THEWILL MAY 30 - 5 JUNE EDITION

VOL 1 NO.16 • MAY 30 – JUNE 05, 2021

HAPPY CHILDREN’S DAY from

YENI KUTI SHUTS DOWN LAGOS ON 60TH BIRTHDAY

Ikorodu Bois & A Girl!

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‘DESPITE CURRENT CHALLENGES, NIGERIA WILL REMAIN INDIVISIBLE’

REASON TO BE PROUD OF NIGERIAN TROPHY –WINNING FOOTBALLERS

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Price: N250

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CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

Nigerians Clamour for Power Devolution, State Police, Autonomy

● Powers Should be Devolved to

States – El-Rufai ● Nigeria Needs New Constitution – Okowa ● Process Will Produce Favourable

Outcomes – Sanwo-Olu ● Public Hearings Deceitful,

Charade – Adebanjo SPECIAL REPORT

Incessant NAF Plane Crashes: Can AIB Save Nigeria’s Military?

MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

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COVER Nigerians Clamour for Power Devolution, State Police, Autonomy

BY THEWILL CORRESPONDENTS he two-day Public hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution organised by the Senate in the six geopolitical zones of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, May 26 and 27, provided the perfect setting for the Federal Government to get a clear bearing on how to, in the popular parlance, move Nigeria forward.

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The government, the source continued, does not want to touch the 2014 National Conference’s Report that many believe contains inclusive recommendations that may restructure the country nor plan another one as opponents of that confab are suggesting.

So, the legal works on the Constitution by the National Assembly would be in perfect order and a bridge between both demands.

Indeed, Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and a security expert, Honourable Ade Adeogun, said that much in an interview with THEWILL. To him, it would be hard to make a headway with some of the demands for state police, devolution of power and restructuring without a national consensus, such as the two-day national public hearing on the review of the Constitution has provided.

He said, “It would take tremendous national consensus to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide, for example, state police. I doubt if we are close to such consensus. If we adopt federalism with all its appurtenances, then state police will be a given. For now, it is far-fetched.”

That national consensus was arguably on display for the two-days of the public hearing across Nigeria. Appointed and elected leaders, professional, trade and civil society organisations, as well as chief security officers, besieged the venues of the public hearing to submit memoranda.

WORKING ACCORDING TO PLAN Prior to the public hearing on the review of the Constitution organised by the Senate, a Federal Government supported town hall meeting held in Kaduna on April 8, 2021.

Attended by scholars, traditional rulers, bankers, CSOs, security and service chiefs, religious leaders, women and youth groups, government officials and lawmakers, the gathering made a 10- point recommendation on political restructuring, state policing, rule of law, decentralisation of the judiciary through Constitutional Amendment, free, qualitative and compulsory primary education, promotion of inter-marriage among Nigerians by traditional rulers, setting up of ranches to avert farmer/herdsmen conflict, local government autonomy, and training and equipping of security personnel.

Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a meeting with journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 said, the recommendations have been submitted to the National Executive Council, comprising all the governors of the 36 states and presided over by Vice President Yomi Osinbajo for consideration.

Mohammed said, “We have taken those resolutions to the National Economic Council, chaired by His Excellency the Vice President, and which also included all the state

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governors.

“As a prelude to adopting the recommendations, the NEC has directed all state governors to organise state-wide consultation on them and then revert to the Council in its next meeting.”

Nigerians Root for Devolution of Power, Autonomy and State police Many groups came bearing placards that spoke their minds.

At the Marriot Hotel in Lagos, the venue of the South-West public hearing, the staff of civil society organsations and labour carried placards inscribed with their demands: New, New Beginning; NULGE Demand Full Political Autonomy; Citizens Demand An Inclusive $Transparent Participation in Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking the minds of many Nigerians at the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, said, “I should note that many of the issues that have been agitating the minds of the various stakeholders in the Nigerian project are already in the public domain.

“However, this zonal meeting provides an opportunity to articulate and express them again, in the hope that this particular process will produce favorable outcomes.

“For us in Lagos State, the issues of state police and fiscal federalism are at the top of the priority list for us in this ongoing review process. Equally fundamental, particularly for those of us in Lagos State is the issue of a Special Economic Status for Lagos, considering our place in the national economy and the special burden we bear by virtue of our large population and limited land mass.

“According to the National Assembly, the primary issues on the table for this public hearing include increased participation of women and vulnerable groups in governance, local government administration and autonomy, state police, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, judicial reforms, electoral reform, residency and indigene-ship, constitutional roles for traditional rulers and many more.”

In the South-East, most speakers at the zonal public hearing held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, demanded devolution of power and fiscal federalism, as well as state and local government police.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, ACB Agbazuere, called for “the devolution of power, state and local government policing and fiscal federalism.”

Masari

Dependable sources in the presidency said the Muhammadu Buhari administration would “seize this golden chance of the public hearing to support the move to devolve power from the centre to the units and restructure the country after some of the Executive Orders the president recently signed apparently made no impact.”

Akeredolu

In the heat of the negative reaction from the presidency and the northern elite following the Southern Governors’ Forum’s ban on open grazing, calls for a national dialogue on burning national issues, as well as the ongoing agitation for self-determination among Nigerians, not to mention the sustained call by many groups to renegotiate the structure of Nigeria, the Federal Government has been looking for a national platform to use to calm frayed nerves and tackle the myriad challenges facing the country.

On behalf of the North-Central geo-political zone in the country, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state said on Wednesday at the zonal public hearing on constitution review in Minna that governors from the North-Central states want restructuring without compromising the unity of the nation.

According to him “Restructuring is a perception that has been in national discourse. We the governors of NorthCentral states have talked about it and we are not afraid of restructuring. However, the unity of the nation is pivotal and cannot be compromised.”

Bello said, “The time has come for us to take a critical look at the 1999 Constitution towards providing an efficient system of government.”

He also canvassed local government autonomy, adding that the exclusive and concurrent list also needed to be reviewed.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, while declaring open the public hearing at the International Culture and Event Centre (The DOME), in Akure, the state capital, called on the Senate to look into all the agitations of the peoples of the country with a view to improving the economic power of the average citizens.

He called for a return to the 1963 Constitution. “The new law must view critically the current misnomer, which sees the Federal Government appropriating humongous amounts for moribund agencies whose duties overlap with those of the states,” he said, adding, “The fiscal policy of the country must be restructured to encourage ingenuity and uncommon resourcefulness. The Federal Government should only coordinate and receive royalties. The current system is not sustainable. All of us are beginning to appreciate this fact.”

Akeredolu’s Katsina State counterpart, Aminu Masari, said, ‘’I support devolution of power totally. The Federal Government is trying its best. But the states need to have the resources to implement what should have been implemented by the Federal Government. ‘’If today the states will support the Police, the Police system will go up. If the states withdraw their support to security agencies, they won’t be able to move from here to there. ‘’So, I absolutely support devolution of power in totality.

So, as a government, Katsina State should be allowed by the Constitution to decide on many things that are peculiar to us.”

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who called for THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER

L-R: Sen. Buhari AbdulFatai (Representing Oyo North Senatorial District); Sen. Adetokunbo Abiru (Representing Lagos East Senatorial District); Sen. Adeola Solomon (Representing Lagos West Senatorial District); Chairman of the Zonal Committee on 1999 Constitution Review, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (Representing Lagos Central Senatorial District); Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; Chief Host, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun (Representing Ogun Central Senatorial District); Sen. Mustapha Ramon (Representing Ogun East Senatorial District); Sen. Teslim Folarin (Representing Oyo Central Senatorial District); Sen. Kola Balogun (Representing Oyo South Senatorial District); and Sen. Tolulope Odebiyi (Representing Ogun West Senatorial District), during the opening ceremony of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of Southwest Zonal Public Hearing for Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, in Lagos on 26:5/2021.

the insertion of a clause to allow for the re-writing of the Constitution, urged the senior lawmakers to look into power devolution to the states, the review of the revenue allocation formula, oil derivation and state police in the amendment.

For the Delta State Governor, what Nigeria needs is an entirely new constitution, not amendment even as he maintained that this had become necessary because of the obvious flaws in the 1999 Constitution (as amended.)

“As a state, we believe that the way the federal structure is, in terms of governance, the powers at the federal level or what you call the powers of the presidency are too weighted against the rest of the structures in the state or what you call the sub-national governments.

“We believe that the exclusive list ought not to be as it is because there are many things in that place that could truly be in the concurrent list.

“This is because the sub-national governments are much closer to the people and they understand truly the pains and needs of their people. They are more likely to affect development changes that will be impactful on their people.

“We believe in the Nigerian Police, but to fully secure the land there is a need for the states to have their own police.

All the state governors are in support of that,” he said.

In his contribution to the debate, Governor Nasir el - Rufai of Kaduna State argued that power should be devolved to the states to take off the burden from the Federal Government, which is already struggling to cope with too many duties.

El-Rufai, who spoke at the public hearing of the Senate committee in Kaduna on Wednesday, stated, “The reality of our security situation today requires that Nigeria must strengthen its military and security agencies. This includes decentralising the police to enable the states to exercise effective control in securing their residents and communities.”

THE NAY SAYERS For some other eminent and prominent Nigerians, the public hearings boil down to one thing: A call to return to the 1963 Republican Constitution, which was made by the people of Nigeria and therefore can be amended by them either through their representatives or through a referendum.

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organisation in the South-West, Afenifere, are championing this cause.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay and the founder of Afe Babalola, University, Ado-Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola, both insist that if any meaningful amendment can be made to any constitution, it has to be the 1963 Republican Constitution.

According to Sagay, the 1963 Republican Constitution has everything that is being agitated for in the country and can help halt the turmoil that has rocked the country.

He said, “If we had to, with amendments here and there, make it accommodate states rather than regions, which we used to have, I think these agitations will die down and everybody will be happy. But what we really need is a clear departure from what we have. What we have now is a unitary constitution parading itself as a federal constitution.”

accommodate demands for a new Nigeria.

“We get the Federal Government to send a bill to the National Assembly for a new Constitution that is modelled after the 1963 Nigerian Constitution. We will use the sixgeo-political zones as federating units and agree on the Exclusive, Concurrent and legislatives lists in the new constitution. Most items like fundamental human rights, national ethics, fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy will mostly remain.”

Continuing, he said an overwhelming majority of Nigerians, smarting from the worsening insecurity, increasing violence, poverty and unemployment, have agreed on restructuring.

So what we should be doing is to discuss what should be the terms for restructuring.”

Professor of economic history and development studies, Yakuba Ochefu, agreed with him.

Chief Babalola said, “To me, the proposed amendment to the 1999 constitution by the national assembly: whichever way you look at it, is a futile exercise.

“Anybody who can read the constitution cannot claim that we are running a federal government while in reality there are 60 per cent items in the exclusive legislative list,” he told THEWILL.

“It is common knowledge that the 1999 Constitution was made by the military which in its wisdom, claimed that it was made by the people. He called on the NASS to “call for a national conference to discuss and make a new, true Federal Constitution.”

He said that although some form of legal restructuring had been going on, there was a need to embark on full devolution of power and grant autonomy to the federating units. “Why for instance, should the Federal Government concern itself with running secondary schools?” he asked.

For the Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the public hearing or sitting by the National Assembly is a deceit, a charade.

THE WAY FORWARD “All agitations and voices have been heard,” said Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Chairman of the South West Zonal Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, on Thursday, May 27. “Be rest assured that this amendment process would be free and devoid of short term motives, self interest and destructive manipulations.

“We say the constitution is not ours, it is an imposition and we don’t want it. You can only review your view originally.

“We said the constitution is a fraud. We don’t make it. We the people of the Federal Republic did not make it. It is that constitution that created this National Assembly. Is that not true? Is the national assembly not a beneficiary of that constitution? And yet you want those beneficiaries of the fraud to rectify the fraud. How possible?” Adebanjo said.

ADVOCATES FOR CHANGE Nonetheless, many Nigerians think the amendment can help the country move forward. Chief Martins Onovo, Presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, told THEWILL that the Constitution can be amended to

“The documents that we have collected here will be scrutinised, harmonised and will still go to the House of Representatives for concurrence. Subsequently, it will go to all our state Houses of Assembly for ratification and finally to the executive for president assent.”

With the prevailing mood in the presidency to strike a balance between the national consensus for restructuring and agitation for self-determination, Nigerians can only be hopeful that their desires would be fulfilled and their demands would be met in the days ahead.

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NEWS Stakeholders Demand New Constitution, Devolution of Power FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

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he Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and other stakeholders have called for a new constitution for Nigeria in which there will be proper devolution of power to the regions or states.

Presenting the position of the PFN at the Constitution Review Public Hearing of the North-Central zone in Jos, Prophet Isa El Buba of the Evangelical Bible Outreach Ministries demanded a new constitution that would be people-driven. El Buba described the 1999 Constitution as defective and unable to capture or reflect the aspirations of the people and promote their growth and development.

Esther Iko Ibanga, who also presented the position of a genderspecific stakeholder group, called for a new Constitution, noting that amendments to an already defective and severally amended constitution could not strengthen or ameliorate the curious and problematic socio-economic and political conditions that shaped its origin and birth.

The representatives of organised labour, acting under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress, demanded devolution of power and autonomy for the judicial and legislative arms of government so as to guarantee a functional democracy that would uphold the ethos of separation of powers, checks and balances, independence and good conscience inn policy conception, programme implementation and the dispensation of Justice.

Stating its own position on the new constitutional outlook, the National Union of Local government Employees demanded financial and “absolute” autonomy to enable the system to function as a tier of government and catalyst for development.

Also, Yiaga Africa, a non-governmental, non-profit pro elections organisation, canvassed a ten-point amendment of elections-related provisions of the constitution. According o its proposal, Yiaga Africa, among other things, wants the financial independence of the Independent Electoral Commissioned strengthened, election results published at the unit level, voting rights of people with disabilities protected and the cost of nomination forms and electioneering generally be minimised as much as possible.

At the end of the exercise, over 50 memoranda were received by the Constitution review secretariat in Jos. Although the Chairman of the Senate Committee for the exercise and former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, did not brief the media at the end of the exercise, analysts expressed the opinion that the attendance and the number of memos presented at the event was a robust pointer to the subsisting crisis of federalism in contemporary Nigeria.

Group Faults FG, Firms on Oil Exploration, Spills

FROM DAVID AMOUS – OWEI, YENAGOA group known as the Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Responsibility (SACA) has faulted the Federal Government and multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta over health hazards associated with oil exploitation and exploration.

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L-R - Minister of State Foreign Affairs Amb. Zubairu Dada, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Liberian Ambassador to Nigeria, Al Hassan Conteh, during Dr. Howard- Taylor’s Visit to VP Yemi Osinbajo SAN in State House, Abuja. 28/5/2021.

Certificate Forgery: Supreme Court Affirms Obaseki as Governor

BY AYO ESAN

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Commission to aid his qualification for the governorship poll.

he Supreme Court on Friday upheld the ruling of the Appeal Court, dismissing the alleged certificate forgery suit filed by the All Progressives Congress against Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State during the 2020 governorship election held in the state.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Emmanuel Agbim, said the appellants woefully failed to substantiate their forgery allegation against Obaseki, adding that they neither went to the university nor the West African Examination Council for checks, but relied on INEC’s Form.

The verdict affirmed the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki at the September 19 polls.

Dismissing the allegation, the learned justice said the appellants did not provide any ‘scintilla of evidence’ to prove their case.

The five-man panel of judges of the apex court, in a unanimous decision, held that the appellants failed to prove their case against Obaseki and awarded the sum of N1, 000, 000 (one million naira) in costs to the governor.

Meanwhile Obaseki said, “The judiciary has once again demonstrated that it is willing and capable of defending our democracy. I see this victory as a renewed call by the Almighty God to rededicate myself to His service and that of the people of Edo state.

Obaseki, on his part, hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling, noting that the judgement put to rest what he described as the diabolical controversy contrived by opposition elements over his credentials.

“From the statement by the Supreme Court Justices, it is clear that they align with what Edo people knew all along, which is that there was no merit in the case. The controversy was diabolical and illwilled. It is reassuring that the Judiciary has upheld the wishes of the masses once again.”

The ruling, he added, also put to shame the individuals that sought to swindle Edo people with falsehood and lies in pursuit of pecuniary gains.

The apex court, in its ruling said it found no reason to set aside the concurrent judgements of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which earlier dismissed the allegation that Obaseki tendered false credentials to the Independent National Electoral

Obaseki dedicated the victory to Edo people, noting that their resolve to stand by him despite the campaign of calumny was inspiring.

He expressed appreciation to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for supporting him and holding steadfast in his belief and vision for a better Edo.

NOTICE OF INCREASE IN COVER PRICE

Speaking to Journalists at the inauguration of the group’s Project Management Committtee, the Executive Director, Kingsley Ozegbe, hinted that statics made available to his organisation through researches carried out revealed that in 2012 alone about 16,000 neonatal babies died in the region within one month of their birth.

Dear reader, since we launched our first print edition in February 2021 we have striven to deliver bold, fresh and authoritative content in top quality newsprint and art paper with a cover price of N250.

According to Ozegbe, the babies died because they were conceived within a 10-kilometre radius from the sites of oil spills.

However, in the last three months, the prices of newsprint and art paper have increased by more than 30 percent. For instance, a ton of newsprint, which sold for N350,000 in February now sells for over N550,000. The importers have ascribed the sharp increase to the weakened naira in the FX market.

He reiterated his commitment to creating awareness through periodic sensitisation programmes of the group, noting that with the volume of oil spills occurring in the production areas of the multinational firms, more infants were at greater risks of deformity and possible death.

Our printers have also increased the cost of printing by over 30 percent, citing hikes in the cost of ink and other printing consumables as the reason.

Ozegbe averred that further investigations by the group revealed that the effect of oil spills in the region have also led to the termination of pregnancies in 13 pregnant women out of a total of 1,000 studied and the impaired weight, height and growth of children that survive neonatal death.

