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Ezeife: Buhari’s first year, pathetic
Wike, Ambode stand out, thumbs up for Ikpeazu, Umahi; El-Rufai controversial PAGE 7»
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Knocks, kudos for Buhari President renews covenant with Nigerians
By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
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n campaign stumps, and as then President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari made inspiring promises which gave Nigerians hope of a new dawn that would banish corruption, provide security, and grow the economy to create jobs and wealth. Today is exactly one year since he took the oath of office to preserve, pro-
BUSINESS Standard of living has got worse, SSSEPN laments
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tect, and defend the Constitution. But, simply put, he has achieved little – say critics and loyalists – except in the battle against greed and graft, and even that has a question mark of unfairness. Although he promised great change for the better, his tenure so far is riddled with economic uncertainty, policy summersaults, and a cloudy anti-graft crusade. This is echoed in the views of the talakawas (the poor), the rich, as well as academics, politicians, lawyers, and
retired military officers, according to a survey conducted by TheNiche – in which some gave him high marks, and others scored him low (see page 14). Hardship Edward Nnanna, an economist, told TheNiche that “If Buhari knows the implication of the delay in signing the budget and the adverse impact on our economy he would have known that the ego trip he had with the National
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I have the best of two worlds – Yvonne Okoro
FGPL founder, Duru, petitions Buhari over PenCom persecution
Assembly was unnecessary. “That singular action was a big minus.” He said all the excuses given for the delay had political undertones that cannot compare with the hardship created. Most people who spoke to TheNiche complained that nothing tangible has been achieved in the energy sector, as electricity supply has even gone down from what obtained under former Pres-
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Ishaya Ibrahim Acting News Editor 0807 204 0241 iib1000@yahoo.com
Knocks, kudos for Buhari
Jonathan Continued from page 1 ergy sector, as electricity supply has even gone down from what obtained under former President Goodluck Jonathan. To them, the worst thing is the recent hike in the pump price of petrol, with ripple effects that portray Buhari as insensitive to the plight of citizens. Peaceful transition There was a peaceful transition of political power from President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Buhari, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This raised the hope that the nation had at last begun an enduring democratic experience. Most Nigerians felt that, for the first time in this political dispensation, their votes counted and that the tale of bad governance coupled with violence that often jinxed transition at council, state, and federal levels had ended. There was great excitement and relief that better days were ahead given the change slogan of the APC. The confidence of investors all over the world was boosted that a new era of great progress had finally been ushered in. 12 years of preparation Ruling Nigeria is walking a tight rope and a president who would clean up the Augean stable must be courageous to step on toes and be detribalised without political baggage. Buhari, seen by most Nigerians and foreigners as a man of integrity and courage, wanted to lead the country with great passion. He got the job with the overwhelm-
Fasehun
House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara
Senate President, Bukola Saraki
“Painfully, the federal If Buhari knows the government is on the defensive as it has failed to implication of the delay counter the deliberate main signing the budget and nipulation of the criminal system by the inthe adverse impact on our justice dicted looters of the public treasury.” economy he would have Critics of Buhari argued known that the ego trip he had that he has not shown that government is better with the National Assembly his than that of Jonathan despite propaganda. was unnecessary. “What I think could have
ing support of the masses who voted on March 28, 2015. He is different from his predecessors, who were unwilling individuals drafted or perhaps forced against their will to run. He wanted to be president and worked hard and forged political alliances to achieve his ambition. However, the heat is on him as most Nigerians are divided on his performance so far. Some wonder why Buhari laboured 12 years to get to the Villa without any agenda or policy sketch to bring Nigeria out of the woods. Critics say he either does not have a clue on what to do beyond fighting corruption or is overwhelmed by the enormity of Nigeria’s mess. Priority areas
As president-elect, he delivered an address at the induction of new National Assembly (NASS) members in Abuja, organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), where he listed his 10 priority areas: Insecurity and insurgency that cause extreme hardship and destruction of lives. Devastation and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta. Decline in oil revenue due to a fall in prices which hinder Abuja’s capacity to deliver. Corruption which has crippled human and infrastructure development for decades. Unstable power supply which cripples small businesses and the wider economy. Deindustrialisation that leads industries to shut down in Nigeria and relocate to other African countries. High level unemployment, especially youth unemployment of over 40 per cent. High cost of governance that crowds out capital and human development. Erosion of public social services such as infrastructure, health, and education. A lack of development in agriculture and solid minerals. After his swearing-in and seeing the reality on the ground Buhari reduced his agenda to three major areas: security, economy, and corruption. Yet not much has been achieved. A matter of much
talk, little action. In fact, his administration took off in a slow and sluggish start. The composition of his cabinet took over six months, and when it was finally named, critics knocked it as nothing spectacular. Buhari had earlier received a barrage of criticism in his appointment of close aides which was seen as lopsided, composed mainly of Northerners. Most Nigerians also saw it as a minus that it took about a year for him to assent to the administration’s first budget. Corruption, security Although the country is winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency, the new terror gang, herdsmen, seem to diminish the feat. Many believe that Buhari’s economic policy has emboldened armed robbers and kidnappers to strike with deadly efficiency, looting, killing, and maiming victims. Although the president has received commendation for his anti-corruption crusade, critics say it is more of a platform to get back at political opponents. Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) founder, Frederick Fasehun, accused Buhari of ruling by intimidation, and of being vindictive in his anti-corruption fight. Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said the government is not yet winning the war on graft despite the overwhelming evidence at its disposal. “Apart from the class solidarity usually extended to politically exposed persons by judges in all capitalist societies, the situation is compounded in Nigeria by judicial corruption and professional misconduct on the part of senior lawyers involved in the defence of corruption cases,” Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), fired off. “Owing to a lack of coordination in the trial of politically exposed persons, corruption is fighting back.
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happened is that there was an orchestrated attempt to make Jonathan’s administration appear incompetent and weak, now nothing clear-cut is happening,” said a commentator who did not want his name in print. Hope Rising Buhari has assured that there is nothing to panic about, and has, in every forum, shown great optimism that he would fix Nigeria – just that it would not happen suddenly but by painstaking decisions and sacrifices. He has explained that the national hardship is the consequence of the misdeeds of past administrations which he is trying to put right, to usher in genuine progress. His words: “I am not ignorant of the pains in the land but if we must get it right once again, it is a sacrifice I urge all Nigerians to make just for a little time so as to herald the genuine development we need in all sectors. “We will diversify away from this mono-economy, thereby building a strong economy; we will tackle corruption, create a safe environment, among others, and I assure that all be will well again.” Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, told TheNiche in a text message that “the president will build on the successes of the first year in the coming year. “On the economy, the results will begin to show, and relief will come for the pains of the moment, which are only temporary.” Another Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu published an article in THISDAY of May 27 on “Nine Key Milestones in President Buhari’s First Year.” In it, he said Buhari promised transparency and accountability, and has delivered on that count, the evidence of which could be seen in the screening of ministers and passing the budget without the usual bribery allegations of the past. Other achievements he credited to
the president include: Implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA). Trimming the cost of governance by reducing the number of ministers and ministries. Tackling insecurity. Improving the image of Nigeria abroad. Liberalising fuel importation. Attracting foreign investors. Providing social welfare for the poorest one million citizens. Walk the talk However, the impression in most political quarters is that there have been many speeches but little or no clear-cut policy, and the consequence is uncertainty and excuses rather than solution to Nigeria’s problems. Many insisted that all the contradictions in the system still remain, with Buhari’s stance to abandon the National Conference report which contains extensive recommendations on the way forward for the country. For a government that came in with massive public goodwill, political watchers say welfare and economy have not received enough attention. • More on page 14.
Falana
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News
Buhari, then and now One year into Africa's toughest job by a mile, Muhammadu Buhari struggles to rebrand from former military dictator to a listening civilian president - but demonstrates an uncommon zeal to solve a myriad of national dislocations amid plenty unease. Correspondent SAM NWOKORO reports.
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eadership is a call to service, not ego-tripping.”
This is an age-old line from politicians whenever election comes around. Nigerians have been regaled by the antics of those who masquerade as leaders but are barren of patriotic ideal to transform the lot of the people. A one time diplomat remarked that Nigerians are some of the most patriotic people in the world who tolerate the excesses of their leaders so as not to rock the boat and undermine national cohesion. It will be a betrayal if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to reverse the bad leadership Nigeria is stuck with. To many, he has started showing the same streak of reticence and carefree attitude to serious issues of national wellbeing for which most past leaders are notorious. Some think the economic meltdown, which started shortly before he took over last year, is responsible for his “insensitivity”. Others think his actions give him away as the same old dictator donning the hat of a democratically elected president.
Leadership minuses People have listed some leadership minuses about Buhari in the past one year. One. He is poor at consulting the populace. Many cite the suddenness of the latest fuel price increase while they were expecting a reduction in the existing N86 per litre. Geoffrey Igwe, a building materials trader, said: “The price increase took us by surprise. We were not anticipating it. At least he ought to have addressed the nation, knowing it was a very sensitive issue. “Even his ministers did not warn us that this was coming, no matter how exigent it is.” A Lagosian, who gave her name simply as Bolanle, complained: “I too was not expecting it. The one [former President Goodluck] Jonathan did, we were aware it was coming because the rumousr was in the air for quite some weeks.
“But this one just came like that.” A commentator noted that Buhari went to London and was there when the price increase came, “as if he knew it was a bad thing.” Two. He allows his loot hunt to crowd out little gestures people expect from their leader in times of distress. When herdsmen attacked the Agatus in Benue State, Buhari did not visit them. When they massacred in Enugu State, it took him days to say a word. When they struck in Kaduna, the same silence came forth. A resident of Mushin, Lagos, said: “The president has not asked criticals questions about the herdsmen. He has not even bothered to visit those states to show he is concerned. “Why do the herdsmen choose night time; 8pm, 1am, 2am to strike? Is that when animals feed? There is something to all these than grazing of cattle. “Why was he planning to make Lagos the first port of official visit rather than Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Delta, Enugu and other states where the herdsmen are killing innocent people? To me that shows insensitivity.” Three. Buhari seems to permit domestic misdemeanour in contradiction of his pedigree as puritanical disciplinarian. Folks say in street corners that members of his family live an ostentatious lifestyle – his children school abroad, fly first class, and his wife, Aisha, wears a $10,000 gold wrist watch – when other Nigerians lose their jobs, incomes, and homes daily. However, Buhari was neither a pauper nor a tycoon before he assumed office a year ago; he had been a successful farmer of many decades and had made a commercial success of it, which has encouraged young men to go into agriculture. He could not be said to be poor, and so could afford the needs of his family without dipping hands in the public till. Yet, he ought not to lose sight of his role as a moral custodian of his immediate family
and also of the nation. Thus, his home is a signpost to the rest of citizens, especially at these austere times.
Tactless Leadership is getting things done without giving excuses, and tact is the ability to devise appropriate solutions to problems. Buhari has demonstrated a puzzling tactlessness in the handling of Niger Delta rebellion. Accumulated grievances are responsible in part for the current spate of pipeline vandalism. Jonathan awarded surveillance contracts to some Niger Delta militants, masters of the terrain, Buhari cancelled them immediately he came in. He also demolished modular refineries built in the Niger Delta, claiming they were “illegal”, whereas he has no immediate substitute. Now, there is a suffocating fuel palava, and the inability of the Nigerian state to effectively secure its crude oil facilities, its life wire, let alone those of multinational oil companies. When Buhari mounted the saddle, he did not make any pretense that he would go after Jonathan’s men. To demonstrate his seriousness about fighting corruption, he started arresting members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), forgetting to draw the line between party funds and statutory funds of the state. Whether Nigerian money has strayed into PDP campaign is what Buhari and his men ought to have taken time to sort out. Is there any wonder then why trials have so far produced little convictions?
Shackled but determined However, to say that Buhari is just warming the seat of power or just enjoying its perquisites is to deny the facts. He inherited a most troubled economy in his second mission. His first was between December 1983 and August 1985 when he was military head of state. His tenure was brief then, but he made some impact, even if it was not a fantastic economic turn around. He tackled indiscipline head long, a malaise that afflicted both the leadership and the followership which contributed to the fall of the Second Republic. He upturned food importers who were crippling thriving local industries. Warehouses brimmed with all sorts of imports even though oil prices were cascading and foreign reserves were depleting just as is the case now. Unhealthy social attitudes gave Nigeria a bad name: pollution, disorderliness, robbery, extravagant leisure tourism at the expense of scarce foreign exchange (forex), asset stripping of public property, and sundry social nuisances. Buhari’s war against indiscipline caused appreciable attitudinal change for the better and he really was on the path to crafting an enduring economic policy to shift dependence on oil before he was overthrown by Ibrahim Babangida. By all indications, Buhari is a man of destiny who had to contest for Aso Rock for four consecutive times before he won. He remains one Nigerian statesman whose middle name is consistency. He has never shifted from a known position on any issue.
The BBC, writing on his preelection profile last year, said: “Mr Buhari has always been popular among the poor of the North (known as the ‘talakawa’ in the North's Hausa language). “Now some feel his military background and his disciplinarian credentials are just what the whole country needs to get to grips with the Islamist insurgency in the north. “A Muslim from Daura in Katsina State, who has given his support to Sharia in the North, Mr Buhari has previously had to deny allegations that he has a radical Islamist agenda. “His tough stance as a military commander in 1983 – when some Nigerian islands were annexed in Lake Chad by Chadian soldiers – is still remembered in the North East, now the militants' stronghold, after he blockaded the area and drove off the invaders. “He ruled Nigeria from January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a military coup in December 1983. “It is a period remembered for a strict campaign against indiscipline and corruption, and for its human rights abuses. “About 500 politicians, officials and businessmen were jailed as part of a campaign against waste and corruption. “Some saw this as the heavyhanded repression of military rule. But others remember it as a praiseworthy attempt to fight the endemic graft that prevented Nigeria's development. “He retains a rare reputation for honesty among Nigeria's politicians, both military and civilian, largely because of this campaign. “As part of his ‘War against Indiscipline’, he ordered Nigerians to form neat queues at bus stops, under the sharp eyes of whip-wielding soldiers. “Civil servants who were late for work were publicly humiliated by being forced to do frog jumps. “As part of anti-corruption measures, he also ordered that the currency be replaced – the colour of the naira notes were changed – forcing all holders of old notes to exchange them at banks within a limited period. “Mr Buhari has continued to defend his coup of December 31, 1983. "It is up to the people. If you choose correct leadership, there won't be any need for the military regime. ‘“The military came in when it was absolutely necessary and the elected people had failed the country,”’ he said in October 2005. “When former President Olusegun Obasanjo was a military ruler in the 1970s, Mr. Buhari held the key post of minister of petroleum affairs. “But the relationship between the former colleagues cooled as Mr Buhari's coup ousted a civilian government, led by Shehu Shagari, who won elections organised by Mr Obasanjo. “This led to continuing questions about Mr Buhari's com-
mitment to democracy. Relations between the two former generals may now thaw following what seems to be an endorsement for Mr Buhari from Mr Obasanjo in his recently released autobiography. “Mr Buhari ‘would not be a good economic manager’, wrote the politician who won two presidential elections for the PDP after 1999, but ‘will be a strong, almost inflexible, and a courageous and firm leader.’” Buhari is undoubtedly a genuine leader with good intentions that transcend self. Only that it appears destiny has made it that he would have to mount Nigeria’s leadership saddle at very tense and combustible moments that put his stellar qualities in overarching tests. For try as hard as he could, the forces that he does confront each time he tries his spirit on the Nigerian project tend to overstretch his capacity. Equally, it is observable that he has never left the leadership saddle bruised, no, always with honour and integrity intact. Notwithstanding the challenges – falling oil prices, dwindled resources to tackle gargantuan programmes, a legislature that refuses to back Buhari’s his change slogan with the same zeal he has demonstrated in the pursuit of looted funds – he has in the past one year shown that Nigeria is serious about turning a new leaf, reconstruct its past, and retrieve what the locusts have eaten. It is not really an easy task.
Rampant arrests, crawling prosecutions, little convictions Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said on April 9 that notwithstanding the many arrests by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Buhari is not winning the war against corruption. “Apart from the class solidarity usually extended to politically exposed persons by judges in all capitalist societies, the situation is compounded in Nigeria by judicial corruption and professional misconduct on the part of senior lawyers involved in the defence of corruption cases,” Falana explained. “Owing to a lack of coordination in the trial of politically exposed persons, corruption is fighting back. Painfully, the federal government is on the defensive as it has failed to counter the deliberate manipulation of the criminal justice system by the indicted looters of public treasury.” Another commentator, Cyril Mbachu, complained that “the arrests involve mainly opposition elements, why are there no APC (All Progressives Congress) corrupt politicians being tried. “Even at that, why are there no [major] convictions a year after Buhari began the fight against corruption? At the
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News Wike, Ambode stand out, thumbs up for Ikpeazu, Umahi; El-Rufai controversial Sokoto, Lagos, and Rivers score well in Reporter HENRY ODUAH’s assessment of some states, North and South, since new governors came on board and others began a second term on May 29, 2015. Sokoto
ed his focus to healthcare and closed down the state-owned Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Sokoto said to have structures unsuitable for public health. He promised an upgrade would begin immediately, and on completion, the hospital would be converted into a renal and cardiac centre.
from both the Christian orthodox wing and protestant column are more vocal about their disapproval of what they interpret as an attempt to curtail religious freedom. And with the latest completion of Romi-Karatudu Bridge started by the late Governor Patrick Yakowa, a considerable number of Kaduna residents do not seem to stand by El-Rufai. Part of the explanation for that is the irregular payment of civil servants’ salary thrown into the mix of his penchant for controversy.
Lagos
Kaduna
Tambuwal On assumption of office, Governor Aminu Tambuwal declared a state of emergency in education. Over 500 new teachers were enrolled. “When the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Director General, Brigadier General Sule Kazaure, visited the state, [Tambuwal] requested that more corps members who studied mathematics and English language be posted to the state,” recalled Barry Dakan, an NYSC member serving in Sokoto. Also on the table is a skill acquisition programme which beneficiaries would undergo for a maximum of two years. Over 25,000 youths are projected to benefit. More than N2.6 billion gratuities owed retired civil servants between 2011 and August 2015 were paid. Tambuwal, former House of Representatives speaker, shift-
Ambode Elrufai Nasir el-Rufai, the most controversial governor since he was elected last year, has dealt with issues ranging from the clash between Shiite Muslims and the Army to curtailing street begging. His handling of a very delicate case as the Shiite’s, which would have degenerated into a major conflict, gives him credit. However, the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister raised dust among the common men when he approved a bill to ban street begging and hawking. He drew further criticism with his move to regulate religious preaching. Although the bill affects Christians as well as Muslims, clerics
announced that Nigeria’s beloved state has joined the league of oil producers to make even more money. Initially, insecurity and traffic gridlock threatened his administration, raising doubt of his competence. The Economist described Ambode as “less competent, weak and full of excuses” in November 2015, and that became his wake up call. He immediately put his feet on the ground. Arming the police with patrol vehicles, speed motorbikes, and ammunition brought the megacity and its outlying regions back under control. Road and drainage construction, and street lighting in all parts of the state, have also formed the crux of his policy. Last week, Ambode announced that he will complete the Fourth Mainland Bridge, to the aplause of Lagosians. The bridge will cost a fortune, but he said he is up to the task. However, his dismal handling of the demand for wage rise by Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) workers dents his reawakened but fragile image. The workers have been on strike for two weeks running.
Ebonyi
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has led Nigeria’s biggest commercial centre to significant growth. Many thought the man singlehandedly picked by kingmaker Bola Tinubu would not fill the big shoes left by his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola. Lagos gets the highest internally generated revenue (IGR) of any state, and it raked in N101 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2016. Add to it a N4.85 billion revenue surplus, against expected deficit of N29.92 billion. Lagos realised N97.28 billion in Q1 2015, N4.4 billion less than the figure for Q1 2016. Residents went agog last week when Ambode, an accountant,
In the state described as the Salt of the Nation, Governor David Umahi has not fared badly in the eyes of the people. He is popular for the ongoing construction of a flyover at
er partners think he has not done well at home. Sporadic arrests, public parade of suspects, rigmarole prosecutions, very little convictions and mystery recoveries by the EFCC have not dispelled this apprehension. The Buhari administration has so far announced the recovery of Abacha loot in three tranches of $380 million, $200 million, and the first $780 million which campaign preceded his assumption of office. As of February 3, 2016, the EFCC claimed it has recovered over $2 trillion looted since 1998.
A rights activist, Abu Shuluwa, alleged that former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, diverted not less than $15 billion. A security expert and debt recovery consultant, George Uboh, the managing director/chief executive officer of Panic Alert Security System (PASS), alleged in a petition to the Senate that Lamorde, now wanted over N3 trillion recovered between 2004 and 2011, defrauded the country of N2.05 trillion from properties and funds seized from individuals. He alleged that recovered
Umahi
a roundabout known simply as Presco in Abakaliki. Residents say he has given the state capital a new look with street lights and road construction. One of them, Onuchukwu Michael, said Umahi “is really concerned about education, that is why he constructed a pedestrian way at the permanent site of Ebonyi State University. “I wouldn’t say he has outdone his predecessor, but for his first year in office, he has been excellent.”
end of the day, most of those being tried will go free. “The EFCC deliberately mishandles investigation and prosecution of cases, and intelligence agencies, which boast they know all things, take endless time to get any evidence to nail any suspect, instead at trials, the same EFCC deliberately bungles their own cases. “We observe all this and it is a shame. That is why the foreign countries harbouring Nigerian loots are reluctant to release those loots speedily.
But they won’t tell you that is the reason.”
Diplomacy, promises, tle success in loot hunt
lit-
The president’s men are keeping too much secret about the recovered looted funds. Buhari has traversed all parts of the globe but his accomplishments fail to par with the human and financial resources expended. If he is not getting co-operation after one year of junkets in search of looted funds, it may be because his foreign-
Rivers
Abia
Wike Ikpeazu Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, anointed by former Governor Theodore Orji, faced heavy opposition from Aba residents at the beginning of his administration. They claimed that their public antagonism to him was because they were displeased with Orji. However, the tide is beginning to turn in Ikpeazu’s favour as he gets cracking with infrastructure development. A resident of Aba, John Anyanwu, narrated that Ikpeazu “is gradually restructuring the Aba market that used to be in a shambles. He has moved the abattoir to a better place where people’s health would not be endangered. “More important are his road and drainage construction
Buhari, then and now Continued from PAGE 6
works in Abiriba and on AbaOwerri Road.” Anyanwu cited unpaid workers’ salaries for four months as a minus, but stressed that it is a national crisis involving many other states. Abia’s inability to generate substantial funds internally also constitutes a problem. The main revenue stream is levies on traders, barely enough to run the state.
funds in the bank account of the EFCC do not reflect audited accounts. During the signing of the 2016 budget Buhari said N386 billion of recovered loot will be injected into the budget. Eze Onyekpere, lead director of Centre for Social Justice, has asked him to publish the total figure so far recovered from those who stole from the treasury during the Jonathan administration.
One step forward in security, two backwards Regardless of the latest feat
Governor Nyesom Wike spent the beginning of his maiden year in office swerving political swords with All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, and criticising the legacies of his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi. His order to sack 344 employees of the state’s polytechnic in June last year did not go down well with the people. But he was lauded for granting financial independence to the judiciary days after he was inaugurated, and he paid the salaries Amaechi owed civil servants. Sportsmen also got their pay packets as Wike paid all debts owed state-run Dolphins and Sharks Football Clubs. Road construction is equally part of his achievements in the past one year.
about the release of two of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, the general consensus is that Buhari has not delivered on security. There are still over 200 Chibok girls held captive in Sambisa forest by Boko Haram, the fundamentalist jihadist sect still terrorising the North East. The menace of Fulani herdsmen is a fresh challenge taking the shape of Boko Haram rampage. There are also restive Shia Muslims in the North, and agitators for Biafra in the South.
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TheNiche
www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
Notes
From
Nnanna Okere okere_nnanna@yahoo.com +358 4684 74258
Finland
Refugee expenditure increases OECD aid
O
fficial development assistance (ODA) of member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rose 6.9 per cent to EUR 118,9 billion in 2015, according to latest preliminary data released by the OECD. Development cooperation expenditure decreased in six OECD member states and increased in 22. A major share of the increase in European Union (EU) countries in particular is attributable to increased costs of receiving asylum seekers. According to the OECD’s rules, part of the costs of receiving asylum seekers is included in development cooperation expenditure. However, Finland and the majority of OECD countries do not pay these costs from their actual development cooperation budgets, even
though they are included in total ODA. EU countries that are members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) spent an average 0.47 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on development cooperation, and they accounted for 56 per cent of all development aid. In terms of absolute monetary value, the biggest donors in the EU were the United Kingdom (EUR 16.9 billion), Germany (EUR 16 billion), and France (EUR 8.3 billion). In proportion to the size of their economies, that is, GNI, the biggest donors were Sweden (1.4 per cent), Luxembourg (0.93 per cent), Denmark (0.84 per cent), the Netherlands (0.76 per cent) and United Kingdom (0.71 per cent). Finland’s 0.56 per cent share of development aid of GNI was the sixth-highest in the EU and the seventh-highest of all countries. Norway spent 1.05 per cent of its GNI on de-
velopment cooperation. Finland spent EUR 1.16 billion ODA in 2015, with humanitarian aid the biggest sector, as shown in the country’s latest preliminary data on development cooperation. Finland’s expenditure counted as ODA totalled EUR 1,164 million, or 0.56 per cent of GNI. The figure for 2014 was EUR 1,232 million, or 0.59 per cent of GNI. The difficult humanitarian situation in the world was reflected in the allocation of aid. Humanitarian aid and the prevention of disasters received EUR 105.7 million; the sector to which the most development cooperation funds were allocated, similar to 2014. The next biggest sectors of Finland’s bilateral development cooperation were support for improving the governance of developing countries and the work of non-governmental organisations (10 per cent), agriculture and for-
estry of developing countries (8 per cent), and education (8 per cent).
Deutsche Bank cancels U.S. growth plans over LGBT laws
D
eutsche Bank, Germany's biggest lender, has added its voice to a growing protest by major companies against legislation recently passed in some American states targeting gay and transgender people. The bank said it would "freeze plans to create 250 new jobs at its Cary, North Carolina, location" by the end of 2017. The decision was "due to state-wide legislation enacted in North Carolina on March 23 that invalidated existing protections of the
rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender fellow citizens in some municipalities and prevents municipalities from adopting such protections in the future.” Deutsche Bank co-Chief Executive, John Cryan added that “we take our commitment to building inclusive work environments seriously. “We're proud of our operations and employees in Cary and regret that as a result of this legislation we are unwilling to include North Carolina in our U.S. expansion plans for now.” Deutsche Bank disclosed that it currently employs
about 900 people at its software application development centre in Cary and "is committed to sustaining that existing presence." It said it hoped it could "re-visit" plans, which had been announced last September, to expand its operations there "in the near future". Deutsche Bank's announcement comes as a growing number of major companies, including PayPal, Starbucks, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter protest against the legislation, part of a series of measures labelled anti-gay that are sweeping the southern Unit-
ed States. Known as HB2, the North Carolina law prohibits local governments within the state from enacting policies protecting the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community from discrimination at public facilities and restrooms. It requires that transgender people use the restroom corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. Another state, Mississippi, signed into law a measure that allows government officials and businesses to deny gay people service if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
France sparks row on making cannabis legal
F
rench politicians across the board have slammed a Socialist minister's call to legalise marijuana, re-igniting the debate in a country where the use of cannabis is common. Parliamentary Relations Minister, Jean-Marie Le Guen, said prohibition has not caused drug use to fall, and his own party called decriminalisation a bad idea. But Education Minister, Najat VallaudBelkacem, countered that a softer attitude to marijuana would show "we have let our guard down in the fight against drugs." Former right-wing Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, warned that "legalisation of cannabis would be an extremely permissive signal to send to young people." However, government spokesman, Stephane Le Foll, clarified that there is "no work,
nor consideration" of a possible legalisation of cannabis. Le Guen, a doctor and public health expert, stressed that "cannabis is a very bad thing for public health, in particular for young people." But he added: "Prohibition has not led to a decrease in consumption." He sought "a selective lifting of prohibition for adults, although certainly not for young people below 21 years of age.” France's response to marijuana use differs markedly from the Dutch approach of tolerance and the legal recreational use in Uruguay, four American states and Washington DC. Another 19 states in America have legalised marijuana for medical use, but it is still illegal under federal law. Spanish law allows private production and consumption of cannabis by adults, though
Finnish boy gets $10,000 for discovering fault in Instagram
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10-year-old Finnish boy r e c e i v e d $10,000 from Instagram after finding a security fault in the service, as reported by a Finnish local daily Iltalehti. The boy, whose name was given as Jani, discovered the security vulnerability in the Instagram app, a mobile photo-sharing service owned by Facebook,
its sale is illegal. Cannabis use has been illegal in France since 1970, punishable by one year in prison and a €3,750 ($4,200) fine. In practice, imprisonment is rare, although fines continue to be meted out. But despite it being totally illegal, some 17 million of France's 66 million population said they have tried cannabis. About 700,000 confirmed they use it daily, according to France's National Observatory of Drugs and Drug Abuse. Some experts say France needs to do some soul-searching on its drug laws. "We have to rethink health policy on cannabis. We're following a path of repression in regards to addiction," Laurent Karila, a psychiatrist and addiction expert argued. "Young French people are the top European consumers of cannabis. It is clear that (the
in March this year, said the newspaper. He found he could delete other people's comments when he inputted malicious code into the comment field of the application. Jani informed Instagram about the technical fault by email. After a few days, Instagram replied to him that the flaw had been fixed, and rewarded him with $10,000. The boy said he has been
policy) is not working.” A bill proposing state-controlled sale and use of cannabis was shot down in April last year after failing to make much progress in Parliament. At the same time, France has the highest percentage of 15-year-old pot smokers among 42 well-off nations surveyed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Fifteen per cent of 15-year-olds in France – slightly more boys than girls – said they have indulged, with Canada's young marijuana smokers close behind. Amsterdam flaunts its cannabis cafes and Barcelona its private reefer clubs, but neither the Netherlands nor Spain are among the top eight nations where teens admitted they used cannabis in the past 30 days, according to the WHO study, based on data from 2014.
enthusiastic about coding games for years, building up his skills with his twin brother. Jani's father expressed surprise that his son has learned so much about coding and data security. The boy wants to be an information security expert in the future, saying: "It would be my dream job. Security is really important."
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May 29, 2016
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President Muhammadu Buhari and his grandchildren on Children's Day.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (left) and the Canadian High Commissioner, Perry Calderwood, during a courtesy visit to the Minister to discuss developmental issues in the power sector at the Ministry's Headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode (right), Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello (middle) and Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mrs. Yetunde Onabule during a meeting with transport union leaders and Oshodi traders on the construction of the Oshodi Transport Interchange at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House.
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu (right), with the member representing Aba federal constituency, Ossy Prestige (middle), and Chairman, House Committee on Army, Rimamnde Kwewum who led other members of the committee on a courtesy visit to the Governor in Umuahia.
L-R: General Counsel/Head of Regulation, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Tinu Awe; Willie Ndata; Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Oscar Onyema; Managing Director/CEO, FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, Abiola Aderonmu; Executive Director, FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, Akin Laoye, at the Facts Behind the Restructuring at the NSE.
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun (left) with the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, when the latter paid the APC National Chairman a courtesy visit at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
Inspector-general of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, and Controller-General of Prisons, Jafaru Ahmed.
Professor Wole Soyinka and Tunde Kelani at the Lagos @50 opening ceremonies.
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Diplomacy
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May 29, 2016
One year of active engagement and measured successes In the past one year, President Muhammadu Buhari has been all over the world in search of Nigeria’s stolen money and development partners. Popular perception is that the effort has not been in vain, writes SAM NWOKORO.
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resident Muhammadu Buhari spent a good part of his one year in office globetrotting for the ‘common good’. This was understandable given the nature of diplomatic relation that existed between Nigeria and her foreign friends before he came into office. From 1999 to 2015, there was neoliberal intercourse between Nigeria and the outside world, especially United States of America and Europe. Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as Nigeria’s democratically-elected president in 1999, after 14 uninterrupted years of military rule that never bothered about how the outside world viewed the country’s politics. It was a dark era diplomatically, so to speak. The intervening military rulers never bothered about democratic credentials. The regime of Sani Abacha (now the late) eclipsed Nigeria from global reckoning, and the country suffered ostracism in the international community on account of the darkgoggled General’s anti-democratic tendencies. This cost Nigeria a lot of economic and political goodwill from countries that mattered. Thus the frustration Nigeria went through during the military era was enough bait for the Obasanjo regime to court the friendship of the western world which helped return the country to democratic rule in the first place. Thus at the turn of the century, western ideals in the political and economic spheres had taken hold of Nigeria, propelled largely also by the mammoth financial and material aids that were pouring into Nigeria. Subsequent Nigerian leaders down to Goodluck Jonathan era followed suit. However, since those countries, especially the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and China, mattered much in Nigeria’s diplomatic intercourse on account of their investments and leverage in the international fora, the Buhari government had no choice but to make these powerful countries and the other supranational groups like the G7, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), European Union (EU), Commonwealth of Nations and United Nations (UN) the focal point of his diplomatic engagements. All these nations and
blocs played active roles in seeing to his emergence as Nigeria’s president in 2015. Focus President Buhari’s diplomatic objectives in the past one year could be summarised in the following words: consolidate on existing bilateral and multilateral engagements to maintain strategic friends whose stake in Nigeria is of fundamental implication to the present and future growth of the nation; pursue foreign policy engagements that would drive investments into the economy and help in prosecuting the war against terrorism, especially Boko Haram; help the country recover most of her money stolen by corrupt officials; and help strengthen Nigeria’s efforts in critical sectors of the economy such as agriculture, power, energy and provide access to Nigerian markets. Here TheNiche itemises some of the foreign policy engagements of the President in the past one year, and the accrued or potential benefits. The G7 Buhari’s first port of call. In fact, sooner had he taken over as president than he started receiving invitations to the spring meeting of the group of seven industrialised nations which held between June 7 and 8 in Germany last year. It was a kind of extension of the olive branch to the President. The former military head of state had stated his motive for honouring the invitation, the first as soon as he was inaugurated. He said: “We have a problem which they know. These development issues, many and varied as they are, touch on the economy; combating corruption, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI), power and energy, infrastructure, environment, enhanced transparency in election and good governance.” At the summit, President Barack Obama of the U.S. emphasised: “Our discussions with Prime Minister (Haider Jawad Kadhim) Al-Abadi of Iraq, President (Beji) Caid Essebsi of Tunisia, and President Buhari of Nigeria were a chance to address threats of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and Boko Haram. The G7 countries agreed to work together and with our partners to further coordinate our counter-terrorism efforts.”
Loot recovery The President’s many diplomatic efforts throughout the past one year were not in vain in the area of recovering Nigeria’s money stolen and stashed abroad. Even general perception at home Buhari is that accruals in this regard is minuscule compared to what is hidden in foreign lands. For instance, the federal government has publicly announced that it has recovered from Swiss authorities three tranches of $200 million, $380 million and $780 million. Even at that, many believe the President has tried so far, considering the many obstacles being placed on his administration’s path in the loot recovery effort. Buhari has also shown by his diplomatic engagements that graft is one issue he expects maximum collaboration with Nigeria’s bilateral friends, especially those whose huge investments in Nigeria require infrastructure. Hence he has not missed any international fora where the subject in focus bordered on corruption. An instance was his latest trip to London for the world leaders summit on corruption. Commentators in and outside the country believe the President is genuinely serious with the issue of recovering Nigeria’s stolen funds and stridently defended his diplomatic conducts so far. Anti-terrorism diplomacy Another fruitful diplomatic engagement of the President in the past one year is his determined effort against terrorism despite the hydra-headed nature of the problem. Buhari’s travels to U.S., France and Britain were a success in terms of beefing up the nation’s armoury. For the first time, the terrorists have been pushed backwards. They no longer take territories, as Buhari moved the military command to the North East. They only send out inductees on suicide missions. During the week, one
of those inductees reportedly disappointed her mentors when she refused to bomb a Kano market as directed. She, instead, absconded. Also, Mr. President was able to attract $5 billion from Washington in prosecution of the war against insurgency in the North. Military hardware of various descriptions were acquired for the ECOWAS-assembled Joint Task Force comprising 7,000 troops from Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Mali and Togo fighting the insurgency in the North East. He is also making effort to get the U.S. sell to Nigeria additional 12 A-20 Super Tucno fighter jets for the same purpose. To cap his genuine effort in this direction, the Presidency only few days ago received one of the held Chibok girls who was rescued by the JTF in the outskirts of the Zambisa forest. Security The President has also stridently tried to consolidate on the peace and security architecture of ECOWAS and AU which was started at the wake of Boko Haram insurgency. Buhari has toed that line in consolidating the performance level of the JTF. He has been able to keep the tempo in getting the world respond to the refugee crisis of internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) caused by the onslaught of Boko Haram. Various helps have been coming in that regard. Investment The Buhari administration has managed to keep investments trickling in.
