THEWILL OCT. 10 - OCT 16 EDITION

Lack of Leadership is Bane of Nigeria’s Development – Ezugwu – PAGE 8

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Anxiety As FG Takes Terrorism Financiers to Court STATE OF THE STATES

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Malami

Boko Haram Terrorists

COVER

Anxiety As FG Takes Terrorism Financiers to Court THEWILL CORRESPONDENTS

B

en Roland Igbakpa, a member of the House of Representatives, will not forget his experience while on a trip to Ghana, recently, in a jiffy.

Narrating what he described as a “nasty experience” in the hands of the Ghanaian authorities on the floor of the House last week, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker representing Ethiope-East/Ethiope-West Federal Constituency, said, “They detained me for about four hours, saying they were trying to confirm something. I missed the wedding that I went for. And at the end of the day, one of them walked up to me saying, ‘Sorry, sir. There’s an announcement in Nigeria that a member of parliament is sponsoring terrorism and we were put on red alert to ensure that no member of parliament comes here to hide or cause trouble.’

“I had to come back home dejected. They have been calling me all over the world; my friends have been telling me, ‘Who among you is the person sponsoring terrorism?’’’

Only a few days before Igbakpa’s trip, President Muhammadu Buhari shocked Nigerians in his Independence Day broadcast, when he revealed that the Federal Government had identified some lawmakers sponsoring separatist movements in the country and they were being investigated.

Lamenting the President’s failure to openly name culprits, Igbakpa noted, “The right thing for a father to do is to name and shame any child that is bringing about division.”

He maintained that all the members of the National Assembly were “prime suspects,” as he urged the leadership of the House to liaise with their counterparts in the Senate to try and see the President “so that he can tell us who is sponsoring terrorism among us.”

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Undoubtedly, the recent allegation by President Buhari has, once again, brought to the fore calls by Nigerians that sponsors of terrorism in the country should not only be identified, but also exposed and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land.

THEWILL, however, gathered on Friday that the Federal Government would soon arraign the 400 Bureau De Change operators allegedly implicated in financing Boko Haram’s activities in the country.

Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, told this newspaper that the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, would soon go to court with the matter.

He said, “The Attorney-General has said he is going to court with the 400. So wait for that day. The whole thing will become public. Once the case goes to the court, everything will become public. Journalists can go and check.”

He however refused to comment on ongoing reactions by Nigerians to perceived delay by the Federal Government in prosecuting the financiers as a deliberate ploy to cover up for the culprits.

But he responded to the question on the way forward by reassuring that the alleged terrorism financiers would be charged to court.

“The way forward is to wait for the court papers to be filed and you as a journalist go to the registrar and file your reports,” he said.

The Beginning of Doubts The issue had almost taken a public backseat on the backdrop of the ever present topical and, at times, controversial issues that regularly spring up in the country until President Buhari

made his 61st Independence address on October 1, 2021.

While restating the unity of the country and the desired need for Nigerians to rally behind the government to overcome the current crises, President Buhari took six paragraphs of his address to underscore the seriousness of the threat to the country posed by secessionists and separatists.

In paragraph 31, he said, “Nigeria is for all of us. Its unity is not negotiable. And its ultimate success can only be achieved, if we all come together with a common goal of having peace and prosperity for our nation.

In paragraph 32, he stated, “We shall continue to work on dialogue based solutions to address legitimate grievances. But we remain ready to take decisive actions against secessionist agitators and their sponsors who threaten our national security.”

Then the clincher in paragraph 33: “The recent arrests of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, and the ongoing investigations being conducted have revealed certain highprofile financiers behind these individuals. We are vigorously pursuing these financiers, including one identified as a serving member of the National Assembly.”

Paragraphs 35, 35 and 36, laid emphasis on his argument, respectively: “This is a clear example of how people abandon their national leadership positions for their selfish gains.

Instead of preaching unity, they are funding and misleading our youth to conduct criminal acts that sometimes lead to unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives and property.

“As the so-called leaders run abroad to hide, our innocent youths are misled and left in the streets to fight for their senseless and destructive causes.

“Government will continue, with greater level of peoples’ THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER participation and in collaboration with our international partners, to improve the security architecture, reduce enabling environment for criminality to thrive and eliminate opportunities for terrorism financing,” he added.

Like Igbakpa, many Nigerians in their organisations and professional groups took on the President for failing, in their estimations, to go the whole hog and also name the alleged sponsors and financiers of Boko Haram, an issue that has been in the public domain, particularly after the United Arab Emirates first announced its investigation on the matter before going ahead to disclose the names of six alleged Nigerian financiers of the terrorists group a fortnight ago.

Those listed by the UAE as Boko Haram are Abdulrahaman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad.

“The impression the President created in his Independence Day address when he said government knows that sponsors of Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho and IPOB’s Nnamdi Kanu, including an unknown lawmaker, is that only a section of the country has financiers and sponsors of separatists or terrorists,” Mr Emmanuel Yawe, spokesperson of the Arewa Consultative Forum told THEWILL in a brief interview.

against terror. In his Independence Day address, he said his administration was ready to enter into dialogue to address legitimate grievances. Let him go ahead and do it. There are aggrieved Nigerians from all over the country and not a section of it. It makes Nigerians suspect that the President knows what is going on, but he is trying to hide some things. They should emulate late President Umaru Yar’Adua, whose administration was ready to enter into dialogue with an aggrieved group in Nigeria. The United Arab Emirates named Nigerian financiers of terrorism in our country. Yet the government is keeping mute over it. I read Malami’s (Attorney General and Minister of Justice) reaction on this issue on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly a few days ago. He said the government cannot name the financiers publicly, that is like saying one thing and doing another.”

WILL PRESIDENT BUHARI NAME AND SHAME THE TERRORIST FINANCIERS? The question that most Nigerians want answered is whether President Buhari will eventually name and shame the known financiers of terrorists.

For Chief Will Ezugwu, General Secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political parties (CNPP), this is the time for President Buhari to treat every citizen in the country as a father.

A fortnight ago, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Malami disclosed the government has a purpose for not wanting to name the alleged financiers. Speaking to journalists recently in New York on the sidelines of the 76TH session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, Malami said the Federal Government was pursuing the investigation of the sponsors of terrorism with diligence and would not name the sponsors so as not to jeopardise investigation.

He said,” Let him name and shame the financiers of Boko Haram, except we are not serious in ending the war

According to a statement by his spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, “As far as terrorism funding and financing is concerned,

we have succeeded in identifying those that are allegedly responsible for funding same and we are blocking the leakages associated with funding, while embarking on aggressive investigation that is, indeed, impacting positively in terms of the fight against terrorism.

“The truth of the matter is that the investigation is ongoing and advancing. For the purpose of investigation, I would not like to be pre-emptive in terms of making disclosures that will have the effect of undermining the successes we are recording.”

Yet the government was very categorical in its assertion that certain Nigeria were found acting as conduit of funds to terrorists in the country.

That was in March 2021, when Malam Shehu disclosed that the Federal Government had arrested 400 Bureau De Change operators for allegedly assisting the transfer of funds to Boko Haram terrorists in the country, saying the suspects were transferring money to the terrorists.

He had said, “Bureaus de changes are facilitating money to terrorists. We have already worked with the UAE. “Convictions have been achieved of Nigerians who are transferring money to Boko Haram terrorists and this also happens domestically.”

There were reports that many suspects had been arrested by security agents in an ongoing nationwide crackdown on suspected financiers of Boko Haram. According to reports, the arrested suspects were being kept in military and DSS facilities in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as well as other locations.

The public response to Shehu’s disclosure was instant.

Senator Ali Ndume, Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum, Middle Belt Leaders Forum called on the Federal Government to expose all the 400 Bureau De Change operators and charge them to court for funding Boko Haram.

Rather than subside, government’s posture keeps generating criticisms whereupon the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, had during a round-table on U.S.-Nigeria military cooperation with journalists in Abuja, declared that her country was very eager to partner with Nigeria on identifying Boko Haram sponsors.

THEWILL can authoritatively say that the determination of the government to arraign the suspects is creating anxiety among political and business associates the 400 suspects.

According to a security source, “the names of those involved at the deepest level of the crime have tried their best to forestall investigation but their end is near as the government is determined to solve this problem once and for all. You can see the hydra-headed problem insecurity has posed for the survival of the country today.”

WAY FORWARD “They should be exposed,” said Mr Yawe.

“Our Chairman had called on the President to expose everybody linked as financiers of Boko Haram. Boko Haram has been killing people for years and the government claims to know their sponsors. If you know a group with such a tract record, why hide them?”

Ezugwu, who is also the President and Coordinator of the South-East Revival Group (SERG) said the government should name the financiers and prosecute them.

“You can’t tell us you know a member of the National Assembly who is a sponsor of Igboho or Kanu, while telling us you will not name financiers of terrorists because you do not want to jeopardise investigation. After the UAE exposed the names of Nigerians involved in the issue, there should be nothing strange,” he said.

With the Federal Government assurances that it would soon prosecute the financiers of Boko Haram, journalists may well be on the alert in readiness to bring all the details to the public, according to Malam Garba.

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

L-R: Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, Mrs. Ore Famurewa; Managing Director, FrieslandCampina Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster, Mr. Ben Langat; Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Dr. (Mrs.) Lola Akande; Chairman, Audit Committee, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC and Board Member, Rev. Isaac Agoye, and Manufacturing Director, FrieslandCampina SubSaharan Africa Cluster, Mr. Lamidi Adekola, during the official commissioning of FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s new production plant in Ikorodu, Lagos State on 29/9/2021.

L-R: Engr. Martins Adeleke, Nigeria Country Manager, City & Guilds; Mr. Shakiru Lawal, Country Human Resources Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC; Thomas Schneider, Consul-General, Consulate of Switzerland, Lagos; Wassim Elhusseini, MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, and Mr. Ibukun Ipinmoye, Factory Manager, Nestlé Agbara Factory, during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Nestlé technical training programme in Lagos on 4/10/2021.

L-R: Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), L-R: Pastor Steve Akoni, Vice President, Church Administrators Society of Nigeria (CASON); Rev. Dr. Edward Alabi, and Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, after a Molete Baptist Church, Ibadan; Pastor Seyi Oladimeji, CASON; Pastor, Bolaji Idowu, Harvesters International Christian Centre; and Pastor Niyi Adesanya, CEO, 5th Gear Consulting, at the 2021 CASON Conference tagged: “The bilateral meeting of both organisations in New York, USA on 28/9/2021.

Post-Pandemic Church in Nigeria: What Leaders Need to do Differently”, held in Lagos on 27/9/2021.

L-R: Olumide Bolumole, Divisional Head, Listings Business, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited; Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos; Temi Popoola, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, NGX Limited, and Jude Chiemeka, Divisional Head, Trading Business, NGX Limited at a strategic meeting at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, on 27/9/ 2021.

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L-R: Chiamaka Efulu, Brand Manager, Star Radler; Berg Baboyan, Diageo Ambassador; Lara Rawa; Bayo Adeyemo, Brand Manager Absolut Vodka; Ronke Bamgbade, Sommelier and Master Bartender Spronks Prive; and Chidimma Okoli , Events and Sponsorship Officer, Sterling Bank PLC, during the Lagos Cocktail Week Press Conference held at The Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos on 5/10/2021.

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POLITICS

Intrigue as PDP Finally Zones National Chairmanship to North

BY AYO ESAN

T

he National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Thursday upheld the recommendations of the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyiled zoning committee, which recommended in its report that the North should produce the next National Chairman during the forthcoming National Convention of the party scheduled to take place between October 30 and 31, 2021.

The ratification of the zoning committee’s report was the high point of the PDP’s 94th NEC meeting held in Abuja last Thursday.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said that although there were discussions around the Governor Bala Mohammed– led Committee, which looked at the reasons why the PDP lost the 2019 general election and the issue of zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket, it was agreed that further discussions and decision on the subject should be left till another date.

Gusau told Akinwonmi that the committee’s recommendation was a product of wide consultations with party members across board.

He explained that members also took into consideration the fact that the party was determined to win the 2023 general election and that the mandate given to the committee was to zone party offices and not the presidency.

Feelers from the NEC meeting indicated that most party leaders from the North took different positions on the zoning of the chairmanship position to the region. Key leaders in the NorthCentral zone, it was gathered joined the South in supporting the zoning arrangement and this development reduced opposition to the zoning formula.

The ratification of the zoning committee’s report has put an end to the ambition of a former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the PDP’s candidate in the governorship election held in Ondo State in 2020, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) and the South-South Vice Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who had earlier put their hats in the ring to contest for the national chairmanship of the party at the forthcoming convention of the party.

Before the zoning committee made known its decision, many PDP faithful had hoped that the position of national chairman would be zoned to the South, hence the number of aspirants from the region and none from the North. But all that has changed since last Thursday’s ratification of the zoning committee’s report.

The issue that comes to the fore now is whether there will be micro-zoning in the North, with regard to where the national chairman should come from, or it would be thrown open to all the three geo-political zones in the region, namely, NorthCentral, North-East and North-West.

It was gathered that opposition to zoning of the national chairmanship to the North was loudest in the North-West and parts of the North East.

In the meeting of the PDP governors that preceded the announcement of the zoning arrangement, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, who is the only PDP governor from NorthCentral, was said to have expressed his unflinching support for the zoning of the position of National Chairman of the party to the North.

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Many PDP faithful had hoped that the position of national chairman would be zoned to the South, hence the number of aspirants from the region and none from the North.

But all that has changed since last Thursday’s ratification of the zoning committee’s report.

Although the governors from the North-East were said to have advised against the move, they were eventually defeated.

It was gathered that the silence of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State boosted support for the zoning formula.

Political analysts believe that what is of concern at the moment is how the positions taken to particular regions are being politically shared among the zones in the North and South as this was not spell out in the recommendation of the zoning committee.

For instance, watchers of political developments believe the North-West should be given the chance to produce the next national chairman of the party, given the fact that no substantive chairman of the party has come out of the zone before. Both Haliru Bello and Ahmed Makarfi, who hail from the North-West, served in acting capacities.

Analysts believe that the North-Central has produced five chairmen in the past – Chief Solomon Lar, Ahmadu Alli, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and Audu Ogbe and so should not be considered

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Tambuwal

It was gathered that the report was submitted by the Secretary of the committee, who is also the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, to the Acting National Chairman of the Party, Mr. Yemi Akinwonmi.

Jubril

The Ugwuanyi-led zoning committee had earlier submitted its report to the party’s National Working Committee last Monday.

The committee had in its report recommended that the position of national chairman should be zoned to the North while all party positions currently held by northerners should be swapped with those being held by southerners.

alongside the North-East, which has also produced past chairmen of the party in the persons of Bamanga Tukur and Adamu Muazu.

Many leaders of the PDP from the North, it was gathered, are already thinking in the direction of the North-West, to present the candidate.

It was also gathered that the North prefers a Northern Muslim so that the South can produce a Christian as National Secretary.

It was the thinking of the northern leaders of the party that taking a Northern Christian as Chairman would narrow the choice of a southern National Secretary to the South West that has a preponderance of Muslims as opposed to what obtain in the South - South and South East.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

Lack of Leadership is Bane of Nigeria’s Development – Ezugwu Chief Willy Ezugwu is the SecretaryGeneral of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the coordinator of the South-East Revival Group (SERG). In this interview with AMOS ESELE, he explains what he thinks should be done to deepen governance in the country. Excerpts:

W

So you admit to that reasoning?

Why do I say so? In spite of the challenges we have had, we still remain united. Nigeria is blessed with mineral, human and other resources in abundance yet unable to tap these resources. At 61, we still cannot get our acts right, with leadership problems, heightened insecurity and corruption on an unbelievable scale. We thought the PDP, (People’s Democratic Party) was corrupt and unable to secure the country from terrorists and we voted for change. The APC, (All Progressives Congress) has disrupted and disunited Nigeria further. They do not even deny it. The truth is that the ruling elite and in particular, the governing party has failed Nigerians.

What is your suggestion for a way forward?

You cannot move forward without understanding how you moved backward. One is for the Independent National Electoral Commission to give us a credible election in 2023. Yet, I think the National Assembly and to an extent, the judiciary, have allowed themselves to be cowed by the executive, making the country look like a one-party state. Coupled with that is the reign of nepotism; competence and reality does not count anymore. If the government was committed to fighting corruption, many of our appointed and elected leaders would be in jail and some sanity would prevail in the country.

