THEWILL FEB 6 - 12 EDITION

Atiku, Wike’s Face-off Tears PDP Apart 16

PAGES

Price: N350

PAGE 9

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022• VOL . 2 NO. 06

Flour Mills: High Forex MARYAM APAOKAGI-GREENE Losses, Finance Costs In Her Debase Profit Growth Elements – PAGE 16

– PAGE 35

T H EWI LLNI GERI A

T H EWI LLN G

THEWILLNIGERIA

www.thewillnigeria.com

2023: Crisis of Confidence, Supremacy Rock APC, PDP FEATURE:

The Many Troubles of Apprentices

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

Let’s take back the odds one vaccination at a time.

Get vaccinated today.

09045531044

Cacovidng

supportcacovid@actrustfoundation.org www.cacovid.org

PAGE 2

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

PAGE 3

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

PAGE 4

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

COVER 2023: Crisis of Confidence, Supremacy Rock APC, PDP •Implosion Looms as Governors Take Over Governing Party •Aggrieved Members Threaten Showdown •PDP Walks the Tightrope Over Zoning •Smaller Parties Waiting to Benefit Wike of River State and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are at daggers drawn over the zoning contest.

The Governor Bala Mohammed-led PDP 2019 Election Review Committee had stirred the hornet’s nest over its decision to throw the presidential ticket of the party open to all the six geo-political zones in consideration of the new realities of fairness and geo-political interdependence in the country.

On the other hand, arrangements made towards the APC’s February 26, 2022 National Convention are creating ripples within the party, particularly since the controversies that trailed its congresses held last quarter of 2021, are yet to be resolved.

On Thursday, a ritual that exposed the extent of the division within the party reared its head again. The Nigeria Police condoned off the party’s national headquarters named after President Muhammadu Buhari shortly before the swearing-in of the executive officers of its state chapters.

Heavily armed policemen blocked the exit and entry points to the Buhari House national office of the party located on Blantyre Street, Abuja. That was not the first time the party’s national office would be shut to members and workers alike. It is a familiar party ritual since Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State became the head of the party. Last year, it happened twice.

In November 10, 2021, the APC had cause to draft security officials to its headquarters to forestall any breakdown of law and order as there were reports of a planned protest by members over the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses across the country. The national secretariat of the governing, but internally fractious APC is currently under siege by Nigerian police officers trying to prevent aggrieved party members from staging a protest.

BY AMOS ESELE WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTS FROM ANIEKAN BASSEY IN CALABAR, UKANDI ODEY IN JOS, AMOS OKIOMA IN YENAGOA, SEGUN AYINDE IN ABEOKUTA AND SUNDAY AGBO IN ABAKALIKI

A

crisis of confidence and supremacy is rocking the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the politics of the 2023 general election continues to stare Nigerians in the face.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

As though exchanging batons on the race to the upcoming general poll, both parties are jumping from one crisis to the other and heating the polity in a way that keeps the smaller parties on the alert and waiting on the wings to benefit.

Sooner had the opposition PDP settled its leadership crisis than the politics of zoning the presidency, spoken about in hushed tones, began to grow louder by the day. For now, Governor Nyesom

THEWILLNIGERIA

In August 2020, the office came under police protection, following a planned demonstration at the secretariat of the party as a fallout from the division among leaders of the party, who questioned the unlawful and unconstitutional leadership of the Buni led -Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN and Kayode Ajulo, SAN, had disagreed with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over Buni and his committee’s continued PAGE 5

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

COVER stay in office after the Supreme Court affirmed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as Governor of Ondo State.

The Supreme Court had affirmed Rotimi Akeredolu as governor of Ondo, following the failure of the petitioner, Eyitayo Jegede, to join Buni in the governorship suit on the Ondo governorship election.

Keyamo had contended that Buni’s continued stay in office was in violation of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a sitting governor may not hold any other executive post or paid job in any capacity during the time he is in office. Malami dismissed Keyamo’s submission as untenable and unwarranted.

Thursday’s repeat of the previous month’s ritual was therefore a sad reminder that the party was not only in serious crisis on many fronts, but also likely to run into deep trouble ahead of its National Convention on February 26, 2022, which is intended to formally elect officials of the party.

Thirty-four state excos were inaugurated on Thursday without Kano and Sokoto States, thereby sparking more protests from the factions across the states, especially in Oyo, Kwara, Delta, Osun, Enugu, Niger, Akwa Ibom, Kano and Abia States where parallel congresses were held in October 2021.

What is emerging from THEWILL’s investigation is a trend that may not augur well for the APC’s cohesion and continued dominance in 24 states.

The inaugurated state chairmen included Kingsley Ononogbu for Abia; Ibrahim Bilal for Adamawa; Augustine Ekanem for Akwa Ibom; Basil Ejike for Anambra; Babayo Misau for Bauchi; Dennis Otiotio for Bayelsa; Augustine Agada for Benue; Ali Dalori for Borno; Alphonsus Eba for Cross River; Omeni Sabotie for Delta, Stanley Emegha for Ebonyi; David Imuse for Edo; and Omotosho Ayodele for Ekiti.

Others are Ogochukwu Agballah for Enugu; Nitte Amangal for Gombe; Macdonald Ebere for Imo; Aminu Gumel for Jigawa; Emmanuel Jekada for Kaduna; Muhammed Sani for Katsina; Abubakar Kana for Kebbi; Abdullahi Bello for Kogi; Sunday Fagbemi for Kwara; Cornelius Ojelabi for Lagos; John Mamman for Nasarawa; Haliru Jikantoro for Niger and Yemi Sanusi for Ogun.

Others are Ade Adetimehin for Ondo; Adegboyega Famodun for Osun; Isaac Omodewu for Oyo; Rufus Bature for Plateau; Emeka Bekee for Rivers, Ibrahim El-Sudi for Taraba; Muhammed Gadaka for Yobe, Tukur Danfulani for Zamfara; and Abdulmalik Usman for FCT. MORE TROUBLES AHEAD FOR APC, PDP The inauguration of the 34 State excos opened rather than healed old wounds that had been troubling the APC since it held its congresses in 2021. On the one hand, power has been consolidated in the hands of all the governors in APC governed states because their candidates, who emerged victorious in the PAGE 6

2023: Crisis of Confidence,

“

What is emerging from THEWILL’s investigation is a trend that may not augur well for the APC’s cohesion and continued dominance in 24 states recent congresses, were sworn-in as chairmen, as opposed to that of their rivals who held parallel congresses.

According to the party’s constitution, the governor is the recognised leader of the party in their respective states. It was for this reason that votecatching Kano State was not included in the list.

There, the courts have recognised the officials that emerged from the parallel congresses organised by former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau as against those organised by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Similarly, in Sokoto, the factions that emerged from the congresses are split between Senator Aliyu Wammako, considered as the leader of the party in the state, and Senator Ibrahim Gobir, Wammako’s arch enemy since his days as governor of the state when he allegedly denied Gobir a return ticket to the National Assembly.

In another vein, a different ball game played out in states that are not under the control of APC governors. As usual, party men loyal to the national leadership of the party, whose congresses were supervised by the party, carried the day. Abia State, where two factions of the party exist, is an example. Surprisingly, the new Chairman of the party in the state, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, is not from the faction considered to have the support of the big wigs like the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, General Azubuike Ihejerika (Retd.), House of Reps member, Ben Kalu and the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah. The party’s structure is in the hands of a two-time governorship aspirant on its platform, Mr Ikechi Emenike.

Rather than placing the structures of the party on a sound footing, last Thursday’s inauguration of party chairmen put the party under pressure, thereby casting a shadow over the planned National Convention scheduled for February 26, which the party hurriedly notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Wednesday, two days to the expiration of the deadline.

Meanwhile, aggrieved party leaders and members in factions across the states are fighting for supremacy. From Zamfara where Governor Bello Matawale, who defected from the PDP to the APC

recently, has taken over leadership of the party to the chagrin of the former APC Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa to Sokoto, Kano, Osun and Ekiti, where governorship primaries have split the party down the middle, and Delta where Deputy Senate President Omo Agege’s point men have sidelined Keyamo and Kwara where the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq are still at loggerheads over control of the party, the story is the same.

National Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpan Udoedeghe, who stood in for Governor Buni during the inauguration of the Chairmen of state chapters on Thursday, refused to reply to the text message he requested when he could not answer his phone call from THEWILL on Friday. But a chieftain of the party from Ekiti State, Mr Adekunle Esan, said the party was yet to become one in words and in deeds.

He told THEWILL, “The Buni Committee has fixed a convention for this month and it is already having a K-leg. Generally, APC is not a party. I am a member of the APC, but I can say categorically that APC is not a party. It is just a conglomeration of people who think about themselves, who want to have power for power’s sake. They are not interested in the welfare of the people of this country.”

However, Mr Simbard Ogbuatu, Publicity Secretary of the party in Ebonyi State, hailed the swearingin of the new party exco as a confirmation of the peaceful nature of the party.

“This has gone a long way to project APC in the state as one and united,” he told THEWILL on Thursday.

According to Ogbuatu, divisions in the party are “promoted in the social media.” But he described the inauguration of the state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja as commendable. “I commend the national working committee led by His Excellency Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni for this,” he said.

PDP, APC STATE CHAPTERS IN CRISES The raging battle for control of PDP party structures in Ekiti State, since the acrimonious governorship primaries, shows how similar both parties are only managing to wade through their crises. In the dog fight are Senator Biodun Olujimi, former governors Ayodele Fayose and Segun Oni after Olabisi Kolawole emerged as the party’s candidate for the state’s June 18 governorship election. Olujimi, who was a one-time Deputy Governor to Fayose, has fallen apart with her former principal, while Oni, who once defected to the APC in 2014 and worked for the party in the 2019 general election that the APC won, is still eyed with suspicion by the Fayose camp since he defected to the PDP last year. The fallout from the three-cornered fight is giving the national leadership of the party a nightmare.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

COVER

Supremacy Rock APC, PDP For the APC, immediately after the successful conclusion of the inauguration of 34 party excos in Abuja last Thursday, some state governors began to show their armed fists.

In Plateau State, the inauguration of the new state chairman of the APC, Rufus Bature, added fuel to the raging discord and rage of splinter groups and parallel interests within the party.

A solid test is the outcome of the primary elections conducted in Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency and Pankshin South State Constituency last week.

The results have only shown that there is intense bitterness and anger within the party and that the days ahead could come with more tempests and hostilities.

With about 300 delegates from the 30 wards in Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency of Plateau State, APC had its crises deepened as the primary election to determine its candidate for the February 26 by-election in the Constituency was declared inconclusive last Wednesday.

Although the rerun of the primary election was held at the Secretariat of Bassa Local Government Council last Friday, it was largely boycotted, with many delegates, especially from Jos North, crying foul and complaining that the process lacked transparency and credibility, as well as pointing out that the entire exercise was manipulated and skewed to favour a predetermined contender, Abbey Aku, Governor Simon Lalong’s immediate past Commissioner for Commerce and Industry.

Already, one of the aspirants in the primary, Suleiman Yahaya Kwande, has petitioned the National Secretariat of the APC, dismissing the rerun and noting that the electoral committee compromised and sold out.

THEWILL investigation reveals that a fortnight ago, it was reported that a group of APC moguls, who met in Gwol Hotel in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state, had perfected a plan to defect to the opposition PDP with thousands of their grassroots supporters. Among them is a former state chairman of the party, Letep Dabang, and two former Speakers of the State House of Assembly, Peter Azi, and Joshua Madaki. All those abandoning the APC complain of the highhandedness of Governor Lalong as the leader of the party in the state and lack of internal democracy.

In Ekiti State, where some aggrieved APC governorship aspirants accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of manipulating the outcome of the primaries to favour his candidate, anger has boiled over. Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and a House of Representatives member, Hon Femi Bamisile, vowed last Wednesday that the party would be taught a bitter lesson for what they described as impunity on the emergence of Biodun Oyebanji as THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

the governorship candidate of the party for the June governorship poll in the state.

The lawmakers said, “We thought the election would be free and fair because we thought Dr Kayode Fayemi would not get involved in the things that would deprive the party of victory in a free and fair process and that he would provide a level playing ground. We will not leave this party, but that does not mean that the APC will not be taught a lesson… The party will be taught a lesson it will never forget.”

The scenario in Zamfara State is largely similar to that of Ekiti. Senator Marafa who had since settled his quarrel with former Governor Yari and tried to reorganise the party before Governor Matawale defected and turned the table on them, has vowed to also ‘‘teach the party one or two lessons.’’

The Publicity Secretary of Senator Marafa’s faction, Bello Bakyasuwa, told a national newspaper that the Matawalle APC faction was only wasting its time.

On why the faction did not go to Abuja for the inauguration, he replied, “We didn’t go to Abuja because of our pending court’s case, which will be heard on February 17. But I am telling you that any faction of our party that goes to Abuja for the inauguration is violating the court’s order because we have been directed by the court to maintain the status-quo.”

In Cross River State, where Governor Ben Ayade defected from the PDP to the APC along with Alphonsusu Ogar Eba, who was inaugurated on Thursday as state Chairman, there is relative peace for now. The thorny issue to be faced later is the issue of zoning, which may likely trigger a crisis between the old APC and the Ayade-led group.

Bayelsa State faces similar problems, but party officials are positive that peace will reign in the party, with the efforts of the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led Reconciliation Committee that is

“

For the PDP, the zoning of the presidency is already tearing the party apart. National Chairman, Prof Iyorchia Ayu, was forced to issue a statement to call to order its leaders from the North who had been saying the party had zoned the presidency to the North

THEWILLNIGERIA

currently touring the afflicted states.

Barrister Ebiye Waripamo told this newspaper that though the party in the state remains peaceful, united and indivisible under the leadership of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources , Chief Timipre Sylva, the internal squabbles owing to disagreements over the congresses would be laid to rest with the inauguration of “our party chairman, Dr Denis Otiotio, preparatory to the February 26 sacrosanct National Convention.”

Asked how the parallel congresses that trailed the election of the state executive committees would be resolved, he said, “When the chairman returns from Abuja, we are believing that all aggrieved stakeholders would cooperate and work in unity with him to make a formidable body to prepare for the governorship election to take over power, come 2023 governorship election.”

In Ogun State, the faction loyal to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who is now a serving Senator, is keeping its next line of action to itself. Publicity Secretary of the Amosun faction of the state APC, Wole Elegbede, told THEWILL on Thursday that he had no comment when asked about his comment on the shutting out of his faction from Thursday’s inauguration in Abuja. The faction’s chairman, Derin Adebiyi, had earlier stated that his faction was not invited to the ceremony in Abuja.

For the PDP, the zoning of the presidency is already tearing the party apart. National Chairman, Prof Iyorchia Ayu, was forced to issue a statement to call to order its leaders from the North who had been saying the party had zoned the presidency to the North. A furious Governor Wike had to talk down to media mogul and founder of AIT and Ray Power, Chief Alegho Raymond Dokpesi, who had been campaigning around the party’s state chapter that only a presidential candidate from the North, preferably Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would help the party return to the power it lost to the APC in 2015.

(See our lead story on the Politics page).

A top government official, who is a chieftain of the PDP, told THEWILL on the condition of anonymity that the PDP is really walking on a tightrope as its chances at the polls over the presidential zoning controversy looks dicey.

“Our situation is really bad and our chances at the polls may just be slim for the presidency.

The zoning controversy is tearing the party. If we eventually zone the presidency to the South, there will be a problem of rejection of the candidate from the North,” he said, adding, “If we zone it to the South, the North will also reject the southern candidate, thus putting the party in a dilemma.”

The PDP chieftain believes that the APC still has a better chance if it decides to zone the presidency to the South.

However, the PDP has carefully schemed and manoeuvred through its leadership crisis to secure a national leadership during its recent national convention. It is not sure if the APC will do the same on February 26.

PAGE 7

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

NEWS

Cross River Needs Rescue Mission – Ita

O

ne of the governorship aspirants under the Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River State, Hogan Ita, has said that the state needs a rescue mission as it marches towards 2023.

L-R: Governor Godwin Obaseki (Edo State), Governor Dapo Abiodun (Ogun State) Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State); former President, Goodluck Jonathan; wife of former Military Head of State, Mrs Victoria Gowon; General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd); Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha and the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, during the State funeral of Ex-Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, on Friday, 04 February 2022.

No Automatic Ticket For Any Aspirant – Ogun PDP Chairman FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

T

he Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele, has said that the party will not issue automatic ticket to any of its aspirants contesting for elective positions in the 2023 general election in the state.

Ogundele disclosed this at the PDP Stakeholders Meeting For Ogun Central Senatorial District held at the party’s Secretariat on IBB Boulevard, Abeokuta.

The chairman, who maintained that the party would not choose a consensus candidate, said that it had become mandatory for contestants to go through the laid down procedure to avoid being denied the opportunity to participate in elections by the Independent Electoral Commission.

He stated that the procedure, which includes the process of declaring intentions, the process of moving round to canvass support and the process of going to the primary, must be applied before any of them can become the party’s candidate.

Ogundele said, “We won’t give automatic ticket to any of our aspirants, every aspirants should go through the procedure. We won’t want what happened in Zamfara and River States happen to us.

We won’t want a situation where INEC will say that they did not go through laid down proceedure during our campaign “Anybody who wants to be president from PDP has the right to show interest.

Anybody that wants to be governor or senator has the right to show his interest and go through the process.”

Earlier, another member of the House of Assembly insisted that no aspirant from the party in Ogun Central would be given automatic ticket to contest in the next election.

The lawmaker said the party would choose its candidates for elective positions at based on the party’s mode of primary without disqualifying other aspirants.

“We are very happy that the electoral bill has been passed now and more than three methods of electing party candidates have been considered.

PDP, APC Pick Candidates For Ogoja/Yala Constituency By-Election FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

A

head of the February 26 byelection for the vacant Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency seat, the two dominant political parties in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have picked their candidates for the election.

While the PDP elected Hon. Mike Usibe, a former commissioner in the state and Chairman of Yala, the APC chose Jude Ngaji, a former State Security Adviser in the state.

The PDP candidate Usibe, emerged following a primary held at the Ogoja Recreation Club in Ogoja Local Government Area of the state and he polled 184 votes.

Declaring Usibe the winner, the Chairman of the Primary Electoral Panel,

PAGE 8

Alhaji Hassan Yakubu, said a total of 235 votes were cast with one declared invalid.

He said, “Mike Usibe polled 184 votes, Godwin Offiono scored 45 votes and Mrs Margaret Odey got 5 votes.

Responding, Usibe said: “I commend all the stakeholders, including the delegates, fellow contestants and everyone who played a part in my victory.

“I personally call on the contestants to come and work with me to deliver the party on Saturday, February 26, the date of the by-election.”

On his part, the State Chairman of the PDP, Vena Ikem, expressed his profound gratitude to all the members of the party who made the primary a huge success.

‘I’ll Fight On To Reclaim Benue APC Chairmanship seat’ FROM KAJO MARTINS, MAKURDI

F

actional leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State have vowed to push for justice in the just concluded congresses of the party, in which Austin Agada purportedly emerged as the state chairman and was inaugurated last Wednesday, despite the case pending in court.