Most of the promises made to him by friendly nations are being redeemed. For instance, the U.S. has included Nigeria in its Power Africa initiative in which rural communities will benefit. France has advanced some $100 million through French Development Agency and Zenith Bank to help provide soft loans to electricity generating and distribution companies in Nigeria, to accelerate development in that sector. United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Germany and virtually most of the big powers that promised to assist his government in one way or another when he was sworn in last year have visited Nigeria, some with quality trade delegations and investment proposals in the private sector. Germany has registered interest in purchasing more of Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas (LNG). So far, it is consolidation going on. The China card One of Buhari’s major foreign policy breakthroughs is the alignment of Nigeria’s naira to Chinese yuan exchange rate mechanism. Though this policy has been hailed, reservations about the scheme’s ability to address Nigeria’s forex problems linger in some quarters. However optimists believe that the scheme can enhance Nigeria’s trade and exchange rate system, if government does its home work well in improving macro-economic factors at home. Not everything about the romance with China has received total acclaim. Though, for now, it looks like a
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Obasanjo
Obama
new bride capable of bringing in good tidings in a quarrelsome home. Supranational bodies Nigeria under Buhari has managed to retain her integrity in the international community. There is nothing in the horizon for now to suggest that Nigeria has any issue with what the ECOWAS, AU, EU, UN and others have in their treaties and protocols of which Nigeria is a signatory. And so far under Buhari, Nigeria is not complaining of anything against the various supranational blocs she belongs to short of demanding that UN craft laws to prevent sovereign members from accepting or allowing institutions in their domain to harbour stolen wealth from public treasury. Buhari made this latest call while he spoke at the global summit on corruption convened by British Prime Minister, David Cameron. “All I will demand is the return of assets. I have already mentioned how Britain really led and how disgraceful one of the Nigerian executives was; he had to dress like a woman to leave Britain and leave behind his bank account and fixed assets, which Britain is prepared to hand over to us,” Buhari said at the summit. Though his request was not punctured by any of the participants, it was obvious the the Nigerian president spoke the mind of many other leaders of especially developing economies whose citizens cart away state funds and hide them in the already advanced economies which later place almost insurmountable hurdles for the retrieval of such funds.
Nigeria as new bride For the APC, President Buhari’s effort in ridding the nation of impunity in the polity has made Nigeria the new bride of the international community. Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, stated on Thursday, May 26, that the Buhari administration has repaired Nigeria’s previously battered international image. He said, in one year under Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, Nigeria has become the toast of the international community. Also, plans have been concluded by Nigeria to sign visa-free pacts with a bloc of eight African countries to promote economic partnership on the continent. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, announced this in Abuja on Tuesday, May 24, at a news conference to mark one year of Buhari’s administration. The minister, who did not disclose the names of the countries making up the bloc, noted with concern that trading among African countries had been very low. He, however, said that with the new idea by the Buhari-led administration, "it is expected that there will be upsurge in economic activities”. Knocks and accolades In his own assessment, one of Nigeria’s commentators on social issues and columnist with Sun Newspaper, Robert Obioha, said Buhari’s travels won’t solve any problem for the common man. “I am convinced that no amount of shuttle diplomacy will resolve the brigandage and lawlessness of Fulani herdsmen that unleash their cattle on other people’s farms and also kill their victims. No amount of shuttle diplomacy will increase the quantity of electric power generated in the country. No
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amount of shuttle diplomacy will stop alleged secret recruitment in some federal government agencies and parastatals in recent times, including the Immigration and Customs. No amount of shuttle diplomacy will stop the preponderance of ghost workers in the payroll of some of the agencies. Such travels will not put food on the table, supply Nigerians fuel for their vehicles, defeat the Boko Haram insurgency or rescue the abducted Chibok school girls,” he stated. Sani Adamu, a senior editor at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in appraising one year of Buhari’s shuttle diplomacy wrote: “Although successive governments had made spirited efforts to rewrite the image of Nigeria, such efforts had not yielded the desired results due to a number of factors. The alleged involvement of Nigerians in mindboggling corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, destruction of national infrastructure and others apparently thwarted such efforts. But one year down the line, foreign affairs analysts believe that the foreign diplomatic trips undertaken by President Muhammadu Buhari have started yielding positive results, as the nation is just redeeming its hitherto battered external image.” Professor Itse Sagay of the Presidential Advisory Committee on anti-corruption said: “I think some Nigerians think very shallow. They don’t think deeply before they think. They say the president’s foreign trips are too frequent. That should not be the question they should be asking. He travelled to Saudi Arabia to consult on how to increase our oil production quota and stabilise the price of oil. Is that not good for Nigeria? With the increase, we will earn more money and be able to do a lot of things.” Former Director General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Professor Bola
Cameron Akinterinwa, said: “There has been progress. The yardstick required for assessing such diplomatic shuttles does not allow for any objective conclusion because in diplomacy, we don’t deal with tangibles; we deal essentially with intangibles. They are not measurable. Diplomacy is about negotiation. The outcomes of negotiation do not come readily. It is different
from the regular activities, for example government ministries and agencies. But in the context of Nigerian diplomacy, we can say to a great extent that there is progress from the perspective that President Buhari has been able to take active part in many international meetings. So the acceptance in itself is a factor of success.”
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Civil Society Platform
Child Rights Act: Open violations amid legislation
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, reading to children who paid him a visit, during Children's Day
Children hawkers
With the theme of this year’s Children’s Day as ‘Violence Against Children: Addressing the Challenges’, Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, takes another look at the Child Rights Act, its compliance and enforcement, among others.
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n Friday, May 27, children and youths in the 36 states of the federation joined their counterparts across the world to celebrate the International Children’s Day. Though the date varies from one country to another, the aims and theme are the same. The 2016 Children’s Day which theme is ‘Violence Against Children: Addressing the Challenges’ is aimed at addressing the issue of various forms of violence on the Nigerian child and asserting the child’s right. Child Rights Act In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the convention on the rights of the child. Interestingly, the Child Rights Act was passed by the federal government and the state governments followed suit. So far, only 23 states of the federation have domesticated the Act, while 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are yet to comply. With this yet-to-be-accomplished legislation, pundits opine that this landmark legislative achieve-
ment has not yet crystallised into improved legal protection of children throughout the federation. They posit that the Act will only be effective if Houses of Assembly enact it. To ensure full domestication, they added that there must be continuous intensive canvassing and advocacy in other states that are yet to pass the law. The Child Rights Act, which has been signed, ratified and domesticated by Nigeria, urges parties to prohibit and prevent child sexual abuse or violence. Under Article 19, parties are obliged to take all appropriate legislative, administrative social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, while in the care of parents, legal guardians, or any other person cares for the child. By virtue of Article 34, states undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. The Act was enacted to give legal protection of children from all forms of violence
through the domestication of National Child’s Rights Act. The latest state to pass the Act is Bayelsa. With the signing of the bill into law by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, any form of violence against children is now a criminal offence. The Act spelt out the role of every stakeholder in preventing and responding to violence against children such as using children for labour and hawking, sexual assault, rape and defilement. Others include inflicting bodily harm, physical torture, confinement, starvation, intimidation, harassment, stalking, deprivation and educational denial, among others. These are widespread across the country. Civil groups/activists speak While felicitating with children on their day, Abuja-based rights group, National Council of Child’s Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN), urged the remaining 12 states that have not passed the Child Rights Act to do so for effective implementation and enforcement across the country. The council comprising civil
society groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in a briefing, said that “Nigeria must develop a robust plan to combat growing violence against children. Ambrose-Kennedy Yibin, Operations Manager for ‘Save the Children’, which is part of a coalition under NACCRAN, pointed out that a survey by the National Population Commission (NPC) in 2015 showed that six out of every 10 Nigerian child experienced some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18. In a rally across the 12 states that have not complied with the Act, the coalition protested violence against children, the need to protect them under legislation and to ensure their education. Abdullahi Sale of the Civil Society Coalition for Education for All (CSCEFA) told TheNiche that education of parents and the society as well is crucial for the protection of children. He said: “For now, the bill is not passed; lawmakers are not saying anything about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which
states that each child must have free compulsory education up to senior secondary school (SSS 3), and so I cannot say much is being done. “We hope to make a strong point that policy matters should quickly act. “The bill should be passed. Money should be made available. Schools should be built and teachers should be trained, so that better result will be achieved.” In Lagos, the Focal Person for West African Women Association (WAWA), an affiliate of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Ubeku, challenged the federal and state governments to prove that Nigerian children are future leaders. Ubeku told TheNiche that for many years, what happened on Children’s Day was the usual march past under the scorching sun by children and long speeches by government officials. In her briefing at the ECOWAS building, Onikan, Lagos, she disclosed that in this year’s Children’s Day celebration,
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WAWA moved away from the usual practice by organising a debate and quiz competition open to all schools. She called on elected and appointed officials to take the plight of children more seriously, urging the officials to discard the old system of parades and salutations. “We expect that every May 27, federal and state governments should tell Nigerians what they have done for our children in the past year.” At a time, children in other developing countries have adequate welfare, access to education and so on, and now is the time for our leaders to ensure that speeches are minimised while the main work is maximised,” she said. In the same vein, WAWA secretary, Mrs. Hauwa Sodehinde, disclosed that the association would later in the year distribute free books to schools and communities nationwide. “The book will further enlighten our kids on what is right and wrong, how they can take care of themselves, protect themselves from violent persons, avoid bad companies and social vices among others," she said. Speaking on the abducted school girls from Chibok, Sodehinde expressed the hope that one day they will regain their freedom. “What should be on our minds is re-
integrating our girls into the society. The girls would face discrimination, thus, government and all Nigerians must be ready to bear the responsibility of looking after them,” Sodehinde charged. Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), an NGO that promotes and enforces the rights of women and children, told TheNiche that it was working with its partners in all the states to ensure that House of Assembly that are yet to pass the bill do so for the benefit of the children. Coordinator of the organisation, Olukunle Adeogun, noted that most of the states “have actually passed the bill”, hoping that by the end of this year, other states would have conformed. WOCON, in collaboration with Child Protection Network, in the instance of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) organised activities for children at Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, followed by a visit to one of the motherless babies’ homes also at Ijebu.
By Henry Oduah
have epilepsy in our family. The police are free to go to our family house in Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State, to verify that. We are ready to have the autopsy conducted to know the truth. He did not die because of any epilepsy. Till now, we have not seen his corpse,” he said. Even a cleric, Matthew Abisoye of Healing Power Gospel Church, where Ijaduola worshipped, confirmed that the deceased never had epilepsy. To worsen matters and probably sweep the issue under the carpet, men of the force allegedly ganged up, arrested and tortured the deceased’s siblings, leaving threats of a second leg battering at the co-tenants. A visit to the deceased’s house showed that his co-tenants had fled for dear lives. Residents of the area, in anger, protested the killing by blocking the Igando end of the Lagos State University (LASU), Iyana Iba Road, demanding to see his body. And the police have not tendered any reason for hiding the corpse from friends and relations. Efforts to get the reaction of Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), provided little success as he was outside the country and had no information on the matter. The Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Sperintendent of Police (DSP) Damascus Ozoani, said a post-mortem examination would reveal the cause of the death and that the police would not withhold the corpse for no just cause.
Unenviable stats Findings by the National Population Commission (NPC) with support from the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF, which was released in September 2015, showed that six in every 10 children suf-
Police brutality: One death too many
Reporter
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ometimes they claim it was ‘accidental discharge’, but the fact is that police killing of innocent citizens have got to a head. Before it used to be the men that had the nerves to pull the trigger on those, especially driver, who refused to part with ‘roger’, which they now see as a right, instead of extortion. Now policewomen have proved that what a policeman can do, a policewoman can do also, and even better. However, Nigerians are not going to take it any longer. Muyiwa Ijaduola has joined the countless innocent people who lost their lives in the hands of gun-totting police officers. Ijaduola, a commercial driver, was allegedly killed by a policewoman in the Igando area of Lagos State. The cop identified simply as Corporal Taiwo reportedly pushed the father of three into a gutter and hit his head on its edge after futile attempts to extort money from him. Taiwo wanted N500, but Ijaduola begged that N300 was all he had on him. It was further reported that Taiwo and her unidentified colleague fled the scene and cooked up the story that Ijaduola was epileptic. But eldest brother of the deceased, Ayodele Ijaduola, has debunked such claim. “The epilepsy claim by the police is not true. Muyiwa did not have any epilepsy. We do not
fer violence; one in two suffers physical violence; one in four girls and one in 10 boys suffer sexual violence; and one in five boys and one in six girls suffer emotional violence. Nigeria has been unable to tackle several issues militating against the protection rights of her children, such as children living and sleeping in the streets, under bridges, children affected by communal clashes or insurgency, drug abuses, human trafficking and the lapses of the juvenile justice system. Children in conflict with the law for various reasons, poverty, social inequality, moribund educational system, family problems, peer pressure, social and religious conflicts where children are used as foot soldiers are some of the factors which account for the number of children in conflict with the law. Analysts posit that these juvenile delinquents are most often treated like adults and mixed with adults in prisons. They lamented that many of them were most times convicted and jailed without making contact with a social worker or giving them the opportunity to be heard. Survey A survey by TheNiche on the OrileIganmu portion of Lagos/Badagry expressway, Oshodi, Ajegunle and
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Oyingbo areas of Lagos revealed that despite the enactment of the Child’s Right Act, girls and boys between the ages of six and 16 were always on the highways and streets, hawking one item or another and nobody seemed bordered. While some shouted for patronage to their wares, others, mostly between 10 and 16 years, would sit at one dark corner doing one untoward thing or another, and nobody seemed to be concerned. The social workers, whose duty is to enforce the law by arresting these child hawkers and charge them to the juvenile court, are docile. A social crusader, Adetunji Balogun, said that “the failure or success of the Child Rights Act depends on its enforcement” or otherwise. Remedies Activists posit that increased participation of children in issues affecting their lives can make positive impact on their health and socio-economic conditions, adding that when children are involved in decision-making, they tend to be more pro-active, creative, positive and energetic, offering positive ideas devoid of prejudices.
Ijaduola
Group fetes children Officers of CCM poses with children at St Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church, Abata Street, on the ocassion of Children's Day celebration last Friday.
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t was celebration galore in Lagos and other states of the federation on Children’s Day, as Confraternity of Christian Mothers (CCM) of St Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church, Abata Street, Orile-Iganmu treated children within the area to a funfair. The children numbering over 1,000 participated in quiz competition and recitations. Various gift items were shared to the kids that cut across tribe, religion or social status. One of the children told TheNiche that he was happy to be in the party, while another
thanked the mothers for feeding them and prayed God to be with them. At the occasion, president of the organisation, Caroline Obi, informed TheNiche that her organisation cherished the children as future leaders. The lawyer thanked God for their lives, disclosing that for the first time since inception, the organisation under her leadership set up children’s choir and board of lectors.
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May 29, 2016
News Nigerians score Buhari high, low Assistant Life Editor, Terh Agbedeh; Acting News Editor, Ishaya Ibrahim; Assistant Editor (South East), Christian Nwokocha; Special Correspondents Titus Oise and Tony Campbell; spoke to a cross section of academics, politicians, lawyers, and retired military officers on President Muhammadu Buhar’s one year performance. Wale Ogunade (president of Voters Awareness Initiative,VAI) Buhari has done very well. He has fought corruption to the admiration of everybody. Everyone knows that Nigeria is corrupt and needs to be cleaned. He has fought Boko Haram to a standstill, even the rate of armed robbery has reduced. For the Niger Delta Avengers, that one is political and that is why the problem is intractable. Buhari has done very well. You know Nigeria is like a vehicle that is badly damaged and requires a serious panel beating. That is what Buhari is doing. I will score him 80 per cent. Tam David-West (professor or virology and former petroleum minister) Buhari deserves a credit pass for managing Nigeria so far. I will give him credit. I will not give him an A. I will not give him a B. But I will give him a C or C plus. If the Jonathan government had continued for a few more months, the Nigerian government would be more bankrupt than Greece. You are not coming to renovate a house, you are coming to start from the foundation. It’s a different matter if he came and the roof is leaking and the wall is broken. But here, you are building from beginning, and more difficult is that he is starting from minus zero. Monday Ubani (former chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA) Buhari promised tackling insecurity, especially Boko Haram. I can give him 80 per cent. He promised fighting corruption, I can give him 75 per cent – until the names (of treasury looters) are read out and the amount recovered so far published.
Yerima
Gbujie
David-West
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Soyinka
There has been some level of fight against corruption with the revelation we are getting every day and the international community trying to co-operate with the repatriation of (stolen) funds, and we are seeing some level of recognition and respect internationally. The only thing remaining is the economy and unemployment. But remember he still has three years. He met a lot of mess. So much was stolen out of the system. You cannot have such money taken out of the system and the economy will remain healthy. On the economy, he needs to give us direction. There are many more people he should bring on board with better brains to manage the economy. He should move fast. Nigerians are complaining about the high cost of living and coupled with the fact that people are being owed salaries in the states, and people who are working in the private sector are not being paid, people have become their own government. You provide light, you provide road, and you provide virtually everything for yourself. These are the areas the government needs to look into to reduce the level of suffering. If Buhari can fix light, Nigeria will be a better place to live.
They should have known that the country had problem before they came in. We have fought Boko Haram to an extent, but it is not yet over. You also have to be mindful of the fact that there is abject poverty, and the crime rate is getting higher. In the South South, you have the Niger Delta Avengers, in the South East, kidnapping is there, and where I am in Kaduna, kidnapping is serious. The truth is, you can’t have a society where there is hunger and expect the crime rate not to go up. On corruption, it is one sided. It should be all-inclusive and not only directed at those who campaigned against him.
ly well on corruption fight. He came into power when the economy was on the brink of collapse. When Jonathan came into power the price of crude oil was about $120 per barrel. When Buhari came into power it was about $35 per barrel. There was little Buhari could have done to improve the economy in the face of the oil glut globally, and as most of the resources of the country have been siphoned, and considering that Nigeria is a monoculture economy. So he has not really done well in the area of the economy. Also, he has been able to tackle Boko Haram to a larger extent. Even though there are still security issues like armed robbery and kidnapping, you now have Niger Delta Avengers and other reactionary forces trying to drawback the security of the country.
inability to look beyond the North and the APC. It is unfortunate that he sees Nigeria from the eyes of the Fulanis in the North and refuses to be broad minded. The people of the South East and Christians across the world will never trust Buhari because his body language and decisions are divisive and dangerous for a country like Nigeria.
is working is that of jet. He told Nigerians that he would deal with three things: security, corruption, and provision of employment for youths. He has been able to achieve up to at least 90 per cent improvement in insecurity, which is mainly in the North East. On the day he took over, 14 local governments were flying the flag of the insurgents but today there is no local government where such a flag is flying. If he has achieved that within one year I think that is a huge milestone. The second thing is corruption which he has been tackling. All these revelation that has become public knowledge wouldn't have been if it was somebody else at the helm of affairs. He has been able to deal with [former National Security Adviser], Sambo Dasuki, somebody with a royal background and a Fulani like himself. So with all these, it can safely be said that he has dealt with corruption. When you talk of creating employment, it's only now that his budget has been approved. It's only now you can start judging him in terms of the economy. And the indices that can be used in determining the state of the economy is how the construction industry is been invigorated.
Shettima Yerima (president of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF) One year is a long time in the history of a country. After the second year they go into politicking on how to reposition themselves for next election. So, from all indications, this president has only one year ahead of him. I’m worried that we wasted one year on picking holes in the previous government, saying the nation is broke.
Tunde Oseni (lecturer of political science and international relations, Lead City University, Ibadan) Buhari came to power on the tripod of three promises. To fight corruption, improve on the economy, and to enhance the security. On the fight against corruption, because corruption is endemic in Nigeria, corruption will fight back. And because the fight against corruption has not been fully institutionalised, many people think that once you are prosecuting a particular person, it has to be political. They have forgotten that most of the individuals under investigation belong to the hitherto ruling party. Because the ruling party had access to money and the resources of the state at the central level, it is just natural that most of them would be PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) members. However, it is also important for Buhari to widen the net of anti-corruption fight to all political spectrum. If you look at the transparency international ranking and the perception of people across the globe, Buhari administration has done fair-
Godfrey man)
Gbujie
(clergy-
As a minister of God I feel the heart beat of the people, particularly in the rural areas. The Nigerian situation is highly fluid and flooded. The situation is almost hopeless and Buhari has found himself in a tight corner. This place called Nigeria has been eaten by termites. The previous administration lived on borrowed money and false life. In the case of corruption where Buhari is expected to demonstrate his strength, he has also failed because he refused to put the necessary machinery in place. The APC (All Progressives Congress) and PDP are the same. The APC is controlled by highly placed corrupt persons, including their governors. They are all contributing to ensure that the fight against corruption does not work. Another thing that will soon lead to the final fall of Buhari’s administration is his
Chris Njoku PDP chieftain)
(Imo
State
It was too bad for Buhari and his campaign team to run Jonathan down to climb and end up making false promises that will never see the light of day. He knows that bringing the Chibok girls back alive will be a miracle of the century. To totally end Boko Haram’s activities in matter of months is not possible and today they have resorted to telling Nigerians to be patient. Anytime you cannot fulfill your promises and plead for time, the implication is that you have failed to keep your promises, and in the eyes of the electorate, you are a disaster. Nigerians have already lost confidence in Buhari’s administration because he lacks the capacity to put a team together for governance. It took him one year to get the budget ready, six months to appoint ministers. In the past, people didn’t know that Jonathan and economic team led by Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala were passing through hell in managing the economy. Paul Ogbebor (retired Colonel and APC chieftain) Buhari scores high in keeping to his campaign promises. I do not agree that he is too slow in administering the affairs of the country. I think the speed at which he
Wole Soyinka (Nobel laureate and social critic) I will not speak on the one year anniversary of … Buhari until I am ready. When I am ready to speak on that question I will. But I will take my own time. And today (Friday, May 27) is not the time. Today, I am celebrating Children’s Day, I like to keep it that way throughout today. Right now I am not ready, this kind of ceremony includes children from all over the world.
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PARLIAMENT THE GRASSROOTS
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May 29, 2016
Politics
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Big Issue: Emeka Alex Duru Editor, Politics & Features 0805 4103 327 e.duru@thenicheng.com nwaukpala@yahoo.com Daniel Kanu Assistant Editor 0805 618 0203 kanuemperor@yahoo.com d.kanu@thenicheng.com
INTERVIEWS
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Change Agenda, one year after FEATURE
INTERVIEW
»
PAGE 16
Imo: Engineering the Eastern Heartland at 40
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One year not enough to effect change – Kosoko
Ezeife: Buhari’s first year, pathetic Consummate Economist and former Anambra State governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, is not one that shoots his arrows below the hips. Since the uncertain days of the dreaded regime of the late General Sani Abacha, Ezeife has been speaking out against injustice and dictatorship. Even with the onset of the present civilian dispensation, he has always made his views known, regardless of who is in power. It is in keeping with that courageous carriage that he talks to Special Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, on President Muhammadu Buhari’s one year in office, describing it as an outright failure.
H
ow would you rate Buhari’s one year in office? All I can say is that we Nigerians should pray for Mr. President. Yes, he needs prayers so that the pathetic failure that we have witnessed in this one year does not happen again. All that he promised to do during his election campaigns have been forgotten. He has failed to keep at least one of his promises during the campaigns. It is really unfortunate that a lot of things were said about him and he made several pronouncements; but nothing, absolutely nothing, has been done by his administration. People looked up to him to make a difference, but what we see today is a total disappointment. He said he would make the difference, but one now wonders if his predecessor is not better than him. Look at our economy and you will discover that it is making a nose-dive, getting worse. How much is a dollar to the naira? What has he done in terms of basic infrastructure? We in the South East geo-political zone have been Continues on Page 20
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Feature Imo: Engineering the Eastern Heartland at 40
Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, writes on Imo State at 40 and the efforts of the Rochas Okorocha administration in its infrastructural development.
T
he story of Imo State is that with different angles and interpretations. To some, Imo offers hope and promise. To others, it is an entity that is yet to live the full dream of its forebears. But all are agreed that Imo is a work in progress. It all began 40 years ago, when the then military administration of the late General Murtala Mohammed split the then East Central State into Anambra and Imo states on February 3, 1976. With a largely agrarian population that was grappling with displacement it had had to contend with on account of the loss of the Civil War by the Igbo six years earlier, the creation of the state came with mixed feelings. The gesture, on the one hand, offered opportunity for the people to unbundle their energies in making something out of the immense challenges facing them. But this would not come on a platter. Celebrated columnist of The Guardian newspapers, Luke Onyekakeyah, virtually said it all in his incisive piece entitled ‘As Imo marks 40th anniversary’. He wrote, “At the beginning, there were few motorable roads across
the length and breadth of Imo State. The only tarred roads passing through Owerri, the state capital then, were colonial roads which included the Owerri-Umuahia Road, Owerri-Aba Road, Owerri-Port Harcourt Road via Elele, OwerriOkigwe Road and Owerri-Onitsha Road. As if by design, all the roads radiated from Owerri, which then was the biggest suburban centre in the region. “Electricity was a fairy tale seen only in Owerri. There was no airport, no telephone. The Alvan Ikoku College of Education was the only tertiary institution in the entire Imo State. The creation of Imo State was more like an assignment to the people to go and develop the area.” That challenge appeared to be what the people needed to go to work. And they did, the result being that 40 years later, Imo has grown from being a large farmstead to one city state. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)-trained economist and President-General of Orlu Town Union, Festus Anuole, recounted to our reporter how the repositioning exercise commenced. According to him, though there had been military administrations that nursed the state at creation, the real agenda at
giving it form commenced with the civilian government of the late Sam Onunaka Mbakwe. “Dee (Uncle) Sam (Mbakwe) actually laid the foundation of what we can today call modern Imo. He had the foresight, the drive and commitment in building the state. That was truly the man that came, saw and conquered. Other administrations after him have been struggling in various degrees to catch up with his agenda for the state,” he said. Fourteen leaders had at various times managed the affairs of Imo. Of the lot, however, only five were civilian governors while the rest were military administrators. Route to power The civilian governors had, somehow, attained their office in line with what some commentators refer to as the Imo political formula. Imo formula for electoral victory lacks precise definition. However, beyond the horse-trading and behind-the-scene intrigues by the political parties, it also takes into consideration the personality of a particular candidate for any given position. It could also entail consideration of zone of birth. These considerations, which do
not attract headlines, had often accounted for the emergence of previously considered dark horses as governors of the state. In fact, with possible exception of the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, beneficiaries of the Imo formula had not been known to be men of immense material means, but often those whose character traits and track records could be vouched for by the leading political elite of the state. There were exceptional instances, though. Earlier beneficiaries of the formula were Mbakwe, first executive governor of the state; the late Evan Enwerem and Achike Udenwa. Ikedi Ohakim’s election in 2007, which was considered controversial, to some extent, benefited from the formula. Mbakwe, who was the first to have emerged on that consideration, picked the prize essentially on account of his pan-Igbo credentials that saw him standing up for the cause of his kinsmen before, during and after the civil war. Enwerem, who appeared to have emerged on that formula in the 1992 General Ibrahim Babangida transition, did so principally on account of the intra-party crisis in the
then Social Democratic Party (SDP). Intrigues and manipulations in the party had seen the party hierarchy throwing up an unpopular governorship candidate. This prompted the highly perceptive Imo electorate to cast protest votes for Enwerem’s National Republican Convention (NRC). At the onset of the current civilian dispensation, Udenwa, who became governor, was actually said to have come a distant third in his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary. But he was offered the ticket due to the party’s zoning structure which had assigned the slot to his Orlu Senatorial District and on account of his humble carriage. Passing through that track, Ohakim, who hailed from Okigwe Senatorial District, became governor essentially on account of series of understandings and mobilisations, aside the questionable role of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. Also riding on the principles of the formula, Okorocha, though coming from Orlu, which ordinarily could be said to have had its turn in Udenwa, brought to bear his pedigree in being on the side of the people. In addition, the popularity profile of Ohakim, against whom
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Enwerem
he contested, was at the time below average, especially on account of his carriage and performance scorecard. The people, the government Each administration played its role depending on its vision and resource management in developing the state. But there had been the trend of successive governors tilting their infrastructure developments to their senatorial districts. While Enwerem faced the allegation of laying more emphasis on his Owerri zone, Udenwa was accused of favouring his Orlu district in allocation of facilities and projects. In the process, there was high incidence of drop in governance since the forceful termination of the Mbakwe administration by band of military interventionists, incidentally, led by then General Muhammadu Buhari (now President) in 1983. This downward trend in governance was perhaps more pronounced in the era of Ohakim. Insinuations were then rife that the government was literally on auto pilot. Part of the indices cited for unexciting assessment was the abysmally low level of industrialisation in the state. It was also argued that the Imo electorate had not actually benefited from local government administration, especially in the area of developing the rural areas, to discourage the unhealthy trend of people migrating to the urban centres in search of means of sustenance. By far, however, the most daunting challenge that faced the administration and the ones earlier was the task of uplifting the state’s education system that had almost gone comatose. Next to education was the challenge of youth unemployment. Incidentally, Ohakim and his predecessors had made pledges of tackling the menace, without keeping to their words. Ohakim, during his early days in office, had, for instance, pledged that his government would, in its first three months, create three job centres in the three senatorial zones. The essence of the measure, he said, was for the state to have a data bank on the number of unemployed hands, their skills and job needs, with a view to having the requisite information that would influence policy direction in this area and provide timely and accurate information on available jobs nationally and internationally. He equally gave hints of his agenda in tackling the abysmally low level of industrialisation in the state, saying that the government would, within the first three months, set up Imo Medium and Small Scale Industries Corporation to provide the platform and logistical back up for the industrial revolution of the state. Four years after, the promise was kept in breach. Udenwa’s administration and the military regimes earlier had made similar pledges. But few had been actualised. The result was that the state, which had blazed the trail in intellectual and industrial revolution under Mbakwe, found itself progressively sliding. With unemployment taking its toll on the youth, crime and general moral laxity became the order of the day. Some took to commercial motorcycle (okada), with its dire consequences. Okorocha comes on stage
17
Mbakwe
Ohakim
It was against this backdrop that Okorocha easily rode to power in the May 6, 2011 supplementary election in the state. Even with the unprecedented feat of upstaging an incumbent, Okorocha stressed that he was looking beyond the victory to fashioning ways of tackling the challenges facing the state. One year into his second term, which incidentally coincides with the 40th anniversary of the creation of the state, the jury is out on the extent the administration has gone in repositioning the state. To the political elite, who accuse the governor of sidelining them in running the state, Okorocha is on mere showmanship. Former Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Festus Odimegwu, for instance, in an interview with this newspaper, alleged that Okorocha had trivialised governance in the state, describing him as a cowboy. Others in his class have this impression. But the governor scoffed at their position, insisting that his mandate lies with the people, who he said he had entered into covenant with God to serve. He even stressed in a recent encounter with newsmen that his stewardship is not for the gains of the office but for the glory of the job. In this instance, his supporters enthuse that Okorocha has brought development to all parts of the state. Records of his infrastructure profile in the state, perhaps, attest to that. A particular programme of his administration that actually reconnected him with the ordinary citizens of the state is its free education policy. With construction of new classroom blocks in the 305 wards across the state, the administration has consolidated its presence in the consciousness of the citizens. There is also the angle of infrastructural development that cuts across the state. In the exercise, Owerri, the capital, has undergone immense infrastructure and aesthetic transformation since the inauguration of the administration. Similarly, the agenda at expanding the city through intracity and alternative roads has come on stream and in the process eliminating perennial traffic that had rubbed off negatively on transportation in it. Okigwe and Orlu, the other two senatorial districts, are not left out in the programme. Douglas House, the seat of government in Owerri, is also wearing a new look; a radical departure from the past where officials operated from shanties. In the present situation, stateof-the-art buildings have been erected by the administration. These include the Sam Mbakwe Executive Chambers and the 7,000-capacity International Conference Centre. Senior officials of the government also talk of its efforts at opening up the state through construction of roads. According to them, the administration has constructed over 600 kilometres of roads in rural areas of the 27 councils in the state. The same story is told of construction of General Hospitals in all the local government areas. Marcel Nlemigbo, former PDP chairman in the state and currently an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, is among those scoring the governor high on achievement profile. He told our reporter that Okorocha, being a human being,
is expected to have his own faults and weaknesses, adding however that he has done well. “If you come to Imo State and check the infrastructure he has put in place, I can tell you that the other two governors before him could not achieve such feat. And he is still working on new projects. He promised free education, he is doing it. He promised roads, he is doing them. He promised bringing governance close to the people, he is doing it and the factory…factory… factory issues he has been talking about, he is on top of the implementation too. So, generally, the young man is doing well as far as delivering the dividends of democracy is concerned. He deserves commendation with his team,” Nlemigbo said. With commendable efforts in uplifting the infrastructure base of the state, Okorocha told journalists that the new engagement for his administration would be, “factory, factory, factory; industry, industry, industry; job, job, job”, adding that the state is “being repositioned for industrial development”. Imo, according to him, is not receiving jumbo revenue but engages more in prudent management of resources. Even when the governor’s critics observe that some of the projects are yet to be completed, they concede to him the foresight in initiating them.
Udenwa
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Change Agenda, one year after
Hashimu and Buhari
Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, examines one year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, throwing to the fore its areas of strength and weaknesses.
A
major highlight of the 2015 presidential elections was the fatal attempt by a certain Suleiman Hashimu, who reportedly trekked from Lagos to Abuja to meet the then president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari. The young man was said to have made the vow of embarking on the trek if Buhari won, two years earlier. But not many took note of him, or even gave him any chance of doing so. When therefore, Buhari emerged winner of the polls, Hashimu insisted on keeping to his pledge, against genuine concern raised by his relations on the exercise. On April 20, when he eventually arrived at his Abuja destination and was received by Buhari, it was for Hashimu a mission accomplished. To him and other Nigerians, especially the down trodden, Buhari’s election was a turning point in their traumatic life. They had, in fact, seen in the second coming of the retired General a breath of fresh air and total departure from
a skewed system that held them down all the while. In a way, their expectation was not without reason. Buhari, in his first coming as military head of state in 1983, was credited with running a government that had zero tolerance for corruption. Coming on board at a time the nation had bled profusely on account of corruption, dwindling ethical values and badly managed economy, he had approached governance with anger. Besides, Buhari’s belief in Nigeria and commitment in making it regain its pride of place among focused nations were all that the citizens of the time needed to be convinced that the country could still be positioned on the paths of redemption and greatness. His lamentation: “This generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together”, provided there is the needed stimulus to energise the youth and vulnerable to think inwards. He was also not known for undue material
cravings. Thus, more than 30 years after Buhari had left office, his days in office were recalled with nostalgia. Of course, on three occasions before 2015, he had offered himself for service at the presidential level. At such attempts, however, he had had his nose bloodied in defeat and betrayal. But even as he lost, his courage in pursuing the chosen cause never failed him. At all points, he had maintained that he had no money to give and no goodies to share but had his integrity to stake for good governance. The message resonated among the youth, the workers and unemployed, as well as the elderly who had borne the brunt of bad governance in the 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ruled the country. APC’s roadmap for fixing Nigeria His party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had presented Nigerians an enchanting blueprint of governance which it christened Roadmap to fix Nigeria. In what it presented as a
10-point agenda for a new Nigeria, the party listed areas it would focus on to make life meaningful if elected to power. Highlights of the presentation included job creation; anti-corruption crusade; free, relevant quality education; agriculture; housing plan; and healthcare plan for children and adults. The party also listed social welfare scheme for the lessadvantaged as well as road and power plant construction among its priorities, adding that it would strengthen peace, security and foreign policy. The Roadmap read in part: “Roughly, one in four Nigerians and half of young job seekers are unable to find work. The number of people whose jobs do not cover the cost of food and housing is even greater. “In addition, major industries that pay higher wages account for just over five per cent of the economy. The lack of jobs is the most critical challenge facing Nigeria today, hurting every community and preventing us from being the truly vibrant
and prosperous nation we deserve. Building a diverse economy that allows every Nigerian to earn a living and better care for his or her family is our number one priority.” Its strategy for tackling unemployment includes immediate creation of 20,000 jobs per state for those with a minimum qualification of
Fayose
secondary school leaving certificate and who participate in technology and vocational training. It also pledged establishing technology/industrial estates fully equipped with information and communication technology (ICT), power, etc across the country to attract and encourage small-scale
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Saraki
technology businesses and other entrepreneurs. The party also assured of an elaborate agenda against official and/or private sector corruption. Part of its strategies in this regard, it said, would be to strengthen legal provisions to prevent stay of proceedings and other delays in corruption trials. It also vowed to “guarantee the independence of anti-corruption and financial crimes agencies by legislation, linking their budgets directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund”. Regarding security challenges facing the nation, the APC said it would allow states to own local police forces. It promised to establish a serious crime squad to fight terrorism. Coming at a time the nation’s score card in governance, fight against crime and corruption was not enticing, the intervention by APC was instantly seen as offering a window of hope for the obviously traumatised ordinary Nigerian. New dawn for Nigeria Buhari built on the roadmap and gave PDP a push that resulted in its exit from Aso Rock Government House. At his inauguration on May 29, 2015, he assured Nigerians that their confidence in him was not misplaced. “Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems,” Buhari enthused.