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Sadly due to these developments, it has become impossible and unrealistic to sustain production at our current cover price. Hence management has decided that starting from June 6, 2021, the new cover price for your trending and favourite Sunday weekly newspaper will be N350 with a commitment to adjust it downwards as soon as the prices of printing consumables drop.

Thank you for your understanding and continued patronage.

Signed Management THEWILLNIGERIA

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SPECIAL REPORT

INCESSANT NAF PLANE CRASHES

Can AIB Save Nigeria’s Military?

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR he deadly blow inflicted on the psyche of the nation by the ill-fated Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft, which crashed after landing in Kaduna recently, claiming the lives of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers, will continue to haunt the Nigerian military for quite some time to come.

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Apparently rattled and highly embarrassed by the crash, the NAF had mandated the Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N ) to lead an investigation into the incident.

THEWILL reliably gathered that this is the second time in the history of Nigerian aviation that NAF will be inviting the AIB-N to conduct such an investigation. The first time was in 2012 shortly after the Nigerian Navy Augusta helicopter air crash in Bayelsa State that claimed the lives of six persons, including former Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State and former National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi.

Although the General Manager, Public Affairs, of AIB-N, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, told THEWILL that AIB-N’s mandate include investigating civil aircraft and that the Bureau cannot investigate military aircraft, except when invited to do so, he, however, explained that the AIB-N was invited

by NAF to come in, because of an existing Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties a few years ago.

Confirming that this is the second time AIB-N would be invited by the military to investigate an accident, Oketunbi said: “You cannot tell how long it will take to investigate any accident. The global standard is about 18 months. But I think, perhaps, this might take at least six months.”

CATALOGUE OF WOES THEWILL, however, gathered that 11 military plane crashes THEWILLNIGERIA

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were recorded in the last six years, killing no fewer than 33 military officers.

Also, THEWILL recalled that the first Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Colonel Joseph Akahan, was killed in a helicopter crash during the Nigerian civil war that occurred between May 1967 and May 1968.

On December 12, 2012, there was a plane crash involving the former Army Chief of Staff and the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Lt. General Andrew Azazi. Although AIB was invited to probe this particular air accident, no accident report was made to the general public.

Also, Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of federal operations, John Haruna, died alongside three other officers in a police helicopter, which was delivered in December 2011 but crashed into buildings in the Kabong area of Jos, the Plateau State capital, minutes after take-off on March 15, 2012.

Earlier this year, a small passenger plane belonging to the Nigerian Air Force was reported to have crashed after an alleged engine failure while on a mission to rescue 42 released abducted students in Minna. It was reported that all seven persons on board died Air mishaps recorded between 2015 and 2021 included the one involving a training helicopter, which crashed in the NAF Base in Enugu on November 14, 2019 and another involving an NAF helicopter, which crashed in the process of landing while returning from an anti-banditry combat mission in the North-West Theatre under Operation Hadaran Daji in Katsina State, on June 12, 2019, aas well as a third incident involving an NAF aircraft RV-6A Air Beetle that crashed near Kaduna, killing the pilot, an experienced instructor on August 17, 2019.

NAF SAFETY AUDIT Worried by the embarrassing record of crashes, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, wasted no time in constituting a committee of serving and retired senior officers to conduct a safety audit of all its operational and engineering units. According to a statement issued last Tuesday by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the committee is expected to, among other terms of reference, analyse safety reports from operational and engineering units, conduct safety evaluation of NAF units and recommend measures to enhance the safety of operations in the units. The committee will also interact with unit operational and technical personnel for views, observations and contributions on safety measures. Chaired

by Air Vice Marshal Abraham Adole, the Deputy Theatre Commander, Operation HADIN KAI, the Committee is to submit its report not later than 18 June 2021.

ANOTHER JAMBOREE In what appeared to be a coincidence , which, apparently, is also part of their oversight functions, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Defence and Air Force last week embarked on a mission to the United States of America on inspection tour of Embraer Defence Security Incorporated (EDSI) manufacturers of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. The members of the joint committee were in the USA to assess the status and progress of work on the NAF A-29 Super Tucano aircraft the Federal Government had ordered. During the trip, the NASS team led by Senator Michael Nnachi, was briefed on the progress of work on the NAF A-29 Super Tucano programme and the scheduled date of delivery, by Colonel Authur Ford of the United States Air Force Fighters and Advance Aircraft Directorate.

NAF, AIB-N MOU Only two years ago, an MoU was signed between AIB-N *Continues on Page 8

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SPECIAL REPORT

Worrisome Spate of Crashes *Continued from Page 7

and NAF on collaboration and support in aircraft accident investigations and other mutually beneficial arrangements.

Part of the agreements reached by both parties is that appropriate working relationships, planning, procedures and other beneficial arrangements for collaboration and cooperation are established to improve in cases of accidents or serious incidents.

Among other benefits, the MoU dictates that an exchange of unclassified data and or information should be accomplished in an effective and efficient manner.

According to the provisions of the MoU, training, resources and services should be exchanged between the parties in a mutually-agreed manner.

Where applicable, the agreement indicates that both parties shall access and fully utilise resources and facilities of the other party which, may include, but not limited to classes with training aids, hotels, guest houses, medical personnel, offices, equipment namely, aircraft and special vehicles, such as forklifts, high loaders, graders, ambulances, operational vehicles, etc.

In addition, the MOU was designed in such a manner that it would direct and enhance the parties’ mutual efforts toward initiating and implementing effective plans at the vicinity of aircraft accidents or serious incidents or accessing related facilities and areas that are relevant to the investigation Even at that, and while the MOU subsists, there was a clear arrangement to avoid or minimise duplication of efforts and to ensure that coordination between the parties and with other stakeholders is facilitated.

WORRISOME SPATE OF CRASHES In recent times, air accidents involving military planes have been on the increase. Most recent is the air accident involving the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru, on May 21, 2021. The army chief had set out to Kaduna to attend the graduation ceremony of the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria slated for 22 May, 2021. Late Attahiru was on the official trip with some officers and the crew members. The officials include: Brig General Abdulkadir, Chief of Staff to Army Chief, Brig Gen Olayinka, Acting Provost Marshal, Nigerian Army, Brig Gen Kuliya, Acting Chief of Military Intelligence, Man La Hayat, ADC to COAS, Maj Hamza, Chief Security Officer (CSO) to COAS and Sgt Umar, Orderly to COAS Aircraft Crew involved in the crash were: Flt Lt To Asaniyi, pilot, Flt Lt AA Olufade, co-pilot, Sgt Adesina and ACM Oyedepo.

Official records put the figure of military officers who have lost their lives at 20 in three crashes that occurred in the last three months.

THEWILL recalls that, on Sunday, February 21, 2021, seven NAF officers died aboard a Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft when the jet crashed in Abuja.

The jet, en-route Minna in Niger State, crashed close to the runway of the Abuja airport after reporting engine failure.

Also, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Gabkwet, announced that an Alpha-Jet aircraft involved in the anti-terror war against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province lost radar contact in Borno State.Two officers were aboard the missing jet which was later declared crashed.

AIB-N’s INVOLVEMENT In line with an earlier MoU signed in 2020, coupled with the successes the Bureau has recorded over the past years, the Nigerian Air Force mandated the AIB -N to lead the investigation into the crash of the military aircraft in Kaduna.

According to a statement issued earlier by AIB and signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Beechcraft 350 aircraft have been recovered and investigation has commenced.

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Worried by the embarrassing record of crashes, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, wasted no time in constituting a committee of serving and retired senior officers to conduct a safety audit of all its operational and engineering units

Oketunbi stated that investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders at the AIB-N’s world class Flight Safety Laboratory, in Abuja.

He said: “The mandate given to AIB-N is based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two agencies on July 1, 2020 covering areas of mutual assistance.”

BUREAU’s ANTECEDENTS In the past, accident investigations were conducted by the Civil Aviation Department of the Ministry of Aviation. The CAD also handled Airworthiness Certification in addition to its investigative functions.

These functions were separated to comply with ICAO Annex 8 (Airworthiness of Aircraft) and Annex 13 (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) to avoid issues with objectivity. In 1989, the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) was created and the Civil Aviation Department became the Department of Safety Services within the new FCAA and a new investigative department, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), was created under the Federal Ministry of Aviation.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Policy of 2001 recommended the creation of a financially independent Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, which shall operate as an Agency to guarantee expeditious response and movement of air safety investigators to accident sites. The policy also states that the Bureau shall be responsible for the investigation of aircraft accidents, serious incidents and the publication of investigation reports.

The Civil Aviation Act, 2006, Section 29 is the primary law that established the Accident Investigation Bureau as an autonomous agency that reports to the President of the Federation through the Honourable Minister of Aviation.

The Bureau is headed by a Commissioner who is also the Chief Executive Officer.

However, the current Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Engr Akin Olateru, has turned around the fortune of the hitherto obscure bureau and made it one of the most competitive agencies not just in Nigeria, but in the global aviation industry.

When Engr Olateru came on board in 2017, he expressed dismay at the late release of accident reports by the bureau that was set up in 2007 primarily to investigate any civil aircraft accident and serious incident arising out of, or in the course of air navigation occurring either in or over Nigeria or occurring to Nigerian aircrafts.

The Bureau under the leadership of Engr Olateru has released more reports than it has done since it was established in 2007.

The Bureau has also formed massive symbiotic relationships

and collaborated with organisations that matter most in the sector and beyond – the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transport Safety Board, the independent US government investigative agency responsible for civil transport accident investigation, Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom, Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA- France), University of Ilorin, University of Lagos, Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) from Singapore and the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), an arm of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), to mention just a few.

STAKEHOLDERS’ VIEWS Commenting on the development, former military commandant at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Capt John Ojikutu, affirmed that the issue is a military affair.

Group Captain Ojikutu informed that there are NAF standard operational procedures just as there are Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs), adding,” I am told the AIB has been called because of its capability to assist, based on existing MOU with NAF and it stops there not for the public.”

Ojikutu, a security consultant and CEO at Centurion Security and Safety Consult, said: “The noise on the aircraft may not necessarily be because of the number of crashes within a short period but more about the insecurity in the country that has divided us in many ways. It reminds me of the crash of the C-130 in 1992 and about 90 officers died in the crash.”

Explaining further, the aviation security expert added: “The investigation of the NAF aircraft by AIB is being done within an MOU between them which cannot be made public, except the derived safety recommendations about the supporting landing aids deficiencies at the Kaduna civil airport, which can be sent to the NCAA. Any other information about the crew and the aircraft would be forwarded to NAF only and cannot be shared to anyone.”

He, however, noted,”If there is an operator outside Nigeria, for example, Ghana, that has a similar MOU with our AIB, the reports of any such accident or serious incident would not be shared with the NCAA except the NCAA asks directly from the outside operator.”

Ojikutu, however, maintained that the AIB has no authority or responsibilities over military aircraft because they are not regulated by the Nig CARs, insisting that they are registered NAF not NG. He pointed out that there are NAF Standard Operatin g Procedures (SOPs) as there are CARs, noting that Nigeria had about nine accidents of aircraft of NAF in 12 years and two successively in two years.

Corroborating Ojikutu, the Secretary-General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, said the AIB had no business investigating military aircraft.

Comrade Saidu said, “I don’t think the AIB has that power unless the military or Federal Government directs them to carry out an investigation.

LAST LINE Accident Investigation is not to apportion blames or to prosecute any party. Rather, it is done for correctional purposes through recommendations by the investigating agency. There is no doubt that the coming of AIB-N to lead the investigation into the military plane crash, will assist in addressing the frequency of incidents and accidents as it concerns the military.

However, experts have opined that the best method of curtailing aircraft accidents is to follow laid down rules; the maintenance regimes of the aircraft as per manufacturers standards, directives on airworthiness by the NCAA training and drills by the flight crew. Other measures are sticking to Safety Management Systems adopted by the airlines or the Nigeria Air Force, as to flight operations, engineering and maintenance, medical and health checks on flight crew, etc.

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POLITICS best in the history of the country.

Mohammed gave Nigerians the assurance that despite the security challenges facing the country at present, Nigeria is in safe hands.

However, speaking on the achievements of President Buhari, Second Republic politician and a stalwart of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, said the administration believes it is doing its best, but its best is not good enough for the country.

He said “Buhari always talks about Boko Haram. One of the promises he made was that he would end the Boko Haram insurgency. But now Nigeria has more problems to contend with. We now have problem of kidnapping and ransom taking.

The problems have multiplied. Sadly he has not solved these problems and changed this country for better”.

A former Chief of Training, Operations and Planning in the Nigerian Army, Major-General Isola Williams (retd.), in a recent interview with THEWILL, said the President had failed in the area of security and in the fight against corruption. As a result, he added, Nigerians had found themselves in a situation where their safety is no longer guaranteed.

Buhari

Williams said, “The point is that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has created a situation in which everybody has to look after himself in terms of personal safety. So nobody will defend anybody now like the Nigeria Police. The police have refused to get reorganised. What they continue to do is to create big positions for their top-ranking officers. That is all.

Six Years of Muhammadu Buhari Administration

BY AYO ESAN

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari assumed power as Nigeria’s democratically elected president on May 29, 2015. He completed his first term and was duly elected for a second term in 2019.

Before he got elected for the first term, he promised Nigerians a three - point agenda, namely improving security, ensuring a good and improved economy and fighting against corruption.

Six years down the lane, it is time for the electorate to assess how much President Buhari has fared in his promise to take the country to the next level.

Speaking on his principal’s performance in office shortly before the 2019 presidential election, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the President was in the habit of saying that a country that was not secure would be difficult to manage. According to him, that was the reason why security topped the list of Buhari’s priorities.

“Remember that right from the day he was inaugurated, he spoke about ending the Boko Haram insurgency and directed that the command’s centre be moved to Maiduguri, which was like the hotbed of the insurgency then. Between 2015 and 2019, we have seen the difference. The insurgency may not have been totally annihilated, but the difference between 2015 and now is like a difference between heaven and hell.

“In 2015 Boko Haram was running riot all over the country.

It was in the North- East, North-West, North-Central and it was about to go into the South-West. If you will recall, it was already in Kogi and from there it would have entered the South-West and move from there to the South-South. What would have been left of the country? Nothing. It would have overrun the entire country. But to the Glory of God, President Buhari came, rekindled the morale of the military, re-equipped it, retrained the personnel and gradually began to beat back Boko Haram.

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“The military beat Boko Haram out of the North-Central and the North-West, beat the insurgents even in the NorthEast that was their bulwark and restricted them to Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States. Even then, they got restricted to just Sambisa forest and the battle was taken to them in the forest.

The Nigerian military took ground zero from them and they became scattered. As we speak they are in some places, but they are not in such a formidable force as they were in 2015.

The insurgency has been degraded. What we have now are cowardly attacks, kidnapping young girls and using them as suicide bombers, hitting this location and running away. it was not like the past when they would seize a location and begin to administer it. The difference is clear.

“There are other challenges, kidnapping, robbery, herdsmen farmers clashes, they are all there, but one thing you can’t deny this government is that it is able to solve all those problems and stay on top of them. Those problems will become things of the past. The government has the capacity to deal with those problems. Those that seem intractable are also due to the fact that it goes beyond what we see.There are some hidden hostile hands that are involved underground. You have genuine criminality and criminals who are at work. We also have political criminality. Some political forces are using the so-called criminals for political ends. To them it is the struggle for power and all is well in war. That is the way they see it.

“Yes, the anti - corruption war is going without fear or favour.

You will see that since the President assumed office, no wrong doer has been spared by the anti-corruption agencies. Anybody that has a case to answer will answer it,” Adesina said.

Also speaking on President Muhammadu Buhari’s achievements in the last six years , the Minister of Information and Culture , Alhaji Lai Mohammed, cited several initiatives targeted at creating jobs for the youth and alleviating poverty among women and vulnerable groups, describing them as the

“If President Buhari has done what he was supposed to do, are we going to be in this kind of situation by now? We will not be.

There is no doubt about that. Everybody all over the country has told him this and even if he doesn’t read newspapers, somebody may tell him. So the issue is that he knows what is going on and if you tell him something is happening he would say we are going to deal with them. There is no strategy. There is no strategy at all.”

Also a former Ambassador to the Philippines and renowned Media Manager, Dr Yemi Farounbi, said the worsening insecurity was caused by unbalanced structure in the country.

He advised the presidency to shed its obviously partisan outlook.

“Buhari presidency must begin to speak in a way as if they belong to Nigerians and not a particular set of people. They must also begin to act in a way that they are not privileged and favoured people who are not under the law. The presidency in its speeches with the masses and in its action must begin to behave as if every Nigerian is important, not a particular ethnic group. When Nigerians begin to feel their impact positively, they are going to discover that Nigerians will be better disposed to the presidency.

“It is not only about Buhari. No matter what we do, if we don’t rearrange the architecture that is so centralised, which put 774 local government areas under one Inspector - General of Police. If we don’t rearrange that architecture that put 1 million squares kilometers under one Inspector- General of Police, no matter what we do, we will come back to this situation that we have found ourselves.”

In his reaction, a member of the Campaign for Democracy, Comrade Sola Olawale, said the President, probably due to his ill-health and old age, had failed to fulfill his promises to Nigerians.

He said “Like everybody knows, Buhari promised to improve the economy, which has now gone from bad to worse. He promised to fight against corruption. Revelations as witnessed when the House of Representatives probed the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission last year and the suspension of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Port Authority, Hadiza Bala Hassan, among others, have shown that the fight against corruption in the last six years is nothing to write home about .

“Nigeria’s external debt is very high and worse under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan. An average Nigerian cannot afford three square meals a day. The unemployment rate is very high. So the economy is bad. He has failed to improve the economy”.

With the mixed reactions trailing President Muhammadu Buhari’s six years in office , the president still has two years to redeem his image and bow out graciously.

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POLITICS FROM CHARLES IKE, ABAKALIKI

I

t appears that the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party are both on a collision course in Ebonyi State over the alleged abduction of a lawyer and former Coordinator of the Amuagata Development Centre in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, Amos Ogbonnaya.

Ogbonnaya was alleged to have been kidnapped after attending a meeting at a popular eatery in Abakaliki, capital of the state.

His disappearance has been the subject of accusations and counter accusations by the state chapters of the two major political parties.

