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VOL 1 NO.46 • CHRISTMAS EDITION 2021

Person of the Year

EMEFIELE: PASSIONATE CENTRAL BANKER IN TURBULENT TIMES REVOLUTIONARY BANKER THAT WALKS HIS TALK

T H EWI LLN I GERI A

T H EWI LLNG

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Since 1894

Do not be a

conduit, do not be

a victim!

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VOL 1 NO.46 • CHRISTMAS EDITION 2021

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COVER

Emefiele: Passionate Central Banker in Turbulent Times Revolutionary Banker That Walks His Talk THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER

Emefiele: Passionate Central Banker in Turbulent Times

BY SAM DIALA

S

ince he first assumed office on June 4, 2014, Mr Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, Nigeria’s 10th indigenous Central Bank Governor, has been in the eye of the storm over the apex bank’s monetary policies. The reason is simple. There is an organic relationship between the Central Bank and the economy of a nation; the bank’s policies have far-reaching implications on the people’s wealth-creating abilities and standard of living. It is therefore a matter of course that Emefiele is a household name to different people for different reasons.

At one time, he was applauded by proponents of the bank’s policy initiatives. At the other, he was lambasted by critics for what they perceivee as deliberate moves to worsen an already bad situation. But this passionate Central Banker has been consistent in his actions, which underlies the fact that he means well for the nation and the economy with his boundless belief in people-oriented policies.

Unarguably, Emefiele’s coming on board as CBN Governor first in June 2014 and reappointed in June 2019, brought hope and calm to an economy that witnessed two recessions and suffered the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic under his watch. This may not be understood and appreciated by those the policies do not favour. But as a national media platform with a ‘Nigeria-centric’ vision and mission, engaged in the ardous task of shaping public opinion through objective reporting of facts and truth, THEWILL Newspaper makes bold to say that Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), deserves to be recognised as our Person of the Year.

FRUITFUL TAKE-OFF Upon his first appointment in June 2014, Emefiele unveiled his 10-point agenda, which spelt out, unambiguously, his plan to make the CBN more people-focused.

He left no one in doubt as to the priority of his policy thrust – development finance, to create jobs and attain financial stability. He said he was committed to creating “a Central Bank that is professional, apolitical and people-focused,” which “spends its energies on building a resilient financial system that can serve the growth and development needs of our beloved country.”

He has not relented efforts at ensuring economic growth and financial stability through strategic policies that impact meaningfully on the economy. Data from the bank’s Corporate Communications Department, headed by Osita Nwanisobi, a Director, showed that the bank’s development finance interventions have created over 7 million jobs.

Nwanisobi said the CBN intervention programmes, introduced under the leadership of Emefiele, were born out of a market failure and other critical issues within the nation’s economic space.

Overlooking scathing criticism from some analysts, who argued that the CBN governor had acquired renewed energy to push the bank beyond its monetary policy mandate by delving into issues beyond what the CBN Act (2007) provided, Emefiele and his team remained committed to the patriotic goal of ensuring economic stability through the bank’s several intervention programmes.

Currently, the CBN has 37 intervention funds targeted at stimulating the economy and addressing the issue of unemployment. Among is the famed Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) which brought unusual reform to Nigeria’s agricultural sector. Under the scheme, the Bank granted N756.51 billion to 3,734,938 small holder farmers cultivating 4.6 million hectares of land, of which N120.24 billion was extended for the 2021 Wet Season to 627,051 farmers for 847,484 hectares of land. The result was a boost in productivity beyond expectation.

The ABP saw the farmers, the millers, the off-takers and others actively involved in the value chain advancement. The scheme created over 3.5 million jobs. The Emefiele-led CBN also created the Agribusiness/ Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), and the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) through which the sum of N121.57 billion was disbursed to 32,617 beneficiaries; while N318.17 billion was released to 679,422 beneficiaries, comprising 572,189 households and 107,233 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) respectively. Under the National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the Bank released N3 billion to 7,057 beneficiaries, of which 4,411 were individuals and 2,646 SMEs. Similarly, under the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), N3.22 billion was disbursed to 356 beneficiaries across movie production, movie distribution, software development, fashion, and IT verticals.

The bank also created the N100 billion Healthcare Sector Intervention Facility (HSIF), which recorded a disbursement of N98.41 billion for 103 health care projects of which 26 are pharmaceuticals and 77 are

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“

Like the stitch that saved nine, the CBN’s robust interventions saved Nigeria’s economy from crumbling under the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, which brought global health and economic challenges

in the hospital services. Similarly, the sum of N232.54 million was disbursed to five beneficiaries under the CBN Health care Sector Research and Development Intervention (Grant) Scheme (HSRDIS) for the development of testing kits and devices for COVID-19 and Lassa fever. Recipients of these facilities have contributed meaningfully to the GDP. To solve the lingering electricity challenge, the bank under Emefiele created the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP); N36.04 billion was disbursed to 17 Meter Asset Providers and nine DisCos for the procurement and installation of 657,562 electricity meters. On the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility – 2 (NEMSF-2), the CBN released N120.29 billion to 11 DisCos, to provide liquidity support and stimulate critical infrastructure investment needed to improve service delivery and collection efficiency.

Under the N1.0 trillion real sector facility, the apex bank has released N923.41 billion to 251 real sector projects, of which 87 were in light manufacturing, 40 in agro based industry, 32 in services and 11 in mining. The CBN intervention in Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) led to the creation of over 620,000 direct and indirect jobs in two years.

The Presidential Fertiliser Initiative and the Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility (SANEF) were created by the Emefiele-led CBN to offer the needed support to enterprises with huge potential for job creation, conservation of foreign exchange, backward integration as well as financial inclusion.

The CBN, in collaboration with key financial institutions, deployed several measures towards improving access to finance for the MSMEs that are the engine of the economy. The creation of the National Collateral Registry (NCR) helped small businesses to leverage the opportunities to access credit for their operations. According to experts, this has encouraged MSMEs to develop a good credit rating culture at relatively lower cost from the financial institutions.

DEEPER INTERVENTIONS Like the stitch that saved nine, the CBN’s robust interventions saved Nigeria’s economy from crumbling under the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, which brought global health and economic challenges.

The apex bank stood up to be counted. One of the striking measures taken by the Emefiele-led team to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic on households and businesses was the mobilisation of key stakeholders in the Nigerian economy through the CACOVID Alliance. This led to the provision of over N27 billion in relief materials to affected households and the setting up of 39 isolation centres across the country.

Other initiatives include: A one-year extension of the moratorium on principal repayments for CBN intervention facilities; regulatory forbearance granted to banks to restructure loans given to sectors that were severely affected by the pandemic; reduction of the interest rate on CBN intervention loans from nine to five per cent.

The CBN also initiated the strengthening of the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) policy, which resulted in a significant rise in loans provided by financial institutions to bank customers. This was strictly enforced and erring banks sanctioned. As a result, loans given to the private sector have risen by over 21 percent over the past year. There was also the creation of a N100 billion Target Credit Facility (TCF) for affected households and small and medium enterprises through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank.

Also, in line with its desire to stimulate the economy to boost employment across different sectors, the CBN under Emefiele introduced initiatives, such as the Intervention Facility for the National Gas Expansion Programme; the Solar Connection Intervention Facility; and the CBN Facility Homes Financing Initiative. The N220 billion MSME fund received a renewed drive.

It would be recalled that Emefiele announced measures aimed at deepening the foreign exchange market, providing more liquidity and creating more transparency in the administration of Diasporan remittances into Nigeria. With this move, all beneficiaries have unfettered access and utilisation to such foreign currency proceeds, either in forex cash or in their domiciliary account unlike before.

The CBN’s role in the establishment of the N15 trillion Infrastructure Company, (InfraCo) Fund, an independently managed fund set to drive a self-sufficient economy and to revolutionise infrastructural development in Nigeria, has been applauded by the public. The InfraCo Fund is to close national infrastructural gaps and provide a firm basis for increasing national economic development.

The ban on importation of 41 items through the official forex window generated huge controversy and was criticized by a large section of the business community. But the motive was for the interest of the economy. Indeed, Emefiele challenged all those who claimed they had the capacity to produce the affected items to show up so as to enjoy the CBN’s support in the areas of machinery and working capital. This was part of the proactive measures of the apex bank in safeguarding the international value of the Naira, frustrating the activities of speculators and dealing with noticeable failures in the market mechanism which could lead to further depreciation of the Naira.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION While unfolding his second term plans in June 2019, Emefiele reiterated his commitment to drive financial inclusion with the new vigour that would facilitate access to financial services to 95 percent eligible Nigerians by 2024.

A study by this newspaper showed that alternative payment systems thrived beyond expectation during COVID-19 and the 15-months land border closure which was an indication of rapid penetration of financial inclusion drive into the countryside.

The CBN under Emefiele approved the licensing of more Payment Service Banks (PSBs) to promote a strong and credible payment system as well as deepening financial inclusion.

The overall financial inclusion target was 80 percent by 2020; EFInA data shows that only 64 percent of Nigerian adults were financially included by the end of 2020. This means that 36 percent of Nigerian adults, or 38 million adults, remain completely financially excluded.

The recent licensing of two major telecoms service providers, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa to join 9Mobile and Globacom as payment service banks (PSB), was a quantum leap towards achieving Emefiele’s 95 percent financial inclusion rate by 2024. PSB operators provide financial services through digital means to low-income earners and people that do not use banks or banking institutions for transactions. The essence is to bring more people into the financial inclusion space.

POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS A recent report showed that the Nigerian economy has recorded significant growth in banks credit to the private sector by 92.79 percent year-on-year to N32.64 billion in June 2021 from N16.93 billion in June 2014, when Emefiele became the governor of the CBN. The huge increase in banks credit growth was driven by the policy of Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), which the CBN introduced in September 2019.

Despite the headwinds associated with the pandemic, the banking industry has, however, remained relatively resilient. “This is attested to by our financial indicators with the industry Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) and Liquidity Ratio (LR) standing at 15.2% and 41.7%, respectively, at end-July 2021. These are above the prescribed prudential minimum.”

“Also, the Non-Performing Loan Ratio, which was 5.4% as at the same period, was above the regulatory maximum of 5% by only 40 bps. Notwithstanding these modest achievements, we cannot afford to rest on our oars as the work is far from over”, Emefiele told a delegation of financial journalists and business editors during the annual CBN-sponsored capacity building forum in Enugu last October.

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COVER WIDER INTERVENTION The Emefiele-led CBN has taken a step to restore the lost glory of the classic National Arts Theatre Complex. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) in February 2021 approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Bankers Committee for the renovation of the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

Under the arrangement, the CBN and banker’s committee will invest N21.894 billion to renovate and run the theatre profitably for a period of 21 years.

The government explained that the development is a landmark approval because it has paved the way for investment in the creative industry as part of the resolve to create at least 1 million jobs in the next three years in the creative industry.

The CBN’s robust payment system has continued to evolve towards meeting the needs of households and businesses in Nigeria. The high level of confidence in the payment system, between 2015 and 2020, attracted the investment of about $500m in firms run by Nigerian founders, the apex bank said.

The peak of the bank’s payment system revolution is the introduction of the central bank digital currency, the eNaira. Emefiele said the eNaira would help in attaining the goals of fostering greater inclusion using digital channels, supporting cross border payments for businesses and firms as well as providing a reliable channel for remittances inflows into the country.

“With the deployment of the eNaira, Nigerians in remote areas can conduct financial activities using their digital as well as features on phone devices. Partnering with our stakeholders in the financial industry, I believe that more Nigerians will be financially included”, Emefiele explained during the unveiling of the eNaira on October 25, 2021. Nigeria is the first in Africa and among the first in the world to adopt the Central Bank digital currency. The eNaira App recorded over 600,000 downloads within four weeks.

SATISFACTORY OUTCOME These measures, no doubt, have yielded the desired outcomes, as Nigeria begins to see the initial outline of an encouraging recovery, given the recent data released by the National Bureau of Statistics with a GDP growth put at 4.03 per cent for the third quarter of 2021, while inflation rate fell for the eighth consecutive month in November, 2021 to 15.40 per cent from 15.99 per cent recorded a month earlier (October).

“Our ultimate objective is to anchor the public’s inflation expectation at single digits in the medium to long run. We believe a low and stable inflationary environment is essential to the growth of our economy because it will help support long term planning by individuals and businesses,” the CBN governor had said.

Emefiele might have made history as the only CBN governor to be reappointed for a second term since the return to democratic rule in 1999 and one that experienced two recessions, his seven years records at CBN, a 63-year-old institution in Nigeria’s 61 years of independence, offer good reasons for Emefiele to be celebrated as the true people-focused CBN governor. Indeed, he piloted the affairs of the Bank in the most turbulent weather, yet achieved the ultimate altitude of greatest stability.

Nigeria is the better for it.

Godwin Emefiele: Revolutionary Banker That Walks His Talk

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

J

ust on the cusp of the Irish financial collapse in 2008, the Governor of the Central Bank, John Hurley, appeared live on national television to reassure his Celtic compatriots that all would be well and there was no need to panic. Millions tuned in to watch what was meant to be a message of hope, something close to saying, ‘Trust me, I am your banker.’

His televised appearance got the opposite reaction from his viewers. As New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright described it in a piece headlined “When Irish Eyes Are Crying,” Hurley’s listeners actually panicked when they saw their chief banker on television, “a man with an insecure little moustache.” It did not inspire any confidence at all.

Following the broadcast, many Irish citizens bee-lined it to the bank straightaway and got their money out faster than a farmer downing a pint of Guinness in a corner pub anywhere in the emerald isle. Thus did the Irish real estate/ financial crisis begin and it lasted for several months.

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Of course, the wispy whiskers gracing the upper lip of Ireland’s number one banker at the time couldn’t have been the sole cause of the financial meltdown. There were contentious bail-out issues for one or two major financial institutions then. Also, it is just possible that the many stats the banker reeled off on screen would have befuddled his viewers, particularly those not in the banking sector. So, what next?

Never predict the future, economists like to say. And they are most often correct. No one, to cite an example, foresaw the 1929 world market crash. Likewise, despite his lofty plans for Nigeria as the chief pilot of the country’s financial matters, the plummeting crude oil prices all over the world was an unexpected blow to Nigerians in general and the CBN helmsman in particular.

Look closely at the face to see whether he was fibbing or not because, as they say, faces inspire confidence and hope, or both, especially during critical situations like the Irish faced in those years of economic upheaval.

Also totally unexpected was COVID-19, which humbled much of humanity and almost brought their businesses and social relations to a standstill. A proactive leader no doubt, the CBN governor had workable intervention programmes in place such that analysts were simply bowled over by Emefiele’s radical measures taken to tackle this novel challenge.

It is hard to imagine Nigerians reacting the same way as the Irish did if the current Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, were to appear before them live to address crucial national economic matters. In fact, he has done that several times and at different occasions for both local and international audiences. In many of them, Emefiele almost always came off with a standing ovation.

At a glance, Emefiele looks every inch a banker you can trust. His high-domed cranium suggests enormous brain power. As a Banking and Finance undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for instance, he made a Second Class Upper Division becoming, in the process, the best graduating student in 1986. He followed up with degrees from Harvard and Stanford, institutions known for moulding and shaping future leaders in international finance and business.

When Jim Ovia was head-hunting for someone to start up Zenith Bank with him in 1990, he set his sights on Emefiele. A trusted and professional banker that he is, Emefiele turned a fledgling financial institution into one of the most talked about success stories in the history of commercial banking in Nigeria. Becoming Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank in just 10 years says something about his sterling qualities and professionalism, a man who would play by the rules and not cut corners in a profession where such unethical business practices are not uncommon in Nigeria.

Emefiele, fondly called Meffi by his close friends, was born on August 4, 1961 in Lagos, but by parents from Agbor in Delta State who lived and worked in the littoral state. He would also begin his primary and secondary education in Lagos and then found himself in an out-of-state school for his degree programme at UNN, Nsukka in Enugu State.

His meeting with Ovia afterwards and eventual taking up appointment with Zenith Bank is the kind of success story heads of departments of B and F plump for and routinely recount to their wards in business schools.

In other words, the success story of Zenith will never be complete without the prominent role Emefiele played in it. And, as anyone would imagine, success stories never hide, they are in plain sight to see.

Scouting for a replacement in 2014 for the outgoing governor of CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former President Goodluck Jonathan looked no further than Emefiele. Jonathan appointed him on June 4, 2014 to head the apex bank in Nigeria. The Senate confirmed his appointment immediately.

In his very first world press conference, which held the following day June 5, the new man at CBN laid out his by now famous 10-point agenda to rejig a wonky economy, to make it people-focused. His main objectives, Emefiele told Nigerians on that day and, by extension, the rest of the world, are “a Central Bank that is professional, apolitical and people-focused, which spends its energies on building a resilient financial system that can serve the growth and development needs of our beloved country.”

“

True, the real test of individuals in positions of authority anywhere in the world – whether presidents or prime ministers, heads of corporations or educational institutions – is not how much of a smooth ride they had while in office but in surmounting the rough patches along the way

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One of them is Boniface Chizea, who used the occasion of Emefiele’s sixtieth birthday last August to commend him thusly: “If we are looking for one institution that has been accountable for the country’s quick exit from the pandemic to resume growth,” Chizea wrote in a birthday tribute published in Vanguard, “it must be the Central Bank under your watch…the President also admitted openly that it was one of his best decisions to have reappointed you as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for a second term.”

After his first term in office, anyone would have reasonably imagined Jonathan’s successor, PMB, to do away with Emefiele’s services. After all, successive governments are notoriously finicky about carry-overs from previous administrations. It was not so. PMB reappointed him in 2019 as the number one man in the nation’s banking affairs, a position he occupies to this day. (For the record, Emefiele remains the only indigenous governor of CBN to serve in two different, diametrically opposed governments – politically and economically – the Peoples’ Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress.)

Of course, there have been doubters, chronic skeptics of some of the economic policies of the CBN governor. But he has always confounded them with tangible results, results that are glaring for all to see.

Among them is prohibition/ banning of certain commodities and items that can be locally produced. Rice is top on the list. Sale of forex to Bureau de Change operators is another. Making funds available to thousands of youths in Nigeria through the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund has been hailed as a programme to tackle unemployment. The Anchor Borrowers Scheme Emefiele initiated as CBN governor has revolutionarised farming in Nigeria.