Dogara
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Fulani herdsman and his cattle
He sealed his speech with an exciting pledge that he belonged to all and to none in particular. That particular commitment threw Nigerians at home and abroad into wild jubilation. One year after Buhari’s inauguration and his historic speech, Nigerians are divided on the impact of his administration on the polity. While supporters of the administration score it high, opponents dismiss it as a misplaced hope. Some others insist that the government has performed averagely, in some instances. Suleiman, the ‘Buhari trekker’, penultimate week described his action as a big mistake. While expressing dissatisfaction with the way the president has been ruling Nigeria in the last one year, he reportedly said he regretted trekking for Buhari. He was quoted as saying: “Removing fuel subsidy at this hard time is not palatable to hear, when so many workers and labourers can hardly put food on their table, many companies have folded up, and cost of living is very high. “Nigerians have been hoping for a positive change for a very long time, enduring hardship and now the federal government wants to make things worse for the masses.” Crisis in NASS But what perhaps marked the first indication of an uncoordinated APC and by extension, achieving a people-oriented governance in the land, was the leadership crisis that hit both chambers of the National Assembly (NASS), shortly after their inauguration. Before the Tuesday, June 9, 2015 inauguration of the NASS members, APC had proposed Ahmed Lawan for Senate President and George Akume as the deputy. It also posi-
tioned Femi Gbajabiamila as House of Representatives Speaker and Ali Monguno as his deputy. But the decision did not go down well with Bukola Saraki and members of his group in the Senate. In similar regard, Yakubu Dogara and his henchmen in the House took exception to what they considered the meddlesomeness of the party. Convinced that they had been schemed out of APC consideration, the aggrieved groups went into alliance with their PDP colleagues, thus giving rise to Saraki/Ike Ekweremadu victory in the Senate, while Dogara emerged in the House, with Yusuf Lasun as his deputy. APC has not taken the matter lightly. Raising the banner of party supremacy, APC leadership has vowed to get even with, especially, Saraki who filled all the leadership positions in the upper chamber with members of his group. Despite attempts to paper over the issue, the confusion in NASS persisted and has rubbed off negatively in the relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of the government. A senior lecturer in History, Lagos State University (LASU), who spoke off record, likened the rift between APC and NASS leadership to the situation in a polygamous family, especially where the head of the family chooses to play the ostrich. “It is not every time that this so-called diplomacy or non-interference works. There is a time that a man puts his feet on the ground. The attitude of the President (Buhari) on the NASS-APC impasse has not been helpful to his administration. He is acting as a head of a polygamous family who chooses to look elsewhere when his family is in crisis. Until he realises that the face-off between his party and the leadership of the National Assembly, especially the Senate, is drawing him down, he will continue to run in circles,” he said. By the close of the administration’s first year in office, not much had been done in establishing a smooth working relationship between Saraki and the party. Even the presidency had not shown any indication of wanting to do business with the Senate leadership. The President's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina last week reiterated in a television chat that Buhari was committed to not interfering in the activities of the legislature. Perhaps, where this friction had
manifested its negative impact on the administration mostly was on the confusion that trailed the passage of the 2016 budget. With the executive arm of government and NASS trading blames over discrepancies in the budget, governance has been on slow motion. Fuel scarcity/price hike Aside the APC-NASS impasse, what also seems to have remained a recurring factor in the country since the May 29, 2015 inauguration of the Buhari administration has been the issue of petroleum scarcity. From the very inception of the administration, there has been scarcity of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol. When, therefore, the federal government hiked the pump price from N86.50 per litre to N145 recently, it did not come to many as a surprise. Following the increment, prices of goods and services have been on the rise. Despite efforts of government officials to explain the action, known supporters of the President, as well as his critics, are yet to be convinced on the need for the price increase. Emeritus Professor of Virology, Tam David-West, was among the weighty voices that spoke against the measure, stressing that it was unjust and illogical. He blamed Buhari’s aides for misleading him in taking the unpopular action. In similar vein, Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, who has not hidden his disdain for the APC government, last week, described the price hike as punishment on the people. In a statement which he authored last Wednesday, Fayose practically accused the President of playing games on Nigerians. “Despite his electoral promise to reduce petrol pump price from the N87 per litre that he met it, President Muhammadu Buhari increased the price to N145. With this increment, Buhari has further impoverished Nigerians,” he wrote. Government has, however, assured of palliatives to cushion the pangs of the price hike. Anti-graft crusade This is a particular programme of the government that has won it applause abroad and at home. With the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reining in politicians suspected to have engaged in underhand activities in the last dispensation, opinions have been high
on the agenda of the administration in curbing corruption. There are, however, insinuations that the fight has been waged essentially against people in the opposition PDP. There are also allegations of the fight being waged in ways that ran against rule of law. Challenge of insecurity Before the inauguration of the Buhari administration, the nation had been at the receiving end of Boko Haram insurgency. While it embarked on its murderous onslaughts, Boko Haram severally launched a massive assault on the country’s corporate existence. It even went further to hurt the country’s international reputation by its Monday, April 14, 2014 bomb blasts in Abuja and abduction of about 276 students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The abduction, which laid bare the fault lines of the nation’s security network, attracted bad publicity to the then Goodluck Jonathan administration. Though the government later fought back and regained some of the territories earlier annexed by the insurgents, its profile in tackling insecurity went down drastically. But with the coming of Buhari and the determination of the administration to engage the terrorists squarely, some gains have been recorded. While the menace of Boko Haram has been scaled down considerably, the nation is confronted with the scourge of Fulani herdsmen that is making life miserable for Nigerians in the South and North Central geopolitical zones. In the last two months, the group had unleashed terror in communities in Benue State, Ondo and lately, Enugu, among others. The most atrocious exercise by the herdsmen in recent times appeared to be their attack on Ukpabi-Nimbo community in Enugu in the dying days of April. The invasion, which took place in the early morning of Monday, April 25, was estimated to have left over 50 indigenes dead and more injured. Critics have, on the basis of these perceived failings, accused the government of not living up to expectation. Others however insist that the administration is on course in delivering its pre-election promises, given the volume of resources at its disposal. And the debate continues.
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May 29, 2016
One year not enough to effect change – Kosoko Idris Oladele Kosoko, who represented Badagry federal constituency in the House of Representatives, assesses President Muhammadu Buhari’s one year in office, saying he is on course, in this chat with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU.
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hat is your assessment of the Muhammadu Buhari government so far? The truth is that a lot of things, as far as governance is concerned, were messed up before President Buhari took over. The economy was already down because of the drop in the price of oil and of course you know ours is a mono economy which should not have been so. We ought to have fully diversified by now, given the potential of both human and resources that abound in the country. Sadly also is the worrisome case of corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation. Corruption has remained cancerous and we need a President that must have zero tolerance to it. There is so much decay in the system; so one is not expecting that things will change with ease. Of course, part of what we are witnessing today, like the economic issue, is global. But it depends on how each nation is handling its own. We cannot expect Uhuru at the moment because we are still in transition. But I am optimistic that applying the right policies will get things done. I do not think one year is
enough to begin to witness the change promised. I believe the issues of power, solid minerals, and agriculture among other sectors are being looked into. You cannot say the battle on corruption has not been active. You must know that the corruption fight is not easy, but we are making progress. That some people are even afraid and returning their loot is cheering and shows that there is a shift in the way things were done before. Some say the anti-corruption is selective, but you and I know that you must start with those that just left office. It is not a day, a week or a month’s exercise, so one cannot say that government is through with the crusade. You cannot arrest all those involved the same day; so we must exercise patience to see how it ends before passing judgment. You can see that some people who ordinarily appeared untouchable are being touched. Some are saying that enough convictions have not been made in terms of those involved. But don’t forget that it has to pass through the courts, and the procedure takes time. I still think it is better for government not to be too fast and make mistakes but to be steady and focused. Some critics are saying that
nothing good will come out from the present crop of ministers. That, to me, is a blanket statement. Let us give them time first and watch them before passing our verdict. So, all that the government is doing is acceptable to you. It is not as if all that they are doing is acceptable to me. Maybe in terms of style, I may have approached some issues differently. You know the welfare of the people is always paramount and most times when the masses pass through some tough time without getting some relief, they begin to lose faith, even when what you are doing is right. Government is on the right track, but I would have wanted them to consider some relief to cushion the effect of the pain resulting from what the former government refused to do well. But I know that government is sensitive about the situation and I am sure they are working on all sectors. What we are witnessing now is a tough experience. But tough decisions sometimes are taken for better result at the end. I still believe that government is not ignorant of the situation. Any policy you make rests on certain variables and not cast on stone.
Kosoko
Ezeife: Buhari’s first year, pathetic Continued from Page 15 at the receiving end of his administration. When you talk about security meetings, no single Igbo man attends. So how can he appreciate the problems of our zone? Virtually everything he does is against the South East and it appears that he has this hatred for Ndigbo of the South East. When the herdsmen attacked our people, he was dragging his feet, and immediately the Niger Delta boys struck, he declared war on them. I do not want to believe that Mr. President has an agenda against our people. The South East zone, today, celebrates one year of hate by Mr. President. How about his anti-corruption war; are you not satisfied with the success being recorded in the agenda? Every new government starts with probing the past administration and
at the end of the whole thing the so-called recovered money can never be accounted for. So what is the point? When you want to fight corruption, you take it all, whole and entire, and not to go after those who are constructively critical about your government. Is Mr. President telling Nigerians that nobody in his party is corrupt? He said that people should come up with a proof and I ask: those that are being prosecuted who brought those evidence? You cannot spend four years fighting corruption when there are lots of work to be done. We heard about the Abacha loot. And I ask, where did the money recovered go to? The common Nigerians in the rural and urban areas are not interested in how much you recovered; what they want is social security and provision of basic infrastructure. They
need steady supply of electricity, water, good road, effective healthcare services, security of life and property and all that. If you fail to do that, consider yourself a failure. What then do you suggest as the way forward? The only remedy is for Mr. President to be focused and run an inclusive government. We are no longer in the military era where we were governed by decrees. This is democracy and he must subject himself to the rule of law and nothing more. He should look into the problems of the oil and gas sector. You do not wake up one morning and fix the pump price of fuel at N145 and expect Nigerians to celebrate you. I have my fear that if he continues like this, our country is doomed for life.
Ezeife
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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interview
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PDP has learnt from its mistakes – Orji Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, who represents Abia Central Senatorial District, speaks on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congresses, the party’s national convention and menace of Fulani herdsmen, among other issues. Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, presents the excerpts. Orji
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eoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward, local government and state congresses As a good party man, I participated in the congresses at the ward, local government and state levels, and my impression is that this concept we adopt in rebuilding the PDP is working. You can see that ours was without rancour. I believe that should be the spirit that should, at least, guide PDP, now that we want to rebuild the party. We have learnt from our previous mistakes. You cannot bring a candidate and insist it must be this candidate. No. You don’t do it nowadays because this is democracy. Even if you have a candidate in mind, you have to bring a candidate who is generally accepted, a candidate that will perform, who the people will vote for. That is what democracy is all about. Grazing routes for Fulani herdsmen My position on this is guided by the position of my people, where I come from. I’m a Nigerian, I agree, but I come from the South East. And if you go around the South East, you will know that there is no person who supports this issue of allowing cattle to come and graze freely because they destroy the farms. We are basically farmers and we guard our farms jealously plus the land, because land is very precious to us. We don’t have expanse of land; so whichever that is yours, you guard it jealously. So it is very painful when you see cattle coming to graze freely on your limited, scarce farmland. And these herdsmen come with impunity, carrying guns, threatening to kill you if you disturb them. That shouldn’t be tolerated in this
country. Cattle rearing is a private business. These cattle are owned by wealthy people. They are not owned by these people that follow the cattle and take them to graze. These wealthy men who own these cows should go and buy land and develop ranches where these cattle will stay and feed and people will go there and buy the cattle for their use. Or if the government wants to come into it, then government should look towards the arid areas and import grasses to feed the cattle. It’s done in Israel. There are some deserts that are now fertile in Israel. Let them make those places fertile and grow grasses, so that these animals can go there and graze. Let them not come to other areas that are peaceful, in terms of grazing, because we also graze in this part of the country. You know we rear sheep and goat and we know how to deal with such. You don’t allow them to enter the farm; you keep them in your house, and in the morning you take them to an open bush, not the farm, tie them to trees and allow them to feed. In the evening, you come and take them back. That one doesn’t cause any harm to any person. But, now, to allow your animal to go into another person’s farm to destroy property and your own will be safe is unacceptable. Nobody will accept that. So my own suggestion is that private people should go and establish ranches. Grazing Bill before the Senate? There is no bill like that in the Senate. The senators were highly embarrassed when our numbers appeared in an online media outfit. So they picked our numbers from there and started bombarding us
with insults. The rumour was so much that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe had to raise the issue in one of our plenary sessions, which helped to douse the situation. Politicians are used to blackmail, but the truth usually surfaces. Expectations on 2016 budget What we expect is that the budget should be religiously implemented, and it’s the executive that will implement the budget, not the Senate. On our own part, we will intensify our oversight functions to help the executive ensure the budget is religiously implemented, to benefit the generality of Nigerians, especially the poor people. Expectations of Nigerians on agriculture Of course everybody is now aware that agriculture is the sector that hardly disappoints if well handled. The other day I was watching a programme where somebody mentioned an amount that is in the reserve of a country outside Africa and 80 per cent of that amount came from agriculture. If such a thing can happen in other countries, why can’t it happen in Nigeria, where God has given us fertile land, the human resources and intellect to cultivate the land? So we expect a revolution to start in agriculture from this budget. We should be in a position to feed ourselves without depending on imported food, and the budget has taken care of some of those areas that can make this possible. Taking Abia Liberation Farm initiative to the centre Of course, when I was Abia state governor, I made an impact on agriculture. Throughout my period as governor, I produced the best
cocoa farmer in Nigeria. Each time we went for agricultural exhibition, Chief David Onyeweaku would come first in the production of cocoa. And I brought this concept of establishing farms in senatorial zones. We called them Liberation Farms. We would go to one senatorial zone and the community would give us large hectares of land and people from that locality and zone would be employed to establish a farm that would be in tandem with what that senatorial zone produced. We also got experts and trained manpower for those farms and they started working. I established one in Abia South, one in Abia Central and another in Abia North. They cultivate different crops: palm oil, cash crops, rubber plantation, cocoa, cassava, rubber and vegetables etc. So it’s an idea that could be sold to the federal government. Essence of Food Security Bill in the Senate Of course the importance of agriculture has made people to shift attention to that and you have to make laws that will at least make food production a priority. So the Food Security Bill that I sponsored will ensure that food reaches every person. It will remove hunger. There are people who are hungry in this country. There are people who cannot afford two good meals in a day – the poor in the rural areas. So the bill is aimed at making sure that they get what they can eat. It will be for the benefit of every person, both the rich and the poor. Successful open heart surgery at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife It is interesting, but that is not the first time. I know that they
had had open heart surgery in Lagos. That will show you that we have Nigerians who are ready to do very well in the medical sector. If you go to the United States (U.S.), United Kingdom (UK), most of the doctors working in those big teaching hospitals are Nigerians. They are using their talents to develop other countries and we want them to come back and help out. But those doctors who are here need just the push, the facilities, the incentives and you will see that they will excel. That one in OAU is a typical example. Give them the little incentive, give them the equipment and make the environment very conducive for them, you will see that they will perform. As it is done in OAU, so also will it be done in Nsukka, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Kano or Sokoto where you have teaching hospitals. So we are happy with that because there are lot of ailments nowadays. I know that Nigerians have tried to venture into areas of alternative medicine. So if they have the conducive environment, the incentive, the facilities, they will excel. When I was governor of Abia, I established a specialist hospital in Umuahia with the best diagnostic centres that extended to Aba. The hospital has the most modern diagnostic equipment like Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a dialysis centre with five new dialysis machines, an eye centre with equipment comparable to the ones in John Hopkins Hospital, a heart centre with the appropriate equipment and a children’s centre. We need things like these. As a government, we built 712 health centres on the whole to encourage healthcare delivery.
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TheNiche
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May 29, 2016
Interview Buhari’s anticorruption agenda on right track – Nlemigbo Erstwhile Imo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Marcel Nlemigbo, assesses Governor Rochas Okorocha and President Muhammadu Buhari’s administrations. He also speaks on his reasons for living PDP in this interview with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, and Assistant Editor (South East),CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA.
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ow would you assess the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, one year after? So far so good. If you knew the rot that was in the system before Buhari took over, you would appreciate what he is doing. If you knew how much that had passed through this country since 1960 and what was achieved with it, you would weep. When you check what other countries achieved when compared to Nigeria, you weep over the wastage. His fight against corruption is commendable because unless we crush corruption, we will just be working in circles. The nation is in some kind of transition, no doubt, but there is this trust that Buhari will fix it. In a few months from now, we will begin to witness some changes, now that the budget has been passed. What we
need is to be a bit patient. Buhari just started. What the country has passed through in the last 16 years requires a lot of patience for people to understand where Buhari is heading to. It requires a lot of hard work, painstaking (work) and some level of carefulness in managing the country. Our interest remains on what needs to be done to move the country forward, and that was why we all joined APC. You can see that corruption has eaten deep into the Nigeria’s system and has become a way of life of our people. Cleansing needs a lot of beating and tasking to wake our people up again. When power is given to you by the people, you are expected to work. A situation where someone steals N10 billion and another $2 billion, you begin to wonder the intentions of such persons. If Buhari can do more on corruption, Nigeria
will be better for it. The former Iranian President was asked on his achievements, and he said freedom of speech. When the CNN report asked why freedom of speech instead of roads and other projects, he said, in the past nobody could get up and say his mind. So, if Buhari can make Nigerians accountable for whatever they handled for the public in the past, this will amount to an achievement in itself. Meanwhile, out of Buhari’s hard work within one year in office people are returning the money they looted while in government. Critics say his anticorruption crusade is selective, given that no member of APC is being investigated. APC people can be arrested and quizzed by law enforcement agencies for the offence they committed while in PDP or any other political party. I believe that time shall take care of all
things. Everybody who committed offence and ran to APC for cover will eventually be disappointed. So I advise some of them who looted public funds, irrespective of political party, not to wait until they are invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They should make haste to return the money before they are hunted. Some of us in APC are not saints and cannot claim ignorant of what is going on. The government has even started looking beyond political parties, and from the look of things, the Christmas party will
Nlemigbo
soon be over. Buhari is looking at the individuals irrespective of the political party. Buhari appears not willing to publish names of looters and amount so far recovered as ordered by the Abuja court. Why? I believe it will eventually be made public. Buhari is a man I know that cannot say things that are not real. Even the foreign countries are helping us to return money stolen from Nigeria. This shows the level
of credibility and confidence the international community has on him. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is already begging Nigeria to borrow money from its institution. They know that Nigeria’s resources can pay back any money borrowed. The nation’s problem is the will power by leaders to take right decisions and stick to them. To be frank with you, managing Nigeria for now will not be easy, but a journey of a thousand mile starts with a step.
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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You were a prominent member of the PDP. Why did you leave the party which you laboured to build for APC? I worked hard for the PDP. But when my brother, my town’s man, I mean, Eze Madumere (Imo Deputy Governor), was appointed as the Chief of Staff by Governor Rochas Okorocha, we were all happy as a community. In my community, we had a reception for him then. In that reception, being one of the political leaders in my town, I was told to give an advice. And I advised that we should give him all the needed support since he is our kinsman and we trusted him. But some people were offended with what I said. They saw my action as anti-party activity. They then put me on trial and I had to subject myself to the law and abided by it. But as somebody that had worked for the PDP in the last 16 years with nothing to show for it, as their (PDP members) plan was to humiliate me or perhaps clobber me to irrelevance. So I decided to take a back seat and
opted out. And since Madumere had been very supportive of me, I decided to join them (APC people) seeing that they were on the right track. I wanted to assist them to succeed. And looking back, I have no regrets. For me, it is like the Almighty God wanted me to work with them. Are you so sure you have no regrets? Regrets for what? Why should I have any regret? The young man is from my place. He is a nice man and he is assisting the governor to do a good job. So why would we abandon him? Even while I was still in the PDP, he was helpful. He has always been there for me. And we have good relationship. The cheering thing, for me, is that they are doing quite well. So I can, in all honesty, say that I have no regrets. They are delivering democracy dividends and that for me is quite commendable. PDP was said to be a corrupt party and that perception perhaps made it lose the 2015 election at the federal level. You were once a state chairman of the party. Can you be exonerated from that corruption tag? The leadership in government and of the party at the national level then lacked what was required to instil discipline in members. Instructions on how to manage the party comes from the national headquarters. The problems in PDP resulted from the activities of the national officers not insisting on doing the right thing at the right time. Every member at the state level believed in a godfather in Abuja. Everybody became interested in the ‘grab’ mentality which has kept Nigeria in bad shape for too long. The monitors of budgets and other approvals made by the former president were weak and could not checkmate activities of government functionaries and party loyalists. We had no reason to fail this country if those
who were meant to execute projects were properly monitored and made accountable. How would you assess Governor Rochas Okorocha in his handling of the affairs of Imo ? Governor Rochas Okorocha is a human being and not a spirit. He is expected to have his own faults and weaknesses. But in all, he has done well. If you come to Imo and check the infrastructure he has put in place, I can tell you that the other two governors before him could not achieve such feat. And he is still working on new projects. He promised free education, he is doing it. He promised roads, he is doing them. He promised bringing governance close to the people, he is doing it and the factory…factory… factory issues he has been talking about, he is on top of the implementation too. So, generally, the young man is doing well as far as delivering the dividends of democracy is concerned. He deserves commendation with his team. But critics of his administration accuse him of awarding contract to his relations or cronies. For me, the most important things are that the jobs are done. The truth is that somebody must do the job. Some of us are also working for the government, along with expatriates. If it is his relation that is competent to deliver, I do not see anything wrong with that. But I still think that those people with such perception are wrong because those that do contracts in the state cut across local governments in the state. They even include other states and foreign contractors. The bottom line is that they are delivering the contracts. I will only see such allegation as an issue if those involved are not delivering. The most vital thing is that the jobs are done well. They are done by Imo
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people, by Nigerians and, in some cases, expatriates. Is it not an expatriate company that is doing the fly-over bridge? Are you aware that Orlu zone is still working to be governor on 2019? The political space is too large to accommodate everybody. If they are aspiring to be governor, let our people also aspire. But we will appeal to their conscience because political power is not given on a platter of gold. If there is nobody running from Owerri zone, would you want a vacuum? Somebody must be a governor of Imo . But when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. It can also be discussed. It is not something gotten without an effort. I come from Owerri zone, and it is my wish that our people should put their house in order. Politics is a free-for-all activity irrespective of age and profession. People are not made governors in their houses. There is no time governorship has been restricted to one zone. At the end of the day, leaders in the state will take their decision and the boys will be separated from the men or perhaps goats from sheep. I want them to start moving round. Okorocha said he must have an idea of who will succeed him. That statement means a lot to me and others who believe in him. So we should make haste to discuss with him. How strong is the APC in Imo and the South East? Like in any other government, immediately after election, many people want to take the back seat. But as far as I am concerned, the party is strong. Can you compare APC in Imo with what the PDP is doing? In the APC, there is a straight line command unlike in the PDP where they have not less than five groups. The magic wand is that Okorocha is on the right track and doing great job.
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TheNiche
www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
From the states Rivers rerun election and matters arising
Wike
Abe
Mahmud
Tension hangs on Rivers on account of the yet-to-be declared results of the March 19, 2016 re-run elections in the state, Assistant Editor, South South, JOE EZUMA, writes.
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esperate to pick the outstanding seats in the March 19 Rivers State re-run elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are not leaving anything to chance. The areas that the results are yet to be declared include Rivers West, Rivers East and Rivers South-East senatorial districts. There are also some seats for the House of Representatives. TheNiche investigation show that the desperation over the awaiting results has particularly heightened following APC’s loss of a number of seats it had hoped to win in the re-run election. The victory, the party had planned, would have enabled it to control the legislature and possibly remove the governor, Nyesom Wike, through impeachment. Though the turn-out of the re-run poll had made nonsense of the permutation, the party is not relenting in chalking the remaining seats. PDP, on the other hand, is not taking the matter lightly. In fact, it had, since the 2015 general elections in which election in some parts of the state were declared inconclusive, been viewing every step by the APC with grave concern. This is especially as the party has never been comfortable with the antics of the ruling party at the centre.
It therefore saw the suspended declaration of the results of the March re-run as a move to rob it of representation at the Senate and some seats in the House of Representatives. Abe cries out In this waiting game, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, who ran for the Rivers South-East on APC platform have been in the eye of the storm. Abe, who represented the district in the last Senate, had accused PDP and its supporters in his constituency of not only trying to upstage him, but also to exterminate him. He had, during the week, accused PDP of plotting to organise a protest march against the release of the Tai Local Government Council result of legislative re-run election. A statement by his media aide, Pary Saro Benson, said: “The Media Committee of Senator Magnus Abe Campaign Organisation has uncovered another plot of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party to discredit Tai Local Government Area result by organising a protest march.” This was, however, against the claim of Wike and PDP that the APC and the INEC in the state were working in cahoots to shortage PDP. Nwike had pointedly stressed that he had lost confidence in the INEC “because the commission is
too inconsistent, as it works to promote the interest of All Progressives Congress in Rivers State”. He specifically accused APC of using INEC to generate tension by attempting to manipulate the electoral process for eight local government areas where the Commission had already cancelled elections during the re-run elections, stressing that it was suspicious on INEC to institute a committee to review results of elections it had earlier cancelled. Warning that the move could be a recipe for crisis, Wike recalled that the APC, after the March 19 poll, issued statements calling for the cancellation of the elections. He wondered why the same APC had made a U-turn by approaching the election tribunal to declare her candidates winners. The governor alleged that by refusing to file defence for the declared results at the election tribunals, INEC was exhibiting tacit support for APC, arguing that despite its antics, money could not influence the result of the polls in favour of the opposition party in the state. Money factor was, incidentally, the major plank of allegation against the governor by Senator Abe. The statement by his media handlers had alleged that Wike had set aside millions of naira from the tax-payers money to fund the protest, pointing out that the governor was so obsessed with stopping him that he would not mind how much of
development fund goes into the drain for it. The statement said: “Wike had before this time lavishly spent a lot of money to produce a documentary of falsehood and distortion, which he aired on television stations to discredit the result but could not convince the right-thinking citizens of Rivers State. “Wike and his cohorts further resorted to using the social media to make unguarded utterances against INEC in order to deter it from releasing the Tai LGA result when the monetary inducement failed.” The statement added that “no amount of arm-twisting and wrenching by Wike and PDP will stop the will of Rivers South-East people from sending Abe to the Senate to continue his good works on the implementation of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) report and other sundry interests of the people”. It further stated that the governor’s desperation had made him to double-speak, such that at one time, he would say President Muhammadu Buhari had unleashed the federal might on the state to rig the elections, at another time, he would exonerate Buhari. Abe had the support of his party, the APC, which added that the alleged action of the governor is part of his efforts to stop him (Abe) at all costs from emerging victorious in the suspended Rivers South-East
re-run election. PDP warns In what appeared a riposte, the PDP, during the week, warned that “any attempt to announce results for elections not held whether in Tai Local Government Area or elsewhere will be considered an affront not only on our party but also the entire Rivers people and will be resisted accordingly”. The party claimed that Abe “is unrepentant and hell-bent on securing from the backdoor an eluded victory he cannot get through the polls”. PDP, in reaction to Abe’s comments on the re-run election in Tai, described him as a pathological liar. Its chairman, Felix Obuah, said: “It’s well known that elections in the four local government areas in Ogoni, including Tai, were suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission, as soon as it was discovered that the election materials for the concerned areas had been hijacked by Barry Mpigi of the APC. “We are therefore sounding it as a note of warning that any attempt to announce results for elections not held whether in Tai Local Government or elsewhere will be considered an affront not only on our party but also the entire Rivers people and will be resisted accordingly.”
TheNiche
Judiciary
May 29, 2016
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Onyewuchi Ojinnaka Email: onyewuchi_ ojinnaka@yahoo.com 0811 181 3060
Judiciary, anti-graft war and rule of law under Buhari
Buhari
Mahmud
Bozimo
As President Muhammadu Buhari marks one year in office, Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, x-rays the judiciary, corruption cases and the rule of law under his administration.
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uhammadu Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015 as the President and Commander-inChief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, he is one year in office. Within the one year, TheNiche recounts the events that prevailed when it comes to the judiciary, corruption cases and the rule of law. On the positive side, TheNiche recorded the appointment of new judges by Buhari to solve the problem of inadequate judges in various courts across the country. Also disciplinary measures/sanctions were meted out on errant judges and sanctity has crept into the judiciary as a result of the anti-corruption stance of the government. On the negative side, the federal government is criticised for disobeying order from competent courts of jurisdiction, particularly on electricity tariff, release of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) promoter, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention despite perfecting their bail conditions. The first one year witnessed verbal attack on the judiciary by Buhari. In one of his many public outings, specifically at the All Nigeria Judges Conference in Abuja, Buhari reportedly made uncomplimentary remark on the judiciary by saying that the judiciary and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were his worries in his anti-corruption war. In another forum, he appealed to judicial officers to be pro-active and help in his efforts to eliminate corruption from the Nigerian society. He was apparently not comfortable with allegations of judicial corruption, tactical delay of cases by lawyers with alleged collusion/consent of judges and negative perception
arising from long delays in the trial processes. His fears were anchored on his perceived slow performance of the courts saddled with corruption cases. Before he assumed office as the President, the dearth of judges at both federal and state high courts was so disturbing because it affected quick administration of justice. Then, most cases, including corruption cases, suffer incessant and long adjournments. Appointment of judges To address the problem of shortage of judges at federal and state high courts across the country, about 75 new judges were appointed. Their appointment was to ensure decongestion of prisons and quick disposal of cases pending in courts. At the induction course for the new judges and khadis organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mahmud Mohammed, did not mince words when he cautioned the judges to adhere strictly to code of conduct. He reminded them of the dire need to live up to expectation by discharging their statutory duties expeditiously. Warning that judges who fail to deliver judgment within the provisional 90 days risk sanction by the National Judicial Council (NJC), the CJN noted that the judges must always comply with the provisions of Section 294(1)and (6) of the 1999 Constitution. The section stated that judges must deliver judgments within 90 days of completion of parties’ final addresses. “Failure to abide by these statutory orders amounts to misconduct,” he warned. Mohammed charged the new judges to be diligent, maintain high
standard, watch their lifestyles and avoid any act capable of betraying them as judges. Anti-graft war Making reference to President Buhari’s anti-corruption war with regard to their appointment as judges, the CJN said: “Your appointment to the bench as judicial officers comes at a crucial time in the history of our beloved country, as we pivot our fortune in a serious war against corruption which has been a huge impediment to the nation’s growth. “I urge you to avoid any type of corrupt practice, so as to maintain your integrity as a judge.” In her address, the administrator of the institute, Rosaline Bozimo, informed the new judges that their jobs as judicial officers demand them to be “courageous, fearless, candid, uncompromising and firm in upholding the rule of law” as they strive to attain judicial excellence. Lawyers’ appraisal Speaking on anti-corruption and the rule of law, Lagos lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, said the Buhari “administration professes to be law-abiding and interested in the rule of law”, admitting that it had taken pains to follow due process in some areas. It appears that some tactics are being employed, he said on anticorruption war, pointing out: “They came with trumped up charges, filing charges against someone before investigations are conducted or even concluded; indefinite detention of people on the basis of an illegal and unconstitutional provision in the socalled Criminal Justice Act.” Oluyede asked the administration to look into the issues of general approach to law enforcement, especially in respect to the fight against corruption which gives the impression that people are found guilty
even before evidence is gathered. “These issues should be quickly resolved in their second year in office, otherwise there would be a great chaos from what I can see in the system,” he said, adding that the tendency to intimidate the judiciary should be avoided. Another lawyer, Charles Mmarkwe, told TheNiche that the one year was an uphill task for the judiciary, given the environment the officers found themselves and the environment under which they ought to operate. According to him, so much has not been done, though there is semblance of hope. Mmarkwe said: “When the judiciary is poorly funded, when personnel are not there to actually do the work, and when resources are not provided for effective and efficient work, it would be quite difficult to get the judiciary to perform as it should.” He, however, prayed that with the passing of the budget as it affects the judicial arm of government, and if fully implemented, there would be a semblance of hope. The lawyer also noted a lot of monitoring of the judges’ performance and conduct by the NJC “as can be seen from recent decisions of NJC”. He was optimistic of seeing a better judiciary subsequently. He posited that the executive arm of government should be at the driver’s seat when it comes to corruption, “though the judiciary must also purge itself of corrupt tendencies and practices”. On perceived corruption within the judiciary, he said there were still judicial officers lower in the rank who are not above board, saying that the fight should be taken to the domain of not only the judges but the personnel within the ladder and see how better things can be done for Nigerians. Another lawyer, Godwin Okaka,
said under the present dispensation, the judiciary has not performed badly. The new administration, he said, cast aspersions on the judiciary, expressing that it is unfair to the judiciary and its stakeholders. On the rule of law, he decried the government’s disobedience to court orders, pointing out that the “judiciary will not find it comfortable or funny”. “The level of compliance has not been proper. They have not complied properly because there are instances where a court of competent jurisdiction has made an order and it is not complied with by the powersthat-be,” he said. For Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Anselm Ozioko, the best approach to fight corruption is to deny bail to those charged to court for corrupt cases. The refusal of the bail will facilitate speedy hearing and disposal of cases.
Okaka
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TheNiche
www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
Editorial
Buhari presidency, 365 days after
I
n his inaugural address shortly after he took the oath of office on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari made a profound statement. “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,” he proclaimed, and vowed to serve as “president to all Nigerians.” It was a soul-lifting speech, more so when he thanked, not only those who worked tirelessly to ensure his victory, but also “our other countrymen and women who did not vote for us but contributed to make our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive.” Buhari assumed office at a critical time when the country was at the socioeconomic and political crossroads and his change slogan resonated well with the populace. Just as he did during the campaign, he hinged the change philosophy of his All Progressives Congress (APC) on the ability to face the daunting challenges of insecurity, corruption, and the wobbling economy. “At home we face enormous challenges,” he moaned. “Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns,” he stressed and vowed that his government would overcome them. “We are going to tackle them head on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems.” One year into his four-year tenure, however, Buhari’s scorecard is not as sterling as the expectations he evoked in the populace. On security, even his harshest critics agree that the government has degraded Boko Haram such that the jihadists no longer occupy any inch of Nigeria, unlike before when they occupied 14 local governments. The Army has regained swathes of territory Boko Haram had occupied as part of their so-called caliphate. Thousands of women and girls kidnapped by the group have also been rescued, including one of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls abducted in April 2014. Peace is gradually returning to the North East that has been a theatre of war for so long. Yet, while there is progress in the North East, the menace of the so-called herdsmen has become a real problem for most Nigerians. And the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta, the country's oil-producing region, where recent attacks on oil facilities have reduced production and helped push up the global price of crude oil, is also a cause for concern. On the anti-graft war, Buhari has scored the bull’s eye. With so many hitherto untouchable citizens standing trial today and with billions of stolen dollars already recovered, impunity is clearly on the retreat. The president has shown the greatest will so far to wage war against the scourge of corruption. Some Nigerians believe the fight is only against the opposition and not far reaching, but it is never going to be an easy job because the structure of corruption and mismanagement which previous governments left behind must first be dismantled before a new foundation of progress can be laid. That is exactly what Buhari is doing and it is not a job that will be completed in one year. Perhaps, it is in the economy that he has the biggest challenges. He has not shown any inclination that he has the capacity to halt the drift in the economic fortunes of the country. The economy contracted to about 0.36 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, the first time in over a decade. Experts say it may shrink again in the second quarter which ends in June, which will effectively usher in recession. The exchange rate has gone haywire with the dollar exchanging for N350, inflation has climbed out of the single-digit hole where it has been for years and is hitting an all-time high of 14 per cent, pump price of fuel has been hiked from N86.50 to an unprecedented N145 and poverty, hunger and hopelessness walk on all fours in the country. We believe that Buhari does not seem to appreciate the enormity of the economic crisis facing the country. It is curious that a government that ought to hit the ground running wasted several months before appointing ministers. Even at that, there is neither an economic team in place to drive the process of revamping the economy nor a well-defined economic roadmap that will tell Nigerians where the government is headed. Buhari rode to power on the elegant wings of goodwill. That goodwill still subsists. But it is not going to be forever. One year is long enough for a honeymoon. Sooner than later, Nigerians will decide that their president no longer enjoys the goodwill on a platter of nothing but must, indeed, earn it. He may well use the remaining three years of his presidency to truly fulfil his vow at inauguration that Nigerians will not regret entrusting national responsibility to him.
