THEWILL NEWSPAPER February 27, 2023

Weall have our God-given talent or gift. No one is created and born without one. One of the many is in the area of sports. What is important is nurturing that talent to make room for you.

While growing up, certain sports or games were popular— hockey, basketball, badminton, handball, volleyball and tennis. Interestingly, you don’t even have anyone talk about the game of hockey anymore, much less handball. But one game that surprisingly seems to be dwindling is basketball. Back in the day, it was a game for the cool kids.

The girls sought after most of the boys on the male basketball team. I can’t say it was the same for the girls on the female basketball team for boys. Either way, such talent was taken seriously and groomed by our sports masters, with us cheering on when we had other schools come to compete. I remember they were so talented, the boys and girls. Dunks, assists, etc., would get us all screaming.

Sadly, we don’t have such talent being groomed anymore to represent us internationally. How shameful was it that not one Nigerian on the basketball team for the last Olympic games is based here in Nigeria? Even more embarrassing was that they had to open a fund-me account to help pay their expenses while representing our beloved country, Nigeria.

Luckily, one woman and her team have been tasked with seeing that scouts find these talents and enrol them in the National Basketball Association academy. Gbemisola Abudu.

Abudu’s interview centred around many things, but one topic which was dear to me was that of scouts taking bribes to admit young talents into sports academies, as it is rumoured to be in football academies. Luckily, Abudu and the NBA have it all figured out regarding basketball talents in Nigeria and Africa.

You must read this exclusive interview right after the spectacular performance by Afrobeats stars at the NBA All-Star Game halftime show in Utah. It makes for an enlightening read.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

OnahNwachukwu

Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN @onahluciaa

+2349088352246

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

Yo u r f u tu re , s h a p e i t yo u r w ay.

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NIGERIA'S HISTORIC ELECTION:

Controversies, Doubts as Results Trickle in Two Days After

• Tinubu Takes Early Lead As APC, PDP, LP Claim Victory

• LP Raises the Alarm Over Alleged Manipulation

• INEC

Apologises Over Delayed Results, Postpones Collation

• Late Arrival of Materials, Pockets of Violence Mar Poll

• Ayade, Elumelu, Ugwuanyi, Ishaku Defeated in Key Races

BY AMOS ESELE

On February 25, 2023, the much-awaited baptism of fire for the frontline presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) finally came.

Tinubu, Atiku and Obi had been primed for victory by a series of political polls which, at every turn during electioneering, predicted victory for each of them. The NOI/ANAP and Bloomberg polls had projected victory for Obi. The POLAF poll did so for Atiku, while Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industrial Research and Economic Intelligence Unit polls did the same for Tinubu.

By Sunday evening, as the results started trickling into the National Collation Centre in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the emerging picture became clearer. As THEWILL projected in its February 20-25, 2023 edition, the three major candidates, namely Tinubu, Atiku and Obi, were running neck-to-neck. But then, things started to unravel as days rolled into nights.

Doubts began to creep in with shouts of compromise,

• Results So Far, Validate THEWILL's

violence and disruptions in many states.

More alarming to the voting public was that, contrary to expectations supported by law, results were yet to be uploaded into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) server, even as at 3 pm on Sunday when THEWILL learnt that results from over 25 states were ready and the State Collation Officers, accompanied by their Resident Electoral Officers, had arrived in Abuja as directed by the Chief National Returning officer, who also doubles as the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

The INEC boss had promised before the election that results from the various polling units would be uploaded into the Commission’s server where Nigerians who log in can view results and updates in real time.

The Commission’s failure to do that raised doubts about its neutrality and transparency, even after Yakubu had formally opened the National Collation Centre, Abuja twice on Saturday, February 25, addressed the media on issues facing the ongoing voting process and then on Sunday when he announced the shifting of collation and announcements of results from 12 noon to 6:pm.

Projections

Meanwhile, there is no strong indication to show that this newspaper’s previous projection for the major presidential candidates has changed substantially. Our immediate past edition shows the following trend:

PDP’s Path to 25% in 24 States

Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Katsina, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Jigawa, Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi States.

APC’s Path to 25% in 24 States

Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Katsina, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Kebbi States.

LP’s Path to 25% in 24 States

The LP’s path dwindled from 23 to 20 states with Nasarawa, Niger and Taraba now firmly involved in a two-way rivalry between the PDP and APC, leaving Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Rivers, Kogi, Benue, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Taraba, Kaduna and FCT for the LP.

..Doubts as Results Trickle in Two Days After

PARTIES’, INEC’S REACTIONS

Unnerved by the developments, the major political parties reacted angrily and, in that process, further raised public fears and doubts about the polls.

According to the LP, INEC’s server had broken down and there was every likelihood that the results would be tampered with, leading to the emergence of a preferred candidate.

Speaking on this on Sunday, February 26, the DirectorGeneral of the Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) of the LP, Akin Osuntokun, who identified an unnamed diplomatic source, said, “The results of the elections have been marred by irregularities marked by deliberate connivance between INEC and some forces. The other three major parties seem to be contented with the conduct of the polls marred by violence and snatching of ballot boxes in clear violation of the governing rules laid down by the Commission.”

Sooner had he said that than the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, sent his reaction to THEWILL newspaper on Sunday evening.

Media Adviser to Atiku, Mr Paul Ibe, said: “It will be a disservice to Nigerians and a negation of democracy for anyone to subvert the will of the people as freely expressed in their votes of yesterday,”quoting his principal.

He called on Nigerians to be calm but vigilant to ensure that “anti-democratic elements who are masquerading as progressives do not steal their mandate.”

He said that Atiku had asked the National Chairman of INEC, Yakubu, to instruct the Collation Officers for Saturday’s presidential election to upload the results from the polling units to the INEC server immediately.

Atiku’s call had “become necessary to checkmate some governors who are trying to compromise the results at the local government collation level,”

For the APC, both LP and PDP were making mere allegations designed to heat up the polity.

The Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo, said: “On our part, we have decided to be calm to await the official announcement of the results and to pursue any grievance (if any) in a lawful manner. But we shall not sit back and allow such unguided comments to gain grounds in order to foist a particular narrative on our citizens and the international community. Recall that all parties signed the Peace Accord twice before the eyes of the world. Now is the time to abide by the terms of that accord and show love for the country over and above personal ambitions.

“We have all campaigned hard and strongly. The Nigerian people have listened to all of us and made their decisions. Now is the time to hear the voices of Nigerians as the results are released and not our own voices. The body officially designated to reflect the voices of Nigerians is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). No Party can bully them by threatening to do its own bidding. Neither will the APC be cowed into silence by this disgusting antics of the opposition parties,”

INEC waded into the matter shortly before the commencement of collation and announcement of results at the National Collation Centre, Abuja at 6 pm on Sunday and debunked a rumour that the Commission’s portal had been shut down and results from 20,000 polling units fed into it by Saturday evening had disappeared by Sunday morning.

INEC’s National Chairman, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr Festus Okoye, said the news that the commission had yet to upload results in its portal were unfounded.

Arguing that he was unaware that the portal had been shut down, Okoye said, “I checked on Sunday morning and I saw results on the Senatorial, House of Representatives and Presidential polls. It is not true. By 10 pm on Saturday, results from polling units across the country had started coming in and one is confident that other results we are expecting will come in.”

On reports of growing disenfranchisement of voters due to the late arrival of materials, insecurity and absence of election materials in some polling units, Okoye re-echoed

Yakubu, who had earlier given his assurances of the Commission to resolve the issues amicably.

Lagos, Edo, Oyo, Delta, Kwara, Anambra and Kogi States were rocked by violence. In some parts of Bayelsa and Edo states where insecurity and the logo of a political party was missing in the ballot papers, Yakubu postponed voting. In Bayelsa, he said voting in four wards involving 141 polling units would take place on Sunday, February 26 while the affected three local government areas in Edo State, Esan North, Esan South and Igueben, will take their turn on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Taking a sweeping observation of all these issues, the umbrella body for political parties in Nigeria, the Conference for Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) urged INEC to cancel results in polling units where BVAS machines were by-passed and mass thumb-printing and violence took place.

In a note sent to THEWILL on Sunday night, the SecretaryGeneral of the body, Chief Willy Ezugwu, said where these lapses in the electoral process infringed the legal and constitutional requirements for the conduct of a free and fair election.