On November 21, 2019, for instance, CBN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with governors of cassava producing states and cassava growers Association. It was the brainchild of Emefiele.

“Cassava,” he began by telling the mixed audience of state chief executives and farmers, “represents one of the most important economic crops in the world…the world market for the commodity is one of the most dynamic with the volume of production and foreign trade growing steadily.”

Signing the MoU, according to the governor, was in line with the diversification programme of PMB’s administration, from over dependence on crude oil. Continuing, Emefiele told his audience that Nigeria is “particularly interested in the cassava value chain because it is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic diversification economic programme for Nigeria. This is because economic diversification is an essential tool for national development and we are leaving no stone unturned towards repositioning Nigeria on the map of the world not just as the leading cassava producer but a processor as well.”

Around this time every year, most editors of newspapers and magazines brainstorm for weeks to choose their Man or Woman of the Year – that is, the individual who has had the most positive or negative impact on peoples’ lives. It is a painstaking process of winnowing the chaff from the grain, of endless disagreements or support for subjects under consideration.

When it was suggested in one of our editorial meetings that Emefiele had emerged as the THEWILL’s MoY, there were two or so dissensions. But the Business Editor, Sam Diala, quickly shot them down, enumerating one by one the achievements of Meffi in his seven years as the CBN governor. That just about put paid to the opposing views. Of course, readers will come across many of these achievements by Diala in the article headlined “Emefiele: Passionate Banker in Turbulent Times.”

True, the real test of individuals in positions of authority anywhere in the world – whether presidents or prime ministers, heads of corporations or educational institutions – is not how much of a smooth ride they had while in office but in surmounting the rough patches along the way.

Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele has had more than his fair share of both natural and man-made problems as CBN governor in the last couple of years.

Has he survived it? A resounding yes is the answer from THEWILL, which is why today, we give him a standing ovation by naming him our Person of the Year.

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NEWS Police To Enforce Car, Speed Races Prohibition In FCT

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First runner up of the Spelling Bee Y2020 competition, Master Sotin Ajose of Topo Senior Grammar School; Winner of the Spelling Bee Y2020 competition & the One-Day Governor, Miss Jemima Marcus of Angus Memorial Secondary School; Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the second runner up, Miss Rhema Edeh of Denton Junior Grammar School, during the One-Day Governor’s visit to the Lagos House, Ikeja, on 20/12/2021.

Police Arrest Cleric With Human Head

Police Retire Buhari’s Former Security Officer Over Illegal Extension Of Service

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BY AINA OJONUGWA

he Police in Ondo State have arrested a cleric, Alfa Tunde Olayiwola, allegedly in possession of a fresh human head at Oka in Ondo East Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Oyeyemi Oyediran, Commissioner of Police, made this known while parading the suspect with eight others arrested for various crimes in the state before newsmen on Thursday in Akure.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Oyediran said the cleric, who was suspected to be involved in money rituals, was arrested, following a tip off received from a member of the public on Thursday in Oka in Ondo township.

“On the 23rd of December, 2021, at about 0920hrs, the Police received information that a self -acclaimed cleric named Alfa Tunde Olayiwola ‘m’, a suspected ritualist, was about to receive a consignment suspected to be a human head.

“The Police immediately swung into action, and the cleric was apprehended at Ajagbale Area of Oka, Ondo town.

“A fresh human head was found in Olayiwola’s custody when he was arrested.

“He (suspect) confessed that the head found in his possession was to be used to ensure he had a better life,” Oyediran said.

The commissioner of police said that three other suspects were arrested between Dec. 17 and Dec. 21 at various places across the state over alleged murder.

According to him, on Dec.17, one Ayodele Bankole aged 26 years of

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Adabo Oke-aro, went to a hotel known as ‘Enjoy your life’ and a few minutes later jumped down the stairs of the hotel and took to his heels.

He said that suspect was pursued and brought back to the hotel room, where a young lady of about 24 years, was found in the pool of her blood with fresh injuries on her neck and chest.

“The lady was confirmed dead at the hospital. A blood stained knife was recovered at the scene.

“Also, on Dec. 20 about 1600hrs, one Haruna Shaibu was discovered to be missing.

“The elder brother of the missing person contacted the Police that he suspected one Paul Samuel, aged 29 years, best friend of Haruna, to have used him for money rituals.

“Because the deceased was seen last with Paul and Paul’s mother called him that his son was seen in Yara in Kogi State negotiating to sell a motorcycle, which was suspected to belong to the missing Haruna.

“When Paul Samuel was arrested he confessed to have killed his friend so that he could sell his motorcycle. A TVS motorcycle was recovered from the suspect.

Meanwhile, On Dec.21, one Ismaila Ojo, a hunter, shot a 70 years old man, who is his neighbor, while defecating in the bush at the back of his house, the CP said.

Oyediran said that when the suspect was arrested, he claimed to have been testing his gun and mistakenly shot the deceased.

“A Dane gun was recovered from the suspect,” the CP said.

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he Police Service Commission (PSC) has cancelled the three-year extension of service approved for Abdulkarim Dauda, a former Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Commission also ordered Dauda, a Commissioner of Police, to immediately proceed on retirement.

Dauda, said to be Buhari’s nephew, was asked to refund all the salaries he had collected since January 2020, when he should have left the service.

A statement by the Spokesman of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said the decisions were taken by the PSC at its 13th plenary meeting, held between Monday and Tuesday in Abuja.

THEWILL reports that President Buhari along with the Police Council, had on October 10, 2019, approved a three-year Extension of Service for Dauda, who clocked the constituted 35 years as a civil servant in January 2020.

By the president’s approval, Dauda, who was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as a Cadet Officer on January 1, 1985, would have remained in office till May 13, 2023, when he was 60 years old.

The then Force Secretary, AIG Usman Baba, now the IG, had in a signal conveying Dauda’s Service extension directed the force’s Department of Information Technology to amend their records to reflect the development.

A signal with reference number 23853/ FS/FHQ/ABJ/46, had read, “The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chairman, Police Council, has graciously approved the extension of service of CP Abdulkarim Dauda to May 13, 2023, when he would have attained 60 years of age.

Commissioner, Information Technology, amend your records please.”

Prior to his posting to the State House as CPSO to the President, Dauda had served in different police commands and formations, including the Sokoto State Command, Force Criminal Department, Lagos, Katsina State Command, Lagos State Command, Edo State Command, Police College, Kaduna, and Kano State Command and was promoted to the rank of commissioner of police in 2018.

he Commissioner of Police of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Babaji Sunday has ordered full enforcement of the prohibition of all kinds of car and speed races in the territory.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the order is contained in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh, on Thursday in Abuja.

She said the CP had directed all the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and their supervisory Area Commanders in the FCT to ensure full enforcement of the prohibition in their Respective Area of Responsibility (AoR).

Adeh said the order followed public outcry on the menace of recklessness, risk to lives and damages to personal property as well as critical national infrastructure caused by car and speed races.

She said illegal car racing, acceleration contests, speed competitions or test of physical endurance, amongst others had posed hardship in traffic navigation for road users in the FCT. According to her, Section 228 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 is clear on the prohibition of any car race, drag race, acceleration contest, test of physical endurance, exhibition of speed, among others.

She warned that any person or group caught organising or participating in the prohibited car racing event would be arrested and prosecuted.

Over 1000 Terrorists Surrender As Troops Kill 51 In 2 Weeks – DHQ

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roops of Operation Hadin Kai and Hadarin Daji have in the last two weeks eliminated not less than 51 terrorists and bandits in the North East and North West regions.

The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, made this known in an update on military operations across the country between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23 on Thursday in Abuja.

Under Operation Hadin Kai, Onyeuko said the troops carried out several land and air operations that recorded significant results at different locations within two weeks.

He said the operational efforts resulted in the neutralisation of 51, the arrest of 19 terrorists, as well as the surrendering of 1,081 terrorists and their families comprising 187 adult males, 326 adult females and 568 children.

According to him, a total of 122 assorted arms and 1,499 rounds of different calibres of ammunition were recovered, while a total of eight gun trucks belonging to the terrorists were destroyed.

“Additionally, the troops’ kinetic and nonkinetic operations have continued to drive the terrorists out of their camps into surrendering.

“Within this period in focus, a total of 1,081 terrorists and their families comprising 187 adult males, 326 adult females and 568 children surrendered to our troops at different locations.

“The surrendered terrorists were properly profiled and handed over to appropriate authorities for necessary actions”, he said.

Under Operation Hadarin Daji, Onyeuko said the troops had sustained land and air offensives against the bandits and other criminal elements at different locations across the North West region.

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Lawan

Buhari

POLITICS

Electoral Act Amendment Bill: Buhari, NASS Playing Politics with Nigeria’s Democracy

BY AMOS ESELE WITH REPORTS FROM KAJO MARTINS, BASSEY ANIEKAN, SEGUN AYINDE

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hree days to the expiration of the mandatory 21 days to assent to The Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari jetted out to Istanbul for a three-day Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit and flew back on the deadline. Two days after, on Tuesday, December 21, he forwarded a letter to the National Assembly, explaining why he would not assent to the bill.

He cited financial, legal, security consequences and weak political foundation based on advice from Ministries, Departments and security agencies after a review, for rejecting the bill.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the opening of plenary on Tuesday, read the letter from the Buhari on his rejection of the Electoral Act 2021 (Amendment) Bill.

Buhari said, among others, “The direct implication of institutionalising only direct primaries is the aggravation of overmonetisation of the process as there will be much more people a contestant needs to reach out to thereby further fuelling corruption and abuse of office by incumbent contestants who may resort to public resources to satisfy the increased demands and logistics of winning party primaries.

“Indirect primaries or collegiate elections are part of internationally accepted electoral practices. More so, direct primaries are not free from manipulations and do not particularly guarantee the emergence of the will of the people especially in circumstances like ours where it is near impossible to sustain a workable implementation framework or structure thereof.

“The conduct of direct primaries across the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts. The addition of these costs with the already huge cost of conducting general elections will inevitable lead to THEWILLNIGERIA

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huge financial burden on both the political parties, INEC and the economy in general at a time of dwindling revenues.

“The amendment, as proposed, is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy, which is characterised by freedom of choices of which political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right of freedom of association,” Both chambers of the national assembly reacted immediately.

The Red Chamber bristled and drew a line with the executive; the Senate adjourned plenary till the next day, Wednesday, to enable them decide on how to override the President Buhari on the 2010 Electoral Act (amendments) Bill 2021. The Senators immediately set about gathering signatures to veto the President’s decision.

The Green chamber mellowed out and deferred action to next year when they would have resumed from end-of year recess.

According to Speaker Gbajabiamila, the National Assembly would decide the next course of action regarding the electoral bill in 2022.

“As it is, it falls on the parliament to decide the way forward,” said Gbajabiamila during his end-of-the-year speech to members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 21.

“When we resume next year, we will decide it together. We must not throw a baby away with the bathwater.”

By Wednesday morning, however, Senators gave the impression that they were bent on vetoing the executive, flaunting 75 signatories among them as indication that they had got more than the required two-thirds majority to follow through their threat. By afternoon, this senatorial resolve had hit the brick wall. The senior lawmakers failed to override the President’s veto on the 2010 Electoral Act (amendments) Bill 2021.

President of the Senate Lawan, as usual had intervened to pour cold water on the matter. He gave three reasons why it was impracticable to carry out their advertised threat. He said after the executive session with members the upper chamber decided to consult with members of the House of Representatives on the matter; since the lower chamber had gone on recess, it would be

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proper to wait till January after resumption of the members; and that members should use the intervening recess period to consult with their constituencies.

For many Nigerians who had been referring to the ninth NASS as “rubber stamp,” because they felt it was always beholden to the executive since the intra-party aided election of its leadership in an APC dominated assembly, the collapse of the Senator’s threat was expected.

What could have amazed them however was that the senior lawmakers could not defend decisions that they took themselves particularly, on the direct primary clause, which they inserted into the Electoral Act after yielding to public and stakeholder’s pressure to include electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act amendment.

Also, President Buhari acted true to type, despite promising during a recent foreign trip that he would bequeath a legacy of transparent and credible electoral system in Nigeria. His last week rejection of the Electoral Act amendment 2021 would be his fifth time in seven years in office to decline assent to the Act. In 2018, he refused to sign Electoral Act amendment bills transmitted to him by the Eighth National Assembly led by then Senate President Bukola Saraki, four times.

The first time was in February 2018. His grouse was that amendment bill contained provisions that reordered the sequence of elections; In June, both chambers of the NASS worked on the bill and resent it; he refused to sign. A monthly later, in July he cited increased costs of conducting elections and rejected the bill.

Then few weeks to the February 13, 2019 general election, he sent a letter dated December 6, 2018, addressed to Senate President Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, saying that signing the bill close to preparation for the 2019 elections would cause confusion and lead to uncertainty in the polity.

He promised to sign the bill after the 2019 elections. He never did. *Continued on Page 11

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

PDP Must Apologise For Uncountable Harm Done to Nigerians - Okechukwu Mr. Osita Okechukwu is a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He is also the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on the forthcoming APC national convention, the 2023 presidential election among other issues of national importance.

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Don’t forget that every disappointment is a blessing, consequent upon that today we have BVAS, which is Vaccine to Vote Rigging. In spite of the controversy over the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill; electronic transmission of results is retained. For instance, the Anambra State gubernatorial election has made it clear to any political party leadership that if you don’t put your house in order, the electorate will do it for you.

You were quoted to have said that all other southern Presidential aspirants should withdraw for South East aspirants. How true is that and why and what are your reasons?

Yes, but it is an appeal emanating from the zoning convention which heralded the 4th Republic Nigeria in 1999. It is meant to engender equity, natural justice, good conscience and unity of our dear country. It states that the President should rotate from the south to the north and it started from the South West in 1999 with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the first beneficiary. It went to the north in 2007 and it came back to south because of the unfortunate demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and back to north.

Naturally, it will come back to south and southeast is the only geopolitical zone in the southern belt which has not presided over Nigeria from Aso Rock Villa; therefore, in the interest of national unity, equity, good conscience, it’s our turn.

Many state chapters of the APC are having parallel executives. What is your advice to the APC Caretaker Committee on this crisis?

The Reconciliation Committee headed by distinguished Senator Abdullahi Adamu will address the issues to a larger extent. My optimism is based on the little discussion I had with them and the little outcome one could discern from my observation. There is a culture PAGE 10

Okechukwu

our party, the APC has scheduled its National Convention for February 2022.

But are you worried that up till this time there is no announcement of venue and date for the event?

To be honest there is no cause for alarm as far as the fixed February date for our national convention is concerned. There is a limit to shifting the date, as all of us are aware that 2022 is the eve of 2023 general elections and year of primaries.

of censorship arising from the BVAS as a critical vaccine to vote rigging.

away with the Bathwater. That’s why I made this statement somewhere.

How optimistic are you about the future of the APC after Buhari’s Government?

Yes, some compatriots had canvassed for a full package of both the electronic transmission of results, and sole direct primaries as mode of electing candidates by all political parties which was submitted to NASS for the assent of Mr. President.

There is no doubt that Mr. President is the numero uno and Alpha and Omega of our great party, but this does not presuppose that the party will crumble with his exit or tenure expiration. Far from it, we Buharists and other legacy members are there to hold forth when his tenure expires. Don’t forget that he mentors, and is a master in delegation of powers. His workshop has trained thousands who will keep the flag flying.

What is your position on NASS limiting the manner of choosing party’s candidates in election to direct primary?

I am a supporter of direct primary as it is better in expanding the frontiers of democracy. However, one cannot swipe the salient points raised by Mr. President in his response to the NASS. All one could say is that I am happy that Mr. President did not throw the baby

President Buhari did not assent to the Bill as presented, but had clearly marshaled out his points of departure which as usual in liberal democracy did not go down well with some and went down well with some, especially our dear state governors.

It is my candid view that the Christmas gift is that the baby, the core item and the most treasured free and fairer election enabler in the bill - the electronic transmission of results - and other valuable items are preserved, retained and endorsed by Mr. President, NASS and INEC. Their being on the same page is a Christmas gift.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW is a case study of BVAS is “vaccine to vote rigging.”

PDP is boasting that it will take over the government after the 2023 general elections. How will you react to that?

Spare me the serial boasts of our sister political party, the PDP. Is PDP not the one which boasted to rule for over sixty years uninterrupted? What happened?

What is 60-16 = 44. Please help me to tell PDP to first apologize for the uncountable harm done to our dear countrymen. Permit me to mention a few - We are used to such hallucinations from the PDP, a party which regrettably squandered the messianic vision of its founding father, the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme of blessed memory, frustrated foreign investors and the high exit- expectations of Nigerians from gruesome military dictatorship.

“

Please help me to tell PDP to first apologize for the uncountable harm done to our dear countrymen.

Permit me to mention a few - We are used to such hallucinations from the PDP, a party which regrettably squandered the messianic vision of its founding father, the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme of blessed memory, frustrated foreign investors and the high exit- expectations of Nigerians from gruesome military dictatorship

A party whose preoccupation in 16 years was unholy decapitation of institutions of democracy, political assassination of Bola Ige, Harry Marshal, Ogboniya Uche, A.K.Dikibo and host of others, squander mania of oil revenue, and less than transparent sale of state owned enterprises, hence arrant neglect of social and physical infrastructure.

PDP with the realisation of its folly, since election traditionally is a referendum on the incumbent, embarked on disastrous and costly third term agenda which Pan-Africanist, and ex-President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki captured inter alia, “But some time before, in 2005, a campaign began in Nigeria to amend the constitution to allow for three presidential terms. This developed to a point that the draft of the proposed amendment had been presented to the Nigerian parliament as papers.

When I heard about this development, I engaged Obasanjo to communicate my unease at the proposal.

In the end, I discussed it with General Abubakar, and we agreed that the proposed amendment was undesirable. We shared the view that the amendment must be avoided at all costs. We were of one mind that it spells bad both for Nigeria and the rest of the continent, tampering with and compromising our democratic system, which is just a few years old.

We agreed to add our voices to those kicking against the amendment. We agreed that Abdulsalam would follow the situation in Nigeria closely and indicate to me when we should intervene against the constitutional amendment. I was very pleased when he said that the Nigerian Senate has voted against the amendment.”

