thereby distorting real national consumption. “National consumption has to do with product to be utilised that date, not for you to store 500 litres,
Another reason given for the scarcity was the fuel shortage as a result of burnt NNPC jetty many months ago. “So the NNPC and the major marketers have been struggling to discharge effectively for the last two months, hence, the queues were the resultant effects we are seeing now,” a source said. On their own part, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) advocated immediate demolition of over 2,000 stations, identified as ‘illegal’ filling stations operating across the country, to check the persistent scarcity of petroleum
“And these over 2,000 unlicensed marketers are neither IPMAN nor DAPMAN members. He described them as ‘lawless’ and have links with bunkerers, adding that they are the ones constructing filling stations without any documentation, and they are not members of NOMAN, IPMAN, DAPMAN and not under the retail of the NNPC. Mr. Abdulkadir also said IPMAN is partnering with Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, PPMC, to expose those marketers selling petrol above pump price of N145 per litre. He however, dismissed the long queues as the Nigerian fac-
1,000 litres what are you going to do with it? This is one. “Secondly, where there is also information that government is going to increase pump price, and also the middlemen come in to buy this product and stock it elsewhere, and this is outside the capacity of the NNPC. In the assessment if IPMAN, the whole citizens are responsible for the chaotic situations because the national consumption is peaked at between 29 to 35 million per day but NNPC is injecting a cargo daily that is averagely about 49 to 50million litres. Then the big question! Where are these products? Who is consum-
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ing them? Basically, it takes some time for the products to saturate the empty legal and illegal tanks if the queues will be totally eliminated. As a result, the association maintains that wherever queues are resurfacing, the answer is panic buying occasioned by middlemen who are not licensed to deal with this problem coming in to buy and hoard for profiteering. It is known that hardly will a crisis emanate without insiders giving a helping hand, and this situation is not exclusive of most IPMAN members as 20 of their members had so far been sanctioned for various petrol related offences, which in no small has facilitated the persistent scarcity. Offering solutions, the President of IPMAN, Mr. Chiedu Okoronkwo, said the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill would encourage private sector participation and bring fuel crisis to a permanent stop. He also noted that a situation where there are three individuals that lay claim to the presidency of the association is also affecting fuel distribution since it the executive that does the distribution Again, the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) should to stop collecting their charges contained in the pricing template in dollars. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, proffered what he considered the only solution to the problem. He said local refining of crude is the only way to make fuel available and easily accessible to all Nigerians. He noted that none of Nigeria’s four refineries has worked optimally since President Buhari assumed office almost three years ago. And for former Solid Minerals Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, total regulation is the answer, and the Federal Government must let go of the “politically beloved petroleum sector”. The way it appears now, the scarcity looks good to continue pending when and if all accused bodies come to terms with reality.
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CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS: A Prophet’s Solution
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1,439 years ago Holy Prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina in what has become known as the Hegira and from thence the Muslim calendar commenced. The situation in Medina at the time was akin to what obtains in our clime today; a clash of cultures and religions, and all its attendant upheavals and acrimony. The clash of civilizations, cultures, tribes, and religions seems to be prevalent throughout all of history. Many conflicts seem too complicated for an agreement to be established on just one point, whether or not the conflict revolves around territory, religion, or ethnic discrimination. So what approach is best to mediate issues in a contemporary world that seems to be driven by economics, natural resources, and ethnic or religious ideologies? The Medina Charter, promulgated by the Prophet, serves as an example of finding resolve in a dispute where peace and pluralism were achieved not through military successes or ulterior motives but rather through respect, acceptance, and denunciation of war. Pluralism was advanced and instated in Medina and reflecting on such a document could help avoid the hiatus and misunderstanding plaguing much thought, rhetoric, and media today between Muslims, Christians, and other faiths in our dear country and elsewhere. Medina, was "a mixture” of different tribes (predominantly Arabs and Jews), who had been fighting for nearly a century, causing "civil strife,” and a lack of governance and on many occasions, deepened the divides and fueled conflicts. Karen Armstrong explains aptly the mentality and workings of the tribe: "The tribe, not a deity, was of supreme value, and each member had to subordinate his or her personal needs
and desires to the well-being of the group and to fight to the death, if necessary, to ensure its survival"(Armstrong, Karen. 2006. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time pp24). Such a system was, in a political sense, representative of the little cooperation between the tribes in Medina and it reflects what we are experiencing here today; albeit in a more forceful and dangerous proportion. Our country today is peopled by power hungry leaders (someone said, looters), with emphasis on ethnic leaning and religion. The political climate is pregnant with apocalyptic drums of war that portends an end to this polity as we know it; to be replaced by a Hobbesian state of nature, which promises to be ‘nasty, brutish and short’. We have not been lucky with a messiah who will descend from the Olympian heights with the promise of peace and unity, spreading the gospel of a community or Ummah, made up of diverse groups as we found in Medina during the time of the Holy Prophet. Those who have been thrown up by the system are merely pretenders, impostors and charlatans; delusional and men of doubtful spiritual and messianic pedigree. Being part and the main cause of the problem they are ill-suited to offer reasonable and acceptable solutions to our problems. Rather, their postulations are capable of exacerbating our problems and sowing the seeds of more divisions. The Promised Messiah is someone acceptable to all factions and should not be perceived as part of the problem or a major beneficiary of the solution. If our emergency messiahs are asked the question put to John the Baptist, how would they answer: They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the
By Babatunde Jose
Prophet?" He answered, "No." John 1:21.Pretenders, they would have lied and answered in the affirmative. But you cannot mock God. It is in this vein that we look at the Prophet’s panacea to the Medina conundrum and the promulgation of the Medina Charter, which is too long to be reproduced in this short piece. However, the kernel of its provisions is that it proclaimed all the peoples of that troubled city as one ‘community’ with rights and obligations meant to weld them together as one