Ezugwu said, “The legal framework for conducting the 2023 elections consists of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended; the Electoral Act, 2022; and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Election Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of the elections.”

He argued that all verifications outside the BVAS were invalid because INEC’s introduction of the BVAS machines into the Nigerian electoral system was intended to serve as the only means of verification of the genuineness of the PVCs through the fingerprint or facial authentication of voters during accreditation.

“On the other hand, uploading the polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was intended to be in real-time on Election Day, which was substantially not the case.

“So, we are afraid that the election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) were suspiciously delayed because even results from different major cities across the country with good internet connections were not uploaded real-time to the INEC results portal.

“In the same vein, INEC officials were also being accused of bypassing the use of BVAS machines for accreditation in some parts of the country, especially in the North-East and North-West, leading to allegations of massive thumbprinting and stuffing of ballot boxes besides underage voting.

“The use of violence to scare voters as well as votebuying persisted in parts of the country throughout the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday.

“We, therefore, call on the electoral body to exercise its powers under the law to cancel results of polling units

where violence, vote buying or mass Thumb-printing of ballot papers took place.

BUHARI, MALAMI, GOV ORTOM AND SENATOR KALU ON THE HOT SPOT

Open display of ballot papers during voting on Saturday was a major setback for the electoral process. President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Senator Orji Kalu, Governor Samuel Ortom were the major culprits, in clear violation of Section 122 of the Electoral Act which made requirements for secret balloting and prescribed a punishment of N100,000 fine or three months in prison or both.

Malami invited critical examination of the violation after he justified the act that President Buhari exercised his constitutional rights voluntarily as a third party. Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr Adeyinka OlumideFusika, and Mr Kunle Adegoke, knocked Malami, saying that Buhari as a voter was no third party even though they understand he may have acted that way for political reasons.

“The President clearly violated the law, though we understand why he did so. I would have preferred he did not do it as a president, Malami’s justification, quoting the constitution was wrong because Buhari was no third party in this matter,” said Olumide-Fusika.

For Adegoke, displaying ballot paper was “statutorily incorrect, its is an offence for anybody, no matter their status. Whatever the President and others did was not just a violation but criminal.

A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr Victor Ukutt, however said that President Buhari committed no offence by displaying the thumb-printed ballot paper to disclose the candidate he had voted for.

Ukutt, in a telephone chat with THEWILL, said President Buhari had not contravened the 2022 Electoral Act by displaying his thumb-printed ballot paper.

“I do not think there is a law President Buhari has contravened by displaying his thumb-printed ballot paper. You know what is happening in his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). I think it is a way of reassuring the party and the presidential candidate of his support, though he did not keep to the rule of confidentiality,” Ukutt, Principal Partner, Victor Ukutt and Co, said.

CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS

In the middle of the controversies and challenges facing INEC, with its viewing portal, the APC and PDP went into celebration mood, laying claims to victory even as official results were being expected.

In a statement on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, maintained that Atiku was coasting to victory as he expressed gratitude to Nigerians, even as he tasked INEC on transparent results collation. Ologunagba's statement came just as the spokesperson, Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, asked the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign to “stop lamenting, accept its fate and hold back its tears pending the official announcement of the outcome of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)."

Ologbodiyan, in a statement on Sunday, said: "The Tinubu/Shettima Campaign should come to terms with the decision by Nigerians to use their vote to recompense the APC for the excruciating hardship, anguish and pain it inflicted on our nation in the last seven and half years."

INEC CONFIRMS CHALLENGES WITH RESULT VIEWING PORTAL

Late Sunday night, INEC owned up to observations and complaints about its portal.

In a statement, Okoye said the portal was undergoing hitches related to scaling up of the IRev from a platform for managing off-season state elections to one for managing nationwide general elections.

Continues on Page 9

Open display of ballot papers during voting on Saturday was a major setback for the electoral process. President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Senator Orji Kalu, Governor Samuel Ortom were the major culprits

APC Accuses PDP, LP of Heating up Polity

The Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Labour Party of planning to precipitate the crisis to discredit the results of the presidential and national assembly polls.

Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate, on Sunday alleged that "Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were presently putting undue pressure on some State Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC to alter the results duly collated in the States before proceeding to Abuja to submit the results.''

"This is despite the fact that the collated results are already well known by the public and the political parties as they were publicly declared, unit by unit and at the State level and electronically transmitted. This is with a view of creating

disparities in both the transmitted results and the hard copies and thereby sparking nationwide crises.

Arguing that the results of the election is one of the best so far conducted by INEC in the country, Keyamo We fully salute the resoluteness and steadfastness of these RECS so far and encourage them to continue their resilience in the face of such pressures. We salute INEC for organising, as we can see for now, one of the best elections in Nigeria from time immemorial.

He said the PCC has reliable information that the Labour Party was mobilising for what he described as another ENDSARS protest across the country next week and appealed to the security agencies to rise to the occasion and check those he considered were try "foist their will on the rest fo Nigerians" and "give the State RECs 24-hour close-guard and maximum protection as they travel to submit their results in Abuja.

YIAGA Africa Scores BVAS Performance High

YIAGA Africa has rated the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used in the presidential and National Assembly polls on Saturday high.

Yiaga Africa’s Watching The Vote in its preliminary findings released in Abuja on Sunday, said the accreditation machines functioned well in 88 percent of the polling units its election observers monitored across the country.

Chairman of the organisation's Watching

The Vote Working Group, Dr Hussaine Abdu and Executive Director, YAIGA Africa, Samson Itodo, signed the report, which also addressed issues on voters 'intimidation, transmission of results and presence of party agents .

It read, in part, “In 88 per cent of polling units, the BVAS functioned properly. However, in nine per cent of polling units, the BVAS malfunctioned, and it was fixed and in two per cent of the polling units, it malfunctioned and was replaced,” .

On secrecy of balloting, the report said, “In five per cent of polling units, there were no voting cubicles. Similarly, 13

Labour Party Calls For Cancellation of Presidential Poll

Rising from an emergency exco meeting in Abuja on Sunday, Labour Party, LP, has called for the cancellation of the ongoing presidential election as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, cannot upload results into its server from the polling units.

The national chairman of the party, Julius Abure, made the call, saying INEC had given room for doubt in the credibility of the process. Abure described the inability of INEC to upload results after over 12 hours as worrisome, calling it electoral robbery.

He claimed that the party was robbed of victory in some states such as Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Delta and Imo following alarming manipulation of BVAS machines and uploading of fake results , orchestrated violence by thugs believed to have been sponsored by state governments during the presidential and national assembly elections which held on Saturday . He therefore called for a rerun of the presidential poll to make for fairness

per cent of polling units were set up in a way individuals could see how the voters marked their ballot papers.”

On voter intimidation, it said its observers reported that it was only in five per cent of the polling units that voters faced intimidation, harassment or were assaulted, while situations that were identified as likely voter inducement were observed at seven per cent of the monitored polling units.

It noted that the frontline parties, namely All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Labour Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP present agents across most of the polling units.

“During counting, All Progressives Congress (APC) party agents were sighted at 97 percent of polling units; Labour Party (LP) polling agents were sighted at 67 percent of polling units; New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) polling agents were sighted at 51 per cent of polling units, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at 99 per cent of polling units,” adding that.

Drivers Protest Non-payment in Enugu, Refuse Deploying Election Materials

Some commercial bus drivers in Enugu, chartered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to deploy election materials over nonpayment.

The drivers, speaking at the INEC office in New Gariki, Enugu North Local Government Area, requested the electoral body to pay them upfront for their service

NAN reports that the drivers refused to move out until they were paid.

Michael Agugu, one of them, said they “would not carry the materials because INEC has not paid them their money Although they said that they had given one of our members the money to share with us but up till now, we have not received the money,” Agugu said

“I am not going to carry any materials if I am not paid at hand because anything that happened on Election Day is part of the election.

Continued from Page 8

...Doubts as Results

Trickle in Two Days After

He however reassured Nigerians “that the problem was not due to any intrusion or sabotage of our systems and that the IRev remains well-secured.”