The Peoples Democratic Party, to which Ogbonaya belongs, accused the Ebonyi State Government of masterminding his abduction.

The PDP Publicity Secretary, Silas Onu, called for the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Garba Aliyu, accusing him of colluding with the government to intimidate members of the opposition in the state.

But, speaking to journalists at the weekend in Enugu, where he is currently recovering from injuries inflicted on him by his abductors, Ogbonnaya said his kidnap took place a few days after he appeared on national television, criticising the programmes of the Ebonyi State Government and demanding to be paid his statutory allowances owed him since his removal from office in 2020.

Ogbonnaya, who alleged that his removal was due to his refusal to attack #EndSars protesters in the state, said he appeared on television alongside a representative of the G-64 group of excoordinators, who also demanded payment of their statutory allowances.

He identified his abductors as Chris Eze, (aka Power), Damian Okafor, Phinidy Osim (aka Pump Action), Chinonso Obasi (aka Consider) and Peter Akpa.

Ogbonnaya also claimed that these men came to the scene of the kidnap in a Toyota Hilux vehicle, which he identified as the official vehicle of a senior special assistant to Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

He disclosed that the kidnappers whisked him to the residence of a prominent government official (name withheld) before taking him to the bush where they met another set of people who had already dug a shallow grave.

At that point, he was forced to plead with one of the abductors, who happened to be his townsman, to spare his life. The abductors, who were severally interrupted by phone calls, changed their minds. Instead of killing him, they beat him severely. In the process, they broke his legs with the butt of their guns before dumping him in the middle of a major road, possibly to be run over and crushed by oncoming articulated vehicles between 1.am and 2.am.

Ogbonnaya said that at the sound of an oncoming truck that sped toward his position, he had to muster all the strength left in his body to escape death by rolling off the road. He was eventually rescued by a bus driver and some villagers who rushed him to a hospital nearby for first aid treatment. Later his relations announced that they were taking him to Abakaliki, but ended up sneaking him to Enugu for safety.

Not long afterwards, he added, his abductors raided the village hospital, apparently to finish him off. They shot into the air many times and demanded to have him, but they were informed by the hospital staff that he had been moved to Abakaliki.

Ogbonnaya continued, “If God had not sent that bus driver in the morning to move me out of that place, they would have returned to kill me.”

APC, PDP on Collision Course in Ebonyi government in the incident as a ruse aimed at covering the party’s ugly past.

The statement read, “The general public should therefore note that the alleged kidnap of one Amos Ogbonnaya is part of a grand design by his syndicate of political howlers to cause tension in the state and incite public hatred on a government they hold in very high esteem.

“We therefore dissociate and distance ourselves as government from the thoughts and claims of these PDP officials, who for pecuniary and political reasons have covenanted with the opposition forces to unleash falsehood on the state government.”

Reacting to this, Onu said, “If you speak up in Ebonyi, you become an endangered species. When the kidnap occurred, one imbecile, in an incoherent statement, claimed that the PDP carried out the act. But, thank God, Amos Ogbonnaya has spoken. He knows the people that kidnapped him and he has named them.”

Governor Umahi, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Francis Nwaze, condemned the kidnap and ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident.

The PDP in Ebonyi also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, to investigate the circumstances leading to Ogbonnaya’s abduction.

“We are calling on the IGP, even as our leaders take the necessary steps in that direction, to personally open an investigation into this criminal offence. Immunity does not last forever.”

However, the Ebonyi State Government, through the Commissioner for Information, Orji Uchenna Orji, has disassociated itself from the alleged abduction of Ogbonnaya.

Meanwhile, piqued by verbal attacks on Umahi, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Ebonyi State chapter, condemned the recent outbursts of some lawmakers of Ebonyi origin at the National Assembly.

Orji, in a statement, described the PDP’s indictment of the

The body also dismissed the lawmakers’ claim that the Ebonyi

PAGE 10

Secondus

He insisted that Amos Ogbonnaya’s ordeal was just one out of many of such attempts to muzzle and kill opposition voices in the state.

Umahi

Onu, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, alleged that the state government was using the recently formed Ebubeagu security outfit to intimidate and oppress the critics of its policies and projects.

State branch of Ebubeagu was being targeted at them.

In a statement signed by the State ALGON Chairman, Princess Nkechinyere Iyioku, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki, noted that the security outfit was established for the purpose of assisting security agencies to tackle security challenges in the state.

Iyioku, who is the Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area, urged the members of the Ebonyi State caucus at the National Assembly to join hands with Umahi to forestall and arrest the activities of hoodlums in the state, instead of impugning his integrity for the purpose of self promotion at the detriment of the masses.

She said, “It is obvious from the serial vituperation against Governor Umahi, who is doing his best to positively transform the state for the benefit of all, they have chosen to close their eyes to the good works and intentions of the present administration in the state. For reasons best known to them, they are already made and not interested in the welfare of Ebonyi people”.

“Otherwise, it will be completely senseless, irrational and out of place for these National Assembly members to politicise the security situation in the state and plan to plunge the state into crisis”.

She noted that Governor Umahi had remained committed to his oath to protect lives and properties, adding that in their pursuit to retain power, ahead of the 2023 general election, the lawmakers had continued to sow seeds of discord in the state to make it ungovernable.

“I know very well that it is in the pursuit of their nefarious plot that they haves continued to sow seeds of discord and fan embers of war in order to make the state ungovernable. Thankfully, the vast majority of the Ebonyi people, who are patriotic and right thinking, cannot be fooled by their antics.”

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POLITICS

Ayade’s Defection: Uncertainty in Cross River PDP defect to the All Progressives Congress.

Senators and members of the House of Representatives from the state vowed to remain in the PDP to further strengthen the party and ensure that the exit of the governor would not affect it negatively.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues in Abuja, for example, the lawmaker representing Cross River South Senatorial District, Gershon Bassey, wondered why Ayade should dump a party under which platform he had won all his elections.

Bassey, who is also the leader of the Cross River PDP caucus in the National Assembly, insisted that no member of the NASS and state House of Assembly would follow the governor’s foot steps.

He also said that many appointees of the governor had also said they preferred to resign rather than defect to the APC. Bassey said, “As a strong stakeholder in the Peoples Democratic Party, I find the defection of Governor Ben Ayade most regrettable because he won all his elections as a senator and two terms as governor.

Ayade

“It is rather sad that after all the confidence that had been reposed in him by the PDP in Cross River State, he dumped the platform abruptly. But we wish him well“

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

I

fence by defecting to the APC.

n Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress has continued to generate reactions across the state.

With his defection, it appears that Ayade has finally got what PDP refused to give him by automatically becoming the leader of the APC in Cross River. This was affirmed by the National Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni.

Although the governor’s action did not come as a surprise to the people, it has significantly altered the political landscape of the state.

Although he has the power to call the shots in his new party, it is still unclear if the political titans in the APC will be willing to work with the governor.

Before now Cross River has been in the firm grip of the PDP since 1999.The party produced two governors, Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke, who ruled the state for 16 years altogether before the baton of leadership was passed to Ayade.

The APC in Cross River itself has always been in crisis, which seems intractable at the moment. To underscore this, the party fielded two governorship candidates during the last governorship election in the state. Besides, it has not done much to tackle the internal crisis tearing its members apart across the state. As at today, it has no known executive and nobody has stood up to rally the dispirited members together.

Ayade’s emergence as governor was made possible by a gentleman’s agreement between the three power blocs in the state. The decision to make him Imoke’s successor arose from a need to balance out the agreement because he hailed from the northern part of Cross River.

With only two years to the end of the governor’s second term in office, power was expected to return to the southern part of the state, but the power brokers felt that any other senatorial district was qualified to produce the next governor. Such thinking would give rise to an agitation that fuelled the crisis within the party.

Aside this, it is believed that the governor had been nursing the ambition to return to the Senate at the end of his tenure in 2023 and he hoped to be in full control of the PDP structure in the state before then. Unfortunately his inability to take over the structure of the party led to a number of crises within the party and this played out during the senatorial by-election for the northern part of the state.

During the by-election, Ayade did not really have his way as expected. He met a formidable opposition in Hon. Jarigbe Agom, who contested against the governor’s preferred candidate, Stephen Odey.

The PDP won the election, but status of the authentic candidate had to be determined in court. Although Agom won the appeal at the Supreme Court, his inauguration has been put on hold by the leadership of the Senate.

Sensing his frustration within the party, Ayade has been staying away from its functions. Earlier this month, he told a visiting delegation of PDP governors from Bauchi, Sokoto and Zamfara States that he was sitting on the fence and dancing.

He was said to have bitterly complained of being unfairly treated in the PDP. As it turned out, the governor finally ended his dance on the THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

However, with the defection of the governor, some stalwarts of the APC seem to be open to working with him. Former Senate Leader and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Victor Ndoma-Egba, among others, has congratulated him for moving from the PDP to the party.

Ndoma-Egba said, “Your Excellency will recall that Cross River State has always been in the mainstream of Nigeria politics. There is no gainsaying the fact that the past six years of being in the opposition has impacted the state negatively, even though you have consciously navigated the ship of governance in sync with the APC-led Federal Government.

“We can ill afford to remain in the opposition. I commend you for recognising this fact and doing the needful for the good of our dear state.”

However, in its reaction, the PDP in the state kicked against Ayade’s action, saying the party would be better and stronger without him.

While the major power brokers in the PDP have been silent on the issue, some local chapters of the party have reaffirmed their commitment to the party.

The Chairman of the party in Obubra Local Government Area, Chief Godwin Igwe, recently described it as “more united than ever.”

While awaiting further directives from the national executive of the PDP, Igwe and other stalwarts of the party in Cross River took turns to reassure its members that Ayade’s defection would not diminish their rights and the fortunes of the party.

Also, the Federal lawmakers from Cross River State who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party have described as most regrettable the decision of Governor Ben Ayade to

“His defection will not have any negative implication on the PDP in the state because the party remains strong and is the dominant party in the state.

“Most of the national and state House of Assembly members are remaining firm in the PDP. “The key stakeholders are still in the party and even some of his appointees have offered to resign rather than go with him.

So, the PDP will continue to remain strong in the party.

“I foresee crises and conflicts happening in the APC but our party will remain strong.

“The majority of the National Assembly members are not sailing with Ayade. We remain strong and staunch members of the PDP. “I am a founding member of the PDP and I have seen no reason in the last 22 years that I have been in the party, to move anywhere. The PDP is the only party owned by Nigerians and I don’t want to go to anywhere. I don’t need a godfather or godmother.

“Just like any other PDP members in the National Assembly, I just want to continue to be a member of the party. I am fully entrenched in the PDP.” NWC SACKS CARETAKER COMMITTEE, NAMES NEW MEMBERS Meanwhile, the national leadership of the PDP has dissolved the Cross River State caretaker committee of the party and named a replacement.

The National Working Committee said it took the decision on behalf of the party’s National Executive Committee.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the decision was pursuant to the powers conferred on the NWC by the PDP constitution.

He said, “Consequently, the NWC has constituted a new State Caretaker Committee to pilot the affairs of the chapter of the party at the state level.”

He listed the new officers as Efiok Cobham (Chairman), Attah Ochinke, Dr. Uke Enun, Prof Walter Mboto and Rita Ayim (Publicity Secretary).

Others are Mike Usibe, Christopher Ekpo, Victor Effiom Okon, Prince K.J. Agba and Eko Atu (Secretary).

Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country believe that Ayade’s defection may not affect the fortune if the PDP in Cross River State because the state has been predominantly been a PDP State from 1999 till date.

They also foresee leadership problem in the APC where the mantle of leadership has been placed on the lap of Ayade.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

‘Despite Current Challenges, Nigeria Will Remain Indivisible’

“

What I am saying is that we are so intertwined that all this agitation for this or that is not going to happen

A

s a professor of economic history and development studies, how would you characterise Nigeria’s current state of development?

First, I would say the state of development is very poor. We are not taking advantage of the opportunities of our human resources, physical population and natural challenges.

We are playing too much politics with our challenges.

Then, there is the matter of the relationship between a knowledge-driven society and a religion-driven society.

We have to agree that countries that have developed have placed a lot more emphasis on knowledge than religion.

We agree that religion is very important, but it should not take pre-eminence in development agenda. We should use knowledge to drive our development agenda.

But we have had development agenda, such as Vision 2010 and 2020 and the Millennium Development Goals, yet nothing is happening. What is your take on this?

No. We had Vision 2000 before the ones you mentioned.

Right from Independence in 1960, we have had development plans. The first National Development Plan was supposed to end in 1964. The second plan was truncated by the Nigerian Civil War. The third plan was called the 1970 to 1975 Lagos Plan of Action. So, we had those plans and there were a number of things that are necessary in the planning process, that is, you have to plan with numbers and data. And right from the first plan, we began to play politics with our numbers, not just in terms of population; but also in terms of schools, roads and other data, so much so that the consultant that was contracted by the World Bank to help drive the first plan, an American called Stopler, I think, after the exercise wrote a book called, Planning Without Faith. In it, he raised the matter of whether Nigerian leaders had the political will to implement the plan. So, you can see how far that mistake goes back. So, the Visions 2000, 2010 and 2020 shows how our leaders lack the political will to use empirical and statistical data to tell the story of what we needed and how to achieve it.

Is that how we progressively became the poverty capital of the world? Does it also explain the worsening insecurity and economic downturn in the country?

How else are you going to explain that we have over 20 million out-of-school children and the largest unemployment rate in the world? These are the fallouts of bad planning for many years in the making. So, it is the result of bad planning that is manifesting in all manner of outcomes.

As National President, you represented the Historical

PAGE 12

Society of Nigeria at the 2014 National Conference.

Many believe that was easily the best we have come to finding answers to our challenges. How would you explain that?

The conference was easily the best platform that provided the environment where issues of Nigeria were debated in a brutally frank manner. I recall that the debates started with our fault lines, that is, ethnicity, religion and mutual suspicion of the various enclaves we have found ourselves. I remember when the Chairman, retired Justice Idris Kutigi, said the opening prayer in Islam, Pastor Tunde Bakare rose to challenged him that he did not understand the language the Chairman used.

So within the first few weeks we thought the thing was going to collapse. So too was when it came to the turn of the different ethnic blocs to speak; the Yoruba who wanted an Oduduwa republic to include Lagos, the representatives from Lagos rejected the suggestion and said Lagos would rather stand on its own, that it was rich and big enough to stay alone. The audience was stunned because everybody believed the SouthWest was one bloc. It was the same thing with Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s call for an Eastern Nigeria with Enugu as capital. Delegates from Ebonyi said that would happen over their dead body. A professor of physics from the state disclosed further that he was a member of Jamatu Nasri Islam of Nigeria. People were stunned. When it came to the turn of the Arewa Consultative Forum’s call for one North, minorities from Southern Zaria, Zuru in Kebbi State and the Kare Kare from Yobe state, who claimed to be the original owners of the land but have been oppressed, opposed the idea of one North. Even the North cried about marginalisation at that national level of discussion because the way delegates emerged, which included professional, labour groups and political parties though the All Progressives Congress did not attend, tended to favour the South and Middle Belt.

So, these new conversations all came up and we said we needed to understand the fears and aspirations of everybody. Discussions held around issues like the Land Use Act, state police, regional autonomy, devolution of power, states having their Supreme Courts and resource control beyond oil and gas, because some groups within and without the conference did a lot of research to show that every state have large resources in commercial quantities to remain viable and make contributions to the centre.

So what happened to the recommendations that conferees submitted to the government?

There were certain recommendations that needed executive order by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan

Ochefu

Prof Yakubu Ochefu specialises in Economic history and Development studies.

A former Vice-Chancellor of Kwararafa University, he is currently the SecretaryGeneral of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities. In this interview with AMOS ESELE, he points out some of the root causes of the current crisis in the country, proffers solution and declares that the country will surmount its challenges and remain indivisible

to sign and about 40 per cent of the recommendations would have been solved. Then there were others that required a change in specific legislation and yet a few that required constitutional amendments. But Jonathan, in my estimation, needed a validation of what came out of the conference and so he set up a committee to review the recommendations. They sat on it until December of that year. By January, when it was submitted, elections were around the corner and that was it. If he had signed the executive order, we would have not been experiencing some of the things we are going through today.

What, in your estimation, is the way forward now?

Between 2015 and now, our fault lines have become wider. Conversations have become difficult because trust has been eroded even at the level of political leadership.

The two major political parties, the APC and the PDP, are struggling with their challenges. The presidency is perceived as weak and indifferent to challenges in the land.

Conspiracy theories are being bandied around. Poverty and hunger have increased. The solution? We have to take the challenges one at a time. For every conversation, there is what I call the big elephant in the room. You can discuss the smaller issues that can be resolved and that have to do with the governance structure in the country.

The big elephant in the room is what I call restructuring.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW at the conference that they are bigger than Singapore, so the South-West stay on their own and do not include us.

Promoters of the Middle Belt are saying Abuja would be their capital and every other person would have to leave.

The Igbo have invested heavily in real estate there. When Biafra was declared before the civil war, they did not foresee the creation of states by the Federal Government and now states like Rivers are saying they do not want to be part of any agitation for Biafra. What I am saying is that we are so intertwined that all this agitation for this or that is not going to happen.

Former President Obansajo warned us about the dangers of Fulanisation that the government, by omission and commission, is encouraging in its nonchalance to the lingering herdsmen/ farmers conflict?

That is why I keep saying that it boils down to lack of political will of the leadership. President Muhammadu Buhari has done a lot more to endanger his Fulani people than any president has done. He should try and protect his people from any backlash that may follow his exit from office. The whole crisis that is going on in Zamfara State is between the Hausa and the Fulani. For the first time in the history of the country, Hausas are saying we are not Fulani. President Buhari’s foot soldiers and lieutenants have not been sensitive enough to see certain issues that are driving destructive interests. They are a small minority. If the anger of the rest of Nigeria were weaponised against them, where would they sta nd?

Recently the Federal Government granted licences to 20 more private universities. Given that media big wigs such as Netflix, Apple, Google, Tesla and Amazon may not require a university degree for employment.