Do you support the call for restructuring and in PAGE 8

Ezugwu

hat would you say about 61 years of Nigerian Independence?

Nigeria has come a long way. But many members of the elite will tell you that we must mark time because the world’s oldest democracy is 200 years-old and it is still fine tuning its democracy.

Some of us would even add that America is as satanic as Nigeria. What we fail to realise is that our major problem is lack of leadership. Nigeria has never been so disunited, yet we are still together.

Indeed, God is a Nigerian.

what form?

There has to be restructuring, fiscal and devolution of power from the centre to the units. Those opposed to restructuring and power shift want the disintegration of the country. Look at the current war on VAT (value added tax). It shows that there are two types of law in the country. In one area, you are free to enact laws that allow for the destruction of alcohol and will collect the VAT that comes from VAT on alcohol and the states that generate the VAT get little in return. To me, any state that cannot fund its budget should be allowed to remain in the state it was when it was created. Waiting for states like Lagos, Rivers, Enugu and such like to

generate VAT and then you make a public display in destroying the sources of the revenue is hypocrisy.

Many of these states cannot even pay salaries and their pensioners are daily fighting to be paid.

What do you say to the argument that power shift should be negotiated, not forced as the Southern Governors Forum appeared to have done when they insisted that power must come to the South in 2023?

Please let us be sincere with ourselves. You do not engage in an argument that you cannot prove.

The North would be in power for a full six years with President Buhari by 2023. People say it is THEWILLNIGERIA

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

“

If the government was committed to fighting corruption, many of our appointed and elected leaders would be in jail and some sanity would prevail in the country

Anyway, if the ruling party has the interest of Nigerians at heart, it should look out for those who they think can move the country forward.

The two major political parties are looking to the South-East for those who can move the country forward. Do you think it is time for an Igbo to be president?

Of course. As the coordinator of the Southeast Regional Group, also, I believe it is the time for the South-East to produce a president for this country because every other areas have had their turn.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the socio-political organisation in the South-East wants me as well. When the Niger Delta militants protested the neglect of their area, President Musa Yar’ Adua pacified them. Has anyone tried to address the cry of marginalisation in the South-East?

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) appear to be complicating things with their activities in the South-East?

What activities? An APC governor in the region, Hope Uzodinma, recently said that 70 per cent of those causing havoc in the South-East are not members of the IPOB. Where are our security agencies, the police, the DSS, the CID, etc? All we hear is ‘unknown gunmen’.

IPOB says there would be no election in the SouthEast and they are going about carrying it out, at least reportedly in Anambra State where the governorship election is scheduled for November 6?

unconstitutional to make demands for power shifts, but morality still obtains in politics. Alhaji Baba Ahmed of the Northern Elders Forum has said they have the population to retain power in the North. Can he tell us how he arrived at that conclusion? There is nothing like the North of old. Part of the Middle Belt is openly supporting the South. Same are sections of the North where there are pockets of minorities who feel alienated and want out. What is even amazing is that many leaders in the North say they do not want restructuring and power shift. What have they done with power? Today, the North is worse off with insecurity, banditry and infrastructural decay.

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IPOB never said there would be no election in the South-East in 2023. Those saying it are doing so to give a dog a bad name. IPOB has always owned up to whatever they are doing. If an APC governor can say those that burnt police stations in his state were outside agents, how can we believe what is being said?

Isn’t the prevailing insecurity in the southeast also a hindrance?

That is why I gave you an example with the policy of late President Yar’Adua. There should be negotiation. All the agitation there is because of nepotism and marginalisation. Let there be restructuring, everything will die down. We need inclusion in governance for every citizen in this country, whether you are from the North or the South. Those days in the Northern Region with its

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groundnut pyramids, cocoa in the West and palm oil in the East were evidence of what restructuring leading to internally generated revenue can do.

What do you say about Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State who recently parted ways with his counterparts in the Southern Governors Forum with his decision not to support VAT war and the ban on open grazing?

That is a big mistake. Governor Umahi said his going into the APC was a popular decision. Initially he supported open grazing when the decision was first made, but when the Forum held its most recent meeting in Enugu, he stayed away. Imagine the Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum failing to come to the meeting. If he is running away from fear of being charged with corruption, he better be told that he would leave power at the same time as the president. So why take that position?

As General Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, how would you explain that only two parties, the APC and the PDP, are functional in the country?

Because of bad governance, there is hunger in the land. Before now, political parties used to generate their funds. Not anymore. We were as many as 97 at a time, but after INEC deregistered parties we became less than 34. Many of them are finding it hard to cope. But are the two strong parties providing the leadership and opposition? Is that why the National Assembly does not want e-voting and e-transmission of results? I think if we make NASS part-time, many of the members will come to the chambers and seats. Even with the huge money paid to them, the chambers are always scanty, but when they are going for oversight functions, you will see a huge party.

Now that you have mentioned e-transmission of results, are you convinced that INEC is serious in saying it can do it?

With what the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said and the way he has explained it, I think he should be given the benefit of the doubt because he may be bold in saying so because the President is going and so would not threaten him.

He may have decided to leave a legacy, just like Prof Humphfrey Nwosu did with the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Prof Yakubu’s insistence on the Commission’s capacity to conduct election and electronically transmit results will indeed mean well for a free and fair election. If he insists and the NASS refuses to grant him the power, Nigerians should come out en masse and protest in support of INEC. What do you say to the view that politicians have failed and technocrats and business people should be recruited to the presidency in 2023?

How do you get these people? Politicians have made life hard for the people that any day they dangle a carrot before them, the people will do anything. The technocrats you talked about do not have the kind of money to spend. No doubt, they can do the job, but Nigeria is so corrupt that you need money to prosecute a presidential project. Are you aware of Nigerians who are willing to spend billions to assist? You cannot run an election in Nigeria without billions of naira. Even running an election through the Internet as you suggested some politicians have successfully done in some countries is hard. How many people can access the Internet in Nigeria? This facility is in the townships.

Majority of our people are in the hinterland.

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Wike

Ugwuanyi

Abubakar

POLITICS

... PDP Zones National Chairmanship to North •Continued from Page 7

Another contentious issue is whether zoning of the national chairmanship to the North will hamper the ambition of northern presidential aspirants like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State; Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso of Kano State and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki to carry the presidential flag of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

While the zoning committee keeps giving these presidential aspirants the assurance that the zoning of the chairmanship position would not interfere with the party’s decision on which region will produce the next President and Vice President in 2023, some leaders of the party in the North-West and NorthEast appeared unconvinced.

The Secretary of the committee, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, who has been providing clarification on the zoning of offices in the party, debunked the speculation that the presidential ambition of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Atiku Abubakar ; Saraki, and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had been foreclosed.

“After our meeting, some mischief-makers started spreading false stories that our committee has zoned the presidential slot to the North.

“This is not true. Our committee was mandated to decide those that would seek party positions. This does not include those who want to be president, vice president, state governors, and the like.

“Ab initio, it was made clear that our committee does not have the mandate on any other matter regarding zoning or otherwise, except that which regards the party at the federal level”, Gusau said But speaking with THE WILL on the development, a former Deputy National Chairman and a member of Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, said the zoning was instituted by the founding fathers of the party to bring a sense of belong to all the sections of the country. ”The six geo political zones are not stated in our constitution.

But it is a workable arrangement to make sure that no Nigerian will go home without him being taken into recognition. In other words, when you finish dividing the positions, if the presidency goes to the North, the position of vice president will go to the South, senate president will go to the North, speaker of the House of Representatives will go to the South.

‘Then the position of secretary to the government of the federation will go to the North, while the chairman of the party goes to the South. This means that three positions will go to the North, while another three goes to the South. So you can see each zone having one of these six top positions in the land. After eight years, they will be reversed. The three positions in the South will

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go to the North and the three positions in the North will go to the South.. What is wrong with that? Turn by Turn Nigeria Limited.

If we don’t do that, we are just postponing the evil day. Justice, fairness and equity are the tripod that sustains democracy. I am not reinventing any wheel,” he said.

George added that zoning, which was devised by the founding fathers of the PDP to give both majority and minority ethnic groups a sense of belonging, should be handled well and should not create problems for the party.

With that, it is clear that the North will not be able to produce the presidential candidate and the chairman of the party at the same time.

Political observers also noticed that the internal arrangement of the party since the advent of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, has been that when one zone produces the party’s national chairman, another zone produces the party’s presidential candidate.

It is trite that when the national chairman of the party comes from the North, its presidential candidate must come from the South and vice versa.

It would also be recalled that the zoning of the PDP’s national chairmanship to the North was coming on the heels of the clamour from northern governors and northern traditional rulers for the region to retain power and produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023, as against the clamour by southern governors for the South to produce the next President at the end of Buhari’s tenure.

This clamour by northern governors, politicians and traditional rulers has given impetus to the aspirations of northern politicians within the party, who are eyeing the presidency and those who have been scheming for the party’s national chairmanship to be zoned to the South, so that the coast would be clear for them to vie for the party’s presidential ticket, ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Despite assurance from Ugwuanyi, while reading the communiqué of his committee in Abuja, that the zoning of the offices of the President and Vice President was not included in the mandate of his committee, many founding members of the party are quick to remind the party that the National Chairman and the presidential candidate cannot come from the same zone, as this has been the tradition in the PDP since 1999.

While intrigues have become the order of the day, it is clear that with this development, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the coast is clear for the October 30 national convention of the party to go as scheduled.

Apart from the position of national chairman of the PDP, the North is also expected to produce the next treasurer, women’s leader, organising secretary, legal adviser and youth leader of the party, while the South will produce the national secretary, national

publicity secretary, financial secretary and national auditor.

Speaking with THEWILL on the condition of anonymity, a PDP leader from the South said, “Zoning of the offices of the PDP has traditionally been between the North and South. The decision of the PDP Zoning Committee is in line with the constitution of the party on zoning and rotation of the party and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.”

Meanwhile, northern presidential aspirants in the PDP, whose ambition seems to have been scuttled by this decision, have kept sealed lips over the zoning committee’s resolution, with their aides and allies refusing to comment on the issue.

A Public Affairs commentator, Paul Arayi, who claimed to be close to the workings in the PDP over the past years, has said that it is not yet over for the aspirants, reminding members of the decision of the Bala Mohammed-led committee that recommended that the presidential slot should be thrown open to all the zones. “It means nothing has changed and that anybody who is interested in the Presidency will still be free to contest, irrespective of the zone he comes from,” he said.

Gbolahan Nasiru, who is a grassroots PDP leader in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, insisted that for equity and fairness, it should be the turn of the South to produce the next PDP presidential candidate.

One of the prominent persons behind the zoning of the chairmanship of the party to the North, THEWILL gathered, is Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who does not want to leave any chance open for the embattled chairman, Uche Secondus, to have a second term in office.

Wike, who bankrolled the election of Secondus to the position of the national chairman in 2017, has declared ‘a war ‘which led to his removal through a court pronouncement.

It was gathered that Wike, who is also eyeing the party’s Presidential ticket, played a great role in ensuring the reversal of an initial agreement to zone the national chairmanship to the South.

Wike is said to favour the idea of the presidential ticket coming to the South so as to pave the way for his ambition and to make things easier for him.

Another aspirant in the South, who seems happy with the decision of the party, is the party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. Obi is seriously looking forward to grabbing the party’s presidential ticket, ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

But for those clamouring for power shift to the South, it is not yet Uhuru as impeccable sources, who pleaded anonymity, opined that the northern presidential aspirants are not sleeping and that they are intensifying efforts to realise their ambition.

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NEWS

I am Backing Bawa on Fight Against Corruption – Maharaj ji

BY AYO ESAN

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he Founder of One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji, has said that he would support the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, to ensure the succeeds in his task of prosecuting corrupt elements in the country.

Maharaj Ji made this known in a statement he personally signed and issued last weekend.

L-R: Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Olufemi Hamzat; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, and Managing Director of Mac-Folly Hospitality (Owners of the Lagos Marriott Hotel), Barr. Chike Ogeah, during the Lagos State Building Control (LASBCA) presentation of a Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation for the Marriott Hotel project in Ikeja, Lagos on 6/10/2021.

He said, “We were shocked by the news of your dehydration during the course of carrying out your service to further improve the lot of the people of this great country.

We’ll Resist Plot to Impose APC on Anambra – Ohanaeze

“Suffice to say, we are not surprised because the position you are occupying now attracts many enemies who are bent on destroying the nation by perpetuating corruption and other nefarious activities that are capable of taking us on a downward spiral towards poverty, deprivation and servitude to western countries who don’t want black people to experience mental and financial freedom.

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“As always, I have been an active anti-corruption crusader and detractors have tried in vain to block my way, but divine knowledge has always lifted me up. Therefore, as a member of your team, it is expedient to safeguard your interest and all that concerns you.”

FROM CHARLES IKE, ABAKALIKI

install an APC governor in the state,” the Ohanaeze scribe said.

he apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has come hard on the Federal Government over its threat to impose a state of emergency on Anambra State.

He added that Ndigbo earlier foresaw these moves to use the instrumentality of the Federal Government to install an APC Governor in Anambra.

The Federal Government had, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, recently dropped a hint that the insecurity in the state could lead to a state of emergency, ahead of next month’s governorship election.

Malami’s statement has been receiving knocks from several political parties, as well as organisations, across the country.

This time, Ohanaeze Ndigbo said it was shocked that the FG could even think of such a plan in the first place.

A factional Secretary-General of the group, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, described it as a ploy to impose an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor on Anambra State.

He said he had expected that President Muhammadu Buhari should have declared a state of emergency in Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Zamfara, or Yobe States before threatening to declare one in Anambra.

“Our suspicion has been reinforced with the recent Presidential threats to declare a state of emergency in Anambra.

“It is an affirmation that the insecurity challenges in the SouthEast were sponsored and man-made. Even the Nigerian Army’s Operation Golden Dawn was a deliberate action; the threats from the Presidency are all politics. Anambra people should resist this devilish plot to import a sole administrator from the North to impose an APC Governor in Anambra.

“This is a wake-up call and a bitter lesson for the South-East governors to rise and voice out the truth to President Muhammadu Buhari on his deficiencies and flaws in governance. A decorated slave fetching firewood for the roasting of another slave should be aware that his own life is not safe.

“If Governor Willie Obiano is removed under the guise of a state of emergency and replaced with a Northern Sole administrator, it will definitely spread to other states.”

“We are astounded that the APC-led Federal Government is writing the scripts for the hijack of the electoral process in Anambra Governorship elections.

Isiguzoro said it was strange that while the Federal Government was helping APC governors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno and Yobe States to fight insurgents and terrorists, it was threatening a state of emergency in Anambra.

“The threats to announce a State of Emergency in Anambra and replace Governor Willie Obiano with sole Administrator from the North is the gimmicks of the Hope Uzodinma-led National Electoral Committee on the Anambra Governorship Election to

He alleged that there was pressure on Governor Obiano to either defect to the APC or be replaced by an APC sole administrator under the guise of a state of emergency, but Ndigbo would resist this onslaught against Anambra people.”

South East Presidency is Fair Deal – Garba Pwul

Maharaj Ji said he was prepared to fight for Bawa’s success because many who have climbed to that enviable height attained by him are saddled with pressures and likely to fall easy prey to manipulations within and outside the system, as experienced by his predecessors.

First JP Clark Memorial Lecture Begins Tomorrow T

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

he first John Pepper Bekederemo Clark memorial lecture begins tomorrow Monday 11, October through Tuesday and Wednesday. The three-day lecture will feature bigname scholars and writers in a zoom meeting starting from 2pm.

Prof. Clark died on October 13, 2020 in Lagos but was buried, according to his wish, in his riverine community in Kiagbodo Burutu local government area of Delta state.

His close friend and contemporary, Professor Wole Soyinka, is one of the distinguished lecturers expected at the meeting.

Others are Professors Tanure Ojaide, GG Darah, Femi Osofisan, Hope Eghagha, Mabel Evwierhoma and Saint Gbilekaa.

Other university dons are also expected at the event, namely Doctors Olatunbosun Oke and Kene Chudy-Onwugaje.

Associate professor at Carleton University, Ottawa in Canade will join in from North America.

FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

elections was still threatening the Nigerian Project.

lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Garba Pwul, has described the South-East’s quest to produce the country’s next President in 2023 as a “fair deal” that will give all sections of the country a sense of belonging.