According to him, the Commission’s technical team was working hard to solve the problems. “We also assure Nigerians that the results from the polling Unit copies which were issued to political parties are safe on both the BVAS and the IRev portal. The results cannot be tampered with and any discrepancy between them and the physical results used in collation will be thoroughly investigated and remediated in line with Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022. We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate.”

COLLATION POSTPONED TILL MONDAY

INEC Chairman on Sunday night announced the postponement of collation of election results till Monday, February 27, 2023. He made the announcement immediately after the result of the presidential poll in Ekiti State was announced by the returning officer for the state.

Giving reasons for the postponement, Yakubu said the results from other states had not arrived in Abuja. He added that collation of results would continue at 11am on Monday. In the Ekiti result that was fully announced early on Sunday, Tinubu secured 201,486 votes to beat Obi and Atiku, who polled 11,397 and 89,554, respectively.

WAY FORWARD

CNPP’s Ezugwu, who argued that the current delay in announcing the results of the presidential election was raising more suspicion that INEC had an ulterior motive or acting out a script to produce a particular candidate other than the one voted for by Nigerians, called on “the international community to note these observations and pressure INEC to do the needful by ensuring compliance to its own guidelines.”

BIG WIGS LOSE IN KEY RACES

In Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential candidate and his party suffered a massive defeat statewide losing even his ward and local government to the Labour Party wave which swept across the South-South and South Eastern States. House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu also lost his reelection bid in the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency race.

Also, Hon. Victor Nwokolo, the longserving member representing Ika Federal Constituency on the platform of the PDP and Chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency, lost his reelection bid to the LP.

In Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, one of the G5 Governors opposing his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid, shockingly lost his Enugu North Senate poll to the Labour Party’s Chief Okey Ezea.

In Cross River, Governor Ben Ayade of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was defeated in the Cross River North Senatorial poll by the incumbent, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe of the PDP.

A similar scenario played out in Taraba State where Governor Darius Ishaku lost the Taraba South Senatorial poll to businessman, David Jimkuta of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

L-R: Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN; Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun and former Ogun Governor, Olusegun Osoba, during the commissioning of the Gateway International Agro Cargo Airport in Ikenne, Ogun State on February 23, 2023.

POLITICS

Presidential/NASS Elections: Kudos, Knocks

Trail INEC, Security Agencies’ Performance

BY AYO ESAN

The long-awaited Presidential and National Assembly Elections came as scheduled last Saturday.

Many political analysts, as well as local and international observers, have praised the Independent National Electoral Commission’s determination to deliver on its promise to conduct the elections and the courage of Nigerians who, despite the crippling effects of a persistent cash crunch and scarcity of petroleum products in the country, ensured that they turned out to cast their votes.

However, despite complaints of delay in voting, pockets of violence at polling units and the non-functional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some polling units across the country, many people have described the process as peaceful while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for doing a good job.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election and described it as “good, smooth and fair.”

Speaking on the late arrival of INEC officials to his polling unit, Tinubu, who cast his vote at Ward 85, Polling Unit 047 at Alausa in Ikeja, Lagos State, said he had no issues with INEC. He also expressed the hope that the election will be free and fair.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, also commended INEC for a smooth conduct of the election as well as security agents for providing effective security. Atiku, who cast his vote at exactly 9:08 am at his Ajia polling units 012, expressed confidence in winning the election.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu also commended the INEC for the smooth conduct of the

Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Speaking after casting his vote at his polling unit in Eyekole Ward, Lagos Island Local Government, Sanwo -Olu said, “As you can see, the accreditation for my wife and I went smoothly. It was smooth and there was no form of hindrance or intimidation.

“We cast our votes. It is right on time and well. I hope it will be the same all over".

Sanwo-Olu described the turnout at the polls as fair. "The election is peaceful and without any incident as at this time. I hope this will continue,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for

Finance, Mr Wale Olowo, commended the people of his ward in the Ebute Metta Area of Lagos for being peaceful during the poll.

Speaking after carrying out his civic duty at his polling unit, Ward 24, Polling Unit 36 in Lagos Mainland, Olowo said that INEC has done well with its conduct of the election.

“We like what we are seeing. The conduct is smooth and peaceful and we are grateful for that"

A PDP Chieftain and former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, applauded the INEC over its voting process through the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS).

George said the use of BVAS had drastically reduced the time spent on accreditation and voting, as well as eliminated other discrepancies associated with the exercise in the country. He lauded INEC on Saturday and prayed that the new system would work to make people's votes count.

George said he was able to do accreditation and voting within just five or six minutes and expressed the belief that the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that there was free and fair polls was already working, declaring that it was time Nigerians showed zero tolerance for rigging and vote buying and country move to higher heights.

"I got there, and within a period of five to six minutes, I did my accreditation through BVAS, and completed the voting exercise. This system should continue”.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, described Saturday‘s elections as the best he had ever witnessed in the country.

“However, despite complaints of delay in voting, pockets of violence at polling units and the non-functional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some polling units across the country, many people have described the process as peaceful

Yakubu Baba

...Kudos, Knocks Trail INEC, Security Agencies’ Performance

Baba, who spoke while monitoring the elections in Abuja, said the polls were generally peaceful and “the response of the people has been encouraging. “

He added: “The provision of security is good. This is one of the best electoral processes I have ever seen. We have done well so far and we are waiting for INEC officials to move to the collation centre. We are on top of the situation.

“It is not true that there was a bomb blast in Maiduguri, we have blast in Borno State. We have made adequate security arrangements over there. We have five injured and small damages.”

Despite the commendation for INEC, logistic problems, which hindered the early arrival of electoral officials and materials to polling units, had raised their ugly head.

INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu acknowledged that there was a late arrival of electoral officials and materials in many polling units across the country.

He said, “The perennial problems of logistics and insecurity affected early deployment of voting materials. But we have been able to deliver millions of ballot papers.”

Speaking on Saturday, he said the commission had resolved the problem by ensuring that anyone that was in the queue by 2:30 p.m. was allowed to vote, “no matter how long it takes.”

He explained that the twin problems of logistics and insecurity hampered the timely deployment of staff and materials.

This directive by INEC to allow everybody on queue by 2.30 pm to vote led to extension of the voting exercise to late in the night and in some polling units, till Sunday morning.

Another issue about the election process is the complaints by voters in Lagos State over the omission of the Labour Party (LP) logo on some ballot papers in some polling units in the state. It was gathered that the affected ballot papers were meant for the Senate and House of Representatives candidates.

The omission forced many to call on INEC to provide answers based on the argument that the Labour Party logo appeared in previous elections. Speaking on the issue, a chieftain of the Labour Party, Prof Pat Utomi, said that his phone had been inundated with calls over the omission.

‘‘My phones are almost blowing up with angry voters

who cannot see where to vote for Labour Party candidates for Senate. I have been appealing for calm but buoyed by people’s determination to vote LP all the way,’’ Pat Utomi wrote on his Twitter page.

THEWILL gathered that the omission may have been due to the inability of the party in the state to provide a list of its candidates to INEC.

It would be recalled that in September 2022, the Lagos State Chairman of the Labour Party, Olukayode Salako, revealed the reason behind the omission of their senatorial and House of Representatives candidates on the final list of candidates for the 2023 general elections by INEC.

Salako said the party’s candidates were omitted from the list because a former chairman of the party, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, did not submit them to INEC at the appropriate time.

Salako however noted that due to the fact that Awamaridi presented the names to INEC late when the window had closed, the party was considering the court option. It therefore suffices to say that the Labour Party (LP) did not get its way in court, reason its Senate and House of Representative candidates were omitted from the ballot papers in Lagos State

Pockets of Violence

Despite Police and other sister security agencies and the military expressing their readiness for the election, there were pockets of violence that rocked some parts of Lagos, Imo, Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, and some other states in the country on election day.

Voting in places such as Mafoluku, Amuwo Odofin, Oshodi, Surulere, Ijaiye, Ijaniki, LASU Iba, Iyana Shashi, Ikorodu, Fadeyi, Ojota, Ogombo, Badagry, Sangotedo, and Lekki, all in Lagos State, was marred by violence. At Ijaiye, four polling units were affected, Branco (two), Agboola (one), and Obisanya (one). Polling units affected in Surulere included Adedeji, Owoseni, Dipo Olubi, Itire, and Aguda.