Do you not think the acquisition of university degree may become obsolete?

They are talking about a niche industry. There are hundreds of disciplines and new knowledge that are coming out on a new basis that require some form of education. I will be the first to argue that technology has disrupted the way we now teach and conduct research. In that disruption, we have skill sets that do not call for the kind of education required. Some of the skill sets required in technology at a certain level do not require a university degree. Beyond that, there is still a lot of thinking power required at a certain level that a university degree cannot go away now.

For some reasons, many still say they do not know what restructuring means, even as all groups in the country are now insisting there must be a form of restructuring. How do you react to this?

People who say they do not understand restructuring are being mischievous. Anybody who can read the constitution cannot claim we are running a federal government while in reality there are 60 per cent items in the exclusive legislative list. If you compare our constitution and the mode of its operations with countries that are federal in nature, you will see that we are operating a quasi-federal state. Restructuring, for all intents and purposes, has been going on at the legal angle that many are not aware of. Just like Mr Femi Falana, SAN, said in a recent conference that the Federal Government had been challenged by some states in three fundamental laws, for instance, up to the Supreme Court. Recall that during ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, the Lagos State Government had its local government allocation withheld for creating additional Local Council Development Areas until the late President Yar’Adua obeyed the Supreme Court ruling and the sum of N10 billion from the seized money was returned to the state.

The same case also happened with the inland waterways and the regulation of hotels business in Lagos State. But what we have now is a situation where state governments THEWILLNIGERIA

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are calling for more power, but they are unwilling to transfer the same to local government areas. Recall the current strike by judiciary workers over autonomy and new salary scale for teachers. I do not believe that the Federal Government has any business owning and managing secondary schools. It should occupy itself with more serious things.

Are you not worried that you may wake up one day to another Nigeria as self-determination and self-help groups are springing up in response to the insecurity and general uncertainty in the country?

That experience at the National Conference and my own training as a professor of history, my knowledge of the country and our conversations that the country be split into six zones as some are suggesting is going to be a tall order. The reason is because the connections are strong and deep and the boundaries are not as sharp as many are thinking. It is going to cost us more than we have on the ground. Why would anyone want to leave a big country for a smaller enclave? Take for example the main agitations in the South-Wast, South-West and Middle Belt. The driver of Oduduwa republic cannot go to Lagos and stake any claim. The Igbo in Lagos are not going anywhere because they are stakeholders like anybody there. Same with the Edo and Ijaw. Lagos was saying

As keynote speaker at the Dr Edwin Madunagu 70year anniversary lecture, you shocked your audience at the end by saying you would run for governorship in your state in 2023. Why would an accomplished scholar want to join the murky waters of Nigeria politics?

In 2017 when I finished my tour of duty as ViceChancellor in Kwararafa University, I asked myself what other challenge was left for me in my field of calling?

Where can I go to get further education that can deepen my knowledge of society. And since I have been consulting for politicians, advising them on development plans and I have never been a party man. I decided to join a political party. I joined the Action Development Party after going through their profile online. I was soon elevated to the position of state Chairman of the party in Benue State.

That period was the biggest political school I have ever attended in my life. It convinced me that the reason why we are having challenges is that the platforms on which our leaders are being recruited are very poor ones.

HOW? What goes on in the ward, LGA and state levels of the party machinery is enough to see that what goes on there is not the discussion of any development agenda at all and this is how the ethos cascades down from the top to the bottom. I understood how politics works. Things you must do if you call a meeting, how you provide entertainment and transportation to members. Then there are things you would do in IPAC and INEC situation room. Things the majority of Nigerians do not know. People say if I want to run, I must have deep pockets and resources and I say resources will come from creativity. What is the model of Alibaba, Amazon and Uber for instance? So, it is creativity.

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EDITORIAL

Agric Ministry and the N30m Mosque T

he Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently approved the sum of N30 million for the construction of a mosque.

A leaked memo dated December 10, 2020, with Ref. No. FMA/PROC/AHS/SIP/2020/7742/1, signed by Musa Musa, the deputy director of procurement in the ministry, on behalf of the minister, showed the contract was awarded to El-Shukhur Multi-Buz Nig. Ltd. The ministry said the contract had been approved by the Ministerial Tenders Board.

It was gathered that the letter that announced the contract said it was approved by the Ministerial Tenders Board during its 7th meeting held on December 7, 2020.

The Ministry was said to have approved the award of the contract for the construction of a Friday mosque at the total contract sum of N30 million, inclusive of VAT, with a completion period of eight weeks, with effect from the date of the letter.

Amid public outrage, Theodore Ogaziechi, the director of information at the ministry, said in a statement that it decided to build the worship centre for livestock farmers displayed by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.

The Ministry, while confirming the award of the contract alleged that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had come been severely criticised on social media, following a leaked memo conveying the approval of N30m for the construction of a Friday mosque with taxpayers’ funds.

In addition, a government official memo, dated December 10, 2020, with ref. No. FMA/PROC/ AHS/SIP/2020/7742/1 and stating that the Ministerial Tenders Board approved the contract, was displayed on the platform.

The statement claimed the construction of a worship centre was for a community of livestock farmers who were sacked and displaced in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents and who were being resettled in the Ngarannam/Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Ministry said that apart from the mosque, other common facilities provided for the livestock farmers in the community include solar energypowered boreholes with overhead tanks and drinking troughs for their cattle and small ruminants, water harvesting structures, milk collection centre, resettlement abode, as well as other infrastructure to properly settle and rehabilitate the displaced livestock farmers.

It said the construction of the mosque was a special request from the community through the Borno State Government to avoid moving too far from the settlement areas for prayers and also to ensure their safety and contact with the insurgents.

We appreciate the effort of the Ministry of Agriculture in assisting the displaced people, especially the livestock farmers from Borno State, to have a place of worship. We also appreciate the effort of the ministry in ensuring the release of N30 million for the construction of Friday mosque followed due process having been approved by the Ministerial Tender Board.

However, we felt the Ministry of Agriculture and its minister, in carrying out the project, forgot to realise that Nigeria is a multi- religious state and therefore building a Friday mosque for the Muslims in the IDP Camp would have given the Christians and adherents of other religions in the IDP Camp a sense of neglect. Whatever is good for the goose is also good for the gander, the ministry should have thought it wise to equally build a worship centre for the Christians in the same IDP Camp.

More important, the building of a mosque is not supposed to be the priority of the Ministry of Agriculture at a time thousands of farmers lost their farms to floods and attacks from rampaging killer herdsmen.

It is also condemnable that spending a whopping sum of N30million on a Friday mosque for displaced IDPs at a temporary camp is nothing but a sheer waste of money. A makeshift praying centre with a low budget would have sufficed for an IDP camp, which is a temporary abode.

Our position also is that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is usurping the duty of the NorthEast Development Commission whose existence is to help people in the region displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. Are we saying the agency is not up to the task in carrying out its duties?

As we go forward, we advise the ministry to restrain itself from unnecessary sentiments and concentrate on its primary duties in the future. It should also restrain itself from setting a bad precedent, which, if copied by other ministries and agencies, may result in wasting of scarce resources.

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AUSTYN OGANNAH

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala News Editor (Online) – Felix Oboagwina Copy Editor – Chux Ohai Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu Photo Editor – Peace Udugba Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @THEWILLNG +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888. EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA [Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com] PAGE 14

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OPINION Malami’s Nonsensical Comparison D

BY REGINALD TOBIN

uring an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Minister for Justice and AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, left me bewildered and wondering if he still has his thinking faculty intact.

Malami, while speaking against the ban on open grazing by southern governors, went ahead to compare open grazing with spare-part trading.

He said the ban on open grazing in the South by southern governors is as good as the northern governors coming together to ban spare-part trading in the North.

Such comparison is nonsensical and coming from a man like Malami, who has attained a very senior position in the legal profession, it is very disappointing.

In fact, comparing open grazing with spare-part selling, whether in the southern or northern states, makes no sense because spare-part sellers do not terrorise Nigerians like herdsmen do.

However, the ban on open grazing by southern governors did not happen because they do not welcome herdsmen and the cattle business in their states, but due to issues of insecurity and terrorism carried out by herdsmen while openly grazing their cattle.

For some time now, insecurity has been a topical issue in the country. Some of the killing and kidnapping is orchestrated by herdsmen who move about with their cattle. While grazing openly, these herdsmen trespass on people’s farmlands, destroy their crops and still brutalise the owners of the properties if they dare to confront them. This has also resulted in the deaths of many people in the country.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, these conflicts resulted in over 800 deaths by 2015. In 2016, the people of Benue and Enugu States also had it hot from herdsmen. For Benue, I recall my older cousin, who participated in the National Youth Service scheme in Zaki-biam, narrating how some residents of the community were slaughtered by herdsmen on their own farmlands. She recounted how community residents who she knew personally and interacted often with became victims of fulani herdsmen.

Similar incidents also occurred in Taraba, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Kogi, Delta and Anambra States, to mention a few.

In the Niger Delta, On Saturday, February 20, 2021 a man and his son were attacked and seriously wounded by herdsmen who trespassed on their farmland in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Also in March, a news report had it that 22 persons were killed in Anambra and Enugu States by herdsmen.

These and many other incidents justify the ban on open grazing by southern governors.

Looking at Malami’s comparison, one begins to wonder how and when spare-part business has contributed to terrorism in Nigeria.

When did spare-part traders cause the loss of many lives in any part of the country? When have Nigerians been threatened in their communities and homes due to spare-part business? These are questions Malami should have asked himself before making such a comparison.

RIGHT OF REPLY

Re: Yahaya Bello: Prototype of Visionless Exuberance

BY SAIDU BOBBOI & MARK ADEBAYO so-called special report written by one Sam Diala, which filled with fiction and orchestrated misinformation, with the intent to malign, has come to our attention.

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The report exposes the writer as someone who has a preconceived animosity towards the object of his report with no attempt at objectivity and professionalism. It was a unidirectional traffic towards denting the image of a man undeserving of such harsh criticism.

In the first instance, the Channels TV poll referred to in the report is unrepresentative of the general currency of public opinion in the country about Governor Yahaya Bello. You cannot conclude that the segregated opinion of just a little above 6,000 people is determinant of the decision of over 200 million people. Polls are not always reflective of the sociopolitical realities of a given polity.

In 2016, the overwhelming sentiment was that Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump by a wide margin and emerge the first female President of the United States.

Relying largely on opinion polls, election forecasters put Clinton’s chance of winning at anywhere from 70 per cent to as high as 99 per cent and made her victory something like a fait accompli certainty. They were all completely disappointed as Donald Trump eventually won the Presidency and even defeated Hilary where she was pegged as the heavy favourite to win in some states, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which were taken by Donald Trump in the end.

This is just one example out of many to show that even well-organised opinion polls with wider populations of participants, do not provide a definitive outcome.

Describing Governor Bello as ‘a young man with no legacy behind, no vision ahead’ betrays the author as prejudicially myopic or deliberately mischievous. Bello is a revolutionary visionary with uncommon insight and the capacity for the management of complex matters of state.

He inherited a state in rapid socio-economic decline, one with burgeoning insecurity and developmental anarchy.

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But through managerial ingenuity and creative leadership, he put Kogi State on a regimen of accelerated recovery that activated developmental strides that it is witnessing today.

The indigenous rice mill, which the report sought to ridicule, produces rice that is the second highest selling in far away Lagos after imported foreign rice.

Insecurity and crime has waned in Kogi State by 70 or 80 per cent due to the robust support given to security agencies in the state, including the military. The governor is in the driver’s seat of security management in his state. He purchased hundreds of operational vehicles and thousands of communication and monitoring equipment to enhance the operations of the security agencies. The citizens are being encouraged to be active participants in the security of the state by availing security agencies of intelligence reports, which enable them to act proactively to prevent crimes.

Yahaya Bello’s administration has invested heavily on education by making sure that model primary schools are built in all the wards in Kogi State. At least the report acknowledged that the governor started and completed the state’s university and renovated and upgraded the state polytechnic. Beside the aforementioned, the governor has renovated many secondary schools and makes the welfare of teachers its priority.

In the area of education and manpower development, Bello’s performance has outshone that of his predecessors. The writer of the report is encouraged to cross-check the latest facts on ground before writing another piece.

One thing that sponsors of media campaigns of calumny against the governor should understand is that he is a unique personality with God’s grace behind him and the love of his generation. His manner of emergence as governor was divinely masterminded, while his re-election was preordained.

The actualisation of his presidential dream is unequivocally ascertained by divine intervention. This was a man who accepted his fate and moved on after he was manipulated out of his Party’s primaries in the state, but was miraculously restored and installed as governor. Nobody can stop the hand of God from lifting a man.

Yahaya Bello is the strongest force of unity in this country.

Kogi is the only state in Nigeria that has all Nigerians from all geo-political zones represented in its government. He is a totally detribalised politician with an eye for capacity and talent and cannot care less about ethnicity or religion.

If you can deliver along the templates of his developmental vision or you have a special purpose delivery creativity, he will bring you on board to prove your ability, irrespective of your ethnic group, state of origin or religion. A few examples will suffice. The following are few of non-Kogi indigenes in Bello’s government: Hon. Moses Okezie Okafor, Director-General, Research and Development, is from Anambra State Hon Femi Adeboyega, State Legal Adviser, is from Lagos State

It is an unforgivable falsehood to insinuate that Kogi indigenes are poorer under Governor Bello. It is a figment of the writer’s dark imagination to even attempt such blackmail. He would not have drawn such a ridiculous conclusion, if he had taken the time to visit the state and engage in some investigative journalism to know the facts rather than dwelling on social media speculation and making fallacious claims that have no basis in facts and figures.

Amb. Ahmed Bolori, Special Adviser on Public Relations, is from Borno State

The same report that sought to so much to diminish Bello’s achievements announced that the Nigerian Union of Journalists honoured him with an award for outstanding performance in education. That alone rubbishes the false allegations being peddled in that report.

The highly successful Kogi State Rice Mill is run by a very young man named Segun Olonade from Ogun State. There are other non-indigenes heading various parastatals in the

Hon. Aminu Mustapha, Senior Special Assistant on Nonindigenes, is from Kano State Hon. Amande Msughter, Senior Special Assistant on Intergovernmental affairs, is from Benue State.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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Revisiting NAMA’s Quest For COVID-19 Recovery Strategy

Printing of Currency Notes: The Missing Link

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Equity Market Sheds N30.63bn in One Week

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CBN Intervention Funds Boost Capacity for AfCFTA • Spotlight on Roles of BOI, SON

entrepreneurs whose participation impacts on Nigeria’s opportunity in the AfCFTA is important. The BOI is also tasked with ensuring that businesses succeed and grow. One way it does this is by ensuring that businesses applying for loans get these loans where and when they need them.

BY SAM DIALA

I

t has been established that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will unlock significant growth opportunities in Nigeria; then flow into the wider continental window. However, the benefit derivable from the single large market by Nigeria will depend mostly on adequate stimulation of the private sector. Stakeholders and industry experts insist that the active participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), will be beneficial - by providing linkages that lead to job creation and production or raw materials for domestic consumption and export.

The BOI is also tasked with the management and disbursal of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

This is a social intervention scheme set up by the Nigerian federal government to support small and medium-scale local businesses with interest-free loans to grow their businesses. The bank administers these schemes

The agreement will boost trade relations in Africa by removing tariffs for over 90 percent of goods traded between member countries. It will also to lead to the free movement of people within the continent, thereby fast-tracking a single market for air and road transportation.

ENTER INTERVENTION FUNDS Already, there is growing pessimism that Nigeria, on account of ‘natural’ productivity deficit, does not stand a good chance of reaping more benefit than cost from the scheme, at least in the short term. But the Central Bank of Nigeria intervention funds will go a long way in reversing the negativity. At present, there are many intervention funds, all sector- and industry-focused.

They range from agriculture, manufacturing, aviation, tourism, power, service to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The funds include the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme; Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending; Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme; the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Fund; and the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, the Small Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Scheme (SMECGS), among others.

In February 20, 2017, the apex bank engaged in aggressive funding of the sub-sector through its multi-window forex intervention regime focusing on Wholesale, Investment & Exports, SMEs, Invisibles and Bureau the De Change segments, among others.

In its bid to ensure that businesses across all sectors of the economy sustained their operations aftermath the COVID-19 pandemic, the apex bank introduced several loan opportunities under its intervention arrangement. These include the AGSMEIS Loan For SME’S And Agricultural Businesses Without Collateral; Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) Intervention For Agriculture; Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS Loan); MSMEDF Loan – Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund; Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI Loan); CBN Healthcare Research and Development Grants.

To achieve the desired capacity boost, the role of two institutions is critical. These are the Bank of Industry and the Standards

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Emefiele

The deal is seen as critical for growth and job creation for Africa and its 1.27 billion people. It is expected to reverse the trend of Intra-Africa trade, which has been historically low. Intra-African exports were 16.6 percent of total exports in 2017, compared with 68 percent in Europe and 59 percent in Asia. This suggests that untapped potential abound.

Working with the commercial banks, BOI through its various programmes, supported over 14,000 youths in 2019. “Our greater emphasis now is really on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; we are all out to support them and going forward, this would be our continued emphasis,” said its Chairman Mr. Aliyu Abdulrahman on the sidelines of its 2019 Annual General Meeting.

“

We need to scale up very rapidly, issues of productivity in the real sector of the economy are important. If we don’t strengthen that, we will not be able to get the right kind of value that we need to get

Organisation of Nigeria. Their crucial role is seen from the prism of Nigerian MSMEs target export market for expansion and to earn foreign exchange.

ROLE OF BOI The Bank of Industry targets the industrial sector of the economy with the aim to encourage industrial production and value creation by manufacturing and processing activities of businesses. The objective is to provide the industrial sector with finance as well as business support services. Since these industries are mainly industrial, BOI is charged with providing finances to purchase equipment for value chain productions.