ligions, and languages. We can achieve the same result here too, if only we can see our society as a single community, where ‘though tongues and tribe may differ’, we stand in brotherhood and in which we would all be proud to serve our fatherland. "It is for this tolerance in the Islamic view that Muslims have looked at the religion of the people in the lands they conquered with respect; they did not intervene with their beliefs nor touch their churches". Clause 25 epitomizes the
their Lord: On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Quran 2:62). By differentiating between beliefs, we neglect that under one sun we all pray to a greater entity, a greater being. We were all created by God, so unity seems imperative and practical. The Medina Charter is very relevant to current tensions existing between our peoples. Unfortunately, it seems that ignorance, fear, suspicion, disrespect, and primordial stereotypes plague the interaction and
Ummah. And it worked. Peace was achieved through contemplation and through seeking agreements in which tribes felt they had benefited from the charter and had not been robbed of status or unresolved antagonism from the past. Islam places great emphasis on reason - the reasoning of the universe, of life, and indeed, of religion too. Al-Ghazali said, "Doubt is to find truth. Those who do not have doubt cannot think. Those who cannot think, cannot find truth." T he Prophet managed to take leadership and create a lasting peace. The first clause, "They are a single community (Ummah)," depicts the ultimate message and goal of the rest of the charter. It marked the creation of a community, and the Charter served as a unifying document in a city of diverse groups, cultures, re-
level of tolerance in the charter and also serves as an example of Islam in practice. "The Jews ... are a community (Ummah) along with the believers. To the Jews their religion and to the Muslims their religion." This statement ties in with the verse from the Quran which says: "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: Whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (Quran 2:256) For in the eyes of God, as it says in the Quran: Those who believe (in the Koran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, --any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, shall have their reward with
relationship that exist between us. The Prophet did not create an Ummah through denouncing all ways of life except for Islam or by recognizing Islam as the singular religion; instead he united all inhabitants of the city under one banner of ethical living and moral principles commonalities between all humans and all religions. It is believed that we could emulate the Prophet and fashion out a more inclusive community here too. If only our leaders have the will to do so; instead of sowing the seeds of discord among our peoples. May Allah direct them to do the right thing for us and save us from the impending Armageddon; Amen. Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend
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Ambode’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative: Page 23
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The Issues, The Intrigues + The Visionscape Angle
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By Bamidele Salako
A cleaner Lagos is Lagosians’ expectation, Ambode’s obsession and Visionscape’s obligation Why refuse resurfaced on Lagos streets Visionscape so far and what to expect
ince Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, assumed office as the Executive Governor of Nigeria’s commercial capital with its estimated population of around 22 million residents,
ria’s Minister of Power, Works and Housing, is generally celebrated as an action governor, famed for setting the state on the path of achieving a true global mega city status with many transformative policies and
seemed unassailable, those doubts were quickly dispelled. So visible were the giant strides that Ambode started to take early into his administration that he was named the country’s best performing governor in
readings with several Lagosians essentially acceding to the belief that the workaholic governor is guaranteed a second term of office. There is hardly any sector of the state’s econ-
hallmarks of Lagos State under Fashola had been the cleanliness and beauty of the environment. Once a state notorious for residents and companies’ indiscriminate disposal of waste and an attendant unstructured and un-
some 2, 000 industrial complexes and 15, 000 commercial ventures, his administration has been bathed in a whirlwind of encomiums by residents and business owners in the state who say he has engaged in state-wide development projects that have impacted on the “common man.” The governor basically hit the ground running, particularly with the Light Up Lagos initiative essentially heralding the dawn of a new era in the state. His predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who is now Nige-
initiatives, thus laying a solid foundation for his successor. Barely three years into the tenure of Ambode’s administration, many are now saying that the superstructure that the revolutionary governor is erecting on the foundation he was handed makes his immediate predecessor’s accomplishments pale in comparison. If there ever were doubts that he would match or outperform Fashola who practically possessed a larger-than-life personality and whose accomplishments
early 2016 with 35% of the votes in an African Leadership Magazine poll organised to monitor performance and gauge the mood of the electorate in Nigeria. Feelers on the streets of Lagos and on social media reveal a unanimous verdict that his policies and programmes have being widely perceived as people-oriented even though he has been involved in massive infrastructural development projects in the state. The climate of public opinion around his term of office has typically yielded positive
omy that does not have the Ambode signature boldly emblazoned – from education and transportation, to healthcare, security, commerce, and arts, culture and entertainment. It was perhaps in tandem with that multi-sectoral all-guns-blazing approach that the Lagos State governor sought to create an enduring, tech-driven solution to the state’s solid waste management challenges - natural byproducts of rapid industrialisation and a growing population. One of the noted
regulated waste control system, Fashola, through the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), working with Private Sector Participants (PSPs) in the waste disposal sector, rewrote the narrative. The lawyer turned politician received a maelstrom of plaudits for his efforts and no-nonsense approach in creating structures and enforcing protocols to ensure Lagos wore a whole new look across its length and breadth. He was even riled at a point by traducers as forgoing the more important