Barrister Omale Omale, who is also claiming legitimacy of the seat, said his lawyers filed a suit at a High Court since January 18, 2022, seeking to restrain Agada from parading himself as the chairman of APC in Benue State.

“Whether my case was acted upon or not, our lawyer will take another action on it at the appropriate time.

“The APC leadership’s move to inaugurate Agada in spite of the pending suit is actionable by law. We will take another step as our matter is still alive and will pursue it to a logical conclusion.

“I’m very optimistic that the court will serve justice. The so-called inauguration, which took place last Wednesday in Abuja was a sham. As the lawfully elected officer in Benue, we will take our rightful position.”

The factional APC Chairman said his supporters would look at the various positions zoned to the North Central and determine who to support.

He said there were credible members of the party across the country who had indicated interest in various elective positions and he would support anyone that capable of turning around the fortunes of the party in the state.

Mr Ita, a native of Creek Town, made this known in Calabar after a meeting of the Fresh Hope Organisation, which is planning for his official declaration of intent to run for the governorship of the state.

He said, “Attaining the governorship is not a herculean task because we are created to perform tasks. Cross River State is a peculiar state and it needs a special person to liberate it.

“We have all seen the problem in the state and we have seen that it has gone down and needs a rescue mission.

I don’t think anyone who has been involved in the downfall of the state will have the brain to rescue it.

“We need a new team, a new person and a new idea to revive the state.

What rules the world is not age but intelligence. It is about what is in your head,” he said.

The governorship hopeful said he has come to rebuild the PDP in the state and save it from gross mismanagement.

He also promised to restore faith and hope to the people. “We have come to rebuild the party, reposition it and make it the best in Africa. You cannot imagine that a party that has existed for over 18 years cannot boast of an office.

It shows gross mismanagement of the party.

“A party like the PDP that has produced three governors in the state cannot have a party house like other states. We are still struggling and renting small places for the party.

“We are coming to give the people of the state that hope and faith they have lost in the state. We want to restore it to them.

“This is the 21st century. For you to drive the economy of the state, you must be a technologically-driven human being to make Cross River a 21st Century state, there will be hope for state when we come on board,” he said.

One of the APC leaders in Benue South Senatorial District and former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, described the crisis in the APC in the district as a family affair, which he refrained from discussing with the press.

Ita warned against excessive attachment to zoning, maintaining that before the arrival of the APC and PDP, Cross River was one family. He advised that party affiliations should not be used to divide the people of the state.

“We are still settling the matter,” he said, assuring that the faction was ready to attend the APC national convention to elect the party’s new leaders and that had nothing to do with the crisis in Benue State.

On his part, Honorable Jackson Osange, the Dircetor-General of the Fresh Hope Organisation described the task before it as quite enormous, but assured that the group was up to it.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

Wike

Atiku

POLITICS

Atiku, Wike’s Face-off Tears PDP Apart

BY AYO ESAN he search for President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor is already causing a ripple in the ranks of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP}.

The party’s decision to throw its presidential slot open to all the zones in the country has also made the struggle for the ticket more intense and competitive. In fact, the struggle for the PDP’s presidential ticket is already tearing the party apart.

T

One of the bigwigs of the party and Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who appears to lead the leaders of the party in the South in the demand for a southern President, was very vociferous in criticising those who seem to be in favour of the presidential candidate emerging from the North.

Wike was recently rumoured to have accepted an offer to be former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, but the Rivers State governor bitterly refuted it.

Speaking in a television programme monitored last week, Wike said he was more qualified than the former Vice President, incumbent Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC national leader, Bola Tinubu and others aspiring to be Nigeria’s President in 2023.

He said, “Assuming today I want to run for the office of president, what quality you think I do not have? Why do you think I cannot provide the right leadership for Nigeria to move forward?”

Answering his own question, he asserted, “For somebody of my kind and record, a governor and a minister, I don’t even see anybody who will tell me that he is much more qualified than me. I don’t think that is possible.”

While he has not made a public declaration to run for president, he insisted that “it is not good for anybody to say ‘my aspirant is the best of the aspirants’.”

Also in a statement titled, ‘We’re an asset, not liability to the PDP, Nigeria’ and signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Kelvin Ebiri, Wike warned the Chairman of DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, not to assume the position of the PDP in zoning the 2027 presidential slot.

He declared that nobody can undermine the interest of the THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

“

Please, discountenance anything you’re seeing and hearing, especially all those social media posts. The South will make a statement very soon. The day the South makes a statement Nigerians will know that we are not joking

people of southern Nigeria in the decision over who flies the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike, who was said to have made the statement during a meeting of stakeholders of the PDP in Port Harcourt last Tuesday, frowned at those who claim to be traversing the country in consultation with stakeholders over their interest in the presidential race, whereas they are actually declaring their ambition.

He said the South would make a bold statement at the appropriate time so that other Nigerians will know where they stand.

Wike said, “Please, discountenance anything you’re seeing and hearing, especially all those social media posts. The South will make a statement very soon. The day the South makes a statement Nigerians will know that we are not joking.

“It’s not about coming out to say that you are consulting. You are consulting, yet, you have declared your ambition. Is it not after consultation that you declare? You’ve already declared and you say you’re consulting. What are you consulting again?

“Some people take the South for granted, saying that they are not together. No problem. If we didn’t know yesterday, today we know.”

THEWILLNIGERIA

The governor asserted that southern Nigeria, particularly Rivers State, is an enduring asset to the PDP and cannot be treated with levity.

According to Wike, when the people of the South make up their minds to support any person in their party of choice, everything is mobilised to achieve the intended goal.

“We are assets. We are not liability. When we say we are going to support the party, we support the party with everything we have. We are not in America where you do television campaign.

“When we come out, we will choke them. They know it. So, everybody should relax, let the South do its homework and then make a proper statement,” he said.

The Rivers State governor explained that since PDP is an opposition party, what is most tenable now is for its members to work towards the unity of the party, build a greater team spirit and protect it from those who want to sow seeds of discord.

He said that those who thought they could use money to overwhelm the process of internal democracy and buy off the presidential ticket of the party would be disappointed in the end.

“What is necessary now is how the party will be cohesive and the need to make sure that the party gets it right. Then when you threaten that it must be the North, you’re not trying to make peace. Also, when you threaten that it must be South, you’re not trying to make peace.

“It’s a matter of sitting down and trying to understand the situation. That is the way it is supposed to be.’

Meanwhile, Dokpesi’s statement that Atiku will ensure that an Igbo president emerges in 2027 has come under Wike’s hammer.

The Rivers State governor would not want to hear any of that. He said, “Forget about Chief Dokpesi. With all due respect, Dokpesi is one of the people trying to destroy the party, which is not good. If we follow the kind of statement that Dokpesi is making every day, by now the party would have •Continues on page 12

PAGE 9

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS/INTERVIEW

‘Ekiti APC Governorship Primary Portrays Fayemi As Non Democrat’ Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Adekunle Esan, speaks on the recent APC Governorship Primary election in the state, among other issues, in this interview with AYO ESAN. Excerpts:

H

ow would you describe development in Ekiti State in the last 10 years under the PDP and APC, respectively?

Ekiti State is so compact and culturally homogeneous that one would expect it to develop fast. In the 10 years ago, we expected a dramatic change in the affairs of state in terms of infrastructure, education, good roads, water supply and other amenities that are beneficial to the people. But there is nothing at the moment. The expectations of the people are yet to be fulfilled.

I went to Akure about two weeks ago and I marveled at what I saw there, compared to Ado Ekiti. Honestly, there is no single good road in Ekiti State. There is no water supply and the school buildings there are appalling. You will begin to wonder if there was ever any government in Ekiti State since it was created. It is a sorry case.

Why is it that people like you are doing nothing about the situation? Why is nobody making efforts to transform the state?

Let me say that in 2018, I was one of those who contested the APC governorship primary in Ekiti alongside Governor Kayode Fayemi. We all know what happened. We know the game they played in favour of Fayemi, but there was nothing we could do. That has been confined to the dustbin of history, anyway. But the winner of that primary is in government now.

I never expected what is happening within the present government in the state. I rated Fayemi quite high, but I was disappointed. I had a programme when I contested in that primary. He took it and all the other aspirants’ manifestoes to integrate them into his agenda for the state. Unfortunately after collecting these laudable programmes, nothing was done with them. Today, Fayemi cannot boast of any tangible programme he has executed in Ekiti State. The only thing he can boasts of is the road from Ado Ekiti to Iyin Ekiti. I think that was done because of the influence of a former Governor of the state, Otunba Niyi Adebayo who hails from Iyin PAGE 10

Esan

When you go round Ekiti State and you go to a neighbouring state, you will find that Ekiti looks like a village. Ado-Ekiti is the capital of Ekiti State, but when you move from Ado-Ekiti to Akure, the capital of Ondo State, you will discover that there is a clear difference between the two cities.

Ekiti. The road is not up to 10 kilometres long.

We, I mean all of us in APC, were abusing Fayose for attempting to build an airport in the state, but it was curious to me when Fayemi came and said he wanted to build a cargo airport. I was baffled and wondered what cargo airport he was talking about. Where are the cargoes? Where is the rail system to feed the cargo airport? There was no single industry in Ekiti and he was talking about building a cargo airport? The fund he was supposed to use to build roads, provide potable water for the people, build hospitals and schools, he diverted into building a cargo airport.

What is your reaction to the conduct of last week’s APC governorship primary in Ekiti?

I have been in Nigeria for over four weeks now and participated in mobilising members of our party for one of the aspirants, Kayode Ojo. Honestly, I discovered that he has a large followership. He was one of the people that contested the APC governorship primary in 2018. Out of 33 of us, Kayode Ojo came second behind Fayemi. He has a lot of admirers in Ekiti State. But the

incumbent Governor Fayemi has his own candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, the former Secretary to the State Government.

I was surprised to see the public servants, appointees of the present government, following Oyebanji all over the place to the extent that Fayemi’s Campaign office in 2018 is what he is using as his own campaign office now.

Yet Fayemi continues to say that he has no candidate.

All government machinery and resources, including vehicles, are being deployed for Oyebanji’s campaign.

They are all over the place. That is the method Fayemi adopted since the beginning of his second term. If you want to appoint even a councilor, Fayemi is the decider, even at the local level. He is almost an Emperor in the state.

The last APC Primary is daylight robbery. Eight candidates participated in the primary. Five days to the election, they published the names of those coming to conduct the election from the national body. Somebody alerted me to the fact that the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, who happened to be Governor Badaru THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS/INTERVIEW Abubakar of Jigawa State, was a close friend of Fayemi and the one rooting for Fayemi to be the next President of Nigeria in 2023.

I also gathered that the secretary to the committee was also a close friend of Fayemi. But there was nothing we could do at that material time. On the eve of the primary election, we didn’t hear anything about how the election was going to be conducted. They kept the whole thing to themselves. They didn’t tell us whether it would be by direct primary or indirect primary. Is it going to be by voters queuing up and be counted or is it going to be through the use of ballot papers? We were in the dark.

Only the committee chairman, his cohorts and possibly Fayemi and his candidate knew what they planned to do.

PHOTO: Peace Udugba

They appointed all Fayemi’s supporters in the local government councils as returning officers. How do you expect fair play in this kind of arrangement? And this was what the aspirants were trying to streamline. The other aspirants were saying, how can you appoint people who are loyal to one aspirant as returning officers?

They begged the committee to allow their own people to mingle with them at the polling units. The other contestants requested 30 people per aspirant to be part of the returning officers. They agreed for 25 persons for each aspirant. Tthe committee chairman was expected to bring all these people together as part of the returning officers, but it never happened. They just submitted the names. Nothing was done by the chairman.

“

From all this, you should know the primary was a charade.

It is a pity. It is an insult on Nigerians that a sitting governor of a state came to conduct an election like that.

That one alone has exposed the whole system. I don’t believe Fayemi is a democrat. He is not a democrat. I can attest to that.

He is just a pretender THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

You know I said earlier that the aspirants were kept in the dark as to the modalities for the primary election. On the day of the primary election, they counted the number of people queuing up to vote. It turned out that only Oyebanji’s supporters came for the primary. When the results of the election were written by them, you can see the appalling numbers allocated to the other aspirants.

Fayemi knows his candidate is not popular. Everybody knows that and Kayode Ojo is the most popular aspirant in the state. The chairman of the electoral committee said that some votes were voided. And we asked how come the committee voided votes where the voters only queued up to be counted. What was wrong with human beings that were voided?

From all this, you should know the primary was a charade. It is a pity. It is an insult on Nigerians that a sitting governor of a state came to conduct an election like that. That one alone has exposed the whole system. I don’t believe Fayemi is a democrat. He is not a democrat.

I can attest to that. He is just a pretender.

The option left to the aggrieved aspirants is to go to the Appeal Panel. Have they utilised it?

May be you have not heard that they reported what happened to the committee, but the Appeal Committee threw it out.

You have just described the candidate that emerged from the primary as a weak one. Evidently there is a crack in the APC in Ekiti State. Going forward, what do you think will happen to the APC in the forthcoming June governorship election?

Let me approach this question by letting you know my personal opinion about the APC. APC has a national body headed by Mai Buni. And you know that the Buni Committee came with the sack of former National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. They fixed a convention for this month and it is already having a K-leg.

Generally APC is not a true political party. I am a member of the APC, but I can say categorically that it is not a party. It is just a gathering of people who think about themselves, who want to have power for power’s

THEWILLNIGERIA

sake. They are not interested in the welfare of the people of this country.

Although I don’t want to indict the President, the only thing that almost marred his programme is the killings by herdsmen, bandits and Boko Haram insurgents.

He embarked on a programme that I think could have been beneficial to the people of this country. That is the development of infrastructure like the railway system, which we need very badly and good roads.

We also look at the opposition viz-a-viz the ruling party.

Democracy does not exist in the two parties. They are full of impunity. And I think why APC is doing this, is because its leaders think they have the power to manipulate anything they want to manipulate.

Oyebanji may not become governor of Ekiti State. I know that APC will do everything possible within its power to make him become governor, but there is going to be a third force in Ekiti State. Fayemi frustrated Chief Segun Oni out of the APC. He frustrated Babafemi Ojudu’s group, he frustrated Dayo Adeyeye. He is now frustrating seven governorship aspirants. Think of this.

Who are those backing Fayemi today? May be only his boys and ladies and they don’t have weight. What they are relying on are government machinery. No other thing. And he is using his position as the Chairman of the Governors Forum. That was why he was able to manipulate the Ekiti APC governorship primary That is what he is depending on for the next election with other parties. But I can assure you by the Grace of God that it will not work. It happened in 2014, when Fayemi lost to Fayose because Senator Opeyemi Bamidele saw a lot of things after he contested the primary. They persuaded him but he did not yield. He moved his supporters to join Labour Party. That spelt doom for the APC .Today, there is a repeat of that scenario, but on a larger scale than what happened in 2014. This is because the seven aggrieved aspirants are APC bigwigs in Ekiti State.

We learnt that Senator Bamidele Opeyemi has vowed to court over the primary. What is your take on that?

Well, it is good to go to court, being the final arbiter. But personally, I can’t see anything tangible coming out of the court. The most pragmatic way they can checkmate this government in Ekti is to have a third force. The people of Ekiti are tired of this government and the government is not enjoying the support of the majority of the people of Ekti State.

Does the present situation give the PDP any advantage?

The PDP is in trouble, too, in Ekit State because of the candidate that emerged to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming governorship election. I don’t know Kolawole‘s strength really but I learnt he has contested some elections in the past and he did well. But he may have some problem because of his sponsor, Ayodele Fayose. Also the conduct of their primary is laughable.

No democracy anywhere.

Oyebanji recently said he has reached out to the aggrieved aspirants and reconciliation would be achieved soon. What is your reaction to this?

I don’t know the kind of people he has reached out to.

But what I know is that you can’t expect Oyebanji not to say what you said he had just said. It is normal in politics to reach out to those people who did not win.

That is the game plan. Let us do what we want to do and at the end of the day we will call them. I learnt they are even trying to woo the aggrieved aspirants with some federal appointments. But the people are not stupid and they are not poor.

PAGE 11

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS

Atiku, Wike’s Face-off Tears PDP Apart •Continued from page 9

T

been destroyed. But we said no.”

he Director General of the Professional Leadership Practitioners Institute, Dr Nathan Obasi has called on Nigerians to look well and elect a leader as president in 2023.

He expressed his disappointment over Dokpesi’s claim that Atiku Abubakar would hand over to the Igbo after serving for four years as president.

He said lack of a good leader has been the source of underdevelopment of Nigeria since independence in 1960.

Wike said the issue of handing over to the Igbo would be decided by the party and not by the President.

Speaking at the Fellowship Awards and Luncheon of the Institute in Lagos, Obasi urged Nigerians to watch out for leaders among several aspirants that are already coming out to show interest in the country’s presidency in 2023.

“At his level, Dokpesi is going on television to tell the people that there is no zoning. I can’t believe this. Even if somebody were to make such a statement, is he the one to say it?

He said the person so elected must be a leader and not necessarily a politician.

“And he has arrogated the power of the party to himself by saying that when Atiku wins, he will hand over to the South-East. Is that not supposed to be the decision of the party? So the party cannot decide at all becuse Dokpesi has zoned it,” he said.

Obasi also called for placing of purposeful leaders in various parastatals to set the country on the path of development.

He said the country is where it is today because of the leadership gap that exists in the polity, saying tribalism, religion and some other factors are partly responsible for the dysfunction.

It would be recalled that the Southern Governors Forum at their last meeting held in Lagos in July 2021 had insisted that the presidency should be zoned to the South in 2023 after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari

He said: “Leadership has no particular gender and tribe.

Leadership is about activity; doing something that is socially meaningful.

Dokpesi

Also, recently in Enugu, leaders of the PDP in the South-East warned the party against zoning the presidency to the North. They insisted it was the turn of the South-East to produce the next presidential candidate of the party, stressing that both the South-West and South-South had had their turns.

According to them, the South-East deserves to produce the next president because of its people’s “eminent qualifications and overwhelming contributions to the development of all parts of the federation through the years.”

Southern governors had added that zoning the presidential tickets of parties to the South-East would be “the best way to ensure that we build a nation that leaves nobody or group behind.”

Those who spoke at the meeting include former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe; former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji; PDP Vice-National Chairman, South-East, Ali Odefa, and former Imo State chairman, National Population Commission, Duru Iheoma.

According to Abaribe, the Igbo have all it takes to rule Nigeria and make it better.

Anyim describes the South-East as a good market for presidential material and sees no reason why any other region will want to rob the Igbo of the chance of producing the next president of Nigeria.

Part of the communiqué at the end of the meeting read thus: “The people of the South East have earned the right to occupy the office of President in 2023 on account of their eminent qualifications and overwhelming contributions to the development of all parts of the federation through the years.”

But the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, last Wednesday said the six geo-political zones of the country would be given equal opportunity to seek the party’s ticket for the 2023 Presidential election.

Abdullahi, who stated this when he received Northern Advocates of Good Governance (NAFGG) on behalf of the PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, hinted that the party’s 2023 presidential ticket would be thrown open.