Leveraging on the CBN intervention schemed, the BOI would enter negotiation terms with the financial institutions for assisting in the application process for the loans for indigenous

According to him, in 2017, lending to SMEs was about N8 billion, but in 2019 the bank’s disbursement to SMEs rose to over N56 billion. It made a total disbursement of N53.0 billion to in 2019, a 56.3% year-on-year increase from N33.9 billion in 2018.

Dikko said that to further increase the bank’s capacity to support SMEs, “in the course of 2019, we made significant progress towards improving the size of our loanable funds, leveraging our strategic partnerships in the international market and the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Bank was able to raise €1 billion through syndication by international banks for lending to SMES to create jobs.”

ROLE OF SON The key function of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria is to ensure that products manufactured locally in the country and those imported into Nigeria are standardized. With Nigerian entrepreneurs positioning to play active role in the AfCFTA scheme, there is need to guarantee quality assurance in their business processes. This will ensure steady export-oriented activities.

It is SON’s responsibility to ensure that industrial standards in Nigeria are established.. This see to it is very important in playing the support role in the AfCFTA programme, leveraging on the CBN intervention funds.

Nigerian businesses participating in the AfCFTA scheme will also benefit from the support of SON through its products inventory arrangement. Every product produced in Nigeria requires standardization, including those imported into the country. This further helps to strengthen the quality assurance opportunity available to Nigerian products.

The SON inspects products quality, materials and production facilities to make sure that the products quality and materials and facilities used in production are properly administered.

Even while inspecting these materials and facilities used in *Continues on Page 35

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AVIATION

Revisiting NAMA’s Quest For COVID-19 Recovery Strategy with new installations that have improved navigation during low visibility periods and also enhanced communications in the airspace with more redundancy, among others”, Dung said.

ANTHONY AWUNOR looks at the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency’s approach to sustaining a long term COVID-19 recovery plan

Also commending NAMA is the former Secretary-General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye, who attested that, in terms of covid-19 recovery strategy, NAMA was buoyantly addressing infrastructural deficits and staff welfare issues to the admiration of the stakeholdersin the aviation industry.

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lobally, the aviation industry has been reported as one of the sectors that was hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out early in 2020. With the coming of the virus, the industry was brought to its knees and flight operations were hampered by flight restrictions and the fear of a possible spread of the virus through air travel.

Unexpectedly the COVID-19 virus spread worldwide without acknowledging borders. It impacted negatively on all industries and all the sectors of the global economy with devastating results.

Unfortunately, Abioye lamented the devastating effects of the pandemic vis-àvis the closure of Nigerian airports and the partial closure of the airspace which dealt a big blow to operations and the financial fortunes of NAMA and all other agencies or bodies.

Information from the various international organisations representing the affected industries showed that the impact of the pandemic on the global aviation industry was enormous.

More than 2.7 million people have died worldwide due to this virus. Researchers have recently estimated that the world lost a total of 20.5 million years of life because of premature COVID-19 deaths.

Apart from the massive losses incurred, in terms of human lives, virtually all aspects of economic and social activity were and are still disrupted by the pandemic.

Nonetheless, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has done its best to support a sustained recovery strategy, despite recent positive signs and prospects for recovery.

Aware that COVID-19 remains an existential crisis for airports, airlines and their commercial partners, NAMA under the leadership of Capt Fola Akinkuotu was able to weather the storm and provide air navigation services during the lockdown period.

The agency made a effort to resolve all issues for better performance. There was work in progress, which resulted in the upgrade and refurbishment of equipment, calibrations, new installations and deployments, as well as routine maintenance work across the CNS/ATM domain before, during and after the lockdown periods. This helped to keep the airspace open, thereby ensuring the movement of emergency/essential flights, which greatly facilitated the fight against the pandemic. By implication, the staff of the agency dared the virus, made sacrifices and worked round the clock to support the front line workers in the medical field.

However, a new challenge of poor revenue generation was introduced by the pandemic with the suspension of commercial flights. This affected the management’s ability to cope with her statutory obligations to her staff as and when due thereby threatening the industrial harmony existing in the agency.

Speaking on the great efforts of NAMA and how the agency was able to survive the trying period, the President of Nigerian Association of Aeronautical Engineers (NAAE), Ishaya Dung, confirmed that the managing Director of NAMA, Capt Fola Akinkuotu, had performed very well, considering the challenges he inherited and those introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Akinkuotu

Also figures sourced from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Airports Council International (ACI), the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pointed out the great damages to the industry. The result of the attendant loss of revenue and traffic is a full-scale global transportation crisis.

According to the former labour scribe, the situation became so bad that revenue nosedived and a once “action-packed” agency became the one delaying the payment of salaries and pensions, and had to source for funds in order to perform its obligations to its workforce.

“

Aware that covid-19 remains an existential crisis for airports, airlines and their commercial partners, NAMA management under the leadership of Capt Fola Akinkuotu was able to weather the storm and provide air navigation services during the Covid-19 lockdown period

Dung described Capt Akinkuotu’s style of administration as all inclusive, saying that explained why he was able to record tangible achievements.

Before the pandemic, he noted, Akinkuotu systematically tried to cut down leakages resulting from frivolous DTAs, improved training (both local and foreign), improved monthly allocation to NAMA outstations, improved on equipment performance and achieved a better welfare package through the harmonisation of staff salaries.

Dung said the NAMA boss was on the verge of bringing home the document listing the new staff conditions of service and the NHIS when the Corona Virus struck.

Even with the resumption of commercial flights and the significant improvement in revenue generation, Akinkuotu has given the assurance that he will fulfill all obligations to staff within the shortest possible time. He has demonstrated this with the payment of productivity allowance.

“From the forgoing the agency can be said to be living up to expectation in terms of airspace management, especially

He said that, aside the payment of staff salaries and pensions, which NAMA managed to squeeze out monthly, some other aspects of the agency’s critical areas were tactically addressed in order to keep the system running, bearing in mind that throughout the critical period of the pandemic, a sizeable number of its staff were attending to duties in all NAMA facilities across the country.

Even at that, Abioye recalled, certain benefits had to be suspended and there were outright delays and cancellation.

Explaining further, he said, “During that particular period, overseas trainings and other sundry engagements were put on hold. Deductions could not be defrayed due to shortage of funds. However, thanks to the leadership skills and prudent management of available resources, NAMA seems to have successfully overcome the challenges, more so with the gradual return to the skies of airlines, especially the foreign ones.”

NAMA is moving forward, in spite of the pandemic, and putting in place motorised towers, which are currently being put up for Factory Assessment Tests and training of its operatives. This is in addition to the ongoing calibrations across the country.

According to Abioye, Akinkuotu shows profound empathy towards all members of staff and retirees, especially given the failures and negligence of past administrations, adding that “his administration has been able to show that leaders must respect the dignity of labour of its employees, as welfare matters enjoyed top priority attention unlike in the past, training and retraining which are routine ingredients for optimum productivity and professionalism is been given desired attention and push. Although things may seemed slow in coming, definitely, NAMA under Akinkuotu is far better and well positioned to meet the challenges of the 21st century world aviation nay air navigation service provision”.

He advised that more efforts should be put into the policies in place so that in the next two years, it shall be songs of praise for all employees and management of NAMA. While it is not yet Uhuru, Abioye pointed out that one can expect that, when the skies are cleared as safe and secure for full-blown air transportation, more improvement is expected.

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ECONOMY/MONEY MARKET

Printing of Currency Notes: The Missing Link

BY BONIFACE CHIZEA

T

he issue of printing of currency notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), once raised by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, very much dominated popular discussion for many days. Listening to the arguments as they raged, it was observed that one critical point was missing.

Everyone who commented came with their perspectives of how wrong it is to print notes. It was as if there is anyone oblivious of the deleterious consequences of such a development for microeconomic stability. Some went ahead to articulate what in their opinion is wrong with the Nigerian economy; a fact which is well known by most barely informed commentators.

But in my view what has been missing in this discussion is a careful consideration of the counterfactual.

AN EXTREME SCENARIO Let us, for the sake of this discussion, accept that a loan was extended by the Central Bank because, as the Governor of the Central Bank painstakingly explained, the Central Bank simply credits your account to extend a loan to you. Some of the arguments made it sound as if there was any actual printing of currency.

Of course, the Central Bank has responsibility for the quality of the currency notes in circulation. Therefore, in keeping with its clean notes policy, the apex bank withdraws now and again worn-out notes in circulation and prints new notes to replace them. This occurs once there is an understanding of the volume of currency notes in circulation for the optimal functioning of the economy. That is the only time the Central Bank would resort to physical printing of notes.

So, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had cause to issue a rebuttal against Obaseki’s claim that 60 billion currency notes were printed to augment the available money for FAAC allocation. But, suppose there was such a gaping shortfall and the CBN governor went back with inadequate allocation, did he spare a thought to consider what could have happened? He will not be able to pay salaries and wages and workers accustomed to receiving their cheques at the end of the month will not be paid!

What then will happen? We harvest unrest as probably wild cat strikes would be the order of the day. This fragile peace we are now enjoying would be denied, workers will go on strike and the country will be ungovernable. We must accept the fact that the Federal Government is under no obligation to share money that it does not have. This is why this feeding bottle federation, which we operate, is due for urgent review.

This is one more reason why there has been agitations regarding the need to revisit the current revenue allocation procedure.

Autonomy should be enthroned, such that component sections of the federation could tap on the resources in their backyard and pay tax to the centre for the provision of common services.

The Nigerian economy is in dire straits and a generality of the people are discussing niceties. There is fire on the rooftop and one is busy chasing rats in the house!

Which of those prescriptions being bandied around are amenable to quick fix? We are faced with a situation whereby because we failed to do what was required to have been done at the appropriate time, the chicken has now come home to roost. Therefore, whatever is wrong with what has happened so far, we must have it in mind that the steps were taken or rather being taken because there are no options. Stoking inflationary pressure poses a lesser danger than not being able to pay salary to large numbers of the workforce.

The extent of the outcry makes it sound as if the Central Bank has committed an unpardonable crime. Even the alarm being raised would be seen in better light if we recall what happened the year of the pandemic; 2020. The 2020 Budget had a deficit of N6.1 trillion. How was the deficit funded? N2 trillion was borrowed from domestic sources, N1.1 trillion was sourced

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Autonomy should be enthroned such that component sections of the federation could tap on the resources in their backyard and pay tax to the center for the provision of common services. The Nigerian economy is in dire straits; and a generality of the people are discussing niceties. There is fire on the rooftop and one is busy chasing rats in the house!

from external sources and the outstanding of about N3 trillion was borrowed from the Central Bank otherwise the economy could have ground to a screeching halt.

We are here trying to pull down the roof because of an allegation that N60 billion was loaned from the Central Bank to augment the FAAC money. And the intention to repay such borrowings is always there as interests due on such borrowings are routinely calculated and added to the outstanding debt account. While we discuss this, it is good that the governor of the Central Bank reminded all that budget support of N1.5 trillion, which was extended to the states in 2015/2016 was still outstanding and the apex bank will now commence the recovery of such loans!

In recognition of the centrality of funding from loan against the background of dwindling revenues, the Federal Executive Council in approving the Medium Term; 2020 to 2023 Debt Strategy decided to increase the country’s Debt-to- GDP ratio to 40 per cent relative to the extant ratio of 25 per cent to give more scope for borrowing.

It is argued here that both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund had recommended a ratio of 55 percent for countries in Nigeria peer group. Of course, we are all aware that Nigeria’s problem with fiscal sustainability arises from the consideration of debt service burden. If Nigeria today is to keep fidelity to its debt repayment obligations; the country would not have money even to meet recurrent expenditure.

A GLANCE AT QUANTITATIVE EASING What is happening with respect to quantitative easing is not restricted to Nigeria as a result of the pandemic which brought

Ahmed

We make it sound as if the authorities simply want to increase money supply within the system. We are here talking of an economy whose rate of inflation is as at last count estimated at 18.12 percent; almost the highest rate since January 2017 when the rate reached an unsupportable high rate of 18.72 percent, about four years ago! Therefore, this most certainly is an unusual time in Nigeria.

economic activities to a halt across the globe. It might be cold comfort to take a cursory look at the American experience, even as one is quick to observe that what has made the Nigerian case a particularly difficult nut to crack is the fact of lack of productive base in the economy.

In response to the economic shutdown due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve Bank of America on March 15, 2020 announced a quantitative easing plan of over $700 billion.

Then on June 10, 2020, the FR Board extended the program committing to at least $80 billion a month in Treasury and $40 billion on asset backed mortgages.

Joe Biden on assumption of office pushed through a palliative package totaling $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus package to be disbursed; $415 billion to boost vaccine production and generally required response to stem the pandemic and a palliative cheque of $1,400 paid to every American citizen.

There is no country in the world, as should be expected to varying degrees, that is exempt from the American experience hereby recounted as fallout of the pandemic experience.

The fact remains that what ails the Nigerian economy have been severally articulated over the decades; from Vision 2010, to Vision 2020, to Nigerian Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy to 2014 National Conference Report to Oronsaye 2011 Report. These reports contain well considered carefully articulated strategies for the development of the Nigerian economy.

Even the Structural Adjustment Program of 1986 aimed at the diversification of the Nigerian economy, the enthronement of market forces for the allocation of scarce resources, the pursuit of a private sector led economy and many others, are part of it.

Unfortunately, they have all suffered from the same fate; lack of any implementation.

But Nigerians expect the naira rate of exchange not to depreciate when there is hardly any productivity in the economy! How do we want to make an omelet without breaking eggs? Nigerians must wake up to smell the coffee. It is going to be much worse before it gets better. The only comforting light on the horizon is the Dangote Refinery which is scheduled to commence operations in the first quarter of next year. It promises to be a game changer, otherwise we would all as a nation rue the fact of wasted opportunities to do what was right by the economy.

There is resort to ways and means of funding simply because there are limited options otherwise, we end up with a space impossible to manage.

•Dr. Chizea, an Economist, is CEO, BIC Consultancy Services, Lagos.

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BUSINESS NEWS Investor Canvasses N900m For Restart of Sanitary Wares Production FROM UDEME UTIP, UYO or a complete overhaul and turn-around maintenance that would ensure commencement of operations at the defunct Quality Ceramics Limited at Ikot Ebom Itam, Itu local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, a stakeholder has said that about N900 million is needed.

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Barrister Uwemedimo Utip, a UK based private investor, who disclosed the figure recently said, such an amount is the only solution that the firm is having, for it to return to production.

Quality Ceramics Limited; once a thriving sanitary ware industry in the 1980s and the 90s was run aground by some individuals in the late 1990s and has been moribund for over three decades.

28-5-21

Equity Market Shreds N30.63bn in One Week Investors in Nigeria’s equity market lost N30.63 billion in the week ending May 28, 2021 with market capitalizaEon recording N19.940 L-R: Dayo Oluwole, Kasher Consulting; Ifeoma Okoye, Sustainability & Community Affairs Manager, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC); Dr. Lawrence O. Osoba, Sub-Dean, Faculty oftrillion Engineering, University of Lagos;(May Abiodun Peters, Legal Director,ANBC; Shina of Matti, trillion as against N19.956 on Monday 24, 2021). total Youth Empowered Training Facilitator, and Nwokeji Ikenna, a participant, at the Youth Empowered Campus Workshop organized by NBC at the University of Lagos on 25/5/2021. PHOTO: PEACE UDUGBA. 228,674,124 shares traded in 3,318 deals yielded N3.671 billion. The day’s acEvity produced 31 gainers and 14 losers with Ikeja Hotels leading the gainers table, while Academy Press came at the boRom of nvestors in Nigeria’s equity market lost N30.63 billion. The day’s activity produced 31 gainers and 14 the losers table.

All-Share also closed billion in the week ending May 28, 2021index with market losers withnegaEve Ikeja Hotels with leading 38,256.96 the gainers table,as while capitalization recording N19.940 trillion as against Academy Press came at the bottom of the losers table. Allagainst 38,287.58 on 24, Monday.

N19.956 trillion on Monday (May 2021). A total of Share index also closed negative with 38,256.96 as against

Equity Market Sheds N30.63bn in One Week I

228,674,124 shares traded in 3,318 deals yielded N3.671

38,287.58 on Monday.

Top Gainers(31)

Bottom Losers(14)

IKEJAHOTEL

1.10

+10.00% ACADEMY

0.33

-8.33%

ROYALEX

0.81

+9.46% LASACO

1.44

-7.69%

NEIMETH

1.88

+9.30% JOHNHOLT

0.63

-7.35%

JAPAULGOLD

0.59

+9.26% PRESCO

75.90

-3.80%

MBENEFIT

0.48

+9.09% BUACEMENT

72.00

-3.03%

CHIPLC

0.73

+8.96% UNILEVER

12.00

-2.83%

Courtesy: African ‘XChanges

*Continued from Page 16

CBN Intervention Funds

production of these products, it is also expected that SON institute or make provision for quality assurance system. That is why the Standard Organisation of Nigeria will take into consideration, the laboratories, and the factories, as well as, the certification of products.

The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, last year, stated that the only way Nigeria could maximise the benefits of AfCFTA is to increase the total value and volume of non-oil exports by scaling up productivity in the real sector of the economy. He said the quality of what Nigerian companies supply must meet international standard:

benefit the economy?

“We need to scale up very rapidly, issues of productivity in the real sector of the economy are important. If we don’t strengthen that, we will not be able to get the right kind of value that we need to get.”

“If you look at the structure of our export, it is about 95 percent oil and gas, the remaining five percent is for agriculture and manufacturing, most of which goes to the neighbouring countries.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment says Nigeria has over 37.07 million MSMEs and they account for more than 84 per cent of total jobs in the country. The ministry further revealed that the MSME enterprises in Nigeria also account for about 48.5 per cent of the gross domestic product, GDP, as well as about 7.27 per cent of goods and services exported out of the country. According to Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SEMEDAN), micro enterprises account for the bulk with 36.994,578 (about 99.8 per cent), while small enterprises took 68,168 and medium enterprises 4,670.

“If we are going to trade internationally, it is not just about import, it is also about export. So what exactly are we going to put on the table if the only thing you have is oil and gas? How will that

Well co-ordinated, operators of these enterprises could access CBN intervention funds and, with the assistance of BOI and SON, reap the benefits of the AfCFTA.