There were also reports of disruption of elections in polling units around Ikate, and Ajah after thugs allegedly attacked the area and warned the voters who were not willing to vote for the presidential candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, to vacate the polling units.

Reports had it that a popular Nigerian rapper and son of Human Right activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, Falz, allegedly had his phone snatched from him by thugs who also snatched ballot boxes and dumped them in a gutter.

At Ogombo Primary School, in the Lekki area, thugs were said to have chased away voters and locked the gates while security personnel watched and did nothing. There were also reports of violence at Ago Palace Way, Okota, but the timely intervention of military personnel restored peace and orderliness in some of the affected polling units and they were able to complete the voting process late on Saturday.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, who flew over Lagos with a helicopter, confirmed the pockets of violence and said that several suspects were arrested for election-related offences and exhibits recovered from them. He did not disclose the names of the suspects and the party they were sympathetic to.

Owohunwa also confirmed that there were pockets of violence in Mafoluku in Oshodi, and Surulere, where armed thugs disrupted voting exercises and snatched and burnt ballot boxes.

The Lagos CP said the exercise was very peaceful and well organised in the Epe area. He said, “I interacted with them and they insisted that Epe was calm. They are a peaceful family, so regardless of the political divide, they remain one family and work to ensure peace.

“What we are dealing with here has to do with human conduct. It could be unpredictable or driven by passion, emotion, or criminal intent. We recorded specific instances of thuggery and violence.

Tunubu Obi

Atiku

Despite the commendation for INEC, logistic problems, which hindered the early arrival of electoral officials and materials to polling units, had raised their ugly head

Is There no End to Electoral Violence in Nigeria?

Spontaneous acts of violence have become part of the political system in Nigeria, especially during and after elections. Last weekend’s poll was no different as hoodlums dared the authorities by disrupting the elections despite the peace accord signed by the presidential candidates and party leaders. THEWILL wonders whether they are intelligent interpreters of their master’s every wish or they acted alone. Michael Jimoh

reports

By now, General Abdusalami Abubakar would have been wondering what suddenly went wrong with the just concluded general elections across the country over the weekend. The retired army general and last military head of state of Nigeria who has since morphed into a peacemaker by virtue of his position as the head of the Peace Committee would have seen firsthand, like many of his compatriots, the spate of violence perpetrated by hoodlums when polls held last weekend, mostly in the southern part of the country.

For the second or third time, Gen Abubakar has presided over peace meetings of political gladiators. Fearful of the tension-soaked campaigns and possible degeneration into a state of anarchy during and after the 2015 presidential polls between Goodluck Jonathan of Peoples Democratic Party and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, the peace committee brought the contenders to the table whereupon they and their party leaders swore to eschew violence and to also not incite their supporters to acts of violence whatever the outcome of the results.

Then incumbent President Jonathan provided a much needed relief for INEC, the Peace Committee and Nigerians as he conceded defeat to his opponent even before conclusion of the election that year. Abubakar expressed the same sigh of relief four years later after the presidential election between Buhari and his opponent Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

It was in the hope of a peaceful denouement to the last election that the Infantry commander summoned the presidential candidates to the table last September. With more than a dozen flag bearers and party leaders in attendance, it was all decorum from the participants. Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC appended his signature to the document. So did Atiku Abubakar of PDP, as well as Peter Obi of Labour Party and Omiyole Sowore of African Action Congress.

To reaffirm their commitment to the peace accord, Abubakar once again summoned them to another meeting late last January at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Three or so former African presidents were in attendance this time with the convener insisting on the “need for all parties to be committed to the second peace accord.”

According to the former head of state, some of the candidates flouted the first peace accord last September which necessitated the second one.

“There was lack of compliance by the major political parties,” Abubakar let on at the meeting, adding that “forty-four percent of the violations were carried out by spokespersons of the political parties and twenty-six percent

“There was lack of compliance by the major political parties,” Abubakar let on at the meeting, adding that “forty-four percent of the violations were carried out by spokespersons of the political parties and twenty-six percent by party members. Nineteen percent of the violations were carried out by the presidential candidates themselves, 11 percent by hardcore supporters and four percent by party chairmen

by party members. Nineteen percent of the violations were carried out by the presidential candidates themselves, 11 percent by hard-core supporters and four percent by party chairmen.”

Even before the election proper in late February, Abubakar reminded the attendees that “in January 2023, a lot of

violence has occurred with at least 15 abductions (including that of a police officer) and at least 30 killings (including those of 11 security personnel)” while there were at least “six attacks at political campaign rallies.”

Against that background, it was necessary to caution the politicians and their followers once more. In the light of the recent electoral violence, it does seem the politicians and their followers threw caution to the wind.

Which is why Abubakar would have been aghast at the needless acts of violence during last week’s polls. Did the contenders and party leaders sign the peace document just for the sake of it? In other words, was Abubakar, and the rest of the committee members including the venerated Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Matthew Hassan Kukah, deceived?

It does seem so now, considering the widespread violence during the election itself.

One of the very first was the unpremeditated beheading of Samuel Arunsi Eze by a political thug Daniel Mgba in Abia state. The killing took place in Ndi Agwu Community of Abam in Arochukwu council. One of the assailants was himself killed in the process.

Violence in other states and cities were soon recorded and reported in the papers and social media. Polling stations and INEC officials were invariably the target of such attacks by political thugs. In Lagos state alone, polling stations in Amuwo Odofin, Badagry, Fadeyi, Iba, Ijaiye, Ijanikin, Iyana Shashi, Ikate, Ikorodu, LASU Iba, Lekki, Mafoluku, Ogombo, Ojota, Sangotedo, Surulere.were among those affected.

Thugs in Surulere working on behalf of the ruling party APC reportedly “warned voters who were not willing to vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu to vacate the polling units while policemen looked away.”

If the police looked away while the thugs operated in Surulere, their action was even more damning at Ogombo Primary School. According to one account, “thugs chased away voters and locked the gates while police officers stood still, smiling at them,” a situation that was not “different at Ojota Senior Secondary School.”

The thugs did not stop there, they snatched the phone of popular rap artiste Falz, scattered the ballot boxes in the polling station and then dumped them into the gutter while the law enforcement agents watched. “It took the intervention of the military personnel,” a report stated “who were also overstretched, to restore peace and orderliness in some of the affected polling units.”

Lagos state police chief, Idowu Owohunwa confirmed the attacks by thugs on polling stations during the elections in the state. Surveying the exercise from high above on a police chopper, Owohunwa later told reporters he and his team visited places like Maryland, Mafoloku in Oshodi and Surulere “where armed thugs disrupted voting exercises and snatched and burnt ballot boxes.” Continuing, the police boss said “we visited about five polling units in Epe, and there was this family way of approaching the process. I interacted with them, and they insisted that Epe was calm. They are a peaceful family, so regardless of the political divide, they remain one family and work to ensure peace.”

“What we are dealing with here has to do with human conduct,” Owohunwa went on. “It could be unpredictable or driven by passion, emotion, or criminal intent. We recorded specific instances of thuggery and violence. These things will always happen, and when they do, we will implement

Continues on page 44

Yakubu

... End to Electoral Violence in Nigeria?

a response plan to be able to respond to most of those incidents. We have made arrests and recoveries.”

As if replaying the murder scene in Abia state where Arunsi Eze was killed, thugs shot and killed a man identified as Akayama, an Economics graduate of Abubakar Audu University, Ayingba Kogi state. He was killed at a polling station in Iji-Anyigba Kogi state. Thugs also chased voters and made away with INEC materials from polling units at Abejukolo, Agbeji, Ajiolo, Dekina and Ejule communities.

The same sorry tale of intimidation and destruction of voting materials have also been reported in places like Benin, Warri, Gworza in Borno state, Shiroro in Niger state and Safana council area in Katsina state. There have been attacks in no fewer than five or six states across the country during the presidential and NASS polls.

To be sure, electoral violence isn’t such a novel thing in Nigeria. Nigerians of a certain generation remember the days of Operation Wetie in the Western region in the fifties and sixties where houses belonging to members of the opposition were torched and burnt, and some of them killed. It continued in the Second Republic when political disturbances erupted in Ondo state after the governorship elections in 1983.

Of course, politicians themselves have encouraged political violence either before, during or after elections. Nigerians still remember very well the infamous remark credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the election in one year was a “do or die affair.”