He said, “The new National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of Senator Iyorchia Ayu has already resolved that it will ensure that the six geo-political zones are given equal opportunity to contest for the available offices so as to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.”

PAGE 12

2023 Presidency: Nigerians Must Resolve to Choose a Leader - Obasi

Political analysts have noted that Wike’s posture shows that the PDP needs to tread with caution on the issue of where the president will come from.

They are also of the opinion that if care is not taken, the issue of where the presidential candidate will come from may cause a problem that may cost the party the 2023 presidency.

To some analysts, the altercation between Wike and Atiku over the presidential ticket is a sign that the coming months may be a tough one for the leaders of the PDP. It also means that the South is not ready to play second fiddle to the North in 2023. So care must be taken in arriving at an agreement on the presidential candidate without placing any of the regions in a disadvantaged position.

Speaking with THEWILL, a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP in the South-West, who craved anonymity, said the National Working Committee, NWC of the PDP should thread softly.

“The party is built on zoning. That is the tradition we inherited from our forefathers. It is one of the pillars on which the party stands. That is what has been sustaining this party since 1999. We have been living on ‘turn-by-turn Nigeria Limited’.

You cannot drop the zoning policy now when it is the turn of the South-West. Even if you are going to do that, the way the presidential aspirants from the North are going about it arrogantly will disrupt the peace in the party,” he said.

Also speaking with THEWILL, a Public Affairs analyst based in Abuja, Ojo Adeyinka, said that southerners would not want to be treated as second class citizens in a party they had invested in over the years.

“The NWC should seek Solomon’s wisdom in the handling of the ssue of where the presidential candidate of the party will come from. Dumping zoning may spell doom for the party.

“I am old enough to know that in the PDP, when a region produces the National Chairman of the party, the other produces the presidential candidate. So now that the North, through the North-Central, has produced the national chairman, automatically the South should produce the presidential candidate”.

“PDP needs to be careful. They need to apply wisdom in whatever they are doing. There is the need to appease the South, especially the South-East and South-South, which have remained with the PDP over the years,” Adeyinka said.

“Yes leadership is not value-free; rather it is value-laden because it engages our values. Ask anyone whether he or she wants to be a leader or a manager, the usual response is a leader.

“As we approach another election year, it would be good for Nigerians to understand what they want. Do they want a politician or a leader as the president? If you want a politician, vote for a politician. If you want a leader as president, vote for a leader. But, the majority of the people will tell you, we don’t want any politician again, we want a leader. That is simple: he said.

Obasi explained that the Institute was set up to fill the leadership gap in the country, saying leadership is an integral part of life.

Also while delivering a Lecture titled: “Emergent issues in contemporary leadership practice,” the President /Chairman of the Institute, Professor Charles Ogbulogo said he agreed that the bane of Nigerian development is bad leadership.

He however said Nigeria can only move forward when Nigerians changed their orientation and philosophy saying “Nigerians must realise that you don’t need a title to be a leader.

“A time will come when we will change our philosophy. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Once you are born, it is in you.

“The best way to change today is to say, I don’t need a title to be a leader. I am already a leader”, he said.

He stated that organization leaders are needed in all sectorsbusiness, ministry, technology, healthcare, education and non-profit organizations.

He described as misalignment the inability of those who lay claim to leadership but demonstrate grave insensitivity to emergent issues in leadership in contemporary times.

Prof. Ogbulogo lamented that many who tend to practice leadership have very little knowledge of the concept and very little or no training on the art of leadership.

“People just emerge from various pipelines, including, age, ethnicity, experience, bribery, corruption and manipulation to assume leadership positions.”

He submitted that countries with weak educational foundations manifest deficits in managing relationships, following instructions, working with commitment, using modern gadgets, sustaining employment, and enjoying quality health.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS

‘Professionals Should be Given Opportunity to Head Govts’ go to Rivers State, you will know that he has changed the face of the state, especially the capital city Port Harcourt, with infrastructural development, education and health.

The 24th President of the National Association of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Chief Emmanuel Wike, calls for more opportunity for professionals in governance, in this interview with UDEME UTIP. Excerpts:

I think he has done well and with experience, he is eminently qualified to be Nigeria’s president. You know Rivers State is a mini Nigeria in a sense that we have so many other nationalities that make up Rivers State, unlike other states where you have just one or two. What I think he should do is to improve on his achievements at the state and national levels.

W

One of your members, Mr James Iniama, is aspiring to govern Akwa Ibom State in 2023. What does that mean to you?

First of all, I want to encourage him because right now in Nigeria what we need is people who have an idea of governance and people who have the heart and ability to lead other people, as well as people who have the vision, charisma and idea of what to do. That can only come from a professional. I We need professionals who will go into politics to bring their wealth of experience and competency to play. So for an estate surveyor to even nurse the intention of contesting for that position in Akwa Ibom State, it is a blessing to the state. I think the people should support him.

With his experience in the private sector and competence, I’m sure he is going to lead Akwa Ibom people very well and I encourage his aspiration. Although the Nigerian Association of Estate Surveyors and Valuers is apolitical, we encourage people to go into politics because that is where important decisions are taken. You cannot be called a professional and people who are not competent dictate to you how to do your job. It is time for professionals to participate in decision making. If you are not contesting in an election, you should be in a position where you can give advice, where you can participate either partially or fully in the administration of your local government area, the state and the country at large. It is a good thing. We want to encourage James Iniama to go in and we pray the people of Akwa Ibom State give him the opportunity to lead and be a blessing to the state.

Why do you want to support him?

As an estate surveyor and valuer, only that sentiment would make me vote for him. Also I will support him because of his competence, zeal and tenacity when it comes to Akwa Ibom affairs. I think he contested before against Chief Godswill Akpabio. The fact that he is contesting again means he has something to offer Akwa Ibom State.

Your brother, Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State is one of those aspiring to become president of Nigeria come 2023. What is your take on this?

He is a Nigerian. He has the right to contest any election in the country.

Do you think he will make a good president?

Very well. He has done well in Rivers State. He started when he was the chairman of a local government area.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

Wike

e know you are on an official assignment to Akwa Ibom State. What has been your impression of the state?

I can say that Akwa Ibom is a nice place and the people are hospitable. I have also found out that the governor, Udom Emmanuel, is doing well in terms of development and the citizens are very accommodating. I’m really happy that we are here.

He built the secretariat of that local government area, which was the best in Nigeria as at that time. I don’t know of any other local government area in the country that had that kind of secretariat when he was chairman between 1999 and July 2007. When he finished, he became the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor.

People know what he did in that office. After that, he was appointed minister. He brought a lot of development to Rivers State. Now that he is governor, if you

Another politician from the state and current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is also eyeing the same office. How do you reconcile that?

They are from two different political parties, Amaechi is in the All Progressives Congress and Nyesom is in the Peoples Democratic Party. They all have the right.

Assuming they were in the same political party, there would have been a problem. If the APC feels that Amaechi is qualified to contest, it will give him the ticket. If the PDP chooses Nyesom as its presidential candidate, why won’t he grab the opportunity? It will be left for Nigerians to decide between both of them who should govern the country. I can tell you that when we place those two men in Rivers State, Amaechi was governor and Nyesom was his chief of staff. In 2017 Amaechi was in the PDP and he got elected as governor. In the next election, Amaechi was also there and Rivers State people felt that Nyesome Wike did well and they voted him for a second term. It is just a matter of being in the right vehicle to get to that position. Nyesom is in PDP and Amaechi is in APC. APC is the governing party at the federal level. Definitely, the party will attempt to do one or two things, but there are states where it cannot try such a thing. The party has tried it in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, but it didn’t work. I think that it should allow Nigerians to elect who they want. Both Amaechi and Nyesom have the right to contest for any position in the country as long as they don’t have criminal records.

House of Rep Aspirant Seeks More Inclusion for Women

FROM AMOS OKIOMA, YENAGOA

A

House of Representative aspirant, Susan Waibode Akpor Kiridi, from Ebedebiri town in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa state has solicited for more inclusion of women in politics and governance.

Kiridi, who is the wife of the former Minister of State for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, maintained that her passion was to help the vulnerable in the society.

Kiridi who is aspiring to contest the Bayelsa West seat in the House of Representatives in 2023 has advocated that women should be given more participation space in governance in the country.

She said she has all it takes to contest and wrestle powers with the PDP and win the Bayelsa West seat of the House of Representatives .

She said that, if given the opportunity to serve, she will give the people of Sagbama/Ekeremor in Bayelsa West Federal Constituency effective representation..

“So I thought it is wise to meet, consult and pay due respect and homage to all the APC leaders and all the traditional leaders in my constituency being people that will make my dream come through”, she said.

This promise is coming on the heels of her going round to consult with the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the party under which she is coming out to contest the House of Representatives seat.

The farmer cum philanthropist maintained that she was out to champion the cause of her Sagbama/ Ekeremor people and to represent them better than others who had occupied that office before ..

Speaking at the weekend, Kiridi maintained that her decision to throw her hat in the ring was borne out of her desire to give the constituency an effective representation at the National Assembly.

She assured that there was great sign in the air that her decision has the backing, approval and solid support from the APC leadership in the state and that of former Governor of Bayelsa state now Minister of state for petroleum resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.

THEWILLNIGERIA

PAGE 13

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

EDITORIAL

Reforming Schools’ Boarding House System

T

he decision by many parents to pull their children out of boarding houses in schools across the country really calls for concern.

The recent perception by many that allowing their children to remain in the boarding house is like sending them to the Biblical Golgotha is also worrisome. Aside from the general insecurity across the country, which has made most schools, especially in the North, vulnerable to attacks by bandits who kidnap for ransom, any other reason being given for the withdrawal of children from boarding houses can be addressed.

Without any iota of doubt, recent developments in some schools across the country have given a bad image to the boarding house system in our institutions of learning, especially at the secondary school level. However, the boarding system in schools comes with a lot of benefits not only to the parents, especially the working class and busy business people, but also the students as well as it helps in proper grooming and enables bonding and fostering of a life-long friendship in many students who attend the same schools.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently gave a good account of how the secondary school he attended, Igbobi College, Lagos, helped in grooming and shaping him to become the person he is today. Apparently, he was a boarding student and must have benefitted immensely from the system. Similar testimonies had been given in the past by

prominent Nigerians, who met at various schools in their formative years and grew up to become good friends and business leaders later in life. Such is the beauty, benefits and importance of attending a secondary school with a boarding house that it almost became a status symbol to be a boarding student.

Unfortunately, recent ugly developments in some boarding schools across the country are beginning to tarnish the good intentions of the system, resulting in a campaign for its abolition.

From the commercial city of Lagos to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, there have been cases of alleged abuse, bullying, torture and molestation of younger students by their seniors, which, in some cases, have resulted, allegedly, in the death of the victims. In some other cases, alleged nonchalance and inadequate care by even the school authorities and their failure to act as at when due have also proven to be fatal, with vulnerable students at the receiving end.

As of today, no less than two cases resulting from the challenges of the schools’ boarding house system in Nigeria are currently being handled by the authorities concerned in both Lagos and Abuja.

While the parents of the victims are still mourning the loss of their children, alleging torture, bullying and inadequate care by schools’ authorities, even as they call for justice, the schools’ authorities are washing their hands off any complicity in the unfortunate death of the affected students.

Parents of some of the accused senior students in the affected

schools are also fighting tooth and nail to prove that their children and wards are innocent of all allegations, especially bullying and torture. In some cases, cultism and lesbianism, among other social vices, appear to have crept into the secondary school system with the boarding houses as breeding grounds.

While it is true that some schools are just after the money they collect from the parents as they leave the students to behave any way they like, it is pertinent to note here that actual moulding of a student’s character should start from the home. It is sad that some parents are now shying away from their primary responsibility and leaving actual and proper parenting to the schools. Charity, it is often said, begins at home and this should be the guiding principle.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently gave a good account of how the secondary school he attended, Igbobi College, Lagos, helped in grooming and shaping him to become the person he is today. Apparently, he was a boarding student and must have benefitted immensely from the system

There is no doubt that the boarding house system in our schools needs a total reform and overhaul, just like the entire school system. The moral decadence in our society is really affecting our school system just as the misplaced value system in our society has also extended to the schools. Worst affected in the deterioration is the private school sector with the influx of quacks, shylocks and unprofessionals into the sector as there is a sort of sanity in the public school sector, despite the challenges there, too.

While we condemn the rot in the system as exemplified in recent developments, we believe that something urgent should be done to salvage the situation. The role of the government in this case is paramount. As the chief regulator in the education sector, the government should come in to address the challenges in order to bring back the good old days.

The governments at the various levels should be interested in our boarding school system, guide and guard it efficiently and effectively instead of leaving it to the whims and caprices of school proprietors.

While it is true that some private schools still maintain high moral standards and discipline in their boarding schools, the same cannot be said of many others, especially with the full commercialisation of education even at the secondary school level.

If we truly believe that the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow, then, now is the time to really reform the boarding house system in our schools as a stitch in time saves nine.

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]

PAGE 14

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

OPI N ION

Election of Och’Idoma: Matters Arising

BY JAMES ULOKO ne of the remarkable events that brought the year 2021 to a close in Benue State was the election of a new Och’Idoma on December 30. In fixing that date, the Benue State Government may have intended to offer the people of Idoma Kingdom a New Year gift. But rather than celebration, the election of Dr. John Elaigwu Odogbo as Och’Idoma V has generated controversy and more appropriately, outrage by a vocal section of the Idoma elite which view the Och’Idoma-elect as a Greek Gift by the government.

O

The Ochetoha K’Idoma, a socio-cultural organisation, lent its weight to allegations against the state government in various social media platforms by issuing a press statement rejecting the election of Dr Odogbo and threatened to challenge it in court.

One of the allegations against government is that it enacted the Benue State Chieftaincy Law 2016, which provided for the process of selecting the Och’Idoma, contrary to the culture and traditions of the Idoma, with respect to the selection of their chiefs. Governor Samuel Ortom was accused of manipulating and interfering in the selection process to favour Odogbo, a pastor who is little known within the kingdom and who knows little about Idoma culture and tradition. Some sarcastically claimed that the Och’Idoma-elect the was chosen for them by the Tiv. To me, these allegations are baseless. The enactment of the Benue State Chieftaincy Law of 2016 followed the normal legislative due process, including committee work, public hearings and debates on the floor of the State House of Assembly before it was passed and assented to by Governor Ortom.

Those were processes in which the Idoma people and legislators participated and were supposed to raise objections to any provisions that were considered inimical to Idoma culture and interest. His Royal Highness, Dr Elias Ikoyi Obekpa, the Och’Idoma IV, now on a permanent hunting expedition, who benefitted from that law by being upgraded to the position of paramount ruler, was ironically the lone voice of substance from Idomaland who rose against the law and almost stalled its implementation in his kingdom. Since its enactment, the provisions of this law have been used for the election of third, second and third class chiefs in the Idoma Kingdom without anybody raising serious issues about any flaws in it. Why is it now that the law was applied to the election of the Och’Idoma that the anti-Idoma provisions, if at all there are any, are suddenly being identified? Why is it that the contestants to the stool and their supporters willingly submitted themselves to the election process only for them to cry foul after they had lost? Would they have criticised the law and accused Ortom of interference if they had won? Did it not occur to them that a winner and loser would emerge from the election?

It is interesting to note that neither the contestants nor the chiefs who participated in the election are the ones complaining or rejecting the outcome. This suggests that the issue, which is purely a legal-cum-chieftaincy affair, is being politicised.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Benue State Chieftaincy Law 2016, like other legislations, assigns roles to government and its agencies to ensure peaceful and orderly conduct of affairs legislated on. Those were the roles Governor

Ortom performed creditably, through the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which ensured that the election of the Och’Idoma was orderly, peaceful and transparent. To, therefore, insinuate that the governor or the Tiv imposed the Och’Idoma-elect, Dr. John Elaigwu Odogbo, on the Idoma Kingdom is, to say the least, most unfair.

I align myself with well-meaning Idoma leaders, including Senator Abba Moro, Hon. Samuel Godday and Prof. Jacob Omenka in calling on all aggrieved parties to exercise restraint in expressing their grievances in the interest of the office and institution of the Och’Idoma. As Senator Moro rightly pointed out, “further disparaging/denigrating the process and its eventual outcome will only further diminish the institution of the stool of the Och’Idoma. This will not serve the interest of the Idoma Kingdom. “ Now that the contest has been won and lost through a very transparent process, the onus is on the people of Idoma Kingdom to rally round the Och’Idoma-elect to ensure not only a peaceful inauguration, but a reign that will bring peace and prosperity to Idoma land and people. Let the lessons learnt from the enactment and implementation of the Chieftaincy Law so far serve as guide to the future.

If there are any flaws in it, they should be brought up for amendment at the appropriate time. Going forward, we should also learn to pay critical attention to any bit of legislative process to avoid crying after the milk has been spilt.

•Uloko, a Special Adviser to Governor of Benue State on Media and Orientation, contributed this article from Makurdi.

Tackling Negative Effects Of Social Media On Youths

BY ADEPARUA DAMILOLA

T

he misuse of the social media nowadays calls for concern. If nothing is done to check it, it will definitely affect the younger generation in the future. Even little children are exposed to the use of smart phones, which gives them easy access to the Internet and the obscenities that abound in it, at a very tender age.

The youths are most likely to be most affected by wrong use of the social media. According to a source, of all cell phone users in the country, those between the ages of 18 and 29 are most likely to have a mobile Internet device.

About 99 per cent have any kind of cell phone, while 96 per cent specifically use smart phones.

The social media is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication, communitybased input, interaction, content sharing and collaboration.

Statistics show that around 86 per cent of users between 18 andf29 years use social platforms, while 80 per cent of people aged between 30 and 49 years, as well as 64 per cent of those aged between 50 and 64 years are active on the social media.

The advent of the social media has helped to transform the world into a better place through the channels it has created for learning, recruitment, business, social interaction and information, to mention just a few. It has also created job opportunities for many people. Yet, has the social media in its entirety been all that helpful to society?

Although the importance of the social media to the society cannot be over-emphasised, yet its negative impact on the society cannot be ignored because it appears to be more pronounced than its positive impact.

As established by a source, 41 per cent of teenagers had a negative experience while using a social networking site, about 22 per cent lost their relationship with other people due to their actions on social media sites and 13 per cent had a problem with their parents because of social media sites.

The social media creates job opportunities for youths through some platforms that specialise in recruitment.

Many youths register on these platforms in order to receive job vacancy alerts. Some youths have died as a result of THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

online job vacancies posted by unknown people, who turn out to be criminals using such sites to bait and kidnap victims for rape, money ritual, trading in human body parts and for other unspeakable acts.

The fact that smart phones can be held anywhere has helped some people to learn whatsoever they wish to learn at their convenience. By exposing a lot of young people to illicit sex, pornography, drug addiction and suchlike, they have also rendered them depraved.