My dear compatriots please take time off your Christmas holidays and go through the bill, Mr. President’s letter to NASS and go through INEC endorsement of BVAS, it is a vaccine to vote rigging.

INEC submitted, “The BVAS has come to stay. So too is the uploading of polling unit results on INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time on election day.

We are convinced that the introduction of technology in voter accreditation and result management is better than the best entirely manual process. It also increases public confidence in the process. We will continue to deepen the use of technology in our elections.”

For those who feel bad, especially our Civil Society Organizations, please take solace on the truism that the INEC’s reassurance and the truism that no where in Mr. President’s response, did any clause whittle down electronic transmission of results; therefore the retention of Section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act in the new Electoral Act 2021/2022, is more a dangerous booby-trap to APC and PDP than to ordinary Nigerian citizens. Anambra State governorship election of 2021 THEWILLNIGERIA

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Buhari, NASS Playing Politics with Nigeria’s Democracy *Continued from Page 9

Now, in 2021, few before the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, commences preparations for the coming elections in Osun and Ekiti States in June, 2022, he has rejected the amendments to the 2021 bill, citing finance, insecurity, legal consequences. A powerful lobby put up by governors across party lines, who argued that direct primary clause infringed rights of political parties, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who cited insecurity and finance to empower INEC, swayed the president.

“More disappointing is the fact that the President delayed his response until the effluxion of time required for assenting to legislation until the date that the National Assembly is proceeding for the Christmas and New Year holiday,” said CSOs, in their reaction to the development.

The CSOs, namely, Yiaga Africa; International Press Centre, IPC; Centre for Citizens with Disability, CCD; Albino Foundation; CLEEN Foundation; Institute for Media and Society, IMS; Nigerian Women Trust Fund, NWTF; and Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, PTCIJ, on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, said; “The President’s decision to withhold assent to the Bill will have serious implication for INEC as it prepares for the FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, and ultimately the 2023 General Election.

“The non-conclusion of the electoral amendment process will mean that these elections will be conducted using the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), denying INEC the opportunity to test the efficacy of some of the new innovations introduced in the proposed Electoral Bill 2021. This is apart from the delay the Commission will have to contend with in the required effort to review its guidelines, regulations and manuals in accordance with certain provisions of the Bill.

Mr Segun Sowunmi, Spokesperson of Atiku Campaign Organisation, thinks the President should have explored the advantage of the APC controlled NASS to discuss grey areas in the Act and remove areas considered contentions and then sign it.

He said; “The president has no excuse because they have time. Is it out of place for the presidency to have a joint process with the senate with a view to strengthen our elections.? Why should we be spending huge money to vote and we are not even sure that the process has integrity.”

Curiously, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers who, alongside governors, had also kicked against inclusion of direct primary in the amendment bill, said during the week that the clause was included by the APC lawmakers who wanted to kill electronic transmission of results by INEC.

When the third term bid failed, PDP in retaliation punished Nigerians with the worst electoral fraud in the annals of Nigeria history under Professor Maurice Iwu in 2007.

“The APC itself and their populated national Assembly cannot be taken seriously on issues that bother on deepening electoral process and reforms in the electoral system, said Chief Willy Ezugwu, Secretary General of the National Conference of Political Parties, CNPP.

Another ignoble punishment meted to Nigerians was less than transparent sale of state owned enterprises and frustration of foreign investors leading to annual loss of over $15 billion subsidy paid for the importation of refined petroleum products arising from the failed three greenfield refineries and petrochemical plant contract awarded on 13th of May 2010, by President Goodluck Jonathan to Chinese State Construction and Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC), at $23 billion, meant to be located at Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos States. When this fiasco was going on, Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account had over $40 billion in the kitty.

He added; “Their main fears centre on electronic transmission of results and direct primary which would have swept the current leaders in APC out of power in 2023 for failing to deliver on their electoral promises.”

How will you assess the performance of INEC in the last governorship election in Anambra State and what is your advice to the electoral umpire moving forward?

Excellent! INEC has tremendously improved since the exit of Professor Maurice Iwu. Professor Jega did well and Professor Mahmood Yakubu is doing well.

That’s my honest assessment.

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Similarly, two governorship aspirants in Benue state have decried decried the refusal of President Buhari to sign the Electoral Act amendment.

Dr. Terver Tule, the PDP governorship aspirant in the state, wondered aloud why the president had declined assent since he was not seeking another elective position in 2023.

“One would have taught that he is afraid that what the Act would affect his chances.

“If governors resist the direct primary, I could understand because of their fear of unknown. But direct primary has come to stay because the agitation by Nigerians has just started and if not now, then tomorrow we will the need for it,” he said.

Dr Tule however gave the NASS the benefit of the doubt. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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Adeleke

Yusuf

Oyetola

POLITICS

Yusuf, Adeleke, Others Battle Oyetola for Osun Governorship

BY AYO ESAN

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the date of the 2022 governorship election in Osun State for July 16, 2022. The INEC Time Table for the election shows that the notice of election and other buildups will begin on February 15, 2022.

The collection of Form EC9 (formerly CF001) and EC9B (formerly CF002) for the election by political parties on the Commission’s website will commence on February 16, 2022, while the conduct of primaries and resolution of disputes are expected to take place between February 16 and March 12,.

INEC said, “The tenure of the Governor of Osun State will expire on November 26, 2022. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 178 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 25 (7) and (8) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), the earliest date for the election into the office of the Governor, Osun State, shall be the 28 June, 2022 and the latest date for the election shall be October 27, 2022.

“By virtue of the provisions of Section 178 (2) of the Constitution and Section 25 (8) of the Electoral Act, Election into the office of a. State Governors shall hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office. The Commission is by virtue of Section 30 (1) of the Electoral Act, expected to issue Notice of the Election not later than 90 days before the date of the Election.

“This is in exercise of the powers conferred on INEC by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1959 (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf,” the notice read in parts.

The commission also listed March 25, 2022, as the date for the publication of personal particulars (EC9) and April 8 as the last day for the withdrawal/replacement of candidates by political parties.

According to the notice, April 17, 2022 is the date for the official commencement of campaigns by political parties.

Governor Gboyega Oyetola is eligible for re-election. Although he is yet to officially announce his desire to seek re-election,

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but his body language is clear that he will definitely contest the 2022 governorship election.

The primaries that will produce the governorship candidates of the various political parties have been scheduled to take place between February 16 and March 12, 2022.

In the PDP those that have obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms include the candidate of the party in the 2018 Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke. Others are Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Hon. Sanya Omirin, Prince Dotun Babayemi, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and Mr Dele Adeleke, who is Ademola Adeleke’s nephew.

In a statement he issued after purchasing the nomination form, Dele Adeleke said the Gboyega Oyetola Administration had plunged the state into debt through the misplacement of priorities.

“This is what the APC represents – misplacement of priorities and mismanagement of scarce state resources,” he said, adding that since there was an urgent need to re-engineer Osun State, he had decided to enter the race for the governorship of the state in order to restore Osun on the path of prosperity.

Adeleke continued, “One thing is clear to even the people who are in power today. Osun State needs urgent re-engineering.

Financially, administratively, politically and socially, we need a new direction, a new mindset, a new thinking and a new approach to solving our problems. We need a new order.

“I am coming into this race with three decades of hard-earned working experience in corporate financial re-engineering, project management and human resource management.

“My professional qualifications and proven track record of practical industry exposure have prepared me for challenging situations like the one Osun is presently mired by. I am eminently qualified, competent and ready to undertake the re-engineering and repositioning that Osun so urgently needs.

“Therefore, I offer myself in service to be the vessel of uplift, the ladder of ascension to the progress and prosperity of our beloved state.

“In addition, coming from a family that has over the years proven her commitment to social development, my ancestry and indeed my personal engagements across the state make me eminently ready for the task of service to the people of Osun State, as governor.

“Picking up my nomination form is the first step in the long journey towards wresting power from the incumbent APC. Having taken this first step, I declare my readiness to do all that it will constructively take to win the confidence of all stakeholders, leaders and teeming party faithful to be elected as the PDP flag-bearer, go on to win the governorship election and ultimately deliver great service to the people of our dear state.

“We must halt the retrogression of our dear state under the mismanagement of the APC. We must re-engineer, rebuild and reposition. We must salvage and make sense of all that we have left now, to build a today that is blissful for us and a future that our children can be proud to be part of.

“Finally, this is an urgent call to the good people of Osun, a call to the oppressed, the deprived, the downtrodden and particularly the youths’ yearning for a better future. A revolution has started, a time to say no to any form of oppression, a time to rise up to action and rescue our dear state. Do not just complain, act.

“Please join hands with me, support this movement to birth a new dawn of prosperity. Let us stand firm and undeterred in our conviction to set Osun on the path of sustainable development”.

In the APC, those that have shown interest in the governorship race include a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yussuf; former Speaker of the Osun State Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam and former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti. The three aspirants belong to a faction of the party, known as The Osun Progressives, that is loyal to the former Governor of Osun State and Minister of Interior, Engr Rauf Aregbesola.

Yusuf has said that “nobody born of a woman” can stop his governorship ambition.

TOP has been having a running battle with the incumbent Governor Oyetola and the result is the emergence of parallel executives from the congresses held recently.

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PERSPECTIVE

Buhari’s Excellent Leadership In Agric, Business, Economy

BY PRECIOUS NWANKWO

nies under the Power and Airlines Intervention Facility (PAIF) scheme. A total of ₦1.24 trillion has been spent under the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading-Payment Assurance Facility (NBET-PAF), while ₦47.83 billion has been released for the procurement and installation of 858,026 electricity metres. As of the last quarter of 2021, 753,197 metres have been installed in homes and businesses across the country under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). A further ₦363.04 billion has been released for 19 projects under the Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF) intervention.

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n May 29, 2015, when the then 72-year-old ex-military Head of State, retired General Mohammadu Buhari was sworn in as the first opposition figure to win a presidential election in Nigeria since independence in 1960, he came in on a wave of optimistic goodwill that signalled the onset of fresh beginnings, a restart towards change and the hope for a march towards better life for all Nigerians.

Riding on the momentum of that goodwill, the President exemplified that strict disciplinarian facade that endeared him to many with his firm and oft-chorused declaration that “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”. These words reverberated across the country even as they were met with raucous applause from the celebrant crowds witnessing the event live in Abuja and expectant compatriots following the activities live at home and abroad.

As part of the government’s intention to take care of all strata of the country’s population, the administration’s Social Intervention Programmes (SIP) approved the expansion of the National Social Register (NSR) by 1 million additional households. A total amount of ₦363.49 billion was released under the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF), designed to help individuals and businesses mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme has increased the purchasing power of beneficiaries, thereby stimulating trade within the country. The Administration has also established the ₦75 billion Nigerian Youth Investment Fund created to boost the Nigerian economy through leverage and access to finance for youths.

Yet, there was hope being rekindled on that fateful Friday in 2015. Vowing to tackle “head on” the issues of corruption and the insurgency from militant Islamist group Boko Haram, the soldier-turned-electoral-victor assured his economically-challenged, terrorist-threatened and socioculturally-wearied compatriots that the Calvary had arrived.

That was in May, 2015.

Fast-forward to December 2021, after six years on the saddle and in the second year of President Buhari’s second tenure, the administration of the six-year-old government tells a story of incremental progress in several critical segments of the economy. Key performance indicators further reveal observable developments that have helped to shore up the economy from a nose dive, at the earliest phases of takeover from the previous frivolous administration, and during the unprecedented lockdowns that characterised the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, which threatened to destabilise the country’s economy.

To better appreciate this perspective, the vantage point must shift to a macro-economic outlook for the judgement call on the Buhari administration. This will demonstrate the trackable progress made within the duration of the Buhari administration.

In terms of fiscal measures, data which is tracked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show that Nigeria outperformed some of the largest African economies after South Africa especially in handling the strain that the COVID-related crises put on economies on the continent and beyond. Nigeria’s comparatively strong fiscal spending helped her overcome the COVID-19 recession faster than Ghana, Zambia, and Kenya, which all exited in the first quarter of 2021, while Lesotho exited in the second quarter of 2021.

During the COVID-induced recession, Nigeria witnessed negative GDP growth of -6.10% and -3.62% in the second and third quarters of 2020. Nigeria’s inflation trajectory shows that the President Buhari Administration is putting tremendous efforts to reduce the rate of inflation in Nigeria.

The headline inflation rate in Nigeria decreased for eight consecutive months to 15.99 percent in October 2021 from 18.17 percent in March 2020.

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Buhari

When the President spoke, his voice carried through his determination to bring “increased prosperity” to Africa’s most populous country and reached the ears of his countrymen and women wearied by years of flashy promises from men and women of the political class, which ended on the political soapbox without translating to any remarkable difference in the daily struggles of the average Nigerian.

African economies, Nigeria’s case shows a declining inflation trajectory which is a sign of positive macroeconomic performance.

Combined with a robust increment of external reserves is the Buhari administration’s goal to meet Nigeria’s importation obligations. The country’s reserves reached nearly $41.75bn in October 2021, comfortably above the $40bn global benchmark. Current figures from October and September places Nigeria’s external reserve higher than the external reserves of some large African economies such as Angola ($9.8bn), Kenya ($14.09bn), Ghana ($9.5bn), and Egypt ($40.85bn) A total amount of ₦714.26 billion was disbursed to 663 projects under the Commercial Agric Credit Scheme (CACS) in November 2021 and about ₦884.91 billion, for the Anchor Borrowers Programme, to smallholder farmers. These interventions have greatly improved agricultural output and productivity in the country. The Administration also introduced the 100 for 100 Production and Productivity policy, which is anchored by the CBN with the core objective of boosting production and productivity in the country’s manufacturing sector while reversing the nation’s overreliance on imports. This achievement led to a price reduction in fertiliser from ₦9,000-₦11,000 per bag to ₦5,500 per bag, foreign exchange (FX) savings of $150m annually through the substitution of imported components with locally manufactured ones, and subsidy savings of ₦50 billion annually.

As a way of health intervention, a total of ₦108.22 billion was disbursed to 117 projects under various sectors of the Healthcare Industry. This intervention has increased the capacity of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, laboratories and other health establishments in delivering healthcare services. Also, a total of ₦172.90 million has been spent on the development of vaccines, drugs and herbal medicines under the Health Sector Research and Development Intervention (Grants) Scheme (HSRDIS).

In terms of Energy and infrastructure, a total disbursement of ₦313.76 billion was made to power and airline compa-

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The Administration has also launched the Nigeria Innovation Fund which is anchored by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). The Fund is aimed at addressing investment opportunities in the domestic technology sector particularly in the data networking, data centres, software, Agri-tech and Bio-tech subsectors.

Coupled to this is the $1bn Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and invested specifically in critical road and power projects across the country, another demonstration of a single-minded commitment to upgrade and develop Nigeria’s Transport, Power and Health Infrastructure. The Bank of Industry has disbursed more than 400 billion in loans to large, medium, small and micro enterprises.

In the financing of businesses, a US$1.3 billion (₦396.5 billion) fund was issued by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) for medium and long-term loans to MSMEs, even as the Bank of Industry has disbursed more than ₦400 billion in loans to large, medium, small and micro enterprises. Progress in virtual business is evident in the eNaira project, which will enhance the effective conduct of monetary policy, increase remittances inflows, increase financial inclusion and reduce cash management costs.

All these have helped Nigeria move up 39 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings since 2016. Also, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) in 2017 published a Compendium of all Investment incentives in Nigeria. To keep these indices positive across board, the Buhari administration has extended more than ₦2 trillion in bailout packages to State Governments, so that they can meet their salary and pension obligations, especially in the face of dwindling oil revenues in the first 3 years of the Administration.

Though insecurity orchestrated by terrorists and bandits particularly in northern Nigerian continues to pose a challenge to economic development in the region, these macro-economic statistics have provided evidence to demonstrate that there are laudable milestones in the six years of the current administration, which are altogether a realisation of government objective towards the welfare and security of the Nigerian people. Despite the dire straits and pressure on the pockets of the average Nigerian, all these statistics point to the admirable and comparatively wholesome macroeconomic strides the government is making to ameliorate the harm economic realities may be putting the country through at the moment. Before long, these will translate to the benefits of all and sundry.

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EDITORIAL

Beleaguered Power Sector And Elusive Pre-Paid Metres

S

ix years into the life of the present administration and eight years after the unbundling of the stateowned electricity company, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerians are still far from enjoying regular and uninterrupted electricity supply.

Sadly, no meaningful achievements have been recorded in the eight years that the power sector has been under private ownership (since November 2013). Several policy measures by the government have failed to yield the desired results as the corrupt system has succeeded in generating more cash for the players than electricity for consumers.

But for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) N300 billion Power and Aviation Intervention Fund (PAIF), the beleaguered electricity sector would have totally collapsed.

The DisCos have failed to inject the required funds to boost their working capital and lift the needed infrastructure for the nation’s power distribution network. The DisCos are also accused of diverting their bill revenues to personal vaults instead of settling their debts and improving their working capital. They are said to be holding on to decaying assets, which sink their performance while they feed fat on their helpless consumers through the notorious estimated billing

system.

estimated billing.

As a way out, the government intervened by launching the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme in 2013, which allowed the manufacturers/vendors to procure and install pre-paid meters for consumers. The Federal Government through the CBN has provided intervention funding for the sector up to the tune of N1.6 trillion with the involvement in MAP.

In this milieu, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently announced an increase in price of meters effective November 15, 2021. The new price regime raised the price of a singlephase meter from N44,896.17 to a revised rate of N58,661.69, while the price of a three-phase meter was increased from N82,855.19 to a revised rate of N109,684.36

The government later launched the National Mass Metering Project (NMMP), under Mr Raji Fashola as then minister of Power, Works and Housing.

The NMMP is a five-year project meant to fast-track the provision of metres to over six million households within the period. The slow pace of MAP led to allowing both schemes to run concurrently with the joint purpose of closing the huge metering gap in the country’s electricity sector. Sadly, little has been achieved on this.

It is unfortunate that Nigerians have to bear the brunt of such an inefficient, corrupt and exploitative system. It has been reported that Nigerian businesses and households spent $12 billion and $14 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, to fuel their generators to remain in business.