It is just very possible that the current crop of politicians and their foot-soldiers have borrowed a leaf from OBJ’s boast then.

The murder of Arunsi Eze in the South east may have been precipitated for selfish reasons, other factors have also fuelled electoral violence in the geopolitical region. Chief among them is the mandatory sit-at-home order by IPOB before elections. Before the Anambra state governorship election in 2018, for instance, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) threatened to scuttle the polls, giving a stayat-home order to residents of the state and potential voters. It got everyone aflutter – especially political stakeholders in the state in particular and the entire country in general.

Thankfully, the proposed boycott by IPOB never got to be. The election came and went peacefully, producing incumbent governor Wilie Obiano for a second term in a state with the motto: Light of the Nation. Contrary to the position of the regional separatist group, the light in Anambra was not dimmed in any way.

Recalling what happened at the time and in connection with the general elections last week and mid-March, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, spokesperson of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Igbo socio-cultural group stated late last month that “IPOB will not and they cannot stop this election from holding. There have been instances in the past like the second tenure of Governor (Willie) Obiano, the IPOB said there won’t be any election and a lot of us at the Igbo level, we intervened and the election was held.”

The will of the people of Anambra state, Ogbonnia went on, “would overwhelm every distraction from participating in the poll in the South-East.”

But recent indications have shown that despite the will of the people to go forth and vote during the last polls, there may have been distractions all the same, at least in the Enugu north senatorial zone. What happened?

As reported in the newspapers last week, gunmen surprised and attacked the campaign convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party at Eke-Otu in Amechi Awkunanaw

Violence in other states and cities were soon recorded and reported in the papers and social media. Polling stations and INEC officials were invariably the target of such attacks by political thugs. In Lagos state alone, polling stations in Amuwo Odofin, Badagry, Fadeyi, Iba, Ijaiye, Ijanikin, Iyana Shashi, Ikate, Ikorodu, LASU Iba, Lekki, Mafoluku, Ogombo, Ojota, Sangotedo, Surulere

Enugu state. The driver in one of the campaign buses was killed instantly while a senatorial candidate for the party survived the ambush.

At about the same time in the same senatorial zone, Labour Party candidate Oyibo Chukwu was shot and killed in a separate attack along with five members of his party. The killers added a macabre twist to their blood orgy: they set

their bodies ablaze with the vehicles they were travelling in. Bizarre by every account, such acts of casual electoral violence is not new in the region, thus showing indications that the election might not hold. Though not directly linked to the attacks, IPOB has also not claimed responsibility for the double mid-afternoon tragedies in the state.

Even so, IPOB itself has been linked in the past with such coordinated murders and destruction of government-owned facilities in parts of the South east. What is their objective? To destabilize the region so that elections will not hold. If that was the aim of the attackers last week, they succeeded partly. In the wake of the killings, INEC postponed the election held nation-wide yesterday to March 11.

Before the killings last week, the South east had been a hotbed of the regional separatist group attacking INEC officials and its facilities to create an unmanageable situation so that elections will not hold. In one viral video after one such attack in Enugu, hooded gunmen ambushed a man driving a red Toyota car, threatened him and then deflated the tyres with gunshots. One of the masked men later said: “We don’t want any political activity in the area.”

The Nigeria Army had known that for long, insisting at one time that IPOB and its more militant arm, Eastern Security Network, were responsible for killings and destruction of property in the benighted region. As far back as November 2021, the Army spokesman then, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu let it be known that the two groups were, indeed, responsible for “killings, destruction and total insecurity in the South east.”

According to the Public Relations Officer of the NA then, Nwachukwu disclosed that IPOB and ESN did take part in the needless destruction and then turned around to blame the Army. He cited an incident where “members of IPOB and ESN operatives recently destroyed properties of people at Izombe Community of Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State,” and even went on to name one of the perpetrators, a certain “Chukwunonso Iherue, a convict who was among those who escaped from the Owerri Correctional Centre on April 5.”

The jailbird, Nwachukwu said, “escaped arrest with the help of some persons, but was later neutralised when he shot at troops. Unfortunately, suspected IPOB members ran amok, setting ablaze houses and other property belonging to those perceived to be against them. A reinforcement team was deployed to Izombe and the security situation was immediately stabilised, while peace has since returned to the community.

“It was, however, observed on arrival at the community that the criminal gang also burnt their own troops’ van in addition to other public and private property.”

For last week’s attack on the politicians and their campaign convoys in Enugu state, no suspects have been nabbed so far.

Though IPOB and ESN have been mostly responsible for such outrages in the past, insiders now insist they were not involved. One such source craving anonymity told THEWILL it was the handiwork of a former big-foot politician and former chief executive of the state. The man in question, the source said, had been banned from one of the major parties as a member.

He is also said to come from the same senatorial district as the wounded PDP and deceased LP candidates in the Upper House of the Federal Legislature.

Already, INEC has postponed elections in the affected senatorial zones to March 11. But what is of more concern however to observers – local and international – is whether electoral violence in Nigeria will end anytime soon.

Baba

2023 Polls: The Die is Cast

The muchanticipated 2023 General Election took off on a good note on Saturday, February 25, with the Presidential and National Assembly Elections across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory despite the initial fears of postponement. While logistics challenges nearly marred the kick-off of the exercise in most states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) succeeded in breaking all odds to set another democratic process in motion, though with pockets of killings and violence characterising the first round of the polls. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and overreactions to the results being awaited, a smooth and seamless transition to another government is, therefore, underway as the Muhammadu Buhari Administration wraps off its eight-year tenure. Without any iota of doubt, some good and very important lessons must have been learnt by the electoral umpire in the organisation and conduct of the general election as evidenced in the improvements that have been introduced into the system, especially in the use of technology.

Although it remains a controversial feature of the electoral process, especially with the inadequacies and failure in some instances, the

introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters, is a game-changer in the electoral process.

We recall vividly the controversies surrounding the effectiveness and integrity of the BVAS in the aftermath of the 2023 Osun State Governorship Election and the clarification made by the former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, which has since laid to rest the fears expressed in some quarters about the reliability of the electronic device for the ongoing general election.

According to Igini, "The BVAS’s integrity remains intact...It has been under pilot in several bye-elections and a number of off-season elections before even the 2022 Act was signed on February 25, 2022. This is to tell you the journey that this BVAS has travelled, the mileage it has covered. The BVAS is a technology that has been used to put the Nigerian people at the centre of electoral democracy and put the candidates at the periphery on Election Day."

We are glad that many Nigrians, who voted during last Saturday's elections, actually confirmed the effectiveness of the device in enhancing the registration and accreditation of voters before the actual voting, though there were some hitches, which were quite unexpected.

The importance of the BVAS in the electoral process is such that the device became one of

the targets of hoodlums and political thugs who attacked some polling units across the country during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, actually confirmed the loss of eight of the BVAS machines during attacks on polling units in Delta and Katsina States, adding that three of the

machines were later recovered. Nonetheless INEC still has a lot to do, given what transpired across the country during the first round of the elections. From the late deployment of personnel and electoral materials to inadequate materials in some areas, we make bold to say that Nigerians do not deserve the kind of treatment most of them were subjected to while trying to exercise their constitutional rights.

Some of the security personnel deployed to some polling units, especially policemen, unfortunately turned themselves into observers and collaborators of sharp practices, in some cases, instead of stopping the snatching of electoral materials and destruction of others in many states.

The last round of the process on March 11 with the State Governors and State Houses of Assembly Elections should therefore be another opportunity for INEC to put its house in order and get its act right. Nigerians expect a much more improvement in the conduct of the next phase of elections to make the whole exercise credible.

As one of the most expensive elections in the chequered history of Nigeria, we expect nothing less than a perfect delivery from INEC as the confusion and controversies trailing the exercise cannot be justified. INEC therefore has to step up its game to reassure Nigerians of its readiness to deliver free, fair and credible elections to Nigerians.