A 2023 governorship hopeful in Plateau State, he observed that irrespective of all the threats to unity and calls for cessation, Nigeria as a country would never break up, but emerge stronger and more united as the most populous Black nation in the world.

Speaking on the state of the nation and national politics since Nigeria attained independence 61 years ago, Pwul said that as a federation, the country had endured some crises because the component units put their strengths and peculiar advantages at the service of the centre, adding that this was the spirit that enabled the country to overcome the sentiments of the civil war.

Pwul also said the country would be better for all if the laws of the land were respected and allowed to work without exception, pointing out that respect for the rule of law would strengthen national institutions, give a sense of belonging to all contending interests and enthrone justice in every aspect of the national process.

Organised by the Family of the late poet, dramatist, the Departments of English, University of Lagos and University of Ibadan along the Association of Nigerian Authors the meeting is titled Celebrating the Life and Times of JP Clark. Each of the speakers will discuss on different topics. Thus, Darah will expound on JP Clark: Voyager of Our Folkways while Ojaide will tackle What We Don’t Know Yet about JP Clark’s Writings.

Otiono and Evwierhoma will focus on JP Clark and Poetic Expeditions in Mortality and JP Clark: Towards an Agenda for Femocracy, respectively. Professor of Theatre Arts, Gbilekaa has on his hands An Ecocritical Discourse of JP Clark’s ALL for Oil & Women’s Revolt. This is scheduled for the first day of the memorial.

Having lived and worked with the people of Plateau State for a long period of time, Pwul said he has all it takes to become governor of the State in 2023, as he called on the people to believe in his ability and competence by giving him the mandate to serve as the State’s chief executive officer.

Day two has the pair of Oke and Chudy-Onwugaje taking on cancer-related topics: Colon Cancer The Silent Killer: Statistics and Prevalence in Nigeria will be discussed by the former while the latter focuses on Hidden Cancers: How to Detect and Prevent Colon Cancer.

A

Pwul recalled that the choice of a president from the SouthWest in 1999 was based on the imperative of national unity and cohesion, especially as the annulment of the June 1993 THEWILLNIGERIA

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ARTS A Compassionate Observer of the Human Predicament

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

on his person or his writing when he was announced as the 2021 Nobel Prize winner. Even when he was reached on phone to announce his winning the coveted prize, he thought someone was playing a prank on him, that it was all a joke! For a novelist who had been hard at work since 1987 when he published his first novel Memory of Departure, he earned some mention when his 1994 novel, Paradise was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Whitbread Prize. He has ten novels under his pouch, and the uncommon consistency has won him the coveted of prizes – the Nobel. It is neither here nor there joining the pundits in debating whether Ngugi wa Thiong’o ought to have won the prize instead. This is unnecessary as the unending Nigerian debate on Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. Eminent writers who could not win the Nobel Prize for Literature included Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, Henrik Ibsen, August Stringberg, Mark Twain, Bertolt Brecht, Marcel Proust, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc, while these relatively unknown worthies, namely Bjornsen, Eucken, Heinderstam, Spitteler, Reymont, Karlfeldt, Jensen, etc, won the prize. The one factor that assures the classic value of a literary life is Father Time and not any prize including the Nobel. It is my sincere prayer that Abdulrazak Gurnah will go the distance.”

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o did Anders Olsson, chairman of the Swedish Academy’s Nobel Prize Committee, describe Abdulrazak Gurnah winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2021 in a sparsely attended press conference in the Swedish capital, Stockholm early last week.

Understandably, COVID-19 pandemic kept much of the international press and distinguished guests away from such an important event, in fact, one of the most important occasions in world literature.

The presentation ceremony that will take place sometime in December may likely follow the same procedure. For the same reason, the winners will not be invited to meet and receive their gold medallion and cash prizes from King Carl XVI Gustaf as it was pre-pandemic.

In awarding this year’s prize to Gurnah, Mat Malms, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy’s Prize Committee, pointedly noted that it was presented to the African writer “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.”

After publishing his very first novel, Paradise in 1994, the Tanzanian writer followed up with nine other novels, Desertion, for instance.

As a refugee himself, Gurnah’s characters have mirrored his own life experiences closely, torn between “cultures and continents, between a life that was and a life emerging; it is an insecure state that can never be reversed.”

Apart from the prestige and world citizenship status the prize is bound to confer on the Tanzanian, he is secure in the knowledge that there is $1.4m as cash prize for the award.

Gurnah is the second black African to have won in the Literature category after Soyinka did in 1986.

Following the announcement last week, THEWILL sought the views of some prominent Nigerian writers home and abroad. Below are their responses: Nduka Otiono is Associate Professor of African Studies and English, Carteton University, Ottawa, Canada.

“The fact that not many people in our community knew much about the UK-based Zanzibar novelist, Abdurazak Gurnah, calls attention to the fact that great awards are not popularity tests that depend on social media “Likes” or hashtags for influence or impact. Additionally, the fact that another distinguished African writer is awarded the prize three and half decades after Soyinka won speaks volumes about the recent charges of Eurocentricism against the Sweedish committee that administers the Nobel awards, and which has prompted their declaration of commitment to diversity. While recognizing the increased visibility and cultural capital associated with winning the most prestigious literary award in the world, we must not wait for such canonization to continue to celebrate the other spectacular

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Charles Olumuyiwa Moyela is a PanAfrican Development Communication, Media and Public Relations Expert.

Gurnah

Even so, Gurnah will be receiving the most satisfying birthday present on or before December 20 when he will turn 73. He was born on December 20, 1948 in his native Zanzibar now Tanzania. He left for England at 18 where English became his literary language. (Another distinguished writer he has been compared with is VS Naipaul who left Trinidad and Tobago in his teenage years for England where he took up writing. Naipaul won a Nobel in Literature exactly 20 years ago.)

African writers that have not been so recognized by the Swedish Academy. Chief among these writers is the Kenyan writer and perennial nominee, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o. For this reason Black Africa must work out awards to support our rich literary heritage that includes African literatures in indigenous languages. Hence, I hope that Gurnah’s winning the award will highlight the Swahili roots of his works, especially his early writings.”

“We’ve got to celebrate every African who is acknowledged as primus inter pares in their field on the global stage. Abdulrazak Gurnah’s 2021 Nobel Prize is a refreshing moment in history for African Literature and for all lovers of literature on the continent and beyond.

Helon Habila is professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia in the United States.

He himself is a winner of several literary prizes, notably the Caine Prize for African Fiction in 2001.

Gurnah needs to be applauded for his fecundity and for his literary output. His novels seek to expose the underbelly of social consciousness against the tide of the multiple cultural and political influences buffeting the continent of his birth.

Racism, prejudice, imported inequality and the aftermath of the colonial influence in Africa are the key themes of his novels. Of course, his personal journey from Zanzibar to the United Kingdom als provides fuel for his writings.

“I think it is a well-deserved win, even though none of us would have predicted it. It shows how much uncelebrated and overlooked talents Africa have. The West always likes to focus on one or two African writers and turn them into kings and queens, making us believe that they are the only ones worth reading. But there are some who won’t play that game, they go about their work quietly and with dignity – Gurnah is a good example of that.”

So what does Gurnah’s Nobel mean for literature in Nigeria?

This is a clarion call to the emerging generation of writers that the world eagerly awaits to read our stories, which are fermented from the cauldron of our peculiar experiences and circumstances.”

Uzor Maxim Uzoatu is a poet, novelist, dramatist and senior journalist currently working with Anambra State Government.

“Abdulrazak Gurnah must rank among the noble of winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature. No controversy whatsoever dogs him, and attention seeking is definitely not his forte. It is little wonder then that not many of the literati could dwell much

Toni Kan is a renowned Nigerian writer and has a sheaf of international and national literary prizes in his kitty “Abdulrazak Gurnah has been working quietly, consciously overtime. I think he deserves this award. The award came at a time when there is renewed attention on African literature and publishing, colonialism and imperialism. In that sense, it came at a good time. In terms of what it means for African writers, he is the second Black African to win the Nobel after Soyinka in 1986. It is a good thing to have this news. I was telling a friend today when the announcement came that Gurnah’s work is informed by trauma, trauma of separation, trauma of having to move abroad at a very young age, being a refugee.”

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TOURISM

Nigeria’s Art, Culture on Runway

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR he corridor of the Presidential Villa Banquet Hall was crammed with exhibitors, guests and government officials. Culture workers waited patiently until they got clearance from security operatives to enter the venue of one of the richest and diverse exhibitions of Nigerian art that was ever held in the country.

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As part of the activities scheduled for the celebration of Nigeria’s 61st Independence anniversary, the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), under the leadership of Otunba Segun Runsewe recently presented ‘Treasures Of Our Beloved Country.

Other important personalities in attendance were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha; Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to name but a few.

A calm and peaceful atmosphere preceded the arrival of President Buhari and his entourage to the venue of the cultural exhibition organised by the NCAC and curated by its Director, Arts and Crafts, Joyce Ebirim. But it quickly dissolved into music and dance as various cultural troupes took turns to thrill the audience to some performances.

The special exhibition featured a replica of the iconic Zuma Rock located beside the main entrance. Also various dishes from the six geopolitical zones and royal attires across ethnic groups were displayed. The occasion provided each ethnic group that was represented at the event an opportunity to shed some light on delicacies that are indigenous to Nigeria.

The exhibition reached a climax when photographs of past British colonial administrators and Nigerian leaders who ruled the country during the colonial and post-colonial eras, including Lord Frederick Lugard (1914 – 1919); Sir Hugh Charles Clifford (1919 – 1925); Sir Graeme Thompson (1925 – 1931); Sir Donald Cameron (1931 – 1935); Sir Bernard Bourdillion (1935 – 1945); Arthur Fredrick Richard and other two colonial administrators down the line, were put on display.

Also there were photographs of Nigeria’s first indigeneous Governor-General, Dr Namdi Azikiwe (1960-1960); Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Belewa (1960 – 1966); First military Head of State, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi (January 26, 1966 – July 29, 1966); and General Yakubu Gowon (1966 – 1974), among others.

Meanwhile, on the left-hand side of the Banquet wall, the organisers had arranged art works, such as would be seen in a museum, bearing the names of the artists, titles, media with which the artworks were produced, sizes in horizontal and landscape form and the years of production.

Paintings by Dele Jagede, Haig David West, Solomon Wangboje, Obiora Udechukwu, Nuri Adejimi and other notable artists, were also on display.

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, attended the event in company with his chiefs, who were dressed in traditional white Yoruba attires befitting an outing of such value.

Speaking during the exhibition, Runsewe said that the NCAC would be facilitating students’ visits to the exhibition stand to keep them abreast of the nation’s cultural endowments.

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Art works on runway

Expectedly, top five government officials accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari to inspect the exhibition, which held at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

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Also from the South-East, akpu, ofe oweri, egusi, palm wine and abacha were displayed as visitors took different meals from their choice geo-political zones.

Nigeria is uniquely endowed with a lot of tangible and intangible cultural products which should be constantly on display for all to see

Masqueraders like Eyo and more from different ethnic groups performed to the excitement of all present.

would be coming on an educational tour of the exhibition stand.

“Today is a huge success, we are happy that we had Mr. President, blessing our exhibition and making exciting comments on the outcome of the event.”

“Nigeria is uniquely endowed with a lot of tangible and intangible cultural products, which should be constantly on display for all to see.

“We have packaged this exhibition to educate our students.

We will be bringing in students from 12 schools around the Federal Capital Territory here. We intend to catch them young and allow them to know more about the nation’s cultural treasures,” he said.

Among delicacies from the North on display at the exhibition were brabisco, Tuwo Dawa, kuka marghi, fura-de-nono, kunun shinkafa, massa, dan wake and kulikuli.

Others are pounded yam, acha, karkashi, beni seed soup, pito, kunu and akara, tuwo shinkafa, dried Okro, taushe, zobo, sinasir, danbu, kilishi and dakuwa.

The South-South had starch and banga soup, fisherman soup, palm wine, roasted plantain and peppered fish on display.

From the South-West came delicacies like amala and ewedu soup, gbegiri, palm wine, moimoi, akara, peppered snail and agidi were exhibited.

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Speaking on the exhibition, Runsewe said, “I believe so much that the time has come to showcase ourselves to the world. This is a unique opportunity to showcase the treasures of our country. You can see that six geopolitical zones, their food, dance and music were represented. Nothing was left out. This is to show that Nigeria will be in unity and we are happy to be together.

“It is an opportunity to show there is still hope for our country and Nigeria at 61 is a journey that we will all appreciate.

President Buhari took some time off to pose for photographs, while sitting on a traditionally caved throne in a palace-like environment.

The President nodded his head in affirmation and endorsement of the exhibition specially put together to celebrate the rich cultural history of Nigeria.

Earlier, Runsewe, who conducted the President and his team round the massive display of artistic and cultural artifacts reflective of the six geopolitical zones of the country for a great job done to showcase Nigeria, stated that the President’s visit would send positive signals to Nigerians on the need to treasure the full values of the country’s culture and history.

“It was a tight schedule for the President who was involved in the activities of celebrating Nigeria at this auspicious period in the life of our nation, yet found time to visit, introspect and endorse the display of the rich diverse exhibition of Nigerian cultural tourism components. It is clearly an indication that the President believes and loves Nigerian culture, which we at NCAC wish to transform into a viable economy bigger than oil,” Runsewe explained.

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EDITORIAL

APC And Recent Defections T

he outcry by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress nationwide against the admission of defectors to the party should serve as a hard lesson to its leadership.

For a party that commendably gained power barely a few months after it was formed, expanding its frontiers through a membership drive, as it did during a recently conducted membership revalidation and registration exercise, is to be expected. This move is as legitimate as it is political in an emerging democracy like Nigeria’s.

As agents of mobilisation, education and aggregation of the people’s views and interests for resolution at the centre of power, political parties are almost synonymous with membership or followership. This calls for a symbiotic relationship mediated through congresses, party primaries and an orderly membership drive.

Even so, it is important for political parties to have a clear, unambiguous mission and vision statement that inspires and captivates their members and abide by it in words and deeds. The by-product of maintaining this relationship is the multiplier effect it has in society. As societies are organised and run hierarchically, a disciplined party with competent and confident leadersship running its various organs inevitably bequeaths society with values, especially democratic ethos, that inspire patriotism and self-effort.

It is debatable, however, whether current Nigerian political parties meet these traditional criteria of political parties. A pointer to that submission is the ease with which members of rival parties move from one party to the other without any qualm. This is a reflection of the absence of any form of belief in even their mission and vision statements so elaborately painted in their party manifestoes and the unwillingness or

inability to fulfill their campaign promises, however vague.

It got so bad that the House of Representatives has entertained a member’s proposal to amend the relevant section of the Constitution, whereby defectors would have to step down if they defect from the political party on whose platform they were elected, to another. The bill, sponsored by Rimande Kwewum from Taraba State, seeks to amend Sections 144 (1) and 189 (1) of the Constitution, “to check incidents of defections, that is, cross-carpeting or abandoning the political party that sponsored a President, Vice President, governor or deputy, as the case may be, from another political party, in the absence of a merger of political parties, divisions or factions within the sponsoring political party.”

This may sound harsh for proponents of fundamental human rights, but a cavalier attitude has no leadership or administrative capacity to lead or govern and should therefore be excused from the public space. If we are serious about building a democratic political culture, that is the way to go.

But will the party obey even if a learned judge decides? Up till now parties do not audit accounts and submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission as prescribed by the Constitution. Depending on whose party controls the National Assembly, its leadership will always welcome defectors into their fold, even when there is no conflict or crisis to instigate the defection.

The irony of the matter was even lost on its leadership.

Since he assumed office in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the PDP for all the evils that have bedeviled this country, alluding to this sad past as the reason why his administration has not been able to speedily deliver on the change it promised Nigerians who voted massively for the APC. Yet for the past one year, the leadership of the party has targeted no other party members among the 18 political parties in the country except those of the opposition PDP. Currently three governors, Dave Umahi, Ben Ayade and Bello Matawalle of Ebonyi, Cross River and Zamfara States, respectively, have defected from the PDP to the APC alongside four senators, 27 representatives and other party chieftains, with such media blitz that clearly show that a prized trophy had been won. What is even worse is that the head of that perceived baleful PDP administration, President Goodluck Jonathan, is now being wooed as a beautiful bride to change the sagging fortunes of the party that has inflicted insecurity, poverty and economic downturn on the country, a sad reversal of the very agenda it promised Nigerians.