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matters of state to plant flowers as uncomplimentary references were made about his beautification programme. Fast forward to the current administration. Ambode did not consider the measures taken by his forebear as being sufficient as he strongly believed that the existing waste handling model which, amongst other issues, primarily followed a linear approach, was more of a stopgap rather than a lasting, resource efficient solution and could not ultimately serve the Lagos of his or his predecessors’ dreams. To this end, his administration fashioned a new environmental management policy christened the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) which the government hoped would propel the city to becoming flooding-free while shaping Lagos into one of the cleanest cities not just in Nigeria but on the African continent and the globe. Consequently, Ambode signed into law, an enabling legislation titled the Environmental Management Protection Law in early 2017, separating waste management from regulation and smoothening the path to implementation. Dr. Babatunde Adejare, the state commissioner for environment, disclosed at the time that the state could no longer be the waste manager and at the same time a regulator noting that under the new arrangement, the state would only play as a regulator while also outlining the benefits of the CLI to include over 27,500 street sweeping jobs as well as incentives such as tax relief and healthcare, life, injury and accident insurance benefits to tackle poverty and unemployment. Also, Governor Ambode said, “The CLI aims to revitalize the entire solid waste management sector to have far-reaching benefits and multiplier effects for the state in particular, and the country at large. The new initiative will usher in new financially-viable and technologically driven subsector to the Lagos economy, creating new business and job opportunities, including over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs with high poverty alleviation emphasis to
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serve as a model for the entire country.” A Marriage Made in Waste Management Heaven To actualise its bold vision, the state government looked outside the country in search of a company that not only possessed the required expertise, but one that also had the proven track record that could match the governor’s lofty expectation. The state government issued an international tender that was responded to by several foreign companies with environmental utility company, Visionscape Sanitation Services limited, eventually
idential (domestic) waste collection and processing. The partnership was one that was not only technically sound, given Visioncape’s reputation in the industry, but also one that proved to be relatively cost-effective for the Lagos State government considering that the contract signed between the duo was performance-based – meaning Visionscape does not get paid until it has delivered on the agreed obligations of its contract. The company was to bear the cost of setting up its operation in the city while Lagos simply provides the required on-the ground infrastructural and other essential sup-
collection operations to a new role as a regulatory body. That also meant a cancellation of the 60-40 arrangement between LAWMA and the PSP operators whereby the stateowned agency collects waste disposal bills from end-users on behalf of the operators while remitting 60% per cent of the payments to them. Speaking at a 3-day LAWMA retreat themed: “Reformed Waste Management in Lagos State: The Role of LAWMA,” to sensitise its staff on the new role of the agency before the enactment of the law, Olumuyiwa Adejokun,
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, on the behalf of the Association of Waste Managers which comprised of over 350 PSP operators, the domestic waste managers, among other reliefs sought, pleaded with the court to direct the state government to continue working and partnering with them as waste operators. They also stated that they had made huge investments in trucks, equipment, maintenance and offices at the behest of the state government with loans obtained from banks at high interest rates in the hope that monies recouped from their services would be used to service the loans.
reckoned to fit the bill, subsequently entering into a concession arrangement with the Lagos State Government. The company, which is considered a leader in the in the environmental utility sector is reputable for rendering innovative environmental solutions by utilising cutting-edge technologies and tools to address the environmental and infrastructural needs of large cities, commercial, residential, industrial and healthcare clients. The 10-year concession agreement with the multinational integrated waste services company, which has commercial operations in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe and several other countries, was initially, strictly for res-
port. It was a marriage made in waste management heaven and one that built high expectations in Lagos residents. Hurdles & Intrigues: The Old Order vs The New System Prior to the ratifying of the Environmental Management Protection Law which inevitably signalled sweeping reforms in the waste management sector, the PSP operators who were the poster boys for the old waste collection management order began to cry blue murder, especially as their contract with the Lagos State Government reached its expiration with no renewal in sight. The new environmental law meant LAWMA would transition from waste
Executive chairman of the agency said, “Government does not have the huge funds required to manage waste in the state, this is why the governor has decided to embark on waste management reform.” Noting that residents would begin to make their waste payments directly to the PSP operators, Adejokun said, “It is better for LAWMA to step aside in the bill issuance and concentrate on regulation of the PSP operators in the state. By doing this, they will be able to sanction any operator that fails in its duties.” All of this did not sit well with the PSP Operators who immediately dragged the Lagos State Government to court on January 31, 2017. In a suit filed by
“In the last 16 years, we have invested millions of naira into waste collection in Lagos state. In fact some of us got the funds through a loan to purchase compactor trucks. And each truck costs N20 million while usedcompactor trucks cost N12 million. But due to the increase in exchange rate, a compactor truck now costs N41 million. It is pathetic that after assisting the government to sustain a cleaner Lagos, that they now feel we are not competent to achieve their aim,” said a PSP operator, Michael Olamilekan in an interview with a national daily, The Vanguard. The PSPs however continued to operate in the state but were informed in court by the counsel to the Lagos State Government, that they
News were doing so at their own expense. They could only continue to operate for so long without payment for their services. Eventually, an out-of-court settlement was reached by the feuding parties following months of judicial bickering. Under the new arrangement, existing PSP operators were absorbed into the CLI following a recertification exercise to assess their functionality and performance and renamed Waste Collectors (WCOs). Over 400 approved waste collection operators (including existing PSPs and newly certified operators) would collect commercial waste from schools, churches, industries, hospitals and other businesses, while Visionscape would be the sole concessionaire for residential waste collection in the state. Why Refuse Resurfaced on Lagos Streets Visionscape has received lot of flak for the resurgence of refuse mounds all across the Lagos metropolis. Lagosians have been questioning the ability of the foreign waste experts to replicate the successes they recorded in other climes, in the state. What many do not know however, is that the contract signed by Visionscape obligated them to collect and manage residential waste only. The yearlong feud between the erstwhile PSP operators and the state government which lasted from January 31, 2017 when court proceedings were initiated to October 2017 when a settlement was reached, meant that the resources initially mobilised by Visionscape for domestic waste as stipulated by its contract – had to be deployed for managing market and commercial waste as well – thus stretching its resources. And so, while the old PSPs scaled down and eventually suspended their operations to participate in the state government’s recertification exercise that would verify them fit and equipped to function within the scope of the CLI, refuse heaps began to build across the state. In response, Visionscape swooped in with highway and street sweeping in addition to its prior incorporation