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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]

Although it remains a controversial feature of the electoral process, especially with the inadequacies and failure in some instances, the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and authenticate voters, is a game-changer in the electoral process

Naira Redesign: Policy, Politics And Hypocrisy

BY LEKAN BAKARE

It is unfortunate that a good policy (or perhaps twin policies of naira redesign and demonetisation) has been poorly implemented, in terms of the timing of its announcement, the abruptness of the announcement and the secrecy preceding it (as President Muhammadu Buhari chose not to consult properly if we recall the issue with the Finance Minister), timeframe for full implementation, distribution logistics, the anticipation of possible challenges, simply because of the fact that the real intent was actually politics, rather than the policy itself. This was where the hypocrisy started and the CBN Governor, along with our President, who was rather pliant in accepting the proposal, brought this upon us.

The fixation on politics as the driver of the whole thing, in the first place, was ill-informed even when the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, tried to give seemingly “professional” reasons back then to justify to Nigerians, many of whom were wary of the possibility of the challenges currently being experienced given the implementation timeframe. President Buhari himself mentioned vote buying in one of the interviews granted to support the policy and one will wonder whether the CBN has suddenly taken over the role of INEC in giving us credible, free and fair elections.

The level of political awareness of the people has increased significantly, particularly with respect to this election cycle, citizens are ready to vote their conscience despite any financial inducement. Indeed, most Nigerians would be ready to collect such inducement with a sense of entitlement and still vote for their preferred candidates. INEC only needs to provide a foolproof, free and fair platform.

So, why the fixation on vote buying and the hypocrisy in policy formulation, which will eventually cause untold

hardship for 200 million Nigerians? It is still that fixation on politics that has brought out the hypocrisy in most people on either side of the argument to review the implementation of the policy or maintain the chaotic status quo, save for a few, who have remained sincerely neutral and objective in their interventions.

The politicians (and most of their supporters and sympathisers) who have suddenly become champions of the people in condemning the implementation of the policy, are not necessarily doing so for altruistic reasons, given their lukewarm reaction to other unpleasant policies or actions of the government before now. The major concern of this group of people is not particularly the fact of being checkmated on vote buying, but the fact that the unintended consequences of the policy with obvious hardship on the populace would naturally be a strong negative point against the government and the ruling party thereby significantly impairing the electoral chances of the ruling party’s candidate in the coming elections as Nigerians will vent their anger at the polls. That is the key issue! If the deadline for the naira redesign had been a date after the election, we would likely not have seen this level of agitation by this particular group of politicians and their supporters. Sheer grandstanding, even if their arguments for a review of the policy are appropriate in the circumstance!

The other group of politicians(and their supporters/ sympathisers) are equally fixated on politics and nothing else, with respect to the policy. Even as the policy was purely the government’s decision, this other group has latched on to it as a means of helping them checkmate the ruling party from vote buying, thereby in their opinion, removing the latter’s perceived advantage and levelling the playing field. It also appears to serve them well to see the

failure of the government as a further narrative that would be used extensively to justify why Nigerians must reject the ruling party at the polls.

This obsession, which has been expressed openly and subtly, is the basis for their support for the policy despite the unrealistic deadline, as well as the chaotic implementation. It is almost as if reviewing the status quo would give an undue vote-buying advantage to the ruling party and put others at a disadvantage. Or how else can anyone in good conscience continue to support the status quo not minding the untold hardship being experienced by 200 million Nigerians? It is difficult to claim to mean well for the country and wish that this chaos and suffering of the masses should continue. Only an obsessive fixation on politics (even if not directly expressed) can be the basis of such hypocritical posturing.

As earlier stated, voters have become more aware, particularly in this election cycle, to accept inducement if offered and still vote their conscience. The heightened fervour with which many Nigerians who ordinarily do not bother about political issues have obtained their PVCs shows that there has been a positive shift in the awareness of the people.

So, suppose we remove the politics and remind ourselves that INEC and not CBN is the body that has been charged with the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections regardless of any “vote buying”. In that case, all parties will probably be more objective and dispassionate in assessing the failure of the naira redesign project making it imperative to urgently institute measures for better-coordinated implementation to avert anarchy across the country.

•Bakare writes from Lagos

Why Nigeria Does Not Need Anti-Corruption President Again

BY MAGNUS ONYIBE

The much-anticipated election 2023 is finally here with us as it would finally be held next Saturday, 25 February, which is just a few days.

And the redesigned Naira to be swapped with some of the old denominations that is now the rarest essential item to come by in Nigeria (second only to air) has become the number one (1) defining factor for the 2023 elections.

That is followed closely by the persistent and debilitating petrol scarcity crisis, which despite the 2022 national budget allocation of over N4 trillion naira towards subsidizing the pump price of the commodity (in some quarters it is believed that N6 trillion was actually sunk), the electorate has been pinning away in petrol stations for days and weeks in search of the commodity in the manner that Mungo Park, the Scottish explorer and his fellow adventurers, searched for the mouth of the River Niger until they found it in 1796, after two (2) expeditions.

The third (3rd) challenge, which is the registration and collection of Permanent Voters Cards, PVC, by voting-age Nigerians, especially the youth demographics, has been trounced by the more pressing maladies of demonetization and the attendant difficulties in sustaining livelihoods and petrol shortage with debilitating effects on the populace.

The new development highlighted above is contrary to the situation about a year ago when who is more corrupt among the front-running presidential candidates or the four (4) leading contenders for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had taken the center stage in Nigerian political theatre.

The switch from corruption and related issues to existential issues such as the catastrophic effects of lack of access to the redesigned currency notes and non-availability of petrol, both of which are essential for the survival of Nigerians, is so stunningly surprising that no pundit or soothsayer could have predicted it until it happened.

And that is in contrast with the view that l had canvased in an article published in the mass media, particularly in Daily lndependent newspaper of 13 September of last year, titled: “Presidency 2023: A Contest Between Three ‘Sinners’?”.

In that piece, I had drawn attention to the fact that the front liners for the 2023 presidential contest are ex-public servants and in light of the fact that Nigerians regard all public holders,

especially of the political hue, as corrupt. While emphasising that having been public servants they are all ‘sinners’ in the eyes of the Nigerian masses, I then made the case that the presidential candidates are likely to “let the sleeping dog lie” by not anchoring their campaigns on who would fight corruption in government better.

In my view, making fighting corruption the number one objective in the agenda of the incumbent government is counterproductive, shallow and akin to shadow chasing as evidenced by the disappointing outcome of the outgoing regime that anchored the administration’s core goal on fighting graft. The assertion above is underscored by the fact that even before independence from British colonial rule, going as far back as 1943, successive regimes or government administrations have been wagging futile wars against corruption.

Instead of winning, the various successive governments even pre-independence, have been losing the war as corruption has gained more ground in our socioeconomic and political environment as demonstrated by the monumental level of corruption currently thriving in our society.

So, if our current leaders had bordered to test their hypothesis of making fighting corruption the centrepiece of their governance policy, it should not have been rocket science for them to learn or enlighten themselves about the fact that corruption in government has grown exponentially from the demand by public servants for a bribe of 10% of the value of a contract pre 1960 independence (which the military adventurers had often touted as the excuse for the coup de tat of 1966), to the current level of corruption in the new dispensation, where entire funds for contracts can be received with no work done and no consequences suffered for the embezzlement of public funds.

The pervasive culture of corruption prevailing in our clime, especially in the public sector today, extends beyond the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, where it is legendary that contracts worth billions of naira were awarded and never executed, but money was paid to the contractors.

The Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSTIF and similar government agencies where snakes either swallowed money that was supposed to be in government coffers or termites chewed up vouchers that would have evidenced money in the vaults as well as the recently sacked Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Mr Ahmed Idris’s heist of one hundred

and nine (N109) billion from workers payroll, reflect the hideous levels of graft suggesting that corruption has become unbridled in our country including the case of billions of naira also recently declared as unaccounted for by Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, Chairman of a Task Force on the recovery of pensions funds that got convicted and jailed for the fraud.

It is, therefore, not surprising that all of the acts of corruption in the course of the past eight (8) years would make a mockery of the much-vaunted anti-corruption mantra of the incumbent government.

And the current scenario or culture of corruption makes what the founding fathers of modern Nigeria – the trio of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Ahmadu Bello – that were arraigned for corrupt practices during colonial rule, pale into nothing.

In light of the highlighted reality above, how long would corruption and the fight against it continue to define our political process?

Before answering the question, allow me to take you down memory lane by delving a bit into our historical archives to exhume some epic fights against corruption targeting our foremost and iconic leaders.