That is the bane of modern Nigeria.

The leaders of the APC ought to know that their failure to stick to the beautifully captured promises in their manifesto on restructuring, industrialisation, anti-corruption, security and economic development and growth, is the source of the woes Nigerians are harvesting with pain and sorrow on many fronts today. The party’s leadership should listen to its members who have called into question the recent defections to their fold.

So when the APC embarked on a mission to woo members from the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there was no moral guide supporting their drive. Quantity rather than quality was in demand.

The members have spoken for the rest of the country on how not to run a party with all its dynamic prospects for the progress, patriotism and development of the country, 61 years after independence.

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 Ararume: Buhari’s Deft Masterstroke

BY ERASMUS IKHIDE

S

enator Ifeanyi Ararume’s appointment as the pioneer Chairman of the new Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been applauded by many as one of the best by President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office over six years ago.

Ararume has robust experience in both the private and public sector, which will rub off positively on the altered NNPC. The NNPC was created on April 1, 1977 by the then military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo as a state-owned oil company to play in the oil and gas space. It was patterned after Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and Brazil’s Petrobras.

Mismanagement of the company has made it to descend into a white elephant project, with huge financial losses being declared annually, while its counterparts all over the world are wildly profitable. It recently made its first profit after over a decade of colossal losses.

The stakeholders in the industry that lays the golden eggs for the nation pressed for reforms through the Petroleum Industry Bill recently passed into law as the Petroleum Industry Act, which has changed the status of the NNPC into a Limited Liability Company with effect from February 2022.

Now that the NNPC will be transiting from a government-owned agency ito a profit driven organisation, it needs someone at the helm to provide direction and uncommon leadership in order for it to meet its goals.

Senator Ararume has been here for quite a while. Few people know that he was once resident in Benin City where he owned the largest pharmaceutical chain at the time there. His business interests spreads across the length and breadth of Nigeria and in the process built sturdy bridges across the nation. Although the new NNPC will be privately run as from 2022, as President Buhari seeks further amendments to the PIA law, it also requires someone with a strong political background to effectively steer its ship

as it will take some time for it to be completely weaned off from total government dependence. Ararume perfectly fits the bill with his twin public and private sector experience.

He is no political green horn. He was elected senator representing Imo North (Okigwe) between 1999 and 2007 and was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power and Steel, Vice Chairman of the Senate committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chairman Public Hearing committee for South-West zone on amendments to the 1999 Constitution, member of the National Assembly Joint Constitution Review Committee (JCRC) and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts. He was Chairman of the Southern Senators’ Forum.

But for the flawed electoral system, he would have been Governor of Imo State in 2007 as he won the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but his name was unfairly substituted with that of Charles Ugwu. His popularity was affirmed as his exit from the party in protest of the gross injustice led to its electoral loss when the people gave a protest vote to Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA).

Ararume has the grit and street wisdom to lead the NNPC to the path of sustainable profitability as he is a proven and tested manager of men and resources. Imo state where he hails from is a member of the NDDC and he has been in the forefront of resource control and greater devolution of powers to the states as a firm believer in true federalism.

Although his position as Chairman of NNPC will be nominal as the executive powers will reside with Mele Kyari who is the Managing Director, his position is akin to that of the Queen of England who reigns while the Prime Minister governs. He will act as a great stabilising force for a fairer deal for Nigerians in the beleaguered energy sector whose dividends has eluded them since crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State in 1956. His input will be highly valued and he will use his vast local and global contacts to ensure that the corporation becomes commercially successful. The position of the Chairman of a Board, although ceremonial, is usually

reserved for the cream of the crop in local and global circles.

Al Gore, former US Vice-President served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Apple after he left the White House in 2001.

Condelezza Rice served on the Board of Chevron after her first stint in public office when she served on the committee that permanently dismantled the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Coming down locally, the nation’s foremost downstream oil and gas company, Ocean and Oil (OANDO), has Major-General Mohammed Magoro, who had a distinguished military career as a minister under the military regimes of Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari when they held sway as military Heads of State, as well as a Senator as its Chairman. Former Chief of Army Staff and Ex- Defence Minister, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, served as Chairman of Union Dicon Salt, the defunct Universal Trust Bank and many blue chip companies. Prof Pat Utomi, a renowned political economist and management scholar served as Chairman of the defunct Platinum Bank and is on the board of many successful companies, including BusinessDay Newspaper and Linkserve.

There will be the dawn of a new era with Ararume as the new NNPC Chairman. The ailing corporation will be properly guided to profitability with his uncommon leadership, especially at a time when the demand for fossil fuel all over the world is on a steep decline. The United Kingdom, for example, has set 2030 as the exit date for fossil fuel driven vehicles in favour of electric powered ones. Its foremost science and technology university, Imperial College, has scrapped Petroleum Engineering from its curriculum.

There will, no doubt, be a shift to more sustainable areas like gas and renewable energy. Ararume is well prepared with his education obtained from the United States and Nigeria to lead this energy restructuring into the new world order as well as making the corporation profitable.

• Erasmus Ikhide contributed this article from Lagos.

Nigeria Still Crawling At 61

BY ADEMOLA ORUNBON

A

few people will disagree that, amid a myriad of unnerving socio-economic and security challenges facing Nigeria, the country remains a great country still waiting to happen. October 1, therefore, signals another opportunity to ponder the state of the nation and the failure of leadership, which has largely defined the country’s misfortune. To that extent, no patriotic Nigerian can pretend to be satisfied with the development and progress of this country, 61 years after independence. Yet, it is not misguided optimism to argue that the nation’s best days are still ahead.

Nigeria remains a country of diverse nationalities, cultures, religions and values. She has defied all doomsday predictions to remain a united country. This is enough reason for self-congratulation and hope in a better future. On balance, however, there is little to celebrate about Nigeria at 61. As the depressing indices show in areas, such as security of life and property, food production, industrial output, quality of education and healthcare, economic diversification and productivity, there is, indeed, cause for worry. Not only do Nigerians eat the bread they do not produce, wear clothes they do not weave and drink wine imported from other countries, they now import almost everything, including toothpicks.

tal formation, which along with the Central Bank of Nigeria manufacturing performance index, show a terrible economic downturn.

With foreign reserves depleted significantly, the exchange rate rising to an unexpected level and oil prices unstable, the impact is only better imagined if all the fundamentals are not mustered to manage this situation. This is why Buhari must now articulate a grand vision for the nation and re-direct Nigerians towards actualising the vision.

Given the terrible scenario playing out in the country, which is manifested in mass poverty, high corruption in government circles, gross official recklessness and near zero governance, it is no surprise that the Nigerian ship of state is rudderless and adrift. There is hardly any aspect of governance that cannot be faulted for corruption and incompetence.

As the nation marks 61 years of self-government, it is not too late for Nigeria’s leaders to change and make democracy work for the people. Too much pain has been inflicted on Nigerians and now is the time for the country’s leaders to focus more on the Nigerian promise – notably what is standing in the way of realising that promise.

Nigerians today read books, quote facts and figures about their country from foreign sources and parrot models of development designed by outsiders with vested interests. Sixty one years after independence, many even want to blame the present parlous state of the country on British colonialists, who left over five decades ago. At 61, Nigeria has much catch-up to do. Let no one be deluded that 61 years is a short time in the life of a country. The Nigerian economy is in dire straits with the potential to get worse if sound political and economic judgment is not brought to bear on the affairs of state.

At independence in 1960, there was a groundswell of euphoria and hope in the Nigerian project. It is sobering that, 61 years later, the anticipated gains of nationhood envisaged by the founding fathers are still being awaited. Not a few have marveled at the exemplary character of Nigeria’s founding fathers: the simplicity of Tafawa Balewa, the selflessness of Ahmadu Bello, the nationalism of Nnamdi Azikiwe and the enduring vision of Obafemi Awolowo, all of which tower above their personal ambitions. Despite the sense of foreboding that the new multi-ethnic nation was unworkable, Nigerians envisioned a great and bountiful country.

It is also tragic that the Nigerian economy officially registered its first recession in more than two decades. The National Bureau of Statistics released a raft of official data on the Gross Domestic Product, inflation, unemployment and capi-

Today, Nigeria is so greatly afflicted that some wonder at her prospects. The trouble with Nigeria, noted famed author and intellectual icon, Chinua Achebe, is a failure of leadership.

This failure has resulted in shattered hopes, broken promises,

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missed opportunities, and unfulfilled aspirations. A nation, it has been said, rises or falls on the quality of its leadership.

Nigeria is a terrible victim of the poverty of good leadership, but most destructively, political leadership. Good leaders must show strength of conviction and character. What poor leadership in Nigeria has done is to create 200 to 250 million passive citizens who have no voice.

Every citizen must therefore share the blame, one way or the other, for the Nigerian condition. There has never been a shortage of speeches by Nigerian leaders in favor of good intentions to govern in the best interest of the country and its people. Over the years, Nigerians have heard, to the point of being deafened, that the government is committed to promoting good governance. The inaugural addresses of elected leaders and military coup plotters reveal uncanny similarities in promises. Yet, as the quality of successive leadership deteriorated, Nigeria has regressed in terms of the truly important yardsticks for measuring the progress of nations. All these notwithstanding, it is pointless to look back with regret and anger at lost opportunities.

If Nigeria gets its leadership right, gets its act together, this can be as great and live-able a country as any on earth. There is, of course, a time and season for everything. So, a change was inevitable. The election of President Buhari, largely on the strength of his integrity, indicated a yearning by the people for a good leader they can trust to serve in the best interest of Nigeria. But over six years after taking oath of office twice, Nigerians are still waiting for the change promised by the APC. From his appointments into high public office, Buhari has demonstrated an uncanny addiction to primordial sentiments. This indeed, is unfortunate, for a man who pledged in his inaugural, that he belonged to nobody and he belonged to everybody. Buhari needs to understand that leadership is not about ethnic domination or a selfish power equation; it is rather a disposition of moral strength and sacrifice to genuinely carry out a mission for the common good.

• Orunbon, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Abeokuta, Ogun State.

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Controversies Trail NG Eagle AOC Issuance As Experts Kick

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

K

ey players in the Nigerian aviation industry have condemned in totality a recent directive issued to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), not to issue Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to impending carrier, NG Eagle, based on a petition before it.

Last week, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, headed by Mr. Nnolim Nnaji, had ordered NCAA not to issue AOC to NG Eagle based on the petition received from two aviation unions: Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch of the National Union of Pensioners (NUP).

Both unions had petitioned the House Committee on Aviation and the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to stop the issuance of AOC to the airline until all the total debts of Arik Air transforming to Nigeria Eagle are settled.

They warned that if Arik had its way, there would have been a repeated past mistake made when Bellview Air

Assessing Airline Industry’s $201bn Loss In 2 Years industry, showing improved ANTHONY AWUNOR discusses results amid the COVID-19 the latest outlook for the airline pandemic. industry, focusing on African carriers

The report was announced to the public during association’s he International Air annual general meeting Transport Association (AGM) in Boston, USA. (IATA) released its latest outlook on the financial The outlook, among other performance of the airline Continued Next Page

T

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transformed to First Nation and eventually died with the debts.

In his reaction, the former Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, described the pronouncement of the House as a sad development because the award of operating license is a process, which takes cognisance of safety and other critical factors, and therefore, should not be politicised.

Capt Sanusi noted that the National Assembly cannot dictate to the NCAA because the regulatory authority is carrying out a responsibility that is globally acknowledged and domiciled with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Explaining further, the foremost aviator said, “I have the confidence in the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, because he is experienced and has international exposure. The world is watching us and hoping we won’t take the wrong steps. If the National Assembly dictates who should be given AOC, then over

MORE INSIDE NETCO Offers Internship, Scholarship Schemes To Host Community PAGE 41

Okoli, Others Appointed as Judges for Lagos Cocktail Week

Continued Next Page

AvanteFly Moves To Boost Private Jet, Helicopter Business

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

T

o ensure that its clients get the utmost safety, privacy and luxurious experience, AvanteFly has launched its Mobile Application with adequate features for private Jet, helicopter, luxury car charters, hotels and executive spaces bookings AvanteFly is a United Kingdom and

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AVIATION Assessing Airline Industry’s $201bn Loss In 2 years

Controversies Trail NG Eagle AOC Issuance As Experts Kick

Continued from previous page Continued from previous page

issues, predicts a slow recovery pace for African airlines from a $1.9 billion loss in 2021 to a $1.5 billion loss in 2022.

According to the report, low vaccination rates across the continent are expected to severely dampen demand throughout 2022, while the slight improvement is built on the expectation of some recovery in intra-Africa travel and travel to tourist destinations with relatively high vaccination rates.

A breakdown of the statistics shows that net industry losses are expected to reduce to $11.6 billion in 2022, after a $51.8 billion loss in 2021 (worse than the $47.7 billion loss estimated in April). The 2020 net loss estimates have been revised to $137.7 billion (from $126.4 billion), meaning the total industry losses in 2020-2022 are expected to reach $201 billion.

Other indicators show that demand is expected to stand at 40 per cent of 2019 levels in 2021, rising to 61 per cent in 2022, while total passenger numbers are expected to reach 2.3 billion in 2021. This will grow to 3.4 billion in 2022, similar to 2014 levels and significantly below the 4.5 billion travelers of 2019.

Similarly, robust demand for air cargo is expected to continue with 2021 demand at 7.9 per cent above 2019 levels, growing to 13.2 per cent above 2019 levels in 2022.

Commenting, IATA’s director-general, Willie Walsh, said, “The magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis for airlines is enormous. Over the 20202022 period, total losses could top $200 billion.

To survive, airlines have dramatically cut costs and adapted their business to whatever opportunities were available. That will see the $137.7 billion loss of 2020 reduce to $52 billion this year. And that will further reduce to $12 billion in 2022. We are well past the deepest point of the crisis. While serious issues remain, the path to recovery is coming into view. Aviation is demonstrating its resilience yet again.

“People have not lost their desire to travel as we see in solid domestic market resilience. But they are being held back from international travel by restrictions, uncertainty and complexity.

“More governments are seeing vaccinations as a way out of this crisis. We fully agree that vaccinated people should not have their freedom of movement limited in any way. In fact, the freedom to travel is a good incentive for more people to be vaccinated. Governments THEWILLNIGERIA

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must work together and do everything in their power to ensure that vaccines are available to anybody who wants them,” said Walsh.

IATA further advised that governments should prioritise re-establishing global connectivity, the 11.3 million jobs (pre-COVID-19) in the aviation industry, and the $3.5 trillion of GDP associated with travel and tourism.

“Aviation is resilient and resourceful, but the scale of this crisis needs solutions that only governments can provide. Financial support was a lifeline for many airlines during the crisis. Much of that, approximately $110 billion, is in the form of support that needs to be paid back.

“Combined with commercial borrowing, the industry is now highly leveraged. We don’t want handouts, but wage support measures to retain critical skills may be necessary for some airlines until governments enable international travel at scale. And regulatory alleviations—like continued slot wavers while international traffic recovers—will be needed well into 2022,” Walsh added.

Proffering solutions and calling for collaborative efforts, the IATA advised that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) must lead governments in a global approach that has always been successful at driving change in the industry. In addition, governments must set policies that support carbon-reducing innovation, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, and the carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation (CORSIA). Furthermore, fuel producers need to bring large-scale, cost-competitive SAF to the market while avoiding a patchwork of environment taxes.

Airports must ensure SAF availability at no additional cost, compared to jet fuel. Moreover, governments and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs must eliminate inefficiencies in air traffic management, all inexcusable even without a sustainability mandate, while aircraft and engine manufacturers must produce radically more efficient airframes and propulsion technologies.

Global demand is steadily recovering. For instance, overall demand in 2021 is expected to reach 40 per cent of pre-crisis (2019) levels.

Capacity is expected to increase faster than demand growth, reaching 50 per cent of precrisis levels for 2021. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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time they will decide the pilots that will be given operating certificates. I am sure the NCA will not allow it to happen”.

“We are trying to come to a reckoning in the aviation industry, but some people are pushing us down. This is not good at all. The action of issuing AOC is guided by international protocol. The era of dictating who to give AOC is gone. This time, you earn it by merit. Political interference is a no, no for countries that have the US Category 1 status.

This will lead to blacklisting Nigeria”.