Page 25 of the development and management of sanitary landfills and Transfer Loading Stations. According to the company’s CEO, John Irvine, Visionscape determined from the outset that the delivery of its mandate would be in three phases including initial mobilisation involving surveying of lagos State to collate vital data which will be deployed in the running of their operation, stabilisation and augmentation with each phase taking between three and four months before full services are actualised. A few days back, Irvine told national daily, The Vanguard: “Presently, we are moving into the stabilisation stage. This is because for about five or six months, we have been out there completing the mobilisation exercise. In the next four or five months, we should start bringing in other equipment in stages. The last months gave us the ability to stabilise our contractual requirement to the government, meaning, meeting the terms and conditions of the contract. After that, we are moving into the augmentation stage, which will elapse between five and six months after the expiration of the present stage. It will enhance the contract and we will see more vehicles on the road and more men working within this period.” It would be recalled that Governor Ambode stated last year that Visionscape would operate with 600 brand new compactors. However, Irvine noted, “I cannot have 600 vehicles here today because I cannot train the personnel that will handle the vehicles simultaneously. This is the reason we have decided to embark on it in stages.” Irvine also sued for patience on the part of residents in Lagos State who have become exasperated with the current state of affairs and assured: “This is a journey, a very long one, but a journey from what they see on the street at the moment to an environment that they deserve and will get between six and 12 months. This is because of the integration that I spoke about.
There will be huge difference in the coming weeks. But the real difference would be experienced within this period.” “Visionscape so far and what to expect The question on everyone’s lips right now is if Ambode’s choice of Visionscape was a hit or miss. Will they deliver? It would be recalled that Ambode had stated, in announcing the CLI that the aim was to find “an enduring solution” to the state’s solid waste management challenges - one “that would match the needed technology with the massive investment required for its attainment.” The overarching vision, he said, was to “usher in a new, financiallyviable and technologically driven subsector to the Lagos economy” thus creating jobs and alleviating poverty. Assistant Director, Public Affairs, in the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Mukaila Sanusi, referred to the pre-CLI era as one of “haphazard waste collection services, caused by low technology input into route optimization; poor coverage, especially for hard-to-service areas; environmentally degrading and social nuisance-causing dumpsites; poorly managed dumpsites infested with unsightly scavenging and criminal activities; and low cost-recovery for operators due to poor billing solutions.” It can be argued that Visionscape has undoubtedly laid down a marker on the technological front. Through the technology of Geographic Information System (GIS), the company was able to survey all of Lagos State and identify over 500,000 refuse collection points across Lagos. According to the company’s operations officer, Mr. Thomas Forgacs, Visionscape now understands the population density of the communities and areas that will be serviced, even up to the number of streets and households across the state and the amount of waste that will be generated in any particular location. Just this year, in Jan-
uary, the company already made a $50 million outlay for a fleet of 100 waste management vehicles fully equipped and embedded with cutting-edge technology including a Global Positioning System (GPS), radio-frequency identification (RFID), and automotive Controller Area Network (CAN bus) system. Using these methods, Visionscape will be able to monitor and track the state’s waste collection process thoroughly, ensuring the trucks are deployed for effective waste collection within Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs and Local Government Areas, LGAs. The company says the fleet will be increased to 500 as it transits to the next phase of its contract. As things stand, Visionscape has 150 vehicles serving Lagos and over 300 personnel, excluding support staff, tackling waste issues in the state. In terms of its operations, as part of the state’s temporary intervention programme tagged “Operation Deep Clean” pending when the CLI becomes fully operational, Visionscape has already proceeded with the mandate of evacuating solid waste from dark spots and major locations across Lagos. So far, the company has successfully cleared over 80, 000 tons of waste from 1,000 littered black spots and illegal dump sites. Visionscape has also successfully revamped and delivered three 24-hour waste management depots in Ogudu, Mushin and on Lagos Island which will oversee and provide maintenance services for the company’s multidimensional waste management fleet. The depots also offer on-demand maintenance and servicing bays, truck wash stations, fuelling stations, hostels, canteens, health centres, parking and specialist trainings which each driver in the company’s fleet must undergo. Also, 24-hour operations have been scheduled during which period each vehicle will run two shifts, even during holiday periods. For adequate maintenance and repair job, the company has a Mobile Maintenance
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Team, with enough tool boxes for prompt response in case of unforeseen mechanical fault with any operational vehicle. In the meantime, Visionscape continues to refurbish, build and upgrade waste management facilities located in different parts of the state, including engineered sanitary landfills, transfer loading stations, material recovering facilities and multiple maintenance centres. The company has begun construction of West Africa’s first engineered landfill in Epe. With this facility, Visioscape can turn the water that comes from the waste into irrigation water that could be channelled to farms. Also in the offing is a diversification plant that will deal with plastics and paper which would help government reduce recurring expenditure on waste management equipment, as the plastic waste will be processed into raw material for making these equipment useable by sanitation workers. The Visionscape business model will also be a boost for the local manufacturing sector as the company is already in talks with local vehicle manufacturers and the Welders Association of Nigeria about making vehicles for Visionscape locally. Beyond waste management, the company is also devising ingenious means of educating the public and implementing strategies to reduce waste generation during the duration of their contract. Sensitization and enlightenment visits to schools and communities are ongoing. Also, the company will be issuing information cards detailing garbage collection schedules for different neighbourhoods to residents of those neighbourhoods. Visionscape has also provided the tool-free number, 08008792783, to enable residents of the state report any pile of waste around their areas. This is in addition to an ongoing distribution drive of improved waste bags to residents across Lagos.