This has huge implications on their business in particular and the economy in general. The high rate of inflation and the continued double digit monetary

The Senate at its committee level on March 26, 2021 blasted the Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the DISCOs for poor performance of the mass metering project with a whopping N33.4 billion sunk into it by the CBN. Despite this huge intervention, the meters have remained an elusive commodity.

Many consumers, who paid for them, are yet to be supplied.

Officials of the DisCos and meter supply companies have been reported to be involved in fleecing unsuspecting consumers eager to obtain the pre-paid meter and escape the scourge of

With the planned full withdrawal of electricity and petrol subsidies in 2022, Nigerians are in for a long walk in the economic valley of death

policy rate of the CBN – a benchmark for the interest rates that banks charge on loans to their customers, are principally based on this anomaly.

Electricity is the bedrock of modern industrialisation. Its production and consumption have a direct relationship with wealth creation in every economy. No economy has made progress without adequate and uninterrupted supply of electricity. That pre-paid meters have remained elusive eight years after the mass metering project was launched points to huge leadership failure. it must not be allowed to continue.

The power sector needs an urgent reform – one that will add value to the economy and uplift the standard of living of the people. Government should fast-track the move to amend the Electricity Sector Power Reform Act, the law upon which the 2013 privatisation was based. This will put a check on the ugly activities of the GenCos and DisCos. With the planned full withdrawal of electricity and petrol subsidies in 2022, Nigerians are in for a long walk in the economic valley of death. Labour unions should work with the government to achieve a useful purpose on this matter. The APC-led government under President Muhammadu Buhari should consider an overhauled power sector as a suitable parting gift to Nigerians who have suffered enough in these six years of unbearable darkness. Let the pre-paid meters be made available.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Austyn Ogannah Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala 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]

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VOL 1 NO.46 • CHRISTMAS EDITION 2021

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OPI N ION

Fighting Insecurity Same Way We Fought COVID-19 (1)

BY MAGNUS ONYIBE

I

n the very popular Bob Marley song, ‘Redemption Song,’ the lyrics goes thus: “How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? “

If you substitute the word prophets for masses in the music maestro’s scintillatingly and solemnly rendered lamentation song, he might have been singing about Nigeria of today, even though the music was sang and released in June 1980, about 40 years ago.

The reason why the song resonates in Nigeria is due to the fact that a similar circumstance of life at its most horrific level, slavery and colonialism, which prompted Marley to sing this song of agony, is here with us in Nigeria.

Our country has been transformed into a killing field. Unlike white oppression, which Marley was wailing about, the misery is not being brought upon us by external forces, but by our own people with extremist views. They are at war with society and have committed atrocities that debase human lives and demonstrate a complete loss of value of life.

In his song, Bob Marley also wailed about prophets being killed. The current reality in Nigeria is that the innocent and hard working masses are being butchered in droves in the past 10 years or thereabouts of the malaise being brought upon us. And it appears as if the outlaws – terrorists, bandits, known and unknown gun men are getting bolder in their evil enterprise as they are currently setting their eyes on leaders (of the political hue), some of who they have killed.

The evidence of the ugly phenomenon that is evolving is the recent assassination of a commissioner and a member of the cabinet of Katsina State Government, Dr Rabe Nasir Bindawa, a fortnight ago.

Barely a week after that incident, a lawmaker from Kaduna State, Mr Rilwanu Gadagau, was also murdered by terrorists as he travelled between Kaduna to Zaria. As the Yuletide is now upon us, many politicians living in the relative safety of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, will be going back to meet with the long suffering members of their constituencies in the same places where intense acts of terrorism is being unleashed on the defenceless masses.

In the light of the two recent killings of members of the executive and legislative arms of government in both Katsina

The suspicion that politicians are being targeted is not being made up by this writer. The Directorate of State Services, DSS recently issued the alert via a press release.

The merchants of death, for want of a better adjective to describe them, may have failed in previous attempts to take the lives of governors Babagana Umara Zulum and Samuel Ortom of Borno and Benue States, respectively. Both governors only managed to escaped, by the whiskers, from the dragnets of the bandits now officially branded terrorists by the authorities in Abuja.

But the terrorists are getting bolder.

Having failed to kidnap or kill a state governor or other high ranking politicians via ambush on the road or while attending a public event , as was the case of Prof Chukwuma Soludo, governor-elect of Anambra State, whose police aides were killed during an attack on him and Governor Hope Uzodinma of lmo State whose country home was recently razed down by arsonists, who were after his life, the out laws may even attack a Governor’s Lodge or Government House in the North or South- East.

The reasoning above is not far-fetched. It is underscored by the fact that if they succeeded in attacking the Nigerian Defense Academy, the premier military training institution in Nigeria that is supposed to be as impregnable as Fort Knox and abducted a serving Army officer after killing a few other residents, why would they not attack a Government House or Governor’s Lodge? These terrorists have reportedly shot down a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet, from which a brave pilot managed to return safely to base after a search and rescue team scouted the forests for him.

The Katsina State Governor and Chairman, North West Governors’ Forum, Aminu Bello Masari, who in the face of unbridled killing, raping and maiming of defenceless and innocent indigenes of his state by terrorists, had advised his compatriots to take up arms and defend themselves against further attacks from terrorists.

Since the bearing of firearms by non-members of the armed

forces was against the laws of our country, there was public condemnation of the proposition by the governor, who was obviously compelled to make the statement out of desperation and a burning desire to save his people in the absence of an effective action by the armed forces to protect the people’s lives and properties.

Following the renewed onslaught against residents of Katsina by the terrorists, Masari has again doubled down on his call on citizens to bear arms in self-defence to curb the overwhelming security threat, particularly in northern Nigeria, and which is also rapidly taking shape in southeastern Nigeria.

Masari’s counterpart in Sokoto State, Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has also, perhaps arising from a sense of desperation after 23 (by another account, the casualty number is higher) innocent passengers in a commercial bus were shot dead by terrorists and their bodies set ablaze inside the same vehicle in which they were traveling, told a delegation from the presidency comprising security personnel that government should bring back South African mercenaries, who former President Goodluck Jonathan had contracted to flush out Boko Haram insurgents from the Sambisa forest where they first made their home.

In the same bid to combat terrorism, but from a different perspective, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, who identified reserved forests in the northern part of the country as home to the criminal elements, also called for the reclaiming of forests by government through what he described as full ownership. Ganduje’s proposition is in tandem with the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Saad Abubakar’s suggestion that the military should make deliberate efforts to occupy all the forests so that they would cease to be havens for terrorists. This position reinforces my plea in a previous media intervention that all the forests across the country should be converted to farms, not only for the purpose of preventing terrorists from making them their permanent hideouts, but also as a verifiable source of food for the masses. The forests should be actively cultivated to feed the nation.

To be continued.

• ONYIBE, a public policy analyst and former commissioner in Delta State, contributed this article from Lagos

As Libya Decides

BY JIBRIL SALISU NA`INNA

A

s Libya goes to the polls on December 24, 2021, African countries under the aegis of the African Union (AU) are expected to play a major and important role to ensure a smooth, free and fair first democratic election to hold in the history of that country.

It is very disappointing that while Europe, America, western invaders and other capitalist lobbyists are plotting to rig the forthcoming presidential election in Libya in favour of their puppet, African Union is nowhere to be found.

Africa has been frozen out of the peace and restoration process of Libya, which is pathetic and caused by a mentally-induced fear of the west, of sanction and our own mis-prioritisation. Let us not forget that the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was well respected in AU, which he once chaired and heavily funded.

Gaddafi campaigned for pan-African unity, but after his assassination by NATO backed-rebels, Africa failed to keep his country even under the wing of its military peace mission and send away foreign meddlers and mercenaries.

At the beginning of the Arab uprising, the African Union, having designated the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as legitimate expressions of democratic will, determined the Libyan crisis to be a civil war demanding a mediated outcome.

The AU established an Ad hoc Committee of Heads of State to seek a negotiated settlement which did little to nothing.

The committee members were made up of the Presidents of Mauritania, Republic of Congo, Mali, South Africa and Uganda, on the rationale that only African heads of state could speak credibly with Gaddafi and that the arrangement underlined the AU’s seriousness.

At odds with the AU political initiative, the United Nations passed resolution 1973, authorising “all necessary measures” to protect the civilian population of the country as they claim THEWILLNIGERIA

and Kaduna States highlighted earlier, it is not beyond the marauding outlaws to seize or kill a state governor very soon.

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it, unproven to warrant it. This was a rapid and rare invocation of the principle of the responsibility to protect (R2P). United Nations Security Council UNSC resolution 1973 referred to the AU’s peace initiative in its preambular section, but its legal force was the authorisation of “all necessary measures” by UN member states.

Despite this limited mandate, the way the military operations were carried out made it immediately evident that the real goal of the intervention was much wider, namely to provoke the collapse of Gaddafi’s leadership. Coalition forces extensively bombed targets outside of the scope of the mandate with a clear intent to kill Gaddafi, a fact demonstrated by the bombing of a compound of villas near Tripoli where Gaddafi was supposedly hiding that killed his youngest son, Saif alArab. However, the coalition failed to set out a plan for the restoration of public order in Libya. It was a series of air campaigns by US-led NATO members with the stated bogus intent of protecting civilians, but the clear objective was of leadership change.

The Libyan Socialist Jamahiriya was so prosperous and generous in terms of security, infrastructure (notably the great man-made river), in health, education, social welfare and a lot of other back bone of an economy, which made the country to be ranked among the happiest.

Philip Gordon, the most senior US official in the Middle East between 2013 and 2015, wrote, “In Iraq, the US intervened and occupied and the result was a costly disaster. In Libya, the US intervened and did not occupy and the result was a costly disaster. This shows how guilty the US was.”

Libya is very important in the peace-making process of Africa as if it is stable, Africa will indeed achieve stability. A clear cutoff of free proliferation and flow of light and small weapons will put an end to illegal migration crisis to unviable Europe,

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as Libya is the 16th largest country in the world, the second in the Arab world/league and the fourth in Africa with a total of 1,759,541 square kilometres of land with a large proven oil reserve larger than that of any country in the world, making it the 10th in the world.

The western countries should be made to face a difficult choice in Libya by the African Union. The latter should pressure them to leave before the election on December 24. The disorder that enveloped the country, following the 2011 USled NATO intervention makes any consideration of productive engagement in the country now a child of necessity.

However, it is possible to conceive a good plan that could stabilise the country. In the absence of Africa’s leadership, interventionists and foreign regional actors with their own interests have demonstrated their willingness to step into the fray and manipulate developments on ground. If the member states of the African Union, especially Nigeria, continues to let foreign interventionists and its few African allies fill the void, Libya’s conflict will only continue to escalate.

A clear plan to help stabilise Libya would require targeted assistance from the African Union to bolster the legitimately elected government control over Tripoli and convince the various actors to engage in an inclusive, cohesive process in running the country. Given the critical national security implications of Libya’s chaos for the whole of Africa, especially the Sahel region, the choice is not to step back now. To step back may encourage further escalation that would ultimately drag more of the West into Libya and to remain. A wellplanned stabilisation effort now, rather than an unwelcome and compulsory intervention later, will in the long run be in the best interest of the Libyan people, all Africans and those states with an interest in the stability of the region.

•Na’inna wrote in from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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El-Husseini

CH R ISTMAS E DITION 2021 w w w.t hewillnigeria . c om VOL .1 N O.4 6

Q3 ’21: Nestle’s Finance-Costs Pains

BY SAM DIALA

N

estle Nigeria Plc had a good third quarter (Q3) 2021 report (July – September). However, the aching spot of high finance cost has lingered since the year. This would, inexorably, impact on the bottom line and further lower the dividend graph that almost hit the bottom of the trough in 2020.

At a glance, the foremost food manufacturing and marketing company’s revenue haul had a 25.7 percent jump from N71.73 billion in Q3 ’20 to N90.15 billion in the reporting period. At the nine-month level (January – September), the trend was the same: from N212.73 billion in the corresponding period (of the preceding year) to N261.59 billion in the review period, representing a 23 percent increase.

This dragged the bottom line as profit after tax (PAT) rose by 17.5 percent from N10.11 billion to N11.85 billion in Q3 ’20 and Q3’ 21 respectively. For nine months to September 2021, PAT rose to N33.58 billion in Q3 ’21 from Q3 ’20 figure of N31.97 billion.

Basic earnings per share (EPS) also moderated upwards to 14.95 kobo in the reporting period from 12.76 kobo in Q3 ’20, a rise of 17.2 percent.

But unlike the top and bottom lines which moderated upwards during the period thus providing a soothing relief from the combined effects of COVID-19 restrictions and the 15-month land border closure, the consumer goods firm is severely pained by the significant upward jump in finance cost. Finance cost (FC), also known as the cost of finance (COF), is the cost, interest and other charges involved in the borrowing of money

to build or purchase assets during a given period. This increases operating expenses, reduces profit and dividend payable.

In Q3 ’21, Nestle’s finance costs jumped from N687.58 million in Q3 ’20 to a whopping N2.34 billion in the review period – an increase of 246.6 percent. This mirrors the trend at nine-month level to September 30, which shows a huge spike of 253.7 percent, from N1.62 billion to N5.73 billion in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Net finance cost, which is finance cost less finance income (such as interest on deposit or foreign exchange gains) was N1.58 billion in Q3 ’21, an upward jump of 245 percent from N458.32 billion in the corresponding period (of the preceding year). As of nine months to September 30, the picture is no less worrying.

Nestle’s net finance cost leaped from N923.65 million in 2020 to N4.53 billion in 2021, representing 391 percent.

“The company has a huge problem in its hands. It is running short of cash or expanding above the treasury. No matter the source of the borrowed funds – parent or sister companies or financial institutions, it will have an impact on the profit and, ultimately, lead to lean return on investment, by way of dividend for the investors”, said Abiodun Abioye, a chartered accountant and tax expert. “It shows the company is not generating the quantum of revenue or that the operating cost is ballooning due to several factors”, he added.

This could be gleaned from the firm’s troubling rises in cost of sales (COS), marketing and distribution and administrative expenses.

Continues on next page

Much Ado About Nigeria Air Project The April 2022 date for the commencement of a new national carrier by the Federal Government received mixed reactions from players and stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry. In this piece, ANTHONY AWUNOR looks at the feasibility of the proposed date

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign promise in 2014 to give the country a new national carrier had rekindled hope in the possibility of having a carrier that can compete favourably with the likes of Ethiopian Airlines, South

PAGE 16

African Airways and others on the continent.

Also, the emergence of Sen. Hadi Sirika, a politician with considerable experience in aviation, as the Minister of State Continues on next page

MORE INSIDE UAE-Nigeria Row Deepens As Emirates Introduces Fresh Stringent Travel Rules PAGE 35

Titan Trust Acquires Majority Stake In Union Bank

Unity Bank Gets NYSC Recognition, Wins Empowerment Award

BY SAM DIALA

T

he National Youth Service Corps, NYSC has named Unity Bank Plc the “Icon of Youth Empowerment” winner in an award presented to the Bank during the Skills Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Department, SAED Festival held in Abuja recently. This was n recognition of

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AVIATION/INDUSTRY Much Ado About Nigeria Air Project

Continued from previous page

Q3 ’21: Nestle’s Finance-Costs Pains Continued from previous page

At the close of business on September 30, 2021, the company recorded a 30 percent increase in cost of sales from N42.52 billion in Q3 ’20 to N55.29 billion in Q3 ‘21.

In nine months ending September 30, the cost of sale jumped to N160.3 billion in 2021 from N122.7 billion in the corresponding period, showing a rise of 60.3 percent.

for Aviation and later as Minister of Aviation, raised further optimism, while the ranks of pessimists dwindled.

In the first quarter of 2016, at the maiden Stakeholders’ Briefing held by Sirika in Lagos, he mentioned the birthing of a national carrier as one of the cardinal objectives of the new administration and by July 18, 2018 at the Farnborough Airshow in United Kingdom, he promised that by December of that year, the government would gift the nation a new national carrier with only five per cent shares from the government, while the other 95 per cent shares would go to the public.

But, like a pack of badly arranged cards, the arrangement fell through, just a few weeks to the due date, after the minister had unveiled the name (Nigeria Air) and logo at the airshow.

Since then, not much was heard about the project apart from its annual inclusion in the yearly budget proposals to the National Assembly, which swelled to about N7,304,000,000 (N7.3 billion) with the 2022 budget proposal sent to the assembly.

In the last three years, N6 billion had been set aside as “ongoing” sums for the project and another N704 million as “consultancy” fees for the project within the same period.

However, last month, Sirika shocked the world when he vowed that by April 2022, Nigeria would be gifted with a new national carrier.

Sirika had said that the new airline would have 51 per cent of its equity shares owned by the Federal Government and people, with foreign partners having the remaining 49 per cent.

He reiterated that the Federal Government would not have more than five per cent stake in the new national carrier, while it emphasised no fewer than 70,000 jobs would be generated with the birth of the airline.

The pronouncement, expectedly received mixed reactions from stakeholders and analysts in the sector Some of the industry analysts insisted that the project lacked transparency from the beginning and projected that if the carrier eventually flies, it would fold its wings within a few years of operations.

Engr Femi Adeniji, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tropical Arctic Logistics (TAL), warned that the project may eventually be a failure.

According to him, the way Sirika was pushing for the establishment of the airline seemed like a personal project, rather than a national interest THEWILLNIGERIA

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project it was meant to be.

Adeniji wondered how a government, which intended to have only a five per cent stake in an airline, would dictate the terms for the expected 95 per cent shareholders, insisting that Sirika wanted to use the airline to fulfill a political ambition.

He said, “Dead on arrival if the Honourable Minister of Aviation wants to be sincere with himself and the country. I see this project as personal interest for his political ambition and not a national interest. How do you operate or dictate operation with only five per cent shares? Who is fooling who?

“The Chinese I understand are the foreign shareholders. So, they know what they are doing. The more you look, the less you see. All the government is doing is trying to show the Nigerians they fulfill their campaign slogans creating room for whoever runs on the All Progressives Alliance (APC) ticket. That’s the reason I said ``do not listen to what they say, but to what they do.”

Mr Olumide Ohunayo, Head, Research, Zenith Travel, expressed surprise at the April 2022 takeoff date.

Ohunayo explained that barely six months to the take-off date, there were no structures on ground to indicate the government’s readiness, while its expected investors; local and foreign remained unknown to the public.