The social media serve as a platform for Internet fraudsters to target their victims. Many youths, who are desperate to get rich quickly, use fake pictures and live fake lives online, thereby leading other youths astray. Most disheartening is the fact that the social media has turned to a place where ritual killers get their clients and initiate people into evil associations. Yet, the Internet is also the place where you meet people who have gone mad as a result of their own evil actions. In a nutshell, the social media is leading people astray and at the same time getting them exposed.

Through social media platforms, children are easily exposed to cultism and the activities of secret cults, as well as other stuff they should ordinarily be shielded from. Also, the progressive decline in the academic performances of most students has been attributed to the emergence of the social media. Instead of focusing on their studies, they seem to be more interested in gaining more likes and having more followers on social media platforms, such as Instagram and Tic Toc. Indeed, the social media has succeeded in rendering many youths lazy as they no longer engage their brains in meaningful thoughts that can benefit the country.

Depression is another negative effect of social media use on Nigerian youths. As posited by a source, in several studies, it was discovered that teenage and young adult users, who spend a lot of time on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms were shown to have between 13 per cent and 66 per cent higher rate of reported depression than those who spend the least time. As discussed by this writer in a piece titled “Suicide and its relative cause in the society,” people no longer spend reasonable time with their families and friends because they devote their time to social media and

THEWILLNIGERIA

this in effect leads to a high rate of depression which may eventually lead to suicide.

How do we handle the high rate of broken marriages in the society? The social media has not only found its way into the people’s lives, but also in their minds. People can no longer keep their secrets to themselves as they take whatever happens in their homes straight to the social media. Nothing is private anymore since the emergence of social media and this has led to a lot of broken marriages and relationships.

The major problem, however, lies in what people use the social media for and how they use it. Since the situation of things in the country is no longer helpful to the youths, they no longer have faith in government so they look for ways to improve their lives every day with the use of social media because it is an easier way to reach out to many people. That explains why there is hardly anything that you cannot find on the social media.

The federal and state governments, on the other hand, no longer give priority to education. Instead, they have shifted their attention to other things that are not honourable and this has made the youths to focus more on dishonourable things too. They only attend schools these days to be called educated citizens and only few of them strive for academic excellence.

In tackling the negative effects of social media on teenagers and youths, government and parents have important roles to play. Even though parents cannot monitor how their children and wards use the social media, there is a need to advise and guide them against the consequences, which spending more time than necessary on the social media can have on their academic performance and their mental wellbeing.

The government should also set a standard for academic performances, while also rewarding academic excellence.

If the youths are assured of academic rewards, which can improve their lives, they will spend less time on social media and focus more on achieving academic excellence.

•Damilola can be reached via deparuaadot55@ gmail.com

PAGE 15

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

•

www. t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.0 6

Olusanya

F EB R UA R Y 06 - FEB R UARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

Flour Mills: High Forex Losses, Finance Costs Debase Profit Growth

BY SAM DIALA

F

rom a distance, the interim nine-month results of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc for the period ended December 31, 2021 point to an impressive growth in its up-line and bottom-line performance. Combined revenue of the three quarters soared by 48.5 per cent to N824.98 billion compared to N555.34 billion in the preceding period. Profit after tax (PAT) grew by 9.5 percent to N17.05 billion from N15.58 billion in the corresponding year.

However, the major fast-moving consumer goods firm is hemorrhaging in foreign exchange losses and finance costs, which have remained significantly high since the 2020 corresponding period. While the high foreign exchange losses impact adversely on the ‘Net Operating Gains and Losses’ result, the high finance cost trims the firm’s profitability. Effectively, the two areas of negative performance could debase the revenue and profitability growth of a manufacturing enterprise in Nigeria’s hostile operating environment.

Flour Mills of Nigeria posted N11.62 billion in foreign exchange losses for the reporting period, which is an

Repositioning Aviation Industry With New Amendment Bills

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

A

fter many months of waiting, the House of Representatives recently passed six amendment bills on Aviation sent by the executive to the National Assembly..

PAGE 16

They include a bill for an act to repeal the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Establishment Act 2008 and to enact the Nigerian Meteorological Agency Act Continues on page 33

improvement on the N14.55 billion recorded in the nine months period of 2020 – the peak after the N2 billion of 2017. The figures for 2018 and 2019 were N810 million and N560 million respectively.

Additionally, high finance costs seem not to be abating: The figures rose from N14 billion in the preceding period of 2020 to hit N16.12 billion, an upward jump of 8 percent.

The northward trajectory in the company’s finance costs saw it pay N25.15 billion in the nine months of 2017, but recorded a 34.2 percent drop in 2018 and 2019 when it posted N16.55 billion in the two years respectively.

The nation’s foremost integrated food and agro-allied company recorded a remarkable revenue haul of N824.98 billion during the reporting period. This is the peak in fiveyears from 2017 when it posted a revenue performance of N427.5 billion. The figure dropped to N400.64 billion and N423.48 billion in nine months of 2018 and 2019 respectively. Consequently, the firm grew its revenue by 93 percent in five years; moreover, after the surgical recovery from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

MORE INSIDE Foreign Direct Investment: Nigeria Needs Right Environment for Global Competition – Chukwu PAGE 41

Ogun Amends Bill Promoting Investors Compliance With International Standards PAGE 41

Continues on page 33

FMDQ Holdings Now FMDQ Group Plc

BY SAM DIALA

A

frica’s first vertically integrated financial market infrastructure group, FMDQ Holdings, has changed its name to FMDQ Group Plc. In a statement made available to THEWILL, the firm said the change, which took effect from February 2, 2022, marked its successful and progressive Continues on page 41

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

AVIATION/INDUSTRY Flour Mills: High Forex Losses, Finance Costs Debase Profit Growth

Continued from Page 16

Continued from Page 16

Nnolim

Repositioning Aviation Industry With New Amendment Bills

to provide for the regulation of metrology and related matters HB.464; a bill for an act to repeal the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Act, Cap.N96, LFN, 2010 and to Enact the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Act, to provide for its organisation, control, and operation and for related matters HB.463, and a bill for an act to repeal the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Act for the purpose of providing effective air navigation services in Nigeria, ensuring safety and regularity of air navigation in Nigeria and to any other place which Nigeria has the responsibility of providing air navigation services and for related matters HB. 462.

Other bills that were equally passed by the lawmakers are: bill for an act to repeal the Civil Aviation Act 2006 and to enact the Civil Aviation Act for the regulation of civil aviation in Nigeria and for related matters HB.460; a bill for an act to provide for the establishment of a Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, for the regulation, prevention and provision of effective administration for safety investigation in Nigeria and for related matters HB465 and a bill for an act to repeal the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Act, Cap. F5 LFN, 2010 and to enact the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Act to provide for effective management of airports in Nigeria and related matters HB 461.

Last year, the House Committee on Aviation led by Nnolim Nnaji had started work on the bills with a three-day public hearing that was well attended, especially by aviation stakeholders.

At the end of the public hearing, the committee went to work to produce the intended amendments, which were laid before the House.

Nnaji had, in his remarks before the House went into the Committee of the Whole for the clause to clause consideration of the amended bills, stressed that the essence of the amendments was to reposition the aviation industry for the good of the country.

He added that the amendments had been thoroughly worked on to prepare the sector for better services compared to the international best practices and in line with THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

He had also urged the House to give the passage of the bills urgent consideration in view of the importance of the sector to the overall economy of the country and in consideration of the increase in demand for air travel occasioned by the prevailing security situation in the country.

The bills were unanimously passed by the Committee of the Whole after considerations and they will be duly transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent accordingly.

Similarly, the Senate on January 25, 2022, passed the Civil Aviation Bill 2022, which seeks to repeal the Civil Aviation Act 2006. The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Aviation.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, in his presentation, said the aim of the bill was to provide an effective legal and institutional framework for the regulation of civil aviation in Nigeria to conform with the standards and recommended practices set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The Senator added that the piece of legislation would, among others, establish the rules of operation and divisions of responsibility within the Nigerian civil aviation system in order to promote aviation safety.

Adeyemi said the bill would “ensure that Nigerians obligations under International aviation agreements are implemented, and consolidate the laws relating to civil aviation in Nigeria.”

He added, “When passed, the bill will be applicable to all persons holding licenses that have been issued or validated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.”

Aviation experts have however opined that with the amendments, it is the desire of the Federal Government to allow the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fully regulate the industry. So the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would now be known as the Federal Airports Administration of Nigeria.

THEWILLNIGERIA

Some analysts point to what they consider deep inefficiency in the operations of Flour Mills of Nigeria, which is traced to a firm that appears ‘incredibly incapable of delivering better margins’.

“These are impressive topline numbers by any stretch of measurement especially in a country where the purchasing power of its citizens is dwindling due to rising inflation. However, when you decide to go below top-line revenues, the story is different. You see a company that is efficient and being inefficient,” analysts at Nairametrics, said.

Flour Mills of Nigeria is among the 20 listed major Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms on the Nigerian Exchange, which recorded significantly impressive performance in their 2021 half year operations, far beyond industry expectations.

It would be recalled that 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.

Earlier, results of the firms’ H1 2021 operations showed a rapid recovery. As if the economy had singled them out for a special favour, the major FMCG firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange recorded a quantum leap in their up and bottom-lines. Their profitability hit a five-year high and above pre-COVID-19 levels in H1 2021 as their revenue also soared.

Flour Mills of Nigeria recorded a 90 percent profit increase to N15.5 billion in H1 2021, compared to N8.1 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2020. This is the highest profit by any FMCG firm during the review period. Additionally, the company posted revenue of N450 billion in the period, representing a 48 percent increase as against N304.8 billion in H1 2020. The company’s H1 profit was the highest in the last seven years.

Its gross profit followed the same trend: from N43.51 billion to N60.01 billion, a rise of 38 percent in H1 2020 and H12021 respectively.

“Similar to the performance over the last few quarters, our business has been able to sustain the strong performance despite the increasingly difficult terrain and uncertainties,” the company said in its H1 2021 financials.

A significant point in the FMCG firms’ performance report was that they had been waging a

“

This year, despite the doubledigit growth in revenues, Flour Mills legendary overheads and cost of sales ate up about 95% of its entire revenue. It will appear that as it grew topline revenues, it replicated the same with operating expenses and direct cost respectively battle of dwindling returns since 2018 before the pandemic. Their sudden and rapid recovery creates room for prospects among the operators and, also, the firms engaged in backward integration.

Manufacturers in the flour milling sector have been taking steps to increase their tempo of backward integration in recent times. Flour Mills of Nigeria, for instance, has invested in Thai Farms and other agricultural projects to cultivate raw materials for most of its processes.

The high finance costs, therefore, signal high borrowing while the foreign exchange losses relate more to the importation of raw materials. When contacted for comment on the high regime of foreign exchange losses and finance costs despite active participation in backward integration policy, the Corporate Communications Manager, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Mr Samuel Iboroma, did not respond. But investors raise concerns over the company’s debt and operating costs.

“This year, despite the doubledigit growth in revenues, Flour Mills legendary overheads and cost of sales ate up about 95% of its entire revenue. It will appear that as it grew topline revenues, it replicated the same with operating expenses and direct cost respectively.

“The behemoth of a company is incredibly incapable of delivering better margins. It is stuck on single digit operating margins; it has to operate without debt to keep minority shareholders happy,” said analysts at Nairametrics.

Flour Mills of Nigeria late last year acquired a majority stake of about 71.7 percent in Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, a deal that initially sparked controversy following allegation by Ecobank Nigeria that Honeywell had not been servicing its loans with the bank.

Flour Mills of Nigeria, however, assured its stakeholders that it did not breach any subsisting court order in striking the deal.

PAGE 33

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Small Businesses In Pandemic Environment

BY TIMI OLUBIYI

S

mall businesses, whether nano, micro, small or medium-sized enterprises, are important for many reasons. On one hand, they are important contributors to any economy and the lifeblood of many developing and underdeveloped economies. Small businesses can equally provide many essential opportunities that cannot be overlooked because as they scale, they impact innovation, job creation, economic diversification, poverty alleviation, wealth creation and income redistribution within the country. Hence, the core attribute that makes small businesses achieve all these and more is the agility which the founders/owner-managers provide. This makes this form of business nearly inseparable from the founders.

This inseparability makes the decision-making process and flexibility within the businesses much faster than that of large corporations. More so, coupled with the agile management that exists in the small businesses, adaptation to current realities and changing economic circumstances is much easier in small businesses.

Research findings have also shown that the agility that exists in small businesses is the direct involvement of the founders and the business owners. They can provide quick decisions and also react to changes in the environment easily. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has added to small business challenges around the world. A lot has happened with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it has fueled a lot of economic, livelihood, and business disruptions with more grave consequences on developing countries like Nigeria.

Without a doubt, the pandemic has brought about the untimely loss of loved ones, colleagues, associates, neighbours, friends, and prominent Nigerians. While many died as a result of COVID-19 complications, some died due to accidents, age-long sicknesses and others died as a result of economic pressures. The painful truth is that most of them held key roles in the entertainment industry, sports, politics, and in particular many held key roles in businesses before they succumbed to death drawing from context observation.

As it stands and relying on Worldometer and the World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, as of January 2022, coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, stands at 5,575,367 and 3,116 in Nigeria. The figure seems underreported for Nigeria because the common knowledge is that most deaths go unreported and most times not captured and unrecorded with the necessary authorities.

Families do not see reasons to formalize closures by visiting the hospital for proper attestation, getting death certificates, and having the deaths captured.

As a reminder, since small businesses and the founders/ owner-managers are inseparable, it is easy then to conclude that we may just be losing businesses as part of the huge consequences of the COVID-19 situations. Agreeably the rate at which obituaries come up in the newspapers these days has been so alarming and disturbing, many are unaware that most of these late individuals are business owners and key decision-makers in these businesses.

Therefore, what happens to the business when a founder dies or is incapacitated? This usually creates a leadership vacuum in the businesses, survival and continuity is highly threatened which may lead to liquidation of the business.

In fact, research finds corroborate that many businesses could suffer long-lasting and significant negative impacts if the founders/ owner-managers die untimely. Though there is no reliable data to substantiate this claim in Nigeria it is evident that a large portion of the population lives on income from small businesses which account for 96 per cent of businesses and 84 per cent of jobs in the country.

Coupled with the current demography of Nigeria, the prevalence of deaths of founding entrepreneurs or owner-managers may negatively impact many of the businesses and worsen the unemployment situation in the country. Though small businesses have different forms of incorporation, from a partnership, to sole proprietorship,

PAGE 34

“

The rate at which obituaries come up in the newspapers these days has been so alarming and disturbing, many are unaware that most of these late individuals are business owners and key decision-makers in these businesses or Private Limited Company (Ltd) and Private Unlimited Company, the reality is that founders /owner-managers rarely put such business structures in place.

So, upon the owner’s death who has a clear vision and goals for the business, a leadership and decision-making vacuum is created almost immediately. A clear recent reference was the November 2021 collapse of a high-rise block of luxury flats under construction in Ikoyi, Lagos State. At least 42 people died including the property developer, who also is the MD/CEO and owner-manager of the building.

Since the unfortunate incident and the demise of the founder/MD/CEO of the company, no detailed communiqué or press release has been issued in respect of the building collapse by the company -an incorporated limited company. What we have in the public space is the investigations and evaluation of the state of things by the Lagos State Government. Contrariwise the project’s website has been shut down by the company, therefore it is easy to tell that as capital intensive the project is, the company behind it lacks adequate business structure.

Most times this is usually the trend with small businesses in the country, the businesses disappear or experience significant operational decline following the death of the founder or key owner-manager, regardless of the form of business incorporation. Chief Moshood Abiola and Chief Henry Fajemirokun’s stories and a host of others are well known. They had investments in critical sectors of the economy with business interests from aviation, agriculture,

sports, bakery, real estate, publishing, and communications but after their death, the businesses fizzled out gradually.

It starts with business struggles, the overall performance of workers and staff dwindles and family of the founder who most times have no knowledge of the business steps in, which further compounds the misfortune of the businesses.

Contrary to what the majority thinks is right, a business owner’s spouse is never a co-owner of the business just by virtue of marriage unless it is expressly stated in the incorporation documents.

With the changing economic circumstances of businesses, a non-economic factor such as the deaths of founders, decision-makers, and key entrepreneurs may further impact negatively on the small businesses that are already burdened with challenges. The going concerns of many of these businesses may just be threatened because of the negative impact of the pandemic and any loss of ownermanagers. Consequently, with the silently ravaging pandemic and untimely deaths, family businesses and small businesses may just need to adopt strategies to stem the tides.

On the part of businesses, attention should be paid to the effective implementation of business structure, good governance, business risk analysis, succession planning, mentorship, and transitions because these are the most prevalent factors leading to leadership vacuums.

Stakeholder management is equally important: customers, employees, vendors, and investors’ contributions, feedback, and initiatives should be honoured and appreciated for different situations at all times.

To reduce the vulnerability of small business closure with the demise of the founders, government, policymakers, and SMEDAN need to intensify their efforts to disseminate information on business continuity, capacity development, technology usage, and other needs for SMEs to continue to make the desired positive impact in the country. So, a lot of support and development of interventions from the government is required for small businesses to go beyond mere survival.

On a final note, government interventions can transform small businesses into vast employers of labour, tax generators, which will contribute to government revenue, and ultimately the growth of the economy, but again the right structures have to be in place.

•Dr Olubiyi is an entrepreneurship and business management expert.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 06 - FEBRUARY FEBRUARY - FEBRUARY12, 12,2022 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E RT H• Ewww.thewillnigeria.com WILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com

MARYAM APAOKAGI-GREENE In Her Elements

PAGE 35-40 THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

PAGE 35

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

Maryam Apaokagi-Greene, a.k.a Taooma, is, no doubt, one of the most popular skit makers on Instagram. She speaks with Shade Wesley-Metibogun, about her job as a content creator, her marriage and other issues. Excerpts: Apaokagi-Green

e

2021 WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR ME – MARYAM APAOKAGI-GREENE Y

ou came into your own in 2021. How exactly did the year go for you?

Yes, it was a great year. Resilience is the best word to describe 2021 because it implies hope, faith and possibilities.

There were many blessings and challenges, but I held on to my faith. Allah saw me through.

Were you able to accomplish all your goals?

I did my best and I have no reason to complain. I accomplished some goals. Now that we are in 2022, we shall accomplish the rest. Once there is life, there is hope too.

What are your plans for 2022?

You want me to reveal all my plans for the year? Let me just say that in 2022, I intend to create a lot of interesting and exciting content. My fans should expect awesome content, just as I always give them.

What was it like in 2005 when you started making skits? Can you describe the experience so far? Do you have any regrets?

It has been a great journey so far and a great experience as well.

I have no regrets whatsoever, but I wish I had started long before that year. I believe I would have gone farther than this. However, I am very grateful to God for guiding me this far. I am praying for more rewards.

How did your parents react when you told them you were going into skit making?

My parents approved it, but on the condition that it would not affect my academic work in school. I had to stick to their rules. I would come back every weekend from school to shoot skits and then go back to school to edit them. I also ensured that my studies didn’t suffer. I had to be on my toes to make sure that one did not affect the other. But I wasn’t giving skit making the kind of attention that I am giving it now. It wasn’t easy back then, but I was able to cope.