Similarly, President of Sabre Network, West Africa, Dr Gbenga Olowo, who described the House of Representatives action as interloping said it was not the responsibility of the National Assembly to direct NCAA to issue or not to issue an AOC. According to Olowo, it is established in ICAO regulation that no matter how powerful it is, the ministry, which is the political arm of government, can only wield influence, not dictate to the NCAA. Olowo who is also the President of Aviation Round Table (ART) said the criteria for awarding AOC are under the purview of the NCAA, adding that the regulatory agency is the agency that has the right on who to issue licence to.

He said “NCAA is recognised internationally as an institution to regulate civil aviation. The autonomy of the NCAA is not negotiable. We will be killing the NCAA if we allow such interferences over its activities.”

“This is an aspect of unnecessary political interference that we’ve been addressing over the years on NCAA’s autonomy. This will not help the sector. If care is not taken, we will begin to see such interferences on safety issues; which airline is to ground or not to ground despite Safety violations, etc.

The standard ICAO regulation on Issuance of AOC should be followed”, Olowo said.

In his submission, a former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd.) maintained that

“

I think we need to advise the NASS members of the aviation committees to have copies of the CAA and Regulations, which they promulgated, read them to know where they have powers in them before they exercise those powers

the National Assembly cannot interfere on critical issues concerning the issuance of AOC, which follows strict regulation.

Ojikutu said he was worried about the positions being taken by the legislators in affairs that are generally executive functions supported with legislation.

“We need to hear the legislators tell us that the NCAA oversight functions on AOC and ground handling companies’ charges are beyond the authority’s responsibilities in the Nig CARs (Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations), which was approved by the National Assembly in 2006 and reviewed in 2012”.

He said that the present NASS needs to direct their responsibilities towards legislative functions rather than to executive functions.

“They could make resolutions, which are not binding but given directives on the executive functions can create conflicts between them and the executive.”

“I think we need to advise the NASS members of the aviation committees to have copies of the CAA and Regulations, which they promulgated, read them to know where they have powers in them before they exercise those powers; can they promulgate a judicial law or Act and begin to exercise the executive powers in the law? They need to decide on which side of the divide they want to be and move there and stop playing the bird and rat at the same time,” Ojikutu said.

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BUSINESS FEATURE

Contradictions in Nigeria’s GDP Jobless Growth

declined by 12.7 per cent over the period. This marks the fifth straight quarter of output contraction in the sector since the second quarter of last year.

The sector’s contribution to real GDP has dropped from 9.1 per cent recorded in the same quarter in 2020, to 7.6 per cent this year. Average daily oil production is down from previous highs, to the lowest levels in years in the 1.6 mbpd region, where it has hovered since the third quarter of 2020. The oil sector’s contribution to GDP has therefore dropped from 8.9 per cent in the second quarter of last year, to 7.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2021. The labour intensive agricultural sector closed the second quarter with a dismal growth of 1.3 per cent year-on-year.

This is one of the worst growth records for the sector since 2016, measuring well below a five-year average real growth rate of 2.1 per cent. It is a reflection of the damaging impact of security challenges on agricultural activities across the country. The worst affected agricultural activity is live[1]stock, which dived from a 2.3 per cent growth in the second quarter of last year to 0.1 per cent in the second quarter of this year.

BY MIKE UZOR

N

igeria’s GDP growth does not indicate increased output that could reflect on job creation.

Positive growth in gross domestic product (GDP) normally indicates that producers in the economy are hiring new staff for the increased output being generated. This isn’t the case in Nigeria where an impressive output growth of five per cent in the second quarter of 2021 sums up to a jobless growth.

The National Bureau of Statistics reports that economic activities have come near the levels they were prior to the Covid-19 –induced lockdown in 2020. There has been a substantial return of commercial activities in the country, but the improve- ments have happened without a return to the prec-risis employment levels.

Economic growth here is driven by a few low-job generating service sectors and industries. And the output growth was achieved in an environment in which cutting jobs and personnel expenses is a bandwagon strategy in both industrial and service sectors of the economy.

Had there been a balanced growth in the labour intensive industrial and agricultural sectors, a GDP growth that high is rightly expected to impact the economy reasonably in key dimensions of which new job delivery is number one. Other expectations include substantial improvement in consumer spending power, positive supply side effect on inflation and reduction in poverty. To the contrary, the economy grew while

PAGE 34

these economic and social indicators continued to deteriorate.

The explanation is found in the uneven growth across sectors and industries and, more fundamentally, in the structural defects where a few large industries dominate the economy.

But industries, both large and small, are doing essentially the same thing: squeezing reduced staff numbers to grow output. A number of them aren’t even regular on paying the workers.

At five per cent output growth, Nigeria shows the highest quarterly growth numbers since the 5.9 per cent GDP growth record in the fourth quarter of 2014. It marks three straight quarters of positive growth from the 6.1 per cent and 3.6 percent con[1]tractions the economy recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020, respectively. The growth rate beat analysts’ projection of 3.6 per cent for the second quarter. The problem, however, is that the growth driving sectors are mostly servicebased activities with low job creating capacity.

Real GDP growth in the second quarter is led by road transport that grew by 92.4 per cent year-on-year, shooting up all the way from a 51.4 per cent contraction in the same period in 2020, and from a decline of 23.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2021. This is followed by electricity, gas steam and air conditioning supply, which grew by 78.2 per cent, from a three per cent decline in the same period in 2020.

Rail transport and pipelines grew by 53.3 per cent in the second quarter, another upswing from a decline of 63.3 per cent in the second quarter of last

“

The National Bureau of Statistics reports that economic activities have come near the levels they were prior to the Covid-19 – induced lockdown in 2020. There has been a substantial return of commercial activities in the country, but the improvements have happened without a return to the pre-crisis employment levels year. Wholesale and retail traded grew by 22.5 per cent, against a contraction of 16.6 per cent in the same period in 2020. Other service-based growth leading industries include water supply, sewage and waste management services, which grew by 18.5 per cent; insurance – which grew by 15.7 per cent and telecom and information services, which improved by 5.9 per cent in the second quarter.

While service sectors led the growth in GDP, the job creating sectors and industries stayed in the negative or low growth territories of the economy.

Mining and quarrying sector, which is dominated by crude petroleum and natural gas, declined by 12.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2021. The contraction is led by crude petroleum and natural gas production, which THEWILLNIGERIA

The poor performance of agriculture indicates a significant loss of ground in the role of the sector in providing jobs to a large segment of the population and in supplying food to the citizens.

The sector’s contribution to overall real GDP has declined from 24.7 per cent in the same period in 2020, to 23.9 per cent. The development is interpreted to mean that runaway food inflation isn’t likely to slow down any time soon.

The seemingly impressive GDP growth of five per cent is viewed as meaningless in the face of growing food scarcity and intensifying hunger.

The inability of agricultural activities to contribute meaningfully to the overall real GDP growth is underscored as the critical factor underpinning the economy growing without generating jobs. Oil refining operations remain a quiet front, with some of the highest contraction records maintained for the past five quarters running. It con[1] tracted by 46.8 per cent in the second quarter. This is even the lowest rate of contraction recorded in oil refining since the second quarter of last year. As with agriculture, there is a high sense of apprehension that petroleum refining – a major industry with high capacity for direct and indirect job stimulation in the economy – isn’t part of the GDP growth so far this year. It never has been for the three consecutive quarters of positive GDP growth. Industrial activities comprising the job-creating operations of construction, mining and quarrying, manufacturing and others, contracted by 1.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2021. Except for a slight positive growth in the first quarter, the industries group has been declining since the second quarter of 2020.

•Uzor is an Economist and Financial Analyst THEWILLNG

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WOLI AGBA: PROPHET ON COMIC MISSION

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Popular Skitmaker and Master of Ceremony, Ayobami Olakunle Ajewole, also known as Woli Agba, talks about his foray into social media comedy, his humble beginning and sundry issues in this interview with SHADE METIBOGUN. Excerpts:

Ajewole

EVERYTHING SHOULDN’T BE REVEALED ON SOCIAL MEDIA – WOLI AGBA Y

ou started with dance drama, veered into mainstream acting and now skit-making on social media. How easy was it for you to evolve?

If you look at it critically, I am doing full theatre now.

Full theatre involves dancing, acting, dialogue and the likes.

A lot of people know me as a dancing prophet because I started in a dance-drama group that used to go from church to church to perform. Then I had to leave the group, which was owned by my older brother, Oluwafemi Ajewole, otherwise known as Alfa Sule. I served him for 15 years.

As a member of his team, I was very committed and served him faithfully. There was no misunderstanding between us before we parted ways. I guess God just wanted to reward my commitment to him. You know, God has several ways of paying us back. At the time I left to set up on my own, social media was still very new and I was getting busy with it. Maybe my brother saw my ability to stand alone. Like I said, there was no quarrel between us. I didn’t want to leave, but he wanted me to. So I embraced social media and set up my own thing, Woli Agba and his IPM members. I continued to dance so much in my videos and some people fell in love with me. Some others fell in love with me because of my facial expressions. Once they

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“

Ajewole

Have you noticed that we don’t have female members in our team? I celebrate all the ladies, but I know that they can be a source of distraction to us. That is why we don’t have ladies amongst us. I hire them for short periods to take on special roles see the dance steps, they know it is Woli Agba, the prophet with the oil of gladness to cheer his people with dance, acting and his facial expressions. This is full theatre for me.

What was your mother’s reaction when you told her you were parting ways with your brother?

My mother was not cool with it at all. She asked

several questions and wanted to get an answer. We tried to convince her that all was well, but she wasn’t convinced until I started seeing signals of survival after setting up on my own. That is why I said you should be loyal in whatever you are doing. God will reward your loyalty.

Did you envisage that you would be as successful as you are now?

No, I didn’t. I didn’t expect all that is happening now. I know I had so many dreams and I wanted to pursue them. I think it is just the grace of God. I never envisaged that it would be this loud.

How do you come up with concepts for your skit?

The source of my inspiration is God. Most of the things that I do are highly spiritual. I divide my videos into three categories. Relatable videos from the church or other life experiences are in the first category. When you see those relatable ones, people will laugh and recall similar experiences they have had. The second category has to do with imaginary videos. The concept or idea may not really be there, but you can just come up with something from your imagination. The third category involves impossible videos. We just come up with stories that seem impossible. You know that such a scenario is likely THEWILLNIGERIA

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to be impossible but would make one laugh. I just pick one out of those three categories and build my skit around it.

Which is your most challenging skit?

We went to a place called Ejigbo in Ibadan and I wanted to punish a member of my crew called Mide Oladimeji. His punishment in the skit was to sweep from Ibadan, Oyo State to Lagos State. It was challenging because I had to shoot at every junction in Ibadan until we got to Lagos. We had to take a car and pause at different places to shoot. We shot how he started, moved to the first bridge, the second bridge that people could relate with, just to show that we were actually moving on the expressway. We continued till we got to Redemption Camp. People were actually waiting for us at Berger. That was how he swept till he got to Berger. Another one is when I was annoyed with the ‘choristers’ and wanted to throw them all in the river. We had to enter a boat and I threatened to throw all of them into the river.

Another thing I consider a challenge is the fact that I delete my skit once they are not funny. Once a skit is not funny to me, I delete it. No matter the level of effort, money, creativity put into it, I will delete it. I just want my skits to satisfy everyone who sees them.

If you were asked to make a choice between skit making, singing and being a master of ceremony, which would you choose and why?

They are all part of me. There is really no money in skit making. People will just laugh at your funny skit. The only income there is the relevance. People will call you for functions because they know you

can make their event memorable. You are in people’s consciousness and they want to see their favourite skitmaker at their functions. That is where the part of a master of ceremony comes in. I have discovered that people don’t like your content as much once they discover it is an advert for a product or service like they would like it when it is a normal skit. People don’t pay so much attention to adverts, but it is fine.

The skit brings the MC function out in me. The acting is also part of the skit-making.

Does that mean skit-making is not really profitable?

Like I said, there is a way to it. It is profitable because of the relevance that would make people engage you. When they see that you are the talk of the town, they want to identify with you. They will see that you have the energy and creativity and you are hard working. You cannot separate skit-making from these things. It is just like a means of transportation to your destination. The main thing is for us to get income and skit-making will eventually lead to that.

As one of the pioneers of skit-making on social media, what is your opinion about the industry?

One of the issues I have about social media as an influencer is that people should always remember that the Internet has a larger memory than their phones.

Whatever you put out there defines who you are directly or indirectly. Whatever you put on your page will tell people who to trust and who not to trust. At times, people will say it is my life and it is my stage.

Yes, it is your stage, but you should be careful too. It is just a matter of checking a few of your posts and

they will decipher who you are. My advice to people is that it is not everything that should be put out on social media. Involving the public in some private situations is not it. That has never given a solution to any problem. No matter how bad a tree might be, it will still have branches. Social media has the widest range for now. So whatever you are putting out there should be guarded properly.

Skit-making may be in vogue now, but what about the future? What are your long-term plans?

I am looking forward to having a school of drama. I have started anyway. I have about 19 guys already.

We have done a couple of auditions. I did a lot of screening before we arrived at that 19. A lot of people are interested in acting, but they are not talented. Such people would not be useful to you. I also want to impact a lot of people. I look forward to launching young ones into stardom. I also want to have a television station as well. I have a lot of young ones in mind and I know God is going to help me.

Have you ever had to deal with negative comments or online stalkers?

Yes. When I started, a lot of people thought that I had backslidden. They thought I had left God and was running after money. I was almost going to stop at a point, but the Holy Spirit convinced me otherwise.

I heard many things and it was discouraging, but I thank God that the majority are enjoying what I do.

You bought cars for some members of your team last year. This shows that Woli Agba is quite rich.

How rich is the prophet with the oil of gladness?

I thought you were going to ask me why I bought those cars. I didn’t know you will ask me how rich Woli Agba is. I am just enjoying the grace of God.

By God’s grace, I am doing well. We are pushing and God is helping us. I just wanted to compensate the guys with those cars. God made it possible. God is rich. Since I am his son, I am also rich.

You have quite a large crew. How do you manage to resolve conflicts so that everyone can stay happy?

I am an observer and I am attentive to my guys. I ensure that every one of them is important to me. I don’t show favoritism to any member. Once we have allocated roles to each member, if the person taking a particular role does not show up the following day, I would give his role to another person who is available. That shows that every team member is important. Have you noticed that we don’t have female members in our team? I celebrate all the ladies, but I know that they can be a source of distraction to us. That is why we don’t have ladies amongst us. I hire them for short periods to take those special roles. If we have to play a role that will involve a lady, I have people I can easily call to take it. But they are not our in-house people. They are not part of Woli Agba’s team. I have checked some notable musicians, the likes of Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey. They don’t have ladies in their team. I just want the understanding we have among ourselves to be maintained. If there is any issue, we discuss it, resolve it and move on. I know that once the issue of a lady is involved, conflicts and misunderstanding might set in.

What was growing up like?

I was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. I also grew up in Ibadan too. I attended both primary and secondary schools in Ibadan. I studied Economics at Lead City University in Ibadan. I am from Osun State. My father was a tailor. My mother was a trader, but now an advanced one. I was born into a family of five children and I am the last child.

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IT’S RAINING HOUSES FOR NIGERIAN ENTERTAINERS In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and attendant business shutdowns, mass layoff of workers and global economic recession, the Nigerian entertainment industry appears to be enjoying an upturn in its fortunes. Entertainers and other stakeholders in the industry are genuinely “balling”, going on a buying spree, acquiring luxury vehicles and palatial homes.

SHADE METIBOGUN and IVORY UKONU unveil male and female entertainers who acquired multi-million naira edifices since the beginning of the year.

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Alex Okon

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ontroversial actress Kemi Afolabi was the first artiste to launch a new house in January, 2021. She held a grand housewarming ceremony, which was attended by the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry.

Next, Michael Collins Ajereh, otherwise known as Don Jazzy, added another building to his growing real estate portfolio. He acquired a two-storey building in February that serves as his home. In 2019, the Mavin record boss had acquired two huge twin buildings for his business concern just in time for his 37th birthday. The two buildings are located in the same area as his office buildings.

In March 2021, former Big Brother Naija (BBN) housemate, Rebecca Nengi Hampson, bought herself a house in Lekki, Lagos. While Nengi’s fans were still sighing over her acquisition, a popular skit maker, Zic Aloma, unveiled his own house.