He explained that the airline was expected to go through the “rigorous” five stages of obtaining Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) within the same six months period, describing it as a “miracle,” which was meant to favour the impending new national carrier at the expense of other existing airlines.

The five stages of AOC acquisition are Preapplication, Formal Application for intending entrant where documents and manuals must be submitted for evaluation, Document Evaluation, 50 hours Demonstration Flight and Inspection, while the fifth stage is the Certification Phase where the NCAA issues the AOC with the appropriate specifications and ratings.

“That will be a miracle and that has also confirmed the fears of everybody in the industry that an airline is coming that will be favoured and be allowed to override the systems and the processes that will bully the regulator and other participants in the industry.

*Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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Marketing and distribution expenses as gleaned from the Q3 ’21 report showed an increase in their costs: from N10.93 billion in the corresponding period to N12.12 billion in the review quarter (July – September), or 10.8 percent.

Administrative expenses reflect the same trend. It increased from N2.39 billion in Q3 ’20 to N2.94 billion in the quarter being reviewed.

This represents an increase of 23 percent. At nine months level, the 60-year-old consumer goods firm in Nigeria recorded N9.55 billion and N8,97 billion in 2021 and 2020 respectively, which shows an increase of 6.4 percent.

Declared dividend dropped by 21 percent in the review period to N28.13 billion from N35.66 billion achieved in Q3 ’20.

When contacted, a member of the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department of Nestle Nigeria Plc, who would not want the name published, declined comment.

Nestle is among the Nigeria major Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms listed on The Exchange that recorded significantly impressive performance in their half year (H1 2021) operations – beyond industry expectations.

Firms in the FMCG sector were badly hit at the peak of the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. The 15-months land border closure also had its toll on these companies as many could not distribute or export their products. Procurement of raw materials was also severely challenged.

Nestle Nigeria and PZ Cussons reportedly spent weeks on sea while exporting their products to the West and Central African markets following the land border closure. The outcome of these bold but ‘suicidal’ steps was loss of forex earnings, dwindling revenue, contraction of activities and disengagement of workers in some cases. Their ill-fortune also extended to the small businesses engaged in the active supply chain under the backward integration policy.

The fast recovery of the FMCG firms after the double tragedy of the 2020 COVID-19-induced recession and the 15-months land border closure is a ray of hope for the small firms engaged in the backward integration policy. Backward integration is a practice where companies are encouraged to cultivate their own raw materials by purchasing their suppliers or establishing farms to

“

In Q3 ’21, Nestle’s finance costs jumped from N687.58 million in Q3 ’20 to a whopping N2.34 billion in the review period – an increase of 246.6 percent. This mirrors the trend at nine-month level to September 30, which shows a huge spike of 253.7 percent, from N1.62 billion to N5.73 billion in 2020 and 2021 respectively grow produce for their factories.

Operators in the SME space belonging to various sectors, especially agriculture and transportation, have benefited from the policy as the FMCG firms take giant strides in supporting and implementing the policy.

Governments at the three levels have also benefited from the measure by way of tax revenue, skill acquisition, infrastructure and technology.

For instance, Nestlé Nigeria plans to engage 5,000 smallholder farmers for the supply of raw materials for its agro-business operations. The initiative, ‘Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains Project’, is in partnership with IDH— a Sustainable Trade Initiative and TechoServe outfit. According to Nestle, the initiative is a sevenmonth project that will facilitate the supply of maize, soybeans, millet, and sorghum. It added that the scheme will increase the income of farmers and create a steady supply of locally grown crops as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global importation of these materials.

Nestle revealed that the objectives of the project include: working with six small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that aggregate crops and supply them to Nestlé factories; aggregators and subaggregators will receive training on proper grain handling, storage, and testing, as well as entrepreneurial and financial skills; while logistics partners will receive training on proper handling and storage of grain during transit.

“You can be sure that Nestle’s high finance costs, which impacts negatively on the top and bottom lines, will have adverse effects on the backward integration. Many of the SME operators will experience a reverse in their fortunes because, especially as lack of enabling environment and hostile operating climate kill Nigerian businesses in their droves,” said Adedoyin.

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PENSION MATTERS

Retirement Should be Enjoyed, Not Endured

BY TIMI OLUBIYI

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he current landscape of retirement in Nigeria will change in the next couple of years as the ageing workforce is becoming increasingly visible in businesses, government, politics and in sports. Besides, with or without employment, the retirement phase will surely come for every individual. However, persistent high rates of unemployment have been a serious concern in the country over the years, without any visible unemployment benefit, insurance or social policy. The reality is that many in this unemployment category will equally be reaching retirement age and will be transiting in a few years. So the impact of unemployment should be seen as long term and life- long, because it affects living standards even in retirement, when active age and work life has been passed with no palliatives or support.

It is not uncommon for employees, politicians, entrepreneurs and the unemployed to live more than 20 years after the retirement age of 60years but the issue is usually the sustainability of wellbeing, livelihood, lifestyle, status, and social demands. The longer the time spent in retirement, the harder it becomes to be certain about the adequacy of resources to keep the livelihood and lifestyle going.

For those that care to know, individuals will need to have enough funds, assets that generate steady income, family support or investments saved to last even beyond 20 years. Unfortunately, with a recent survey in Lagos State amongst the cluster of entrepreneurs and older adults majority may not have enough to meet and maintain their standard of living, particularly livelihood, in an era of uncertainty, increasing inflation and harsh economic environments and much more at retirement.

This piece presents insights from business owners and businesses around Lagos State, the economic capital of the country, on retirement planning. A follow-up survey in Lagos Computer Village Ikeja area of the State was carried out, where respondents (entrepreneurs) indicated that they will only be willing to grow and expand their businesses at the expense of retirement planning, how ironic? Few mentioned that the only motivating factor that can increase their confidence on retirement is if their businesses succeed.

One of the key findings in the survey was that only a fraction of businesses are aware of the importance of pension and retirement plans. It was a stiff struggle

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While retirement may not be on your mind currently as an entrepreneur, the sooner you start planning for this all-important aspect of your business the better

identifying businesses with adequate arrangement of pension for staff, owner manager or the business operator. Even though a retirement plan through pension arrangements can help ensure that business owners and their staff have enough funds to live on in their later years, this all important scheme is found missing in the majority of small businesses in Lagos State.

Recall that small businesses are over 90 per cent of existing businesses in the country and provide significantly for the majority of homes and families in terms of employment, sustainability and livelihood.

Many entrepreneurs are so busy growing their businesses that they put off planning for retirement, this growing trend is not only worrisome but disturbing.

Surprisingly as important as a retirement plan is, aging business owners and operators rarely consider it imperative.

The survey further indicated that the majority of the businesses, especially the self-employed, do not have retirement savings plans, and 40 per cent of business owners in the survey are not confident that they will be able to retire before the age of 65. Nevertheless, the good news is that those small business owners have more options available to them than traditional 9 am to 5 pm

office employees, yet this advantage is not explored.

Because it presents an option of flexibility in the date of retirement. Retirement can either be considered early or later, in some cases business owners might choose not to fully retire. The flexibility gives entrepreneurs the option to determine exactly when to stop working, yet the majority continue to operate without ceasing.

Indeed, according to the survey, 70 percent of the selfemployed and entrepreneurs in Lagos Computer Village do not save regularly for retirement. The reason adjudged to this phenomenon is that they do not receive a steady salary package, so many of these hardworking individuals forgo retirement plans. The survey further highlights that some of the small business owners have the mind of selling their businesses to fund their retirement and relocate to the village when the time arises. However, the risk of this option is that entrepreneurs and small business owners can overestimate the value of their businesses and eventually run at a loss. Counting entirely on the sale of the business to fully fund a long retirement is highly risky due to unforeseen circumstances.

The survey also found that many business owners would appreciate guidance when it comes to retirement because they lack knowledge of it. It is important to note that before death, especially under normal conditions in life, there is a phase called old age; a period where entrepreneurs have almost exhausted intellectual values and strength. Consequently, there is a need to prepare for such a phase of life with adequate retirement planning and possibly business succession.

Retiring is a real-life changing phase with far-reaching implications -- dreadful stories most entrepreneurs would not want to hear or discuss this reality but unfortunately, there is nothing one can do about it; it is bound to come one day. Business owners cited cost and lack of resources to administer the plan as the leading reasons why they do not have a retirement plan in place.

Please note if you are a small business owner reading this, you are likely busy running your business and have not had the time to research the best retirement option.

While retirement may not be on your mind currently as an entrepreneur, the sooner you start planning for this all-important aspect of your business the better. Here are simple steps entrepreneurs and small business owners can take right now to prepare for retirement in my opinion.

A good start is by implementing the 10 percent rule which is a lot easier than you can comprehend. Achievable by simply setting up an auto-transfer system with your bank, that is automatically transferring 10 percent of all your earnings out of your business account into your savings account every month. Then you can place the accumulated fund into a low-risk investment at intervals and allow compounding interest to grow your fund.

This applies whether you are an entrepreneur or not. It is a simple trick to grow your wealth and support your retirement plan. Real estate investments can also help give succour in retirement, but professional guidance needs to be sought.

Another approach is to develop an exit strategy in your business, that is, have in mind right now what will happen to it when you retire, when you intend to eventually quit and set up strategies to guarantee retirement income.

One other important factor to consider is what will happen to your business when you retire. Will you pass it on to your family or sell the company to another business or owner? Will you have someone currently working for you take over? A simple retirement model can give you a simple leeway, but you have to plan for it and stick to it. Because retirement age varies so drastically, small business owners need to evaluate their lifestyle, savings, and the company’s overall performance to determine an ideal retirement option.

In conclusion, a bit of research, adequate planning, and seeking advice can help with achievable retirement goals. A professional can also help streamline your business and help with the necessary details required to have a comfortable retirement.

Dr Olubiyi, an entrepreneurship and business management expert. can be reached on the Twitter handle @drtimiolubiyi and via email: drtimiolubiyi@gmail.com.

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BUSINESS NEWS Titan Trust Acquires Majority Stake In Union Bank

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itan Trust Bank (TTB) has become the majority shareholder in Union Bank of Nigeria Plc.

This followed an agreement by Union Global Partners Limited, Atlas Mara Limited and other majority shareholders to divest 88.39 percent shareholding in Union Bank to TTB. The new bank bought the majority shareholding from Union Global Partners Limited, though the deal is subject to obtaining applicable regulatory approvals and the fulfilment of certain conditions.

Union Bank in a statement issued on Thursday by the company Secretary, Somuyiwa Sonubi, confirmed the development.

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR here is a dramatic twist in the crisis rocking UAE and Nigeria as the former has suspended all flights to their country with immediate effect.

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The statement reads: “The Board of Directors of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (“Union Bank”) today announced that it has received a notification from Union Global Partners Ltd. (“UGPL”, the holder of majority shareholding in Union Bank) of the execution of a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement between UGPL, certain other existing shareholders of Union Bank (as Sellers) and Titan Trust Bank Limited (as Purchaser) for the sale of an aggregate 89.39% of the issued share capital of Union Bank held by the Sellers, to the Purchaser (“the Transaction”).

This is just as travel agents informed that they have been instructed not to book any passenger to the middle eastern country till further notice.

“Completion of the Transaction is subject to obtaining applicable regulatory approvals and the fulfilment of certain conditions precedent.”

According to information made available to THEWILL, Nigeria has received a new COVID-19 protocol from UAE that says that Nigerians will be expected to do two PCR tests before departing Nigeria to UAE.

Commenting on the transaction, Chair, Union Bank, Mrs. Beatrice Hamza Bassey said, “On behalf of the Board, we congratulate all the parties involved in reaching this phase of the transaction and the Board looks forward to supporting the next steps to ensure a seamless completion of the process following regulatory approvals.

L-R: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Governor of Nasarawa State Abdullahi Sule and Group Executive Director, BUA International Ltd, Kabiru Rabiu, during the inauguration of Sugar Intervention Programme held in the Presidential Villa in Abuja on 21/12/2021.

Unity Bank Gets NYSC Recognition, Wins Empowerment Award

UAE-Nigeria Row Deepens As Emirates Introduces Fresh Stringent Travel Rules

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the lender’s contribution to the growth of entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths, The NYSC management said it was on record that Unity Bank under the able leadership of the MD/CEO, Mrs. Tomi Somefun had been unwavering in its commitment and support for the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme of the NYSC as evident in the Corpreneurship initiative through which businesses of hundreds of corps entrepreneurs are being funded.

“In view of the foregoing, NYSC Management honours (Unity Bank) with the award of “Icon of Youth Empowerment” at the closing ceremony of the 2021 NYSC SAED Festival at NAF conference centre, Abuja on this 17th Day of December 2021,” said the DirectorGeneral of the NYSC, Brigadier General S. Ibrahim, while presenting the award to Unity Bank.

Speaking after receiving the award, the Group Head, Retail, SME and E-Banking, Mr. Olufunwa Akinmade said: “We are encouraged by this award to continue to partner with SAED in driving the Corpreneurship initiative. We believe that the Corpreneurship Challenge possesses the capacity to unlock the entrepreneurship ingenuity of the youths in Nigeria.

“We commend the leadership of the NYSC for the award, even as we appreciate the leadership and the team at SAED for working hard to make this partnership produce the desired outcome.

We are optimistic that the partnership will be sustained for as long as possible until it has impacted a critical mass that considerably reduces graduate unemployment in our nation.”

The Corpreneurship Challenge, which earned the lender the award, is a business plan competition that provides corps members with the opportunity to pitch their business ideas and stand a chance of winning business grants ranging from N200,000 to N500,0000 as business capital while receiving mentorship.

Unity Bank premiered the Corpreneurship Challenge in 2019, with a launch in Lagos and in three other states which included Edo, Ogun, and Abuja, but with the increasing popularity of the initiative among corps entrepreneurs, the Bank has now extended the programme to 10 states of the federation including Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Edo, Katsina, Enugu, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto and Kaduna.

So far, Unity Bank has invested over N80 million in the initiative, which has now produced 58 winners since it was launched.

Ogun Embarks On Soil Testing To Attract Agric Investors

FROM: SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA gun State Government says it has engaged the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) on the evaluation of soil across the 20 Local Government Areas to attract agriculture investors.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina stated this while hosting delegates from the National Institute of Soil Science (NISS), South-West Zone, in Abeokuta, the state capital.

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Odedina said that the practice of soil science agriculture would solve the problem of low yield farm produce among the farmers and attract investors in agric business to the state.

The commissioner, who said the state was happy to partner with NISS on soil testing, said that a large number of investors were interested in testing and evaluation of the soil before cultivating large hectares of land for primary production to supply industries with raw materials.

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The information reads that the first test is to be done 48 hours to arrival in Dubai while the second test should be done 6 hours to departure with another antigen test done at transit airport.

This new protocol is to take effect immediately.

Unfortunately, some airlines were already airborne enroute Dubai and were requested to turn back.

A major player in the travel industry who confirmed this new directive described it as ‘true and very unfortunate’ looking back at the incidents that have transpired in the wake of the diplomatic melee between both nations.

THEWILL also gathered that Nigerians are stranded and the Nigerian government is working on getting them back home with any available airline as the airline they travelled with are already almost full and cannot return them all back.

The UAE and Nigeria settled a 9-month rift over the same Covid-19 protocols which later involved flight restrictions by both countries.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

“We are grateful to our current investors whose significant and consequential investments over the past nine years facilitated the transformation of Union Bank, one of Nigeria’s oldest and storied institutions. Today, the Bank is wellpositioned with an innovative product offering, a growing customer base of over six million and consistent year on year profitability. This is a solid foundation for our incoming investors to build on as we move into a new era for the Bank.”

On his part, Chair, Titan Trust Bank, Mr Tunde Lemo, said, “The Board of Titan Trust Bank and our key stakeholders are delighted as this transaction marks a key step for Titan Trust in its strategic growth journey and propels the institution to the next level in the Nigerian banking sector.

“The deal represents a unique opportunity to combine Union Bank’s longstanding and leading banking franchise with TTB’s innovation-led model which promises to enhance the product and service offering for our combined valued customers.”

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

Ekiti State First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, standing with children, during the Ekiti State Children’s Christmas Party, held Wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President, 9th House of Representatives Members’ Spouses Association (HORMSA), Salamatu Gbajabiamila (3rd right), with children from some orphanages at a Christmas party for at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, Ado-Ekiti on 23/12/2021. them at the Children Park and Zoo, Garki, Abuja on 16/12/ 2021.

L-R: The Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Ajakaye; Speaker, Ekiti State of Assembly, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye; Governor L-R: Regional Marketing Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Adetokunbo Alegbejo; one of the beneficiaries of Airtel Five of Ekiti State Dr. Kayode Fayemi; his deputy, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi and Chairman, Traditional Council/Onisan of Days of Love gifts; Regional Operations Director, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Jolaosho Oladipo and Business Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Kadiri, during the presentation of 1,000 food packs to the residents of IDP Camp, Ekiti State on Isan, Oba Gabriel Adejuwon during the inauguration of the newly constructed Ado-Iyin Road on 22/12/2021.

15/12/2021.

Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma (centre), Chairman, Imo State Elders Council, HRM Eze Dr Cletus L-R: Executive Producer, Fuji A Opera, Tosin Ashafa; Creator, Fuji A Opera, Bobo Omotayo; and Founder, A Ilomuanya and his wife (left); Deputy Chairman, Imo Elders Council, Prince Lemmy Akakem (2nd right); Secretary Whitespace Creative Agency (AWCA), Papa Omotayo, at the Grand finale of Fuji vibrations, a platform dedicated Imo Elders Council, Hon. Maxwell Duru (right) and others after the inauguration of the Elders Council by the to blending Fuji music with other genres and styles, held in Lagos on 18/12/3021. governor at the Government House, Owerri 21/12/2021.

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•Najomo

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•Ejindu •Agbonkhese

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LIFE AFTER THE LIMELIGHT THEWILLNIGERIA

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SOCIALITES WHO HAVE FADED OUT OF SIGHT (1) SHADE METIBOGUN writes on former socialites who once kept the social scene alive and what they have been up to these past years.