You must have come from a strict background, based on the contents of your skits. Are they reflections of your childhood or you just decided to explore family values in your skits?

I get this all the time. My mum is principled, but not super strict like the Iya Tao character. I can count the number of times my mother laid her hands on me. I just decided to talk about family values with my videos. It is relatable content, which everyone can identify with. Some will watch and compare Iya Tao to their mothers because she is a typical African mother. I portray the normal family setting, father, mother and their children, the relationship they share and how parents respond and react to certain things from their children.

How easy is it to play the role of two or three characters in one skit?

It is not as easy as people think and it requires a lot of work. I am already used to it, anyway. Let us start with the costume. This is quite easy to come up with, but getting into the characters of each of the people you see in my skit is a lot of work. I get into characters immediately I am in their costume.

PAGE 36

Apaokagi-Greene

How expensive is it to shoot a skit, from the costume, makeup, shooting and concept?

I feel technology is the most expensive part of it. Manufacturers develop new cameras every time and I can tell you that every content creator wants their videos to be crystal clear and neat. I have my costumes already and I don’t have to rent any of them.

But if I have to invite other acts to join me in shooting, I have to make costumes for them. That costs a lot of money. For makeup, you can easily negotiate. Getting the right location for shooting can be either expensive or not, depending on some factors. If you would like to use some locations, you have to write to the owners for approval and you have to pay some money after get it. I come up with my concepts that are mostly based on family values.

That aspect is not expensive. I write them in my story book and I ponder on it for a while until I can feel it. Feeling it helps me take up the character easily.

Why is it that Iya Tao doesn’t ever change her costume. Is it intentional?

That’s Iya Tao’s signature look. Yes, it is intentional. This is so she can have that one look. It is for easy identification. When you come across her anywhere, you will be able to recognise her as Iya Tao, one of your favourite characters in comedy skits.

What are some of the challenges you have faced as a skit maker?

Trust me, I want to do like 500 things at the same time. But there is never enough time. Another challenge is parody accounts on social media. When fraudsters do business with people without my consent or that of my management, it can be very discouraging.

A lot of skit makers are into mainstream acting, why are you not looking in that direction as well?

I am definitely looking in that direction, but, you know, time is everything. My husband and I manage a video-making outfit, The Greenade Company. Most certainly, the dream will come to reality very soon. The company to handle it is already in place, it is just a matter of time.

Who are your friends in the skit making business?

I have a cordial relationship with many other skit makers. If I should start mentioning names now, how many pages do you think this interview will take? We are all fine. Some of them are very close to me, but I won’t mention names.

Do you think skit makers can possibly take over from standup comedians?

That is far from the truth. We all have our specialties. The sky is big enough for all of us. I think we are all doing very well, whether as a skit maker or a standup comedian, we are contributing our quota to the development of the entertainment industry.

It seems you put more effort into skit making than your food business Skit making is the parent brand. It should get more effort so that

other brands, like the food business, can shine more. They are both doing fine. I work with a team, which makes the business aspect easier for me. I can say Taaooma brand is helping the business.

What advice do you have for youths nursing the ambition of skit making?

They need to be focused. It doesn’t require so much tutoring once they get the basic concepts like editing and other stuff. But they must be passionate about it. There are times when giving up becomes the only option, but they shouldn’t give up. That was why I mentioned focus at the beginning. They should also be prayerful. Everything needs prayer. They shouldn’t just rely on their efforts alone and they should ask God for his help, too.

You recently celebrated your wedding anniversary, taking many by surprise as most didn’t know you were married.

How and when did your path and that of your husband cross?

We met when he came for national youth service in Kwara State some years ago. I was still a student of the University of Ilorin at the time. He taught me how to edit videos and inspired me to start skit making. He taught me how to use the camera and editing software called Premiere pro. I became interested in the things I learnt from him, we got close and here we are today.

You publicised your engagement, which took place in Namibia but chose to make your wedding a quiet affair. Any particular reason why?

Yes, we traveled to Namibia and got engaged there. We travelled to several countries after our engagement. The wedding was not a secret affair because a lot of people attended. We just opted for a quiet ceremony. It is not everyone that loves the noise and glamour that comes with wedding ceremonies. My husband didn’t know if we would have a loud wedding after our engagement. He left the decision to me.

What has changed about you since you got married?

Nothing has changed, except my surname, which is now Greene. I am still the Taaooma everyone knows. I still do the things I loved to do before I got married, which is skit making. Like I told you earlier, my husband inspired me to start skit making. Basically, I am still the same person.

What qualities attracted you to him?

He is a good man. He made me to become a better person. He has contributed a lot to the Taaooma brand. Do you want me to continue to list his good qualities? There won’t be space for that. I thank God I chose him.

You seem to be closer to your mother than your father. You talk about her a lot My daddy is doing well. You know as the last born of the family, I have to be mummy’s girl. My dad is a super private man hence the reason I don’t scream his name, I have to respect his decision.

They are both good and doing very fine and I love them very much, but I am still mummy’s girl.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Firm Seeking Acquisition Of Sonny Odogwu’s Property Withdraws From Case

VICTOR OSIBODU SET TO LOSE PRIZED PROPERTIES OVER N8.7BN DEBT

Osibodu

T

his is certainly not the best of times for socialite, Victor Osibodu. The businessman who has allegedly been struggling to keep his company, Vigeo Limited, afloat for some years now, may likely lose the prized building housing his once famous company valued at N800 million, as well as another property on Milverton Road, Ikoyi valued at N700 million due to a debt of N8.7bn. One of the buildings strategically located on Osborne Road, Ikoyi, in recent times has allegedly been a shadow of its former self, with no major activity really happening there. Perhaps this may allegedly be due to the huge debt. Although his banker wife, Funke Osibodu was CEO and later a director of the holding company of Ecobank Nigeria until she left in 2006, the loan in question which has become his albatross, was obtained in 2008.

His inability to abide by the agreement to service the loan forced Ecobank to institute a case against him at the Federal High Court, Lagos, Nigeria in 2017.

Ecobank succeeded in making the court prevent Osibodu, Vigeo limited and their agents from dealing in whatever form, monies under their control in 17 commercial banks in Nigeria at that time, pending the determination of the suit.

The court also allegedly ordered the affected banks to freeze and not to carry out any transaction on the accounts of Osibodu and his company and that they should depose to an affidavit disclosing the nature, value, and THEWILLNIGERIA

balances in their custody. The court also allegedly restrained Osibodu and his agents from dealing in or dissipating all his movable assets.

By a loan facility dated August 1, 2008 and executed on August 8, 2008, the bank allegedly approved $2 million to Vigeo Limited. It was allegedly agreed that the bank would make an equity contribution of 80 per cent in the sum of $1,600,000 and Osibodu would allegedly make a contribution of 20% in the sum of US $400,000 towards the financing of a dry docking exercise. This is in addition to the alleged legal mortgage over the company and the personal guarantee of Osibodu backed up by a notarised statement of net worth.

In 2009, the bank allegedly approved another $1 million in favour of Vigeo Limited by a promissory note dated June 30, 2007, with a promise by Vigeo to pay the sum of $1 million only on 30th June 2013 being due date fixed by the promissory note. Further to the personal guarantee as stated above, Osibodu allegedly provided a notarized statement of his net worth which valued his net worth as N2,871,984,896.49.

However by 2014, Osibodu and Vigeo allegedly failed to make the agreed loan repayments despite the fact that these loans were at one time or the other restructured for easier payments. This prompted the bank to allegedly write him and his company on June 27, 2014, providing him with his outstanding loan THEWILLNG

obligations which stood at N719,332,948.38 due for 365 days; US$13,074,478.40 due for 365 days and US$4,114.28 due 390 days. As a result of his failure to repay the outstanding sums as at August 1, 2016 the bank allegedly, formally called off Osibodu’s personal guarantee by demanding the immediate payment of N869,794,650.56 and US$16,381,292.52 on or before September, 2016. Upon alleged payment of the amount realised from the sale of the share of Victor Osibodu, the company’s outstanding indebtedness reduced to N7,526,112,446.84.

This was what prompted Justice Saliu Saidu in his ruling to restrain Vigeo and its chairman, Osibodu, from removing or transferring, dealing in or dissipating all their movable assets up to the Ecobank‘s claim of the sum of N8,701,770,328.83, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

However, Vigeo and Osibodu insist that they are not indebted to Ecobank in the sum of N8,701,770,328.83 or any sum at all and that the bank is not entitled to any of the reliefs claimed in the suit, as same are frivolous, baseless, unmeritorious and should be dismissed with substantial costs. They claim that Ecobank Transnational Incorporated did not acquire the defunct Oceanic Bank International Plc at all, contesting that any purported acquisition is void, illegal and unenforceable in law. They stated that there was no merger of the defunct Oceanic Bank with Ecobank and no valid or legal merger adding that the purported merger is illegal and void in law and did not comply with all requisite statutory requirements and due process of law. Also, that Ecobank is not the successor-in-title or successorin-interest of defunct Oceanic Bank and the rights, assets and liabilities of Oceanic Bank are not vested in Ecobank.

In a resumed hearing earlier this week, Ecobank’s counsel informed the presiding judge, Justice Yellin Bogoro, that the bank had 111 exhibits attached to the process and two witnesses to call.

Ecobank’s counsel further told the court that he had discussed with the defence counsel, the need to align all the exhibits in order to agree on which of them would be tendered together without objection and those that would be objected to, in order to save the time of the court. Consequently, both counsels agreed and asked for an adjournment to enable them to reconcile the documents.

The trial is now scheduled to commence on March 17and 30, 2022.

THEWILLNIGERIA

A

Shittu

LANRE SHITTU SCORES A FIRST WITH HIS AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS

S

ocialite and businessman, Olanrewaju Rasak Shittu who is still basking in the euphoria of the surprise 64th birthday party that his young wife, Oyindamola, threw for him last month, is not likely to be weaned off his bubble of excitement any time soon, all thanks to the financial boost his automobile business just got. The top auto dealer of repute is among the 28 recipients of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s first cycle of the 100 for 100 policy on production and productivity (PPP).

Targeted at private businesses, the CBN’s 100 for 100 policy on PPP is an initiative that enables the apex bank to select 100 companies across various sectors of the economy with projects that can boost local production, create over 20,000 direct and indirect jobs across all sectors of the economy as well as generate close to $125.8 billion in foreign exchange.

Through the initiative, an applicant can apply for as much as N5 billion. These first set of companies, one of which is Lanre Shittu’s company, Lanre Shittu Auto, scaled the rigorous selection hurdle by meeting the criteria on key performance indicators (KPIs) on economic growth, non-oil exports, import reduction, local capacity, local factor utilisations etc.

Lanre Shittu’s company, which is the first and only automobile company that got this boost, will be receiving N1.9 billion for the expansion of the phase 2 of his local automobile assembling plant located in Abuja.

Qualification for selection was an easy task for Lanre, who has distinguished himself in the automobile sector and proven himself worthy of the initiative.

Not only is he the number one dealer for Mack trucks in Africa and the sole franchisee for Mack in Nigeria, he is the only dealer for Sany Heavy Duty Equipment and Yutong Buses in Nigeria. He is also an accredited dealer of KIA, NISSAN, Jinbei Buses and many more as well as Nigeria’s leading supplier of genuine Spare Parts to automobile dealers in Nigeria.

lawsuit filed against late billionaire, Chief Sonny Odogwu’s family and others over an Ikoyi property has suffered a setback as Siete Trading Limited, the first plaintiff in the suit alongside Access Bank as the 2nd plaintiff, has in a bizarre twist, withdrawn from the suit.

Siete Trading Company had sought to take over the property in contention, Le Meridien Grand Towers Hotel known as Luxury Collection Hotels and Apartments located in Ikoyi, Lagos but with their withdrawing from the suit, one wonders what would become of the suit filed by it and Access Bank seeking the retrieval of their money or the prized property as its equivalent.

The late billionaire and his two companies, SIO Properties Limited and Robert Dyson and Diket Limited, had engaged Access bank through its subsidiary, Diamond Capital Ltd, as lead arranger for the syndication of finance for the project. But the late business mogul and his two companies allegedly failed and refused to pay the judgment sum of N26, 229, 943, 035.22 billion despite several reconciliatory meetings held by all parties involved, including reducing the debt to N12 billion.

Access Bank and Siete Trading were then forced to take the late Odogwu and his two companies to court and in November 2015, the Federal High Court found the late Chief and his companies guilty of a breach of bank-customer Relationship and therefore ordered the sale of the property used as collateral for the loan.

Although the sum of N26,229,943,035.22 was used in financing the Le Meridien, however, taking into consideration the 20 per cent interest on the facility since the judgement was passed, the total debt skyrocketed to over N50 billion.

The Odogwu family however denied that they owed Access Bank any money, insisting that they had fully satisfied their financial responsibility in the matter. They stated that this was accomplished through a debt-for-asset swap in full and final settlement of the dispute and debt. In a motion on notice filed on December 31, 2021, Odogwu family urged the court to dismiss or in the alternative strike out the suit filed by Access Bank Plc and Siete Trading Limited. The notice of preliminary objection was brought on the grounds that the suit constitutes an abuse of court process, that the plaintiffs lack the locus standi to institute the instant suit as well as that the action as presently constituted did not disclose any reasonable cause of action against the defendants. But in a motion of notice filed by its counsel in January 2022 at Federal High Court, Lagos, Siete Trading Limited, the 2nd plaintiff in the suit, sought to withdraw from the suit. In the notice for withdrawal brought pursuant to order 50, Rule 2 of Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, the firm stated that it has withdrawn from all its claims as it relates to the originating summons of December 20, 2021 against the defendants in the suit.

Odogwu

PAGE 37

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Ayeni Adekunle Turns Black House Media to Global Firm

HOW REVOLUTIONPLUS PROMOTERS FLEECE THEIR W CUSTOMERS

The Onalajas

R

eal estate couple, Bamidele and Tolu Onalaja, have been in the eye of the storm all week for refusing to provide plots of land paid for by thousands of Nigerians, some of who are yet to get their allocation seven years after paying millions of naira.

The nonchalant attitude of the couple to the prospective landlords’ demands, in addition to Tolu’s rudeness, insults and brash attitude to customers, proved a bit too much to swallow, prompting many to call them out. A few who couldn’t bear to see their hard earned money go down the drains were forced to visit the company’s headquarters to create scenes. While some succeeded, others didn’t as the Onalaja couple swiftly got the police involved to provide security at the company and to forestall a possible breakdown of law and order.

Seeing that their hands were tied, the aggrieved clients decided to drag the popular ambassadors of the real estate company into the fray by accusing them of aiding and abetting the fraud being perpetuated by the company.

These ambassadors, who are actors Broda Shaggy, Toyin Abraham and Odunlade Adekola, were all forced to weigh into the matter to save their reputation.

Following their intervention, the couple resolved to make a refund to aggrieved customers who wanted their money refunded.

But there is a caveat, they get 60 per cent of the total sum of money paid for the purchase of lands while the company keeps 40 per cent, a situation that the aggrieved clients are not willing to

PAGE 38

accept. Why give them 60 percent of their money and not full payment, they wondered.

Apart from resorting to save face and to obviously prevent anti graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, from wading in, by putting out videos on social media and granting interviews, in a bid to calm aggrieved clients, they have also began to allocate lands to aggrieved persons, albeit, in a hurried manner, thus raising more suspicion.

The coming of RevolutionPlus seven years ago was like a breath of fresh air to the real estate industry. Many longed for a company that would meet their real estate needs satisfactorily and must have felt that the company won’t disappoint where others failed. Bamidele Onalaja is the chairman of the company, while Tolu Onalaja is the group executive director and the face of the company. They allegedly put up the facade of a serious minded couple, who were ready to change the face of real estate in Nigeria, particularly in the South-West.

The couple set up a huge public relation machinery that helped to spin the story of a hardworking couple that was out to provide landed properties and homes at very affordable prices. This made many people to seek the couple’s services.

The Onalajas further boosted their profile by engaging popular entertainers as ambassadors of the brand, partnered and sponsored lots of events, parties and shows, including providing two bedroom apartments to winners of the Big Brother Naija

reality show, on two consecutive occasions. They just generally fronted a perceived successful brand that knows its onions when it comes to housing needs without the usual harassment of omo oniles.

As people went to them in droves, so did their bank accounts continue to swell.

Rather than allocate lands to clients as soon as they make payments, the Onalajas kept them waiting with the excuse that allocation was being done in batches due to the high demand from customers. But what this couple failed to tell their paying clients was the unavailability of land to allocate to them as soon as they make payments. They allegedly sold over 1,000 plots of land in one of their touted estates that can only accommodate 150 plots.

Instead, the millions realised from clients was allegedly used to fund an extremely lavish lifestyle that was virtually non-existent before then. This couple allegedly went on a spending spree, living large on people’s money. From splurging on wonders on wheels to buying up properties on Lagos Mainland and Lagos Island, including the all glass building that used to house Ecobank on Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos. The company, which started as RevolutionPlus Properties later became a holding company.

From operating in Ikeja, they moved their head office to Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Tolu set up a lingerie business, Angelic lingerie, where she sells expensive lingerie from Victoria Secret and other top brands. The couple set up a food company in the Lekki area of Lagos called Remarkable Foods, as well as a bakery and a water business. They also bought two properties in Dallas, Texas, USA to further woo unsuspecting Nigerians.

On their seventh year anniversary, which was celebrated in 2021, they went all out with a very lavish celebration, gifting cars and electrical appliances to realtors that partnered with them and the staff of the company. Also on her 41st birthday on Sunday 14th, February 2021, Tolu spent about N10m feting widows through the Chris Bamidele Empowerment Foundation, a foundation run by herself and her husband. What is more, the couple is known to be huge donors to a popular pentecostal church where they are staunch members, apparently, for prestige. One would think that as a Christian, Bamidele would put a stop to his philandering ways. But the reverse is the case.

riter, author and public relations enthusiast, Ayeni Adekunle, has scored a hat trick with his media empire, Black House Media Group. The company headquartered in Ikeja, Lagos, with standalone brands in media, publishing, public relations, digital commerce, music streaming, marketing, information technology and research has grown from the budding public relations firm that it used to be over 15 years ago to become the first-ever Nigerian public relations and communications agency to launch operations internationally in the United Kingdom.

Having grown into a conglomerate with many subsidiaries, Ayeni who has been described by Forbes Africa as one of the pioneers who led Nigeria into the digital-first strategy era of Marketing Communications, felt it was about time to take public relations, Nigerian style, beyond the shores of the country. According to him, his decision to take BHM to the UK is basically to help organisations understand and explore bilateral opportunities between the United Kingdom and Africa.

From his days as a features editor with Hip Hop World Magazine to transitioning as a showbiz columnist at the defunct Encomium Weekly tabloid and moving on to ThisDay and later The Punch as a columnist, Ayeni has no doubt come a long way.