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Sports
BOSS NEWSPAPER
Winter Olympics: Bobsled Golden Girls Set to Make Nigeria Proud The
A
fter achieving the seemingly unimaginable feat of qualifying for the forthcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Nigerian Women Bobsled and Skeleton team are hoping to go a step further by winning a medal at the competition. Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga and Seun Adigun will represent Nigeria in the country’s firstever appearance in the sport at the 2018 Winter Olympic which will hold from February 9 to 25. Simi Adeagbo, who is the first African female Skeleton competitor, will also represent Nigeria at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Ahead of their departure for South Korea, the quartet thanked their sponsors for their immense support for the team while adding that they would still want the whole country and indeed the continent behind them as they compete for medals “We are blessed to be here representing Nigeria and Africa. For me it’s an honour, it is so humbling. We are also grateful for the investments from our sponsors TravelStart Nigeria and KLM for helping create the platform,” Adigun, the team captain said “We assure you that we have not come this far to give up but to make history. We want to make something special in Korea. “The fact that we are pioneers in the sport in Nigeria makes it more delightful and the fact that we are already having a positive impact in the world is something that will spur us not only to participate at the games but also to compete for medals.” Adigun who is the driver of Nigeria’s Women’s Bobsled team
also recounted how her journey into the sport began. “I was inspired by the members of the U.S. team and the coaches to do something to help the sport grow and bring more continents to the sport,” she added. “It was important to try and help Nigeria get its first Winter Olympians, and also represent the continent of Africa in bobsledding. “It seemed like it had grown to be so much larger than me at that point. It was almost like a calling from God.” Onwumere, on her part, said: “To be the first to do anything is, I think, it’s just something that you can’t really explain. “We don’t just want the dream to stop by qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang but making history by winning.” Omeoga, 26, who ran track at the University of Minnesota,
said:” The sponsors flying us to Korea are awesome. “A medal is almost too much to think of but actually that has never even crossed my mind yet,” she said. “I’m just taking things one day at a time: Don’t get too ahead of yourself, don’t get too behind yourself, and don’t sell yourself short on anything.” On his part, the President of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, Solomon Ogba, assured that Nigeria has a very good chance of making it to the podium at the Winter Olympics. The former Athletics Federation of Nigeria boss said going by how the Nigerian ladies fared in their quest to qualify for the Winter Olympics, there is room for optimism that they will do the country proud in Korea. Ogba revealed that plans are already
being put in place to make sure more Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, embrace the Bobsled and Skeleton sport. For Philip Akesson, Country Manager of Travelstart Nigeria, the firm facilitating the travel plans for Team Nigeria to the Winter Olympics, they were endeared to the Nigerian women for their unrelenting attitude to reach their goals. “As Africa’s largest online travel agency, we are excited to use our resources and our partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to get the Nigerian Team to their first Winter Olympics. “The team’s resilience, passion, go-getter attitude towards achieving their goals are admirable, and is a message that resonates very deeply with our company values,” he said.
New Super Eagles Jersey That Stunned The World
WE ARE TEMPLES 1
Faith
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The
BOSS NEWSPAPER
By Pastor Emmanuel Iren
A
cts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven
and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; God does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Paul could have said He no longer dwells in temples made with hands but he said, as a matter of fact, that He does not. The logic behind Paul saying this is that God made the world and all therein. As long as that is true, then God does not need temples made with hands. He never did. He never will. This isn’t a fact that applies to ancient Greek temples, Buddhist temples and others but to Jewish temples as well. God never dwelt in
Solomon’s temple. People who attach extra importance to worship venues have this to learn. No cathedral, however grandiose can in itself be extraordinary. Buildings will be what we make of it. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”Matthew 18:20. Be it a shopping mall, cinema or football pitch, if believers will choose to pray there, something special can happen in there.
Not because of anything the building in itself carries, but because of what the believers themselves carry. Church buildings are powerful because we gather in them. Any glory witnessed in them comes from the believers. The believers therefore do not come to the presence of God when they come to them. The buildings cannot be the presence of God because God doesn’t and never will dwell in them.