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Utip, a business and Investment consultant who is also chief executive officer, Dimmo investment and manufacturing International limited made the statement at the weekend, in a meeting he held at the company’s premises, with the two host communities of the manufacturing firm: Ikot Ebom and Ikot Ekwere.

Briefing stakeholders of the two communities on the activities of his firm, Utip said appreciable strides have been made to ensure that the company is open for production activities as soon as possible.

He solicited the cooperation of the host communities towards the smooth revamping of the hitherto moribund ceramics firm.

He mentioned that when operational, the company would provide thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities, assuring that members of the host communities, especially the Youths would be given first line consideration, according to their skills and competence.

TrustBanc Holdings Quotes Maiden CP Series on FMDQ Exchange

F

MDQ Securities Exchange Limited, through its Board Listings and Markets Committee, has approved the quotation of the TrustBanc Holdings Limited ₦0.20 billion Series 1 Commercial Paper (CP) under its ₦10.00 billion CP Issuance Programme on its platform.

The quotation of the maiden CP series, following the successful registration of the CP Programme in April 2021, is further validation of FMDQ Exchange as the choice platform for the registration, listing, quotation, trading and recording of financial securities in the Nigerian financial market.

TrustBanc Holdings Limited is a registered brand investment management firm that offers an array of financial services such as banking, brokerage, forex trading, and wealth management, through its subsidiaries TrustBanc Asset Management Limited, TrustBanc Capital Limited, TrustBanc Microfinance Bank, TrustBanc Artur Limited and Primelink Bureau De Change. The proceeds from the quotation of this CP will be used to fund the Issuer’s short-term financing requirement.

The TrustBanc Holdings CP, which was sponsored on the Exchange by UCML Capital Limited, a Registration Member (Quotation) of FMDQ Exchange, like all other securities, shall be made visible to investors and other market participants through the FMDQ Exchange’s website and systems, as well as FMDQ’s Daily Quotations List. Investors shall also benefit from the continuous information disclosure and transparency availed to this CP.

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SHOTS OF THE WEEK PHOTO EDITOR: PEACE UDUGBA [08033050729]

President Muhammadu Buhari (right), receives the President of Libyan Presidential Council H.E Mohammed Al-Manfi, during a courtesy visit to the State House in Abuja on 26/5/ 2021.

L-R: Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Mamman Saba Jubril; Speaker Kwara State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danlandi; Governor of Kwara State AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Deputy Governor Mr Kayode Alabi; Senator Ajadi Makanjuola; and Grand-Khadi Sharia Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Ola Abdulkadir during the commissioning of new tractors and implements in Ilorin on 26/5/2021.

L – R: Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc, Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen (M), presents a trophy to students of the Junior Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON, receiving the Excellence Award for Contributions to Capital Market Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, overall winners of the cultural dance event in junior category, during Development from the President, National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines the 2021 Children’s Day celebration in Abuja on 27/5/2021. and Agriculture, (NACCIMA), Hajia Saratu Iya Aliyu, at the NACCIMA at 60 Award, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja on 25/5/2021.

L-R: First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, during the ‘‘State-Of-The-State’’ Address At Lagos House, Ikeja On 27/5/2021.

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L-R: Representatives of Ekiti State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John Adeyeye; Guest Speaker, Prof.

Akin Oyebode; Ekiti State Attorney General /Commissioner for Justices, Wale Fapounda and Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Hakeem Jamiu, during the opening session of the Public Consultation on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) in Ado-Ekiti on 25/5/2021.

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SIR SHINA PETERS

SERVICE IN THE LORD’S VINEYARD THEWILLNIGERIA

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I’d Love to See More Women in Charge – Shina Peters

30 years after his electrifying album, ACE Afro-Juju Series 1, swept through the Nigerian music scene, Sir Shina Peters is still a force to reckon with in the music industry. The father of three, who clocks 62 today, speaks with IVORY UKONU about his music and some of the things that has kept him going.

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our last album was released in 2012. Why haven’t you done any more music since then?

In terms of putting new song(s) out, I haven’t released anything new for a while. As a seasoned musician and a veteran, I just don’t put out music.

My releases are masterpieces that stand the test of time. I take my time on my compositions, arrangements, productions, etc, so as to deliver material that would outlive me. Afro-Juju sound or music is not a rush-in and rush-out of studio kind of music. A lot goes into releasing Afro Juju sounds from conception to production. I also take so much time to produce seasoned music for my fans that will not fall below the set standard, globally.

What have you been up to between then and now?

I have been busy with a series of engagements, doing regular gigs, shows, performances and tours at the national and international levels. I have also had some corporate engagements, in terms of endorsements and ambassadorial roles, for some notable corporations. So you see, I have been really busy, except in 2020, the COVID-19 era that we all had to be on forced Sabbatical leave Are you working on anything for your teeming fans?

There is a lot that I am cooking at the moment. Like they say in today’s parlance, Too Much Swag still dey. E never finish from the source. Just waiting for the right time to release some of these new stuff for public consumption.

You created Afro juju and made it popular. How did you come about that name?

By the grace of God, I created Afro Juju through divine inspiration and hard work. I have been doing music from age 10, playing with legends like Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, Prince Adekunle and Shina Adewale till I went solo. So since age 10, I PAGE 38

have become a known personality - a celebrity of sort. I bought my first car at age 13. I got famous as a toddler with national attention and going on international tours, etc. I started my music and didn’t get the huge commercial success I desired. I got tired of the norm in the music scene at the time.

It would be right to say I was immersed in music.

So, leaving or quitting music would have been a difficult thing for me to do. I craved something different. I desperately wanted to change things.

So I went to seek the face of God. After this came divine inspiration as the answer to my prayers.

Afro Juju is a mixture of different musical forms, such as disco (the hip western sound the youth are crazy about ), highlife, juju, the solemn rhythmic percussion of African percussion and some influence from Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who loved my guitar skills and encouraged me to sing in Pidgin English as a medium of reaching a wider audience across languages and tribes. So when I blended these different African sounds with disco, the result was the irresistible ballistic and supersonic sound called Afro juju.

Before ACE, you had released five albums which didn’t register much success. But ACE opened the door of success to you. Did you ever imagine that it would be very successful?

What happened to me before ACE was just a sense of frustration for something different from the usual.

I craved a monumental success that would outlive me. It was a desperate desire for a positive and drastic change. For the humongous and monumental success that ACE recorded, I give all glory to God. It is still a bestselling album, a concert mover and

party shaker, an ever mysterious musical work that demystifies time and is ever current. You should also note that ACE, which was released in 1989, was a musical revolution in the Nigerian (and by extension the African) music scene that redefined and refined the way music recordings and live performances were done. It was the first commercial music video.

It broke barriers across ethnic/tribes, language and religious barriers, just name it. I played gigs across every city and state in the country. I performed for about 340 days of the 365 days in the year.

Internationally, I had shows across all the continents of the world. Frankly speaking, I never envisaged that height of success. It could only have been God. With the fame that came with ACE, many people, including women, wanted to associate with you and you had your fair share of fun. Looking back, would you say you managed your fame well, especially with women? Do you think you could have done better?

Even with the creation of the first man, Adam, the Bible tells us it is not good for man to live alone. So the Almighty God made the woman, Eve. That is why I always use my music to support and encourage women. I can’t wait to see women dominate the corridors of power in our country because 90 per cent of mothers will make sure that their children make it in life. I have given my support to the female gender and they in turn have supported my music passionately. I usually pride myself as a foremost artist who has championed the cause of celebrating womanhood with my music, advocating women liberation and empowerment. From the album Shinamania - the track Give our Women Chance, I THEWILLNIGERIA

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“

What happened to me before ACE was just a sense of frustration for something different from the usual. I craved a monumental success that would outlive me. It was a desperate desire for a positive and drastic change. For the humongous and monumental success that ACE recorded, I give all glory to God have always supported women.

Do you have any regrets in life?

I don’t have any regret whatsoever. I believe I am created for a purpose, which is to impact my generation. I believe in destiny and that I serve God faithfully. He is my inspiration and provider. I don’t get desperate for material achievement. I am 100 per cent dependent on God for my existence and sustenance.

What are some of the challenges you encountered in your musical journey and how were you able to overcome them?

There is no easy road to success. Success comes with a price. Getting to the top is even child’s play, compared to maintaining relevance and consolidating on the successful achievements at the top. There are hurdles, predicaments in life on any adventure or endeavour on the road to success. Some of the basic nuggets to help you overcome challenges and remain successful are:

A) Faith in God B) Focus on your Goal C) Harwork. - Resilience D) Doggedness - never giving up E) Passion for what you do What would you say significantly shaped you to become who you are today?

My faith in God, hard work and discipline.

How would you assess the music industry today, compared to your time?

Technology has changed a lot of things in the industry. It is the digital age and everything has gone digital. Recording now is being done digitally unlike in our days of analogue recording where you have series of rehearsals before a live recording sessions and where all instruments are played live. The analogue system gave room to hard-work, creativity and mastery of the act. With today’s digital world, with the help of softwares like the auto-tune, anyone, trained or not, can sing and it will come out cool.

The promotion of musical works is also easier now with the advent of social media for marketing and publicity. In our days, the artiste would hit the roads to embark on promotional tours across the different media outfits in different cities across the world.

Digital innovation has been a blessing to the new players in the industry. There is more value paid and higher commercial exchanges for services in the industry. Unfortunately, there is a lot more noise than music out there. There is a lot, in terms of sound, but less creative content. But I believe there is room for the betterment of what exists presently. Younger artistes should seek advice, direction and guidance from the older ones to help them with better quality music.

While a lot of the youths are making in inroads into pop and afrobeat music, the same cannot be said about Juju music. What do you think the problem is and how can this genre of music be salvaged?

Remember Shina Peters is a pioneer advocate for youth empowerment. From the album ACE ...........

Asiko awa youth re o, ko ur binu wa, for sure ni, the young shall grow. I am one of the pioneer musicians

who laid the foundation for the wave, rave, the bling and swag that the youths are exploring today. The youths are still building on the fusion of Afro Juju mixed with hip hop. Like I mentioned earlier, my fusion of African sounds plus disco created Afro Juju. The young ones still play a lot of Afro Juju laced and influenced music, though not labeled.

In some ways, they borrow from highlife, Juju and other genres and they are all tagged Afrobeat.

Take for example, Paul Play did a cover of his dad’s music, the legendary I K Dairo Mo so rire.

It became a pop hit. Simi did Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey’s Aimasiko. But those renditions sitting basically and firmly on juju music won’t have an appeal if credited to Juju music. So you see, Juju music is still vibrant and alive. Most parties, weddings, birthdays, etc, heavily patronise Afro Juju, Juju, Fuji genre of if music. These are seasoned professionals who would bring the parties alive and engage the attendees, not these DJ track 1, track 2 kind of DJs. Which of the younger music artists would you like to do a collaboration with and why?

I am for the youth anytime any day. I am available to work with any of the younger artistes that is serious and focused enough.

Many were surprised when they learnt that you were ordained a Bishop in the Cherubim and Seraphim church. Is this because they never thought you were a religious person?

I am grateful to God and the church of the Lord (Cherubim and Seraphim) for counting me worthy of the ordination. I have served and held on to the Lord from day one. It shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Even in all my albums, I dedicate tracks to worship and extol God Almighty. He is my only source and foundation. I am nothing without him.

Does this mean you can now stand on the pulpit and preach?

Yes, you are right. The ordination means more service to my God in the vineyard of the Lord.

Are you planning to establish your own church?

No. I wasn’t ordained for personal gain or ambition.

It is not because I want to start a ministry or church.

It is a call to service by the body of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.

Now that you are a Bishop, won’t there be a conflict of interest in making secular music?

No, there is no conflict whatsoever. Music is my profession, my work, my vocation. Ordination as a Bishop is a call to serve in the Lord’s vineyard.

For instance, you are a journalist. That is your work and your profession. You being ordained in ministry or church, if you aren’t a full time minister will not conflict with your work as a journalist.

Does that mean you are not a full-time minister?

Yes What has been your greatest achievement in life?

Being a blessing to humanity through my music.

There are people who are sad, depressed and going through all sorts of situations. By some act of God, Shina Peters’ music comes on and they get blessed, they have hope, they have a reason to live. I love to be a blessing to humanity.

How do you unwind when you are not working?

I spend quality time with my family. I love to swim and I love to fast and seek God’s face for direction and sustenance.

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BY SHADE METIBOGUN

Stella Damasus, Ex-Husband in War of Words

Stella & Daniel

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hen Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus and her third husband, Daniel Ademinokan, parted ways a few weeks ago, many thought the two handled their separation like two matured adults until they engaged in a war of words recently on social media. The lightskinned actress and mother of two was the first to put up a social media post about narcissists and their attitude. She wrote, “Narcissists demand people’s loyalty and respect without reciprocity, they will become infuriated if you question them and their contempt will be expressed with rage, the silent treatment, patronizing attitude and gas lighting. When the relationship ends, you will have to reset your brain to communicate without the fear of a psychological assault.”

Although she didn’t mention her ex, Daniel, many who saw the post thought it was part of her motivational nuggets from her talk show, ‘Ask Stella,’ an undiluted straight from the heart conversation about sensitive issues and ways to handle them. It was until Daniel’s response hit the social media space that many realised the ex- couple were gunning for each other’s throats.

Daniel responded with a post about motivational speakers. He wrote, “People should evaluate motivational speakers before they follow their advice. Be sure that the driver of the motivational vehicle you are jumping into is not blind. Your therapist may be the one who needs a therapist.”

Those having the last laugh over this social media war are none other than actress Doris Simeon’s fans. Daniel used to be married to Doris. He quit the marriage for reasons best known to him and moved on with Stella. Doris’ fans believe that the Almighty God is silently fighting her battles. They have been thanking Karma for rewarding Stella after she snatched Daniel from their favorite actress.

While others in some quarters are praying that the two bury the hatchet and reconcile again.

Yinka & Late Son

Chinua Achebe’s Novels to be Adapted to TV Series

Yinka Davies Remembers Late Son

Chinua Achebe’s globally acclaimed novels, Things Fall Apart, No Longer At Ease and Arrow of God, may be adapted to the screen soon. THEWILL gathered that a media consultant, Dayo Ogunyemi and Joe Seldner, an entertainment and media consultant based in the US, are planning to adapt the novels to a television drama series soon. The series will portray decades of social changes from the end of 19th century as seen in Things Fall Apart and the emergence of the 20th century as depicted in Arrow of God and the mid-20th pre independence century in No Longer at Ease. Selected Nollywood actors will be working together to ensure the television series receives the same applause the three novels have received over the years. Regarded as the founding father of African fiction, the prolific writer passed on in 2013 during a brief illness. His first novel, Things Fall Apart has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Agwu

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Where is Julius Agwu?

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Achebe

t’s been four months since Afro jazz singer, Yinka Davies, lost her son, Jeremiah Bankole, to the cold hands of death.

Late Jeremiah suffered from autoimmune blood tissue disorder for some months before his passage. His ailment started as a toothache in 2020, but wasn’t diagnosed until after five months of going back and forth from the hospital. The singer, it was gathered, spent a lot of money, including generous donations from members of her family and friends, to ensure that her son got the best treatment possible. Unfortunately, he passed on seven months after battling the ailment. The young man who died a few days to his 28th birthday wasn’t married, but he left two adorable children in his mother’s care. Yinka recently took to her social media page to celebrate him. The singer made a compilation of his pictures at different stages; from childhood through his teenage years to adulthood and turned them to a motion picture. She revealed that Jeremiah had turned to Christ and become born-again before his untimely death.

Spotify Honours Burna Boy, Wizkid, Others

Eazi Burna Boy & Wizkid

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o mark the Africa day celebration, Spotify, a notable digital music service platform, has named Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, also known as Wizkid, and Oluwatosin Ajibade, popularly known as Mr Eazi, as African artists impacting the global stage. The announcement came after Spotify took a look at the most streamed artists from Africa, with afro beat singer, Burna Boy topping the list. About 31 million fans spread across the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Australia and, of course, Nigeria have streamed his collaborative effort Loved By You in the last 90 days on the digital platform. Likewise the Afro beats remix of Jerusalema featuring Burna Boy also garnered 43 million streams globally in the last 90 days. According to Spotify, Wizkid’s and Mr Eazi’s songs have also been applauded for their massive streaming. Joro, a song released in 2019 by Wizkid had almost the same number of streams on twhe platform as Burna Boy’s collaboration, while Mr Eazi’s Lento, featuring J.Balvin, also had massive streams. African artists are not just being featured on the global stage, they also own it and Spotify has not stopped showcasing their abundant talents as it brings to the surface culturally diverse music users around the world.

ans of multi-talented entertainer, Julius Agwu, have been wondering about his whereabouts. The talented comedian’s sudden disappearance from the entertainment scene is giving many of those who enjoy his rib-cracking jokes cause for anxiety. Agwu had a brain surgery that almost claimed his life in 2015. He has since continued to maintain a very low profile. He attempted to resuscitate his career in 2020 by staging another edition of ‘Crack ya ribs,’ his annual comedy concert across the country and disclosed his plan to celebrate 25 years in comedy.

Unfortunately, that dream didn’t see the light of day.

In 2019, the veteran comedian also attempted to stage his comedy show in London, but the date clashed with that of the king of comedy in Nigeria, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, a.k.a Ali Baba. Both shows had been scheduled for the same day and they had to jostle for the attention of the same audience. After that episode, nothing was heard about the humour merchant again. Findings, however, reveal that Agwu has not only quit the comedy scene, but also the social media. All his social media handles were last updated about a year ago. According to a reliable source close to the comedian, Agwu is hale and hearty and still in the country, contrary to the rumour that he has relocated abroad. The comedian, the source claimed, is just obeying his doctor’s instruction to avoid stress by all means. That is why he is shunning social activities and concentrating on other areas of interest just to keep body and soul together. We gathered that one of his dreams is to stage a campaign for Christian entertainers in the country, a decision he made after turning a new leaf when he recovered from the ailment that almost claimed his life.