Following his exit from The Punch, he set up Nigeria Entertainment Today, NET, a newspaper and web portal specially dedicated to only

Adekunle entertainment news in Nigeria and Africa. He soon floated the Nigeria Entertainment Conference, NEC Live, an annual deliberative conference of Nigerian entertainers drawn from all sectors of creative industry, media and economic policy makers which discusses industry development issues. He also floated ID Africa, a creative marketing communications, digital media and technology agency; Plaqad, a social network connecting brands and individuals to bloggers, news websites, publishers and social influencers; Neusroom, a solely web based platform that offers news, features and up-to-date happenings in the industry real time, on-line, as they unfold; 234Star, a platform detailing the stories, lives, style and fashion of Nigerian celebrities; Orin a music app and NET Shop, platform for the sale of branded

items under his conglomerate. In 2012, he led a team of software and content developers in Nigeria to unveil the BHM App, an app for public relations experts, becoming the first to ever do it in that space.

A recipient of several awards, Ayeni was named Nigeria’s PR Practitioner of the Year in 2017.

In the same year, the Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations named his company, Black House Media, winner of two awards — Agency of the Year and Best Agency to Work.

His company, ID Africa, emerged Best PR Agency for Use of New Media, in 2018, the same year BHM clinched the PR Agency of the Year category at the Brandcom Awards. In 2019, Ayeni Adekunle was named Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing in recognition of his contribution to the marketing profession.

Funmi Olotu Bags International Award

F

Olotu

unmi Olotu, one of the most influential special advisers to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, has been honoured with The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in Nigeria.

An affiliate of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in Nigeria, is a non-formal educational framework present in 144 countries around the world that inspires young people to dream big, celebrate their achievements, and make a difference in their world.

For emphasis, she was presented with the award by vice president Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa Abuja alongside 42 other honorees who were all hosted by the vice president. An inspiring, brilliant, energetic and youthful government official, Funmi began her exploits in the private sector, in the telecommunications THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

industry precisely, before finding her feet in public service where she plans to grow her political career. At only 38, not only has she been exhibiting leadership skills far above her age, she has shown resilience, focus and resourcefulness which has propelled her to record remarkable achievements.

As Senior Special Assistant on State Lotteries, she assists the Lagos governor in solving key regulatory issues challenging the gaming sector and works with the lotteries authority management to reposition the agency in improving revenue generation for the State. An associate member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria (IoD) as well as an associate member of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Funmi was a one time participant in the African Civic Engagement Academy supported by the US government in partnership with the University of Georgia.

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Ireti Doyle Turns Snail Farmer

FREDA FRANCIS BACK TO SOCIAL SCENE

T

alented actress, Ireti Doyle, has added snail farming to her many business interests. THEWILL gathered that the mother of two started rearing snails, though on a low scale, since 2017.

The actress also owns a fish farm, which she started about five years ago. One of her reasons for venturing into agriculture was the need for an alternative source of income and desire to have a get-away spot far away from the noise and pollution in Lagos. This is

M

edical Aesthetician and Founder of Oasis Medspa, Freda Francis, has returned to the social scene a few months after losing her mother, Mrs Rebecca Samuel Edewor, who died in October, 2021.

Freda’s mom battled peritoneal cancer for a long time before breathing her last in London last year. Her remains were committed to mother earth in a private cemetery in Ikoyi, Lagos State. She was from the famous Edewor clan of Delta State and is survived by Freda and her sister, Ella.

Freda was so devastated by her death that she shunned all social engagements and stopped going to work for a while. She cut her hair according to tradition and mourned the woman who she considered as her closest confidant.

The entrepreneur has closed that chapter of her life and moved on. She is fully back to work. She was recently spotted at a party organised by her friends, Amisha and Jacky, to celebrate the New Year, where she had fun.

why she has her farm situated in a community in Ogun State.

Nowadays when the actress is not busy on movie locations, she is on her farms supervising the workers and ensuring that everything is going on as planned. She has been able to give equal attention to her acting career and both farms so far. She also spends time speaking at various agricultural business summits, educating the audiences on agriculture and agro-allied businesses.

Onwordi

TONI KAN Checkmate Director, JOINS Bolaji Dawodu, Dies GLOBACOM Dino Melaye Eyes T B Francis

Doyle

olaji Dawodu, the director of popular TV series, Checkmate is dead. His death comes eight years after the creator of the series, Amaka Igwe passed on. The ace director and producer gave up the ghost a few days ago. A few months before his untimely death, the late movie producer posted a statement on Facebook that is somewhat connected to his death.

He lamented that life had been too hard on him and he had been living from hand to mouth.

Although he has produced and directed some of the best television drama series and movies in the past and also transformed some Nollywood practitioners to the superstars that they are today, his success, however, didn’t translate to wealth for him.

In the Facebook statement which was posted about six months before his sad death, Dawodu called the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari; the Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, to his plight, stating that should he drop dead any moment, it would be as a result of his unbearable condition.

According to the statement, Dawodu’s friends and colleagues had made an effort to provide him financial support. They raised money for his upkeep and some for his projects, which yielded bountiful financial rewards. Unfortunately, fraudsters had a field day with his bank account, leaving him with only N2,637. His efforts to get his bank to do something about his loss, failed to yield the desired results.

A friend who got to know about Dawodu’s predicament gave him N3,000 for transportation to the THEWILLNIGERIA

bank where he tried to convince one of its top-ranking officials to intervene in the matter, but in vain.

A sympathetic neighbour also lent him some money so that he could visit another branch of the bank, but the outcome was the same as others. He was later advised to block the account as it was proving too difficult to recover his loss.

Another Good Samaritan sent him the sum of N3,000 with which he was able to withdraw some cash across the counter, pay off his debt and afterwards decided to borrow some money online. He applied for a soft loan from one of the online borrowing apps and the money was paid into his Sterling Bank account.

By midnight the following day, the money in the account had also been stolen by Internet fraudsters. His complaints at the bank also yielded no result and he had to block the account as well. Left with nothing to fall back on, the veteran movie maker had to go on a hunger strike.

Dawodu instructed that in the event of his death, his body should be deposited in front of any branch of Guaranty Trust Bank so that the management would use the money that was fraudulently taken from his account to bury him. It was gathered that the bespectacled director never recovered from the shock and depression he suffered as a result Dawodu of the series of

THEWILLNG

unauthorised withdrawals from his bank accounts. His health deteriorated as help was no longer forthcoming, despite his calls for assistance.

He unfortunately passed on six months after the ugly incident.

Since his untimely demise, some notable actors who benefitted from his wealth of knowledge on the set of Checkmate have been paying glowing tributes to him.

Checkmate, one of the most popular TV series the late director worked on, was a hit in the 1990s.

It was considered to be one of the best things to happened to the movie industry in Nigeria at that time. Bolaji Dawodu also worked on other successful TV soaps, such as Super Story and Papa Ajasco and Company created by Wale Adenuga, as well as Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Battle of Musanga, produced by Okechukwu Ogunjiofor and Gab Okoye, respectively, among others.

THEWILLNIGERIA

he year has started on a positive note for award winning writer, Anthony Kanayo Onwordi, also known as Tony Kan. The writer cum Public Relation expert has been appointed as the head, Public Relation of telecommunication giant, Globacom.

Toni resumed work at the Lagos headquarters of the organisation last week and he is fast adapting to his new position. The graduate of English Literature from the University of Jos who graduated top of his class is not only a great writer, he is an award winning one having won several awards including the NDDC/Ken Saro Wiwa literature prize awarded by the Association of Nigeria Authors, ANA in 2009. He has also written some literary works such as, Nights of the Creaking Bed, The Carnivorous City.

This is not the first time the writer would be manning a top managerial position. Prior to joining the telecommunication company owned by Dr Mike Adenuga, Tony had worked with Zenith bank, Bank PHB, Visafone and Ntel. In 2020, the gifted writer was unceremoniously booted out of his spokesperson job to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, who is a member of the ruling party All Progressives Congress. His sin was that he had strong ties to the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party and had written damaging articles against APC party chieftains but authored articles in favour of the PDP. Some of the essays against APC chieftains had the following titles: The liability called Bola Tinubu; Ban on AIT, Buhari the dictator is here, among several others.

Lugard House

I

t seems that Senator Dino Melaye has not given up on his political ambition, despite the setbacks he suffered in the past. The Senator who represented Kabba/Ijumu federal constituency in the 2015 senatorial election has not had it smooth as a politician in recent times. Despite the fact that he was re-elected in 2019 to return as senator representing Kogi-West senatorial district and to be a member of the 9th Senate, his challenger in the election, Senator Smart Adeyemi booted him out of the hallowed chamber via the Election Petitions Tribunal which annulled his re-election.

A re-run election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC but he lost to his challenger in the election that was declared inconclusive due to violence and electoral irregularities in some of the polling units. He also suffered a setback as a gubernatorial candidate. During the gubernatorial election which was held in 2019, he lost the bid to represent his party at the polls.

Come 2023, the controversial senator is hoping to take over from his erstwhile friend turned foe, Governor Yahaya Melaye Bello. Some of his

loyalists have started canvassing support on his behalf. With some already unveiling fliers where it was clearly stated that the controversial senator will be the preferred candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kogi State. It was reliably gathered that Dino is already putting structures in place and has signified his interest to the elders of his party. Close door meetings and discussions with those who matter in the helms of affairs in his state have been taking place. He was invited for a personality lecture series by the Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka last week. Most of the students of the faculty are already endorsing his candidacy and have signified interest in supporting him for the 2023 gubernatorial election in his state.

PAGE 39

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

COMEDIAN JEDI STARTS NEW ONLINE TV SHOW ABROAD P

opular comedian, Oluwatosin Ayoola, professionally known as Jedi who relocated to the United States a few years ago in search of the proverbial green pasture has found a new passion to nurture.

Jedi tried to resuscitate his career as a comedian and singer after moving to the US, but rebuilding his brand from the scratch proved to be an uphill task. However, he remained focused and hosted

a couple of comedy tours tagged Jedi Live in Laugh Wan Kill Me Die Comedy Ayoola in Atlanta, Houston, Washington Dc, Toronto, Vicinity with Jedi. The TV show and other cities in North is all about entertainers in America. He also staged The the Diaspora. They speak on Family man in Nigeria and the lessons they have learnt in life United State of America. in a heart-to-heart discussion Now the comedian seems to with him. One of the people have found a new vocation to he has featured on the talk keep him busy and grounded show is Nollywood actor, in the entertainment industry. Joseph Benjamin, who also He now hosts his own online relocated abroad some years TV show, which he calls In Your ago.

Karen Igho-Rakos Appears in Hollywood TV Drama Series

W

Igho-Rakos

PAGE 40

inner of the season six edition of the now rested Big Brother Africa, Karen Igho-Rakos has finally broken into Hollywood with an appearance in a romantic comedy drama, And Just Like That. The mother of two has been receiving accolades from those who have watched the comedy series. Many of her fans who have not heard from the model since she relocated abroad are eager to watch the series.

Karen has also responded to speculations that she got the role as a ‘wanna be’ just to launch her acting career in the Diaspora with her appearance in the series. She was also accused of not being paid for her role. Karen made it known that she was rewarded but didn’t reveal how much richer the series made her. Before her relocation abroad, the reality TV star had featured in some Nollywood movies and Television series such as Omo Ghetto, Keeping my Man and Tinsel.

The American romantic comedy drama, And Just Like That was developed by Michael Patrick King. It is a sequel to another American romantic comedy written and produced by Michael Patrick King for HBO Max. Karen Igho shot into the limelight after winning Big Brother Africa reality show in 2011. She was the first African female and Nigerian female to win the reality TV show after carting home the sum of $200,000 alongside Wendell Robert Parson from Zimbabwe. The actress married her longtime fiancé, Yaroslav Rakos at a private event in Jos, Plateau State in 2014. The two welcomed their kids in 2015 and 2017.

Meet Lolade Busari, Eniola Ajao’s Quiet Twin Sister

L

ast week, Nollywood actress, Eniola Ajao celebrated her birthday and that of her twin sister, Kehinde Lolade Busari. The delectable actress splashed beautiful pictures and lovely videos of their special day on her social media space. Some of her fans who did not know that the actress is a twin were surprised to see gorgeous pictures of her look-alike twin and most of them were eager to know more about Kehinde as she only recently surfaced.

Findings reveal that Eniola’s twin is social media shy. Most of her social media handles are left unattended for a very long time. The two are the youngest siblings of their parent’s six children. They both grew up in Epe, Lagos State and had their primary and secondary education in Epe before proceeding to the Polytechnic.

Lolade who is married, tied the nuptial knot in 2012 to her name sake, Kehinde Busari, a Muslim who is also a twin. He is into video and photo production and works as a Service Technician with Star TV Network. The couple is blessed with two beautiful daughters. Unlike Ajao & Busari her twin sister, Eniola who enjoys the fame that comes with being an she sometimes deviates by playing behind the actress, Kehinde is a businesswoman scene roles in most of the movies her twin sister, who sells fashionable clothing. But Eniola churns out from her stables.

Mc Abbey Quits Comedy For Pulpit

P

opular comedian and actor, Abiodun Olopade, popularly known as Mc Abbey, is now a pastor. The gifted humour merchant has started his own Christian ministry tagged, Destiny Ways International Ministry.

The comedian, who was known as Mc Abbey Da Prof before and now called Pastor, started his ministerial work as

Olopade THEWILLNIGERIA

a result of the call to advance God’s kingdom and establish his culture on earth through worship, transforming lives and influencing the earth by the power of his grace and culture.

The multi-talented entertainer has included his new title in all his social media platforms and he has also opened an official social media handle for his ministry. Most of his ministerial works have commenced virtually and he is planning to set up a physical church in the nearest future.

Born in Warri, Delta State, but an indigene of Abeokuta in Ogun State, the man of God started out as a comedian in 2001.

After his first attempt at setting up a ministry failed, he concentrated on his career. Most of his jokes centres on socialpolitical and economic issues affecting the nation and individuals. Mc Abbey is one of the popular faces on Mofe Damijo’s classic TV show, Mr X Family Show.

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

BUSINESS NEWS Ogun Amends Bill Promoting Investors Compliance With International Standards FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

T

he Ogun State House of Assembly has passed the State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to give deserved recognition to investors doing business in the state in line with international standards.

The Speaker, Hon Olakunle Oluomo, disclosed this during a plenary session at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, noting that the amendment of the bill would provide legal backup for the investors.

He added that the investors would be carried along in the state government’s activities through their agency to reflect the new change of nomenclature of some ministries earlier mentioned in the bill.

L – R : Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited, Mr. Temi Popoola, CFA; Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ, Mr. Bola Koko; Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Lamido Yuguda; Group Chief Executive Officer, NGX Group Plc, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON and Chief Executive Officer, Vetiva Group, Mr. Chuka Eseka, during a stakeholders Retreat on the Investments and Securities Bill 2021 in Lagos on January 31, 2022.

FMDQ Holdings Now FMDQ Group Plc Continued from page 16

evolution over the years from an OTC Market in 2013 to a fullfledged Securities Exchange.

The firm also disclosed that it has become a full member of World Federation of Exchanges as part of its success story in Nigeria’s robust financial markets, after four years of being an Affiliate.

The statement reads in part, “Furthermore, in an equally exciting development, FMDQ Group has been admitted as a full Member of the prestigious World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) after four (4) years of being an Affiliate. The WFE is the global industry group for exchanges and clearing houses, representing over 250 market-infrastructures ranging from those that operate the largest financial centres to those that run frontier markets.

“The WFE works with standardsetters, policy makers, regulators, and government organisations around the world to support and promote the development of fair, transparent, stable and efficient markets. The achievement to become one of the over seventy (70) members of WFE indicates the recognition of quality and reliable services offered by FMDQ across its FMI value chain - Exchange, Central Counterparty, Depository, as one of the criteria for WFE membership is that the FMI plays an active role in the development of their local economy.”

Speaking on the development, Mr THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

Bola Onadele Koko, Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ Group said “FMDQ recognises the importance of forging alliances with key financial market Associations, both domestic and international, to enhance market development and better equip the Group to foster growth and development in the Nigerian financial markets.

“We are excited to be admitted as a member of the WFE as this not only validates the strides FMDQ has made in the Nigerian financial markets and beyond, but also provides an important and all-encompassing platform for advocacy, research, peer review and reference for international standards, which is required in the actualisation of our mandate to make the Nigerian financial markets GOLD – Globally Competitive, Operationally Excellent, Liquid and Diverse”.

This admission bears many progressive implications for FMDQ Group’s market development agenda, particularly for its Exchange and Central Counterparty businesses.

Becoming a Member will add credence to FMDQ Securities Exchange’s registration, listing and quotation services, as well as give market stakeholders additional confidence in FMDQ Clear’s central counterparty services, as the membership reflects a stamp of confirmation of FMDQ Group’s commitment to promoting international best practices.

THEWILLNIGERIA

Foreign Direct Investment: Nigeria Needs Right Environment for Global Competition – Chukwu

Oluomo was responding to contributions from three lawmakers, Kemi Oduwole, Kunle Sobukola and Sola Adams, who stressed that it would boost investors’ confidence and give them more official recognition in operating their investments.

They added that the amendment was necessary to specify the appointment procedure of the proposed agency’s chairman, with a view to achieving optimum performance in the course of the agency’s operations.

The passage of the bill titled, ‘H.B. No. 078/OG/2021,’ followed a motion for the amendment moved by Oduwole and he Managing Director, Cowry Asset seconded by Ganiyu Oyedeji, thereafter Management Limited, Mr Johnson which the bill was read and adopted clause Chukwu, has said that if Nigeria by clause before the committee of the whole is determined to attract Foreign Direct house.

T

Investments, it must start with creating the right environment and appropriate fiscal incentives to out-compete current preferred destinations of foreign capital such as China, India, Vietnam, among others.

According to him, foreign direct investors will go to a country with a stable macroeconomic policy environment with low or moderate inflation; stable interest rates; stable or predictable exchange rates; easy access to foreign exchange and minimal capital control.

Chukwu, in his presentation at the February 2022 bi-monthly forum of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) held at its headquarters in Lagos, noted that Investors are interested in a large and skilled labour market, relatively free labour of less union and government control.

He noted that Nigeria recorded $1.44 billion inflow of FDI in 2015, $1.028 billion recorded in 2020 as against $340.55 billion in 9 months 2021, which according to him, is a far cry from those of other countries in the region “Investors gear their foreign direct investments toward economies where they have the highest potential for profit and the least risk. As such, the dent of the social unrest to the image and perceived risk of long-term capital investment would mean that the country will struggle in attracting the much-desired long-term finance needed for accelerated growth and enhanced job opportunities,” he said.

Speaking further, he detailed reasons why the Nigerian government’s investment in capital projects will be low this pre-election year, stressing that the country needs appropriate policies that will attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The securities dealer revealed that because of the US Fed’s normalization exercise, interest rates will be high globally. He therefore projected that the government may not borrow at the international market, nor will there be sufficient liquidity to be borrowed from the local bond market in order to finance the 2022 budget deficit.

The Majority Leader, Yusuf Sheriff, moved the motion for the third reading of the bill, seconded by Hon. Abdul Bashir Oladunjoye, leading to the third reading of the bill by the Clerk and Head of Legislative Services, Deji Adeyemo, before the members.