Opinion
Not IBB, Not OBJ… Meet The Men Who Will Deny Buhari a 2nd Term
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O
The
BOSS NEWSPAPER
ne of the things I have resolved to do this year is to find joy in everything I come across. The kind of joy that keeps you sane through the toughest of times. That one which keeps you going when the fiercest challenges rise; the kind of joy that makes you smile when you hit the rock at the bottom of the bottom, in a tunnel with no lights. These days, however, it is difficult to keep up with that joy; when you follow the social, economic and especially political developments in Nigeria. When you read the news or in my case, [sometimes] write the news, and you see things from 10 centuries ago playing out in the 21st century, you just cringe. But like I love to say; “Nothing can bring Mayowa down in 2018,” and yes, not even political developments in Nigeria. So rather than get angry at some things and some people, I will offer free advice to the president, the man at the centre of many of these issues, and stay in a good mental state. Mr. President, I understand you will be running for a second term, and your team is gearing up for the mother of all campaigns. I wish you luck. But just to remind you, sir, the history of Nigeria and its political divinations is not in favour of luck. The lucky ones from a few days ago are now the men of yesterday. Luck will probably do you as much good as it did to that yesterday’s man with good luck. So here is what I think can do better magic than luck can do; hard and patriotic work in the few months left. Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) may have shot missiles at you, saying you should take a bow and honourably retire to Daura. But Pastor Tunde Bakare and many other friends who sometimes tell you the truth have said you have the right to contest but have not fully given their blessings. In some sense, these IBBs, OBJs and your friends may matter in some sense in our political life, but I dare say they are not potent enough to determine your fate for 2019 — that is still the exclusive preserve of the voters. However, the history of the world teaches that kingdoms collapse from within, and if yours will collapse, it will be as a result of the men within your household. In no particular order, I present to you, the incomplete list of men who
By Mayowa Tijani
may innocently collapse your king- election bid. IBRAHIM IDRIS AND HIS POdom in the days to come. LICE FORCE ROCHAS OKOROCHA I doubt there is anyone in this disMy first advice to anyone in pensation that has angered the elecpower is; beware of the praise torate as much as Ibrahim Idris, the singers (let’s not call them syco- inspector general of police, and his phants today). In my opinion, Ro- men have done in the past year. chas Okorocha, governor of Imo First, Nigeria Police Force state, is the choirmaster of the praise was ranked the worst in the world singing team. In November 2017, he by the World Internal Security and
to live in peace with killer herdsmen! How insensitive does it really get? A few days later, after the president finally broke his silence on the crisis, Idris had to apologise. And now, one of his men, the police spokesperson, has come out to say Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue state, is a drowning man. His offense was that he asked the IGP to do his job or resign! The ones to
said 34 governors had endorsed Buhari for a second term. He was countered by Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state, who said no automatic ticket for Buhari. Okorocha came out to say Tinubu looks like someone crying more than the bereaved on the issue. By December, Okorocha added that Buhari is the man sent from God to save Nigeria. “In 2019 the votes the president will get for his second tenure will be two times more than the votes he got in 2015 because most Nigerians have come to appreciate the necessity of his coming and what he is doing with the office,” he said via press release. In January 2018, he added that all governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have endorsed the president for a second term in 2019. In all of these, little or nothing was said about Buhari’s performance and the willpower needed to develop Nigeria. Okorocha, who hopes to be president someday, is only playing politics and singing to the president, what he wants to hear. More often than not, these matters breed anger in the electorate and complacency in the president; the perfect recipe for a failed re-
maintain order are spewing disorder and lack of decorum in public discourse. The same police, who have been unable to solve the problem in Benue is deploying 4,000 officers to Nasarawa ahead of President Buhari’s visit. For what? Who wants to kill the president? Citizens are dying and little is done, the president is visiting and thousands are deployed. This is not how to run a civil nation! Unfortunately, Nigerians cannot change the inspector general, but the people can change the one who appointed him and consequently change him. Time and chance will not permit me to speak of Garba Shehu, Femi Adesina, Abubakar Malami, Itse Sagay, the president himself, and other office holders who through innocent speech or conscious action, are brewing the anger against a Buhari return. Mr. President, my two cents. Reach Tijani across major social media platforms @OluwamayowaTJ
Police Index (WISPI) for 2016. Rather than take time out to seek improvement, Idris and his men said they were the best in Africa.
Not long after that, Nigerians called for a reform in the police force, using the hashtag ENDSARS. Less than a little window dressing was done, and the rest became history. That anger is still bottled up in the people who believe President Buhari has no genuine plan to reform the police force and end citizen harassment. Need I speak of the number of journalists who have been arrested for speaking truth to power? A few days into the new year, Idris, who was responding to the “genocide” in Benue state said: “Obviously it is communal crisis, herdsmen are part of the community. They are Nigerians and are part of the community are they not?” “I think what we should be praying for is for Nigerians to learn to live in peace with one other,” he told journalists in Abuja. Over 70 people have been gruesomely murdered and the man This opinion article originally apto maintain law and order in a civil peared in TheCable (thecable.ng). society says Nigerians should learn
Cross River National Park: A Place to be
Tourisim
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By Ajibade Morakinyo Temilorun
V
isiting nature for stress relief has been the priority of men, but not all tourism sites with wonderful natural beauty can serve this purpose. But, there is a place that can perform this function to the fullest satisfaction of the soul. Indeed, visiting Cross River National Park will relieve one of any stress. It is a place where you will see nature in 'its real self'. Cross River National Park is a large area of lowland and submontane rainforest that was established in 1991 (only included existing forest reserves), and situated in southeastern part of Nigeria, along the border of Cameroon. The park is divided into two sections. The smaller area to the north-east is Okwangwo Division, which is separated by about 50 km of disturbed forest from the larger Oban Division, which is contiguous with Korup National Park in Cameroon. The divisions are mostly covered with lowland rainforest. Typical tree species include Musanga cecropioides, the African corkwood tree or umbrella tree,Irvingia gabonensis bush mango Berlinia confusa, Coulaedulis, Hannoa klaineana, Klainedoxa gabonensis, African mahoganey and red ironwood. About 1,568 plant species have been identified, of which 77 are endemic to Nigeria. These include 1,303 flowering plants, 141 lichens and 56 moss species. Torben Larsen collected almost 600 species of butterfly in the Oban division in 1995, and estimated that there may be 950 species in total in the divi-
sion.