» PoliticsXtra
With Sam Akpe
sidonlookme@yahoo.co.uk 0805 618 0195
Happy anniversary Mr. President; but....
A
braham Lincoln, one of the most revered American leaders of all times, said centuries ago that: “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” I’m not sure those who almost nailed former President Goodluck Jonathan of engaging in slow motion, ever read that quote. At a time, Jonathan was christened: Clueless President, Papa Go-slow, etc. One of the people who ridiculed Jonathan with such derogatory tags was the then spokesman of the All Peoples Congress (APC) who has since been promoted. I can just imagine what would happen now if someone were to call the sitting president such names. A particular smallish former minister with over-bloated self-image, who wrote a book about his sojourn in public service, took the joke too far by calling the man stupid. Yet, Jonathan kept going. He started late; got distracted severally; and repeatedly got messed up by people he appointed into his administration. But he kept going. Many believe today that he was steadily heading somewhere glorious compared to what happened after he left office. Many years after Lincoln’s death, one man who adores him so much, President Barack Obama, said: “If you are walking down the right path, and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually, you’ll make progress.” I wish our leaders take such advice to heart. I really don’t understand why I started writing about Jonathan when I should actually focus on one year anniversary of the present administration. It could be because I do not want to get into trouble with All the President’s Men. One great achievement of President Muhammadu Buhari in the last one year has been his ability to silence the voices of opposition by merely fighting corruption. This is not to say that everyone who should have raised a voice against his administration is corrupt. Rather, the truth remains that you do not need to be corrupt to be branded as such. You do not need to be factually corrupt to be picked up and detained endlessly. Haven’t you noticed the silence from the camps of the opposition political parties; especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
Yes, most of those PDP big men have had their hands soiled in the last 16 years and deserve to face the law. My only fear is that not only the guilty are suffering; even the innocent ones who dare raised their voices are counted among. The reason Governor Fayose is talking the way he does and still walks about freely is because of the constitutional immunity he enjoys. I have this feeling that somebody somewhere is waiting for him to leave office; and then he would be made to account for all his utterances. The silence from those who should speak out is not only limited to the political class. Even the media – I mean the hitherto outspoken Nigerian media, the very institution that fought for democracy, has gone silent on many critical issues. Editors now read the lips of the anti-corruption crusaders when it comes to which stories to publish and what headlines to cast. Most of them have been warned by their publishers not to put them in trouble by publishing stories that contradict government’s stand on corruption. Criticising the government’s unconventional, or is it unconstitutional approach to fighting corruption has attracted little or no comments from the media because everybody is afraid of being counted among the corrupt ones. It has become normal, in the last one year, for people to be arrested and detained for several weeks or months without being charged to court. It has become normal for big headlines to be cast announcing that a big man has been declared wanted as if he were on the run before. It has become very normal for the anticorruption agencies to disobey court orders demanding the release of over-detained accused persons; or have them charged to court since their detention without trial contradicts our laws. Believe me; such orders do not make news any longer. It has become very normal for the anti-corruption agencies to move from court to court obtaining legal permission to detain suspects while they start looking for evidence that could be used to charge them to court. My concern is that these activities have
Observations from... Peter Obi, a man yet to be celebrated
I
am enthralled by quality writers who have used Peter Obi as the reference point at this time of great revelation of profligacy of some governors who are unable to pay workers and deliver democracy dividends. I ask the propagators of onye kwuru oto egbutuo ya to look away from my article. I am celebrating a man who catapulted Anambra State to prominence, and is being celebrated across ethnic divides. I am celebrating a man who buried profligacy in the management of state resources; who, while in office, refused to jump on the bandwagon of profligates, and who did not allow his personal financial means to impact negatively on his management of the common till. I am celebrating a man who demystified governance; who is not faultless, but whose disposition to goodness overwhelmed his human weakness. I am celebrating a man whose achievements in government left critics befuddled. A man whose immediate constituency has refused to celebrate due to some blind pedestrian reasons. I am celebrating a man whose financial austerity left my state rich and better, and whose
achievement in education, health, infrastructure development and all indices of development made Anambra a cynosure of all eyes. A true Igbo son and a proud son of the Church. Isn't it unfortunate that this gold of unquantifiable proportion is not receiving accolades from those who are the direct beneficiaries of his magnanimity? I have heard the Igbo scream marginalisation in the Nigerian project, and I ask, who is marginalising whom when we take pleasure in running down our achievers? Every other tribe supports its own, who are not as good as ours, but we take pleasure in running down our own. Let us know that
n'egbuo dike n'ogu uno, ubochi ogu achoba dike. Let us celebrate Peter Obi. He is our "dike." Nobody loses anything by celebrating his "dike," rather, he gains everything. My discussion with people of other tribes opened my eyes to how much this Igbo son is revered across the Niger. • Fr. Jude Udemezue, a Catholic priest
TheNiche on Sunday welcomes letters, maximum 250 words, from readers. Send to oguwikeng@yahoo.com
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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On the beat Oguwike Nwachuku
Imo on my mind cast a dark shadow over the genuine effort of this administration in the war against corruption. I refuse to believe that it is the President that has authorised what is going on in the anti-corruption agencies: detention without trial. A few hundred years ago, James Madison, one of the founding fathers of the American Constitution and the fourth U.S. President said: “I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” Here is such a case. Winston Churchill also observed that: “the power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist.” As Nigerians celebrate one year of hunger and crushed hopes, and as we look forward to the future with inexhaustible hope, the President needs to take another look at this issue. Everybody is not a criminal; and no one is really a criminal until the courts say so. Endless detention is in itself a crime because it violates our laws. Let every accused person be charged to court and not detained endlessly. That is what the law says; and we should respect our laws.
E
xactly 17 years today, Nigeria embraced democratic rule with its good, bad and ugly sides. Some call it civil rule because democratic tenets are far from being on the ground. Regardless, since 1999, the country has been cruising on the civilian ship, rejecting all the seemingly “palatable” indices of military rule that produced leaders who led Nigeria to perdition and created more socio-political, economic, religious and cultural problems. May 29 is a watershed in this democratic journey and every year governments at the federal and state levels showcase their gains while looking forward to delivering better electoral promises. Until last year, when fate thrust the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition, celebrating Democracy Day at the centre was its exclusive preserve as the party in the saddle before the All Progressive Congress (APC) came on board. The APC under President Muhammadu Buhari which took over on May 29, 2015 is now calling the shots. While the federal government controlled by the APC is struggling to tell Nigerians who massively voted for it last year while things have not really changed despite the Change slogan that brought it into power, the situation is different in the states. One of them is Imo. Though 40 years, being created on February 3, 1976, Imo to many perceptive minds is a workman’s farm because of infrastructure and key projects that dot its nooks and crannies. Although opinion is divided among indigenes on the giant strides Governor Rochas Okorocha and his Imo Rescue Mission team have made, a trip to the Eastern Heart Land would convince doubting Thomases about the existence of such infrastructure since Okorocha’s administration came into office five years ago. Those who belong to the School of Thought that Okorocha and his team have been loafing around these five years have their sympathisers. They are probably emboldened by one of Vladimir Lenin’s popular saying that “a
lie told often enough becomes the truth” – meaning that the more they lie and disparage the Okorocha team for lack of performance, the more the public buys into it and believes. However, if “seeing is believing” is our guide, those who recently visited the state and saw what is on the ground are concerned that Imolites must have been fed with lies by people determined not to see or hear anything good about Okorocha, and by extension, the state. And that does not portray those of us from Imo in good light. Going by what Aristotle says, “We are what we repeatedly do” and “it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it”, one could not but subject oneself to the rigours of trying to corroborate or dismiss the reasons for the vitriolic campaign against Okorocha and his policies. For one, perception can be dangerous. It can make or break someone or something. Imo is one state whose governor is facing the worse perception from the state’s political class for reasons many fathom can only be political. It becomes more dangerous when the elite; the so-called leaders in Imo who ought to provide a leadership trajectory for its future, its people and unborn generation latch unto and make a business of it. In all these, they tend to forget what Plato said: “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something” and “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” When, therefore, Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, contacted senior editors from the South East to honour his principal on May 6 for a meeting on May 7, a good number of us reasoned that Okorocha must have come to terms with Socrates deduction that “the life which is unexamined is not worth living.” Perhaps Okorocha felt the time for neutral assessors to scrutinise his administration in the light of insinuations of having done nothing and claiming to have done
oguwikeng@yahoo.com, o.nwachuku@thenicheng.com 0805 306 9019
several things is now. During the visit, the media executives saw things they did not even envisage – intimidating projects and infrastructure that Okorocha’s contemporaries in other states would not have dared venture into. It was even arguable if Okorocha’s projects have not dwarfed the ones all the governors who came before him had done put together. They wondered how he gets the resources. The editors saw good roads that form part of the 600,000 kilometres of roads so far constructed around the state. They saw completed (ready to commission) bridges and the one under construction. They saw completed functional hospitals and those still under construction in all the 27 local government areas of the state that are up to 80 per cent completion. They saw well-built and equipped modern primary and secondary schools by the administration. They saw a Government House that can compete with any one in any part of the world. They saw a Governor’s Lodge ready for commissioning which any son or daughter of Imo would be proud to inhabit if he/she gets the mandate of the people to govern them. The editors saw edifices that have the capacity to restore the dignity of our traditional institution. They saw a Chapel, first of its kind in Government House, that serves as a place for spiritual edification for highly religious Imolites. They saw Odenigbo Presidential Guest House for visiting high-profile personages. the editors saw an expanded and well-furnished Executive Committee (Exco) Chambers (Sam Mbakwe Executive Chambers) now comfortably seating where the former miniscule Douglas House was. They saw the Imo State Artisan City on Naze Road where the government proposes to relocate traders from Alaba International Market in Lagos ready to head home for better developmental integration. The government targets 3,000 jobs from that project. The Ochiedike Diagnostic Centre, the
Heroes Square, Odenigbo Cultural Centre, Imo Freedom Park, the New Concorde Hotel, New Commissioners Quarters, 7,000-capacity Imo International Conference Centre, Imo Library; all located in the Owerri Capital Territory are good sights to behold. What about the Eastern Palm University and Prince Hotel in Orlu, and the Princes Hotel in Okigwe? The editors saw an Owerri Capital Territory that has undergone a transformation that puts a lie to the campaign by Okorocha’s political traducers who brainwash Imolites that he is on a deceit lane. They saw the first, second and third inland roads built by Okorocha and many others crisscrossing Aba Road, Orlu Road, Okigwe Road, Freedom Park Road, Ochiedike Road; all emptying into the New Owerri, making driving and movement a pleasure within the capital city. The editors saw more than 1,000 brand new KIA cars procured for the proposed Imo Taxi Scheme that would help tricycle operators migrate into a more comfortable inland transport business. One media chief executive, whose father is a key player in Imo politics and belongs to the PDP, was so excited by the projects she literally danced at the sight of most of them. Okorocha may not be the best governor in the country, but in the past five years of his administration, he has displayed the spirit of a workman poised to change the face of his state. He simply needs all the support Imolites can muster. From security to poverty alleviation to infrastructure development, he has shown that Imo can indeed be better if the people show deeper commitment. His idiosyncracies notwithstanding, a governor who crashed poverty rate from 56 per cent in 2010 to 14 per cent currently, according to a World Bank report, cannot be said to be unfocused, and to say Imo needs more of such leaders is to say the least. One of the ways Ndi Imo can help Okorocha is by ensuring that whoever takes over from him in 2019 surpasses his record. That is how Imo can develop further.
Funny World
m or o.nwachuku@thenicheng.com or thenichenewsroom@gmail.com
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Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Ikechukwu Amaechi Executive Editor Oguwike Nwachuku Editor, Politics/Features Emeka Duru Editor-at-Large Sam Akpe Assistant Editor, North Chuks Ehirim Assistant Editor, South West Olumuyiwa Olaleye
Chief Operating Officer / FM Eugene Onyeji Human Resources Manager Kehinde Okeowo Advert Manager Vera Iyere
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TheNiche
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May 29, 2016
Words &Worlds
I
Remi Sonaiya
»
Nigerian academics: Waiting to be challenged on national dev
T WAS reported sometime in 2012 that the largest solar power generating station had been built and commissioned in Spain. According to the report, it was big enough to meet the electricity needs of hundreds of thousands of families. To my mind, that was a direct reproach to those of us who live practically on the Equator, for why is it that we would not be the ones meeting our energy needs primarily through solar power? For long, one kept hearing the excuse that solar power was expensive; therefore we continued importing generators and causing those who produce them to feed fat on our own sweat – and damaging our lungs in the process. The reality, however, is that no government has so far directly challenged our academics and researchers to solve this and other problems confronting us as a nation. If solar power was expensive, did it occur to our leaders to ask – almost compel! – our researchers to find us more affordable ways of generating it? One keeps dreaming of the time when a President would say to the universities: “Here is the money needed to equip your laboratories and conduct your research; in the next three years, I want a solution to such and such a national problem.” I believe that Nigerian academics are waiting for such a challenge. This is not such a far-fetched idea. Indeed, in countries where research, namely education, is seen, rightly, as the crucial wheels on which
Mac Odu
progress and advancement roll, it is a common and regular practice. President Barack Obama gives some examples in his book, The Audacity of Hope (New York: Three Rivers Press, p.167) in which he described the American response to the threat of the Soviet Union’s technological advancement at the height of the Cold War in these terms: In response, President Eisenhower doubled federal aid to education and provided an entire generation of scientists and engineers the training they needed to lead revolutionary advances. That same year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, was formed, providing billions of dollars to basic research that would eventually help create the Internet, bar codes, and computer-aided design. And in 1961, President Kennedy would launch the Apollo space program(me), further inspiring young people across the country to enter the New Frontier of science. It is amazing how so unaware some of our leaders are of the capacities and skills available in our higher educational institutions. The nation had invested much in the training of its nationals, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, and several of those people are still in the system, many of them refusing to join the brain drain wagon because of their commitment to their own country’s development. At the launching of the Roadmap on Education document in Abuja in March 2009, it be-
came necessary to correct the perception of the Minister of Education who was putting so much emphasis on inviting Nigerian academics in the Diaspora to assist the nation in resuscitating the education sector. There are skills and incredible competencies in Nigerian universities. The irony about it is that such competent academics are recognised abroad, but hardly at home. Home-based Nigerian academics are winning highly competitive awards, are being invited as external examiners to Western universities because they are recognised as leading authorities in their fields of specialisation, and generally contributing to the advancement of knowledge in a wide array of disciplines. When will the nation allow them to apply their skills to developing the nation? There is no doubt that those in the Diaspora have their part to play as well; but many of those who stayed behind have worked hard to remain current, seeking and winning grants allowing them to spend time in the libraries and laboratories of the world’s leading universities, something which their own country failed to provide, unfortunately. It is clear, for example, that we have not started designing appropriately for our own physical conditions, like the heavy rainfalls prevalent in our part of the world. Our civil and materials engineers should be challenged to help us design the kind of roads and develop
materials which will be more resistant to rain. How about roads which would have slightly convex surfaces, so that the rain would run off the edges into gutters? Also, what of some kind of wood product (wood chips or saw dust bound with glue or some plastic derivative) which could be used for park benches, facing boards or as the external part of doors and windows? There is so much potential for development! In fact, if a challenge were issued today to our universities, we might well discover that most of the fundamental researches have already been conducted and filed away, waiting to be used. And it is not in the science and technology disciplines alone that academics should be challenged to find solutions to national problems; the humanities and social sciences disciplines equally have a part to play. What, for example, would be the best way to bring about attitudinal change among Nigerians? This is something that could only be determined after extensive research. For instance, on what premise was the re-branding project of the late Professor Dora Akunyili based? Where has such a project been carried out before and what was the result? Nigeria should not continue to conduct its business without taking full advantage of the considerable intellectual resources available in the land.
Echoes from my past
INDELIBLE MARKS
0806 8909 467 profmarkodu@yahoo.co.uk
B
y the end of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) job, I was virtually on the staff of Harriman and Company, the leading indigenous firm of estate surveyors and valuers at the time. Hope Harriman, the Principal of the practice, did not fulfil his pledge to take over my practice and pay me a handsome sum thereof. He merely gave me a sum as compensation for handling the Shell job with minimum supervision and bluffed the commitment. However, I knew that with his influence as President of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), I stood a good chance of advancing my professional status, so I overlooked the unfairness in his conduct. He showed me that business life was not all that straight. I learnt that there was quite a bit to expect from even professionals.
I pleaded, however, for one of my loyal staff in Enugu, Timothy Okwuosa, and Harriman allowed me to bring him over to join his practice. I was pleased. I occupied myself during that year and the one following, learning the profession with zest. I was at the office early and left late but for a short spell of one hour, which I took off to have lunch at Agip Petrol Station, Ikoyi, where a lady made irresistible fish soup and pounded yam meal. Harriman and Company’s head office was at 4-6 Oil Mill Street, Lagos Island. I commuted from Yaba to be on my desk before 8 a.m. daily. Later that year, 1972, I was allowed the benefit of the Kombi bus I used for the survey for a while. Thereafter, I had the benefit of a Volkswagen Beetle from the pool. It was pleasant to be trusted with company assets and I knew I had to show maturity in the use of the vehicles. In a short while, I matured
for a car loan. I got £1,500, with which I bought myself a brand new Toyota Corona saloon car with factory-fitted air-conditioner. I write these details for posterity to measure the deterioration that has afflicted the Nigerian economic system as a result of our national poverty in leadership. As I write, the cost of a Toyota Corona now stands at about N2 million. This represents over 10,000 per cent depreciation in the value of our national currency. My salary was £1,500 per annum. With my pay, I was able to lease a little bungalow at the rear of a duplex at Onike, Yaba. Rent for the unit was half of my salary at first. I knew that I would grow into it as time went by. My little increment at the beginning of 1973 bore me out. I started enjoying myself as a top executive of an influential indigenous practice. In fulfilment of my extensive and intensive search for truth in detention, Colonel Rudolf Trimnel, who I had met in prison, came to me and
introduced me to a book called In the Light of Truth, The Grail Message by Abd Ru Shin. I was thoroughly taken in by the book. I read it quickly and appreciated the immense import of the book to my life. I thought that my life was complete with it. This was the third and most potent spring I had to drink from in my life. The training being in confinement had given me on discrimination was sharpened by this work. The positive tenets of life, which I had accepted were confirmed. A new meaning to everything without exception was given to life on earth. I knew I was being prepared for something at that stage of my life. Even if I had no role in creation and for humanity, I had a role to radiate joy and fulfilment in any endeavour I found myself. I was determined to build on that through the remaining part of my life. I was determined to engage myself in whatever gave me joy, caring little of what people thought about me.
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Buhari, it's time to roll up »OpenCopy the sleeves Email: nwaukpala@yahoo. com Tel: 0805 410 3327
with Emeka Alex Duru
T
o every Nigerian that means well for the country, today, May 29, should be a special day. Forget that, properly speaking, the day has no pronounced historical significance to the country. Forget also that the first organised massacre of the Igbo living in the North – the pogrom – took place on May 29 (1966). The fact, however, is that the date has come to stay with us. It was a day thrown on us by the military regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as it rounded off its tour of duty. As usual with men of the uniform, especially in our clime, Abubakar and his men did not consult us – the bloody civilians –before choosing the date to hand over power to the then elected civilian administration of Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. Of course, we did not ask questions on the choice of the date and its significance. But did we really need to? Did we have to? Having experienced gruelling 16 years of dictatorship and broken promises of return to democracy in the hands of different bands of military adventurers, any date proposed by the Abdulsalami junta was okay with us, as long as it would see power transferred to an elected government. That was how we departed from the country’s tradition of inaugurating a new administration on October 1, the very day we gained political independence
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Trademark Lines With
PAT AZURUNWA
L
eadership, either political or at the corporate level, is all about the use of power to influence the behaviour of people towards the attainment of desired (set) goals. The leader may employ tactics and strategies based on situations or self-conviction. In any way, the use of power produces three possible results namely, commitment, compliance or resistance. In a democratic setting where power resides with the people, the politicians, during electioneering, usually put together their plans, policies, ideologies and roadmaps in the form of manifestoes, to get to the hearts of the masses. No matter how these instruments are crafted, they, together with the constitution of a country which specifies the indubitable functions of government, present a form of social contract with the people. It is only in extreme communism, a totalitarian or any other form of non-representative government that can claim exception to this norm. Whether the contents of the social contract are kept by the leaders even when they are sworn to during the ritual of oath-taking is another academic discourse. Sometimes, they are couched in nebulous language; the other times they come in omnibuses. The intention is to confuse the masses and reduce their power of intellectual appraisal and criticism.
from the British colonial masters. And so, May 29 has remained with us to be marked or celebrated by the government of the day, depending on its disposition and circumstances of the day. Today’s occasion falls into the ritual. But it has more to show. It marks, for instance, the first year of hand-over of power from a previously ruling political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to a hitherto opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), seamlessly, in the country. With the change in government came a paradigm shift in our orientation and attitude to doing things. Incidentally, APC had galloped to power on the mantra of change. It had promised radical change in style and structure of governance. It had offered Nigerians hope for better life. It had pledged frontal battle to corruption and insecurity. But coming to power has offered the party insight into the realities of the day. APC has since been putting some caveats on its pre-election grandiose promises. The party has since been telling Nigerians how the monster of corruption had eaten very deep into all segments of national life. It has been advertising great feats in bursting or recovering alleged loots by some officials of the immediate past administration.
And faced with the challenges of the moment, the government has taken some measures that the people did not actually bargain for, the touchiest being the increase in the pump price of petrol from N87 to N145 a litre. Not even the most ardent supporters of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration have found the decision funny. Some have described the measure as betrayal. Some say it is punishment. But the government has been suing for peace, explaining why it took the action. At last, it has confessed that the country is broke. And given the situation, not much could be done. Actually, not much had been done in terms of fixing the country’s collapsed infrastructure in the last one year. It had rather been a period marked by infighting by chieftains of the ruling party over positions or ego trip in passing the budget. When either of these was not the case, it was the usual resort to blaming the past administration for whatever inadequacies on the ground. All this while, the government may have had its way. But one year in the saddle, the honeymoon should be over. It can no longer be the usual blame game. The buck should stop somewhere, this time around. The recourse to blaming the Goodluck Jonathan era for whatever challenges confronting the government is no longer tenable.
Nigerians were, by their votes, quite agreed that the former administration was not on course. That was why they voted it out and voted in Buhari’s APC. In doing so, they voted for change, they voted for action. And they deserve that change. They deserve good governance. They need to be told the true state of affairs and not being choked with propaganda, as it is presently. With the general elections still three years ahead, Nigerians desire to be taken to a new lease of life. They need to be convinced to beat their chests and thunder that they have a government that thinks and works for them. There is no more time for the government to brandish the claim of not meeting anything on the ground. It does no longer have the luxury of claiming meeting an empty treasury. It cannot continue hiding under the canopy of being handed a dysfunctional system. Nigerians are no longer prepared to be fed with such excuses. Buhari and his men should, rather, roll up their pants and get to work. After all, great leaders in history are known to have made their marks under moments of grave difficulties. It is also in dark moments that stars are noticed. The present government can elect to do so from now. Happy Democracy Day to all of us.
Social contract and the conditions of a free society
The common man cedes part of his freedom, privileges and personal inclination and subjects himself to the general will, which is focused on the common goal of the whole community. This is opposed to the will of the majority which is sometimes subjective and a product of political manoeuvring. The will of all is a compromise between the desires, interests or wills of individual members of the community. It presupposes, therefore, that the common man who professes the general will naturally transmute from being just an individual to being a citizen. One of the founding fathers of Modern Political Thought, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, believes that those who subscribe to the general will cannot claim that it restricts their freedom, since, according to him, freedom is about autonomy or self-rule (living under laws one has made for oneself). No doubt, there will be instances where acting in tandem with the general will may appear to conflict with one’s private inclinations; one must subordinate those inclinations to the general will. A contrary action will translate to working against one’s real interests. Rousseau posits that “in such circumstances, if the law requires me to act against my inclination, then the law is effectively forcing me to be free!” What a paradox? The right to life and every freedom associated with it within the ambit of the law is an inalienable entitlement of all citizens. But one can hardly be free if the society where one is a player is not free. Rousseau (1712-1778), a French writer born in Geneva, insists that certain considerations beget a free society. Owing to the nature of his agitations, some of
his contemporaries refer to him as “a man of volatile emotions, but keen mind”. What are these considerations? First is approximate economic equality. He believes that unequal access to wealth and prosperity will continue to engender strife, envy and resentment, with the propensity of fragmenting the community. To confirm his hard stance on this, Rousseau advocates economic autarchy, which implies doing away with foreign trade and depending on selfsufficiency in the production of what citizens need. His argument is that international trade and politics is not only potentially destabilising, but it also introduces luxury goods beyond what can be produced at home, and this has the effect of fostering pride, envy and a concern for status. This sounds logical, but clearly an unsustainable panacea. Nations depend on each other for mutual growth, respect and development. The world is encouraging free enterprise, and so, there can hardly be equal access to wealth, as not all persons are equally endowed mentally, by measure of hard work or opportunities. While his apologists and leftists hail him, many subsequent commentators have labelled him a precursor of totalitarianism. The second is the absence of intermediate associations. Here, Rousseau abhors religious and political pluralism as, according to him, allegiance to churches, mosques, guilds and associations are potential sources of sectional and private interests working against the general will, because they provide alternative sense of belonging to that of normal citizenship. This is also an extreme approach. Granted, religion as the opium of the masses tends to dictate mode of behaviour to the fundamentalists. A great majority of the world
is secular, and it appears that the possibility of legislating the absence of these intermediate associations is far-fetched. Finally, Rousseau thinks there is an optimum size to the state. To him, the small classical Greek city-states or the Calvinist theocracy or Geneva were most conducive to freedom because in a small state it is easier to share political rule and identity with fellow citizens. Upon a critical look at the foregoing, one would be tempted to ask: Can a society be free? There is no absolute freedom anywhere, as that is a recipe for anarchy and chaos. But a society can be relatively free. Let us paint a hypothetical picture here. Our leaders and politicians suddenly realise that they need to keep their part of the social contract; there is equal access to educational and health facilities provided by the state; there is no nepotism in employment; there is a control of noise pollution by churches and mosques and a strengthening of the legal system to deal with deviants; a continuous sensitisation of the citizens of the need to pro-create in line with their capacities irrespective of religious dogmas and doctrines; there is a credible election; there is social security for the elderly, and there is a full return to federalism as practised in the developed world. This is strong enough a pedestal to build a free society. But if we expect that the freedom will just happen without a robust, conscientious and consistent demand for the general will, then that will be puerile. Rousseau would have lived in a society as forlorn as the present Nigeria, hence his extreme views. Would we rather not support him than support our roguish politicians who unabashedly ask us to pray for them while they prey on us?
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TheNiche May 29, 2016
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TheNiche
May 29, 2016
Spotlight
www.thenicheng.com ENTERTAINMENT PEOPLE CULTURE FOOD FASHION ENTERTAINMENT FAITH HEALTH
TERH AGBEDEH Assistant Life Editor 0805 215 3875 t.agbedeh@thenicheng.com terhagbedeh@gmail.com TEMITOPE OJO Women's Editor 0708 479 6140
»
ARTS
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PAGE 47
Un-entertaining, un-arty, un-cultural one year in the saddle
On Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new honour
I have the best of two worlds – Yvonne Okoro PAGE 38 »
TheNiche
Innocent Chukwu Nigeria on a fast la www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
Profile
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Sustaining the giant efforts of Innocent Chukwuma, Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company (IVM), may be all that Nigeria requires to join the league of industrialised nations. Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, writes.
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uccessive administrations in Nigeria have come up with policies indicating intention at industrialising the country. Often, these commendable ideals have not been actualised due largely to inadequate political will to see the plans through. In the process, even some of the established industries have gone under, while individuals and organisations wishing to go into the sector have been discouraged. There are, however, some who have refused to give in to the unfriendly climate. These have weathered the storm and seemed resolute at staying the course. This is the story of Innoson Group, owners of IVM. The Chairman, Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma, identifies this spirit of resilience as a major factor that has propelled his organisation to its current enviable height. His story is that of success borne out of hard work and perseverance. He had, at a time, told this reporter that when he made a bold move into industrialisation through the acquisition of former Eastern Plastics, it was an adventure fraught with uncertainties. The factory, for example, was a shadow of its old self, with the account of its infrastructural facilities appalling. “When we started, things were hard and the times were hard. When we started, there was no light, no roads and no water,” he recalled, adding that with time, some of the debilitating conditions were tackled. His foray into the sector actually began with attempts at fabricating plastic components of motorcycles. Before then, his organisation had made its marks in expanding the volume of motorcycle imports in the country. To realise this dream, the firm in 1994 entered into an agreement with some Chinese motorcycle manufacturers – a symbiotic partnership which was consummated with the establishment of a facility in Nnewi, Anambra State, where top quality motorcycles were produced. However, the target of comparatively low prices and transfer of the production technology were only partially achieved because the assembly process was totally manual and did not make for high vol-
ume. This challenge, Chukwuma explained, accounted for the company installing a fully automated assembly line at the Nnewi plant in 1995. The new arrangement, he said, witnessed a packing technique which made it possible to arrange as many as 240 completely knocked down (CKD) sets in one 40-foot container as opposed to about 80 fully built units of’ motorcycles hitherto imported in the same container. He attributed the high cost of the imported motorcycles, then, to importers bringing in complete motorcycles, in containers. But the strategy he introduced into the business forced down the cost, considerably. Against this background, Chukwuma, perhaps, rightly described himself as “the first person that introduced Chinese motorcycles into Nigeria”, stressing that the feat was motivated by his desire to save Nigerians from the drudgery of imported fairly used motorcycles, otherwise called Tokunboh or highly expensive new ones. Even with the feat, there was still the pressing need to attain economy of scale in production, hence the drive to fabricate the plastic components of the motorcycles locally. This, Chukwuma stated, motivated him to acquire Eastern Plastics. The company, which was owned then by the old Anambra State Government, was, at the time of the acquisition by Innoson, replete with obsolete machinery. But it was later re-equipped with stateof-the-art production facilities and transformed into its current form. At the last count, the firm had over 2,000 workforce spread in three shifts with over all 10,000 production capacity daily. It also makes more than 150 ranges of plastic products. Some of the products at the Emene site of the factory include PHCN meter boxes and accessories; PVC plumbing hoses, industrial dust bins, industrial tanks, PVC ceilings; motorcycle covers, shield and crash helmets. The firm, instructively, sources 80 per cent of its raw materials from Eleme Petrochemical Industries. Chukwuma beats his chest on
uma: Driving ane www.thenicheng.com
the quality of goods produced at the factory. He said: “Any item produced here, as far as plastic is concerned, remains the best. In fact, as at today, we are the highest ranking plastic industry (in Nigeria).” This feat notwithstanding, the company, he said, is not resting on its oars. Part of what he attributed to the apparent success of the company is its clientele that cuts across all sectors of the market. Products of the company, he explained, are not customised for any particular clientele. “We are here to make plastics for any one that needs our service. Ours is to make plastics,” he stated. For him, this agenda aligns with the vision of the group which he disclosed is “to be a dominant and committed player in the plastic and automotive industries by manufacturing and making available to the citizenry brand new products of first class quality in Nigeria”. The mission, he added, is to satisfy the automotive and plastic requirements of customers by using the highest technology with a well-motivated and trained indigenous
work force. Chukwuma acknowledges that actualising the standard set by the group is a tall order. But he sees it as a commitment that can be met by having a devoted management team that has a wealth of experience in all areas, and that is able to take fast decisions on new developments which will always put the group a step ahead of its competitors. How does the group cope with competition from organisations dealing on related products? Chukwuma’s response was sharp and direct: “I like competition. For me, competition brings out the best. I like competition in anything I do.” Paradoxically, he sees the company as competing with its own standards. “Ours is to continuously strive to meet the standards we have set for ourselves. If we are really competing, it is with our standards and our desire to achieve perfection,” he added. The perfection dream, perhaps, started yielding fruits with the Nnewi automotive plant of the group breaking new grounds in auto manufacturing. The organisation, in February 2007, embarked on what had appeared a daunting task when it incorporated IVM, to produce sundry commercial automobiles, utility vehicles and passenger cars, in collaboration with some Chinese auto makers. The brave effort was followed with the public display of some of the vehicles at the 2nd Nnewi International Auto Trade Fair held at Gabros Sports Complex of the Beverly Hills Hotels, Nnewi in the last quarter of 2009. With that successful outing, IVM made a bold statement about its readiness to achieve the mission of being the first indigenous auto maker to produce truly Nigerian vehicles that are affordable and reliable. The vehicles, incidentally, have high level of local content in every unit. Chukwuma spoke on their quality at a recent award on him by a Lagos-based national daily, Vanguard. He said, “We believe in quality not quantity. I know an average person will like to entrust his/her money into something durable; we take this into consideration in all our services.” Some state governments and organisations, TheNiche learnt, are already placing massive orders for the vehicles. For a country that has been desperately searching for a way out of its current low industrial base and consequent unemployment, the feat by Chukwuma and his team comes as a refreshing window out of the situation. Engineer Ben Okongwu, a former lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, saw the initiative by IVM as a viable path for Nigeria to join the enviable league of industrialised nations. “I am particularly excited by the news of the young man coming up with a vehicle manu-
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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facturing plant. I quite appreciate what he may be passing through in terms of financing and expertise; but if he perseveres, he would be writing his name on gold. This is the only way Nigeria can break out of poverty and dependence on other countries and begin to consider herself as a truly independent nation. More people should be encouraged to toe this noble path,” Okongwu suggested. The perseverance by Chukwuma seems to be paying off. Earlier in the year, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IVM for research and production of spare parts for its fighter jets. The relationship, our reporter learnt, was occasioned by the success of the company in fabricating brake components of some of NAF’s grounded aircraft. The enticing story from IVM could be enough for an average entrepreneur to go home and sleep. But not Chukwuma. In fact, for him, despite the feat so far attained, there is no rest. In his words, “until you are tired, you cannot claim to have hit your target”. The journey, thus, continues. He somehow seemed set for greater heights from the beginning. Like the mustard seed, he started off as trader but has metamorphosed into big-time manufacturing. It all commenced in 1978 when the young Chukwuma completed his secondary education. He had initial interest in studying engineering at the university. While waiting for his result, he decided to report to the patent medicine store of his elder brother, Gabriel, to occupy his time. It was in the process that his talent in trading began to unfold. With his result eventually not strong enough to carry him to university, he decided to settle for business. Chukwuma served under Romanus Eze Onwuka. He later returned to his brother, who promptly registered Gabros International to trade on motorcycle spare parts. He was given N3,000 to start, and was allowed free hand to manage the seed money. It was the prudent management of the initial capital that gave rise to the octopus that IVM currently represents. The group consists of: Innoson Nigeria Ltd, makers of motorcycles and spare parts; Innoson Technical and Industries Limited, makers of plastics and household items; Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM), auto makers and General Tyres and Tubes Company Limited, Enugu. Born in 1961 in Umudim, Nnewi, Innocent Chukwuma hails from Uru village, Nnewi, in Anambra State. He is the last of six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Chukwuma Mojekwu. Dr. Chukwuma loves playing tennis as a form of relaxation. He is married to Mrs. Ebele Chukwuma and they are blessed with children.