Hampson

Akide

It was aslo a good year for former BBN housemates as Natacha Akide, also known as Tacha, and Mercy Eke acquired their second homes in September. Tacha’s first house, which she bought in April 2020, is located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Mercy showcased her second house to the public on her 28th birthday, which fell on September 29, 2021. The beautiful lady spared no cost to ensure that she got the best deal to make the interior of her house one of the most talked about in the entertainment industry.

Similarly, actresses Tayo Sobola and Jumoke Odetola became house owners in July, 2021. Sotayo Gaga, as Sobola is fondly called, got her Banana Island house as a gift from her Nasarawa State-born husband, while Jumoke Odetola paid for her house herself.

Also, another controversial actress and mother of one, Etinosa Idemudia, joined the league of house owners in Lagos State about two months ago. So also did Bukola Adeeyo make headlines this year after buying a multi-million naira home in Lagos State.

Destiny Etiko, another actress, gifted herself a mansion to mark her 32nd birthday in August. The state-of-the-art edifice is located in Enugu State where the actress lives.

Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, more popularly known as Zlatan Ibile, bought a seven-bedroom fully detached contemporary house in Abuja about three weeks ago while comic actor, Ime

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Eke Adeeyo

Okiki

Bishop Umoh, otherwise known as Okon Lagos, also joined the league of house owners this year. The entertainer unveiled his beautiful home situated in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

Ayorinde Kehinde Okiki, professionally known as DJ Kaywise, unveiled his new home a few months ago. The young DJ is the proud owner of five properties across Nigeria.

A content creator, Ogechi Ukonu, otherwise known as Caramel Plug, wowed many last month when she got the keys to a home she acquired in Canada.

A few months ago, beautiful actress, Onyii Alex, got herself a beautiful home in the Lekki area of Lagos that she aptly named ‘The Body Villa’ after her business venture. Likewise, comedian Timothy Obotuke, known as Sir Balo, bought a house for himself and his mother last month.

Not to forget fashion designer Tolu Bally, who got herself a palatial home just in time for her birthday on October 2. This luxury acquisition is coming three months after she gifted herself a 2020 Range Rover SUV. THEWILLNIGERIA

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

HOSA OKUNBO’S EX-WIFE, WIDOW CLASH DURING BURIAL RITES

Asemota and the Okunbos

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he seeming united front being projected by the family of the late Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo may be a farce after all, going by the latest antics being displayed by a prominent member of the family. The late businessman’s wife, Nosa, approached an Edo High Court sitting in Benin City, seeking a restraining order against late Okunbo’s ex-wife, Edamwen Evelyn Asemota, to stop her from parading herself as his widow and from doing anything that will disrupt the weeklong burial rites of the late business

mogul, which began on October 6, 2021 and ended on October 10.

This restraining order is pending the determination of the Motion on Notice on October 21.

The trial judge, Hon. Justice V.O.A Oviawe, who issued the interim injunction, gave the orders, following an ex parte application filed by the Claimant/Applicant, Mrs Nosa Igiehon Okunbo, in a suit numbered B/887/2021.

For many who don’t know or can’t recall, Captain Hosa and Evelyn used to be married many years ago and

she it was who bore him his older children, one of who is Ivie Okunbo, the Olori Atuwatse III who is married to the current Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse lll. Both the late Hosa and Evelyn were the quintessential couple while they were married, with the late mogul being smitten by her while she remained the loyal and dutiful wife. This was until their centre could no longer hold and both got divorced. Now in her 60s, Evelyn who felt the need to address herself as a widow for the simple reason that she was at some point married to the man of her youth, who is the bone of contention, and began life with him when he barely had anything to his name, was stopped by her ex-husband’s wife, from parading herself as such all through the burial rites of the late Captain. One wonders Ogiozee what her older children thought of Nosa’s actions. Ironically, Nosa who instituted the suit against Evelyn was at some point allegedly estranged from the late Okunbo until he decided to make peace with her when he realised that his time on earth was almost up. Okunbo, who was an investor, philanthropist, and trained commercial pilot, died of cancer in August at a London hospital. He was aged 63.

ADESUWA RENEE FACES CHARGES FOR FRAUD IN US

Moyo Lawal Denies Rumoured P Affair With David Sabo Kente

Kanke

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ollywood actress, Moyo Lawal has denied the lingering rumour that she is in an intimate relationship with politician, Chief David Sabo Kente. The actress, who also doubles as a beauty entrepreneur, said, on the contrary, that she has been too focused on her career as an actress and her beauty business to chase after a married man in exchange for money.

The curvy actress, who claims to have embraced celibacy for some time now, added that she has made too many sacrifices to continue to let false THEWILLNIGERIA

Lawal accusations go without addressing them. Claiming that she had been approached on many occasions by very eligible bachelors, she said she chose to remain single and could boast of being better behaved than most single and married women.

She however promised to reveal in the near future, why the rumour began in the first place.

A Taraba-born politician and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Kente, is eyeing Taraba Government House, come 2023.

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Democratic Party in the 2015 Governorship Election in his state, but abandoned the party to join the ruling party shortly after the election results were announced and he failed to clinch the seat.

The businessman once served as a Director of Finance at the National Assembly and he is currently a member of the NorthEast Development Commission (NEDC), as well as the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Northeast Development Education Endowment Fund.

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opular Instagram auto dealer, Adesuwa Renee Ogiozee, allegedly has been indicted in a federal court in New Mexico on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy.

Adesuwa, who was arrested on September 17, 2021, appeared in a US District Court in St. Louis and got released on a $25,000 bond same day.

To keep prying eyes from getting details of the fraud charges, she allegedly got the charging documents sealed in New Mexico and St. Louis. She is reportedly facing a 10-count charge.

Adesuwa, who touts herself as hardworking, is one of the most sought-after luxury car dealers based in the US and services many Nigerians back home, including celebrities via her various business concerns such as, Adesuwa motors LLC, which she set up in 2014; Adesuwa Auto LLC, incorporated in 2016 and Renzee Logistics, established in 2017. She is said to be trustworthy among her returning clients who also recommend her services to new clients. This was until the bubble burst.

Ironically, a look at the online auto dealer’s social media handle shows that she is still carrying on with her business and posting pictures of herself in luxury cars or somewhere within her palatial home.

Ireti Doyle’s Daughter Bent on Tarnishing Mother’s Legacy U nless something drastic is done, Kachi Ngozi Onyeluo, the first daughter of actress Ireti Doyle will eventually destroy her mother’s reputation and the legacy of her acting career which spans two decades. The married mother of one, who is a hair vendor and self-claimed biggest wig manufacturer in Africa, allegedly makes a living defrauding unsuspecting customers and entrepreneurs who desire to buy from her to resell. Through her Kachi Hair ventures, which is situated somewhere off Opebi, Ikeja, Kachi would post on her business social media handle, affordable and beautifully made wigs for retail customers, as well as offering mouthwatering deals to wholesalers. Many make payments into an account she provides, but that is where it ends.

Kachi neither delivers to her retail customers nor to the wholesalers, some of who pay millions of naira for the mouthwatering deals. And while many have tried unsuccessfully to either retrieve their money or get the product they paid for, Kachi carries on like everything is normal, even announcing hair sales every quarter in different cities.

Earlier this year, after refusing to deliver hair paid for, two of her workers were arrested by the police at the instance of a customer she defrauded. It was during a sales tour across the country, precisely at Enugu, while her staff was carrying out sales at the Olive Gate Hotels and Suite at Independence Layout, Enugu. After that incident, Kachi resolved to pay her debts to avoid further embarrassment. She issued out 16 cheques totaling N12 million to customers who had paid for hair and had waited for close to two years with no delivery made. The money refunded was between N77, 000 and N6.5 million. However, not all who paid for hair were refunded and despite her promise to refund everyone, she reneged on it.

She continued to go on sales tours round the country, ignoring requests for refunds on the comment sections of her page and even blocking some comments. Her fraudulent actions grew in wide proportions so much that her mother had to be repeatedly called out to address one issue after the other.

But Ireti obviously failed to admonish her daughter as Kachi continued in her ways. At some point, aggrieved customers petitioned The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but no arrest was made. The Director-General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), showed interest in the case, but not much was achieved, perhaps due to her mother’s influence. Even a certain popular media entrepreneur was said to have waded in to douse the tension caused by her actions, with Kachi promising to do the needful. But she didn’t and still owes many millions of naira. Instead, she continued to carry on without a care in the world, advertising and still urging women to pay for products that are never delivered.

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STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

Oba Adedokun Abolarin’s Giant Stride in Oke Ila F

DJ YIN BREAKS WORLD RECORD FOR LONGEST DJ SET P

opular disc jockey and singer, Oyin Asu-Johnson, broke the world record for the longest Dj set by operating her set and playing music nonstop for 243 hours, 30 minutes.

The female disc jockey started playing on September, 20, 2021 and stopped on October, 1, 2021, 11 days after undertaking the challenge. The event took place at the Grill by Yanna, in Ikoyi, Lagos. The session was streamed live on her social media space for a few days before she broke the record set by an undergraduate of

the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Agboola Venmak, also known as Dj Venum, in 2018. Earlier in 2016, Dj Olu had hit the world record after performing for 229 hours nonstop at Sao Café in Lagos.

Speaking about her achievement, the elated DJ expressed her profound gratitude to people who encouraged her in the course of her journey to stardom. She specially appreciated the duo of Tiwa Savage and Niniola for their

Asu-Johnson support and encouragement in her quest to break the world record. She said that beating the world record meant a lot to her as it was the best way to show that Nigerian disc-jockeys were a force to reckon with around the world.

The talented DJ was tutored by popular disc jockey, Jimmy Jatt.

Alaafin Appoints Gbajabiamila Supreme Legislative Guide of Yoruba Land

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he Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has conferred the Speaker of the House of Representative, Rt Hon Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, with the chieftaincy title of Baasofin of Yoruba land (Supreme legislative guide of the Yorubas). This was disclosed in a letter sent by his royal majesty to the Speaker.

According to the monarch, Gbajabiamila was honoured due to his antecedent as an astute legislator and also for his eventual emergence as the Speaker of the House. He was also chosen because he has successfully represented the Yoruba, is active in nation building and for his participation in ensuring that the practice of separation of power is followed. As the Baasofin of Yoruba land, Gbajabiamila is now one of the great empire builders and defenders of the Yoruba. The paramount ruler advised the legal luminary to use his good qualities to serve the Yoruba and for the advancement of a balanced system of government.

Dubai Varsity Awards Shina Peller An Honorary Doctorate

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lawmaker representing Iseyin/ Itesiwaju/Iwajowa Kajola Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Shina Peller, has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration by the American Heritage Southern California University in Dubia, the United Arab Emirates.

Peller received the award during the Africa-Dubai Investment Business summit held at the Habtoor Palace, Al Habtoor City, United Arab Emirates. The event took place in the last week of September, 2021.

The lawmaker, who left Nigeria more than a week ago to attend the summit, expressed his gratitude to the institution Pella for finding him worthy of such honour.

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or taking a crucial step toward the development of his kingdom, the traditional ruler of Oke lla Orangun in Osun State, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, has wormed his way into the hearts of his subjects and residents of the community. The lawyer turned traditional ruler built a school, Abolarin College in his home town, Oke-lla Orangun, Osun State through his NGO, the Abolarin Aroyinkeye Foundation. Although it was founded in 2014, its impact on the community, in terms of capacity building and empowerment of the less privileged, cannot be over emphasised. The success story of the institution was revisited recently when new students were admitted for another academic session.

Tucked away in the hills of Oke-lla Orangun, the school boasts of state-ofthe-art boarding facilities.

Set up to fight poverty through education.

Abolarin College admits only indigent students who Abolarin are socially disadvantaged and downtrodden. They Apart from being its founder, are offered free education Oba Abolarin teaches and free accommodation Government and History in provided by the traditional the school. He also offers ruler who sponsors mentorship, counseling, hundreds of students till leadership, fatherhood and they complete their Senior friendship to the pupils Secondary School education.

who are in dire need of care and guidance. Until his appointment as the paramount ruler of Oke-Ila Orangun, Oba Abolarin was a principal partner with Dokun Abolarin and Co, a law firm based in Abuja.

Quincy Wellness Centre Honoured

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uincy Wellness and Naturopathic Centre, was presented with an award at the Duban International Hotel in Lagos a few weeks ago. The company was awarded the Best Health and Wellness Centre of the Year. Dr Tobi Ayodele-Keeney who is now the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of centre has revolutionised and rebranded it after her mother, Chief Mrs Quincy Ayodele stepped aside from actively managing it. The company was rewarded for it’s impactful contribution to the development of natural medicine in Nigeria and Africa at large. The event was organised by Women Connect, a body known for appreciating excellence among women most especially women who are doing well in their area of endeavor.

The one day event featured an award and exhibition by the awardees who showcased some of the products and services rendered by their companies.

Trained in the United States of America, the beauty and Wellness specialist took over the management of the company as its new CEO about seven years ago. She has preserved the standard and made the brand compete favorably with the rapidly changing market in Nigeria and the International scene.

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BUSINESS NEWS NETCO Offers Internship, Scholarship Schemes To Host Community

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he National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO) has said it will offer internship opportunities to the best science students of Kuramo Senior College and Victoria Island Senior Secondary School in Lagos.

NETCO, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), also added that it would offer scholarship awards to undergraduates from Iru Community, Victoria Island, Lagos studying Engineering courses in tertiary institutions.

The Managing Director of the company, Mr Johnson Awoyomi, made the pledge on Wednesday while flagging off the ‘NETCO Goes to Schools’ initiative in Lagos.

L-R: MD/CEO, Jewest Mobility, Mr Dikko Nwachukwu; AvanteFly’s Founder and CEO, Brian Okonkwo; former acting Director-General of NCAA ,Engr Benedict Adeleyika; MD/CEO, Ezuma Jet, Capt David Augustine and another participant at the launch of AvanteFly Mobile app recently in Mariott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

AvanteFly Moves To Boost Private Jet, Helicopter Business Continued from page 16

Nigerian Corporation gaining entry into the African space with the goal of facilitating luxury travel and lifestyle management for corporate executives, high net worth Individuals and individuals seeking a special luxury experience.

Unveiled recently at Mariott Hotel, Ikeja, AvanteFly Mobile App is the first African real-time aviation mobile application that utilises real time data, distance, and time to automate private air charter bookings and payments.

This eliminates avoidable delays using manual quotes and lack of visibility in booking fees usually experienced in the private aviation industry.

According to the company, the app is for people desiring the exclusivity of private travel, while AvanteFly is focused on unparalleled commitment to providing a range of services from flight chartering to ground transportation, hotels and other types of executive spaces.

Speaking at the launch, AvanteFly’s Founder and CEO, Brian Okonkwo, said, “The AvanteFly mobile App is focused on providing value to our members without compromising on privacy, safety, reliability and a luxurious experience. Let’s revolutionize the way you access and experience air travel. It’s a world of possibilities.

“At its core, AvanteFly is a benefit corporation and launching an exclusive charter and lifestyle management company is timely, especially for the African market.

AvanteFly offers four levels of membership to meet our clients’ needs.

“These four levels are Garnet, Jadeite, Blue diamond and Black Diamond.

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priority boarding on shared flights, access to executive lounges and others. Also available to members are 14 additional services, which include private banking, global mobility (citizenship by investment), family office, luxury goods sourcing and much more.

Okoli, Others Appointed as Judges for Lagos Cocktail Week

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vents and Sponsorship Officer, Sterling Bank, Chidinma Okoli and the Brand Manager, Star Radler, Chiamaka Efulu, have been chosen as judges for the Lagos Cocktail Week.

Others named on the judges panel are Brand Manager, Absolut Vodka, the Bayo Adeyemo and Diageo Ambassador, Berg Baboyan.

Awoyomi, represented by Mr Kigo Ahmad, Executive Director, Services, NETCO, said the initiative was part of NETCO’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme in Iruland, its host community.

He said, “It is a NETCO thematic thrust in education and economic empowerment programme that is geared towards the growth and development of Iru land.

“The programme is primarily designed to encourage the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with emphasis on engineering and the sole aim of demystifying the engineering profession.

“The short and long term plan of this programme is to provide internship to best science students during long vacations as well as scholarships for undergraduates in engineering courses respectively.”

The AvanteFly team provides real time booking support (24/7) with a dedicated Personal Lifestyle Manager assigned to every member. AvanteFly members earn Membership Points with each successful booking and can also access promotional discounts available on bookings.”

The judges were announced during a press conference recently held at The Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer, Deep Blue Energy, Mrs Anita Ogboile, said engineering was integral to human development, hence the need to encourage more young persons to go into the profession.