It is an important biotic reserve, which contains one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. It is also one of the 25 United Nations acclaimed biodiversity hot spots in the World. Some portions of the Park lies in the Guinea-Congolian region of the lowland rainforest refugia with closed canopy and scattered emergent trees which reach a height of between 40 and 50 meters. Studies have over time revealed that vegetation here has evolved over 60 million years ago. The park is one of the most diverse sites in Nigeria for bird; over 350 bird species have been recorded in this still vastly underexplored park, including the Vulnerable Grey-necked Picathartes, Picathartesoreas and Yellow-casqued, Hornbill Ceratogymna elata. It is one of the two parts of Nigeria where Xavier's greenbul is found. Other species unusual in Nigeria include bat hawk, Cassin's hawk-eagle, crested guineafowl, grey-throated rail, olive long-tailed cuckoo, bare-cheeked trogon, lyretailed honeyguide, green- backed bulbul, grey-throated tit-flycatcher and Rachel's malimbe. 42 species of snake have been counted. There are at least 75 mammal species, including the African buffalo, the endangered African forest elephants, common chimpanzee, Preuss's red colobus and Sclater's guenon and the highly endangered drill. The divisions may contain 400 chimpanzees, although no survey has been undertaken.
The
BOSS NEWSPAPER
ICYMI: Music Videos Your Children Should Not Watch
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The
Entertainment
BOSS NEWSPAPER
F
By Christiana Adedayo
amous non-musician once said; “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”. What is seen and heard definitely goes a long way in influencing human behaviour and thinking. This
music which comprises a good lyric/message and beat rather we dance to beat only. This day, most music in Nigeria is based on love, sex, fame and money; no more songs to teach norms, character or correct the wrong notions in the society.
days when music and music videos is all about showcasing how creative you are with the message in the music, dance steps and telling story of their song. But these days caution had been thrown to the winds and new forms of entertainment is dis-
cludes; The traditional, The post-western, and contemporary which includes (Apala, Fuji, Juju, Afro-juju, Afro-funk, Afro-pop, Reggae, Waka, Rap/Hip pop etc.). There is a great connection between the music videos and the behaviour of
FALILA KETAN Olamide Badoo The song was released in 2015. All that can be seen in the video is ladies showing off their ‘butts’. The artist even had to raise a lady’s short skirt up, beat the buttocks like a drum. Guys are por-
day music plays a crucial role in one’s life. But unfortunately, what is supposed to impact live now destroys lives. There is
Nigeria music video is now full of irritating gestures, naked ladies dancing and many more. There was a time when
played with sex, violence, boobs, butt, naked laps and other erotic parts of the body. The present day Nigeria music carries with it great dangers for younger generations who
teenagers. Womanhood is no longer respected and appreciated. No wonder guys out there molest ladies. Presently, there are some musical videos that will completely drive you
trayed gesturing sex act with ladies; ladies dancing in a manner that arouses sexual feeling and many more. No one will watch the video or hear the lyrics of the song without devel-
tend to imitate what they see on TV and internet. absence of originality in Nigeria music video send Nigeria music has underNigeria music as we no message and have brilliant gone three basic stages longer dance to good concepts. Gone are the and periods which in-
crazy, angry and bothered. oping a feeling for sex. This is a check list of UKWU NKA - Pucado some videos your children It is the most brazen attempt by a Nigerian music must not watch. video director to display
Entertainment nudity. The video will leave anyone who watches it gobsmacked as naked women wearing masks twerk and lustfully gyrate. Their breasts and buttocks swings with no caution. Although the video
director - Clarence Peters goes for an African theme, the video
vixens showed everything but if not for lighting, one would have seen everything. CLUB ROCK- Durella The song features Durella at his best, simple and senseless lines delivered with charming effect. The video of ‘Club Rock’ was however the main attraction. ‘Club Rock’ video can best be described as a dark night club with scantily clad women. The dancers
Page 31
oiled from top to bottom gyrate to Durella’s song showing more than ample cleavage and butt cracks. One dancer in particular used what can be described as a rope to cover her mammary as-
The
BOSS NEWSPAPER
sexy Yemi Alade yearning and half touching each other. BUM BUM - Timaya The title alone says it all. Literally the song conveys no message, and buttocks were
video definitely impact negatively on the viewers. What message does the song and video passes? Of course little children that watch it might be encouraged or driven to do things like smoking, as children of this 21st century loves to practice whatever they see and hear. HEAD SWELL- Iyanya In ‘Head Swell’ which is an internet only video, Iyanya is in a hotel room with two thick Ebony daughters of Eve. Threesome, ménage-a-trios, whatever you want to call it, major grinding and twerking action go down. The fully loaded babes show their selling points in soft-porn style and display a few sex positions in the process. The most surprising thing in this video is how Iyanya manages not to remove his shirt the entire time. Of a truth ‘Head Swell’ is a metaphor for somesets. The climax of the erotic everywhere. Although the video thing else, and it was directed byvideo is the orgy scene featuring got banned by NBC, the harm Moe Musa. had successfully been executed knowing that whatever the eyes JACK SPARROW - Rayce sees and passes to the brain re- The video features what every mains forever, considering the lust driven music video should numbers of young people that have, a guy and sexy video vixen have viewed it. that has no inhibition of showing skin. In the video, Rayce and the MY BODY – Susie vixen is seen engaging in the Susie is an unpopular name in the needed art of foreplay and the industry but when she dropped main event itself. Everything is this video, years back, it made done in a tasteful manner but rounds as a very daring move by without losing the raw intensity a female artist. Susie was practi- of lust which is really inhumane. cally naked in the video with only The video was directed by- Aje her hair covering some parts of Films her breasts and her lower body Generally, the new menDurella with nude and semi-nude blurred as she sang about how tality the present day artist, song much she needs her lover. dancers. producers, directors, and promotROCK YOUR BODY- Dipp ft. Yemi Alade The video was directed by Paul Gambit and it depicts phone sex between lovers who miss each other. From the phone call to the suggestive first line then to the silhouette scenes with a quite fit and buff Dipp and the overtly
NAIJA BAD GIRL- Maheeda Maheeda is notorious for sharing her nude pictures on her instagram page. Then she went on to dropping an X-rated video for her song. Fully naked in this video she leaves little to the imagination as she sprouts her stuff even with four dudes around her. This
ers have is so wrong and bad. They believe that their musical videos can only sell faster when they storm it with naked ladies. Much as banning these videos is a good way to begin the checkmate, parents should make it a point of duty to see and vet what their children watch as garbage in will always result to garbage out.