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BY IVORY UKONU AND JOY ONUORAH

Precious Chikwendu Absent at Birthday Bash For Triplets

NACCIMA @ 60, Honours Genesis Cinema Boss

Obi-Uchendu

Cast of Comming to America 2

igerian fashion designer, Ugo Monye is accusing producers of the blockbuster movie, Coming To America 2, of intellectual theft. Ugo accused them of reproducing and using his popular ‘Reale’ design in the movie without his consent. This accusation is coming two months after the movie debuted. Monye said the ‘Reale’ design, which features a kimono and is a less bulky concept of the Agbada robe was copied in the movie without giving him due credit as the originator of the design. According to him, the producers THEWILLNIGERIA

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ale Adenuga, producer of the 2019 comedy blockbuster, Knockout, under the Wale Adenuga Productions, has announced the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding with Media Pros Africa, a Kenya-based international film agency owned by seasoned industry player, Wangeci Murage, for the global distribution of the movie through various means including, but not limited to VOD, TVOD, SVOD, Cinema, Pay TV, Freeto-Air, and Terrestrial. The producer of the movie, while announcing the development, said he also had a global distribution agreement with Osezua Stephen-Imobhio Oduma’s Creative Worx Limited, through which the deal with Media Pros Africa was brokered. More so, the desire to show the movie to a larger audience was first birthed through the overwhelmingly positive response that it received in Nigeria and Ghana. Released in 2019, Knockout tells the comical story of what happens when news of a boxing competition, with a cash prize of $3Million, hits town and sends a group of people into a hilarious frenzy as they devise mischievous means to participate and win. The clumsy boxer they choose, and the crazy characters they meet along the way results in mayhem and madness. The movie parades an impressive cast comprising seasoned actors and actresses, including Sola Sobowale (Toyin Tomato), Charles Okocha, Toyin Abraham, Chinwetalu Agu, Odunlade Adekola, Segun Arinze, Patience Ozokwor, Broda Shaggi, Ali Nuhu, Afeez Oyetoro and Eniola Badmus, to mention only a few.

in the economy, the National President of the association, Hajiya Saratu Aliyu, said the benchmark of the awards is the invaluable dedication to Africa’s progress and service to humanity from the awardees. She commended them for the significant growth in the sector. Other awardees include Grammy winner, Burnaboy and Amina Jane Mohammed who received theirs virtually.

Coming to America 2: Ugo Monye Accuses Producers of Copyright Infringement

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Wale Adenuga’s Knockout Gets Global Distribution Deal

of the movie through Ruth E. Carter, the costumier, commissioned tailors in Nigeria to reproduce outfits that infringed on his copyright. The design was first worn by master of ceremonies and television presenter, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, at the wedding of singer, Bankole Wellington, otherwise known as Banky W. Released on March 4, the movie is known for its diverse combination of African designs and fabric alongside colourful ankara prints. The movie featured Hollywood actors like Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, Davido etc.

Akunna

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s part of the activities marking its 60th anniversary, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture recently gave awards to Dr Nnaeto Orazulike of the Genesis Group of Companie; the Director-General of World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonji-Iweala; and Bolanle Austen-Peters of Terra Kulture for transformational leadership in their respective fields of endeavour. Orazulike is the wealthy owner of Genesis Group of Companies, a hospitality group involved in contract catering, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, snack production, real estate development and oil/gas services. An indigene of Anambra State, he is also one of the founding members of Fidelity Bank Plc. Austen-Peters owns and runs the famous Terra Culture, a one-stop venue for the creative arts, while Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, the first female and first African to hold such an esteemed position. Recognising the importance of the entertainment and hospitality industry, where Orazulike and Austen-Peters operate,

Orazulike and NACCIMA staff

Fani-Kayode, Chikwendu and children

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t seems that the feud between Precious Chikwendu, a former beauty queen and her estranged husband, Femi Fani-Kayode, has assumed another dimension. According to information on social media, Femi threw a lavish birthday party for their triplets in the absence of Chikwendu. This is despite the fact that she lives in Abuja and was actually in town when the birthday celebration took place. Not bothered by Femi’s action, Precious took to her social media page to pour out her blessings on her sons whom she had not set eyes on for over six months. The former couple, who used to be head over heels in love with each other, decided to go their separate ways following allegations of infidelity and domestic violence by both of them. Despite Chikwendu’s attempt to secure the release of her sons, who recently clocked three, through the courts, Femi has repeatedly frustrated her efforts by using his legal, security and political connections. He insists that she is not fit to be granted custody of their four children because of her alleged ‘violent nature.’ Those who were present at the birthday party iclude a representative from the Christian Association of Nigeria, two clerics, Emmanuel Omata and Emmanuel Olorumagba, and Senator Grace Bent, among others.

Akunna, Seven Others for Nigerian Idol

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kunna Okey and seven other contestants in the Nigerian Idol singing competition have been selected to participate in the next edition of the event. Akunna’s performance of “Loving Your Way” by Seyi Shay, who happens to be one of the judges, was quite thrilling. Even the judges couldn’t help but shower praises on her. Sheyi Shay, the copyright owner of the song, was so impressed that she openly wondered if it was the same song she recorded.

One of the judges, DJ Sose also said he preferred Akunna’s performance of the song to the original. Other contestants whose performances earned them commendation from the judges and who will be staying for the next show are Kingdom Kroseide, Akunna Okey, Faith Onyeje, Francis Atela, Daniel Ikechi, Beyonce Ajomiwe, Comfort Alalade and Emmanuel Elijah. The Nigerian Idol is sponsored by Rite Foods limited through Bigi Drinks.

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MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2021

Sanwo-Olu, Yeni Kuti, Morayo Brown

Sanwo-Olu, Femi Kuti, Seun, Yeni Kuti

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Yeni Kuti Shuts Down Lagos on 60th Birthday The scion of the Anikulapo-Kuti clan, Yeni, last Monday, shut down Ikeja, Lagos in celebration of her 60th birthday. A very pleasant personality who has friends from all walks of life, Yeni’s goodwill attracted many Nigerians who found it expedient to grace her birthday party. IVORY UKONU presents what went down at the muchtalked about event.

storm out of the party because of Sanwo-Olu. Seun got upset because in trying to usher in their boss, the security officials attached to Sanwo-Olu, overzealously pushed Seun’s partner who staggered and almost fell. Expectedly, Seun tackled the said operative and just before a scuffle could happen, Femi, his older brother stepped in.

YENI’S BROTHERS SERENADED HER Besides the live band that was on hand to thrill the guests with all kinds of music, ranging from oldies to traditional songs, the celebrant’s younger brothers, Seun and Femi Kuti, took time to thrill the guests with their brand of music and dance.

THE VENUE The party took place at the African Shrine which was built by the celebrant’s younger brother and Grammy-nominated Afro beat musician, Femi Anikulapo Kuti. As the one running and keeping it vibrant and also due to its capacity to accommodate the crowd expected to attend her party, Yeni naturally chose the Shrine as the venue for the event.

THE DRESS CODE About 70 per cent of the guests present at the party wore the Aso ebi (uniform) for the party. The Aso ebi was the traditional Tye and Dye fabric which many made into various stylish dresses. Most of the guests who didn’t adorn the fabric settled for other kinds of native attire.

TIGHT SECURITY AT THE VENUE Due to the perceived notion that hoodlums abound around the vicinity of the shrine, most of who indulge in vices, including the smoking of Indian Hemp, Yeni ensured there was tight security at the venue to prevent uninvited guests from gaining entrance into the party. Also, because Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State was expected at the party, the screening of guests and the extra security couldn’t be over emphasised. In addition, men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency were on hand to ensure the free flow of traffic around the venue.

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING Rolari, her only daughter with her late ex-husband, Femi Segun, flew in from the United Kingdom with her husband and two children to share in her mother’s joy.

FUNKE KUTI WAS CHIEF USHER Despite the fact that Funke Kuti is no longer married to Yeni’s brother, Femi, she has maintained a very intimate

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Funke Kuti

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COVID-19 PROTOCOLS he celebrant made provision for all that would be needed to adhere strictly to COVID-19 protocols, from a sterilising walk-through booth to hand sanitisers and free face masks. However, social distancing was thrown to the winds. Many of the guests were seen milling about the expansive hall without a face mask. Only a few guests wore face masks when they stepped into the hall.

The celebrant had her face shield on while the party lasted.

relationship with the Kutis and this she displayed at the party.

She was the chief usher at the party, ensuring that guests were well treated.

SANWO-OLU THE SPECIAL GUEST Midway into the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu arrived to felicitate with Yeni. In his speech, he recounted how the celebrant insisted that he make it to her party despite the fact that his itinerary was packed full. But because of her insistence and also due to the fact that they had been close friends for a long time, he had no choice but to attend the event. He also revealed that he is in fact an in-law to the Kutis. His stay was, however, very brief.

THE BEEF BETWEEN SEUN KUTI AND SANWOOLU THAT NEVER HAPPENED There were reports on the social media that Seun Kuti allegedly stormed out of the venue of the party as soon as Sanwo-Olu walked into the party as he couldn’t stand being in the same place with the alleged ‘oppressor’ of the people.

The 37-year-old Grammy-nominated musician and the youngest son of Fela Kuti has been the most vocal critic of the government among Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s children. And that explains why the narrative, pushed out by HipTV, that he raised his middle finger at the governor and walked out as soon as he walked into the party, quickly caught on.

It is alleged that it took the intervention of his older brother, Femi Kuti, to calm him down and bring him back into the hall after he stormed out and made him apologise to the governor.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. First, the video, which was bandied around by HipTV, did not show Seun raising his middle finger at the governor and Seun did not

THAT YENI’S THANK YOU SPEECH While the party was underway, Yeni took time to thank her guests for accepting her invitation to attend, despite the fact that it was on the first day of the week. She specifically thanked Femi and his children for being there for her. She thanked her co-hostees on the lifestyle programme, Your View, on Television Continental. Her co-hostess, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, Tope Mark-Odigie and Akashat Nymat, Mariam Longe and Obiajulu Ugboh, had reached out to fans of the show to get her a befitting birthday gift. The fans responded and on the morning of her birthday, Yeni, who said she had been planning to change her car, received a birthday present of a Sport Utility Vehicle from her co-hosts.

A week before her birthday, she got a parcel of land from a real estate firm that graced their talk show.

THE ONE AND ONLY THEO LAWSON During her speech, Yeni took time to appreciate her boyfriend, Theo Lawson, for his love and for standing by her over the 15 years they have been together. She also told the gatherig how he was instrumental in ensuring the success of the party. The invite, which came in a box, she revealed to THEWILL exclusively, was designed by Theo, an architect who co-runs Freedom Park. A catchy invitation card, it was designed like a hand fan with Yeni’s pictures on it.

HOW THE CELEBRANT ENTERTAINED HER GUESTS At some point during the party, Yeni who wore a ball gown changed into a shorter outfit and joined some of Femi’s dancers on the dance floor to show that age is nothing but a number and that she still has it in her. For many who don’t know, Yeni used to dance for her brother when she joined his band as a singer and dancer after dropping her job as a fashion designer.

GUESTS WHO MADE IT TO THE PARTY Some of the guests who made it to the party were veteran actress, Taiwo Ajayi Lycett; actor and movie producer/ director, Kunle Afolayan; OAP, Olisa Adibua; HIPTv founder, Ayo Animashaun; arts critic and curator, Jahman Anikulapo; Kenny and Idowu Ogungbe; Dayo Adeneye and many others.

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ARTS Independence Boy’s Zigima Sound

scene was because of his family. He had to take care of his growing family, to get them rooted in their Igbo culture and not allow them to become rootless cosmopolitans in Lagos, thereby losing their identity.

Chimezie

“I didn’t disappear,” Chimezie mused to the journalist. “I am a family man. There comes a time in a man’s life when you think of the future. I am married with five children. I had four boys while I was living in Lagos who never knew where I come from, who couldn’t even speak my language.

I looked at myself, a cultural ambassador. In future, they will ask any of my sons in Igbo ‘how are you?’ He would answer: ‘my father said I am Igbo.’ I said I am not going to do that. I called my wife and I said, if I ask you to go to the village and get these kids indoctrinated in the culture and tradition of my people, they would say Okoro Junior abandoned his wife in the village and he is chasing small girls in Lagos. I said no. We are relocating. There is showbiz in the South-East but the only thing is that the glamour, publicity is here. We have done quite a lot in the SouthEast that is not publicized, that is the only thing we are missing. I do come to Lagos and I am gradually introducing those things we have done to Lagos. Now, I have got what I wanted. They (his children) speak Igbo fluently; they know where I come from. If I die today, they know where to take my corpse to and there is a home for them. And they won’t be threatened by the villagers. They are grounded now.”

BY MICHAEL JIMOH e was born famous, arriving on the very day the British lowered the Union Jack and raised the Green-white-Green flag adopted by their former colonial territory called Nigeria. For that, family friends and neighbours in his native Umuahia where he was born “mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms” called him “Independence Boy.”

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To be sure, hundreds of babies were born on that very day and year across Nigeria. But not one of them achieved fame as a star performer. Some may have excelled in various professions but only one of them, as far as is known, topped the music charts at one time and distinguished himself for his uniquely distinct brand of music called Zigima. That man is Bright Chimezie who, this October, will be 61 on the same day Nigeria will mark its diamond jubilee.

In an interview with Benjamin Njoku of Vanguard newspaper published on September 30, 2018, Chimezie reminisced on the importance of his shared birthday with his country. “I feel great because it’s my birthday,” Chimezie told the journalist. “I also feel excited and elated that I share the same birthday with my country.”

At the time he met and spoke with the reporter, Chimezie had just performed at a show in Itire, Lagos, after long years of absence from the concert circuit, leading many to speculate he had died or that he disappeared from the music scene completely. Of course, the rumour of his demise was not true.

But what was true was that with the crop of new generation of Rap & Hip-hop musicians mushrooming everywhere from Ajegunle to Alagomeji in Lagos, in the eastern and northern parts of Nigeria and anywhere in between, complete with their sagging pants and tattooed biceps and midriffs, fans didn’t hear much of Zigima music. It was as if Chimezie’s time on stage had elapsed, making him a footnote in an industry he once reigned supreme.

When he appeared on the musical stage in the eighties, Chimezie was something to behold: he was different in THEWILLNIGERIA

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stage performance and much else. Summarising his halcyon days in the entertainment industry he would come to dominate for more than a decade, a senior Vanguard editor, the late Ogbonna Amadi, rhapsodized about the musician in a gushing intro in the newspaper’s April 23, 2010 edition.

Known by fans then across the Niger as Nna Ochie (grandfather) Amadi mused thus: “He held Nigerians spellbound with Zigima sound his genre of music. His breathtaking performance on stage also endeared him to the crowd wherever he performed. A very creative musician Bright Chimezie was able to infuse comedy into his songs.

Songs like “Respect Africa,” “Okro Soup” and “Oyibo Mentality” propelled him to national stardom.”

True! Stars rise and shine, wane and die. Many thought so about the gap-toothed, ever-smiling performer; that his time was up on the musical stage. But seven years before, in 2003, the Zigima music exponent proved skeptics wrong once again by wowing Queen Elizabeth 11 and a select audience in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where Chimezie performed. And then just two years ago at a concert in Lagos, he demonstrated to all he still had the fire in his belly as attested to by Njoku in a report days after the show.

Characteristic of overeager Nigerian entertainment reporters ever ready with superlative backslaps for their favourite artistes, Njoku wrote thusly: “When many thought he has nothing to offer anymore, having given his best in the past, the Zigima exponent bounced back recently, proving critics wrong and showcasing his undying passion for the cultures of the black man through music. This is what played out in the past three weeks when the superstar thrilled his Lagos fans with soulful songs. It’s some kind of homecoming for the Zigima king” who “left his fans asking for more with his stage performance as he still exuded the energy he was known for over 20 years ago.”

Besides, it wasn’t that Chimezie couldn’t match the younger artistes dance step for dance step, even out-sing and bedazzle them on stage. As he told the journalist, the major reason fans lost sight of him from the radar of Lagos music

What many music lovers can say uncompromisingly for Chimezie himself is his rootedness in his own culture, a deliberate attempt to preach or propagate the culture and ideas he grew up with rather than the imported Western values imposed on most Africans during colonial rule. Not only does he reflect this in his music but also sartorially. It is on record he has never appeared in any of his musical videos or on stage, for that matter, dressed in a tie and jacket: he is almost always to be found in native attires, complete with beads and matching caps. Even his culinary bias is strictly African, a point he made much of in many of his musical videos demonstrating his love for local cuisine by actually eating gumbo (okra) soup in one of them. Translation?

Practice what you preach.

Another entertainment journalist, Sam Anokam, working with The Nation corroborated this point through a WhatsApp message recently. “Bright Chimezie’s style,” he wrote, “never changed after two decades of his kind of music.

Even his latest effort attests to it. He remains a professional to the core on and off stage. Though based in Umuahia, he has remained constant as the northern star in his originality, lyrics and his story telling songs…he remains an enigma in the music industry today as he was in yesteryears.”

For Punch journalist, Ademola Olonilua, who has followed Chimezie’s career trajectory closely, he wrote in the Saturday Beats of the newspaper published on October 1, 2016, the difference made by a musician who proudly described himself once as an 18-carat Igboman. “Chimezie creates his sounds from a mix of traditional Nigerian music and Igbo highlife fused with chanted words,” Olonilua wrote. “He used it to revolutionise the musical structure in Nigeria with lyrics that focus on social issues of the country in a rather funny way.”

Chimezie had always expressed his love for anything traditional or local and not foreign long before he took up music as a profession. In fact, that was what lead to another soubriquet, apart from Independence Boy, which he is known by – Okoro Junior.

In his telling, he was at a disco party sometime in the 70s back in Umuahia. Incensed to no end about the foreign music the DJ played continuously, he requested for any African music. The Disc Jockey obliged him and promptly put on the turntable a number by any one of the Igbo highlife musicians ruling the airwaves then: Sir Warrior, Oliver de Coque or Osita Osadebe. In his teens, Chimezie took to the floor and demonstrated to all what would become his signature steps in later years. That was when “they started calling me Okoro Junior.” Evidently, the name stuck, up until he became recognized as an exponent of Zigima music.