In the twilight of the colonial era, the great Africanist, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, when he was Premier of the Eastern Region and later Governor-General of Nigeria, got accused of corruption-ACB saga.

Dr Azikiwe was not only indicted but basically convicted by the Foster-Sutton Tribunal of Enquiry in 1956, for having a stake in African Continental Bank, ACB, which was in contravention of the law precluding public officers from having beneficial interests in private business and worse of all, promoting the business through government patronage while also obtaining loans from the bank.

Mr Peter’s Obi family’s interest in Fidelity Bank where he domiciled $50m Anambra state funds and his family’s investment in SABmiller, the brewery in Onitsha, in which the state had substantial investment echo the corrupt practice for which Azikiwe was found guilty in 1956/7 by the British colonialist.

• Onyibe sent this article from Lagos.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

Stakeholders React to Mass Exit of Bank Executives Under New CBN Policy

BY SAM DIALA

Shareholders of Nigeria’s quoted companies and industry experts have reacted to the recent policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on a new tenure limit for banks’ executive management and non-executive directors which unseat prominent industry players.

The apex bank had on February 24, 2023 issued a circular specifying the tenure of Managing Directors (MDs), Deputy Managing Directors (DMDs), Executive Directors (EDs) and Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) of banks and financial institutions, a development that jolted the topmost leadership echelon of the financial services industry.

The guidelines, among other conditions, stipulate that the tenure of EDs, DMDs and MDs shall be in accordance with the terms of their engagement approved by the Board of Directors of the banks, subject to a maximum tenure of ten (10) years.

The policy also prescribed that where an Executive who is a DMD becomes the MD/CEO of a bank or any other DMB before the end of his/her maximum tenure, the cumulative tenure of such Executive shall not exceed twelve (12) years.

The CBN has explained that HoldCo Chief Executives are not affected by the new tenure guideline.

Reacting to the matter, National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Prince Anthony Omojola, commended the CBN for the new policy which

First Commercial Flight Lands in Ogun Cargo Airport

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

There was excitement in Ogun State on Friday as the state recorded a remarkable feat, with the first commercial flight landing at the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport along Iperu-Ilishan road in Ikenne Local Government Area of the State. With the development,

aviation experts are of the view that the new airport will definitely shore up the economic fortunes of the state.

The first private aircraft landed at 2.15 pm to the excitement of the Ogun people who had earlier trooped to the airport to

Continues on page 33

he described as a welcome development as it would create room for the younger ones to climb the leadership ladder. He however called for a seamless implementation of the rule to avoid creating challenges in the industry.

“It is a welcome development. Those who have served at the top, with their deputies, for a long period, ought to retire to give room to the younger ones. However, we need to manage the process effectively so that we do not lose experienced hands in the financial services circle,” Omojola said in a note to THEWILL, expressing optimism that the policy would introduce prudence practice and eliminate what he called the culture bad behaviour among the managers.

The National President, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), Mr Boniface Okezie, urged the CBN to rescind the policy. He noted that some of the banks are owner-managed and the apex bank ought not to interfere in the leadership succession process of the institutions. Okezie expressed the concern that the policy could be counter-productive by “killing business” of the industry. The shareholders’ group leader is worried that the new regulation could rob the industry of competent and experienced hands. Okezie said, “As a stakeholder, I would advise the CBN to jettison the policy because it amounts to interfering with the management of owner-manager financial services institutions who have their own succession plans and

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MORE INSIDE

Ibe Kachikwu Appointed Visiting Professor of Law by UNIBEN, Baze Vasity, Others

FG Set to Share N145bn Cabotage Fund

– After 17 Years of Waiting

Indigenous ship-owners in Nigeria are set to receive the first disbursement of the Cabotage Vessels Finance Fund (CVFF) from Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) expected kick off in March 2023.

Experts Speak on Inequality, Gender-Based Violence at Ford Foundation Platform

PAGE 34 PAGE 34

The PLIs United Bank of Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, Union Bank, Jaiz Bank and Polaris Bank.

The CVFF is an intervention fund created by the federal government to develop

Continues on page 34

Jamoh

Emefiele

AVIATION/BANKING

First Commercial Flight Lands in Ogun Cargo Airport

Continued from page 32

Cargo Airport and Kajola Dry Port projects in the operationalization of the Special Agriculture Processing Zones, and Nigeria’s participation in the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The VP said; “The future is even more exciting than today. The airport will serve the Special Agriculture Processing Zones established with the generous assistance of the African Development Bank. It is also an essential tool in our preparation for full participation as serious players in the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.

“In a few months, Kajola dry port will also be operational. I am confident that this airport will transform the entire Southwest region, and serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development in our nation and subregion.”

Commending the State Government and past administrations for the actualization of the project, the VP said “It is a tribute to the wisdom and understanding of our current governor, Prince Dr Dapo Abiodun that he took it from the idea, re-envisioned it in the light of the opportunities, needs and realities of today; and birthed the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport, Ogun State.”

Stakeholders React to Mass Exit of Bank Executives Under New CBN Policy

Continued from page 32 policies. I do not think it is part of the CBN regulatory powers. CBN is to regulate; it is not the owner of the banks. As it stands, we may lose the good hands as many Nigerian professionals are leaving the country in droves for greener pastures abroad.”

The National Coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), Ms Bisi Bakare, sees the policy as one of “robbing Peter to pay Paul”. In a note to THEWILL, Ms Bakare argued that those who founded the banks are investors who should be allowed to reap what they have sown and described the policy as wrong-headed. According to her, it will impact negatively on the confidence that people have in the banks because there are those who invested in the banks because of the leadership character and those at the helm of affairs.

witness the occasion. The height of the day was the landing of Valuejet airline at 3:30 pm thus becoming the first commercial flight to land at the cargo airport.

The Agro Cargo Airport was the idea of the Gbenga Daniel’s administration conceived in 2005, abandoned by his successor Ibikunle Amosun but actualised by Dapo Abiodun.

Speaking at the event, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN said the construction and development of critical infrastructure that will transform the economy and create more job opportunities for citizens is one way to build a modern and prosperous future for all Nigerians.

“This is how we build a modern, prosperous future for all Nigerians. I have no doubt that the culture of innovation and progress that the Gateway Agro Cargo International Airport has already brought will continue to motivate the people of Ogun State even more,” the VP said at the momentous occasion.

According to the Vice President, in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, the State “is now poised to provide facilities for a worldclass economic zone,” because beyond being a fulfilment of a vision, the airport project “is one of the infrastructures for building a dynamic economic area.”

He emphasised the significance of the Agro

Similarly, the VP commended the former Governor of the State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, whom he said conceived the idea of the airport and eventually secured approval from the Federal Government.

He added that, “Ogun is definitely taking a huge step forward in fulfilling the dreams of our forebears; dreams of a vibrant, modern and industrious community living together in peace and prosperity.”

According to him, “this project is the fulfilment of a vision but the airport is only the infrastructure for building a dynamic economic area. We are now poised to provide facilities for a world-class economic zone.”

Earlier, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State paid glowing tributes to the VP and his predecessors including Chief Segun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel for their support in the construction of the airport, noting that the airport was among the best in the country. According to him, “this airport is a category 4E airport. It is one of the best-constructed airports in Nigeria. It can accommodate an Airbus A380, a Boeing 777 and a Boeing 747. It has a 4-kilometre runway, a 36-metre control tower, a fire station, a cargo apron and terminal buildings. It has 82, 000 squaremetres of cargo apron for types E and C aircrafts when completed.”

On his part, Minister of Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika while commending the visioners of the airport said it is “a product of people that sat down to think what can add value to the economy, to the social well-being of the people, and it has happened.”

He added that the construction of the airport was part of the achievements of the Buhari administration in the aviation sector, noting that “during the Buhari government, aviation became the fastest growing sector of the economy before COVID-19. This is according to the National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Finance. We have doubled the number of airports and have doubled the number of airlines.”

Other dignitaries at the event included the Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun; Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, former Governors of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole, traditional rulers and top State government officials.

“I do not understand the motive of CBN in creating this policy. They should help in building not to destroy what has been built. The banks are people’s investment. Those who invested in them should be allowed to reap the fruit of their investment. Remember, investors’ confidence is important; those taking over the leadership of the affected banks may not command the confidence enjoyed by their predecessors,” Ms Bakare said in a phone chat.