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nicheEntert
TheNiche
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May 29, 2016
Un-entertaining, un-arty, un-cultural one year in the saddle
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ohammadu Buhari’s first anniversary as President of Nigeria has been perhaps one of the most talked about events of the century. Long before May 29, the social media has been abuzz with what the new government that campaigned on the slogan of change has failed to change and how to go about it. One year after, the talk seems to be louder with stakeholders from arts and culture adding their voice to the fray. In this special report, TheNiche captres what they have to say verbatim. Fidelis Duker (filmmaker/festival director) I will give the government a pass mark of 50 per cent because they have shown some level of interest in the sector. For the movie industry, they are trying to regulate and structure the industry through MOPICON (Motion Picture Council of Nigeria) Bill. In other areas, there has been a summit on the need to revitalise the culture and tourism sector. However, a lot still needs to be done in the area of the economic policy of government, as this has an effect on the culture and tourism industry. They have fared badly in one year considering the level of interest and their understanding that the sector is a major alternative revenueearner for government. It is my considered opinion that they will use the next one year in consolidating on the milestones recorded by the previous government when the entertainment sector reflected as a major contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Grace Edwin Okon (actress/ filmmaker) It is just recently that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has started interaction with Nollywood; to the best of my knowledge, in the last two months. He has been meeting with producers regarding the MOPICON Bill. For now, to the best of my knowledge, that is the only interaction we have had with the Presidency… but we don’t have any direct interaction with him. This is almost a year and I want to believe that he should have at least made an effort like his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, who really helped Nollywood. The impact of Jonathan in Nollywood resulted in a more viable economy and that sector was seen as one that can draw investments. A lot of people made good returns from films during that
Grace Edwin Okon
Kimono
period and I just expected that being one of the areas that really helped to improve the economy, he should have actually taken it and ran with it. You cannot just focus on oil alone. We all know what Hollywood does for America. Even Bollywood for India. So, he should make sure that practitioners are working on selling Nigeria in good light, especially with all the corruption allegations all over the place. People generally just perceive every single Nigerian walking on the streets as a corrupt person, but that is not the case. And what we do in terms of filmmaking and in the media are the things that will help to change the face of Nigeria and give us a facelift before the world. By the time you put this content out there and people see it, they will say that these people are not as bad as we thought they were. It will shore up our image and help to improve our economy. On a movie set like mine for example, on the average I work with at least 50 people for production. So, on my own, I am making sure that at least 50 people and their families are feeding off what I do. But if I get support from the government for my project, Derwin First Shot Initiative for instance, you can imagine how many more families will have food to eat or many more people will be employed. So he should be more proactive, more involved and have more interactions, especially with the producers who employ every other person like the directors and actors. I can’t speak for music or comedy, but I really haven’t seen much that has happened in those sectors. Agozie Ugwu (theatre director) I have not seen anything this government has done in all areas of governance in the country, let alone arts and
culture. If there is, I have not seen. Arts and culture are wobbling because people are not financially-capable. So when you do events, very few people come out not because they don’t want to but because they don’t have the money to come. I am not seeing any clear programme on the ground to address this. If there is any, I don’t know about it. There is no governmental policy that is geared towards the nation’s arts and culture. In fact, I am not sure if Abuja Carnival held last year. If it did, it must have happened behind closed doors because the carnival we know did not hold. Even the Enugu Carnival did not hold. I think the entertainment industry, arts and culture have gone comatose under this administration with just stakeholders trying on their own. I am not sure if government has even had any performance in the National Theatre in Lagos or anywhere in the country. I don’t know of any policy trying to promote arts and culture or even any other art fest in this country. We are just watching and waiting, and languishing in penury. The election is over. The time for propaganda is over. I think this government should go back to the basics and articulate policies that can be implemented not lofty policies that have no prospects. The entertainment industry is one of the largest and has the ability to create jobs for many people. For instance, we are planning to set up The Abuja Theatre Festival for which we hope to create 5,000 jobs for like three to four months. But we are not seeing any policies that encourage us to go ahead. So what I will advocate is for the government to articulate policies that can encourage arts and culture, encourage the entertainment industry because if we help create jobs it will
keep youths from violence, terrorism, insurgency because these are jobless minds. Most Nigerian youths are interested in entertainment. So if you create a favourable environment for us to operate, they will be greatly employed. If this issue of unemployment is addressed, the economy is enhanced and crime rate is reduced. Eddie Ugbomah (veteran filmmaker) Unfortunately, everything is upside down in Nigeria. In other parts of the world, entertainment gets better during recession. But because everything is upside down in Nigeria, entertainment is getting worse. When prices of foodstuff skyrocket, who has time to go to nightclub or to drink or to enjoy? It is a pity. They (Buhari’s administration) are just 'making mouth' as if they know, but I don’t think they know anything and they don’t want to know. Recently, I suggested a national jingle against this crisis, but nobody in government replied me. Nobody said thanks for the idea or forget it. The ordinary people I showed it to were very enthusiastic about it. It is only a fool that thinks he can fight four wars; they are fighting Niger Delta Avengers, Boko Haram, Biafra, no. I have written to them; I have sent text (messages) to the government. This is our country, and if we destroy it, we destroy ourselves and have nowhere to run to. (This government) is not friendly to anybody; they are making a big mistake. They want to go it alone and it is impossible. They just tied Nollywood down on MOPICON that is over 30 years old, and you are doing MOPICON without the original people. How can you be doing MOPICON without somebody like Zeb Ejiro, Eddie Ugbomah, Jimi Odumosun? I am talking about the originators of
the industry. I have been talking about MOPICON for more than 28 years. I knew the value of MOPICON when every Dick, Tom and Harry were jumping in. When I brought up the idea, nobody answered. Now the whole thing has gone haywire. These South Africans have gone deep in our industry and have done more harm to Nollywood. However, you cannot rate a man who met an empty house. It is left for him to stop looking back in anger and say, where do I go from here? What is wrong with APC (All Progressives Congress) is that they were so bent on taking the government and now they got the government, they don’t know what to do with it. The peace and unity story I wrote is how we can tell every Nigerian, whether Boko Haram, Delta Avengers or whoever, you have nowhere to run to, destroy (the country) and it is yourself you are destroying. Let us prick people’s conscience; let the word crush be the last language; crush this, crush that. How many of them are you going to crush? The soldier in him is just too much. He forgets that he is wearing agbada. The unfortunate thing is that all his advisers are afraid to confront him and say, no, calm down. Betty Abah (writer/social advocate) A lot has remained the same, if not worse, in several sectors of the economy and country. Contrary to high expectations that there will be an astronomical rise in the fortunes of the arts, there is no spectacular form of support. The government has been fixated on an anti-corruption fight to the negligence of other areas of the economy and national life. We are in recession mostly attributable to initial missteps of Buhari, who has been rigid and Continues on page 46
tainment
TheNiche May 29, 2016
www.thenicheng.com
with Terh Agbedeh
Gidi Blues premieres June 4
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frica Magic and Femi Odugbemi will on June 4 premiere Gidi Blues, an unusual love story filled with intrigues and suspense told with a ‘Lagosstate-of-mind’. The event will take place at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos The film features a stellar cast which includes Gideon Okeke, Bukky Wright, Tina Mba, Lepacious Bose, Nancy Isime, Banky W and others. The movie promises high quality entertainment with humour, music and drama, and dwells on the unpredictability of Lagos city where anything can and often does happen.
Filmed in iconic Lagos locations like Idumota, Makoko, Victoria Island, Isale Eko, Lekki, Freedom Park and Broad Street, Gidi Blues showcases Lagos city and the unique energy of its people. Akin, played by Gideon Okeke, is an indulged playboy from an affluent family who accidentally meets an interesting beauty, Nkem, in an unpredictable place. Nkem is a beautiful, confident but unusual young lady, who devotes herself to her work as a community volunteer in the belly of the city’s worst slum. Their encounter drags Akin into a whirlwind experience that unravels his world. “Gidi Blues is the result of inspiring creativity, innovative filmmaking and exciting
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lack movie stars like Will Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, Tyler Perry, Wesley Snipes, Viola Davis, Morris Chestnut, Martin Lawrence, Mia Long, Vivica A. Fox, Zoe Saldana and a host of others will in June
Favourites
Tope Tedela Song: Almost all the songs on the Ghost Stories album by Coldplay. Music Video: ‘Say’ by Bez Movie: The Count of Monte Cristo, Confusion Na Wa and Warrior. Book: The Broker by John Grisham
Birthday
Fidelis Duker
storytelling. At Africa Magic, we take pride in bringing to life the best of film and television content out of Africa through partnerships with some of the best talents in the continent and Femi Odugbemi’s work as a filmmaker is very well renowned. We are indeed excited to premiere Gidi Blues and cannot wait for movie lovers in Nigeria and indeed the rest of the world to see it,” said the Regional Director, M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu. The movie also stars Hauwa Allahbura, widely regarded as one of Nollywood’s most exciting new talents, in the lead role as Nkem. Hauwa currently features on the soap opera, Tinsel. “Gidi Blues was exciting as
it was challenging, and we are extremely delighted with the finished work. The movie deals with the famous spirit of Lagos, the resolve within every Lagosian that confronts every challenge with the belief that all is surmountable. Gidi Blues is also a love story, which seeks to inspire young people to give back through community volunteer work. For example, Makoko, the fishing slum under the Third Mainland Bridge, is where the lead characters find meaning in their lives as they volunteer as teachers and also start initiatives that support and empower the disadvantaged in the community,” Odugbemi, who produced and directed the film, said.
Will Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, others play on movie pop-up channel be the focus of a movie pop-up channel to launch on M-Net Movies Select. It is conceived by MultiChoice and M-Net Channels to celebrate the immense contribution of African American stars to the magic of Hollywood. The slate of more than 170 films will be screened for 18 hours a day – from Friday, June 3 to Thursday, June 30. Coinciding with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), an annual international event in Miami dedicated to showcasing entertainment content made by and about people of African
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descent to a worldwide audience, the channel will be available across Africa. Among the movies on the line-up are: Wild Wild West, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Bad Boys 2, Madea’s Witness Protection, Get Hard, Fast & Furious 7, The Wedding Ringer and Ride Along. Viewers will also see Chocolate City, which tells the story of a struggling student who turns to the life of an exotic dancer to make ends meet, for the very first time. Jan du Plessis, Director, M-Net Channels, says MNet Movies Select builds on the massive success of
previous movie pop-up channels on DStv such as last year’s Star Wars extravaganza and kykNET’s Afrikaans language holiday treats, fliekNET. “Pop-up channels are currently all the rage worldwide. By creating these channels, we have an opportunity to curate available content for the enjoyment of viewers with different tastes. While movies with phenomenal African-American talent are often scattered across our various channels, this will be the first time you’ll find them all on one channel.”
Today is filmmaker Fidelis Duker’s birthday. Passionate about filmmaking, he founded the Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF). The former president of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN) has put in over 20 years in the industry and has been involved in its politics and business in Africa and beyond. He has been scriptwriter, producer, director, festival director and programmer. The films with his name on it included: Blood Brothers, King of Money, Nemesis, Scandals, Destined to Die, Monica Lewinsky, Pure Love, Doctor Death, Rejected, Hot Passion, Night
New Music
‘Your Body’ London-based Nigerian crooner and songwriter, Yemi Rush, has unveiled the music video for his latest single ‘Your Body’. Produced by long-time collaborator, Lexyflow, it is released on Yemi Rush’s label imprint, MuzikBasket. ‘Your Body’ is his second official single of the year, on the back of ‘Scooby Doo’, and was premiered on The Beat FM London. Filmed on location in London, it is directed by Fli5 Star along with Rush
Location The cast and crew for the movie, woEman, is currently on location. Directed by Damijo Efe Young, the drama stars Frederick Leonard, Omotu Bissong, Angel Unigwe, Arinze Okonkwo, Lisa Omorodion and Sidney Ekwulogo. What is acceptable in a relationship? Should a fiancee lie? How much trust should a husband have? Are some of the questions the movie raises.
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Event TheNiche
www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
Mobil Oil Nigeria 38th AGM Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc held its 38th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 in Lagos.
L-R: Amade; Oyebanji; and directors, Alastair Macnaughton and Michel Gouzerh.
L-R: President, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Sunny Nwosu; Director, Mobil Oil Nigeria, Mrs. Mayen Adetiba; Macnaughton and Gouzerh.
L-R: Mrs. Adetiba, Amade, Oyebanji, Macnaughton and Gouzerh.
L-R: Company Secretary, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, Emmanuel Amade; Manager, Public and Government Affairs, ExxonMobil, Akin Fatunke; and Chairman/MD, Adetunji Oyebanji.
Cross-section of shareholders.
L-R: Oyebanji, Macnaughton, Nwosu, and Public/Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil, Akin Fatunke.
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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FREE SPEECH
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By Fred Nwaozor he popular warning for men to ‘make hay while the sun shines’ would only be considered reasonable and rational when there’s still hay left in the bushes and every arena where it is usually found. Of course, you can only be conscientised to grab something on time when the stuff in question is still available. Over the years, several communities across the federation had been subjected to untold hardship and seeming perpetual torture by Fulani herdsmen. I can’t forget in a hurry that virtually all the states in Nigeria, particularly those in the Southern region, have tasted a bit of this conundrum at one time or another. The aforesaid set of farmers, rather than concentrating on grazing towards breeding their livestock, end up constituting nuisance in their various host communities, in the name of ‘revenge’ or what have you. This domineering and nonchalant idiosyncrasy of these armed herdsmen who parade themselves with unspeakable ammunition was arguably overlooked by the government and other concerned authorities, not until they recently unleashed an astonishing terror on the people of Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State; an attack that left in its trail tears and blood. In the crisis, which occurred on Monday, April 25, 2016, scores were found dead, countless persons maimed, about a hundred residents injured, several houses and churches razed, thereby rendering over 2,000 dwellers homeless. The incident might have come and gone, it is imperative to acknowledge that the peril it inflicted
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The herdsmen conundrum: Before we witness reprisals
on the living victims is unarguably an experience they will all live to recall. Each time I recollect that a certain community in Enugu State sometime in the history of this country woke one morning only to be brutally taken unawares by a group of total strangers, I invariably take solace in the ‘notion’ that it could be a mere dream. Obviously, the deed has already been done. Instead of indulging in retrogressive discourse or debate, the most logical and viable thing to do at this point is to concentrate on the way forward. In a situation like this, having taken a formidable step towards checking recurrence, the next most reasonable action to take is to harmonise the atmosphere or the ties binding the affected persons or groups. Frankly, before we witness reprisal, which is often the most expected consequent approach whenever such incident transpires, every concerned quarter or body needs to leave no stone unturned towards ensuring that adequate measures are taken with a view to avoiding further tragic situations in the country at large. Any reasonable Nigerian, both at home and in the Diaspora, who says he/she wasn’t deeply hurt by the aforementioned ordeal, is, to say the least, a monster; hence, all hands are required to be on deck towards creating the anticipated harmony. The last time I checked, the herdsmen imbroglio was almost ubiquitous that only a severe and drastic measure is required to address it. The governors of the affected states, rather than aggravate the colossal injuries already caused, ought to map out the areas to be utilised for grazing on behalf of the herdsmen. And the herdsmen shouldn’t be allowed to move from one state to another, which often constitutes nuisance on our roads. Moreover,
henceforth, the grazing activity should be commercialised by the various states; it ought to serve as an internally-generated revenue (IGR) source for the states. Thus, commercialisation of the grazing activity as well as scrapping of routing from a locality to another ought to be captured as one of the clauses in the proposed Grazing Reserves Bill. This is why the citizenry mustn’t be taken unawares as regards the bill; all must be involved while drafting the bill, so that every needed clause or interest would be captured. Similarly, the government is required to grant soft loans to the herdsmen to enable them prepare formidable and lasting ranches that would stand the test of time, in their respective jurisdictions or farms. To this end, any herdsman who cannot foot the bill for the grazing activity in any state would concentrate on his ranch. However, I want to bring to our knowledge that it isn’t all the herdsmen that are brutal; the vandals are just a few among them that unnecessarily intends to unleash terror on their host communities, probably owing to one or two frivolous reasons. To this end, the bad eggs must be fished out via the effort of the leadership of the herdsmen’s coalition, and thereafter brought to book. The relevant law enforcement agents ought to take this step very seriously. I’m a social crusader who strongly believes in ascertaining the fundamental cause(s) of any anomaly if truly the lapse in question must be addressed holistically or towards restoring normalcy, and this very one isn’t exceptional. Hence, I enjoin the authorities such as the police, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, to embark on a rigorous finding
with a view to ensuring that they ascertain the prime origin of the ongoing state of unrest. In addition, governments at all levels should set up committees to look into this aspect. Town hall meetings equally ought to be randomly scheduled to sensitise the general public on their civic responsibilities in this regard as well as give the affected host communities a sense of belonging. We must note that we can’t completely unravel this state of quagmire without employing community policing, which would be thoroughly effective only if the entire dwellers are carried along. We mustn’t take any action without involving the potential victims of the mayhem. There’s also need for us, especially the security agents, to stop inserting ‘Fulani’ whenever we intend to speak or write on anything pertaining to the herdsmen; we must take into cognisance that anyone could be a herdsman regardless of his/ her place of origin. Besides, anyone who intends to hurt you might come in disguise as anything; needless to reiterate that someone or a group that had been longing to terrorise you may decide to hide under the guise of herdsmen. Thus, we must be duly guided on how we go about the so-called Fulani herdsmen. I can’t round off this critique without reminding the various governments on the need to embark on a massive compensation programme, not just in Nimbo Community but all over Nigeria. Let’s make hay while the sun shines and now that hay is still available in the various bushes. Think about it!
in by providing support to the families of the victims. In that regard, N500,000 was given to each family of the 138 victims. In terms of social intervention, Sokoto is above its peers in the country. Even when the federal government was yet to decide on payment of allowances to the vulnerable members of the society, Sokoto had implemented the policy by giving the sum of N6,500 to extremely poor citizens monthly. In addition to this, less-privileged members of the society do not have to pay for drugs in hospitals because the government sets aside N10 million monthly for provision of free prescribed drugs to the sick who cannot afford to purchase the drugs. The funds are kept in select hospitals and pharmaceutical stores in different parts of the state for easy access. In education, the impact made by Tambuwal is very visible. First, he declared a state of emergency in the sector and followed that up with a release of N1 billion for settlement of fees for Sokoto students studying in various schools across the globe. The school expansion and renovation project has already commenced in four schools: GGC Rabah, GGMSS Illela, GSS Tureta and GDSS Sabon Birni. The government also provided free forms to 8,000 unified tertiary institutions admissions examinations candidates in April this year. As a demonstration of its new-found commitment to the sector, government set aside 29 per cent of its 2016 budget estimate for education, the highest allocation in the budget and far above the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)-recommended 26 per cent. Government thereafter flagged off a programme to enrol over one million children into schools in the present academic calendar. Happily, the target has already been met after a total 1,193,760 pupils were enrolled into basic education level for the 2015/2016 academic session. More teachers have been recruited, while a committee set up to proffer solution to the challenges confronting the sector has just submitted
an interim report. In addition to the provision of free drugs, government passed legislation that totally transformed the delivery of service in the primary healthcare (PHC) sub-sector. The PHC under-one-roof policy has streamlined control and removed unnecessary bureaucracy in the implementation of health goals in Sokoto. In terms of immunisation, after certifying the state free of polio, lassa and guinea worm, one million children were immunised against measles in February alone. Within the first few months of the second year of the present administration, a signature policy, one that will transform healthcare delivery in the state for ever, will come into effect. About three million citizens are expected to benefit from the Community Contributory Health Scheme. It will expand access to heathcare delivery, reduce the number of those uninsured and importantly reduce medical costs at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. This will form a giant leap towards the famed healthcare for all policy. One of Tambuwal’s campaign promises was to enhance collaboration with the private sector and empower small businesses to deliver quality service to the populace. In that regard, the sum of N2 billion was set aside by the government and the Bank of Industry (BoI) as intervention fund for the development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises in Sokoto. Another N2 billion set aside for the implementation of United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)’s 2016 Work Plan in Sokoto. The sectors are education, health, environment, sanitation and nutrition. Not contented with that, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two firms, Erisco Foods Limited and Prime Gold Fertiliser Company, for the establishment of a tomato processing factory and a fertiliser plant in Sokoto. Works towards implementation are at advanced stage. When completed, both entities will provide employment opportunities to thou-
sands of people and open markets for farmers and their produce. Tambuwal’s innovative approach to leadership is more visible in the management of the state’s environment. After re-introducing the monthly sanitation exercise following a decade of suspension, the government then introduced a monetary incentive to have the cleanest neighbourhood rewarded with cash. Without much prompting, people embraced the idea and the quantity of refuse from inner streets within the few weeks of the implementation nearly overpowered evacuators. Residents have not looked back since then. Sokoto has now regained its place as one of the cleanest cities in the federation. To mitigate the effect of desert encroachment, it is now mandatory for any person building a new house in Sokoto to plant a tree within his/her premises. No space will properly capture what Tambuwal has done in the last one year. But it is worth mentioning here that having created employment opportunity for close to 20,000 people in different sectors, notably agriculture, mining and the state civil service, and seeing to the creation of 1,000 new millionaires following the payment of N2.6 billion to nearly 2,000 retirees, the upward trajectory of impact on the economy of the state will only continue. After coming to power in a time of raging economic crisis, with many states struggling to even pay monthly salaries of their workers, Tambuwal has steadied the ship and prevented a wreck. In one year, he has engineered quite a few quiet revolutions that are today making loud impact in his state. His approach to issues like legislative harmony, youth and women empowerment, environment, finance and civil service reforms has reshaped governance and stood his administration out as a government of relentless activism. • Imam is Special Adviser (Media) to Sokoto State Governor.
• Nwaozor is public affairs analyst and civil rights activist.
Sokoto: Where quiet By Imam Imam
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oday, May 29, 2016, the present democratic experiment clocked one year, and all over the country, governments are expected to roll out the drums to celebrate their achievements and make renewed commitments to the citizenry. In Sokoto, it has been 366 days since the inauguration of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as governor. It has been a different approach to governance. While expectations were high following the ouster of the former ruling party at the national level, Tambuwal and his team understood the need to render diligent service to the people. That diligence was spiced up with innovations that have not only made the necessary impact, but have galvanised the citizens into being part of the governance process. As a member of the newbreed political class, it is safe to say that Tambuwal and his team know too well that doing things the old way is never an option. Because in addition to the glaring failure of the past, the old ways have left a toxic feel in the political firmament of the nation. To make the future secure, the present has to be ruffled. Far-reaching – and I dare add innovative – decisions were taken to ensure that the mistakes of the past were not repeated while at the same time making the necessary impact on the people. Key sectors in the state have felt the impact. As one columnist recently pointed out, in Sokoto, governance trumps politics because all the buttons of development have been pressed. The last one year has seen its fair share of emotional pain for the people of Sokoto. In September 2015, 114 persons who were away for the annual Muslim pilgrimage died during the now infamous Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia; 22 other citizens have been missing since then while two sustained various degrees of injury. They were treated and discharged. Reeling from this pain for a huge number of its citizens, Tambuwal quickly stepped
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TheNiche
Close Up May 29, 2016
I have the best of two worlds – Yvonne Okoro
Yvonne Chinyere Okoro likes to refer to herself as an African. This stems from her Nigerian/Ghanaian roots. The awardwinning actress, who first appeared on the big screen in 2002, has received some of the highest accolades in her career in Ghana and Nigeria. She just produced the comedy, Ghana Must Go, which will hit cinemas next month across Nigeria. In this interview with Assistant Life Editor, TERH AGBEDEH, she talks about the new flick, among many other issues.
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ow easy was it to combine English with linguistics at the University of Ghana? It is hard, very difficult. But I think because at that time I wasn’t 100 per cent into acting; so I had, let’s say, that time. So, it is very difficult. It could be boring sometimes, too. I had no choice or my father won’t allow me in the house. Is he still ‘angry’ about your choice of career? (Laughs) No, he is very proud now, unlike in the beginning when I think his concern was how I was going to mix school with acting. We all know it is very important and I think there was not enough money in it and there was this negative perception about acting. But now he is delighted. You were interested in acting when you were only a child; where did that come from? I think I just loved the whole ideology of just being someone else; you wake up and you are not you, but acting as somebody. I have always loved it, so I think it comes as no surprise to my family because they expected it. They feel that I am full of drama, so this is the right path for me. Do you speak French? (Starts speaking French) When did you learn that; was it when you went to Nantes? Yea, when I went to Nantes. Do your Nigerian-Ghanaian root influence the movie, Ghana Must Go? Yes, it does. My parents are always battling, whose food tastes better. And I think I have the best of both worlds. You wake up in the morning and you have no choice but to greet your father. I think that also stems from the Nigerian
background, like you can’t just walk by your father, that is impossible; you will be in trouble. So, you wake up in the morning, any elder that you see, irrespective of who they are, you say, ‘good morning daddy, good morning mummy’. My siblings would also greet me. So we have learned that. We inculcated the Ghanaian culture as well. So I think it helps; we learn here, we learn there, we pick some of the negatives and some of the positives. I think the negative is that with the Igbo culture, we like money, isn’t it? Yeah (laughter). And then obviously because they are very hardworking. Either way, these are very good qualities.
is a Nigerian, my mum is a Ghanaian and I come from an inter-racial marriage. So I understand. Do you think the stigma is still there? I don’t think there is any stigma. I think we have changed, I mean, we have evolved. It is a modern world and we have stopped that stigmatisation. It is important that we unite as a country and then as a continent. In Ghana, those bags are called ‘Who Sent You to Nigeria’; is that true? We call them Ghana Must Go, too.
You recently provided water to Walewale community in the Northern region of Ghana; will you be doing the same in Nigeria? Definitely, I have plans to also come to my fatherland and give out the most fulfilling thing ever.
This is 2016. Are there Ghanaians still holding on to what happened in the 1980s? That would be an individual thing. I can’t really conclude for every Ghanaian or every Nigerian. It depends on each individual, but I think we love each other.
I wondered about the cars in Ghana Must Go, the steering wheel on the left, was it shot in Nigeria since Ghanaian cars have the steering wheel on the right? We are left-handed in Ghana.
How long did it take to shoot Ghana Must Go? It was a little bit over a month. It was extremely stressful. But I don’t want to discourage anyone who wants to go into it. If you have the passion, go ahead.
How did the film come about? I got up one day, had a bunch of stories, concepts in my head and I thought, who can write this story? So I heard of Tunde Babalola, a scriptwriter, and I said I needed to speak to him. I told him the story, the concept that I had: I wanted people to laugh, enjoy the movie but also learn something from it. So that was really what happened.
How did you get the funding for the film? It is from the company my sister and I own, Desamour Company Limited. We have done the movie, Contract, before.
Did you include your personal experience in the movie? Definitely, because my dad
You started movie production quite early in your career; what is responsible for that? I wanted to control what I do and who I use in a movie as well as see if I can make some money from it. Are you making money? God willing.
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TheNiche May 29, 2016
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Relationship Family first “Therefore will a man leave his mother and father’s house, and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one” (Genesis 2:23-24). A family starts from the onset of marriage; when a man decides to make his desired woman his wife. This family is part of the social agent that forms the society. In a general term, a family consists of the man, his wife, and child(ren), and the head of the family is the man. These individuals in the family are individuals with different, unique and variety of character, personality, wants, need,
and so on. Putting your family first means relating with one another accordingly, having in mind that you are all unique being in the relationship. This helps to develop a good family relationship. As children start to grow, they learn the basic and complex things through what they have experienced via the relationship with their family. These relationships can affect many aspects of their development. As they mature, family relationships touch all areas of their development – thinking, social, emotional, physical, behavioural, and
moral. Good family relationships that are stable in the early years help children develop good self-confidence, motivation to learn and perform well in school. Later in life, they contribute to the ability to talk instead of fight, knowing the difference between right and wrong, making and keeping friends and being a valued family member. In order to develop a good family relationship, one must find time to be together as a family, remembering to talk, share and laugh when you spend time together. Children have opportu-
nities to learn important lessons from the family and to acquire important habits with the help of the parents. Parents should include their child in their daily life and routines, such as assigning your child chores of helping in the kitchen to wash dishes while you cook in, washing the car together, and so on. Doing these, you have an opportunity to provide more one-to-one attention. You will be able to really listen to what your child is saying and focus a reply to extend their thinking. You might be able to tap into your child’s concerns or ideas and strengthen
At 16, with hormones running riot, could I have a relationship? Dear Agatha Since I was introduced to your column by our youth pastor, I have never failed to read your column. I also have adopted you as my second mother and would have loved to meet you in person. I clocked 16 on February 1. I am currently in my final year in secondary school. I have until this moment resisted all advances from men, but seeing that I am the only one among my friends who doesn’t have a boyfriend, coupled with the fun my friends have at my expense over this issue, I want to know if it is alright for me to accept the advances of one of the boys who has been chasing me for over a year. I figured that since I am in SSS3, I won’t be doing anything wrong if I have a boyfriend at this stage of my life. Besides, I envy my friends for their boldness as well as the fun of being with their boyfriends. I have come to you because my mother is that kind of woman who is very strict. Being her only daughter she doesn’t give me any breathing space; always monitoring my movement as well as the kinds of friends I keep. She keeps telling me that boys should not be my priority for now, but there are things happening in my body pushing in the opposite direction of my mother’s wishes. My mother is too strict and unfriendly for me to discuss these things with her. My friends say the signs my body is giving show that I’m ready to have a relationship with a boy. I’m scared as I don’t want to get pregnant.
One of my friends showed me a birth control pill she uses. She claims her elder sister gave them to her. I’m very confused as I cannot concentrate on my studies because of everything going through my body and mind. According to my mother, I would be ready for a relationship only after I graduate from the university. My friends are saying and doing the opposite. I don’t know what to think anymore, which is why I want to know what the right time is for a girl to go into a relationship. Peju. Dear Peju Thanks for the honour of adopting me as your second mother. You have my numbers and email addresses. I’m only a phone call away. Don’t hesitate to call me when you want to talk to someone. Also, inform me of when and where you want us to meet. I will make myself available. Please don’t listen to your friends at all. The path they have chosen for themselves has the power to ruin their future. They may think they are having fun now, but most times, the implications of such choices wait for the woman in the future; that period of her life when she wants to get married or have children. That is when the reality and implications of the kind of lifestyles they have lived become evident; but at that time, most often, it could be too late. There is nothing happening
in your body now that has not happened to women before you. Every woman who is an adult went through it at your age. Your experiences are as old as time. These signs show that you are growing normally and your body is preparing for its future assignment. This is why your mother is anxious and apprehensive you do not make a mistake. It is also for the same reasons I am appealing to you not to listen to your friends. As mothers, we have been in this business long before you and know every fact and trick in the book. We know about all your excitements, desires and expectations. We also know the things you don’t know; the pains, shame, disappointments and failures associated with this process and things going wrong. The life of a woman is very delicate and unpredictable. While one woman may get away with living dangerously, another woman would not. The grace one person enjoys may not be available to you. Good men are difficult to come by at your age and those coming your way now are on a hunting expedition, not the ones who want to cultivate a land and leave it fallow until they are ready for planting. You are like that rare flower in bloom to these male hunters looking for that young, fresh and innocent female to devour. Like butterflies, they will come in their tens to try and suck your precious juice because they also know you are at that vulnerable point when you are governed by hormones. They know you have not
developed the steel required to put them in their place. Do not get me wrong, your mother and I are not saying it is wrong for you to have a boyfriend but our concern is your safety and honour as a woman. You will simply get lost in the myriad of the many emotions you are currently going through. For this reason, do not rush into any relationship. Allow the rampaging hormones to settle down to their various offices before thinking of the next level. By the time you are 20, the effects of the hormones would have decreased sufficiently to allow you make a better choice of thinking with your head and not your emotions. By that time, at least you would know what you want from life and the man who will help you accomplish them. By that time, too, you would be seeing, firsthand, the damage an unplanned relationship can get a woman into from the stories your friends would be telling you from their personal experiences. The way a woman’s body is built, we are the risk bearers. A man can get several women pregnant at the same time without waiting around to face the consequences; whereas the woman is designed to face the penalty of such carelessness. She has no hiding place. Her body will betray to the world what she did behind closed doors. Once that happens, she stops going to school and her entire life becomes derailed as a result of her choice; hence your mother’s constant monitoring and seeming over pro-
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Tinu Agbabiaka Certified relationship expert 0817 313 7189 info@pclng.org, botl@pclng.org
your bonds through sharing and understanding. While involving your child in your daily routines, you might also be able to clarify some basic things to your child, talk to him/her about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how it is meaningful not just to you or the child, but to the whole family. Relationships are built through trust and support and your child begins building his/hers at home.
Through mutual respect, positive and consistent time spent together, and involvement in daily routines, your child develops a deeper understanding of his place within the family community. All the skills your child learns through these routines may then be used when he goes into the wider community and builds relationships with other children and adults.
Auntie Agatha 0805 450 0626 (sms only) gathedo@gmail.com tective nature. The boy on the other hand goes ahead with his education and gets married to another woman sensible enough to define what she wanted from life from her early age. The choice before you now is: Do you want to be like the foolish girl who on account of the cravings of her emotions throws away her entire life for two minutes of fun or the wise one who has her eyes fixed on the success of tomorrow, by refusing to allow her body dictate her options? Honestly, at this point, all we can offer you is advice based on all that we have seen in life. First is this: Birth control pills have been known to fail, just like condoms. Second, pregnancy is not the only consequence you should be afraid of. There are many sexually transmitted diseases that can damage the womb of a woman if not treated with the right drugs. Unfortunately, some of them do not manifest until in their tertiary stages, by which time it is too late for even the best medical mind to do anything for the woman. Third, abortion may clear the mess temporarily but its long time implications are the toll it takes on the uterus of the woman. Every abortion a woman goes through depreciates her womb. This is the reason many women remain childless for life. Besides, not every pregnancy can be aborted easily. Some fetuses are dangerously positioned that any attempt to vacate them prematurely would claim the life of the mother. So such pregnancies are allowed
to stay till full term. Fourth, and perhaps the most important, is the peace of mind and happiness of your future home you would be giving up now. When a woman cannot give her husband a child, no matter how deep the love is between them, peace and happiness may take flight from such a home. The questions I will ask you are these and whether you would want any of these to happen to you: • How would you feel seeing your mates doing great in their fields of endeavour and you are left behind to care prematurely for an unplanned baby? • Do you want to truncate your education for that thing you will have enough of in the future and even get tired of at a point in your life? • What is most important to you now: passing your exams and getting admission into the university of your choice to do that course you love so much, or dating men and getting yourself knocked up? Our job as mothers is to protect you from failures in life but you have to help us by staying away from your kind of friends who are hell bent on sucking you into their agenda. Always remember that not everyone who comes to school has a vision and mission to succeed in life. Some are just drifters; they lack any plan beyond the immediate. Help us to assist you to succeed in life, through all the experiences we have gathered in life. Good luck.
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TheNiche
Faith
www.thenicheng.com
May 29, 2016
Women Prayer & Care Fellowship harvests testimonies from communities
Deliverance session
Distribution of food items
Lamai (with microphone) and some attendees
Ministration
By Temitope Ojo
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od’s presence manifested in Spirit and power when Hadassah Women Prayer and Care Fellowship (PCF), an arm of Hadassah Healing Foundation (HHF) community outreach, visited various locations in Lagos and Ogun States. Many were touched. Several were healed. It was an unforgettable experience. PCF provides a platform for women to come together and pray and experience God’s healing power. Attendees also get foodstuffs and other household items.
HHF reaches out to women globally – irrespective of race, colour, religion – and to the wounded, abused, violated, and battered. Nike Lamai, PCF founder and president, said the organisation “is convinced that the outreach is a major move of God to transform lives in these and several other communities. “It takes God to do the things that are impossible for men to do. God is everywhere but His unrestricted presence and divine ability is present in some places for the benefit of the sons of men without limitations. “We are convinced that God is on the move; visiting communities to work among
men.” PCF has visited 12 communities, including Olowora, Lekki, Ikotun, Isolo, Sabo, Bariga, Surulere, and AgricIkorodu (in Lagos); and impacted women in Ijebu North, Ijebu Waterside, Ihebu Mushin, Ogijo, and Ogijo (in Ogun). Participants testified of God’s goodness in Sabo and Agric. One said: “I had received an invitation to attend today’s PCF a few days before the meeting and a few days later, my health was challenged. “It was so serious that even my supervisor at work told me not to engage myself in anything stressful but I made
up my mind to attend the PCF meeting not minding the consequences. “During the ministration of the woman of God, I was instantly healed of every form of weakness and frailty. I could jump, run, shout, sing, even while the meeting was going on. “During the ministration of the woman of God, I was under a strong influence of the power of God that I became restless and couldn’t control myself. “At some point, I intensified the prayer and suddenly I felt (not an imagination) a figure (like that of a man) come out of my body and disappear. What a great
deliverance! “The experience was so real that I trembled when it happened. I thank God for this great deliverance that He wrought in my life. Praise God!” Another testifier said: “I was pregnant when I came to the last Hadassah PCF here in Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos. “At about the time Nike was rounding off the onehour meeting, the Spirit of God moved her to turn towards my direction and she started praying for me with these exact words: ‘You will bring forth at the right time, life will come out of life. You will live and your baby will live.’
“It’s been close to five months between that PCF meeting and today’s PCF meeting and I have this testimony to share. “Thank God for the prophetic utterances that God used the woman of God to address my situation. “I went through a lot, fought many battles, and I didn’t envisage labour. I wouldn’t have made it if not for the intervention of God through His servant. “Today, I am here with my baby, I am alive and my baby is also alive. The devil failed the battle of loss of life during delivery and I have a testimony to show for it, to the glory of God.”