GRACE EGBAGBE

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he Edo Stateborn lawyer rose through the ranks to become a top official of the Nigerian Television Authority before she retired. The mother of two allegedly had a son for late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme. She was well connected, particularly to a lot of people in the corridors of power.

Now in her 60s, she relocated to Washington DC, United States of America almost immediately after retiring from NTA. Also known as a style icon of sorts, Grace Egbagbe has been living a quiet life. She hardly craves the limelight nowadays, rarely attends parties and often travels for leisure. She runs a mentoring blog, www.askauntygrace.com, to stay busy.

MIKE AND MARY INEGBESE

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ike Inegbese is the Chief Executive Officer of Ineh Mic Motors. He and his wife, Mary, used to be popular and quite visible on the Lagos social scene. So wealthy are the Inegbeses that a few years ago when Mary and her twin sister clocked 50, Mike planned to take about 300 guests to Spain on a boat cruise to celebrate their birthday.

The guests were also meant to visit France, Italy and to be lodged in a five star hotel for some days. Invites were sent out, but the trip was cancelled due to the unhealthy political atmosphere in the country at the time. The hosts eventually settled for a birthday party at their Victoria Island residence, which also turned out to be exciting.

The Inegbeses last major social outing was during the lavish wedding of their son, Michael Junior, in 2019. Since then the couple has been absent from the social scene, with Mary taking care of the home front and Mike investing his time running his automobile and property business.

MARTHA NAJOMO

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mother of seven, Martha Najomo is the wife of Captain Chris Najomo, chief pilot with one of the prominent airlines in Nigeria, Arik Air. Martha is CEO of upscale jewellery store, Seraphina Gems, which deals in high end luxury diamond and rare gold. Martha is the younger sister of Felicia Wabara, wife of a former Senate President, Adophus Wabara. The gifted entrepreneur spares no cost in getting the most expensive jewellery she wants. Martha lived a flamboyant and glamourous lifestyle such that when she clocked 50 a few years ago, she flew about 50 guests to Nice, Monte Carlo for one week to celebrate her birthday. Her last major social outing was in 2019 when one of her daughters got married. She and her husband spared no cost to give her a befitting wedding. Martha has since abandoned the social scene to concentrate on her jewellery business.

GBENGA SOKEFUN

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e was the manager of defunct music group, Kush, which had his younger sister and celebrity photographer, Toyin Sokefun (now known as TY Bello), Lara George and Emem Ema as members.

Gbenga also co-founded Question Mark Record with his friend, Kevin Lucciano, but was eased out of the business eventually. The American-trained lawyer, who was married to Ronke Sokefun, a former big shot at Oando Plc and now

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Chairman of the Board of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Company, withdrew from the social scene after his marriage packed up. At that time, he faced a lot of issues, including financial challenges, but gradually bounced back after taking over as the Executive Director of Fortune Engineering and Nigeria Ropes.

Gbenga now lives a quiet life.

MOJI ONABANJO

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hile she was already the daughter of wealthy businessman, Alex Onabanjo, her profile however got a boost when she married Gbenga Obasanjo, the first son of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000. They both ended up with a messy separation which finally led to a divorce, a few years later. Details of what led to the crash of their marriage was so sordid it ended the once rosy relationship the two families enjoyed.

Moji would later give love a second chance when she married Dr Akinwumi Abiodun Mustapha, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Finance during Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s government. Unfortunately, the marriage also didn’t stand the test of time. It packed up shortly after the couple had their first child.

Moji moved into one of her father’s serviced flats in Ikoyi to start life all over again. She quit the social scene and concentrated on running her businesses, an event decor outfit as well as Angelikas, an upscale gift store where she sells high-end dining sets, kitchen and other home accessories.

ALALI HART

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lali Hart has dominated the skincare and beauty sector for more than two decades now as the exclusive agent of Clarins beauty range of products when the industry was not yet saturated with different brands of beauty care products. She plies her trade through her establishment, Montaigne Place, a beauty clinic and store selling perfumes and other range of beauty care product.

The petite lady was an item with

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Sholayemi Jeremi, Linda Ikeji’s baby daddy before they fell apart. Men often found her innocent looks and warm smile quite appealing back in the days. But she has now gone low key, attending to her beauty care business and seeking ways to expand her fortune.

MARIFA WHYTE

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he was one of the few young ladies who used to rule the social scene and build connections with the high and mighty some years ago. Handsome and wealthy men could hardly resist her beauty and charm. She once had a relationship with Mohammed Asibelua, businessman and husband of Abuja-based designer and boss of Momo Couture, Fati Asibelua, a few years ago. Their relationship, which lasted a couple of years, produced a son.

Marifa Whyte was virtually a thorn in Fati’s flesh, especially since the latter initially had no child for her husband after many years of marriage.

Mohammed had taken advantage of that and spoilt his mistress silly, providing her a tastefully furnished apartment in Lagos and luxury cars in her garage. She became the envy of her friends, but things changed dramatically when God smiled on Fati and she was delivered of a set of twins.

Expectedly, Fati’s childbirth changed the configuration of things for Marifa who stopped enjoying the attention and largesse from Mohammed, forcing her to go underground and expend her energy raising her son and running her business, a Kiddies fun spot, Tickle Bay

MINA OKOLOKO

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he is a skincare expert and the brain behind Beauty Concerns Med-Spa located in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The hard-working entrepreneur is partly Scottish and was married to Jite Okoloko, the former Chief Executive Officer of Notore Chemicals Industries Plc. Mina was a regular face at events where top government functionaries and corporate players gathered, but she disappeared from the social circles after parting ways with Jite. She suffered a big blow when her Victoria Island home was gutted by fire and everything she had in the building was destroyed. The damage ran up to several millions of naira. She was devastated and traumatised for weeks. Mina was only able to take her cars away from the compound as neighbours helped to drive them out of the compound before the inferno consumed them as well. After a while, Mina was able to pick the pieces of her life together again and re-launched her spa and beauty business. All her efforts are now concentrated on her two children and how to keep her business afloat.

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AUSTIN OKPE

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ustin Okpe is the Chief Executive Officer of Empire Monument and Structure Limited with headquarters in Banana Island, Lagos.

The company is into building and construction across West Africa. He is the younger brother of popular twin sisters, Nina Agwuna and Muka Nwokedi, owners of Charisma Cosmetic Company.

Austin was in the United State Marine before quitting to start his real estate business. He was formerly married to Ojy Okpe, an international model turned television anchor with Arise TV. The two were blessed with two beautiful children, a boy and girl before parting ways in 2014. While he was married to Ojy, he was a regular on the social scene, but after the marriage packed up, he disappeared for a while, resurfaced again to give love a second chance with a Caucasian lady named Elizabeth.

TUNDE SOLEYE

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he medical doctor cum contractor lived life to the fullest.

At a point, he maintained a permanent suite at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, but was eventually thrown out over unresolved financial issues.

In the past, Tunde graced many A-list soirées in company with the women in his life at that particular time.

From billionaire daughter, Biola Okoya to former beauty queen, Nike Oshinowo even while still married to his medical doctor wife, Funmi Soleye, whom he later went through a messy divorce with just to marry Nike. Both Nike and Tunde became the quintessential couple, gracing the classiest parties until they ended their marriage due to a decline in Tunde’s financial fluidity and his problems with anti graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

After their union fell apart, Tunde withdrew to his shell for a while but soon returned to his old party ways, albeit, on a small scale. But these days, he is hardly ever since at social gatherings as he is more preoccupied with trying to stay afloat.

blessed with three beautiful daughters, Teni, Aba and Tiwa.

Few months after leaving Toyota Nigeria, he became the Managing Director of Subaru Nigeria, another automobile company. A few years after his eventual divorce from his wife, Koffi remarried another lady, Toyin and they are blessed with children. Koffi now shuns the kleiglights and prefers to spend his time with his family, and his jobs which also includes being chairman of the Lagos State Cricket Association and the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Cricket Federation.

FIFI EJINDU

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rincess Fifi Ejindu’s style and poise once spoke volumes on the social scene. The renowned businesswoman and architect with an aristocratic pedigree is the granddaughter of King James Ekpo Bassey, a powerful monarch of the colonial era whose seat was in Cobhams Town, Calabar. She is the daughter of the first minister for health from the defunct Eastern region, Professor Silvester Joesph Una. She is the first African woman to be awarded a Bachelor of Architecture from the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. What is more, the Chief Executive Officer of Starcrest Group of companies which comprises of Starcrest Investment Limited, Starcrest Associate Limited and Starcrest Industries Limited, all involved in real estate, oil and gas and building construction is as ‘liquid’ as they come. She also dominated the Lagos social scene until she fell out with her erstwhile friend, Nkiru Anumudu with whom she attended social events. Anumudu was her chief brides maid when she hosted the creme of society to her lavish wedding in London years ago. She relocated to Abuja with her family after this falling out and her appearance on the social scene further diminished. But when she parted ways with her husband, Amaechi a few years ago over allegations of infidelity, her days of trotting around the social circuit came to a final end. Now, she prefers to spend her time and energy running her business empire.

LINDA MESROB

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he owned SKIN later rebranded Ariaba Lifestyle Brand which is into the production of jewelry and leather accessories, all handmade with precious metals, gemstones and finest leather. As a single lady, Linda was quite the socialite who partied as hard as she worked. She was also into a few relationships with some prominent men, one of who

KOFFI SAGOE

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offi Sagoe came to the limelight as a result of his marriage to Deola Sagoe, the daughter of foremost industrialist, Michael Adeojo. He became the Managing Director of Toyota Nigeria, not long after he married Deola Sagoe but was later booted out after his marriage to the gifted designer hit the rock. The union was

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was Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, the grand child of legendary Kano businessman, Alhaji Alhassan Dantata. Many thought their relationship would lead to marriage but were disappointed when Linda jumped off and started dating Laolu Sodeinde, the co-owner of defunct night club, Rehab Club whom she later married. With marriage, she slowed down her appearance on the party scene. And after welcoming two children, she finally called it quits with the social scene and concentrated on running her business and taking care of her family.

e was formerly married to Omosede Igbinedion, daughter of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. The two had an elaborate wedding that was the talk of the town. It was a carnival of sorts that even though the bride’s father and groom’s uncle were at loggerheads, it didn’t take the shine off the festivities that took place at the ceremony. The union which was barely three years old eventually crashed in 2012.

They had a son, Alexander Akenzua together. The handsome man went into oblivion, trying to pick up the pieces of his life after the incident.

DEAN PRIDDY

UDY UMONDAK

VIVIENNE AGBONKHESE

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ean Priddy is the first son of late socialite, Olu Kerekou Priddy, who owns the defunct Bacchus Nite club in Ikoyi, Lagos. The late businessman, who was a former director at John Holts, passed on in 2011. His son, Dean was running his business with his sister, Louis Priddy before relinquishing the family business and started selling expensive time pieces. Dean was married to Fellow socialite, Linda Edozien, in a fairytale wedding that attracted the presence of many celebrities, but it ended in divorce after they welcomed a child. Dean left the social scene after he lost his dad and has been running his business quietly.

PRINCE ALVAN AKENZUA

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duak Abasi Umondak was the first lady of AkwaIbom state between 1990 and 1992. Her husband, retired Commodore Idongesit Nkanga was the former governor of Akwa-Ibom within that period. A top fashion designer, actor and television host, she featured as one of the lead characters in the TV drama series, ‘Mirror in the Sun.’ Shortly after her fashion store Colours, situated on Toyin Street was gutted by fire, Udy recoiled into her shell, taking a break from the social scene. She soon emerged, spirit filled, after giving her life to Christ. She set up a faith-based television talk-show ‘His word made flesh’ which she later rebranded as ‘The Udy Factor’ which ran for some time. And then she lost her daughter, Victoria Nkanga Herman, to cardiac arrest in the United States where she lived. Udy recoiled into her shell further and rested the show. In 2020 she lost her husband, Idongesit Nkanga to COVID-19. The very colourful lady and style icon has since left the limelight to mourn her husband and concentrate on her only grandson.

LANRE NZERIBE

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e was the toast of beautiful ladies and dated quite a handful of them, the likes of Grace Egbagbe, Tola Odutola, Elizabeth Benson and Monalisa Chinda. His relationship with Monalisa made the headlines back then and soon after it ended on a messy note, Lanre disappeared from public glare. Many allege that he suffered a bizarre spiritual problem, which was one of the reasons he quit the social scene. He was last seen at the one year remembrance of late industrialist, Chief Bode Akindele in June this year. Lanre seems to have changed from his ways of dating prominent women who are financially buoyant and now keeps himself busy with what pays his bills.

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n her peak, there was no A list party that Vivienne did not attend. She was the livewire of many parties, especially those held in the Ikeja area of Lagos where she was based, until she was swept off her feet by Musa Ngonadi Gowon, the product of a romantic relationship between former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.) and late Edith Ike Mark-Okongwu, a foremost public relations expert. They got married exactly three years after Musa walked out of Taft Correctional facility, Bakersfield California, a free man after spending 23 years behind bars for a crime he claimed he did not commit. Today, Vivienne has shunned the limelight and is more contented running her bespoke fashion outfit, House of Joel, located in Lekki area of Lagos.

Additional reports by Ivory Ukonu THEWILLNIGERIA

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Dr Laser Barred From Conducting Cosmetic Surgery In Nigeria

OJY OKPE IN ALLEGED ROMANCE WITH POPULAR AIRLINE OWNER provided her with a security escort to keep her from harm. Although it is alleged that this detribalized philanthropist likes the company of beautiful women, Ojy appears to be the one after his heart.

The said businessman, who is also a crisis mediator, is supposedly ‘happily married’, while Ojy is a single mother of two. She was once married to Austin Okpe, Okpe the younger brother of twin socialites, Nina Agwunna jy Okpe is allegedly in a sizzling romance with and Muka Nwokedi. She met Austin at a relatively the owner of one of Nigeria’s largest carriers. young age and was with him for over a decade before The two have made quite the effort to conceal they divorced in 2014. Ojy rose to the limelight when their relationship, which has been on for a while she came first runner-up in the MNet Face of Africa now. So smitten is this moneybag airline owner, Modelling Competition in the late 90s. She would who was recently involved in an altercation with an later strut global runways modelling for the big names oil-rich middle eastern nation over travel routes, that in fashion. Today, she is a television anchor for Arise TV he is alleged to have bought Ojy a new SUV and but still finds time to model when she can.

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Osifeso

AWUJALE O HONOURS OTUNBA LEKAN Why Sonnie Ayere, Uche Ajene’s Marriage Failed OSIFESO M O ore details have emerged following the separation of socialite and investment guru, Sonnie Ayere, from his second wife, Uche Ajene, as exclusively reported by THEWILL. After Sonnie divorced his first wife, he was on the lookout for a woman who would love him and be a mother to his three children. The search seemed interminable until he met Uche, a public relations and communications guru. Or so it seemed. Both were divorcees and had children from their previous marriages. They decided to give love another chance

and got married in a lavish ceremony in May 2019.

But the marriage did not stand the test of time.

THEWILL gathered that, among other reasons, Uche allegedly tried to pitch Sonnie against his children and was allegedly maltreating them in their father’s house in Ikoyi where they all supposedly lived as one big happy family. It wasn’t until Uche was out of the country to seek medical help for an accident early this year that everything unfolded. That was more than enough to break the camel’s back for Sonnie.

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tunba Lekan Osifeso’s philanthropy and remarkable strides in the construction industry, through his Retro Construction Company, have convinced the Awujale of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Adetona, to confer on him two distinguished titles: the Madaza and the Olotu Olowa of Ijebuland. The journey to the conferment of the titles began about eight months ago when he had to be secluded for some time. Last week, the final leg of the conferment began when the stylish businessman drove into the expansive palace of the Awujale in his Mercedes Maybach S600 in the company of his two wives, Pastor (Mrs) Osifeso and Erelu Tola. Dressed in a long white gown and matching white cap, the charismatic socialite accessorised his outfit with a long flowing gold and coral necklace that stopped just short of his ankle. The 87-year-old Awujale, accompanied by over two dozen Ijebu high chiefs, stepped out of his comfort zone to shower Otunba Lekan with prayers, signalling the conferment of the titles. The revered king revealed that the Olotu-Olowa title was something that Otunba Osifeso’s father worked towards during his own time. A reception party followed thereafter that was attended by important personalities, including the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu, his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, his chief of staff, Tayo Ayinde and several others too numerous to mention.

r Rasheed Ayobami Aranmolate, otherwise known as Dr Laser, has been suspended from practicing any form of medicine by the Abba Waziri Hassan-led Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (MDPDT) after he was found guilty of a four-count charge bordering on violation of the Code of Medical Ethics.

He stood accused of helping companies infringe on patient’s confidentiality; conducting several procedures without registering plastic surgery as an additional qualification with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN); using a television programme, Dr Laser, to unlawfully share his patients’ information with the general public; and using the same television programme as an avenue to self-advertise, which contradicts the laws that govern medical practice in Nigeria. All of these infringements violate the code of dental and medical practice in Nigeria

Aranmolate was first charged in 2020 but was first arraigned in August 2021, where he initially pleaded not guilty to the tribunal. However, on December 6, 2021, the plastic surgeon pled guilty to all charges. At the end of the trial, the tribunal ruled that Aranmolate’s license be suspended for three months following a plea for leniency by the accused’s lawyer.

While he is well-known in the community of body enhancement enthusiasts, it was not until controversial actress Tonto Dikeh revealed that he was the one responsible for her new body did his practice receive an upward swing in fortune.

Women flooded his Abuja clinic and that trajectory helped him to quickly expand to two locations in Lagos. A graduate of medicine from the University of Lagos, Dr Aranmolate plies his trade via Grandville Medical and Laser Clinic, performing fat transfer procedures, liposuction and reconstructive surgery.

Aranmolate

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STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

Saheed Olanrewaju Causing Ronke Odusanya Sleepless Nights

BIOLA MAKINDE, WIFE LOSE MILLIONS TO CONMEN H

on Biola Makinde and his wife, Rhoda, have reportedly lost N40 million in a business deal brought to them by a clergyman and a gospel artiste.

The clergyman, Apostle Olawale Philip Ilesanmi, the founder of Call of Salvation and Deliverance Ministries, Brentwood, Maryland, United States, convinced Rhoda to invest in a chromite business in South Africa in return for a mouthwatering monthly return on investment (ROI). Rhoda, a resident of Maryland and congregant of the church, was told her ROI would be in the region of N30,000,000.