At the briefing, the founder of the Lagos Cocktail Week, Lara Rawa, said this year’s event has been themed, ‘Diversification of Income, Identification of Opportunities and Access to Finance.’

Commending the initiative, a former Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Engr Benedict Adeleyika, advised all Nigerian operators to take advantage of the platform.

Ogboile debunked the notion that engineering courses were only for the male gender, adding that there were many successful female engineers all over the world.

She said that the inspiration behind the theme is e out of the need to educate members of the public who have scaled a difficult hurdle as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She urged the students to remain focused on their studies in order to become future leaders in the society.

He also advised the company to adhere to the local content policy of the government in terms of manpower development.

“We need to do things locally, even if it is 30 per cent local content. AvanteFly is commendable”.

Similarly, MD/CEO, Ezuma Jet, Capt David Augustine said Nigerians have not scratched the surface of private jet industry, as much is yet to be done, adding that AvanteFly has come up with the right time and strategy.

The Managing Director and CEO of Jewest Mobility, Mr Dikko Nwachukwu, observed that AvanteFly would curb frictions created by middlemen since the app would afford members of the executive an ample opportunity to do their flight bookings by themselves.

“AvanteFly is a great platform. It is important for the future of future travels. It gives confidence for brand building also,” Nwachukwu said.

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The Lagos Cocktail Week team and its partners are exploiting the importance of the inter-relationship between art and innovation. Specifically, in its seventh edition, emphasis is on the roles of networking and the social media in driving growth.

One of its partners, Diageo, a renowned liquor brand, will be providing a masterclass as a symbol of its commitment to the industry and stakeholders.

The brand ambassador for Diageo, Berg Baboyan commented on the importance of the visibility and the opportunity that Lagos Cocktail Week is creating.

He said, “We support Lagos Cocktail Week every year because it is a great opportunity to truly connect with stakeholders”.

Rawa spoke extensively about the entertainment value, which the event has to offer, starting with the popular cocktail village and the bar battle.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

The Managing Director of Deep Water Consulting and Engineering Services Ltd, Mr Vincent Adegbotolu, said engineering brings about societal development and pushes boundaries into new territories.

“Everything you see in your day to day activities revolves back to engineering, from the cars to your desk, to the building you are seated in.

“These have to do with engineering,” Adegbotolu, represented by Mr Anselem Nzenwani, said.

Chief Bashir Afolami, Secretary to the Oniru Council of Chiefs and Iruland representative, said NETCO and the Iru Community has a very cordial relationship.

He urged the students and other youths from the community to take advantage of NETCO’s programmes and become better citizens in the future.

Mr Adebayo Dawodu, Principal, Kuramo College, commended NETCO for the initiative, stressing that one of the major setbacks of Nigeria as a country was nonencouragement of science and technology.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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OCTOBER 10 - OCTOBER 16, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STATE OF THE STATES corporates could be taxed. Yet, profligacy takes the centre of our governance space while frugality assumes the back seat.

BY SAM DIALA & OLAYEMI SHABA

Introduction:

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here are concerns that Nigeria’s deepening revenue challenge may escalate into a financial implosion, with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (sub-nationals), being the worst hit. The situation is aggravated by the nation’s escalating public debt stock (now at N33 trillion). The debt stock comprises domestic and external loan obligations of the Federal Government and the sub-nationals.

With over 80 percent of the nation’s revenue committed to debt servicing annually, governments at all levels are struggling to survive. There is little left for capital budget, pay salaries and undertake other priorities to grow the economy. Moreover, there is a limit to which the people and

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ross River State was created on May 27, 1967 from the former Eastern Region of Nigeria. Its capital is Calabar - a major city and business centre. It derived its name from Cross River, one of the major rivers in Nigeria. It is a coastal state in the South-East and located in the Niger Delta area. The state shares boundaries with Benue State to the north, Enugu and Abia States to the west, the Cameroun Republic and Akwa-Ibom State to the west and south, respectively.

Cross River belongs to the tropical rainfall belt where rainfall is usually seasonal and at times, very heavy. Humid tropical climate of about 1300 - 3000mm rain fall and 30°C mean annual temperatures prevail over the state, except on the Obudu Plateau, where the climate is sub-temperate, with temperatures of 15°C - 23°C. The vegetation ranges from mangrove swamps, through rainforest, to derived savannah and montane parkland. Its coastal location gives it a huge advantage for maritime business of different types.

FACT-FILE: Local Government Areas: 18 Land Area: 7,782sq mi.

Population: 3.7 million @ 2019 Registered businesses: 868 Public primary schools: 1,020 (circa)

As such, the sub-nationals are hemorrhaging huge resources in paying salaries and other emoluments of a bloated bureaucracy. To survive, they are urged to diversify their resource base, embark on aggressive internally generated revenue (IGR) and depend less on the shrinking federal allocations.

states per edition. It endeavours to unearth hidden treasures in each state and ascertain, through consultations and evidence-based survey, areas of comparative advantages and economies of scale. The publication will show-case, in no exaggerated terms, the socio-economic status of each state and highlight the opportunities and threats.

The purpose of the State of the States project, is to present evidence-based alternatives. These include avenues for the sub-nationals to become more viable and less dependent on the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) – referred to as Abuja handout.

Furthermore, State of the States will examine existing realities that hinge on sector-specific areas of competitive advantage – Agriculture, Tourism, Transportation, Education and Skill Acquisition, Wellbeing and MSMEs. Ultimately, the project seeks to create the desired spotlight on the sub-nationals to motivate them into something different for better results. We have featured Lagos and Ogun, Kwara and Kogi, Anambra and Enugu, Benue and Taraba, Kebbi and Sokoto.

State of the States, a bi-weekly publication, will feature two

This week periscopes Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

Public secondary schools: 290 (circa)

Airport: (3): Margaret Expo International Airport Calabar; Calabar International Airport, Bebi; Obudu Airstrip.

CROSS RIVER

University: (4): Federal - 1, state - 1, private - 2.

Polytechnic: (5): Federal - 1, state - 1, private - 3 College of Education: (2): Federal - 1, state - 1 College of Agriculture: State - 1.

Nursing School: (7): Midwife & nursing -5, psychiatric – 1, Mental health -1 College of Health Technology: State – 1 Technical school: State - 3.

Total Revenue: N49.07bn @ 2020 Total Tax: N12.76 bn (2020) IGR: N16.18 bn @ 2020 (32.98% of total revenue) FAAC: N32.89 bn @ 2020 (67.02% of total revenue) Domestic Debt: N163.16 bn @ 2020 External Debt: $192.47m @ 2020 Unemployment rate: 27.9 @ 2010

Seaport: Calabar Seaport.

Natural Resources: Cross River State is blessed with the following proven natural resources: Forest wood, limestone, clay, salt, tin, granite, basalt, quartzite, kaolin, sand and feldspar. There are other mineral substances said to be under investigation by geologists. These include lead, zinc ore, manganese, gold, uranium, titan, mica and gypsum.

Robust Tourism Sector The state is already on course in tourism development. The annual Calabar Festival, which attracts participants and tourists from across the globe, is highly reputed as exceptional among the states. The Obudu Mountain Resort attracts visitors all year round. The Tinapa Business Resort project, which has suffered some execution setback, is a major tourism project that is adjudged a potential cash-cow The other areas that are being developed/expanded or marked for development include: • The soaring plateaus of the mountain tops of Obanliku.

• The Obudu Mountain Resort being expanded.

• The Rain forests and mountains, • Walkway Canopy of Afi with 4-km cable car ride over the mountains • Waterfalls at Agbokim and Kwa. • The Monoliths at Ikom.

• Cross River National Park at Boki • Obubra Lake at Obubra.

• Etanpim Cave in Odukpani.

Ayade

• Game Reserve at Okwangwo and Boki

Faces of culture

• Calabar Marina Resort (which houses the Calabar Slave Museum, the Cinema and a view of the Calabar River where one could take a boat ride around or to Oron in Akwa-Ibom State).

• Calabar Residency Museum and Mary Slessor Tomb.

Agriculture The state’s economy is powered mainly by agriculture, which accounts for 70 per cent of employment in the area. Investment in infrastructure and modern inputs, such as fertilizer, seeds, tools and agro-chemicals has proved effective.

The state’s major agricultural produce include oil palm, rubber, cocoa, cashews, cassava, yam, rice, plantain, banana and coco yam. Others are maize/corn, groundnut, mangos, oranges, sugar cane and pineapples. Fishing, live stocks, sea foods and poultry are also practiced by the people. Cross River also has a world-class slaughterhouse that does about 6,000 birds per day.

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STATE OF THE STATES

Agriculture, Tourism Will Drive Cross River’s Economy Beyond Oil

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ross River State is blessed with vast hectares of land for the cultivation of different kinds of crops, both for local consumption and for export. The people recognise this and devote their energy towards exploring existing opportunities that are huge and identifiable.

The following have been identified among the requirements to enhance agricultural production in the state include: • Construction and equipping of skills acquisition centre for aquatic farming.

• Agricultural training and empowerment of youths and women.

• Supply of mobile fish pond and feed to rural farmers in selected communities.

• Rice mills with de-stoning facilities to promote Nigeria rice value chain.

• Construction of feeder roads to enhance movement of farm

produce to the markets.

• Assistance to co-operative farmers in the areas of crops, pesticides, seedlings, farm implements, fertilizers, among others.

• Agro processing, productivities enhancement and livelihood improvement support.

• Empowerment of SMEs for the cultivation of cash crops to support backward integration in the agribusiness supply chain.

The state has taken advantage of the ban on rice importation to commence large-scale rice cultivation. Cross Rice, the state’s flagship agricultural project is a multi-billion naira commercial agriculture development project jointly promoted by the Cross River State Rice Company Management Board, the Central Bank of Nigeria and Sterling Bank.

Cross River State Rice Company Management Board provides land, funding, farm inputs, mechanisation facilities and serves as

off-takers for the rice paddy produced by the farmers.

The scheme has recorded the participation of over 2,000 people at various levels who maximise the use of commercial and mechanised farming methods. The government is making efforts to increase its rice production.

The state recently commenced the G-Money initiative to boost agriculture and provide job opportunities for the youth. The project is in partnership with an American agriculture equipment firm, John Deere, towards agro-mechanisation across the rice value chain.

The Governor, Ben Ayade, confirmed that the state have taken delivery of a large number of tractors, bulldozers, pay loaders and excavators to drive this project.

The niche that Cross River has carved for itself in tourism, if strategically driven and supported with the right policies and enabling environment, will give it the best comparative advantage among the Nigerian states.

Challenging situations to address: Insecurity, policy inconsistency of government, multiple taxes, extortion, poor power supply and terribly bad road network.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Furniture Manufacturing

Palm Produce and Processing

Hotel, Resturant and Catering

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Rice Production and Processing

Mechanised Farming

Cocoa Cultivation and Processing

Arts and Crafts

Maritime Service

Cassava Cultivation and Processing

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STATE OF THE STATES

FACT FILE: Local government areas: 31 Land Area: 2,734sq mi.

Population: 5.27 million @ 2019 Registered businesses: 1,060 Public primary schools: 1,150 circa Public secondary schools: 260 circa Universities: (4): Federal - 1, state - 1, private 2 Polytechnics: (9): Federal 1, state - 2, private- 6 College of Education : State - 1 Colleges of Agriculture: (2: Federal - 1, state -1.

Nursing School: (5): Mid-wife and nursing - 4, mental health - 1 College of Health Technology: State - 1 Technical Schools: (5) Total Revenue: N176.92bn Total tax: N26.75bn IGR: N30.69bn @ 2020 (17.35% of total revenue) FAAC: N146.26bn @ 2020 (82.45% of total revenue) Domestic Debt: N230.80bn @ 2020

Aluminium Smelter

External Debt: $47.92m @ 2020

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Airport: Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo. Akwa Ibom has its own airline - Ibom Air with eight aircraft.

Sea Port: Ibono

Natural resources Crude oil, lime stone, clay, natural gas, salt, coal, giver nitrate and glass sand.

Tourist attraction in Akwa Ibom Ibeno Beach Bridge of no return Lord Lugard’s Place at Ikot Abasi National Museum of Colonia History Eket Beach

the oil production industry, to generate economic energy for the production of aluminium, the bulk of which will be exported.

The availability of relatively cheap energy, which constitutes a significant 30 per cent of the cost of the energy-intensive process of aluminium production, is expected to enhance the competitiveness of the aluminium smelter plant products on the international market Another important objective of the aluminium smelter project is the supply of the basic raw materials (ingots and billets) to local aluminium rolling mills and extrusion plants. These raw materials are currently imported.

Regrettably, the facility has been embroiled in a controversial post-privatisation legal tussle that has lasted for over 15 years. Although the Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has declared the state’s readiness to partner with the Federal Government to ensure that the aluminium factory comes back to life, this has remained far from being realised.

Ibibio Museum and park Amalgamation House First Presbyterian Church at Oron Oron Museum Agriculture Rural economy of the state is largely agro-based, which is responsible for about 75 percent of the population’s occupation. Factors that favour agriculture in Akwa Ibom include favourable year-round climate, abundance of rich fertile soil and coastal topography.

The state’s major agricultural produce are yams, rice, cowpeas, corn (maize), and cassava for subsistence living, while oil palms and cocoa are largely cash crops.

Livestock activities in poultry, rearing of pigs, sheep, goats and rabbits are part of the people’s occupation.

There is also shrimping along the coast and deep-sea fishing.

Ubom

The people’s major occupations are farming and fishing.

There are also forestry-related activities, such as woodcutting and processing.

Unemployment rate: 45.2% @ 2010

ALSCON The Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, (ALSCON) located in Ikot Abasi, was established in 1989. The philosophy of the Aluminium Smelter project is the exportation of the nation’s abundant gas resources in embodied form to generate the much needed foreign exchange for the country. The smelter will utilise a substantial portion of gas: approximately a billion cubic metres annually, which is currently wastefully flared in

Oil Grid

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kwa Ibom State was created on September 23, 1987 from Cross River state. Its capital and major city is Uyo. The state is in coastal southern Nigeria. It is bordered on the east by Cross River, on the west by Rivers and Abia states, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost tip of Cross River state. There are extensive saltwater mangrove swamps along the coast with tropical rain forests and oil palms farther inland. Akwa Ibom is currently the highest oil- and gas-producing state in the country.

AKWA IBOM

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STATE OF THE STATES

Akwa Ibom Launches Into Rapid Agriculture, Industrialisation

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disposable syringes annually. The factory began mass production of face masks in April 2020, in response to the measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Following the license it secured for the generation of 685 megawatt at Ibom Power Plant, Ikot Abasi, the state began the construction of a Power Sub-Station and the rehabilitation of PHED facility at in various locations. It also embarked on the construction of 1x60MVA, 132/33KV transmission sub-station.

The Akwa Ibom state recently embarked on an agricultural project an integrated cassava production program under a project known as the Dakkada Cassava Task Force. About 2,000 hectares of cassava were reported to be cultivated under the FADAMA project. Special species of cassava in popular demand were cultivated to meet international demand purposes and to earn foreign exchange.

In 2017, the Udom Emmanuel’s administration established the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company, located in Onna local government area. It is the largest disposable syringe factory in Africa, with the capacity to produce 350 million to 400 million units of 2ml, 5ml, and 10ml

Over the years, the state had challenges cultivating agricultural plants and crops such as cucumber, carrot, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce in commercial quantity.

The state established the Vegetable Greenhouse technology to seek a solution and has since recorded success. In a bid

kwa Ibom has embarked on rapid industrialisation beyond the traditional pursuit of agricultural development. To achieve this, it has established several skill acquisition centres and has upgraded a number of existing ones to technical colleges.

to further enhance food sufficiency and earning, the state government distributed over 2,000 African Dwarf goats to livestock farmers.

Akwa Ibom state government is giving priority to all four broad sub-sectors of agriculture as crop production, livestock, forestry and fisheries believed to be fundamental to every country’s prosperity, security and sovereignty. As such farmers, processors, researchers and policy-makers at all levels are working together under the economic recovery plan of government to promote and ensure a vibrant agricultural economy.

The success story achieved in the sector, according to Governor Udom Emmanuel, is anchored on the premise that the agricultural transformation has to be across the entire value chain – from field to mill to the table and another set to the factory for export so as to earn foreign exchange.