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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PCLI holds family prayer meeting
P Prayer session
ractical Christian Living Initiative (PCLI) held its first family prayer meeting, with the theme “defeating adversary”, where families raised their voices to the Lord. The venue was Heritage House School, Cameron Road, Off Kingsway Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Attendees were led in prayer sessions by Gboyega Shitta and hosts Oriyomi Agbabiaka and his wife, Tinuola. Tinuola reiterated that God created the family for a purpose, which is being threatened as most families are under attack; but God’s purpose must be established and fulfilled. She said the word adversary suggests an enemy who fights determinedly, continuously, and relentlessly. “The enemy may have determined that you will not have peace in your home. Be it a strange woman or man, evil relative or in-law, deceitful friend, neighbour or situation, the Lord will give His children victory,” she counselled. “God’s plan for our children and family must not be thwarted. Our family will be made whole.” To buttress her point, Tinuola quoted Isaiah 49:25 – “But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken
away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” Some of the prayer points raised at the event are: • I reclaim my inheritance, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • My tears will be tears of joy, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • I recover every asset taken from me, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • Every adversary who does not want the prophetic Word of God concerning my life to come to pass is defeated, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • Every enemy in friend's clothing (ota bi ore) who collects information for my enemies to destroy me, God, block them from accessing my life, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • Anywhere they have taken my matter to, I declare they will fail, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • I reject every power assigned to weaken my family and home; I pray they be cut off, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. • Every power representing Rehum and Shimshai opposing the manifestation of the prophetic Word of God in my life and home be disgraced, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The next meeting is on July 16.
PCF women
Participants at the prayer meeting
Prayer session
Participants at the prayer meeting
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TheNiche May 29, 2016
The spirit of entrepreneurship (2) •
Continued from last edition.
Why become an entrepreneur? What leads a person to strike out on his own and start a business? Perhaps a person has been laid off once or more. Sometimes a person is frustrated with his or her current job and doesn't see any better career prospects on the horizon. Sometimes a person realises that his or her job is in jeopardy. A firm may be contemplating cutbacks that could end a job or limit career or salary prospects. Perhaps a person already has been passed over for promotion. Perhaps a person sees no opportunities in existing businesses for someone with his or her interests and skills. Some people are actually repulsed by the idea of working for someone else. They object to a system where reward is often based on seniority rather than accomplishment, or where they have to conform to a corporate culture. Other people decide to become entrepreneurs because they are disillusioned by the bureaucracy or politics involved in getting ahead in an established business or profession. Some are tired of trying to promote a product, service, or way of doing business that is outside the mainstream operations of a large company. In contrast, some people are attracted to entrepreneurship by the advantages of starting a business. These include: • Entrepreneurs are their own bosses. They make the decisions. They choose whom to do business with and what work they will do. They decide what hours to work, as well as what to pay and whether to take vacations. • Entrepreneurship offers a greater possibility of achieving significant financial rewards than working
for someone else. • It provides the ability to be involved in the total operation of the business, from concept to design and creation, from sales to business operations and customer response. • It offers the prestige of being the person in charge. • It gives an individual the opportunity to build equity, which can be kept, sold, or passed on to the next generation Influences and characteristics of entrepreneurial behaviour Some say that successful entrepreneurs are born, not made. Others disagree, saying good entrepreneurship is a talent that can be learned and nurtured. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The desire to create and grow a business – large or small – requires a combination of character, talent, vision, energy, timing, and a bit of luck. Although certain entrepreneurial traits are required, entrepreneurial behaviours are also dynamic and influenced by environmental factors. To date, researchers have not been able to identify a core and necessary bundle of attributes, characteristics or qualities that mark out successful entrepreneurs unerringly from the large crowd of business owners. However, a commonly quoted empirical and desk research study of new venture start-ups, that has stood the test of time over the past quartercentury, was conducted through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Jeffrey Timmons and colleagues (Timmons, et al. 1977). They identified 14 important entrepreneurial characteristics of successful enterprise owners, which still frequently crop up in entrepreneurship research. 1. Drive and energy 2. Self-confidence 3. High initiative and personal re-
Becoming the best Ituah Ighodalo
Senior Pastor, Trinity House Zion Center e-mail:pastorituah@trinityng.org
sponsibility 4. Internal locus of control 5. Tolerance of ambiguity 6. Low fear of failure 7. Moderate risk taking 8. Long-term involvement 9. Money as a measure not merely an end 10. Use of feedback 11. Continuous pragmatic problem solving 12. Use of resources 13. Self-imposed standards 14. Clear goal setting. Few entrepreneurs would possess all traits but strengths in one might compensate for weaknesses in others. Decisions involved with entrepreneurship
While deciding to become an entrepreneurship is an attractive career choice, many decisions have to be made before launching and managing a new business, no matter its size. Among the questions that need to be answered are: • Does the individual truly want to be responsible for a business? • What product or service should be the basis of the business? • What is the market, and where should it be located? • Is the potential of the business enough to provide a living wage for its employees and the owner? • How can a person raise the capital to get started? • Should an individual work full or part time to start a new business? • Should the person start alone or with partners? Answers to these questions are not empirically right or wrong. Rather, the answers will be based on each entrepreneur's judgment. An entrepreneur gathers as much information and advice as possible before making these and other crucial
The city of nine gates An allegory from the Srimad-Bhagavatam sheds light on the mind/body connection. Is there a conscious self that is distinct from the physical mechanism of the body? Is there a mind distinct from the brain? Those who answer yes to such questions are called dualists, and they are rare in contemporary science and philosophy. Dualistic solutions to the mind/ body problem are perhaps hampered by, among other things, inadequate analogies and allegories on the topic in Western thought. Whether we turn to Plato's cave, to the formulations of Descartes, or to the proverbial little green man in the brain, there is apparently not enough substance to inspire the modern researcher of consciousness to seriously consider dualism. But if we turn to chapters 25-29 of Canto Four in the Bhagavata Purana, or Srimad-Bhagavatam, a Sanskrit text from India, we'll find the elaborate allegory of the City of Nine Gates. The sophistication of this allegory challenges modern researchers to take a second look at dualism. The central character in the allegory is a king named Puranjana. The Sanskrit word puran-jana means "one who enjoys in a body”. So the king's name hints at soul/body dualism. King Puranjana originally existed as a spirit soul in a purely spiritual realm in relationship with a supreme conscious being, God. Materialists may oppose the introduction of this transcendental realm, which exists outside the material universe knowable by science. But even the materialist cosmology of modern science incorporates a "transcendental" realm, that is to say, a realm that exists beyond the universe knowable by science, and
from which that universe emerged at the time of the Big Bang. This transcendental reality, existing beyond time, space and matter, is called the quantum mechanical vacuum and is pictured as a pure energy field in which particles appear and instantly disappear. From this sea of virtual particles, some expand and continue to exist. According to many cosmologists, our universe is one such expansion. So, both the Bhagavata Purana and the Big Bang cosmology of modern science point to an eternal transcendental existence from which our universe of matter, with its features of time and space, arises. Now, which version of ultimate reality better explains the variegated reality of our experience? Modern cosmologists and other theorists have a great deal of difficulty in coaxing enough variety from the rather smooth and featureless universe that, according to theory, expands from the quantum mechanical vacuum. The origin of consciousness also poses a difficult problem. In light of this, an ultimate reality that is itself conscious and variegated might offer a solution. Having departed from the spiritual world, by misuse of independence, King Puranjana journeys through the material world, accompanied by Avijnata Sakha ("the unknown friend"). The Unknown Friend corresponds to the Supersoul expansion of God. When Puranjana leaves God and the spiritual world, his memory of them becomes covered. But unknown to Puranjana, God accompanies him on his journey through the material world. According to the Bhagavata Purana, God accompanies all spirit souls in the material world as their Unknown Friend, who observes and sanctions their activities. In the Western world, mind/brain
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dualism is identified with French philosopher, Rene Descartes, who posited the existence of (1) matter extended in space and (2) mind existing outside space. Cartesian dualism is characterised by an interaction between mind and matter, but explaining how this interaction takes place has proved problematic for advocates of the Cartesian model. For example, how are impressions transmitted from the realm of matter to the completely different realm of mind? Descartes thought the connection between mind and matter occurred in the pineal gland in the brain, an answer most scientists today reject. According to the Bhagavata Purana, both matter and the souls in the material world are energies of God, and as such both have a single spiritual source. The philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana is thus both dualist and monist simultaneously. The interactions of matter and the soul in the material world are mediated by the Supersoul, who exists inside each material atom and also accompanies each spirit soul. By the arrangement of the Supersoul, impressions of material experience can be channelled to the soul. How this takes place is the subject of the allegory of Puranjana. Having left the spiritual world, Puranjana, accompanied by Avijnata Sakha (the Supersoul), wanders through the material world. He wants to find a suitable place to enjoy himself. In other words, he searches for a suitable kind of body to inhabit. He tries many kinds of bodies on many planets. Here we note that each specie of life consists of a soul inhabiting a particular kind of body. In this respect, the Bhagavata Purana account differs from that of Descartes, who held that only humans have souls. For Descartes, animals were
decisions. The entrepreneur's challenge is to balance decisiveness with caution – to be a person of action who does not procrastinate before seizing an opportunity – and at the same time, to be ready for an opportunity by having done all the preparatory work possible to reduce the risks of the new endeavour. Preparatory work involved with entrepreneurship • Evaluating the market opportunity • Developing the product or service • Preparing a good business plan • Figuring out how much capital is needed, and sources to obtain that capital • Choosing the form of business – sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability • Intellectual property protection – trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets The strengths and spirit of entrepreneurship Any entrepreneur who is contemplating a new venture should examine the strengths of small businesses as compared to large ones and make the most of those competitive advantages. With careful planning, an entrepreneur can lessen the advantages of the large business vis-a-vis his operation and thereby increase his chances for success. • Small start-up firms have greater flexibility than larger firms and the capacity to respond promptly to industry or community developments. They are able to innovate and create new products and services more rapidly and creatively than larger compa-
nies that are mired in bureaucracy. Whether reacting to changes in fashion, demographics, or a competitor’s advertising, a small firm usually can make decisions in days - not months or years. • A small firm has the ability to modify its products or services in response to unique customer needs. The average entrepreneur or manager of a small business knows his customer base far better than one in a large company. If a modification in the products or services offered — or even the business’s hours of operation — would better serve the customers, it is possible for a small firm to make changes. Customers can even have a role in product development. • Another strength comes from the involvement of highly skilled personnel in all aspects of a startup business. In particular, start-ups benefit from having senior partners or managers working on tasks below their highest skill level. • Another strength of a start-up is that the people involved — the entrepreneur, any partners, advisers, employees, or even family members — have a passionate, almost compulsive, desire to succeed. This makes them work harder and better. • Finally, many small businesses and start-up ventures have an intangible quality that comes from people who are fully engaged and doing what they want to do. This is “the entrepreneurial spirit,” the atmosphere of fun and excitement that is generated when people work together to create an opportunity for greater success than is otherwise available. This can attract workers and inspire them to do their best.
Self-discovery Kavikarnapura Das
iskcon.lagos@gmail.com 0706 601 1800, 0812 324 5864
simply automatons. If one concedes that animals, with all their signs of life and consciousness, are simply automatons, then why not human beings as well? TheBhagavata Purana model avoids this weakness of Descartes's system. The attractive city Eventually, Puranjana comes to a place called Nava Dvara Pura, the City of Nine Gates. He finds it quite attractive. The City of Nine Gates represents the male human body, with its nine openings: two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, the mouth, the anus and the genital opening. As Puranjana wanders through the gardens of the city, he encounters an extremely beautiful woman. Puranjana is attracted to her, and she is attracted to him. She becomes his queen. Puranjana, as we have seen, represents the conscious self. The beautiful woman represents buddhi (intelligence). According to the philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana, intelligence is a subtle material energy with discriminatory capabilities like those manifested by artificial intelligence machines. The attraction between King Puranjana and the queen (between the conscious self and the intelligence) is the root of embodied consciousness. The king, it should be noted, has distinct conscious
selfhood, with non-material sensory capability, but this capability becomes dormant when he begins his relationship with the queen. The queen (the subtle material element called intelligence) allows Puranjana (the conscious self) to enjoy the City of Nine Gates (the gross physical body). Employing a computer analogy, we might say Puranjana represents the user, the City of Nine Gates the computer hardware, and the queen the software that allows the user to interface with the hardware and use it for practical purposes. The queen is not alone, however, but is accompanied by 11 bodyguards and a serpent with five heads. The bodyguards comprise the mind and the 10 senses. The 10 senses are made up of five knowledge-acquiring senses and five working senses. The five knowledge-acquiring senses are the senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. The five working senses are those of walking, grasping, speaking, reproduction and evacuation. All 10 senses are grouped around the mind and are considered servants of the mind. Each of these servants has hundreds of wives. The wives represent desires for material experience, and the senses act under their pressure.
Health
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Improve healthcare funding, stakeholders urge Buhari
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By Temitope Ojo oday makes it exactly one year that Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as president after his stint as military head of state between 1983 and 1985. The expectation of Nigerians across every sector was very high when he was sworn in on May 29, 2015. Critical sectors like the economy, power, security, education, housing, and health had been greatly challenged. Before the exit of the past government, medical experts agreed that it addressed several problems in the health sector. However, a lot was left undone. One major issue was providing the Health Act a framework and structure for healthcare delivery. Stakeholders said the implementation must be driven and well guided by all involved to achieve the stated objectives. The primary and secondary tiers of healthcare delivery were another issue. They were less functional. The tertiary tier was responsible for practically all meaningful health service delivery in many states.
Teaching hospitals cannot perform their traditional roles when they take on primary and secondary tiers functions and duties. Internal brain drain also prevented health professionals from taking up jobs at primary and secondary tiers. Observers said unless laws are enacted to enable health professionals earn equitably, whether they work for the federal or state governments, the primary and secondary tiers of healthcare will remain underdeveloped. Steven Oluwole, president of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), noted the importance of continued training and development of staff in all fields in the health services to make the Nigerian system competitive and attractive such that foreigners will seek healthcare in the country. “Government policies must promote harmony among all professionals in the healthcare services and also initiate and support research to develop local areas of interest that international agencies will usually ignore,” Oluwole added. Buhari promised during the election campaign to: • Prioritise the reduction of the infant mortality rate substantially; reduce
maternal mortality rates to the levels acceptable by the World Health Organisation; reduce HIV/ AIDS and other infectious diseases drastically and improve life expectancy by an additional 10 years on average through the National Healthy Living Programme. • Increase the number of physicians from 19 per 1,000 population to 50 per 1,000 through deliberate medication education as epitomised by nations such as Ghana. Increase in national health expenditure per person per annum to about N50,000 (from the less than N10,000 currently). • Increase the quality of all federal government owned hospitals to world class standard by 2019. • Invest in cutting edge technology such as telemedicine in all major health centres in the country through partnership programmes with communities and the private sector. • Provide free ante-natal care for pregnant women; free health care for babies and children up to school going age and for the aged; and free treatment for those afflicted with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/ AIDS; • Boost local manufacture of pharmaceuticals and
make non adulterated drugs readily available. • Set an effective prosecution and punishment system for those importing or adulterating drugs. • Enhancement of the Epidemiological Units/ Centres for Disease Control to global standards in containment of disease outbreaks, proper vaccine storage, and research. • Create an insurance policy for journalists as the nation faces hard times and journalists face more dangers in the discharge of their investigative work, to educate Nigerians in their rights and responsibilities. But a year on, experts say the Buhari administration is yet to make any positive impact in the health sector. One major area begging for help is funding of the health sector. And though the government has announced that N221.7 billion would be spent on health in 2016 as part of the initiative to improve the healthcare delivery, inadequate political commitment remains a major barrier to the attainment of adequate financing of healthcare. This has led to poor funding of health in general, and primary healthcare in particular. Making the assertion in Lagos, experts from the health sectors called for
adequate funding for efficient healthcare delivery. Akin Osibogun, former chief medical director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said: “It should be the concern to the government to ensure a high level of efficiency and accountability in the system by developing a fair and sustainable financing system. “The government should promote equity and access to quality and affordable healthcare, and the overall goal is to ensure that adequate and sustainable funds are available for healthcare delivery.’’ Another area that has also received knock is the plan by the government to “sell” public health institutions, which was confirmed in a document prepared by the Federal Ministry of Health in November 2014, entitled “Recommendations for a National Policy on Incentivising Healthcare Investments”. Because of the success of reforms in the telecom, energy and banking sectors, advocates of the sale option believe it will bring in additional private capital that will encourage better quality care at the lowest cost and improve benefits to all stakeholders. If the government goes ahead with the plans, apex public health institutions like the LUTH, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, among others, will be put
up for sale or rather privatisation, soon. However, health workers have rejected such plans. In the past one year, the medical sector was buffeted by strikes and dilapidated infrastructure and equipment, which made medical tourism a household word in the country. Doctors and other workers in the public service in many states were owed several months of salary and unemployment raged against the souls of ordinary Nigerians. With years of little or no improvement of healthcare services at primary health centres and general hospitals, teaching hospitals meet the clinical health needs of many Nigerians especially those who cannot afford private hospitals. Thousands of people, who voted for change, have continued to die from preventable and curable health conditions; health commodities like drugs and reagents are getting expired while the remaining little confidence in the health sector continues to get eroded. Ude Eze, a public health physician, health policy advocate and development consultant, asked Buhari not to wait for the total collapse of healthcare before he implements his ‘change’ agenda. He urged him to do everything necessary to deliver on all his promises in the remaining three years to meet his preelection billing as the one who can solve Nigeria’s problems.
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TheNiche
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May 29, 2016
Kiddies
Arena Brain tickler
Temitope Ojo ibilade@gmail.com t.adegboye@thenicheng.com 0708 479 6140
Historical personality
Sunday Bada (1969-2011)
S
500 at the beginning, 500 at the end, Five in the middle is seen, The first of all letters, the first of all figures Take up their stations between, String them all together, and you will see The name of an ancient king.
500 is D (in Roman numerals), so D_D. Then 5 is V (also Roman numerals) so now we have D_V_D. The first of all letters is A, and the first of all Roman numerals/figures is I. Now we have DAVID! Answer
You do not want me when you don’t have me, but when you have me you don’t want to lose me.
Lawsuit
Solution
Invention Bluetooth Who invented the Bluetooth? The short answer is Swedish telecomm Ericsson, though a famous Hollywood star played a pivotal role as well. Strangely enough, Hollywood and World War II played a pivotal role in the creation of not only Bluetooth, but a multitude of wireless technologies. Back in 1937, Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-born actress, left her marriage to an arms dealer with ties to Nazis and fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and fled to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a star. With the support of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio head, Louis B. Mayer, who promoted her to audiences as "the world's most beautiful woman", Lamarr notched roles in films such as Boom Town staring stars Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, Ziegfeld Girl staring Judy Garland and the 1949 hit, Samson and Delilah. Whether it's a smartphone, tablet, laptop, speakers or any of the array of electronic devices on the market today, there's a good chance that, at some point, you've "paired" at least a couple of them. And while virtually all our personal devices these days are equipped with Bluetooth technology, few people actually know how it got there.
unday Bada was born in Kaduna to parents from Ogidi, Kogi State. He was a Nigerian sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. He broke through at the regional level in 1990, with bronze medals in both 200 and 400 metres at the 1990 African Championships. He competed without reaching the final in the 400 metres of the 1992 Olympics, but in the 4 x 400 metres relay he finished fifth with the Nigerian team. The same year he broke the 45-second barrier by running the 400 metres in 44.99 seconds in September in Havana. This happened at the 1992 IAAF World Cup, an event he won. Bada became Nigerian 400 metres champion in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2001. He also participated in, and won, the Indian championships in 1994. He won three medals at the World Indoor Championships, including a
gold medal in 1997. His personal best time was 44.63 seconds, and with 45.51 seconds indoor he holds the African indoor record. He set a national record in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2000 Olympics, where the Nigerian team also won gold medals after the
disqualification of the United States. Bada retired following the 2001 season and later became technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). He died in December 2011 at the National Stadium, Lagos.
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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Kiddies Arena StarKid Name: Feranmi Falobi Age: Five School: The Floral School, Iju Ishaga, Lagos Career goal: Doctor Best food: Noodles and chicken Best colour: Green
Books
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Poems
Books are what I like the best They're not just toys like all the rest That break, or get old, or don't want to play A book gets better every day. Sit down and open it - soon you'll find A whole new world jumps up in your mind, People and places and all sorts of things Dragons and princesses, goblins and kings, Dinosaurs walking the earth like thunder, Ancient Egyptians who make you wonder, Books about planets and space exploration, The truth about rocks, and the birth of our nation. And perhaps the most interesting story of all That tells of the Prince who is going to call, And even a picture to show how he looks Now these are the things that I like about books.
Spaghetti and cake Be our StarKid: Send your child's full-sized photograph and details to ibilade@gmail.com.
When I am grown to woman's state And take my place among the great And people ask me, what I ate? To look so elegant and sedate I'll answer them Spaghetti and Cake! Spaghetti and cake, spaghetti and cake! The only things I ever ate. If you want to grow to woman's state Eat all you want of spaghetti and cake. When I'm the Queen over land and sea And people come running to look at me And humbly inquire, what I had for tea? When I was a little one just like thee I'll answer them Spaghetti and cake! Spaghetti and cake, spaghetti and cake! For breakfast, dinner and tea If you want to grow up like me Bright and bumptious, wild and free Eat all you can see of Spaghetti and cake!
Be our poet: Send your poems to ibilade@gmail.com.
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Arts TheNiche
with Terh Agbedeh
REVIEWS&PREVIEWS
T
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May 29, 2016
he Jos Repertory Theatre, as part of its 2016 programme, will be hosting the prelude to the 10th Jos Festival of Theatre. The weekend of three plays supported by Grand Cereals Limited started on Saturday, May 28. The last play is to be staged on Monday, May 30, at the premises of the Alliance Francaise, Jos. The plays start at 4.30pm daily. Grand Cereals Limited, which has always supported the Jos Festival
of Theatre from inception in 2004, is supporting two new playwrights in the premiere of their plays within the festival. The plays to be featured include Akolo James Anthony’s Late Pam, Umoren Ubond David’s Bullion Stride and Miguel de Cervantes’ Rinconete and Cortadillo, which had its Nigerian premiere in Abuja on April 20 at the Transcorp Hilton, courtesy of the Embassy of Spain to celebrate 400 years of the death of the Spanish playwright, Miguel de Cervantes. According to a statement from the festival di-
rector, Patrick Jude Oteh, all the plays selected for the prelude to the main festival will be addressing issues of youth restiveness, unemployment and what the youths do with themselves while waiting for the promises by government. “There would be raffle draws by Grand Cereals Limited at the opening and closing ceremonies of the mini-festival,” he stated. Grand Cereals Limited is coming to the assistance of the Jos-based theatre group after the initial cancellation of the 2016 festival due to lack of funds.
Jos Festival of Theatre begins plans for next event
Oteh
Un-entertaining, un-arty, un-cultural one year in the saddle Continued from page 34 support. The government has been fixated on an anti-corruption fight to the negligence of other areas of the economy and national life. We are in recession mostly attributable to initial missteps of Buhari, who has been rigid and retrogressive in policy formulation. Of course, when the economy is limping, most people can barely feed, (hence) they would not have the luxury of patronising the arts. Besides, the cruel demolition of the Artistes’Village at the National Theatre (Iganmu) does a lot of damage to the government’s fragile image.
Betty Abah
Hope Obioma Opara (festival director/publisher) It is always a very challenging time when you change over to another government. But I want to give (the President) one more year to find out whether he will start implementing the promises he made. I never voted for him; but because he is the President, we all have to support him. If they have actually removed fuel subsidy, it will make me happy because it is only in Lagos and Abuja that you can get the correct price of fuel. It is sold at exorbitant prices everywhere else in the country. It is better you forget about subsidy because it is not meant for Lagos and Abuja.
On Fulani herdsmen, he is not tackling it at all. I don’t see the rationale behind cattlerearers going around with AK47 rifles. Who gave them the AK47? Who taught them how to shoot? The grazing land they are talking about is out of place. Only Taraba and Niger states are bigger than the whole eastern states, including Cross River and Akwa Ibom. What they should do is fight desert encroachment they way it has been done in Dubai and other places. I will not rate the President low because there are things that they are trying to do, which I believe if he can implement very well, Nigeria will move forward. On the issue of energy, the government should start thinking like Tunisia by going into the development of solar energy. There is vast land in the North where solar panels can be displayed to attract the sun. In 2018, Tunisia will export substantial electricity to Europe. So the government should go that way to provide the elusive electricity for Nigeria. Ras Kimono (veteran reggae musician) He hasn’t done nothing. Without music in a country, the country is dead. He should carry musicians along, because anything they do in this country they involve musicians. During his campaigns, musicians were there. Whether you are mourning, you are happy, everything you do, music must be there. They are not doing the right thing yet, because music is kind of secondary. When you are under pressure, music is not part of it. When you are under pressure, you think of shelter, food, health and the rest before music. Now, the government has not done all the others. (The President) has done nothing in the music sector, but we are not complaining yet because there are a lot of things in the economy he has not done. So music is a different matter. Until all that is done before we can even talk about music.
Eddy Ugboma
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Writers writing their stories
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igerian authors gathered again on May 13 during the week-long Lagos International Book Fair to discuss under the theme: ‘Everybody feeds on the author, but who feeds the author?’ This gathering is an important event on the calendar of the annual fair that brings book stakeholders from Nigeria and beyond together. Each year, Nigerian authors take the opportunity to deliberate on burning issues that trouble the book sector in the country. This year’s edition was not different. Professor Kole Omotosho was on hand to deliver the keynote address in which he related the story of the formation of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) in 1981 and disclosed that the idea behind it was to encourage Nigerian authors to have a central voice. “Before the war in 1967, we had this association in place. But when our colleagues in the East left because of the crisis and the war, that left a big vacuum in the association. So, what Professor Chinua Achebe and the rest of us
did in 1981 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) was more or less a rebirth of ANA. This is why I commend Lagos ANA for this authors’ groove every year. It is within the same spirit of keeping the sector active and relevant,” said Omotosho. The professor of English found the Nigerian government complicit in its inability to keep the book industry on sound footing. He called out book pirates for keeping authors out of business. Nobody, he said, knows how they do it, how they publish and pirate people’s works even before the writers begin to reap from the fruits of their labour. Saying that this is a disturbing trend, he challenged Nigerian authors to keep telling their stories irrespective of whether the West accepts them or not. “If you have a story to tell, to write, please do so. Everyone has a story to tell. There are lots of stories in the country. It doesn’t matter which political party is in power. What matters now is that corruption is in charge. But change must come, whether we like it or not. We cannot continue to live like this where we celebrate evil and eulogise those
who bring us down. So, we have to write and expose these ills,” he declared. Sam Omatseye, an author, critic and columnist with The Nation newspaper, chided the elders of the writing clan who could not mentor younger authors in a way to be able to carry on the mantle. These days, it appears we have to wait for Britain or America to tell us who is a good writer among us, he said. “It usually takes America’s observation to tell us who is a good writer among us. It took America’s approval of the talent imbued in Chimamanda Adichie for Chinua Achebe to give vent to her writing prowess.” He said his presence at the gathering was to inspire the author. “The author has to be more proactive. The author has to read wide. As a reporter, I used to spare money to buy books to build my intellect. Even then, I used every spare time I had to read. It could be in a bus, in my spare time, in the office or at night before going to bed. Constant reading and inquisitiveness should be the habit of anyone who wants to be a writer,” he stated. He, too, dwelt on the need to stop piracy and charged writers to
On Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new honour
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hen the John Hopkins University awarded Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie a honorary degree recently, it was only validating what many who love her work have always known. The prolific writer got the honour alongside seven other accomplished professionals, including American filmmaker and director, Spike Lee. “My advice to the graduating seniors is, eat real food as often as you can. And embrace ignorance. Say those words ‘I don’t know’. Because by embracing ignorance, you open up the possibility of knowledge,” the writer said in a video to mark the occasion. Spike Lee, who is known for combating racial and social barriers in America through his work, began his speech with the words: “Wake Up!”
“Wake up from the sleep, wake up from being comatose, wake up from the slumber that keeps your eyes shut to all the inequalities and injustices. Do this more often in the evil, crazy and insane world we live. Let’s move our unconscious minds from the back to the front to a conscious state, and wake up.” Lee added: “We are at a very crucial moment in history in the United States of America. And the way I’m looking at it today, to tell you the truth, things are looking dicey. It can go either way. “I wish you could be graduating into a world of peace, light and love, but that’s not the case. We don’t live in a fairytale, but I guess the one per cent does. After you leave here today, it’s going to be real life, and real life is no joke. It’s real out here for the 99 per cent, for sure. It’s up to the graduating class to make a better world.” Born on September 15, 1977,
Adichie is a non-fiction and short story writer. A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, she studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) for a year and a half. She left Nigeria at the age of 19 for the United States to study communications and political science at Drexel University in Philadelphia then transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University. In 2003, she completed a master’s degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Adichie was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005/06 academic year. In 2008, she received a Master of Arts degree in African studies from Yale University. The same year, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She has also been awarded a fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University 2011/12.
establish book clubs through which they can prosper. “When we do this, we can target schools, meet with the schools and harmonise on the modalities for this to function well. If we put our minds to it, we can achieve. We do not need writers like Ben Okri who have lost touch with their roots to tell us whether our stories are authentic or not. We have to write what we live and experience every day and what makes our stories authentic,” he added. Dayo Alabi, a book publisher representing his clan at the event, traced the genesis of the decline in the fortunes of the book industry in Nigeria. “When we started this book fair in 1998, the idea was to bring home what we used to attend in Zimbabwe and other book fairs around the world. If Zimbabwe could run an international book fair every year and attract the whole world, we can also do it. So, with the encouragement we got from Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, Otunba Lawal Solarin and others, the idea was berthed. Today, we are in the 16th edition,” he stated. While berating some of his colleagues for not being trustworthy,
he declared that not all publishers are bad, as some still publish, sell and declare profits to the writer. “But what we all can do together is to combine forces to fight piracy. Piracy has killed creativity. It has reaped where it did not sow. A good book is published, but piracy makes a big mess of it within days. This is not a way to encourage the sector to grow,” Alabi said. ANA national president, Denja Abdullahi, reminded his colleagues that the ‘Bring Back the Book’ programme put in place by the Federal government could not work because it was founded on a shaky foundation. “When you have such a programme without involving stakeholders in the book business, it will not work. You make all the noise, waste all the money, yet the books do not get to the targeted audience, it is a waste of time and money,” Abdullahi lamented. At the end of the event, government got the blame for the near comatose state of the book sector. Many hinge that blame on, among other things, the fact that most of the public and community libraries in the country are dead.
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Fashion
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May 29, 2016
Temitope Ojo ibilade@gmail.com t.adegboye@thenicheng.com 0708 479 6140
Gbemisoke rejoices at one
Media personality, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, celebrated the first year anniversary of her Gbemisoke shoes, joined by several colleagues and close friends. Gbemisoke is a collection of flat ballerina slip-ons for women who have larger than normal female shoe size and have difficulties shopping for what fits. Gbemi disclosed that her own personal experience of “the hassle of finding cute shoes when you wear a U.S11 in shoes led me into it.” Before she launched the brand, she had occasionally had to buy shoes that were smaller than her size, just because she liked them and couldn’t get the right size. Gbemisoke shoes came into the market after two years of research, travelling, and speaking with women with a similar challenge.
Ejiro Amos
Fade Ogunro
Gbemi
Lamide Akintobi
Gbemi and Taje Prest
Kate Henshaw
Estanola Oyelese
Phoenix Osinnuga
Wunmi Obe
Stephanie Coker
Toke Makinwa
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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Campari celebrates 2Baba Campari landed in Ikeja with well wishers, colleagues, and fans to celebrate its ambassador, Innocent Idibia, also known as 2Baba, for receiving an honorary Master’s degree from Igbinedion University. Brian Munro Head of Marketing, Abayomi Ajao, said: “We are excited to be celebrating an icon in the music industry and Campari ambassador, 2Baba. “His music has made so much impact in Africa and beyond, we are proud to be in collaboration with a brand like him.” Attendees included Tee A; writer Toni Kan; Now Muzik Chief Executive Officer, Efe Omorogbe; Nigerian Breweries Portfolio Manager (International Premium Brands), Sampson Oloche; and Dotun Omotoye.
Abayomi Ajao
Sonia Addeh
Artist Folabi David and 2Baba 2Baba
Funbi Sowande Annie Idibia
Tee A
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May 29, 2016
FOOD &DRINK
Eating for skin aglow
A
NY PEOPLE strive so hard to get a good skin. Some buy numerous skin products to get the body they desire. But do you know that you can eat your way into a perfect skin? Yes, here are some suggested foods to include in your diet to get that perfect and glowing skin. Almonds Almonds are seeds, not nuts, and they’re stuffed with vitamin E, a potent sun-blocker. Volunteers who consumed 14 milligrammes of the vitamin per day and then were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light sunburned less than those who took none. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps to protect skin cells from UV light and other environmental factors that generate cell-damaging free radicals, according to experts. Coconut The coconut fruit encompasses a lot of goodies. Its water fights ageing; it contains compounds that seem to protect cells against ageing and cancer. For external use, it exfoliates and brightens skin, strengthens the nails and improves hair health. On the other hand, the coconut oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fat with about 90 per cent of calories. It contains an active agent that provides antibacterial and antiviral agents that keep away infections, inflammation and acne. Carrots Aside its goodness for the eyes, carrot is also very good for clearing up breakouts,
which is why a lot of beauty products utilise carrot. It contains vitamin A and prevents the excess production of cells in the skin’s outer layer. Vitamin A also reduces the development of skin cancer cells. Green tea One of the very many things that make a bad skin is stress. Most Nigerians are worked up; therefore, making the skin stressed. Green tea is a beverage, but tea leaves come from a plant. Therefore, a cup of green tea is a great source of antioxidants and a unique amino acid and thiamine that help relax the body and lower stress. Spinach In recent studies, people who ate the most of the leafy greens actually had half as many skin tumours over 11 years as those who ate the least. It is thought that the foliate in this vegetable may help repair and maintain Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) – mainly boosting cells’ ability to renew themselves. That reduces the probability of cancer cell growth. Sweet potatoes They are loaded with vitamin C, which smoothens wrinkles. Vitamin C is essential to collagen production, and the more collagen you have in the skin, the less wrinkled your skin looks. Tomato Tomato is a good sunscreen. The plump fruit can save your skin. Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps eliminate skin-ageing free radicals caused by UV rays, Just a half cup of cooked
Green Tea
Almonds
tomatoes or pasta sauce has 16 milligrammes of lycopene, along with ample sunscreen. Bell peppers Bell peppers are vegetables that can be relished either cooked or raw. One of red,
eating out Adrenaline
L
et us take a break from all our exciting meals and have a feel of appetisers and desserts. Looking for where to watch a sporting game live while enjoying some meal or snack? Then you should consider Adrenaline sports bar. Adrenaline is located on the ground floor of the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos. This sports bar offers a high energy environment. You can watch
your favourite teams play while you socialise. Fantasising on burgers, traditional Nigerian snacks like Adrenaline signature ‘Dodo and Snails’, oversized Margaritas and beer in a tube, pizza, long drink cocktail and aperitif, liquor and beers, you just can’t be wrong. Adrenaline is one of the cosy places you want to go at leisure.
green or yellow bell pepper contains more than 100 per cent of your daily vitamin C needs, a significant amount of nutritional fibre and vitamin B6. Also, it is rich in carotenoids that help prevent wrinkles and
increases blood circulation in the skin, making the skin look more youthful. Dark chocolate Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids that encourage glowing skin. The
antioxidant in dark chocolate helps reduce roughness in your skin and protect it against sun damage. Moreover, cocoa relaxes arteries, increasing blood circulation that leads to healthier skin.