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The
Editorial
BOSS NEWSPAPER
Police PRO Moshood: BOSS Image Burnisher Turned Image Tarnisher The
ISSN-2052-1979
NEWSPAPER
EDITORIAL TEAM ISSN-2052-1979
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dele Momodu momodudele@yahoo.co.uk
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mobolaji Momodu EDITOR Michael Effiong
mikeffiong2009@yahoo.com mikeffiong@ovationinternational.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR Eric Elezuo, Bamidele Salako PHOTO EDITOR Adekoya Adegbite
PRODUCTION MANAGER/ART DIRECTOR Isaac Edoh-Philip
DESIGNER Adekoya Abiodun Afeez Kwaku Yeboah Darteh
T
he Institute of Public Relations, (IPR) in the United Kingdom in February 1948, defined Public Relations practice as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics. It would however appear that in the world in which Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Force Headquarters, Jimoh Moshood lives, the definition of PR Practice reads, “a deliberate but irrational, incoherent and disjointed attempt to establish and maintain mutual confusion between the Nigerian Police Force and its publics.” And it is a crying shame on the force that Moshood is the best the institution could offer to manage its reputation and to build relationships between the force and its publics. The Police PRO did anything but build or in the least, attempt to build a positive perception with his recent horror showing on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily. Rather, he seemed to be in a one man race to drag the already rickety image of the Nigerian Police Force through the mud. If anything, he was brought on the show to tender the side of the Police in a very sensitive matter relating to the killings and reprisals between herders and farming communities ongoing in Benue. This was obviously a combustible subject that was generating a whirlpool of emotions ranging from rage to disillusionment across the country, and one that has spawned heated debates. Allegations of ineptitude and negligence have been flying in the direction of the Police Force and Moshood could only contrive to make what was already a messy situation for the police even murkier by calling the Executive Governor of a troubled state a drowning man. He was badly let down by his gross lack of tact and professionalism in defusing a tense situation as he exchanged words on national television with Mr Terver Akase, Governor Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary. Ortom had in a recent statement urged the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to resign over his handling of the killings in his state by suspected herdsmen.
PHOTO JOURNALISTS Colin Ramsay… Ade James (USA)...Dayo Adedayo Isaac Adegbite...Dragan Mikki (UK)…Bodise Wilson Soji Adekunle…Vera Odjugo...Tope Brown Segun Lawal...Ken Ehimen... Guy L’ Avenir (Benin Republic)...Ben Dzakah (Ghana)
“We don’t join issues with a drowning man, Governor Ortom is a drowning man,” Moshood said when in response to that statement by the governor. Show co-anchor, Maupe Ogun-Yusuf then insisted that he withdraw the statement, but he insisted he would not. “I will not withdraw for the purpose of this discussion because he called my IGP incompetent,” the spokesman said. What! At a time when his boss, IGP Idris has come in for a lot of criticism from Nigerians for being a presidential lackey owing to a knack for arresting persons who criticise the president, Moshoodshould be looking to portray his boss and the institution they represent in a positive light and not obliterating whatever iota of goodwill they had left. Some believe the NPF is doing badly enough all by itself and that PPRO Moshood’s debacle on national TV was akin to a man already sentenced to life imprisonment without hope of parole, then proceeding to commit a death sentence-worthy crime. The series of shocking responses that betrayed an indecorous and insensitive disposition, considering that the issues at stake bordered on the protection and security of lives – a core constitutional obligation of the Nigerian Police Force – only betrayed a fact that the current police institution as constituted has little or no regard for the citizens they serve and whose taxes pay their wages. He also said those who are calling for state police do not know what they’re talking about. That list of thoughtless no-goods must include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo because not long after that, the VP threw his weight behind state policing. Besides, it begs the question – when the police go from being a law enforcing body to being a law making one? If citizens express a preference for state policing, the police force would have no obligation other than to comply. The Federal House of Reps has duly demanded that the IGP fire his PRO or even resign himself although it is hard to imagine either scenario unfolding.
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