Globacom Premieres ‘Glo Battle of the Year Nigeria’

N

igerians are set for 13 weeks of excitement and drama as telecom powerhouse, Globacom, premieres its Glo Battle of the Year Nigeria reality tv show on GloTV, the company’s mobile streaming app as well as on cable and terrestrial channels.

The show which has been described as “a fast paced, action packed show where the best dance crews and individuals in the country go head to head and battle each other to see who will represent Nigeria in the international Battle of the Year competition” is a youth empowerment initiative from Globacom and ties into the company’s brand promise of providing Nigerians unlimited platforms on which to unleash their potentials.

The winners will go home with mega millions while the overall winner will, apart from his cash prize, represent Nigeria at the international Battle of the Year competition in Japan As the 13 episode reality tv show premieres on Saturday February 5, 2022, the telecom giant outlines what it called “5 reasons why you don’t want to miss any episode”.

According to it, “This is a show that is set to rewrite someone’s history. As an empowerment initiative it is providing a platform for young talented Nigerians to realize their dreams of becoming world class dancers. Just watch this show for the back stories of the contestants and the grass to grace story that is about to happen. Keep your hanky handy.

PAGE 41

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

Mama Roz’s Chronicles

Deadly Entanglement Chimdi’s Story

C

himdi had been jilted, and not in the most dignified manner.

She hadn’t even been informed that she had been jilted. To all intents and purposes, she was still engaged to Njoku, the love of her life; the man who she had nurtured and cared for, funding all his financial needs and providing everything and anything he could possibly require.

Njoku worked in a bakery and earned a rather meagre salary but he lived well. He had a fancy apartment, wore the best clothes and even had a car, courtesy of his lover, Chimdi, who owned a big fashion boutique and was quite wealthy.

Despite the fact that she was several years older than Njoku, they had been an enviable couple.

Njoku was a handsome young fellow with a charming personality and a ready smile. He treated Chimdi like a queen. Within the first year of their relationship, he proposed to her and she accepted. All entreaties from her friends to slow down on the expenditure and to wait until he marries her before investing so much, fell on deaf ears. It was envy of course. Didn’t they wish they could have a handsome young man like hers who was totally besotted with her?

Chimdi fell out with anyone who as much as suggested that her relationship with Njoku might not work out or that he was just using her. How could anyone even think that? Did they not see how he showered her with love? Is money everything?

And yet the years passed and she was getting older, late 30’s in fact and his family had not come to hers to ask for her hand in marriage.

Everyone regarded them as husband and wife and indeed they acted as if they were, but there had been no ceremony to formalize the relationship. Her biological clock was ticking and she was fast approaching forty, but Njoku assured her that if she could just be patient, he would marry her eventually and she believed him.

Adaku had been friends with Chimdi since childhood. She had her reservations about her friend’s relationship with Njoku but having witnessed the treatment meted out to those who spoke up against him, she had learnt to hold her peace on that particular subject matter.

Nevertheless, the information their mutual friend Eucharia had just brought to her notice was not something she could just ignore. That would be wickedness on her part because eventually the truth would come out and Chimdi’s disgrace would be worse.

Eucharia was one of the people who had tried to warn Chimdi but had been rebuffed and cut off from her circle of friends. Having obtained the news that proved she was right all along, she could not wait to share it and there was an element of spite in her delivery. She would certainly not be sad to see Chimdi brought low after all her boasting and pomposity.

“We have to go and tell her” Adaku said frowning. She was not keen on giving Chimdi such devastating news but she saw no other way out.

“You can go and give her the news if you like.

I’m not going with you” said Eucharia.

After a little pleading however, she agreed to go with Adaku. Not because she cared so much about Chimdi’s feelings, but she wanted to be present to see her come off her high horse.

“Why have you brought this girl to my house?”

Chimdi asked Adaku as they walked in together.

PAGE 42

“Chimdi please just listen to what she has to say. We have some very important news.

Please calm down and listen” Adaku counselled.

Njoku took his time to prepare for his date with Chimdi. He had been worried that she would get to hear about his wedding and for that reason he had kept the whole proceedings very low key. His young wife, Nkiru, had actually wanted a big wedding but he pointed out that the stress of arranging a big wedding might be too much for her in her pregnant state and moreover it would be best to save their money for setting up their home after the wedding. The bride price had been quite high and if not for Chimdi, he could never have met all the demands from Nkiru’s family.

“Ok what is it? I hope it is not about Njoku because I don’t want to hear any nonsense.

All these jealous people telling lies about him…..” Chimdi eyed Eucharia as she said this implying that she was one of the jealous people. Eucharia knew the bombshell would soon arrest her arrogance so she did not rise to it.

“Where are you going all dressed up like that?” Nkiru enquired.

“Chimdi” she started “Please calm down and believe what I’m about to tell you. Njoku is getting married to a twentytwo-year-old girl tomorrow.

In fact, she is pregnant for him and they have been dating for quite some time now.” She watched Chimdi’s face as she delivered the news. Her face registered the different emotions she felt in a space of one minute; shock, disbelief, suspicion and then anger.

Something about the way it was delivered, told her that Eucharia was telling the truth.

Indeed, Njoku had been behaving rather strangely of recent and hadn’t been quite as attentive. Just two days before, he had come in to her shop and asked for N200,000 which he said he required to pay his rent. He had been agitated and impatient with her even though he was asking for a favour. She had noticed that he was under some kind of pressure. Could he have collected that money for his impending wedding?

By the next day, Chimdi confirmed that the story was true. In the past few weeks, he had asked for considerable sums of money from her and as usual she had indulged him not realising that she was actually funding his wedding.

For two whole days her shop remained closed as she could not focus on anything else. In less than two weeks she had lost 5 kgs and her skin had darkened as she had stopped using her lightening creams.

Usually the epitome of high

“

Chimdi fell out with anyone who as much as suggested that her relationship with Njoku might not work out or that he was just using her.

How could anyone even think that? Did they not see how he showered her with love? Is money everything?

“Night vigil” he answered.

“I didn’t know there was night vigil, we should go together” “I don’t think you should attend night vigil in your condition. It’s too much for you. Get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning” he said as he stepped out and headed for Chimdi’s house.

fashion, she became a shadow of her former self. She cast away her wigs and couldn’t be bothered whether her clothes were mismatched or even dirty.

Bad news travels fast and everyone around her including her neighbours were all aware of what had happened to her. As she walked by, they shook their heads in pity. Some had an air of “I told you so” which was just as hurtful to Chimdi as the pity. Mama Nnanna, her next-door neighbour who had expressed some misgivings about Njoku’s sincerity had now been vindicated but still, she was sympathetic. She visited her and held Chimdi as she wept; she was inconsolable.

Chimdi hadn’t seen Njoku for a few weeks. To explain his absence, he claimed that his parents had asked him to return to the village for Christmas. They usually went together but he said they had asked him to come alone this time.

In fact, as soon as he collected the last money from her, he left for the village and she hadn’t heard much from him since then. He had sent a text message explaining that the network in the village was really bad hence he had been unable to call her.

In the second week of January 2022, Chimdi received information that Njoku was back in town and called him.

“Nkem, when did you get back?” she asked using her pet name for him.

“I just returned today but I had to resume work today too, so that was why you didn’t hear from me” he said “I really missed you. How have you been and how was your Christmas?”.

“It was very good, only that you were

not here. I missed you too. When are we seeing?” she asked.

“Let me settle down first. I will come the day after tomorrow when I complete my shift” he said.

“Okay, what should I keep for you?” she asked.

“Nothing. Just keep yourself for me” he laughed. It was his usual laugh.

Everything was the same. If she hadn’t actually watched the video of the traditional marriage which one of his relatives had sent to her, she would have believed that it was all a lie. How could he be so deceitful? How could he reduce her to an object of pity and scorn? Njoku, whom she had shown such love and given all she had.

The next day, Chimdi went to the market to prepare for Njoku’s visit. She saw her neighbour as she was coming out of her house. She smiled and greeted her “Mama Nnanna, good morning oh”.

Mama Nnanna was pleased to see that Chimdi had snapped out of her depression and was in fact looking extremely cheerful. All the people on their street had been quite worried about her for the past couple of weeks. This was the right way to handle the situation.

You can’t kill yourself over a man.

“Chimdi kedu? You are looking so beautiful this morning” she said. It was no exaggeration. Chimdi was radiant.

She had obviously overcome and moved on from the disappointment.

He wasn’t lying when he said he had missed her. He was actually looking forward to seeing her. He was glad that she hadn’t heard about his wedding and he intended to keep it that way for a long while. His relationship with Chimdi had been very lucrative and it was unlikely that Nkiru would have given him the time of day if he hadn’t appeared so affluent.

Where possible, he would like to carry the relationship on for as long as he could get away with it.

He arrived at Chimdi’s house 20 minutes later. She looked as beautiful as ever. He hugged her and held her tight for a while.

“I really missed you” he said. She smiled not trusting herself to speak.

Chimdi locked the door as soon as he entered and everything happened so fast after that.

He sat down and Chimdi reached behind his chair, picked up a bucket and poured its contents all over him. As he looked at her in shock, she lit a match and he went up in flames. He stood up and started shouting but she just stared at him smiling, her blazing eyes matching the flames on his body and then she moved towards the door to leave.

Njoku’s mind worked quite quickly. Two things dawned on him immediately; that she knew what he had done and that she had decided to kill him. In that instant when she turned to walk away, he made his own decision. Understanding that he would not survive this attack, he ran towards her and held her in a strong embrace. She screamed and tried to fight him off but he held on tight and together they burned, About an hour later, Mama Nnanna saw smoke coming out of Chimdi’s apartment and raised an alarm. The door was broken down and they found the couple held together in a passionate embrace quite badly burnt. Both of them died two days later within an hour of each other.

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.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

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

L-R: Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum/Ekiti State Governor, L-R: Honourary Consul of Sweden in Lagos, Mr. Philip Akesson; Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Swedish Dr Kayode Fayemi and President, Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris Elias, during the Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Carl Michael Gräns, during the inauguration ceremony of the New Swedish Honourary Consulate in Lagos, at Landmark Towers, Victoria Island on February 3, 2022.

Governors’ round table meeting with the development partners in Abuja on February 3, 2022.

L-R: Commissioner of Police in Oyo state, Ngozi Onadeko; Attorney-General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo; Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state; Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun; Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ogun state, Oluwasina Ogunbade and Commissioner of Police in Ogun state, Lanre Bankole, during the Ogun and Oyo Joint Security Meeting in Abeokuta on February 2, 2022.

L–R: M/D, Caverton Helicopters, Mr. Rotimi Makanjuola; CEO, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr. Olabode Makanjuola; CEO, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Mr. Temi Popoola, CFA; CEO, Trust Yields Securities Limited Alhaji Rasheed Yusuff and Group CEO, Kedari Capital ,Mrs. Ife Fashola, during the tour of the facilities of Caverton Helicopters’ Maintenance and Repair by NGX Leadership on February 1, 2022.

L-R: Anambra State Governor-elect, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; husband of the Founder, School of Politics, Policy and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (right) presenting Outstanding Achievement Award Governance (SPPG), Mr Chinedu Ezekwesili; his wife Dr Obiageli, and the Chief Executive Officer of the school, Alero to the President-elect, World Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele,at the 3-Day training for health workers Ayida-Otobo, during the pioneer class graduation in Abuja on January 29, 2022. organized by the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Plateau state on January 31, 2022.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

PAGE 43

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

FEATURE The Many Troubles of Apprentices Thousands of apprentices in markets across Nigeria spend time learning a trade under a shop owner - anywhere from two, three, four, five years up - and then own their shops thereafter. This arrangement can be one-sided for some luckless lads as traders have devised a range of ruses to not meet their obligations. MICHAEL JIMOH reports…

T

he most recent demonstration in the heart of Igbo land was not politically motivated or even on account of IPOB. It was a different kind of protest, not uniformed, gun-bearing police or military confronting civilians but civilians against civilians, Igbo against Igbo at International Electrical Market Obosi only 10 km from Onitsha Main Market.

What sparked off this protest?

A trader in that section of the market paid an apprentice N100, 000 after serving him for nine long years. You needn’t be a Maths wiz to know it comes to roughly N11k per year, starting from around 2013. You also needn’t be a realtor to know the payoff can barely rent a patch in a market where, because they are in high demand round the year, shops are quite pricey. Add up the years of service for the apprentice, having to go to work every day for nine years except Sundays and public holidays and you begin to understand why the protesters got truly mad at the penny-pinching trader.

By common consent from both parties, parents give out their wards to be apprenticed to a trader, shop owner aka master, Oga, for a number of years after which they get paid or settled, to borrow a word apprentices are familiar with. Part of the bargain is the apprentice will not only tend Oga’s shop but live with him at home effectively giving him the dual roles of office boy and domestic servant.

The apprentice himself at Obosi Electrical Market would have lived in Oga’s house for those nine years, ran errands for Madam at home or in the shop, assisted with house work and generally put to work like a slave in the hope of securing a future for himself.

The future was not exactly what he bargained for when it came two weeks ago. To say he was shattered is an understatement.

He took his case to some traders in the market. Soon, word got around from mouth to mouth, through social media denouncing the shop owner’s appalling conduct.

Faster than an ‘Applico’ (roadside hustler in large markets) wooing a reluctant buyer, a crowd gathered in the market. There was talk of a “revolution,” a revolt of apprentices against an unconscionable and miserly master. When the demonstration proper began, it was no surprise hundreds of apprentices manned the barricades, not only to fellow-feel with their aggrieved member but to also send subtle messages to their own masters who may be inclined to renege on their pledge when the time comes.

“Enough is enough,” the irate protesters shouted, meaning that in that market and elsewhere, shop owners do actually shortchange apprentices once it’s time to pay up.

“The revolution has started,” they went on, determined to put an end to one of the most confounding problems between apprentices and their masters.

Acknowledging an age-old practice of serial “abuse in the apprenticeship system” in which apprentices almost always end up holding the short end of the stick, Managing Director of Anambra Broadcasting Service, Chief Uche Nworah, has taken the case further to the Awka Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture.

To address the issue, Nworah will convene a summit themed “Repositioning Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme (Igba -Boi) for Sustainable Economic Development.” The summit will look into “the Igbo apprenticeship scheme, bring out the positives and recommend areas for improvement for the scheme to continue to be relevant in the 21st century.”

It is not only underpaying bosses the summit will address. Top on the agenda will surely be the proclivity of some shop own-

PAGE 44

“

When the demonstration proper began, it was no surprise hundreds of apprentices manned the barricades, not only to fellow-feel with their aggrieved member but to also send subtle messages to their own masters who may be inclined to renege on their pledge when the time comes ers to frame up their apprentices for stealing. “It is common for an apprentice to be accused of stealing by his master,” someone knowledgeable in such matters told THEWILL recently. “This usually happens when the apprentice is almost due for settlement.”

It must be said however that not only apprentices are at the receiving end in their years of service under shop owners. Ogas, too, have been hard done by. There are instances of shop keepers making off with millions in their care, wilfully running down formerly prosperous businesses or frittering away the proceeds from hard-earned goods on girlfriends.

One such incident occurred many years ago at the Iron Market in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, when an apprentice absconded with several million naira from his master’s shop. According to witnesses then, the iron dealer was good to all his boys. Why Chinedu stole his boss’s money was hard to fathom. Anyway, the loot facilitated his travel to a European country where he put himself to work and made good.

Surprisingly, Chinedu returned years later, doubled the stolen money for his master and then bought him a car. Everyone was happy. Case dismissed.

But a 12-year-old apprentice, Sunday, was not so lucky after his boss discovered he’d stolen some money from the day’s sales in a gas shop at Ogba early last month. The Metro section of

newspapers reported the heart-wrenching story of the apprentice who was beaten to death for a missing one thousand naira.

According to Godwin one of the apprentice who worked with Sunday, the shop owner, Uchechukwu with the improbable moniker Omo Jesu tortured the lad to death when he could not account for the money. They had all returned from the shop and were home readying for bed. It was that time, late at night, Uchechukwu decided to find out the thief in the shop.

To understand what happened that night, it is best to hear Godwin, who was at the back of the house when Uchechukwu aka Alloy was tormenting the poor chap.

“While at the backyard, we heard Sunday screaming for help, but our boss continued to beat him and didn’t stop till he (boss) stepped out to meet us at the backyard around 1am. When we didn’t hear Sunday’s voice again, we thought he already had his bath and slept. We even saw him lying motionless on the floor and thought he had slept, but there was blood on his body. Our boss later told us to pack about N1m he had at home and said he wanted us to quickly go to the shop and keep it. Three of us, except Sunday, left for the shop. But when we got there, our boss said he forgot the keys at home.”

By this time, only Omo Jesu knew Sunday had died but he never let on to his boys. What followed can be likened to a desperately panicked man who had only one thing in mind: escape. He did.

After collecting the one million naira and after deceiving the boys, he fled on a motorbike. Godwin and the other apprentice didn’t discover that Sunday had died until they got home.

Continuing his tale, Godwin said that “as we were about approaching the entrance to a street, he (Uchechukwu) told me that the security guards might think we were armed robbers as the two of us were on the motorcycle. He told me to get down and walk to meet him at the front, but he sped off. Immediately, I knew something had happened to Sunday. I quickly went to meet Stanley and we went home and met Sunday’s corpse. We raised the alarm and reported to the Baale, who assisted in reporting to the police.”

Like the protesting youths in Obosi, some young people in Ogba also invaded Uchechukwu’s shop and destroyed some of the items, made off with what they could. The death of a sales boy provoked their anger and so led to the march on his gas shop. As of the moment of writing this report, Omo Jesu is still on the lam.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

FEATURE

Fighting Gender-Based Violence In Ebonyi FROM SUNDAY AGBO, ABAKALIKI

T

he Ebonyi State Government has reiterated its commitment to ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the state.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Chinwe Okah, said this on Monday at a two-day interface and workshop organised by the Economic and Social Empowerment of Rural Communities (ESERC) in Abakaliki, capital of the state.

Participants at the advocacy and sensitisation workshop for the Rehabilitating Victims of Conflicts in Benue State.

Rehabilitating Victims of Conflicts in Benue A FROM KAJO MARTINS, MAKURDI

Non-Governmental Organisation, Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative (GAJI), with the support of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan, has commenced the rehabilitation of victims of conflicts in Benue State.

For more than 10 years, there have been herdsmen-farmers conflicts in the Middle Belt. This has rendered many people, especially farmers, homeless and forced them to take refuge at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps across the state.

Speaking during an advocacy visit to Gbajimba, the headquarters of Guma Local Government Area, a member of the staff of GAJI, Dorcas Iorkyusa, said the project was aimed at providing protection, education and livelihoods to people living in conflict-ridden communities in Nigeria.

“We have been rendering interventions in accessible local government areas in Benue State since the escalation of conflicts from 2011 to date.

“The main objective of this project is to improve the protection of affected people of concern, restore human dignity and reduce suffering and disruption of Nigerians living in targeted local government areas,” she said.

According to Iorkyusa, with support from the UNDP and the Government of Japan, Benue State and GAJI seeks to embrace and strengthen mechanism for enhancing social cohesion and community security towards early recovery and peace building in conflict-ridden communities in Benue state.