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BUSINESS UNUSUAL FINANCIAL NICHE PERSONAL FINANCE MARKETING NICHE
TheNiche May 29, 2016
BUSINESS
www.thenicheng.com
INFLATION RATE
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK ICT
Inflation month Inflation rate
Kelechi Mgboji Assistant Business Editor 0803 469 0996, 0811 181 3047 kckmgboji@yahoo.com
MONEY SUPPLY (Trillion)
March 2016 12.8%
Standard of living has got worse, SSSEPN laments
PAGE 58
W
Assistant Business Editor
Silver
PER OZ
$16.96
$1,234.18
Tin
$7.93
Platinum
Copper
$1,011.10 $2.28
PER OZ
PER LB
Nickel
Wheat
$4.28
$467
GRADE A
Lead
Palladium
hen President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 205, there were high hopes the economy was going to witness robust improvement considering his populist economy dispo-
PER BARREL
Exchange Rates
$0.81
$608.25
Cocoa
$3, 132
PER OZT
N-$
N-£
N-€
RATE
RATE
RATE
198.8
Emefiele
sitions. But one year after, harrowing tales of pains and anguish trail the economy still in a sorry pass, with current economic indices and outlook of foreseeable future pointing towards recession. Latest statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 0.36 per cent in the first quarter
$49.22
PER BARREL
Brent Crude $49.30
»
Economy remains in sorry state under Buhari’s watch
Buhari By Kelechi Mgboji
WTI
Nigeria not expensive for imports, says NPA Boss
» Gold
TROY OZ
OIL PRICE INDEX
Maritime
Business Interview
PAGE 54
COMMODITIES SUMMARY
Broadmoney (M2) 18,718,193.11 Narrow Money (M1) 7,148,592.67
(Q1) this year, against 3.96 per cent growth in the same period of last year, two clear months before Buhari took over the reins of leadership, and 2.11 per cent growth in Q2 2015. According to the NBS report, the biggest falls in growth came in the industry and manufacturing sectors which shrank 5.5 per cent and 7 per cent respectively in Q1, helping to push the economy near 0.4 per cent contraction, its worst perfor-
mance in years. According to World Bank statistics, the negative growth of 0.36 recorded in Nigeria’s GDP in Q1 2016 was last recorded in 1995. Experts said the nation would likely record another negative GDP growth in Q2, plunging it into recession. Many contractors have been laid off as tens of thousands of businesses have either closed down or shelved investment plans. Analysts believe they
are being squeezed by an inflexible foreign exchange (forex) policy believed to have made a bad situation worse. Inflationary pressure has consistently quickened pace in the last one year. At 13.7 per cent as of April 2016, up from 8.4 per cent a year ago, annual inflation fuelled by sustained pressure on the naira has hit the highest level in six years. And there are strong indications that the galloping
N288.62
220.02
Apart from the pending Chinese $6 billion infrastructure financing loan, it is estimated that Nigeria has accessed over N1 trillion loans in bonds and treasury bills since Buhari assumed office. Besides, the country owes $3 billion this year in oil repayments to big oil companies. inflation rate may exceed 15 per cent in the next couple of months considering the government's recent removal of whatever was left of its subsidy of petroleum products. The NBS also said oil production stood at 2.11 million barrels per day (bpd) in Q1 2016, lower than the 2.16 million bpd in Q4 2015. With the resurgence of attacks on pipelines and oil facilities in the Niger Delta, Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, said oil production has further dropped to 1.4 million bpd, the lowest level for more than 20 years. Continues on PAGE 52
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Cover Economy remains in sorry state under Buhari’s watch Continued from PAGE 51 The 2016 budget assumes oil production of 2.2 million bpd at $38 per barrel (pb). The implication is that crude oil earnings, which are already very low, are further severely threatened due to prolonged fall in commodities prices and outages in output. Economy Buhari inherited Admitted that the economy Buhari inherited was battered, no improvement in any parameter has registered since his assumption of office. He inherited a forex reserve of $29.77 billion though local and international debt profile stood at $60 billion and a 2015 debt-serving bill of N953.6 billion, 21 per cent of the 2015 budget. But one year after, dollar reserves were down 10.7 per cent to $26.5billion as of May 20, 2016, because Buhari's government, like its predecessors, settled on the well worn policy of naira defence with scarce hard currency. Given the fact that more money has been borrowed by the government through its usual monthly debt instruments issuance (bonds and treasury bills) the country’s total debt profile of about N12 trillion as of May 29, 2015 could have shot higher than he met it. Apart from the pending Chinese $6 billion infrastructure financing loan, it is estimated that Nigeria has accessed over N1 trillion loans in bonds and treasury bills since Buhari assumed office. Besides, the country owes $3 billion this year in oil repayments to big oil companies such as Shell and Exxon Mobil, according to industry sources. These companies have helped the country fund its share of joint oil field development repayable in oil to companies. Unfortunately, the government is facing steep production declines occasioned by resurgent attacks on oil installations by Niger Delta militants. The naira to dollar exchange rate that stood at N180 per dollar on the parallel market today exchanges for N346 per dollar, which seriously stokes inflationary pressure expected to worsen in the months ahead. Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo's comments on the same day fuel price was increased by 67 per cent to remove costly fuel subsidies, intensified dollar demand pressure. This in turn weakened naira value against the dollar, and it is expected to have spill-over effects on the prices of goods and services.
Due to frequent shutdowns of oil and export terminal pipelines and depressed crude prices, gross revenues distributable to the three tiers of government – federal, state, and council – hit a five-year low in April 2015, leading up to May 29, 2015 when Buhari assumed office, and has maintained lower earnings. Money market A sharp plunge in oil prices which ate deep into the foreign reserves forced the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to introduce currency controls. The CBN applied rules and restrictions to stabilise the naira after it declined to a record low in February as the price of oil, the nation’s major forex earner, fell by a half in the second half of last year. The CBN had devalued the naira twice; in November 2014 and February 2015. It also prevented banks from buying dollars on the interbank market without matching orders, measures that stabilised the exchange rate while reducing liquidity. It excluded importers of 41 items from accessing forex from the official window where the exchange rate is pegged at N197.50 to the dollar. Rather than help the situation, these hotly criticised measures frustrated businesses, and caused the economy to contract, having denied it of needed dollar inflows in investments that could help to pay for imports of essential commodities, including from fuel. On the black market, the naira is trading 40 per cent below the official rate as manufacturers and importers pay massive premiums to avoid hefty official currency curbs now blamed for tipping the economy towards recession. Bank's de facto peg of N197 per dollar had become increasingly unsustainable due to a shortage of hard currency stemming from the slump in oil revenues. Consequently, the CBN last Tuesday announced it would introduce new guidelines for forex management. Announcing the decision
Balogun
after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, admitted that it was high time more flexible forex management was introduced after foreign reserves depleted further by 10.7 per cent, ostensibly used up to prop the naira and prevent a free fall. But the more CBN tries to support the currency, the more it realises the hard way the futility in so doing. Analysts and key banking sector players insisted that there was an urgent need for further devaluation of the naira to reflect its true value and situation of the economy. Chief executive officers (CEOs) of banks added their voice to the deafening call for further devaluation and raised the alarm over “disappearing” flow of funds into the banking sector. Those who spoke at bank CEOs’ roundtable organised by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in conjunction with Bloomberg urged the CBN to find ways to restore liquidity to the forex market, as banks are suffering from forex trading restrictions. First City Monument Bank (FCMB) CEO, Ladi Balogun, told Bloomberg News that banks are paying for restrictions in foreign currency trading, which pose the biggest risk to banks as they struggle against a slump in
The government is facing steep production declines occasioned by resurgent attacks on oil installations by Niger Delta militants. The naira to dollar exchange rate that stood at N180 per dollar on the parallel market today exchanges for N346 per dollar, which seriously stokes inflationary pressure expected to worsen in the months ahead.
Kachikwu
oil prices and a weak naira. “It is important we restore liquidity in the foreign exchange market as quickly as possible,” Balogun told Bloomberg News. Investors are fleeing in droves. Dissatisfied by the government's forex policy at a time the economy is battered from all fronts, investors are concerned about refusal to devalue the naira and adopt a flexible exchange rate system. Outflows of investments rather than investment inflows spur growth. But like a people who took to geology the morning after an earthquake, the government on Tuesday, May 24 decided on a more liberal exchange rate policy, one year after it resisted calls for devaluation. A flexible system allows the exchange rate to be determined by market forces of supply and demand. The implication of this is that with a high demand for the dollar, the naira will invariably depreciate further to about N400 or N500 per dollar. This partly explains why Emefiele expressed concern that the economy may go into recession. Equities market The NSE All Share Index hit its 2015 peak of 35,728.12 basis points on April 2, the day after Buhari was declared the election winner, and former President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat. Investors had hoped for a sustained rally after smooth elections in March and a peaceful handover of power on May 29. However, the rebound could not be sustained as the new government was perceived as being too slow to tackle economic crisis, and monetary policy issues (with naira seen as overvalued) that kept foreign investors on the sidelines. There were also sustained
massive shares sell offs by foreign investors whose strident calls for naira devaluation was rebuffed by the government. Data released by the NSE on June 18, 2015 showed that the capital market depreciated by N238 billion or 2.07 per cent just three weeks after Buhari’s inauguration. The money market was not spared either as the naira which had strengthened at about N180 to the dollar in the first week after Buhari's electoral victory gave up the initial gains both at the official interbank market (where it traded at N199.40) and the parallel market (where it had tumbled from N222 to N225) a month after Buhari’s inauguration. Shares were down 6.5 per cent in October and posted a further 7.1 per cent loss in November as active foreign investors took flight for fear of further losses after consistent decline between June and September. October, November, and December witnessed further bleeding of shares. The first one week in January this year at the stock market was worse as investors lost over N1 trillion in one bearish week, sending a clear signal that the economy was very ill. Several companies, especially banks, consumer goods firms, and oil and gas companies, have posted weak profits they attributed to regulatory and economy headwinds, effects of currency controls which have raised costs, and impact of the sharp fall in crude oil prices. Forte Oil, one of the highly capitalised oil firms quoted on the NSE, lost over $400 million in price value after the stock crashed from a high of about N300 per share to less than N170 per share in less than six months. Bank stocks were heavily off loaded because of the
heavier regulatory burden that clipped returns on investment. Stanbic IBTC Holdings crashed from a high of about N30 per share to less than N10 per share in less than one year. Other high cap stocks which opened the year at higher prices consistently shed prices and a large segment of stocks, especially in the banking, oil and gas sectors, are currently traded at give away prices having touched their bottom levels, far below their intrinsic value. With inflation rate at 13.7 per cent in April compared with year to date (May 2015 to May 2016) inflation adjusted return at the equities market at about -23.5 per cent, investors have lost more 60 per cent of the real value of their investments in the equities market. The Nigeria’s capital market is dominated by foreign investors which had withdrawn more than N1 trillion in 2014 and another N534.84 billion between January and June 30, 2015. Spooked by fears over possible devaluation of the naira, shares traded on the NSE have further lost over N3 trillion between June 2015 and May 25, 2016 as foreign investors pulled out. With the All Share Index standing at 27, 231.50 as of Tuesday, May 24, 2016, the equities market has depreciated by 8, 496.62 basis points or 23.78 per cent between April 2, 2015 when the index hit its 2015 peak of 35,728.12 basis points after Buhari was declared the election winner, and Jonathan conceded defeat and today. As inflation quickens pace, coupled with more pressure expected to ensue from a new regime of flexible exchange rates, investors’ equities holdings may turn valueless in real terms of purchasing power.
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Financial Niche
53
Inflation, naira pressure may worsen in liberalised forex
GTBank Managing Director, Segun Agbaje
Unegbu
Stories by Kelechi Mgboji
T
Assistant Business Editor
he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has liberalised foreign exchange (forex) trading while retaining a small official window for crucial transactions. However, its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) retained Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 12 per cent and Credit Reserve Requirement (CRR) at 22.5 per cent. “The foreign exchange market framework, now ready, the MPC voted unanimously to adopt greater flexibility in exchange rate policy to restore the automatic adjustment properties of the exchange rate," CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed in Abuja.
Mixed reactions The flexibility came after President Muhammadu Buhari’s year-long insistence that his administration would not devalue the naira, analysts view the development as a policy U-turn to boost manufacturing and exports and stave off recession. All current economic
performance indices point to recession. Some analysts believe the new policy is right, others say some of the decisions are strange and fear it may worsen naira to dollar exchange rate. For instance, the inflation rate was 13.7 per cent in April and analysts would want rates hike to fight inflationary pressure.
Unegbu But Okechukwu Unegbu, former president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), countered that rates increase would worsen economic challenges. Unegbu said forex crisis is the major problem of the country at the moment, noting that the margin between the official and parallel market rates should be curtailed. In his view, premium on forex at over 100 per cent when compared with the official rate is outrageous. Unegbu said devaluation will not be favourable to Nigeria because of its monoeconomy, the country is not producing anything that could be exported, and devaluation would not bring any advantage at the moment.
He urged the government to diversify the economy and strengthen the agricultural sector. “We can devalue when we have agriculture produce we can export to other countries,” he added.
BDC operators Other experts said the current devaluation will hurt the economy as the exchange rate of naira to dollar would rise to about N400 per dollar considering the scarcity of dollar following a sharp drop in forex earnings due to a slump in oil price. “A flexible exchange rate regime? It is good but it’s coming at time when scarcity of dollars is exerting a lot of pressure on naira value. “This good policy can hurt the local currency significantly, at least in the short term,” warned Matthew Eze, a bureau de change (BDC) operator. He said until dollar supply improves, naira value will continue to weaken against a strong dollar, because the fate of the naira now hangs on the forces of demand and supply. Eze explained that if naira weakens further by 30 per cent, its implication on the
prices of goods and services will be quite telling on the standard of living. Yet there are analysts who picked holes with the CBN retaining a small official window for interventions in critical transactions, saying it runs contrary to liberalisation policy, and wondering how it will work. However, Harrison Owoh, another BDC operator, said the policy would impact positively on the economy and remove distortion, hoarding, and speculation in the currency market. Owoh said allowing the forces of demand and supply to dictate the exchange rate is a universal policy that would discourage corruption in the forex market. His words: “Nigeria operates a peculiar economy where risen commodity prices do not come down in spite of a better economic policy and environment. “A flexible exchange rate will remove distortion, hoarding, and speculation of currency in the economy. “It is one of the mechanisms used in the foreign exchange market to discourage round tripping. The policy has been successful in the advanced
Zenith Bank Managing Director, Peter Amangbo economies of the world.”
Renaissance Capital On how the new policy will affect banks, analysts at Renaissance Capital said: “While revaluation gains and FX trading income improvements should materialise near term, asset quality risks and capital erosion are valid risks. “GTBank’s expectation of a short term boost in Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) if the naira weakens cannot be seen as broad expectation for other banks, as Zenith for example thinks CAR could decline by about 2ppts if the exchange rate moves to NGN300/$1,” said the analysts in an email note.
Cowry Assets “In our opinion,” analysts at Cowry Assets Management added, “the policy decisions will impact the economy on several fronts: We expect current inflationary pressure will continue unrestrained as budgetary disbursement commences. “Also, interest rate is expected to continue to hover at current levels with an increased double digit outlook.
Nigerians spent 133m minutes browsing in April
N
igerians made a record traffic on ESPN digital platform browsing in April, the second consecutive month for such web visits. ESPN, a leading global digital sports brand, said 5.7 million unique browsers accessed its digital properties in Nigeria, logging 16 million visits and more than 133.7 million minutes. These exceeded the previous records of 4.9 million unique users, 14.6 million visits, and 110 million minutes – all new records set in March, records by Adobe Analytics
showed. The growth was driven by interest in and engagement with ESPN’s coverage of global football, in particular the English Premier League (up 30 per cent month-on-month). It also bounced on the historic title run by Leicester City, as well as La Liga (up 57 per cent) with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid running Barcelona close in a tight race for the Spanish title. ESPN’s digital media growth in West Africa comes on the backs of the expansion of its global digital media. In the past year, it has launched a rebuilt web and
smartphone app platform for its signature property ESPN. com, enabling the rollout of localised editions in multiple markets globally. ESPN FC has grown its global traffic nearly 30 per cent in three years, and introduced a number of features for African football fans, including Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh’s popular weekly column. ESPN EMEA Group Director (Sales and Sponsorship), Alan Fagan, said: “We have seen remarkable stories in the title races in English and Spanish football, and with those stories we have seen parallel record growth in Nigerian fans spend-
ing time with ESPN online. “Nigeria has a sports loving culture, and I am delighted that ESPN is increasingly becoming the first choice for many sports fans in the region. We are keen to further develop our brand and customer base in this important market.” According to ComScore, ESPN is the leading digital sports brand in the world, reaching 110.3 million unique users in April, who racked up 1.1 billion visits and 7 billion minutes of usage – both more than the numbers two and three sports properties combined.
Likely increase in liquidity mop up through Open Market Operation in response to expected increase in budgetary spending. “Naira will remain under pressure, as market forces adjust the fixed CBN’s clearing rate to a more realistic parallel market rate. “There will likely be foreign exchange inflows from domiciliary accounts estimated at USD20 billion as currency exchange risk minimises and capital market activities are expected to witness gradual recovery as foreign exchange risk diminishes, with the adoption of a more flexible exchange rate regime.”
Vetiva Capital However, analysts at Vetiva Capital Management expect inflation to spike in the near term. “It is clear that the MPC has chosen its battle carefully, deciding to loosen one of the key impediments to economic growth (the FX illiquidity). “Following from this, we expect the inflation picture to worsen in the near term as a result of the emergence of a new exchange rate to consumer prices,” they said.
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Standard of living has got worse, SSSEPN laments South South, South East Professionals of Nigeria (SSSEPN) President, Emeka Ugwu-Oju, bares his mind to Executive Editor, OGUWIKE NWACHUKU, and Reporter HENRY ODUAH on the state of the nation. Ugwu-Oju, founder of Nigeria Entrepreneurship Summit and Honours (NESH), also speaks on plans by SSSEPN for the two regions, which are crying for an end to marginalisation to ensure economic growth. Economic focus of SSSEPN South South South East Professionals of Nigeria (SSSEPN) came into being roughly 10 years ago just before [Umaru] Yar A’dua was elected president of the country. That was after we had a retreat in Calabar at which many professionals from the South East and South South came together. Then we looked at the state of the nation and that of the two regions. After much brainstorming we decided that the way forward was for the South East and South South to come together as a form of regional bloc, to see how we can, even though we are a federation, take our destiny in our own hands through cooperation, regional integration and development. These days people take the South East and South South almost for granted, which wasn't the case before. It used to be about South East but now we see a lot about South East South South combined. But more importantly we have tried to put our money where our mouth is. And the major thing is how to actualise the development we all want. That's what the professionals have been working on. We have tried to facilitate the 20-year development agenda for the South East and South South, and which, by the grace of God, will be unveiled this year after input and endorsement by all the stakeholders. That’s one of the things we did in Port Harcourt – to look at the draft development agenda and try and actualise it after it has been approved by all the stakeholders.
Clamour for change, one year on For the first time in Nigeria’s new democratic dispensation, there was a change in governance at the national level from one party to another. In this instance from the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) to the APC (All Progressives Congress). That in itself was a major change because people were beginning
to think that maybe the PDP was already thinking of governing for the next 50 or 60 years. But then something happened and it was shown the way out by the people of Nigeria. One of the reasons for the change is that people felt that they needed something better and different. Maybe they looked at the standard of living and thought that it was not what it should be and that a change in government would ensure a change for the better. The new government would have spent one year in office on May 29 and maybe the misery index of Nigeria, instead of improving, has got worse. Whether it is the fault of the government is a different matter altogether; the reality is that people expected improvement in the standard of living but instead it has got worse at least for the first year. But we know that the new government has four years to go and in the next three years people might actually get that sort of change they wanted and voted for. But right now they don’t seem to be getting it with regard to improvement in the standard of living. It took the government quite some time to put in structures needed to run – in other words, appointment of ministers and so on; also, getting the first budget on the ground took a bit of time. All these have created that environment whereby people think
Ugwu-Oju there’s change but there’s not much change for the better. We see a lot of action – real action – against corruption and also the fight against Boko Haram insurgents. Unfortunately, we are also seeing an upsurge in attack and massacre of innocent people by socalled Fulani herdsmen. So it looks like what was gained from fighting the insurgents is being lost through the activities of the herdsmen.
Obasanjo’s jibe at Buhari on
The major thing is how to actualise the development we all want. That's what the professionals have been working on. We have tried to facilitate the 20year development agenda for the South East and South South, and which, by the grace of God, will be unveiled this year after input and endorsement by all the stakeholders.
managing economy Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. He is someone that can be described as subjective. Since he and President Muhammadu Buhari were colleagues [in the military], he is in a better position to assess the strengths and weaknesses of his fellow combatant. He has said [Buhari] is good at security but not at the economy. I don’t think he’s good at it. But being president you don’t have to be a specialist in all fields, the most important thing is been able to take the right decisions and have people who know all areas that are important to the economy; having them work with you and been able to know the right decisions and take them. Sometimes the problem could be when somebody has his or her own idea about how somebody should work and is not listening to people who know. That’s where we have a problem. But if Buhari has people who know about the economy around him and listens to their advice, that
shouldn’t be a problem. He doesn’t have to be an economic expert. [United States President, Barack] Obama is not an economic expert, he is a lawyer, but he has people who know about the economy around him.
Implementing economic ideas This idea of development is not owned by SSSEPN. What we try to do is facilitate; that is, get all the stakeholders to come together and take ownership of developing the region. The development of the South East and South South or Nigeria does not lie with the government, it lies with the people. But then the government has a role to play. And that's to provide the enabling environment. That's why progress has not been made in the past as it should. The government has a lot of impact on the economy. And if they don't share the idea for integration and regional development, that would be a drag. On their own, they've done
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If the Avengers are operating on behalf of the Niger Delta people, not for selfish reasons, then they need the sympathy of a lot of people. It's for us to make them feel that they have a stake in the government and the country. One major solution is for the government to put the resolutions made at the National Conference to work and stop making it look like it is Goodluk Jonathan’s affair. It is not. It is something decided by credible representatives. If you put their resolution into law, I'm sure the enabling environment for the Avengers will not be there anymore. That would be a major antidote to disarming the Avengers.
Continued from PAGE 54 something without waiting for SSSEPN to remind them, but how well they've done it is what matters most. For instance, in the South South there is a commission and the South East has the South East Nigeria Economic Commission which in principle is supported by all the states but hasn't been empowered as it should be. Those two structures have already captured the essence of what we're talking about. The government knows that's the way to go. We're trying to engage the government and other stakeholders to fine tune what they've started and do a bit more in terms of speed and what needs to be done. But we are clear that this development lies with the people and that's why in the last development forum, a major decision was reached and the people signed on the idea that we would have a private sector-led vehicle which we can use to aggregate funds to catalyse the development of the area based on what work has been done. For instance, in the 20-year development plan, we have five pillars to drive development – oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, trade and tourism. These five pillars will drive the development and the funds should catalyse these pillars. We said that for us to achieve that level of growth, we need $100 billion. If the South South can pool $10 billion, there are other sources of funding that can help generate the balance $90 billion. The projects we are talking about are profitable and they are areas where we have comparative and competitive advantage. Having said that, we should have up to 10 refineries in the two regions. We have already agreed in principle to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) within the next couple of months with the group that has already identified key projects and has done some work with regard to the oil and gas pillar. So for us, it's ‘let's start doing instead of talking’, and the most important thing is knowing what to do; and we have people who know what to do and have started doing it. We are hoping that in the next 10 years, the South East and South South would be different from what we've known in the past. We also agreed in the last forum that the government must create an enabling environment in terms of security. Everybody knows for example that Anambra State is the safest in the South East and South South. We encourage other states to do what Anambra is doing right.
Getting the message to the grassroots Let me repeat that there's nothing SSSEPN intends to do; we facilitate and catalyse others on what needs to be done and then help with a road map on how to get the job done. These are the things that will be contained in the development plan. We're trying to make it projectspecific.
Fuel price increase Basically, we are not backing fuel price increase but deregulation of the oil and gas sector and allowing market forces to drive that sector. And if the market price as of today is higher than what it was before, so be it. What we are totally against is this idea of [fuel] subsidy. The government, if it can afford it, should subsidise but it should be based on what is best for the people, not picking one product to subsidise. If it is more beneficial to subsidise education or agriculture or health then let it go there.
Pump price regulation
Ugwu-Oju For instance, we could say that all local governments should own farms, that would help us achieve sustainable development in agriculture. With this, you don't need to go far in search of a model; the farms will serve as a template for young entrepreneurs to go into agriculture. And they would be told where they can get funding and support services.
Investing in refineries State governments have no business building refineries. Their business is to provide security first and foremost. Although security is in the hands of the federal government we're trying to see how we can cooperate. State governments can invest but they don't have the money to run refineries. They should provide the enabling environment for investors and then earn money through income tax on investment in their states and so on. They have to make their states attractive to investors. Some sort of investments are beyond state control, and that's why even the
private sector – until now that Aliko Dangote is doing something – has not invested in refineries.
Diversifying the economy Right now Nigeria is a monoproduct economy, that's why there's a clamour for diversification so we don't depend on one product. Oil production has gone from 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 and that’s due to activities in the environment like sabotage, pipeline seizure, and bombing of production facilities pipeline. It will be tough on the economy because we've not diversified yet. In SSSEPN, we handle issues from a professional manner. We wrote to the president saying that from what we can see in his first three months or thereabout in office that some of his actions or inactions make the majority of the South East South South to feel that they're not part of his government. In the case of the Nigeria Delta Avengers, it's not something you deal with by crushing, as the British said. You might end up crushing both the Avengers and the facilities and have zero product.
In the 20-year development plan, we have five pillars to drive development – oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, trade and tourism. These five pillars will drive the development and the funds should catalyse these pillars.
That's what Labour should be asking the government. If the government did its numbers and it thinks the price it should sell the product not at a loss is N145 per litre, it does not have to announce any price. Luckily they have outlets, retail stations where they can sell at the price they think and others would do their own. What we don’t want is having the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) sell below cost, that would mean we are subsidising the NNPC.
Anti-corruption fight Every right thinking person would support the fight against corruption. But some people have issues with the way it's prosecuted. Fighting corruption is good but the best way is to attack it at the root. You don't create an environment that encourages corruption and then keep on fighting it. For example, if you put a policeman at the gate and what he needs to take care of his basic needs is N50,000 a month and then you give him N10,000; what you've done is to tell him to find a way to bridge the gap. So, you've created an environment where he can do something corrupt to bridge that gap. When people know that the living wage is N50,000 and one is paid N50,000 then one does something corrupt, one’s punishment will be just. But what we have in Nigeria is an environment that encourages corruption and then we keep fighting it.
Herdsmen killings in Nimbo What happened there shouldn't
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We also agreed in the last forum that the government must create an enabling environment in terms of security. Everybody knows for example that Anambra State is the safest in the South East and South South. We encourage other states to do what Anambra is doing right. have happened; the massacre of innocent people, whether it's in Nimbo or Agatu or in Lagos. As it has happened it is now to ensure that it doesn't happen again. My only regret is how on earth did we have an environment that makes it possible for such a thing to have occurred. In other words, people did not do their job. It's a problem of insecurity. We need to make our environment more secure, and address the root cause which is cattle rearing. They should have no business going there in the first place if they have no ranch. With ranching they would have their land and perimeter and there won't be any issue of villagers fighting, whether it is retaliation or not. Let's have people do their ranching but as a business.
Grazing reserves I haven’t really had the opportunity of seeing the [Grazing Reserves] Bill and being able to digest the content. But without seeing or reading the bill, what I would say is that cattle rearing, being done the way it is done all over the world as a business, means that if I want to rear cattle, I would rather have to do it in a ranch. And that means I would have to acquire a ranch where I would breed my cows and sell for a profit because it’s a business. The idea of cows moving all over the place is not for the modern times. So, I hope the bill is saying, ‘let’s stop having cows moving all over the place and if you want to go into the business of cattle rearing then you have to rear your cows in a ranch.’ And maybe the government can support [cattle rearers] because we still have the Land Use Act which bestows ownership of the land on the state. In that regard, it’s just like any other business whereby if state A wants to encourage ranching, it can do a PPP (public private partnership) with the cattle rearers and probably get some benefits from it, but if the idea of the government is to give [land] to some people just like that, it doesn’t really make sense. If the bill is trying to promote ranching as the way to go about cattle rearing and provide some parameters on how you can go about that, it’s fine with any reasonable person.
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May 29, 2016
Company
Focus
FGPL founder, Duru, petitions Buhari over PenCom persecution • Alleges PenCom boss has vested interest
Buhari
By Kelechi Mgboji
Assistant Business Editor
F
ounder and promoter of First Guarantee Pension Limited (FGPL), Chidi Duru, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged persecution by the National Pensions Commission (PenCom). He accused PenCom and three other shareholders of working jointly to take away the company from him and 34 other shareholders. FGPL is one of the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) licensed under the Pension Reform Act of 2004. Syndicated media report Duru was reacting to a syndicated story in major newspapers on Monday, May 23 accusing him of evading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He denied the allegation that he defrauded the FGPL, saying, on the contrary, he founded and nurtured the company to good financial health. Under his watch, he added, FGPL paid its first dividend to shareholders in 2011 and got a commendation letter from PenCom as the most improved PFA in 2010. It was reported on Monday that “in order to protect over N100 billion worth of pension assets managed by … FGPL, the … EFCC has invited a former member of the House of Representatives, Chidi Duru, one O.O, Ojo, and a South African, Derrick Roper, representing Novare Holding Limited, for diversion of millions of naira of FGPL, a licensed pension administrator.” The media report, allegedly syndicated by PenCom and its collaborators, alleged that the EFCC also accused Duru of diverting “N16 million being part of the equity contribution of Novare
Duru
Anohu-Amazu Holding, a South African firm, to another business without following due process and obtaining board approval.” It equally accused Duru of collecting N20.5 million as “executive allowance without board approval and diversion of the company’s assets worth millions of naira for his personal use.” Attempt to obscure issues But Duru issued a statement in which he accused Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, a FGPL shareholder, and PenCom Director General, Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, of sponsoring and circulating the “same old falsehood against me which was quashed by Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court Abuja on August 11, 2011 and June 18, 2012. “It is a continuous attempt to obscure issues.” He also denied being invited by the EFCC. On the allegation that he shortchanged some shareholders by withholding money given to him to buy FGPL shares, he said it was not possible as monies invested by shareholders were issued in one of the three names from which FGPL evolved. “Before First Guarantee Pension, we operated under three names. Initially, we were First Provident Trust Limited, but that name was rejected by PenCom,” Duru explained. “We now changed the name to First Pension, which again was rejected before we finally changed the name to First Guarantee Pension, which was now approved. “Each and every investor, shareholder in First Guarantee Pension, issued his cheque or instrument to [one] of these three names. At the beginning it was First Provident Trust, then First Pension, and finally First Guarantee Pension. “None of these investors and shareholders invested in any platform other than these three. “It was this instrument that was now used as a proof of evidence
to [PenCom] of the investment that was done by each and every shareholder. “It could not have happened that any shareholder or investor in First Guarantee Pension would have either given money to me or to any other person to invest in FGPL because the guidelines that were enunciated by PenCom is that every investment must be made in the name of the proposed PFA on the basis of which they now issued what they called approval in principle (AIP) for you to become a PFA. “After the AIP, we were given a final licence when we presented the final instrument that each and every shareholder invested. “When other PFAs were raising N150 million, FGPL in the first tranche raised N235 million and then raised another N500 million and later to well over N800 million. All those investments were done in [one] of the three names.” The story also claimed that the EFCC had indicted “Duru and his collaborators of alleged forgery of some shareholders’ signatures on a document referred to as the ‘Shareholders Resolution’, which purportedly mandated him to negotiate with Novare Holding on behalf of other shareholders during the acquisition of FGPL’s shares by Novare Holding.” According to the story, shareholders who alleged that their signatures were forged included former House of Representatives Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba; former Deputy Speaker, Austin Okpara; Senator Annie Okwonkwo, and Ibrahim-Imam. But Duru insisted that nothing could be farther from the truth. He said: “One of the charges they brought before the Magistrate’s Court in Abuja was the forgery of the signature of … Ibrahim-Imam in the shareholders agreement to admit the investment of our partners from South Africa into First Guarantee Pension Limited. “For me that was surprising
because, first, I am not the management, second I have no role to play in it. “However, I recall that on November 13, 2008 when the then managing director presented to the board that the shareholders agreement permitting the investment of Novare into First Guarantee Pension had been signed by the shareholders (there are two ways to obtain the agreement of shareholders – either by all the shareholders signing by what we call round ribbon or at a general meeting of the shareholders) but this process was done through round ribbon. “The chairman, in his considered wisdom, at that meeting said that since we have an AGM of the company coming up on January 19, 2009, he would prefer that the question of investment of Novare be tabled and discussed at the AGM. “He said that why he agreed with the managing director and company secretary that Novare had met every condition necessary for a resolution of the shareholders to admit Novare into First Guarantee Pension Limited, we had nothing to lose if we waited for the next two months to take the matter to a general meeting of the shareholders. “And that was carried as a resolution of the board. “In the January 19, 2009 shareholders meeting, the chairman made a profound statement that he had been advised that with the shareholders agreement as signed, we had met the requirement to admit Novare, but that he would like to keep the document aside, because he wanted the shareholders to understand what they had signed which would dilute their shareholding because when Novare invested into First Guarantee Pension Limited, if you owned 18 per cent for instance, it would now come down to 15 per cent. “The matter was discussed extensively. In fact, if we spent 10 minutes at that AGM, eight minutes were devoted to the is-
sue of Novare’s investment. “But at the end of the day, unanimously, without any dissenting vote, Novare was admitted to invest in First Guarantee Pension. It was the resolution of that meeting that was filed with the CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) admitting the investment of Novare into FGPL. "So, this was a resolution of the shareholders at the general meeting. If anybody knew that his signature was forged or he didn’t agree with it, he could have raised it at the AGM.”
deposit for shares. “And my shares were reduced by 50 per cent from N248 million to under N122 million. There was no shareholders’ resolution, there was no shareholders’ meeting, and there was no directors’ meeting where this was done. “Also, Kashim-Imam was purportedly elected as the chairman of First Guarantee Pension Limited, even when there is an order of the court by Justice Okeke against that.”
Court already quashed charges
Duru said he had written a petition to Buhari complaining of persecution. “My and our appeal is that if it is found that there has been an infraction on our part, then let justice be done, but if it is found that we have not done anything wrong, and some other people have misused their power and influence, let justice also be done. “But more importantly is that there must be an immediate order that those who are managing the business of First Guarantee Pension Limited should convene a shareholders’ meeting. “It cannot happen that a business such as FGPL has not had a meeting in the last five years. It cannot happen that a business such as FGPL has not filed its annual returns and accounts with the CAC in the last five years and the [CAC] is keeping quiet. “It cannot happen that FGPL has not paid dividend to the shareholders in the last five years and it cannot also happen that a business such as ours has not paid its tax to the regulatory authorities. "Now that the states and federal government are broke and they are looking for money to run the affairs of the country, it is the duty of all responsible corporate entities to pay their taxes. “This is part of the corporate governance compliance we are urging the regulator who is managing the business to do immediately.”
In any case, Duru stressed, a court had quashed the charges. He accused Anohu-Amazu of bad faith, saying Justice D.U. Okorowo of the Abuja High Court had dismissed the same charges on June 18, 2012, upbraided PenCom for acting above the law, and ordered that the interim management set up by PenCom be removed. Duru said he could not have been on the run when he attends a Lagos High Court personally to answer to the fresh charges preferred against him by the EFCC. He described the arrest of his sister, Chinyere Christy Ekweonu, who stood surety for him in 2012, as an act of impunity. He accused Kashim-Imam and group of being the ones guilty of forgery. “Following Justice Okorowo’s ex-parte order on August 11, 2011, insisting that PenCom should reverse the steps they had taken and allow the directors to take back and run their business, in December 2011, a curious thing happened in the [CAC]. “A filing that didn’t have the directors approval nor the shareholders resolution was filed in the CAC that restructured the shareholding structure of First Guarantee Pension where the shares of our foreign partners, Novare, were removed as investors in FGPL and treated now as
Demand for justice
M toring
TheNiche May 29, 2016
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2016 Honda Civic is your money’s worth
Carmagedeon By Jonas Agwu 0805 316 6400 jonasagwu65@yahoo.com
New tyres in front or back axle? (2) • Good question for the rainy season
• Continued from last edition. Replace tyres in pairs, if not in fours
Stories by Foster Obi
Motoring/Maritime Editor
C
onsumers gave their views in a recent sampling done on the 2016 Honda Civic. The first person spoken to said: “I bought the 2016 Touring model in the hardto-find purple colour. “This car had everything I was looking for: good performance, excellent mileage, great safety features and lots of gadgets to play with, including Honda’s reputation for reliability. “The nav and sound system has a bit of a learning curve especially when you're talking about things like Hondalink, Android Auto, etc, but worth taking the time. You will find lots of cubbyholes too. “My only suggestion would be to put in a true blind spot detector and not just passenger side camera, as well as lumbar support
for the driver. It’s a great buy!” Another person put it this way: “I had stayed away from Honda since 2012 because I did not like the newer models back then. Recently, I went to see the 2016 models and fell in love again with Honda. Reliable, comfortable and beautiful!” “I have purchased a 2016 Honda Civic and have turned a few heads and started up a few conversations wherever I go to! Everybody wants to know what it is... “I never would have thought that I would buy a Honda Civic as my next car but this had everything I wanted in a car and even has terrific mileage!” The third respondent said: “The sporty look of the EX-T includes heated seats and moon roof which I have used often in our crazy weather we are having. “The screen allows me to plug in my phone and
shows the phone calls and messages too! I have backup and my mapquest works as well. “This car is roomy and I can fit two sets of golf clubs in the trunk and the push carts! This car is everything I need and is very fun to drive. “I drove many other vehicles, many are nice but this fits the bill for room, economy, sporty, comfort and convenient... “Now I am waiting on the safety tests... but it handles well on the road and has a wider wheel base for a heavier feel to the car. “Honda did a great job with the redesign. I traded my 2014 Accord EX-L for the 2016 Civic Touring. I've received many compliments on the styling and how much room is available in the car. “Only complaint is there's an issue with the infocentre where the sound gives out for no reason. There's a Honda bulletin about it but I haven't had the chance to
Maintenance tips How long should I use my shock absorber?