Chimezie’s discography has followed that pattern, of *Continues on Page 45

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MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

TOURISM

Gashaka-Gumti National Park: Renewed Ecosystems for Economic Growth

STORIES BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

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he Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has launched the Gashaka Biodiversity Support Initiative in Taraba state. The aim is conservation of endangered species like vultures in the state.

Speaking at a recent launch, the Director General of NCF, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano said the foundation and its partners would give maximum support through funding and training to community-based organisations that show strong commitment in conservation efforts.

As an organization, NCF is strictly concerned with environmental conservation and protection of biodiversity so that people can live in harmony with nature.

Speaking at the inauguration of GBSI, an autonomous biodiversity programme by residents of Gashaka Community, Dr. Aminu-Kano said the people of Gashaka deserve recognition, applause and commendation for jealously guarding and protecting the national park in their area and making sure that the animals there were still intact.

The Gashaka-Gumti National Park which was gazatted from two games reserves in 1991, measures about 6,402 square kilometers, making it the largestin Nigeria and Africa in general.

The community, already has a Board of Trustees with the Emir of Gashaka Kingdom, Alhaji Zubairu Hamman Gabbo as Chairman and is being used as an avenue to reward the community for its steadfastness in protecting the national park within its domain.

Dr. Aminu-Kano while noting that the Emir of Gashaka Kingdom Alhaji Zubairu Hamman Gabbo and his community have been quite supportive, promised that the foundation would continue to assist whatever they do thus making sure that their efforts are not in vain.

The NCF DG commended Emir Gabbo for his fatherly sacrifice in donating six hectares of prime land in his community in support of the Gashaka Biodiversity Support Initiative.

He said: “The Nigerian Conservation Foundation has had a long history with Gashaka and the Gashaka-Mumti National Park. For a long time, we have supported the protection, research and community-based activities in the park, and in partnership with some of our international partners including the WWF, BirdsLife and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). So all that have culminated in today because today is the launch of a genuinely independent, autonomous community-based organisation in support of biodiversity around a very rich and highly biodiversed and largest national park in Africa. It is really a historical moment”.

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Continuing, Aminu-Kano said, “the Emir and his community have been quite supportive, and this is remarkable because it is not the same story around other parts, not just in Nigeria, but around the world.”

“It is their culture, motivation and works that has led to the endurance of biodiversity in the park and I can see that confidently coming from Kano which is an urban areas, we have degraded our own biodiversity.

“It is because they have taken care of those resources, not just for themselves but for Taraba, Nigeria and the rest of the world and they have done that at considerable cost.”

According to him, “they have restricted their own access to resources that they could if they had given a short view, they could have thought they would maximize their economic benefits by destroying those resources”.

“But their culture, attitude, behaviour and leadership has resulted in the fact that those resources are still intact. We must recognize, applaud and commend their endurance and forebearance for what they have currently. And we must strive to support whatever they do in whichever way we can make sure that their efforts are not in vain”.

“I commend you, Your Royal Highness for the foresight and for the hard work you and your community in making sure that we

have the biodiversity to boast of around Gashaka.”

In his remark, Emir Gabbo promised that in addition to donating six hectares of land for the Gashaka Biodiversity Support Initiative, he would use his power, privileges and connections to ensure that the initiative survived, adding that it would provide opportunities for job creation especially for the youths of his community.

Emir Gabbo who appealed to the NCF, GBSI trustee members, national and international partners for their commitment, promised to bring on board global best practices in making the initiative a masterpiece.

Contributing, Professor Esther Okunade of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, who is one of the coordinators of GBSI, said her role would be to find how the initiative would impact lives and livelihoods of people of the community.

Other speakers at the virtual meeting described the Gashaka Biodiversity Support Initiative as a welcome development and one that would change the narrative of biodiversity conservation in Nigeria since it would promote the participation of rural dwellers.

Mr. Junaid Dikko of African Nature Initiative, a member of the GBSI Board of Trustees was present among others.

Our Children, Our Hope – Otunba Runsewe

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he 27th of May is an International holiday that was first established in Nigeria in 1964. The day is set aside for the celebration of children, raising awareness on issues that affects children while appreciating them as the future of our society.

This year’s Children’s Day celebration was organized by the National Council for Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja with the theme “Our Children, Our Hope”.

In his opening remarks, the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe, OON, said it is important to note that children are the hope and the future of the country and as such their contributions to the development of the nation cannot be ignored.

Runsewe added that children are the building blocks of the future of any nation upon which we must heavily invest. “A child’s greatest need is education. This is where his or her intellect will be cultivated and knowledge of the universe acquired,” Runsewe said.

The Director General explained that this year’s event took an

International dimension to emphasize that childhood is a very important period in the life of an individual and the need to lay a good foundation is equally important.

Runsewe maintained that NCAC and the Korean Cultural Centre midwifed this collaboration which will henceforth provide the children with a veritable platform to network and learn the principles of Excellence, Honour, Integrity and Good Character needed to build a complete individual. .

The Director General, therefore, urged parents to morally fortify their children and protect them from the dubious immoral issues sweeping across the globe and the corruptive influence of the social media.

Also speaking the Korean High Commissioner in Nigeria, represented by the Director, Korean Cultural Centre, Mr. Lee Jin Su expressed his delight in the positive collaboration between NCAC and the Korean Cultural Centre. Children from different schools came together for the celebration.

While welcoming all the participating schools, Mr. Lee urged them to be good ambassadors of their different schools and to take advantage provided by the collaboration between the NCAC and the Korean Cultural Centre to network, build good *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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FEATURES

The Lusada-Igbesa Tollgate as PPP Template

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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hen a major road is finally rehabilitated after a long wait, it makes a huge difference in the lives of the people in the neighbouring communities, especially if they are surrounded by bad roads and a difficult terrain. That is true about the residents of the Igbesa and Lusada community in Ogun State, following the commissioning of the recently constructed 10.25km Lusada-Igesa Toll Road on March 29.

With the commissioning of the road, a major hindrance against development and growth in the area was addressed by the Governor Dapo Abiodun, in keeping with his promise to improve the ease of doing business and the quality of life of the people.

When the fanfare and excitement that characterised the event had died down, our correspondent embarked on an inspection of the Toll Road last week to see what progress looked like for residents of the neighbouring communities and motorists plying the road.

There was no denying the fact that, as Gboyega Nasir

Isiaka, the Board Chairman of the Ogun State Free Trade Zone acknowledged in his welcome address during the commissioning event, an immediately recognisable benefit of the development was its potential to “propel and boost” the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.

The uniformed staff of the company charged with managing the toll collection, Atlantic Biscoe Nigeria Limited, whose pink shirts were emblazoned with the crest of the company and who all wore masks in keeping with COVID-19 protocols, were all manning their posts and keeping tabs on articulated vehicles, commercial vans, dumpsters and private cars plying the new road and appropriating from them the required toll fees and issuing the necessary receipts.

They went about their business amicably and professionally.

Traffic was relatively light between 10 and 11 a.m. when THEWILL visited the area. Road users did not experience delay at the toll point for long periods of time. This is because the tolls were paid according to electronic weighing.

Our correspondent observed that tolls were collected only from lanes 2 and 3, heading in one direction, while lanes 4 and 5 in the other direction. Apparently the latter were specifically reserved for articulated vehicles as on-site

observations showed that every other form of transportation that passed through the polling points through lanes 1 and 6 were not made to pay any fee.

A weight-charge of N500 applied to articulated vehicles weighing below five tonnes, while vehicles weighing between five and10 tonnes attracted a fee of N1000, which was the same charge for an empty tipper. However, a vehicle weight of between 10 and 40 tonnes came up to a toll charge of N2,000. Anything above 40 tonnes had a flat rate toll of N4,000.

As observed, these charges did not apply to lanes 1 and 6, which were designated ‘E-Tag’ lanes for SUVs, Cars, Tricycles, popularly known as ‘Keke NAPEP’ and Bikes, known locally as ‘Okada’.

Although, there were recognisable toll booths at the tolling point on lanes 1 and 6, there was not a single staff of Atlantic Biscoe Nigeria Limited in either of them as all attention was focused on the movement at the operational toll collecting points on lanes 2 and 5.

In the course of our correspondent’s visit, the smoothrunning of the operations was interrupted by raised voices of two men in a potable water delivery van, who were creating a scene around the fee that they were asked to pay.

Their argument was that the management of their company did not provide them with money to pay toll.

Having been refused passage based on their non-compliance with the toll charge, the men went back the way they came.

After observing from a distance, our correspondent approached the staff supervisor of Atlantic Biscoe Nigeria Limited, who was overseeing the work of the ticketing staff, to get some answers about their operations and teething problems so far. The supervisor, Animashaun Quadri Olabisi, referred him to their Chief Executive Officer, Bisi Akinola, who happened to be present.

Akinola explained that as Governor Abiodun noted in his speech at the commissioning event the overall support of the residents and people of the Lusada/Igbesa community was an important ingredient in the successful completion of the projects in the area and the expatriates involved could not have been as successful as they were if the people were not cooperative. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

Independence Boy’s Zigima Sound *Continued from Page 43

promoting traditional values at the expense of foreign culture. Most of his popular numbers have been named correspondingly: “Respect Africa,” 1984 and “Ogbono Soup,” for instance.

Nigerians of a certain generation can still recall, if prodded, the opening lines of “Ogbono Soup.” “I travel to Oyibo man country, Ala beke…” What is most remarkable about “Ogbono Soup” and subsequent releases is Chimezie’s deliberate use of “humour to get his message across to the people.”

These days, however, he is more concerned with serious issues affecting the country, especially politically. Which was why, on his last visit to Lagos, he availed himself the opportunity to promote his latest album, “Truth and Justice.”

In the same interview with the Vanguard reporter, Chimezie declared somewhat dramatically and like most artistes of that revolutionary stripe that “If there is truth and justice all over the federation, nobody will be demanding for Biafra or engage in any other agitation.” His new album, he went on, “has to do with marginalization and wickedness of man against man. Truth and justice must not only come from the leaders but also the led…Truth is supposed to be painful even to the person that speaks it. With truth and THEWILLNIGERIA

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justice, we would have a stable society, a society where you can keep your phone and nobody will steal it.”

He also intimated that he was going to start a political party very soon, to be called, as you would have guessed, Truth and Justice Party.

If Chimezie had not taken up music as a métier, he would have fitted perfectly as an actor playing lead roles in Nollywood. He has the height and a screen face, coupled with a flawless skin. Most female film buffs would have swooned with delight to just behold him lean towards a breathtakingly beautiful actress and cover her luscious lips with his. His charisma and self-possession on stage would have drawn the attention of dozens of producers – of English or Igbo genre - to star or even make cameo appearances in their films because he speaks English and his native Igbo language fluently.

But at some point in his life, it became clear he was cut out for music, not just any kind of music but one he invented all by himself and made popular through the eighties and early nineties.

There is the common knowledge that if you want to be an achiever, do things differently, never follow the trodden path. Thus, Fela Anikulapo Kuti not only spawned Afrobeat but also excelled in the musical genre associated with him

to this day. So did Chimezie when he emerged, somewhat with a bang, with his uniquely distinct music and dance steps. Thus was Zigima sound born and has been known till date.

Chimezie first came to prominence in the eighties with his chart-busting “Respect Africa.” He was only 24, handsome like a first rate movie star, a voice like a nightingale and a choreography worthy of an Atilogwu dancer, all of which he would combine to perfect and propagate his inimitable Zigima style of music.

For all his prolific output, Chimezie never really got any award from the body representing musicians in Nigeria – Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN.) But last year, on May 29 precisely, he was unanimously elected to the Board of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) helmed by fellow Igboman, Chris Okorojie, onetime president of PMAN. In acknowledging the honour, Chimezie said: “I would love to appreciate the general members for this great responsibility…This will avail me the opportunity of harnessing and infusing all skills and experience gained over the years into the general good of the COSON at large. The legacy of COSON is of paramount importance, and this I promise to uphold. Let the music pay!”

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SportsLive Reason to Be Proud of Nigerian Trophy – Winning Footballers

BY JUDE OBAFEMI ast Wednesday, the epic UEFA Europa League final between Villarreal and Manchester United needed 21 penalty kicks for Villarreal to claim victory. Another Nigerian international footballer, Samuel Chukwueze, joined the class of Super Eagles and Super Falcons footballers across Europe who finished the season at their various clubs with silverwares and celebration.

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With football continued under the most unusual circumstances, following strict COVID-19 protocols under the guidance of health and safety regulations without the frenetic atmosphere of chanting fans, filled-out stands, crowded stadiums, cheers, boos, the wild celebrations that greet goals and the tears and sometimes, uncontrollable emotions that come with losses, Nigerian footballers had a most sensational record in the 2020/2021 season.

This is also evident in the record-setting and unbeaten run of Rangers FC of the Scottish Premier League where the Nigerian Super Eagles’ duo of defender Leon Balogun and midfielder Joe Aribo contributed to helping their side to break the winning streak of arch-rival Celtic while adding to their own records. This theme of making history reflected as well in another Super Eagles’ pair of players when midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and striker Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City featured to bring an FA Cup home for the first time in 52 years.

It was not only the men that made waves for the country in Europe. Asisat Oshoala was o the spotlight, too, with Barcelona Femeni in Spain. The club won both the Spanish and European titles with Oshoala featuring prominently.

That was why as Nigerians celebrated with Chukwueze in Villarreal’s Wednesday victory over their more illustrious opponents, parallels were drawn to these other heroes and heroines, whose hard work, diligence and tenacity has contributed to the victories, which their specific teams were celebrating when they lifted up their trophies and posed for pictures with the prize. It was nothing short of a moment of pride for Nigerians.

In Chukwueze’s case, although he had done his bit to get the team to the final, he could not play an active role in the fixture itself as he was recovering from a muscle injury sustained in their second leg semi-final draw against Arsenal. Chukwueze’s presence down the wing, where his specialty lies could have been a massive boost to Villarreal, as he could have scored or made an assist so that the tie may not have needed to go to penalty shootouts.

Chukwueze’s creatively enterprising play for Villarreal from his position had contributed to five assists and one goal in the Europa League before his unfortunate injury against Arsenal. Fortunately, his teammates gave a proper account of themselves. Chukwueze was on hand to join his team in the celebrations that followed the lifting of their first-ever European silverware.

Chukwueze’s European success mirrors Oshoala’s for the fact that the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) trophy Barcelona Femeni won was the first ever for the fantastic women of the Spanish club and for the recordsetting Super Falcons captain and striker. In 2019, in Barcelona’s first-ever final, Oshoala netted Barca’s only goal, as a substitute, to become the first African to score in a UWCL final, but they lost 4-1 to Lyon.

However, on Sunday, May 16, Oshoala rewrote the history books as she joined her teammates to lift the trophy in

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Samuel Chukwueze with the Cup

Even before Chukwueze’s Villarreal registered their firstever European success on Wednesday to crown a productive campaign for the winger, Racing Genk’s incredible striker Paul Onuachu, who ended his season in Belgium winning the Belgian Cup and with the twin honour of emerging highest goal-scorer and best footballer of the year, had set the bar very high for achievements in a single season of football for Africans playing abroad in general and Nigerians in particular.

another record-setting display, through which she became the first African winner of the UWCL. This is added to Barca’s phenomenal domestic form that has seen them win 100 percent of all the 28 games so far and have claimed their sixth Primera Iberdrola title as a result. Oshoala has her imprint on the season with 15 goals making her the thirdhighest goal-scorer in the side, after leading the list earlier, but for her injuries.

Barcelona Femeni still has a chance for a treble. Oshoala and her teammates can add to their haul when they clash against either Athletico Madrid Feminino or Levante on Sunday, May 30 in the Copa de la Reina. On Sunday last week, they confirmed their slot in the final in a one-sided 4-0 trouncing of Madrid CFF, that was a snapshot display of how entirely dominant Oshoala’s club has been all through the 2020/2021 campaign.

As aforementioned, Ndidi and Iheanacho partook in the celebrations of English FA Cup glory after Leicester won their first FA Cup title since 1969 with a single-goal victory against the defensively-compact Chelsea. Iheanacho sparked to life this season and his return of 19 goals, some very critical to the team’s advance, and seven assists in all competitions, was his best since arriving in England seven years ago. Ndidi was man of the match in the final and that is a perfect summation of how important he has been to Leicester this season.

There is not much that can added to Onuachu’s clinical finishing in Belgium that has not been said about the incredibly unstoppable Racing Genk forward, which his 34 goals has not already made obvious. For every goal a Nigerian player scored abroad this season, Onuachu had

extras to add. An average 89 minutes-per-goal ratio places him in a class all by himself in comparison. And, lifting the Belgian Cup with the pleasure of his season-ending double awards were just as his goals deserved and his performance merited.

Finally, in Scotland, the Rangers FC/ Super Eagles duo of Balogun and Aribo aided the club to set a few records of their own, including a domestic league world record for winning the Scottish Premiership trophy 55 times, on their way to prevent Celtic from a 10th consecutive league title. Balogun was rewarded with a contract extension while manager Steven Gerrard reserved special adulations for Aribo after a unique display added to his performance that led to eight goals and an equal number of assists in the season.

From the the Scottish Premier League to the Primera Iberdrola, from the English FA Cup to the Belgian FA Cup, from the UEFA Women’s Champions League to the UEFA Europa League, the 2020/2021 season has been phenomenally enjoyable to follow from a Nigerian perspective. There were other Nigerians of note, who, though were not silverware winners, were magnificent for their teams as well including Simy Nwankwo of Crotone (Italy), Victor Osimhen of Napoli (Italy) and Terem Moffi of Lorient (France) and rightly should be called heroes too.

THEWILL believes these all go to show it has been nothing short of a triumphant season for Nigerian football especially in some of the best teams abroad and football fans in Nigeria have not stopped singing the praises of these heroes and heroines making a name for themselves internationally and doing their country proud as well. For now, there is a reason to be proud of the country all over again.

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