The activities to be implemented are regular risk and resilience analysis; design of responses for enhancing community cohesion and security; peace dialogues to enhance reconciliation and promote tolerance among communities in Agatu, Buruku, Guma and Kwande; and training for capacity building of community security groups, such as the Nigerian Army, Police, DSS, NSCDC and Vigilante.

Others include strengthening of local peace committees, protection and advisory groups and safe spaces for protection and counselling of victims of violence.

Japanese Government for bringing succour to his subjects affected by conflicts.

It was gathered that the project, which is centred on peace building, training of victims of conflicts and empowering them to live normal lives, has commenced in Guma, Buruku, Agatu and Kwande local government areas of Benue State.

Addressing gatekeepers and stakeholders at the event, the Executive Director of GAJI, Ms Iveren Sambe, explained that the project was designed to facilitate improvement of social stability, security and mitigate the negative social effects of the conflicts in Agatu, Buruku, Guma and Kwande Local Government Areas through enhanced social cohesion and community security.

“The project has a research, evaluation and an intervention component. The research component is designed to assess the impact of crisis on conflict affected communities, using analysis of risk and resilience through the administration of baseline and end line surveys and design of responses for enhancing community cohesion and security in the communities,” Sambe said.

The intervention component, she noted, is intended to support the creation of social cohesion by way of conducting peace dialogues and strengthening existing peace committees where none exists, as well as conducting training on community security, preventing Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), providing Psychological First Aid (PFA), Trauma Sensitive Healing (TSH) and counselling and healing sessions for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with dignity kits shared to participants at the end of the trainings.

The sensitisation and advocacy event took place across communities in the four local government areas attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, faith based organisations, military and paramilitary personnel, the leaders of Miyetti Allah in Benue State, local government chairmen and their councilors, women and youth leaders, community leaders and leaders of farmers’ associations.

Responding, the Chairman of Guma Local Government Council, Mr Caleb Aba, who led members of his council and traditional rulers to the event, described the project as a welcome development.

Others are representatives of Internally displaced persons in the communities, representatives of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), people with disabilities, community volunteer guards, market women leaders/trade unions, motorcycle hirers associations, community based organisations, Muslim leaders and international organisations (Red Cross) and the DSS.

In his remarks, a traditional ruler (Mue-Ter-Ihyarev) Chief Shonyi Agustine commended GAJI, UNDP and the

The project will see to the return of over 1.5 million IDPs to their ancestral homes in the state, if completed.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

Represented by Mrs Marcellana Ibina, a Director in the ministry, Okah noted that the state government was ready to collaborate with willing partners to put an end to gender-based violence in Ebonyi.

She gave ESERC the assurance of the state`s readiness to support its programmes aimed at complementing the government’s efforts in the fight.

The commissioner noted that one of the greatest challenges of the government in the fight against GBV was the poor enforcement of laws and policies against gender-based and related violence.

She said that the workshop, which brought together law enforcement officers, Ebonyi GBV Task Force and the community advocacy groups, as well as service providers, would strengthen the ongoing campaign.

“I commend the ESERC for organising this capacity building workshop for our key stakeholders in the fight against GBV, especially violence against women and the girl-child.

“The ministry is not lagging behind in any issue relating to promoting the campaign to eradicate GBV in Ebonyi and we are going to stand by your organisation to ensure that the objectives of the programme are realised,” the commissioner said.

Okah urged participants in the workshop to show commitment, adding that GBV was still prevalent in the state despite the efforts of the government in tackling the menace.

“You have a great work to do in our journey to free our communities of all forms of gender-related violence, therefore, you must take the workshop very serious.

“We have domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law and other laws, including law against Female Genital Mutilation, all aimed at eliminating violence against our people.

“The persistence of GBV in the state means that we all need to work-round-the -clock and in synergy until the state is freed from the menace,“ she pointed out.

Earlier, Mr Ikechukwu Nwaogu, Project Manager of ESERC, expressed regret that issues around gender-based violence were under-reported in the state and called for synergy among various stakeholders to end gender violence in Ebonyi.

He said that the workshop brought together key actors, including law enforcement agencies, service providers, community advocacy groups and others to train them on effective use of communication strategies in solving challenges of GBV. “We brought together the key actors in order to enhance communication among them because we discovered that there is communication gap existing among them.

“There is a communication gap from the reporting stage to the service stage and indeed, every other stage. It is that communication gap that we hope to bridge through this process,” Nwaogu said.

Newsmen report that the workshop is been sponsored by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative on ending gender based violence against women and girls in Ebonyi.

PAGE 45

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

NEWS XTRA CACOL Commends LASG For Offering Lifeline To Out-of-School Girls

T

L-R: Director General/CEO, Professional Leadership Practitioner Institute (PLPI), Dr. Nathan Obasi; president/ Chairman, ( PLPI), Prof. Charles Ogbulogo; Chairman of the Occasion, Dr. Godwin Odah; Legal Adviser/Secretary PLPI, Barr. Mrs. Mary Jackson and Director of Communications, Fyneray Mbata, during the Fellowship Award/ investiture held at the University of Lagos on January 29, 2022. Photo: Peace Udugba.

‘American Prostitute’ Bags Data Boom: Airtel Jail Term For N57.8m Fraud Records $514m Profit J T

elecom giant, Airtel Africa, has recorded an earnings spike that helped its after-tax profit almost double to more than half a billion dollars in the nine months to December.

According to Airtel’s unaudited earnings report issued last Friday, profit within the period increased by 97 per cent to $514 million on post-COVID-19 data boom.

Also revenue leapt by 21.7 per cent to $3.5 billion, drawing support from its data business, whose contribution to turnover in constant currency approached one-third of Airtel’s turnover.

A rapid acceptance of mobile money services in its Nigerian, East African and Francophone Africa markets means earnings from that income source, now at $406 million, accelerated at the rate 37.2 per cent when set beside the figure posted a year earlier.

The future of earnings for the telco will be substantially shaped by its mobile money business which, having been spun off from its regular operation

after hitting a valuation of $2.65 billion last March, pooled $550 million from investors as varied as Mastercard, Qatar Investment Authority, Chimera Investment LLC and San Franciscobased TPG in less than nine months.

Profit before tax for the period stood at $894 million, compared to the $482 million posted in the relative period of 2020.

Profit after tax spiralled by 97.3 per cent to $514 million. It was $261 million a year earlier.

Commenting on the development, the Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya said “We have also seen further improvement in our customer growth trends for the Group with Nigeria returning to strong customer growth”.

According to Ogunsanya, that followed “a period affected by the implementation of new ‘know your customer’ requirements, posting 1.9 million net additions in the third quarter, taking total group customer additions to 3.1 million.”

Nigerian Civil Defence Corps Grants Licences to 29 Private Security Firms

T

he Commandant General of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, NCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has given operational licenses to 29 private security outfits as approved by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

At a brief ceremony at the Corps national headquarters in Abuja, the CG, who charged the new operators to adhere strictly to the law guiding their operations, urged them to use their licences to contribute their quota to maintaining internal security in the country.

He said, “There would be no bearing of firearms in your operations, it is illegal and criminal and anyone caught violating the law should be ready to face the

PAGE 46

consequences.”

In his remarks, the National President of the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners, Mr Wilson Esangbedo, who stated that the private security industry is the highest employer of labour in Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, charged the recipients to take full advantage of the expanding private security guard industry to contribute their quota to strengthening the security architecture of the country.

Responding on behalf of the recipients, Chief Benjamin Omale of Black Tigers Security Services Limited appreciated the CG for making the first batch of 2022 presentation of licenses to private security companies.

ustice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday, February 4, 2022 convicted and sentenced 20-year-old Oyelowo Mayowa Fawas from Atiba Local Government Area of Oyo State to 12months imprisonment for offences bordering on cybercrime and possession of fraudulent funds.

The defendant was prosecuted on two counts by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC. Oyelowo, among others things, disguised as ‘a white female professional prostitute’, practicing in the United States of America, to swindle his unsuspecting victims of various sums before the long arm of the law caught up with him.

Count 2 of the charge reads: “That you, Oyelowo Mayowa Fawas, sometime between the months of June 2020 to June 2021 in Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly have under your control, the sum of N57,837,710.00 (Fifty Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Seven Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten Naira) being paid to your Access Bank, Account Number 0804708906, reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319A of the Penal Code’’.

The defendant pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him.

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Innocent Mbachie, called a witness, Udo Iniubong, an operative of the Commission to review the facts of the case. The witness told the court how credible intelligence led to the arrest of the defendant in Malete area of Kwara State.

The extra-judicial statements of the defendant, iPhones and laptop recovered from him at the point of arrest were tendered and admitted in evidence.

In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar found Oyelowo guilty of the two counts and sentenced him to 6 months imprisonment on each count with option of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine on each count.

he Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has commended the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for extending a hand of support to two out-of-school girls in the state.

The organisation however implore the governor to put all the machinery at his disposal in motion to give effect to the Child Right Act that the state domesticated more than a decade ago, noting that if it had been earlier implemented there wouldn’t be any need for him to stop his convoy to appraise out-of-school children that he found by the road side.

In a release issued by CACOL’s Director of Administration and Programmes, Tola Oresanwo, on behalf of the Chairman of the Centre, Mr Debo Adeniran, he noted, “We observed the interest shown by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide SanwoOlu, in the plight of two out-of-school girls in the state.

“It would be recalled that the media reported that on his way to an official function recently, Governor Sanwo-Olu momentarily halted his convoy to attend to a disturbing situation. It was a sight of two underage girls on an errand for a bean cake vendor during school hours. The girls were expected to be in school. But, both Amarachi Chinedu, 9, and Suwebat Husseini, 12, were forced to skip school by their parents in order to serve some domestic assistance.

“The girls were going to deliver buckets of peeled beans and pepper to a grinder when the Governor sighted them at Anthony Village area. It was a glance that presented a discomforting image for Sanwo-Olu, who revved his convoy to a stop to find out the reason the girls were not in school.

“Amarachi’s story left the Governor to shudder throughout the encounter. Her mother is a teacher, but the nine-year-old was not allowed to go to school because her parents could not afford the current session’s tuition fees. Amarachi would have to miss a school year because of this reason.

“Suwebat’s mother is the bean cake seller for whom the girls were running an errand. Her parents, who are Jigawa State indigenes, relocated to Lagos some months back. Suwebat’s four male siblings were all in school at the time she was stopped on the road by the governor. But her parents preferred she stayed back home to help with some domestic chores.

“The decisions taken by these girls’ parents, Sanwo-Olu said, “could rob the little ones of their innocence, their future and put them at a disadvantage among their peers”. The Governor stressed that his encounter with the girls left his heart bleeding.

The anti-corruption Czar said, “We commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for taking this bold step aimed at returning these outof-school girls to school. We believe there are many Amarachis and Suwebats out there who are not that lucky to encounter the governor. To this set of children something drastic ought to be done to save them from the scourge of illiteracy.

“We also believe that if the Child Rights Acts which Lagos state has domesticated since more than a decade ago is fully implemented there wouldn’t have been any out-of-school child in the state because it would have been an offence for parents to engage their children in economic activities or for any child to roam the streets during school hours.

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SportsLive

AFCON 2021: Odion Ighalo And Goal-scoring Record Successor

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

I

n November last year, ahead of Nigeria’s crucial Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Lone Stars of Liberia and the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde, former Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr, who had been mulling over the idea of recalling Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo from retirement, finally made the call. The German included Ighalo in the list of 23 players invited for the fixtures in the November international break, dropping the name of Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, who had been in superlative form in the Bundesliga since the start of the 2020/2021 football campaign.

Eager to do better than the third-place finish of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, Rohr felt the compunction to rely on the tactics that worked in 2019 going into the AFCON of 2021. One significant pillar that saw to Nigeria’s qualification and the bronze finish was the goal-scoring qualities that Ighalo possessed and executed in the tournament.

There were proven goal merchants in the squad that Rohr selected, including Victor Osimhen of Napoli FC in Italy, Ahmed Musa of Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey, Samuel Chukwueze from Villarreal FC in Spain, Moses Simon of FC Nantes in France and of course, the mercurial Paul Onuachu of KRC Genk in Belgium.

Nonetheless, Rohr felt the necessity to bring in Al Shabab’s Ighalo, who was playing outside Europe’s top five leagues in far away Saudi Arabia and who, at 32, had been away from the national team football for about two years after voluntarily retiring from international football at a relatively young age.

The rationale behind Rohr’s determination to have the striker back in his line up appeared to have a nostalgic appeal to it. Ighalo scored seven goals in the 2019 AFCON qualification campaign, the most by any player, to help Nigeria qualify for the finals in Egypt later that year and his goals were pivotal to the Super Eagles securing that third-place finish. He was prolific enough to have finished the competition with no less than five goals, the fifth against Tunisia in the final was enough to take third place. All these goals saw the 32-year-old emerge as the top scorer of the 32nd edition of the continental competition.

The fact that he had retired from international football was not going to stand in Rohr’s way. The German believed that if the Super Eagles made use of all the firepower at their disposal, the promise of a better outcome than third place was possible. Ighalo, for Rohr, had the potential to combine with Osimhen, who was in the form of his life in Napoli, and produce the results that would make Nigeria true contenders at the 33rd AFCON in Cameroon.

Rohr worked assiduously with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and, together with relevant stakeholders, they were able to pull off the feat of bringing Ighalo back into the Super Eagles squad.

But, Ighalo was a no-show in the first of the qualifiers, where Nigeria needed two penalties to beat Liberia, and played an uneventful 78 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Cape Verde, three days later.

Rohr still believed in the player’s abilities and had pencilled him down for another AFCON outing to have him challenge again for the goal-scoring record before his appointment was terminated by the NFF, on December 12, for an underwhelming qualifying series.

Nigerians who applauded the decision must have been taken aback to see his interim successor, Augustine Eguavoen, more or less stick to the same set of invited players, including Ighalo. While Eguavoen could be excused on the basis of the proximity of his appointment to the commencement of hostilities in Cameroon, there was no denying the need of the coaches for players who can provide goals that can make the difference between losing and winning. This was why Ighalo was being chased as one who had done so in the past for Nigeria, regardless of his current club performance in Saudi Arabia.

The fact that lack of goals denied a highly promising Nigeria team the chance of progressing beyond the knockout stage of AFCON may have demonstrated that the thinking behind forcing Ighalo out of retirement had some merit. Obviously, the team that Nigeria fielded had the capacity to beat all comers, yet the absence of striking options proved to be the bane of the Super Eagles at Cameroon.

Apart from the fact of Al Shabab’s refusal to release Ighalo, THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

Ighalo

The idea had not received consensual welcome in football discourse across the country and the debates about the wisdom or otherwise of the coach to actually effect it by including Ighalo in the list persisted long after the squad sheet had been made public. Yet, Rohr had his eyes beyond the qualifiers. Under his guidance, Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team had booked a ticket to Cameroon for the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in partial fulfillment of one of the terms of his contract.

“

The fact that he had retired from international football was not going to stand in Rohr’s way. The German believed that if the Super Eagles made use of all the firepower at their disposal, the promise of a better outcome than third place was possible. Ighalo, for Rohr, had the potential to combine with Osimhen, who was in the form of his life in Napoli, and produce the results that would make Nigeria true contenders at the 33rd AFCON in Cameroon Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis and Racing Genk’s Paul Onuachu were not available for different factors, while Feyenoord’s Cyriel Dessers was left out in the cold because Eguavoen did not have enough on him to warrant sending him an invitation. And Nigeria suffered for it.

While Ighalo was effecting a same-league transfer from Al-Shabab to Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal for a Nigerian record of €5.9m for a permanent transfer of a player aged 30 and above, his goalscoring record was being shred in Cameroon. What could have been Ighalo’s stage was being filled in by the captain of the hosts Vincent Aboubakar. Two years off Ighalo’s age, the 30-year-old Cameroonian demonstrated from the opening day what he came back home to accomplish and, five games after, had not slowed down one bit. His prolificness in front of goal saw to Cameroon’s advancement and trophy-winning contention.

The contemporary of Ighalo in the Saudi Professional League outfit of Al Nassr, was in red-hot form in the tournament. By the competition’s Round of 16 stage, Aboubakar already had six goals to his name from four matches compared to the three Ighalo had managed at the same stage of the competition in 2019.

Aboubakar’s skilful positioning, resilient determination to find the goal and often clinical finishing all combined to make him a menacing presence for opposition defenders and a boon to the hosts.

Aboubakar, who has earned over 80 caps for Cameroon since his international debut in May 2010, was part of their squads for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, as well as the AFCON

THEWILLNIGERIA

competitions in 2015, 2017 and 2021. He scored the winning goal in the final of the 2017 tournament, when Cameroon took home the continental trophy for the fourth time, going one more than Nigeria at the Gabon-hosted event. On home soil, Aboubakar again played a very crucial role in the process of bringing Cameroon this far after five fixtures. He has grabbed the baton from Ighalo and is in no mood to relinquish it.

If there is going to be any challenge to Aboubakar’s charge towards the highest goal-scorer at the 33rd AFCON, it will be none other than teammate and strike partner Karl Toko-Ekambi, whose elegance and combined linkup play with Aboubakar made the the Cameroonian forward line a fearsome force for opposition defences. TokoEkambi, the Lyon forward, is second on the list of top goal-scorers at the competition after five matches, with five goals to his name.

These goals, together with those of Aboubakar, have been highly instrumental to the challenge the hosts posed in the competition.

Toko-Ekambi’s creativity and the intricate bonding he shares with Aboubakar make Cameroon a formidable attacking force as their goals demonstrate. 11 goals between them so far is a frightening attacking dexterity for five games of any competition much more for one where goals have been hard to come by. And, to Toko-Ekambi belongs the best and most realistic chance of stealing the highest goal-scorer baton away from his compatriot beyond match day five.

There are a few honourable mentions in the goal-scoring bracket of the competition so far. Liverpool’s goal-scoring duo of Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah feature prominently, albeit underwhelming. Ahead of the tournament and based off of their sterling performances in the colours of the Reds of their Anfield side, they were both expected to lead the charge of their national sides and challenge for everything including the goal-scoring record. After a lacklustre start, they have played significant roles in seeing to the current berth of Senegal and Egypt respectively. Yet, of Senegal’s nine goals after matchday six, Mane’s name has been behind just three while Salah has fared poorly in an equally poor goal-scoring display of the Pharaohs of Egypt, who have managed to remain in the competition with a measly haul of four goals in five games.

It took all of four matchdays for Ighalo’s record of goals in the 2019 edition of AFCON to be superceded by Aboubakar and by matchday five Toko-Ekambi had five goals to match that Ighalo score. These two Cameroonians have banished all musings of a goal drought at the Cameroon competition with their form in front of goal. While it can be argued that they have fortunately had to contend with debutants, in Gambia and the Comoros, the consensus that there are no minnows left in the African game means they have as much bragging rights as others who made it was far as they have. And, if Aboubakar takes home the honour of highest goal-scorer based on his exploits in the initial five matchdays, he will have deserved the accolade.

PAGE 47

FEBRUARY 06 - FEBRUARY 12, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

PAGE 48

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

THEWILLNIGERIA