Chromite is a metal used for inducing hardness, toughness and chemical resistance in steel. It is a natural mineral mined in South Africa and a lucrative business.

With the high ROI and the trust she had in Apostle Ilesanmi and Shadare, Rhoda decided to invest in the business. She did not suspect the two men and reportedly invested about N40,000,000 in 2019.

After waiting for two years without getting any return on investment and not hearing from Ilesanmi and Shadare, she ran to court in September 2021. She filed a case against the two at Circuit Court for Prince George’s Country in Maryland, demanding a refund of the money invested.

While narrating his own part of the ordeal, Shadare stated that he met one Dayo David, a Nigerian living in South Africa who introduced him to the business. Shadare, in turn, informed his pastor, Apostle

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The Makindes Ilesanmi, of the lucrative business.

Ilesanmi, in turn, told Rhoda about it.

Shadare collected more funds from other investors and sent them to David. After a few months without any news from South Africa, he tried to contact David but couldn’t reach him. When he eventually did, David told him that he had been sick and was in Sierra Leone. All efforts to collect the money invested have proven abortive.

Rhoda, who is bent on getting her money back, has been going in and out of court since the case started a few months ago.

However, high-ranking members of the church have been mounting pressure on the lawmaker’s wife to drop the case and accept her fate. Meanwhile, her husband, Biola Makinde, is allegedly worried the issue might affect his political career and has been trying to keep it away from the public.

Who Among These Three Will Replace Olori Naomi?

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Ooni, Ashley, Ademiluyi, and Adesegun

he social media space has been agog following the announcement by Olori Silekunola Naomi’s divorce fron the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II. This isn’t quite surprising as there has been cracks in the three year old union for a while which the couple had on several occasions tried to cover up. But evidence that the center can no longer hold became evidence when Olori

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Naomi refused to congratulate him on the occasion of his sixth coronation anniversary and was conspicuously absent all through the celebrations.

Besides the several issues raised by Olori Naomi as reasons for divorcing him, one of the major reasons why she decided she has had enough is his divided attention towards her.

The monarch is involved with several women, all of who reside on the palace grounds. With the coast now very

clear, THEWILL wonders which of these women in his harem will be worthy enough to officially step into the vacant position of the Olori.

There is Ronke Ademiluyi, the founder of Africa Fashion Week London and Nigeria. Her name easily comes to mind as a perfect replacement of Olori Naomi. She has been close to the Ooni long before he was crowned king.

She was rumoured at a point to be his likely choice of Olori six years ago. She is a native of Ife and a princess from the royal family. She co-founded the AdireOodua Textile hub in Ile-Ife with the traditional ruler. Guess it is now time to make their relationship official.

Then there is Tope Adesegun, the deputy convener of Hope Alive Initative. She already has a place in the heart of the monarch. She was rumoured to be the one to replace Olori Wuraola, the Ooni’s second wife who quit her marriage over allegations of infidelity and barrenness.

The third woman, Afolashade Ashley who is the founder of Ashley Adegoke Foundation has been parading herself as the very first woman in the life of the Ooni. But she has a clause that would not allow her that position. She is a single mother of one and tradition forbids the Ooni from marrying any woman who has ever had a child for another man. Though she has always been in the life of the Ooni before he got married to Olori Wuraola, her past has disqualified her automatically.

few years ago, Ronke Odusanya, popularly known as Flakky Ididowo, found love in Saheed Olanrewaju, popularly known as Rahman Jago.

The actress, who was once romantically linked with Pasuma, was happy that her search for Mr Right had ended. She visited his family and was accepted. However, in a twist of fate, the well-endowed actress went back to being single.

Saheed claims to be the chief executive officer of Olawanhan Homes and Properties, a real estate outfit. He has an elder sister, Lieutenant Colonel Aranmolate, in the United States Army.

In addition to Ronke, he also has a child with another woman he impregnated and dumped before he met Ronke.

Saheed is a lady’s man and the actress knew about his love for women before she started a relationship with him. She once granted an interview Olanrewaju & Odusanya where she stated that her man had dated a handful While the going was good, of ladies.

Saheed spoilt her with the good Saheed was based abroad things of life, but things soon before relocating to Nigeria. turned sour between them. They They met after he sent the had concluded plans for a legal actress a message on social marriage before news of their media that he liked her. They separation surfaced online. One became friends and started of the reasons for the breakup a relationship. They had their was because Saheed caught the first child, Oluwafifehanmi actress cheating on him. Also, Fareeha Olamiposi in 2019. he became broke at a point and The actress had to travel to couldn’t continue to shoulder the Dallas in Texas, US to be responsibilities of his partner. delivered of the baby. The The actress dragged him naming ceremony took place to court over the welfare of over there before she returned their daughter but the case to Nigeria. turned messy during court

proceedings, Saheed requested a deoxyribonucleic acid test (DNA) to determine the paternity of the child before he would continue to take responsibility for her upkeep. The court granted him his request on the condition that he paid for the test. His ex-partner, Ronke equally accepted provided the test was done in a clinic selected by the court. But Saheed absconded, thereby making the case to drag unnecessarily in court. This compelled the court to declare him wanted a few days ago for wasting its time.

Evans Akere Veers Into Interior Design

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oremost fashion designer, Evans Akere, the creative director behind luxury men’s wear, Vans Kere, has expanded his business frontiers.

The talented designer has acquired a popular interior design company, 57 interiors to expand into a new market and meet the lifestyle demands of clients. Having made a lot of headway in the fashion and design business since 2004 when he established Vans Kere, Evans has now diversified into furniture making and interior designs after the acquisition that he has named Vanskere Home. The two companies would operate as separate brands, though each will lend the other its expertise when needed.

Akere THEWILLNIGERIA

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Mama Roz’s Chronicles

The First Cut is The Deepest your new relationship, this behaviour could trigger feelings of mistrust.

Knowing this could help your new partner work with you through these feelings and build trust in your current relationship. It also helps both of you team up against the insecurities that threaten your relationship.

BY ROZ AMECHI Very few people ever forget the first time someone cheated on them.

Infidelity is not something you get over easily even if you have experienced it before, but that first time is truly devastating. In fact, if not properly checked, it could affect every relationship you have from then on.

The effect of broken trust is often not limited to the erring partner; in many cases it is extended to subsequent partners. Oftentimes you hear women say “all men are cheats”. This declaration may not necessarily be based on all the relationships they might have had (indeed they may only have had one); apparently it just takes one bad experience to write off a whole gender. It’s called emotional baggage. After a negative experience, one has to work really hard at unpacking the baggage caused by infidelity so as not to ruin a subsequent relationship.

Nkem and Bamidele have shared traumatic personal stories of their very first experience of infidelity; revealing how they felt and the impact on their emotions. (Names and places have been changed to protect the identities of the people in the stories)

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NKEM’S STORY woman never truly forgets the first guy she gave her heart to. For me, that guy was Emeka. I gave him not only my heart, but my prized virginity too, so as you can imagine I really loved him; he was special.

That was the end of our love affair and my first introduction to betrayal, infidelity and heartbreak. It’s been over twenty years since it happened but I will never forget the sinking feeling I had when he first admitted his unfaithfulness. I was so broken. It was a deep cut and no act of infidelity has ever hurt me as much as that first one.

I met Emeka through my sister who was in the University of Lagos at the time. He was in her circle of friends. He was so handsome; I fell in love with him instantly.

In those days, that was the main criterion for selecting a boyfriend and he passed with flying colours. He was cool too, well spoken, charming and all those things a young girl likes.

Bamidele’s Story I was really lucky. In all the years I dated as a young single man, infidelity wasn’t something I had ever encountered before. I’m a one-woman man and I had never cheated on anyone nor had anyone cheated on me. So, it came as a devastating shock when in 1990, my wife revealed to me that she had slept with a co-worker.

We got really close. He met my family and I met his. Both families were happy about our relationship. There was an unspoken agreement that we would get hitched once we both graduated and I couldn’t wait.

Against my wishes, my parents whisked me off to the UK to study for my A’ levels.

I was sad to leave Emeka who stayed back in UNN to complete his degree. I knew I would miss him but I was confident he would wait for me. He was my true love after all, my beau.

I came home one holiday and went to visit my sister in the university. Emeka was there (I knew he would be) and I was really excited to see him. Distance had made the heart grow even fonder if that were possible. I loved him too much already. The thought of seeing him during the holiday got me through the long separation period while I was away at school.

“

The most important person responsible for unpacking I had heard a rumour that he was dating your emotional baggage another girl on campus but I didn’t however isn’t the initial believe it. Not my Emeka. Nevertheless, I perpetrator nor is it the confronted him, and initially he denied it. new partner; it’s you! Get However, in time the story kept unfolding until it became evident that he had lied and professional help if you need it. Healing from deep he reluctantly admitted that the story was emotional pain is a process, true. I was heartbroken and disappointed.

He apologised and promised to stop seeing a journey. It takes time and her so I forgave him and we carried on with sometimes it requires the input of an expert. Don’t our relationship. feel uncomfortable about seeking help if you find To my dismay however, shortly after I that you are dealing with returned to school in the UK, I discovered too many triggers which that he had continued the affair with the are affecting your current other girl. He had simply lied to me; he relationship. never ended it at all. I was devastated.

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The most important person responsible for unpacking your emotional baggage however isn’t the initial perpetrator nor is it the new partner; it’s you! Get professional help if you need it. Healing from deep emotional pain is a process, a journey.

It takes time and sometimes it requires the input of an expert. Don’t feel uncomfortable about seeking help if you find that you are dealing with too many triggers which are affecting your current relationship.

Finally use simple techniques such as affirmations and deep self-care.

Positive statements (affirmations) can help you to challenge and overcome those negative thoughts and self-doubts that creep in and sabotage your relationship.

Repeat them often and believe in them. Self-care includes building yourself emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually.

Her excuse was that she felt neglected because I spent long hours at work. I was the general manager of a restaurant in those days. When she confessed, I felt crushed and disappointed but I didn’t feel the need to end the marriage at that time.

Getting over it wasn’t easy though; it was a journey. We slept in separate rooms for two months. I battled with myself to get over it and eventually I forgave her. I still felt very disappointed and betrayed but I rose above all that and tried to look at it from her perspective. I felt that we all make mistakes and perhaps I was somewhat responsible because of my long working hours. I loved her and I believed it was a one-time thing so we worked through it and I let it go.

It still hurts, it will always hurt but I gave our marriage a second chance and we remained married for over 20 years and raised our now 23-yearold daughter together. Sadly, three separations later, our marriage ended this year, 2021.

The irony of it all is that I never cheated on my wife. Usually, men are the ones accused of infidelity because the general belief is that we can’t stay faithful. Every time we discuss the reasons why our marriage ended; my ex-wife would accuse me of adultery.

Perhaps she, (like many women) finds it difficult to believe that a man can be faithful. The truth is that she is the only woman I have been intimate with since I arrived in the United States in 1982. So can a man be

faithful? Yes, he can, I certainly was.

Dealing with Emotional Baggage If you have been cheated on, you will always be wary, you’ll always look for the signs you missed the first time it happened. It erodes your trust and affects your selfconfidence especially if you are still in a relationship with the same person who cheated on you.

These are natural and appropriate responses to the traumatic episode you experienced. It’s simply your mind and body trying to keep you safe from the threat that caused you so much hurt the first time. However, the associated anxiety and pain could create barriers to your new relationship or prevent you from repairing the existing one. What steps do you need to take to rid yourself of the emotional baggage associated with infidelity?

If you are in a new relationship, it helps to open up with your new partner about your past experience.

For starters it would help the new person understand how certain behaviour which you still associate with your former cheating partner, could trigger feelings of mistrust.

For example, if your cheating boyfriend or girlfriend had a habit of whispering into the phone when they receive certain calls, even in

In a situation where a person has been cheated on and chooses to remain in the relationship or marriage, the cheating has to stop for healing to be possible. In addition, those triggers must be recognised and resolved with constant and frequent reassurances given on demand.

It’s a long tedious journey back to re-establishing trust and not every couple can make it. Some men get exasperated, “Why can’t she just understand that I’m sorry and I won’t do it again”. In reality it’s not that simple. If you do the crime, be prepared to do the time. Man or woman, the perpetrator simply has to be patient and understanding of their partner’s insecurities and triggers.

Indeed, the first cut may be the deepest but it need not be the basis or compass for navigating every subsequent relationship. No matter how devastated, no matter how broken we are, we must overcome in order to enjoy the new or current relationship. We owe that much to ourselves and to our new partner.

PS: Have a merry Christmas and an awesome New Year!

PPS: Thank you to all the people who donated to the cause of the three homeless women, Amina, Martha and Victoria. They were really grateful for the generous donations and will use the funds to find accommodation and get back on their feet. God bless you for your kindness.

Roz Amechi © 2021. No part of the story/documentary may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the author, Roz Amechi.

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FEATURE

Diri On Warpath With Criminals In Bayelsa

BY AMOS OKIOMA, YENAGOA

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enultimate Tuesday, while launching the Bayelsa State security outfit codenamed ‘Operation Doo-Akpo’ in Yenagoa, capital of the state, Governor Douye Diri, issued a warning to criminals to steer clear of the state.

The governor also commissioned 50 brand-new operational vehicles, 40 motorcycles and security gadgets and signed into law the Community Safety Corps Bill to streamline the operations of the state security outfits. The law is intended to bring the operations of security outfits, such as the Operation Doo-Akpo, Bayelsa Volunteers and the Bayelsa Vigilantes, under one umbrella.

Speaking at the event held at the Peace Park in Yenagoa, Governor Diri noted that the exercise was to reinvigorate the security architecture of the state to make it more efficient and effective in crime fighting.

It was also an indication that the governor was preparing and strategising for an inevitable showdown with criminal elements within the state. According to him, the operations of the state security outfit was not to usurp the functions of the conventional security agencies, but to support and collaborate with them on efforts aimed at ridding Bayelsa of the activities of criminals.

While acknowledging the enormous financial resources spent on the assets, Diri said the priority of his administration was to ensure the prosperity of all, which could not possibly be achieved without safeguarding the lives and properties of Bayelsans.

New security patrol vehicles purchased by the Bayelsa State government.

leadership of Ohaneze-Ndigbo in the state at the Government House, Yenagoa.

The governor, at the meeting, assured the Igbo community and other non-natives in the state of their safety and security.

He said the timing of the relaunch as appropriate as the festive season draws closer with the attendant increase in criminal activities.

He restated his government’s resolve to invoke the laws of the land against anyone bent on jeopardising the peace and security of lives and property in the state.

Describing crime fighting as a collective effort by all Bayelsans, he appealed to security agencies to conceal the identity of informants so as to encourage people to report criminal activities.

Noting that although no society was crime-free, his administration would not fold its arms and allow investments in the state go down the drain due to the activities of criminals.

Diri assured the Ohaneze-Ndigbo leadership and their members doing business in the state that their investments were secure under his administration as they were partners in progress.

He appealed to Bayelsans to provide information to the security agencies that would lead to more effective crime fighting.

The Bayelsa helmsman thanked security agencies for their role in ensuring the relative peace in the state.

“The government of Bayelsa will continue to stand by the Constitution and defend the lives and property of everyone living in this state. It is in this light that we are scaling up the security of Bayelsa, particularly in the Yenagoa metropolis.

He also appreciated his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, for establishing the Operation Doo-Akpo in 2012, which he said has over the years assisted in combating crime.

He said, “I have just signed the Community Safety Corps Bill into law. This is intended to complement the work of the constitutional recognised security agencies. The law also harmonises the special security outfits of the state under one umbrella. This means that henceforth Operation Doo-Akpo, Bayelsa Volunteers and the Bayelsa Vigilante will operate under one umbrella.

“In line with our Action Plan for security, we have made progress in changing the mindset of our operatives, enhanced intelligence gathering, reinforced our alertness and increased mobility and response time. After comprehensively and holistically evaluating the situation, we have made informed and tailored decisions, allowing us to re-engage Doo-Akpo even more effectively, strengthening performance and guaranteeing the safety and security of our people. Improving responsiveness also requires that we have the requisite equipment and assets.

“Consequently, it gives me great joy to re-launch Operation Doo-Akpo. Necessarily, the programme has been reviewed, redesigned and refreshed to be more responsive and responsible in carrying out its duties.

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Gov. Diri.

“In this first phase, I am commissioning for immediate deployment 50 brand new Hilux patrol vehicles, a new statewide command-and-control system based on Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Technology, 40 brand new motorcycles and a K-9-unit.”

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, CP Agberebi Akpoebi (rtd), noted that the outfit had assisted in combating crime in the state, making it one of the safest states in the South- South geopolitical zone.

According to him, the swift response of Doo-Akpo to distress calls encouraged residents to believe in the capability of the outfit to ensure their safety.

Earlier, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, stated that the Community Safety Corp Bill, which harmonised activities of security outfits in the state, would assist in curbing crime, protection of government infrastructure in rural areas and engage youths of the state.

In a related development, Senator Diri earlier met with the

“All those involved as a syndicate and otherwise in crime and criminality should think twice now. There are laws against kidnapping in this state and those laws will be evoked.

“Our state has been one of the most peaceful in Nigeria and we want it to be that way. Let me further assure you that this government will work hand in gloves with you to protect and secure the lives and property of the Igbo people living in Bayelsa Stat as long as they live within the confines of the laws of Nigeria and the laws of Bayelsa.”

He urged them to disabuse their minds from the notion that the Igbos were targets of any act of crime and criminality, stating that crime had no discrimination.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the Ohaneze-Ndigbo in Bayelsa, Mazi Onuma Johnson, said the Igbos have been part of the economic progress in the state and will continue to play their role in the development of the state.

Mazi Johnson, who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Non-Indigenes, said they were pleased to identify with the Prosperity Government, stating that the motto of every Igbo man is “Prosperity For All.” THEWILLNIGERIA

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FEATURE so the food helps us. We need the food daily,” he said.

However, food vendors contracted to supply cooked foods to the school children in Cross River State lamented that the sums of money allocated to them to buy, cook and distribute foods to a number of schools in the state are very small.

They maintained that due to high costs of food items in the market, the money can no longer purchase enough and quality food items for the numbers of schools and children allocated to them.