Challenging situations to address: Insecurity, policy inconsistency of government, multiple taxes, extortion, poor power supply and terribly bad road network.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Hotel & Guest House

Skill acquisition Centre

Mechanised Agriculture

Supermarket

Transportation

Housing/Mortgage Development

Rice production and processing

Cassava Production and Processing

Aquatic Ventures

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SportsLive Charges Against Okagbare And Her Quest For Vindication

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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n Thursday, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) charged Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, with three different charges in relation to distinct disciplinary matters. Two of the charges pertained to testing positive for banned substances and refusing to cooperate with an investigation regarding issues around her suspension during the recent Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

The AIU statement contained a fresh second charge of doping in the statement released on Thursday. It charged Okagbare with “the presence and use of a prohibited substance, following the detection of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample collected out-ofcompetition on June 20 in Nigeria. The AIU requested EPO analysis be conducted on the sample on July 29 and the adverse analytical finding was reported to the AIU on August 12.”

It further claimed that Okagbare was notified of the adverse analytical finding on August 20 and described the reason the charge was weighty and deserving of suspension, saying, “Human Growth Hormone and EPO are non-specified substances on the 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. A provisional suspension is mandatory following an adverse analytical finding for such a substance under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules and the athlete remains provisionally suspended.”

For the final charge, the AIU insisted that “in accordance with Rule 12 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules following the athlete’s refusal to co-operate with the AIU’s investigation into her case,” Okagbare had earned herself a separate third charge. It pertained to her alleged failure “to comply with a formal requirement to produce relevant documents, records and electronic storage devices, which was issued to the athlete by the AIU on September 15.”

The statement also included the fact that Okagbare specifically denied all charges based on her sustained insistence of her innocence of these charges brought against her. To further strengthen her confidence in her non-complicity in any acts of seeking an unfair advantage by cheating and using any performance enhancing substances, the African queen of the sprint immediately requested that each of these charges be submitted to a hearing before the Disciplinary Tribunal for adjudication.

THEWILL recalls that after an out-of-competition sample collected on July 19 came back positive for the human growth hormone (HGH), the Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist was embarrassingly barred from competing at Tokyo 2020. That initial provisional suspension for the offence arrived on July 30, the day before she was scheduled to compete in the women’s 100 metres semi-final event and effectively ruled her out of competing in the entire Olympics, thereby striking off a very reliable medal hopeful in Team Nigeria’s contingent.

As THEWILL reported, the interim suspension of Okagbare in the middle of the Olympics was an embarrassment for Nigeria, as it came not long after the AIU barred 10 Nigerian athletes from competing because they had not been thoroughly checked in the build-up to the Games. The 33-year-old was entering the Tokyo Games as a multitime African champion, who won silver in the long jump at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, before devoting herself primarily to competing in sprints. She was primed for success at Tokyo having earned gold in the women’s 100m and 200m events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as silver in the long jump and bronze in the 200m at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.

However, dreams of an Okagbare podium finish for Team Nigeria were thwarted by the AIU hammer. The integrity unit of World Athletics explained the embarrassing abruptness of their suspension on the eve of the sprint champion’s participation in the semi-final of the women’s 100m, which she had strenuously fought hard to qualify for, by claiming that “the WADA-accredited laboratory that analysed the sample notified the AIU of the adverse analytical finding at midday Central European Time yesterday, Friday 30 July. The athlete was notified of the adverse analytical finding and of her provisional suspension this morning in Tokyo.”

The issue to deconstruct now is: what are the medical implications of the substances for which Okagbare was charged, what do the charges

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Okagbare

According to the official statement containing the charges, Okagbare was “charged with the presence and use of a prohibited substance, following the detection of Human Growth Hormone in a sample collected out-of-competition on July 19 in Slovakia and reported to the AIU on July 30.” As THEWILL reported as of the time this charge was issued on July 31, 2021, resulting in the provisional suspension of Okagbare, the Nigerian had been scheduled to participate in the semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 women’s 100m that day.

“

Africa’s Queen of the sprint has demanded her day of self-defense to clear her name and restore her long and abiding pedigree of clean competitiveness, which have brought her laurels and medals, fame and renown on the continent and abroad, she will have her day of hearing before the Disciplinary Tribunal

truly mean in their very essence and by implication where does that leave Okagbare in the sustained insistence on her innocence?

According to a study conducted by Kien Vinh Trinh, Dion Diep, Kevin Jia Qi Chen, Le Huang and Oleksiy Gulenko and published in Volume 1, Issue 6 of the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, titled “Effect of Erythropoietin on Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” athletes have attempted to glean the ergogenic benefits of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) since it became available in the 1980s.

Produced naturally by the kidneys, EPO is also available as a pharmaceutical. EPO stimulates the production of red blood cells in bone marrow and regulates the concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin in the blood. This is useful for athletes, since red blood cells shuttle oxygen to the cells, including muscle cells, enabling them to operate more effectively.

In layman’s terms, muscle cells are factories that take the raw materials, oxygen and glucose, and turn them into energy. Now, although training increases the ability of the body to deliver oxygen to the cells and increases muscle size, more efficiency and more power yield better athletic performance. Increasing the number of red blood cells in the body increases the ability to deliver oxygen to tissues and that is where blood doping and the infusion of EPO into the blood stream come in to maximise this increase for the prospective athlete, providing an unfair advantage in the process.

As a type of blood doping that can help improve an athlete’s endurance, its use in competitive sport was first brought to the public’s attention during the 1998 Tour de France, where the entire Festina team was disqualified after several hundred doses of EPO and other doping products were found in the team car. An approved test for EPO was first introduced at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The test used a combination of urine testing, which would identify the presence of EPO (direct test) and blood testing, which would show the residual “footprints” of EPO drug use over time (indirect test). This was the first time blood was used for drug testing.

Since 2002, EPO tests in the United States were undertaken using only urine. However, in recent years the joint testing methods, such as direct EPO testing in urine and use of indirect markers in blood tests as part of the Athlete Biological Passport, have been used to help identify the use of newly-developed erythropoiesis stimulating agents.

However, EPO was once again linked with the Tour de France in its biggest and most famous case following the disgraced Lance Armstrong’s admissions in 2012 of EPO use throughout his seven tour victories. Other sports associated with EPO use include boxing (Shane Mosley, 2003), 50km walk (Alex Schwazer, 2012) and athletics (Rashid Ramzi, 2008).

The 2008 case of Ramzi is most pertinent here given that, like Okagbare, he is an athlete of the track and field category. The 30year old Moroccan won both the 800m and 1500m events at the 2005 World Championships, becoming the first person to win both events at the competition. Running for Bahrain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Ramzi took home gold in the 1500. It was a historic occasion as that was the first Olympic medal Bahrain had ever won. However, in an unfortunate turn, Ramzi was stripped of the medal after he tested positive for an advanced version of the red cell boosting drug EPO. His two-year ban from competition ended on May 2nd, 2011.

It is but an indication of the seriousness with which World Athletics and its Anti-Doping agencies take the policing of cheats to keep the competition clean. They trained their sights on EPO doping ahead of the 2012 Games hosted in London when it was made known that mini-doses of the erythropoietin and EPO-like drugs as well as human growth hormone (HGH) could thwart the prevailing antidoping tests at the Olympics. Smart cheats could apply mini-doses of EPO to avoid triggering positive test results. It urged the Athletics governing body to improve the technologically-driven detection of these processes from samples collected from competing athletes at random times.

These conditions make it an uphill task for Okagbare’s challenge of the two lab-based doping charges against her as they came from samples obtained at randomly unscheduled time frames. As the AIU statement on Thursday made known, from “a sample collected outof-competition on 19th July in Slovakia and reported to the AIU on 30th July” and from another “sample collected out-of-competition on 20th June in Nigeria”, their technologically advanced tests were able to confirm the presence of Human Growth Hormone and the EPO respectively in the samples collected from Okagbare.

Yet, as Africa’s Queen of the sprint has demanded her day of selfdefense to clear her name and restore her long and abiding pedigree of clean competitiveness, which have brought her laurels and medals, fame and renown on the continent and abroad, she will have her day of hearing before the Disciplinary Tribunal. It is hoped that a fair hearing will acquit her and confirm once for all that every accolade she has today, came from nothing but sweat, sacrifice, professional devotion to her career, dedication, discipline and that never-say-die Nigerian spirit that propels the best to the top.

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Sports

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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he grand finale of the 3rd Prince Bayo Ikujenyo Table Tennis Championship took place on Friday, October 1 at the expansive Prince Bayo Ikujenyo Table Tennis Hall, Olawale Otesile Park, Area 4, OPIC Estate, Agbara.

Under the esteemed chairmanship of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Benefits Assurance, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, contestants for the top male and female prizes sweated out a keenly contested grand finale before an appreciative audience.

Rilwan, Boluwatife Emerge Winners of Table Tennis Championship

Other invited guests are the President of the Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA) Alhaji Wasiu Olaleye; the former OGUNCCIMA President, Mr. Akinola Lawson; the President of the Residents’ Association of OPIC Estate (RAOPIC) Pastor Idowu Alebiosu; one of the oldest residents of the OPIC Estate, Engineer Adefesan and the Human Resources Manager of African Fertilizers and Chemicals Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rajinder Malhotra.

The event started with an opening address by the host, Prince Bayo Ikujenyo, and the introduction of special guests, including the Deputy Provost of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Dr Adedayo Daodu.

An exhibition match of mixed doubles followed. Thereafter, the first contestants in the semi-final of the male category, Akanbi Rilwan and Ubanekwo jude, began the Best of Five contest with two serves each.

Banner for the 3rd Edition of the Prince Bayo Ikujenyo Table Tennis Championship

Banner for the 3rd Edition of the Prince Bayo Ikujenyo Table Tennis Championship

Akanbi was the better of the pair and easily took the first set 11-5.

Ubanekwo looked to start off the second set better but only briefly because from 2-2, Akanbi took a string of games to run to 7-2 before Ubanekwo caught up. Still, there was no contest as Akanbi took the second set 11-4. It was not much different in the third set with Akanbi winning 11-4 again for a flawless 3-0 win.

In the second semi-final in the male category, Dele Melekeowei took on Surmer Qudus, the left-handed semifinalist, who had showcased his long-range skills in the exhibition and warm-up game for the main event.

In a tough first set, the pair very nearly matched each other’s play with Qudus earning applause from the audience for a strike that took the score to 5-3 in his favour. He served for the match at 10-8, but missed a strike to take it to 10-9 before winning at 11-9.

From left to right: Male champion, Akanbi Rilwan, receiving trophy and prize money from Chairman of the event, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi

Qudus was more at ease with Melekeowei’s game in the second set and edged ahead to take it to 7-2 before he missed a strike and allowed Melekeowei back into the game. It was not for long because Qudus won the second set 11-5. The pair played a similar third set, but Qudus turned up the style at the onset with a strike from a distance.

They played a long rally before Melekeowei won a good point off the edge of the table. But, Qudus pulled away from him to 10-5 and just as another applause for Qudus died down, he won the third set 11-5.

In the female semi-finals, Mustapha Boluwatife played against Funmilayo Adesosu in the first fixture. With Adesosu playing a stylised technique and Mustapha very calculated in her returns, the pair matched each other to 4-4. Then, Mustapha stepped it up to go 9-5 and went on to win 11-8.

Mustapha carried that form to the second set, but at 3-3 Adesosu came back and won a long rally at 5-3. The net did not help Mustapha as Adesosu took the second set 11-5.

In a very one-sided third set that followed, a series of Adesosu errors, from missing the ball to knocking it out of the board and to hitting the net, conspired to give Mustapha an unassailable 11-1 win as she used her serve to her advantage. Now, at two sets to one, Mustapha needed one more set to qualify for the final and that was exactly what she got, although not as lopsided as the third set, it ended 11-7.

The second semi-final in the female category pitched Eniola Ogunbanwo against Surmer Zainab. It was funny watching Ogunbanwo make unsuccessful attempts to dodge each time Surmer smashed the ball in her direction. The first set ended in 11-5 in Surmer’s favour. Ogunbanwo’s efforts to avoid being hit by the ball each time she raised it too high for Surmer to smash elicited laughter from spectators in the second set. Since Surmer missed most of the strikes, Ogunbanwo took the second set 11-9.

From 4-3, Surmer went far as far as 9-3 in the third set before Ogunbanwo got one more point and Surmer wrapped it up afterwards with an 11-4 win.

The fourth set was another lopsided encounter as Surmer went on a roll from 0-0 to 10-0. She hit a back hand, smashed some more and it appeared as if Ogunbanwo had simply conceded before the end of the match. Surmer graciously allowed her a point with a purposeful error before closing it out 11-1.

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inching ahead 3-4. While the set lasted, Akanbi got back quickly before leaving Qudus at 6-6 to go up to 10-6 and take the second set 11-8.

Female champion, Mustapha Boluwatife, with her trophy

Male Champion, Akanbi Rilwan, with his trophy

The next match was the women’s finals and Surmer immediately returned to play the winner of the first semi-final, Mustapha.

Both contestants turned out to be well matched. None allowed the other an opportunity to go far before catching up. At 3-2 Surmer earned applause with a smashing that took the points to 3-3.

Although Mustapha inched ahead to 8-5, Surmer caught up with another applause from another smash for 8-8. However, Mustapha finished the set on top at 11-8.

The second set followed the same pattern, but it was a lot tighter and elicited more appreciative applause as it continued. Mustapha’s strikes for points were matched no less by Surmer’s. They kept at it until the set ended 10-9 in Mustapha’s favour and she held on to win 11-9. However, in a twist of fortune, Surmer ran to a 0-5 lead before hitting more strikes to arrive at 1-9. Mustapha tried to make a comeback, but could only concede the set 4-11.

In the final set played, Mustapha recovered from the dip in her form and error-strewn third set to get her balance against Surmer’s game. Just like the first and second, they matched each other until 8-8. Then Mustapha focused on her service to take the set 11-8 and emerge the female champion for the 3rd edition of the competition.

It was then time for the male finalists, Akanbi Rilwan and Surmer Qudus, to slug it out. They brought into the game a set of long range shots, multiple long rallies and smashing strikes to the absolute entertainment of everyone present. The first applause for the men’s final came for the left-handed but supremely gifted Qudus when he won the point for 2-3, but a long rally allowed Akanbi to catch up and level the others again at 3-3. At 9-9, Qudus failed to return the ball. He still prevailed and won the first set 9-11.

Akanbi shrugged off the tight end to the first set and immediately caught up with Qudus at 3-3 in the second to go on a points haul that took the score to 10-3 with applause. Qudus tried to catch up, but Akanbi took it 11-5.

In the third set, there was a long rally that finished with Qudus

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In the third set, the finalists continued to entertain with long rallies, long distance shots and ball smashes. Akanbi looked destined to take it by leading 7-2, but Qudus picked up the pace to take it to 1010 with one of the longest rallies in the final up to that point. But, the players still could not be separated until Akanbi miss-hit the ball and Qudus won 13-15. It forced the final to a decider. The tight encounter remained anyone’s game until 10-9 when a long rally, which saw Akanbi send Qudus right and left of the table finished with an Akanbi strike worthy of any final victory to give him a 3-2 set win.

At the end of the showpiece, Prince Ikujenyo announced the prizes for the contestants. All those who participated in the first stage were to be rewarded with N10,000 and the second stage with N25,000.

The semi-finalists were going to get N50,000, while the female runnerup would get N75,000 and the male runnerup N100,000. The major prize for the female champion was N150,000 with the trophy and for the male, it was N200,000 and the trophy.

Prince Ikujenyo expressed his gratitude to all those who joined in making the championship what it had become and extolled the magnanimity of Dr Ogunbiyi, who encouraged him to make it a bigger place for at least four tables with a N1 million donation, amid the financial crunch induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also grateful for the privilege of the presence of the present and former OGUNCCIMA presidents, who honoured the invitation to attend even with their right schedules.

While thanking companies and industries that donated products to be distributed to guests, Ikujenyo urged those who lived around to take advantage of the hall and come to play table tennis in.

He said the Commissioner For Youth and Sports Development would have been in attendance but for other official engagements.

According to him, there was a proposal for the commissioner to get a tennis coach assigned to the Prince Ikujenyo Hall for the purpose of catching young talents from age five upwards.

The President of OGUNCCIMA, Alhaji Olaleye, also pledged the donation of two additional airconditioning units, bringing the total to seven.

Trophies and cash prizes were presented to the winners in the male and female categories.

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