T
his depends on many variables, including how many miles a vehicle is driven, on what kinds of roads it's driven, and whether it's driven gently or harshly. Those variables make it virtually impossible to assign a number of years or miles on a blanket level, though we would expect shock absorbers to last at least four or five years, unless the vehicle has been subjected to extreme use. It's also not unusual for shocks to last 10 years on a vehicle that has lived most of its life on smooth pavement. On the other hand, rough roads marked with potholes, large cracks and sharp ridges that run across the pavement will wear out shocks faster.
Frequently carrying heavy loads or driving on unpaved roads with deep divots or imbedded large rocks will do the same. If you're the type who takes bombed-out roads at the same speed as fresh asphalt, the reckless abandon approach is bound to exact a toll over time. Overseas winter weather and road salt can also shorten shock absorber life by contributing to corrosion. Instead of using time or mileage to decide when to replace shocks, use them as guides for when to have your entire suspension inspected for wear, damage and leaks (shocks contain fluid). Some shock absorber manufacturers say you should replace them at 50,000 miles, but that's more for their benefit than yours.
Having the shocks and suspension inspected at 40,000 or 50,000 miles, then annually after that, is a better idea. A thorough inspection should uncover what you actually need, if anything. The springs in your vehicle's suspension do most of the shock absorbing. The shocks reduce the bouncing caused by springs compressing and releasing so you don't go boing-boing down the road. If you notice more bouncing than usual, a "porpoising" motion over wavy surfaces, bottoming out over railroad tracks or more body lean in turns, the shocks might be worn or leaking fluid and will need replacing. Longer braking distances or abrupt reactions through the steering wheel can also be caused by worn shocks,
see the dealer. “Other than that I love the car. The turbo engine has quick a bit of pick up and I can get going from a dead stop pretty nicely. The last person was a little critical: “My girlfriend just bought the 2016 Civic and I hate riding in it! The passenger seat is too low and there is no way to raise it. “My knees are up off the floor! That is just ridiculous! I went to look at other cars after to compare and the Dart, the Cruze and the Elantra all have levers to raise the seat height! I should have gone with her. “Other than that it is a nice car.” The Honda Civic redesigned for 2016 seats five, it has Standard 60/40-split folding rear seat, optional active-safety and features android auto and apple car play. The features also include available standard LED daytime running lights and taillights.
though your first inclination might be to blame something else for those problems. If you're having none of those issues, the shocks might still need attention. Bushings – the rubber and metal "cushions" at mounting points and connections – may be worn and allowing abnormal suspension movement or vibrations that can cause excessive tire wear or put more stress on other suspension components. But there are plenty of other potential culprits in the suspension system that could cause ride or handling issues or unusual noises, such as ball joints, tie rods and control arms. Don't automatically point the finger at shock absorbers or buy a new set because they're on sale. Have a complete checkup of the entire suspension.
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When you have problem with any of your tyres and you want to replace it, it is advisable you equally replace the other tyre on the same axle with the bad tyre. By this, you have tyres that are exactly the same make, same age, same physical conditions, same size – the same everything – on same axle. This will make for vehicle stability, effective control and better handling. Infact, the ideal thing is to change all the four tyres at the same time. Yellow/red lines dots on new tyres
and
Most new tyres have red or yellow lines running on top and round the entire perimeter of the tyre and red or yellow dots on the side walls. The marks have fascinating bits of information. Let’s start with the red or yellow dots. Red and yellow spots When a tyre is made, the weight is not perfectly uniform throughout the entire size of the tyre. There are some areas of deformity where the weight is greater than in other portions of the tyre. That point is always marked with either red or yellow dot, and is called the tyre’s high point. What do you do with the dots? When you are fixing the tyre onto the rim, you should align that spot with the inflation valve stem on the wheel. The point where the inflation valve stem is positioned on the wheel is another point of deformity on the wheel (the wheels are never perfectly circular). So synchronising both points – the yellow or red dot on the tyre and the valve stem on the rim – will even out both deformities and make for a better wheel balancing, smoother ride, longer lasting tyres and better vehicle control. In some tyres, you have both the red and yellow
dots. Note, however, that the red and yellow spots may be seen on a tyre. If so, use the red dot. Red and yellow lines The red or yellow lines run round on top of the tyres. The lines mark areas of imperfection. Notice that they don’t run on the centre of the tyre. They are either nearer to the left of the top or to the right. If you are buying two tyres, rotate the tyres to ensure the lines are so positioned. Don’t buy two tyres with the lines all on one side. Continue your search until you get two tyres with their lines properly positioned – one having the line nearer to the left and the other with the line nearer to the right. What do you do with the lines? As pointed out above, you are advised to buy tyres in pairs. After mounting the tyres on the wheels, install them in the same axle ensuring that the lines are of equal distance from the centre of the axle. There are two ways to do this. With the front of the vehicle facing you, install the one with the line nearer to the right on the right hand side and the other one with the line nearer to the left on the left hand side. This way the lines on the two tyres are away from the centre of the axle. You can also achieve the equidistance condition by spinning the tyres (while they are standing) in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction to get the two lines in the inside position – nearer to the centre of the axle. If you mount the tyres otherwise (one line inside and the other outside), your vehicle will pull to one side as you drive. Mounting the tyres properly ensures the vehicle maintains a straight course as you drive and also reduces vibrations and rough ride that would have been otherwise present due to construction imperfections. You would also be saving your shock absorbers from an early damage. Please educate your vulcanizer with the above information because they don’t know about it.
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May 29, 2016
Maritime Nigeria not expensive for imports, says NPA Boss Stories by Foster Obi
Motoring/Maritime Editor
I
t is erroneous to think that importing goods through Nigerian ports is more expensive compared with other ports in the world. This is the submission of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director, Habib Abdullahi, contrary to widely held opinion in and outside the maritime sector. “Those who are importing through Cotonou are simply smuggling so there’s no basis for comparison,” he said. “It is ridiculous. People are complaining that this port is congested which means there is a lot of business. And at the same time, there are other factors that
work against bringing in goods through the country. “The economy itself encourages smuggling. People smuggle because of some of the economic policies. Some people say that the port is expensive, but compare it with other places in the world. “People do not even know how much it costs to import. They are just peddling rumours that it is cheaper to import through Cotonou ports. “But it is actually because it is cheaper to smuggle goods through Cotonou ports as they dodge the fee they are supposed to pay. So the issue is not necessarily what people think.” Abdullahi insisted that Nigerian ports are “relatively competitive and if you ask the terminal operators, a lot of people are making
money; otherwise there would not be so many applications for people wanting to set up the sea ports in Nigeria. “So it is not because the other ports are cheaper, it is because smuggling is going on. But I think with the seriousness of the Customs now, all that will change very soon.” On why most importers in Nigeria prefer to use the Lagos ports even though other ports have been concessioned, Abdullahi explained that quite a number of people do not understand the operations of the ports. “I do not tell you that when you are bringing in goods, you must use this or that port. It is dependent on the importer or the exporter. “Especially now that all
Seme Customs command seizes N23m rice
Dimka
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igeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted at the Seme Area Command 2,131 bags of rice loaded in 12 trucks with a duty paid value of N23.9 million. Area Controller, Victor Dimka, disclosed in Seme that the seizures, made at Ere creeks, a border town between Lagos and Ogun States, was the highest in a single operation in the history of the command. He said the bags of rice were stocked in an uncompleted building when his men got the information and stormed the Ere creek. Dimka attributed the seizure to the sharing of coordinated and credible information among officers and the support of NCS comptroller general who has declared zero tolerance for smuggling. “It was discovered through the
database of the command that the remarkable feat of this magnitude is the first of its kind in recent times that will go down memory lane as a record that will not be easily forgotten,” Dimka added. He said the resolve by the smugglers to use the waterways was because the Seme border road is well fortified by customs officers. Dimka commended the enforcement unit of the command for their unprecedented performance even as he asked them to intensify efforts in the suppression of smuggling activities along the border. He said investigation was ongoing to unmask the rice smugglers. He warned that the command will continue to work round the clock to degrade all smuggling activities across the frontier as it has all the necessary logistics and support to combat smuggling activities at the border.
the ports have been concessioned, we are just landlords and all we need do is maintain the entire infrastructure, and I think we are doing that in all the ports. He said the government, concessionaires and terminal operators should encourage people to use their ports. “It is interesting that people use Lagos ports, even though Lagos is choked up, instead of using Calabar port. “Although there are some challenges in Calabar port it is a very deep sea port which depth is even deeper than that of Lagos, and we have the West African terminal there. “But people still do not want to use it as much as they use Lagos even though some of the things
Abdullahi that are coming in go to Aba for instance. People prefer to come to Lagos.
Maybe it’s left for people to investigate and find out why.”
Woman dies in Lagos boat accident
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ragedy struck in Lagos on Wednesday, May 25 as a boat on its way from Ikorodu to Victoria Island ran into a log of woods and capsized. A woman was reported dead. But 27 other passengers escaped death with varying degrees of injury and were taken to the Ikorodu General Hospital and a private hospital in the area. The boat had 27 passengers, and the weight made it difficult for it to regain balance after it rammed into the wood around 10am, shortly after it took off from the Origin Jetty in Ikorodu. The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) said the boat had capacity for 30 passengers. The victims were rescued by the emergency agencies, compris-
ing LASWA, Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAS), and the police. One of the rescue officers said: “The accident was caused by overloading. The operator would have been able to maneouvre if he had the normal number of passengers on board. “The corpse of the victim had been deposited in a morgue, while 27 persons who sustained injuries are receiving treatment in hospitals.” LASWA Managing Director, Abisola Kamson, said it was unfortunate that the woman, whose identity had yet to be ascertained, died. The agency has set new standard for boat operators to forestall
recurrence. Kamson disclosed that “a boat named HMS 2 with 30 passengers’ capacity travelling with 28 passengers from the Origin Jetty to the Addax Jetty on Victoria Island, after travelling 400 meters from the Origin Jetty, hit a log submerged in the waterways, which damaged the single hull of the boat causing the boat to sink. “Rescue operation started immediately and 27 passengers were rescued from the incident, but unfortunately one passenger was confirmed dead at the scene of the incident. Investigation revealed that all passengers were wearing lifejackets. “LASWA and NIWA have issued out new guidelines and standards to boat operators in Lagos aimed at sanitising and improving the waterways.”
NPA AIDS campaign train takes off
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atching on previous years of successful outreach, the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) has flagged off its campaign on the prevention of HIV/AIDS among port users and workers. The weeklong exercise organised in partnership with the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (ALCO) began at the Tin Can Island Port with truck drivers, uniformed personnel, and artisans, among others coming in for free AIDS test. NPA/ALCO Project Chairperson, Comfort Datong, said the
campaign, which began in 2012 in the ECOWAS sub region, has been quite successful. She noted that because of the increase in level of awareness, the rate of new positive cases of the HIV virus among port users within the trade corridor has reduced. “When we started, we were testing only1000 persons but now we are testing 1,500. But from our graph, the number of people you pick positive has gone down. So that shows that the awareness has gone round to an extent. What that means is that people are more cautious by using condoms. There is less number of people getting infected,” Datong said.
The workshop will also screen and provide free treatment for people with Hepatitis B. She explained that the campaign, tagged “Access Equity Rights Now”, is a call to ensure that those who have not had access to testing and treatment have the opportunity to do so. “It is a call to pushing on especially to those who have nobody attending to them like the truck drivers for them to have access to free testing and treatment. “The campaign will end in 2016 but we are hoping that if we are able to raise more funds, then the programme will continue to 2018 or for it to be a continuous thing.”
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FOOTBALL ATHLETICS
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BASKETBALL TENNIS
SPORTS
May 29, 2016
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FOOTBALL Football
FOOTBALL
PAGE 61
Ayo Bada Senior Correspondent 0805 410 3980, 0803 332 2615 ayobad@yahoo.com a.bada@thenicheng.com
FLASHBACK
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PAGE 63 Arsenal beats others with £100m Premier League earnings
Akleche happy to end goal drought
So far, so good for sports
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Golden Eaglets
ne year of sports under Muhammadu Buhari has been so far, so good, considering Nigeria’s successes in major international competitions since he became president on May 29, 2015. He had assured sportsmen and women that his administration would accord priority to sports, and he did just that. Basketball Basketball brought the first laurel when on August 30, 2015 the D’Tigers, as the national male basketball team is called,
won the 2015 AfroBasket Championships in Tunisia. Nigeria defeated Africa’s number one basketball nation, Angola, to win the cup for the first time and in the process secured a Rio 2016 Olympics qualification ticket. To grow the game, the African Basketball League (ABL) was created to rival the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). ABL Chief Executive Officer, Ugo Udezue, disclosed that since the debut of ABL in December 2015, basketball has been rejuvenated and gathered more fans. He said ABL was set up to improve socio-economic development on the continent through tourism and sports.
Table tennis Nigeria’s men and women’s teams qualified for the 2016 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF’s) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The ITTF also confirmed Team Nigeria as one of the 16 countries that will compete in the men’s team event of the Rio Olympics. Team Nigeria will fly Africa’s flag in the company of world and Asian champions, China, as well as Germany, the United States, Australia, and hosts Brazil. Others include Japan, Hong Kong, Portugal, Korea Republic, France, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Chinese Taipei, and
England. This means the trio of Segun Toriola, Aruna Quadri, and Bode Abiodun (the third highest ranked Nigerian in the world) have qualified for the singles event at the Olympics. However, Nigeria’s female team will play no part, as Egypt will represent the continent in the event which will also feature China, Germany, the U.S., Australia, and Brazil. Others are Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea Republic, Chinese Taipei, Korea DPR, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, and Austria. Continues on PAGE 60
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So far, so good for sports
Nigeria, AfroBasket 2015 champions
Toriola
Continues from PAGE 59 Africa Games In spite of poor preparation for the Africa Games, the continent’s Olympics version, Team Nigeria proved book makers wrong to finish second behind perennial winners, Egypt. The Games, held in Cairo from September 4 to 18, 2015, lived up to expectations and Nigerian athletes proved themselves. Many analysts considered the showing good enough against the backdrop that Nigeria has never done better than that, safe for when it hosted and won COJA 2003. Rio Olympic Games Nigeria is scheduled to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5 to 21, 2016. Since the nation made its debut in 1952, Nigerian athletes have participated in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada because Africa boycotted it. Nigeria will participate in athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, football, rowing, table tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling. Nigerian athletes have achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (maximum of three athletes in each event): • Men's 100 m, Men's 200 m, Men's 400 m; Men's 400 m hurdles • Men's triple jump, Men's shot put; • Women's 100 m, Women's 200 m, Women's 400 m, Women's 100 m hurdles, Women's 400 m hurdles • Women's high jump, Women's heptathlon. Nigeria men's basketball team qualified by winning the AfroBasket 2015 in Tunisia and will play the group matches against Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and
Lithuania. Besides, Nigeria has • Qualified one canoeist in the men's K-1 class, Jonathan Akinyemi, by obtaining a top finish at the 2015 African Canoe Slalom Championships in Sagana, Kenya. • Qualified one boat in the women's single sculls at the 2015 African Continental Qualification Regatta in Tunis, Tunisia. Chierika Ukogu will represent Nigeria. • Qualified one female weightlifter by virtue of a top four national finish at the 2016 African Championships. The team must allocate this place by June 20. • Qualified a total seven wrestlers for different classes. One of them finished in the top six to book an Olympic spot in the women's freestyle 53kg at the 2015 World Championships. The majority of the Olympic berths were awarded to Nigerian wrestlers, who were in the top two finals at the 2016 African and Oceania Qualification Tournament. The wrestlers and their classes are Amas Daniel (65 kg), Soso Tamarau (97 kg), Mercy Genesis (48 kg), Odunayo Adekuoroye (53 kg), Aminat Adeniyi (58 kg), Blessing Oborududu (63 kg), and Hannah Rueben (69 kg). • Entered four athletes in table tennis. Olympic veterans Quadri Aruna and Olufunke Oshonaike secured a place each in the men's and women's singles by virtue of a top four finish at the 2015 All-Africa Games. Segun Toriola and Offiong Edem took the remaining table tennis spots by virtue of their respective top two finish at the African Qualification Tournament in Khartoum, Sudan. Toriola will become the fourth table tennis player and the first ever African athlete to appear in seven editions of the Summer Olympics.
Football The Golden Eaglets went to the Chile 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, saw, and conquered. The side, tutored by Emmanuel Amuneke, defeated Mali by 2-0 in June 2015 to lift the trophy for a record fifth time. However, the distractions between the faction of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Chris Giwa and the present one led by Amaju Pinnick did not help Nigerian football. The Super Eagles for the second consecutive time failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, which ordinarily should be Nigeria’s turf, given its soccer pedigree. As Buhari did not promise anything for sports during his electioneering campaign, one would say that he has not done badly. He released funds in good time for the All Africa Games. In a clear departure from the past when money was released for events a week or two to such events, Buhari had after meeting the leadership of the then National Sports Commission (NSC), which has since been scrapped, released money for the All Africa Games and preparation for the Rio Games, and three months before the Congo Games He warned that the N2.9 billion approved must be accounted for to the last kobo. One decision that has endeared Buhari to sports lovers is his reward for the Golden Eaglets who conquered the world in the maiden edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1985 under his watch. Buhari, then military head of state, had pledged to reward the players and their coaches handsomely, but he did not fulfil the promise before he was overthrown by Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985.
Buhari did not forget his promise and decided to “do something” while receiving other victorious Nigerian athletes. He announced that each member of the U-17 team in 1985 would get N2 million and those who won the cup in Chile N1.2 million each. Players and handler of the 2015 CAF U-23 Championship got N500,000 each while N300,000 went to the assistant coaches and other officials. But Buhari lamented Nigeria’s poor outing at the 2012 London Olympics. He pledged the support of his administration for the Rio Olympics and urged the athletes to continue to do the nation proud. However, the appointment of Solomon Dalung as sports minister came as a surprise to many as well as the scrapping of the NSC. Many also believe Dalung has not done well in ensuring accountability and transparency in Nigerian sports, which makes the private sector shy away from investing in it. Nigeria in the last one year has not fared badly in sports, but it could have done a lot better with good administrators in charge. The bane of the country’s sports is administration, failure to maintain sports facilities, and the non involvement of the private sector. Sports is not yet big business in Nigeria, unlike in developed countries. And for this to change, those running the show must look at the bigger picture and not just being interested in who occupies NFF Glass House. The government must create the enabling environment for the private sector to get involved and for this to happen, and there must be less scandal in the sector. Those in charge must be transparent and make accountability and the welfare of the athletes a top priority.
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Football L
Akleche happy to end goal drought
obi Star midfielder, Sunday Akleche, has expressed satisfaction with his performance against Rivers United last Sunday. The former Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC player broke his scoring duck against the Pride of Rivers during the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) week 19 encounter at Aper Aku Stadium. He said: "This was a tough match, Rivers United clearly did their
Giwa FC appeals expulsion
Lobi Star players
Ubah promises to be good ambassador
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iwa FC of Jos has appealed its expulsion from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by the League Management Company (LMC) for failure to play three matches cumulatively in one season, a violation of Rule B13.28 of the NPFL Rules and Framework. In a letter dated May 21 in response to the LMC’s summary jurisdiction notice, Giwa FC Secretary, Samson Adamu, acknowledged the decision but also notified the LMC of plans to appeal it. The letter, addressed to LMC Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar, read in part: “We are in receipt of your letter of May 20, 2016 on the above subject matter. We hereby notify you that we do not accept any of the sanctions
homework and even lost a dying minute spot kick. They tried by all means to get a draw, but we were able to fight and earn all three points.” Akleche, who played in his preferred diamond role, netted the only goal from the penalty spot. "I am happy to have scored my first goal of the season, but more importantly I am happy to have contributed to the team's victory. Our target before the game was to take all three points and that's what we did.”
Giwa imposed on our club and further add that we elect to be dealt with by a commission.” By this notice of appeal, Giwa FC will now appear before the relevant authority in the coming days
to hear its appeal. In the latest NPFL table released by the LMC, Giwa FC is placed 20th and other clubs have had the results of their games against Giwa FC cancelled.
feanyi Ubah, owner of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, has promised to behave himself as he returns to watch matches in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Ubah, who was banned for 10 games and fined N2.5 million following his violent conduct during a game between his club and Heartland FC, returned to the stands last Sunday, and saw his team defeat Niger Tornadoes 2-0. “I am happy to be back. I have learnt my lessons and I promise to be of exemplary nature and be a role model and ambassador,” he said. Skipper of his team, Chibuzor Okonkwo, disclosed that Ubah’s “presence definitely made an impact in our performance. Seeing him in the stands today (Sunday, May 22), we the players were galvanised to get a result.” The billionaire proprietor had encroached on the pitch during a fracas after the South East derby and slapped Heartland goalkeeper, Ebele Obi, elder brother of Super Eagles
Ifeanyi Ubah players captain, John Obi Mikel. The League Management Company (LMC) initially fined the club N500,000 with Ubah merely getting a caution, while Obi got a six-match ban. However, the emergence of a video showing Ubah slapping Obi forced the LMC to review the sanctions and drop the hammer hard on Ubah. In addition to the fine and stadium ban, he was asked to write a letter of apology along with an undertaken of good
conduct. Part of the update, however, is that Ubah has handed the club N100 million, saying: "I want the best for this club. So in that respect, we are giving the club management this token of N100 million for the acquisition of players in the next transfer window. "We want the club to return to the top position, now the staff know what to do, Nnewi people want the league title, and so we are watching.”
NNPC/SHELL CUP 2016
FCT FA congratulates FOLSA Academy over semifinal ticket
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he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Football Association (FA) has congratulated FOSLA Academy, Karshi, Abuja for qualifying for the semifinals of the Inter Secondary Schools Football Competition. FOSLA Academy is FCT’s representative in this year's edition of the championship, called NNPC/Shell Cup Football Competition. A statement issued signed by FCT FA Chairman, Musa Talle, commended the boys for their doggedness, saying the entire residents of the FCT are behind them to lift the trophy for the first time. "We are happy for the achievements of the boys so far. They have shown that with proper planning, and adequate attention to grassroots football development, that the country can always excel in the round leather game at every levels,” he stressed. Talle appealed to the organisers of the yearly competition to ensure that only bonafide students of the representing schools take part. He expressed appreciation to the proprietor of FOSLA Academy, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, for his vision in establishing the school, and urged him not to relent in supporting it until the cup
is won for the FCT. FOSLA Academy last Sunday at the Katsina Township Stadium out scored Kano State representatives, Government Secondary School, Gwale, Kano 3-2. The Kano boys scored the curtain raiser in the 26th minutes and held on till the interval. In the second half, the more rejuvenated Abuja boys equalised in the 50th minute when Solomon Abraham lashed on a rebounced shot to beat the goal keeper. The Kano team scored its second goal five minutes later when Abdullahi Ali touched the ball in the penalty area. Ovation in the stadium had hardly died down when Naballa Vincent's shot beat the Kano goalkeeper hands down for the equaliser. Abraham took his goal tally in the competition to five barely two minutes to regulation time after he was fouled in the penalty box. He stood up and neatly tucked the ball beyond the goalkeeper. FOSLA Academy will join three other qualifiers for the semifinals at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on June 14. The final holds on June 16.
FOLSA Academy players
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Football
Fans optimistic Enyimba will get to CCL final
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fter seeing the group stage draw in Cairo last Tuesday, impressed Nigerian football fans believe Enyimba FC will get to the final of this year’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, and win it for the third time. Former international, Taiwo Oloyede, affirmed that “Enyimba is a good side blessed with good players and sound technical crew. In addition, the club has the experience of the league after winning the trophy twice in the past. “I am confident that the team will qualify from its group and go ahead to play in the final of the competition.” Former Super Eagles goal tender, Dosu Joseph, said: “Determination is the key word to see Enyimba through. The players and coaches must prepare very well to win all their home matches and at least pick one or two away draws. “That will see them
through.” Enyimba midfielder, Bartholomew Ibenegbu, dismissed claims that the team should beware of Zamalek FC, saying, “We have been expecting this kind of draw because the eight teams left in this competition are very tough, so we know we won’t be facing easy teams. “Even with this, we are not moved. All we need do is prepare very hard, and by God’s grace, we will qualify for the semifinal stage.” Ibenegbu insisted that Enyimba will take one game at a time. “When we started this competition we set a group stage target for ourselves. And having achieved this, we will take each game as it comes and hopefully qualify for the next round, and from then, we can hope to win the title.” His teammate, Kelly Kester, said the draw is a perfect one and the team is set for the herculean task. “I think it's a decent draw. All the clubs involved are great clubs and we are also a great club.
Enyimba players celebrate after a victory "We believe with God on our side we shall make it out of the group stage. "We didn't start the season well because we were still getting to know each other but, as you can see, in the past few months we have really being a force to reckon
with. "We are currently on a run of eight games unbeaten in the domestic league and we are surely going to take that to the continent.” Enyimba will face Zamalek of Egypt; ES Setif of Algeria, and Sundowns Mamenlodi of
South Africa in Group B as it looks to plot a way through to the knockout stages for the third African crown. The People's Elephants host the Egyptians in their first game on June 17. In group A, eight-time champions, Al Ahly of Egypt,
take on Asec Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, Zesco United of Zambia, and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco. Each group is played on a home-and-away roundrobin basis. The winners and runners-up advance to the semifinals.
Glo hails Flying Eagles’ victory NNPC/Shell Cup 2016 enters semifinals
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lobacom has congratulated the national Under-20 team, the Flying Eagles, on their victory against Burundi’s U-20 team on Saturday, May 21. The Flying Eagles defeated Burundi by a lone goal scored by Chukwudi Agor in the 64th minute of the first leg of the 2017 CAF U-20 African Cup of Nations qualifier in Bujumbura. The two teams will lock horns again in the second leg scheduled
for the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar on June 10. Globacom commended the fighting spirit of the players and tasked the technical crew to guide the team to victory in Calabar. “We urge the Flying Eagles to ensure that they complete their outstanding performance in Burundi by winning the second leg convincingly, thus qualifying for the final round. “We also want to assure the team that Nigerians are behind them to succeed in the task ahead. They
have started very well in the qualifiers. They can only consolidate their good run,” Globacom said in a statement. The winner of the two-legged encounter will face Sudan to book a place in the 2017 U-20 AFCON in Zambia. The Flying Eagles have won the trophy seven times and are the defending champions. Globacom is the major partner of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and official sponsor of Nigeria’s national teams.
Ideye happy to be back in Super Eagles
One of the quarterfinal matches
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our teams have qualified for the semifinals of the NNPC/Shell Cup for All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship. They will compete in the semifinals at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Tuesday, June 14. The grand finale comes up two days later at the same venue. National Coordinator, Shola Akinwale, said all the semifinalists are as good as winning the trophy this year. “All the qualifiers really lived up to expectations and that shows that we should
be expecting tough semifinal matches,” he stressed. The semifinalists are FOSLA Academy Secondary School, Abuja; Government Senior Secondary School, Darazo, Bauchi State; Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and former champions, Asegun Comprehensive High School, Ibadan, Oyo State. “Part of the highlights of this year’s final is the usual coaching clinic that precedes the matches. The clinic would be conducted for players and coaches by youth coaches from Feyenord FC, Rotterdam,” Akinwale said.
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lympiakos of Greece forward, Brown Ideye, has expressed delight over his return to Nigeria’s senior national team. Ideye, African Nations Cup winner with the Super Eagles in 2013, was last part of the squad for an international friendly against Italy on the November 18, 2013 prior to the 2014 World Cup. He failed to make the squad to the World Cup and has not featured ever since for the Super Eagles. But he was in France with the team for the friendly against Mali last Friday, May 27. “I feel happy about it,
you know it has been a really long time I have not been with the team. So I’ll say thank you for everyone who made it possible for me to return to the national team,” he said. The striker, who got 10 goals in his first season with Olympikos, said he would not be under pressure would enjoy his time playing for Nigeria again. “As for me it’s all about going there enjoying my football and doing what I know how to do best, which is scoring goals and enjoying football.” The Super Eagles played Mali last Friday in France and will play Luxembourg on Tuesday, May 31 in Luxembourg.
Ideye
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63
Arsenalbeatsotherswith£100mPremier League earnings
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rsenal became the first club in history to receive more than £100 million from the Premier League last season, according to latest figures. Despite finishing runners-up to Leicester City, Arsène Wenger’s side was featured live on television in 27 different matches – 12 more than Claudio Ranieri’s title winners. That meant Arsenal’s total earnings from the Premier League amounted to a staggering £100,952,257, including “facil-
ity fees” of almost £21.5 million, prize money of £23.6 million for finishing second, and almost £55 million for domestic and overseas TV rights and commercial deals. Under the rules of the Premier League for the 2015/2016 season, each club is guaranteed a slice of the £400 million pot for domestic TV deals and a further £600 million for overseas rights. Despite winning the league by 10 points from Arsenal, Leicester’s overall income from the Premier League was just over £93.2 million – behind Tottenham, Manchester
City, and Manchester United in the overall total. That was mainly down to the fact only 15 of Leicester’s matches were shown live, with a total of eight teams surpassing that total, including the relegated Newcastle United. Despite earning only £1.2 million in prize money for finishing bottom, Aston Villa still banked £66.6 million for the season and will be guaranteed parachute payments of about £90 million over the next three seasons.
Arsenal players
Wenger explains Xhaka signing
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Xhaka
rsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger, has given reasons why the club signed Swiss midfielder, Granit Xhaka, from Borussia Monchengladbach. The 23-year-old, who has won 41 international caps and captained the German club, joins Arsenal for a
reported £35 million on a long-term contract. Xhaka said: "I'm very proud to be joining Arsenal. I cannot wait to move to London, represent this special club and play in the English Premier League (EPL). "I will give everything to help Arsenal win trophies and make the fans happy." Wenger added: "Granit
Xhaka is an exciting young player, already with good UEFA Champions League (UCL) and Bundesliga experience. "We have been watching him for a long time now and he is a player who will add quality to our squad." Xhaka, who scored six goals in 108 Bundesliga appearances, will join up with his new team-mates after
Euro 2016, which runs from June 10 to July 10. The former Basel player is Arsenal's first signing since the end of a season in which the club finished runners-up to EPL champions, Leicester City. Experienced midfielders, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, and Mathieu Flamini are set to leave Emirates Stadium this summer.
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Ikechukwu Amaechi ikechukwuamaechi@yahoo.com i.amaechi@thenicheng.com 0805 506 9065
Who voted for Muhammadu Buhari?
V
oting on March 28, 2015 for the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, was almost a badge of honour. At polling booths, voters proudly flaunted their thumpprinted ballot papers to prove that they were worthy ambassadors of the “change movement”. Today, perhaps, the real measure of how much things have changed is that many people no longer readily own up to being part of the historic movement that led to the sacking of a sitting Nigerian president. Nobody admits voting for change any more. In fact, to accuse anyone of voting for Buhari has become an offence that people don’t take kindly. How can I vote for Buhari, God forbid, is the most popular refrain in town today. And you wonder who did. Well, I did. I am one of those who voted for the Daura-born General last year. I have said so here, severally. I thought that former President Goodluck Jonathan had no capacity to continue to rule this country. He was not in control of his government and another four years with him in the saddle was, for me, unimaginable. And I still believe so. I also thought Buhari would make a better president not necessarily because he possessed the intellectual capacity to govern. No. But I reasoned that unlike Jonathan, he had the requisite character and integrity to be in charge of his government and if he was, what he only needed to do was to gather people with the capacity to drive a 21st century economy in dire need of a shot in the arm. Sadly, knowing what I know now and having observed happenings in the polity in the last one year, I no longer believe so. If the election was to be conducted today with Jonathan and Buhari as the frontline presidential candidates as was the situation last year, I would rather not go near any polling booth
because, for me, the difference between the two is the same between six and half a dozen. Jonathan as president was clueless as charged. Buhari is not proving to be any different. Today, May 29, 2016, is exactly one year since he was sworn in as president and commander-inchief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Expectations were quite high when he took his oath of office, vowing to give Nigerians a new lease of life. But, 365 days down the road, Nigerians are aghast. I doubt if there is any Nigerian (the common man I mean, not those cocooned in presidential, legislative and governorship palaces across the country) that will say his condition is far better today than it was before May 29, 2015. But the government believes that those who think that way are being mischievous. In fact, they have been branded, disingenuously I will say, Wailing Wailers. While meeting with members of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) on Thursday, May 26, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, urged Nigerians to be more persevering, reminding the wailers that “change is no instant coffee, it is a process.” Claiming that the administration is now “laying a solid foundation for our country,” he admonished the naysayers that “the road will be rough, but as the saying goes, the darker the night, the brighter the morning. Our long suffering people will surely smile again.” But Buhari’s media aide, Femi Adesina, was less charitable. In his recent interview with The Punch he was quoted as rebuking those who think Nigerians have not had it this bad. “It is mendacious to say that in the last one year, what Nigerians have been experiencing is suffering. It is not true,” Adesina thundered magisterially. Of course, just like those of us on this side of the socio-economic and political divide, he has the right to his views no matter how deceitful they may be. But the question to ask is this:
Has Buhari lived up to his campaign promises? Nobody can honestly answer this question without weighing the answer against the deluge of promises he and his party made while on the campaign trail last year. Even though oil prices were tumbling, Buhari promised to pay N5,000 a month to unemployed youths, make the country more secure, fix the perennial power crisis, exorcise the demon of corruption, strengthen the naira against the dollar, and reduce the pump price of fuel, among many others. Broadly speaking, he promised that his government would focus on security for the people, fight against corruption and revamp the economy. His spin doctors claim that on security, he has finished all the work in under one year, citing the successes recorded against the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East. While it is true that Boko Haram has been significantly diminished and degraded, can it be said that Nigerians are today more secure than the pre-Buhari era with heavily armed Fulani herdsmen raping, kidnapping, maiming and killing hapless citizens? The answer, to my mind, is no. Today, Nigeria is more fractious than at any other time in its history with the South East and South South becoming highly volatile. The jury is still out on whether the Buhari government is winning the war against corruption even with the record number of high profile corruption cases in the courts. But not a few Nigerians will admit that he has exhibited more courage and singularity of purpose in the fight against graft. If Nigeria were to ever tame the monster, Buhari may well be the leader to lead the charge. But even if we admit without conceding that Buhari has defeated terrorism in Nigeria as claimed, and permanently exorcised the spectre of graft, he is still perceived to be underperforming because, ultimately, “it is the economy, stupid,” to borrow
a pun from former United States President, Bill Clinton. The economy is in a tailspin not necessarily because previous administrations, particularly the immediate past administration of Jonathan, wrecked it but because Buhari has shown a surprising lack of capacity to manage it. In the last 365 days of the Buhari presidency, all economic indices are headed south. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that the economy contracted to about 0.36 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time in over a decade. Experts say the economy might shrink again in the second quarter which ends in June, a development that will effectively usher in recession in the economy. A country is said to be in recession when its economy shrinks in two consecutive quarters. Rather than bringing the naira at par with the dollar as promised during the campaign, today one dollar exchanges for at least N350 and still counting. Rather than reducing the pump price of petrol to N40 from N87 per litre as promised last year, since Buhari himself claimed then that there was no longer any subsidy, his administration has imposed a 67 per cent tax on petrol, thereby jacking up the price to an unprecedented N145 per litre. Today, Nigerians pay more with increased tariff but are served more darkness. We have lost single digit inflation, which has now climbed to almost 14 per cent, the highest in many years. On September 9 last year, Nigeria's stocks fell after JP Morgan said it would eject the country’s economy from its influential emerging markets bond index due to tough controls imposed to prevent a currency collapse, and in October it carried out its threat by removing the bond listings, forcing fund managers to sell Nigerian bonds, which automatically raised the country's borrowing costs. Companies are finding it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to produce because they
are unable to access foreign exchange. Unemployement is soaring rather than abating. All these are happening not because of the slump in the global price of crude oil but because of the president’s “archaic” and “opaque” economic policies according to former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili. Speaking recently in Abuja, she said Buhari’s economic principles are not only encouraging massive corruption and abuse of power, but also hurting the poor they were intended to help. “During the first coming of this our new president, a command and control economic system was adopted. During that era, inflation spiraled. During that era, jobs were lost. During that era, the economic growth level dipped,” Ezekwesili said. “That era wasn’t the best of eras in economic progress. What did not work in 1984 cannot possibly be a solution in a global economy that’s much more integrated.” Is one year enough for the president to solve the plethora of problems bedeviling the country? No, not at all! But is one year enough for the government to show the direction it is headed? It is more than enough. Buhari’s actions and inactions in office have left Nigerians worse off. Only one year into a four-year tenure, there is an embarrassing lethargy at the highest reaches of the government. Nigerians have never had it this bad. There is unbearable poverty, hunger and suffering in the land. Buhari may well have good intentions. But that alone is not enough. Jonathan didn’t have bad intentions, either. But that did not translate into much at the end of the day. Rather than massaging Buhari’s ego by telling him he is the best thing that has happened to this country, those who claim to love him more than the rest of us will do well by telling him that many Nigerians, the wretched of the earth, and not the corrupt elite, are beginning to curse the day they voted him president.
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