Also speaking, the deputy head teacher of Preparatory International School, Lady Esther Afia said several times, the vendors would come with very small quantities of food to the little children.

She added that the quantity and quality did not assuage the levels of hunger of the children, who came with the hope of getting such foods on the given day and time.

She called for increased funding, so that the vendors can be able to buy larger quantities of food items and prepare quality and hygienic foods for the susceptible children.

She said, “There are more than 700 students in my school that benefit from the school feeding programme. I would say that the food help the students somehow.

Lunch time for school children.

FG’s Faltering School Feeding Programme in C’River FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

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ccording to estimates by the World Bank, over 10.5 million Nigerian children were out of school by 2016.

This literally means that one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria.

This figure, though scary, is even scarier and more worrisome when the present estimate is put in context.

A survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicates that the population of out-of-school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million, the highest in the world.

As part of moves by many societies to address this and improve school enrollment at the basic level, school feeding programmes were introduced.

School feeding programmes have been defined by the World Bank as “targeted social safety nets that provide both educational and health benefits to the most vulnerable children, thereby increasing enrollment rates, reducing absenteeism, and improving food security at the household level.”

The major objectives of the programmes are to increase enrollment rates and improve the nutritional and health status of school children.

Others are to stimulate local agricultural production and boost the income of farmers, provide empowerment opportunities for women in order to improve family and local economy.

In Nigeria, the school feeding programme was first piloted THEWILLNIGERIA

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by the Federal Government in 2004 during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The programme was implemented in 12 selected states from the six geo-political zones.

The programme, though not functioning as expected, was revived by the present administration in 2016 with the name National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and now implemented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.

Over 300 million meals have been served to more than 7.5 million pupils in 46,000 Public Primary Schools in 22 states.

The programme, though noble, has not been without challenges in its implementation particularly in some states.

In Cross River, primary and secondary school pupils have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to improve on the level of implementation of the programme.

This concern was expressed when the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq, sent officials of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) to some schools.

Francis Patrick and Grace Nyong, both of them six-yearold primary 3 pupils of Preparatory International School Calabar and Emem Effiom of Holy Trinity Schools, Calabar commended the feeding programme, but they said the quality and hygienic regularity should be improved.

“We thank President Buhari for the jollof rice, but we want more. They don’t come every day or every week. The food is very small. The food makes us happy when we are on break.

Some of my friends and classmates don’t come with biscuits

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“I must stress that the quantities have drastically reduced in recent times. This is due to the high costs of food items in the markets. Government should please increase the funding to help the vendors improve the quality and quantity of the foods.”

One of the vendors, Mrs Galadima Saida, said she handles over 30 class three pupils aged between 6 and 9 in the same school.

She said, “I started to supply food in May 2017 when the Government initiative started in the state, and it has been very interesting for me, especially because the children have fallen in love with me.

“However the N70 per child is no longer sufficient, going by the prevailing hyper-inflation in the country. There is a dire need for the amount given to us to be increased to tally with the economic situation.

“In Cross River State, the money allocated to us does not come regularly. Starting from 2020, we received payments once or twice per term, whereas it is supposed to be monthly so as to feed the children daily. So how can we cope?”

The Programme manager of the SFP in the state, Gabriel Okulaja, in his reaction said the government is still passionate about the programme and is still generating data so as to improve its implementation.

Okulaja said, “The programme is going through transitions.

We are embarking on enumeration of data, schools, vendors to enable us to improve funding.

“The federal government is still passionate about it. Currently, we have 286,511 children across the state participating. We are yet to cover all schools. More will be captured in the next phase of the programme.

“There are 433 cooks, 18 bakeries, 18 farms involved and over 5000 crates of eggs are used per feeding. I think this is good somehow for the local economy even though we couldn’t handle it during the COVID-19 periods in 2020.”

Also speaking, Mrs Elizabeth Odu, an official from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Abuja, said they are monitoring the quality and quantity of foods supplied to the children.

“We are targeting to feed nine million children across schools in the country. Presently, we are capturing data and schools with a view to bettering the programme next year,” said.

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NEWS XTRA Governor Lalong Preaches Love At Christmas Carol

BY UKANDI ODEY, JOS overnor Simon Lalong of Plateau State recently preached the virtues of love and hope at the 2021 Carol of 9 Lessons organised by the Government House Chapel, Jos, to mark the Christmas celebration.

Governor Lalong, who was accompanied to the event by the First Lady, Mrs. Regina Lalong, described Christmas as relevant not only to Christians, but also people of other faiths.

He said, “This season is one that rekindles our hope in Christ and in our Nation despite the challenges that we are passing through. Rather than be overwhelmed, we have to be strengthened by the fact that Christ came to the world to give us assurance of victory and hope.”

Lalong urged Nigerians not to despair because during His mission on earth, Jesus Christ passed through many tribulations and also warned his followers to expect similar challenges in their journey of faith. The most important legacy Christ left to the world, he noted, is the assurance of victory over the devil and eternal salvation.

Lalong said Plateau State had so much to thank God for because it recorded many victories, despite the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the breach of peace witnessed in some local government areas of the state. God, he said, gave the government the grace to contain the situation and restore peace within a short time.

He said, “As believers, it is our duty to ensure that we follow His footsteps by embracing people from every background and tolerating one another. Our stand as a government is that as long as people are ready to abide by the laws of the land and respect the culture and traditions of Plateau State, they are welcome to live and pursue legitimate businesses in the state.”

He warned that his government would never tolerate criminals who come to destabilise the state through their criminal activities with some using religion, ethnicity and politics to further create crises in the State in order to pursue their selfish ends. He said they will never be allowed any room to turn Plateau State to a crises zone.

In a goodwill message on behalf of heads of security agencies, the GOC 3rd Armoured Division and Commander Operation Safe Haven, Gen. Ibrahim Ali, said the governor had directed security agencies to carry out robust deployment of personnel and also ensure that they dominate critical flashpoints to prevent crimes from taking place.

He urged the citizens to continue to love one another, expose criminals, remain vigilant and pray for the peace and unity of the nation.

Chairman PFN Plateau State Rev. Steve Dangana prayed for the Governor, President and other leaders of the nation.

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L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and President Muhammadu Buhari, launch the 2021- 2025 National Development Plan at the State House, Abuja 22/12/2021.

Immigration Uncovers Planned Terrorists Attack On Abuja

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he Nigeria Immigration Service has Uncovered plot by terrorists to attack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),

The NIS said it received intelligence from the Presidency that some terrorists from Mali, want to move through the border Nigeria shares with Niger Republic to launch an attack in Abuja.

The letter dated December 23, 2021, was titled, ‘Terrorists Plan Attacks In Abuja’ and signed by the Land Border Patrol Commander, Edirin Okoto, on behalf of the Acting Comptroller General Of Immigration Service, Idris Jere.

The letter was addressed to all sector commanders and border patrol corps all over the country, including those at the Seme, Idi Iroko, Jibia, Illela land borders, as well as Immigration officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, amongst others.

The Service has therefore put its officers at various border posts across the country on red alert to contain the plot.

The letter read, “The Office of the Ag CGI is in receipt of a Security Report (URGENT) from the Presidency (OSGF). The import

is about a looming attack on Nigeria’s Capital City, Abuja, between 17th and 31st December, 2021. The planned attack is purportedly being led by one DRAHMANE OULD ALI, aka Mohammed Ould Sidat, an Algerian national to be assisted by one Zahid Aminon, a Nigerien national.

“The report indicates the duo are enroute Nigeria from Mali through Gan and Niger Republic, riding a white Toyota Hilux van with Reg. No- AG157EKY. That these two had four Nigerian accomplices who are already embedded in the country.

“It is further reported that Ali holds an Algerian Diplomatic Passport with the name Najim Ould Ibrahim.

“Consequently, I am directed to request you to intensify alert levels, emplace necessary countermeasures at all our entry/exit points- Air, Land, Sea/Marine, including, but not limited to, surveillance, rigorous search on persons and vehicles, transhumance, to effectuate the immediate arrest of these terrorists/countervail this and any terrorist attacks in Abuja.”

THEWILL recalls that the Department of State Services (DSS) had in November 2021 alerted the Nigeria Customs Service over planned attacks by insurgents at border communities across the country.

Nigeria Records a New High of 4,035 COVID-19 Infections

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igeria recorded a new high of 4,035 new COVID-19 infections in 15 states on Wednesday showing close to 100 per cent increase over the 2,123 infections recorded on Tuesday.

Lagos State maintained its lead on the table with 3,393 cases, up from 1,552 cases it recorded on Tuesday. Its total as at Wednesday was 89,355 infections.

Other states are Rivers (260), Edo (62), Akwa Ibom (42), Kaduna (39), Ekiti (38) Oyo (38). Delta and Kano recorded 31 new

infections each.

Ogun State also recorded 30 new infections, while Abia had 26; Bauchi State had 15; Ondo State had 14; Enugu State had nine, while Kwara had seven new infections.

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) which gave the figures on Thursday stated that Nigeria also recorded two related deaths raising the mortality figure from 2,989 on Tuesday to 2,991 on Wednesday.

FG Issues New COVID-19 Guidelines, Restricts Indoor Religious Gatherings To 50% Capacity FROM ABDULLAHI MAIKUDI

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he Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 on Thursday declared that indoor religious gatherings should be limited to 50 percent with full compliance to public health measures.

This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the chairman of the PSC and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

The statement reads: “The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 recognises the importance of the Christmas and New Year celebrations for most Nigerians. As we prepare to celebrate with our families and loved ones, it is important that we do so safely by taking the necessary precautionary measures to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our country.

“The PSC wishes to remind Nigerians that we are now experiencing the 4th wave of COVID-19 as new cases have continued to rise in the country.

“This is the result of a mix of very low vaccination coverage, increased travels and movements, reduced compliance to public health social measures and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant now circulating in the country.

“Indoor religious congregations should be limited to 50% capacity with full compliance to public health social measures; face masks and hand sanitisers should be used at all times regardless of vaccination status while in public spaces.

“Families are advised to limit the number of visitors to their homes and put in place precautionary safety measures. Any gathering in the excess of 50 people should be done in open spaces with physical distancing.

“Avoid non-essential interstate travel at this period as this increases the risk of spreading infection from one place to another.

“People who intend to travel are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test to confirm status as many infected persons are asymptomatic.

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VOL 1 NO.46 • CHRISTMAS EDITION 2021

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SportsLive

Will Sports Enter Another Period Of Lockdown? related postponements. The December 12 Tottenham versus Brentford was the first to be postponed. Then, United's match against Brentford followed a few days later after the Red Devils announced that numerous first-team staff and players had tested positive for the virus, resulting in the suspension of first-team operations at Carrington. An outbreak among the Hornets' squad, brought the postponement to Burnley's match against Watford on Wednesday, December 15, just as Spurs' trip to Leicester was similarly shifted. On Thursday, United's December 18 match against Brighton at Old Trafford was postponed.

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

A

s most countries around the world emerged from a global lockdown imposed by governments as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 to fully-packed stadiums at various sporting events, it seemed that the worst days of the deadly virus were over for sportsmen and women, as well as fans all over the world. Those gloomy days spent watching old competitions and reruns of previous games on television had become a thing of the past and sporting events would no longer be held on empty stadiums devoid of the fanfare and celebratory cheers of excited fans. At the very least, that was the expectation and, for a good while, it held true.

The effect that the rescheduling of these matches will wreak on the EPL calendar for 2022 aside, there is no guarantee that this will be the last set of games that will be postponed before the Christmas and new year periods are over. Yet, clubs will seek to avoid any more postponements, which might result in a fixture backlog and expose the league to requests for reimbursements from TV partners.

As the world gradually returned to normal sporting events, there were heightened expectations that fans were going to be allowed to participate in the grandest of sporting events in the calendar, the Olympics Games scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan.

Yet, as local cases of infection in Japan's hosting prefectures shot up, the government and organisers had no choice but to shut out all but a handful of spectators from the events in the most unusual of Olympic Games ever organised in the history of the global sporting showpiece.

Although cases of COVID-19 infections soared in Japan while the Olympics events took place, with thousands of athletes and other support crew, the analysis proved that the Olympic Games had little direct impact on infections in Japan. This attested to the hard work of the organisers, who tested and retested athletes and the support crew and insisted on the strictest application of existing protocols. These protocols enforced the banning of any manner of mixing up, either through shopping, sight-seeing or public transportation, among athletes, while encouraging them to promptly leave Japan after their events.

These steps ensured a certain level of safety, such that when the closing ceremony took place the organisers of the games reported a 0.03 per cent positivity rate from their testing, far lower than the current average of 23.6 per cent in Tokyo city itself. The containment measures employed by event organisers of the Games, which were delayed by a year and held in largely empty venues as a safety precaution, thereafter became a model for the Paralympics, which followed in the same city.

Indeed, Tokyo's playbook became the manual in the organisation of sporting events that followed the gradual return to normalcy across the globe. That the Tokyo model proved successful was immensely pivotal in the overarching belief in the possibility of a post-lockdown hosting triumph.

The confidence to resume attendance at sporting events blossomed within this milieu. By the time the postponed continental football competition swung into full-blown action in Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had to recommend caution once more. Crowds had returned to football stadiums, pubs and bars in host cities and these were driving the then rise in coronavirus infections in Europe, to the chagrin of the organisation.

It was a ridiculous rise because a 10-week decline in new coronavirus infections across the region came to an end as football fans, who threw caution to the wind, created an inevitable new wave of infections, according to WHO. The warning from the health body was considered timely as the number of new cases rose by 10 per cent just after the warning, a rise driven by mixing of crowds in Euro 2020 host cities, travel and easing of social restrictions.

However, the world Although were met

the availability of vaccines changed the tone of to coronavirus-related discourse in terms of sports. welcomed by the general populace, the vaccines with mixed reactions from professional sportsmen

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Infantino

Such expectations were hinged on the assurances of the organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the utmost care had been taken to ensure the games were not superspreading events. They promised to stick to the most stringent COVID-19 health and safety regulations and abide by the protocols enforced by local and international medical professionals.

and women, who were not all sold on the extreme necessity to inject into their bloodstreams medications that were only just being readied for the mainstream.

As a result, a good number of professionals held back from taking the jabs. To encourage the rapid vaccination of their footballers ahead of the United Kingdom government's plans to initiate stricter regulations with a rise in new cases of COVID-19, the English Premier League went as far as to offer a special "reward" to clubs with the highest number of vaccinated players. This was seen as a necessary step as only 13 of the 20 clubs in the top division had squads where fewer than 50 per cent of the players were fully vaccinated against coronavirus by September ending.

League officials, worried about the relatively low levels of COVID-19 protection for Premier League players, wrote directly to clubs offering this incentive especially with winter approaching. The League's officials were desirous to ensure the elite level of the game remained one step ahead of any stricter regulation that the government was going introduce. It helped to encourage more vaccinations but as current realities make increasing obvious, it has not brought about the resolution of the Premier League's COVID-19 headache.

This is immediately clear when the recent instances of positive COVID-19 tests are taken into account. When considered alongside the fact that the League confirmed last Monday that there had been a record 42 positives over the previous seven days, representing the highest figure recorded since COVID testing began as part of Project Restart during the 2019/2020 season, it begins to look dire for the continued participation in all and any sports in the very near future. It also makes it easier to appreciate why, as part of actions laid out to stem this sudden jump in positive cases, the Premier League players and club staff are again required to take a lateral flow test every day to be allowed into training grounds. These new measures were agreed to on Tuesday last week. The aim is to combat the coronavirus Omicron variant and keep the coronavirus from spreading any further.

It is however behind the virus. Already, no fewer than five EPL clubs have reported positive cases including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich, Aston Villa any Brighton and Hove Albion. There were also positive cases reported at Leicester. By Thursday, five fixtures in the midweek and weekend schedules of the League had suffered COVID-19-

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The reality of the fresh COVID-19 threats is that it extends beyond the ambit of the EPL. In much the same light as happened in 2020, the virus is doing a number to sports across regions where aggressive testing is revealing positive cases among sportsmen and women. On Thursday last week, it was revealed that the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players' Association (NBPA) were looking into modifying current weekly testing protocols in the wake of growing number of positive cases in the league. Options that the two bodies were exploring included restricting outside access for teams in visiting areas, a protocol administered last season before the COVID-19 vaccines became readily available. They were also open to ensuring that players were tested daily, except for their days off.

As in the EPL, the Chicago Bulls were hit by an outbreak between Thanksgiving and Christmas, forcing them to postpone two games this week. Outside Chicago, the Brooklyn Nets barely had enough players to field a team against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday last week, just as the Raptors system enforcing a 50% capacity at their arena. So far, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Dwight Howard, and Ja Morant (who is already out with a knee injury) were among players who have lately tested positive, leading the NBA to review its existing set of protocols.

In Hockey, a rash of COVID-19 instances among the Calgary Flames, forced the National Hockey League (NHL) to issue its third COVID-19 delay of the season on Monday, postponing the team's next three games. The NHL announced another postponement on Tuesday, cancelling the Carolina Hurricanes' game later that day after six players tested positive for COVID-19. If that was not unfortunate enough, the National Football League, for American football, had a record-breaking Monday as well, with 36 players testing positive for COVID-19, according to reports.

Over the last three weeks, the seven-day average of new coronavirus infections has increased by 24 percent in the United Kingdom, 28 percent in the United States, and 65 percent in Canada, indicating that the latest outbreaks in sports correlate with an increase in COVID-19 cases throughout North America and Europe. When such upticks occurred in 2020, the prevalent medical advice was to flatten the curve by a shutdown of all sports activities. This was the start of the global lockdowns. Following the adoption of new coronavirus restrictions in England two weeks ago, the Premier League advised clubs to revert to emergency measures such as social separation and masking, as may be the case in the NBA soon.

All these point to the possibility that, if there is no noticeable plateauing of the rise in numbers of positive cases, another round of lockdowns may result with concern for health and safety given priority. A new necessity to flatten the curve may arise and bring unnecessary and non-life threatening activities, like sports events, to another abrupt, temporal and indefinite stop. That may affect the AFCON for next year, as well. It has already been twice postponed. It looks like a third is not too farfetched. The question to consider is if this will be the new norm, intermittent periods of starts and stops as one virus or the other halts regular human activities for the sake of health and safety?

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