Doyen of the Stockbrokers and Director at UIDC Securities Limited, Sam Ndata, agreed with the policy on the ground that many of the bank executives have overstayed their relevance and need to leave the system. “It is a good development because many of them have overstayed their relevance and are causing confusion in the system,”.

Dr. Paul Uzum, a Stockbroker and Head of Securities Trading at Planet Capital also believes that the policy is positive. In a note to this newspaper, Uzum said, “It is a good policy that will help to improve corporate governance in these companies, and reduce the influence of owner-manager control on several banks.”

Professor of Economics and Lead Consultant on Private Sector Development to the ECOWAS Commission, Ken Ife, said the CBN directive “is an excellent move”. He argued that the industry has abundance of talents and high level expertise both at home and in the Diaspora working for leading global financial institutions to move the industry to greater heights.

“The new CBN Directive is an excellent move. We have an abundance of talents and high level expertise in Nigeria and Diaspora working with leading global financial institutions. These can move the banking

industry to great heights and rapidly embrace the kind of strategic directions CBN has been advocating by investing in digital payment infrastructure and frontiers of best banking practice,” Prof Ike said.

THEWILL had identified some prominent bankers in the executive management and non-executive positions to be swept off by the new CBN’s new tenure guideline which it said was part of measures aimed at strengthening governance practices in the banking industry.

Among them are MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank, Ms Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu; DMD, Zenith Bank, Ms Adaora Remy Umeoji, and MD/CEO, Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman.

Others are GMD/CEO, FCMB, Ladi Balogun, and Chairman, Nova Merchant Bank Phillips Oduoza, “Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), with the exception of Independent Non-Executive Directors (INED), shall serve for a maximum period of twelve (12) years in a bank, broken into three terms of four years each.

“EDs, DMDs and MDs who exit from the Board of a bank either upon or prior to the expiration of his/her maximum tenure, shall serve out a cooling-off period of 1 year before being eligible for appointment as a NED to the Board of Directors.

“NEDs who exit from the Board of a bank either upon or prior to the expiration of his/her maximum tenure of 12 years (3 terms of 4 years each), shall serve out a cooling-off period of 1 year before being eligible for appointment to the Board of Directors of any other DMB.

“The cumulative tenure limit of EDs/DMDs, MDs and NEDs across the banking industry is 20 years,” the new CBN tenure guideline conveyed in a circular signed by Chibuzo Efobi, Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, stated.

The Agro Cargo Airport was the idea of Gbenga Daniel’s administration conceived in 2005, abandoned by his successor Ibikunle Amosun but actualised by Dapo Abiodun

It is a good policy that will help to improve corporate governance in these companies, and reduce the influence of ownermanager control on several banks

“

Experts Speak on Inequality, Gender-Based Violence at Ford Foundation Platform

Gender and disability advocates have highlighted how social norms in West African communities tacitly promote exclusion of people with disabilities and allow gender-based violence (GBV) to thrive.

The experts participated in an intersectional panel discussion which Ford Foundation hosted on the final day of the AFRICANXT 2023 event on Friday, 10th February, at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

L-R: Founder/Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), David Anyaele; Director of Programs-Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), Emmanuella Azu; Program Office–Gender, Racial & Ethnic Justice/Moderator, Ford Foundation, West Africa, Olufunke Baruwa and Director General, Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Lagos State,Lola Vivour-Adeniyi during Ford Foundation’s Panel on “Social Norms As A Driver Of Inequality And Gender-based Violence (GBV) – An Intersectional Discussion,” at the Africa NXT 2023 in Lagos on February 10, 2023.

FG Set to Share N145bn Cabotage Fund

indigenous shipping capacity in Nigeria to maintain existing vessels or purchase new ones.

The available funds for disbursement stand at a little over N16 billion and $350 million.

The Fund is expected to make an equity contribution of 15 pdercent, while the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will make an equity contribution of 35 percent. The banks will provide the remaining 50 percent.

The Minister of Transport, Mu'azu Sambo, recently met with the managing directors of the approved PLIs in Abuja to discuss disbursement procedures.

Sambo also disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the immediate disbursement of the CVFF.

Sambo noted that it has taken 17 years to get presidential approval for the disbursement and charged the

key stakeholders to expedite action on the necessary details to facilitate the quick distribution of the funds. Reports revealed that President Buhari also approved that the 2 percent charge that makes up the Cabotage Fund should continue to accrue to the Central Bank of Nigeria's Treasury Single Account (TSA).

On the modality to distribute the fund, the statement explained that each time the account hits $50 million, the minister of Transportation, on the recommendation of NIMASA, will direct the CBN to release the amount to any of the five banks for disbursement

The interventions cut across different economic sectors have gulped over N4 trillion and beneficiaries of the interventions are expected to repay the money as it is a loan, not a grant.

The CBN had in another platform provided a detailed analysis of how much it had spent over the years on various interventions.

Equity Market Gains N2trn Year-to-Date

Nigeria’s equity market gained N2.02trn, year-to-date, at the close of trading on February 24, 2023, the eighth week of trading in the year.

Market capitalisation which opened with 29.93 trillion on January 4, closed N27.91 trillion on February 24, representing an increase of N2.02 representing 7.3 percent rise.

A total turnover of 799.848 million shares worth N29.354 billion in 14,194 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 751.990 million shares valued at N20.575 billion that exchanged hands last week in 15,822 deals.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 480.122 million shares valued at N6.129 billion traded in 6,319

deals; thus contributing 60.03% and 20.88% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Utilities Industry followed with 126.882 million shares worth N12.940 billion in 289 deals. The third place was the ICT Industry, with a turnover of 54.012 million shares worth N5.930 billion in 1,575 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Geregu Power Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc and Zenith Bank Plc. (measured by volume) accounted for 307.755 million shares worth N17.489 billion in 2,325 deals, contributing 38.48% and 59.58% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The NGX All-Share Index and Market Capitalization appreciated by 2.13% to close the week at 54,949.21 and N29.934 trillion respectively.

Appointed

Professor of Law by UNIBEN, Baze Varsity, Others

Anumber of Nigerian universities have appointed the immediate past Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, as a visiting Professor of Law. These include the University of Benin, Benin-City; Baze University, Abuja; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD).

A statement yesterday explained that the prestigious appointments were in recognition of Kachikwu’s “exceptional contributions to the legal profession, particularly in the field of energy law and policy.”

It added: “Kachikwu is a renowned lawyer and energy expert, with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He has served in various high-profile positions, including as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, where he spearheaded several groundbreaking initiatives aimed at reforming and repositioning the country’s oil and gas sector.”

Kachikwu was the President of OPEC in 2016, serving Nigeria’s term as OPEC president. He was the unprecedented three-time President of APPO (The Ministerial Council of African Petroleum Ministers) and undertook major reforms of APPO to bring it alive.

In addition, Kachikwu oversaw the installation of Barkindo Sanusi (late) as Secretary General of OPEC in 2016 and H.E. Farouk Ibrahim as Secretary General of APPO in 2019.

Prior to his appointment as the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, he was the Executive Vice Chairman of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and General Counsel for ExxonMobil Nigeria affiliate Upstream and Downstream Companies in Nigeria.

“In addition to his appointments as visiting Professor in the Nigerian Universities, Dr. Kachikwu has also been granted visiting Professorship appointments by several Ivy League universities in the United States of America.

“As a visiting professor, Dr. Kachikwu will be sharing his expertise and experience with students and the faculty, engaging in research and academic activities, and contributing to the development of the legal profession in Nigeria and beyond.”

Moderated by Olufunke Baruwa, Program Officer for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Justice Program of the Ford Foundation’s West Africa office, the intersectional session was anchored on the theme: "Social Norms as a Driver of Inequality (GBV) – An Intersectional Discussion."

Members of the panel were: Lola VivourAdeniyi, Director General of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVRA), Lagos State; David Anyaele, Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD); and Dr Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), who was represented by Ms Emanuella Azu, Program Director.

The Panel examined how social norms drive inequality and discrimination against women and girls and people with disabilities leading to gender-based violence.

Baruwa, a gender and development practitioner leading work on ending violence against women and girls on the West African front for Ford Foundation, said in her opening remarks that the session was to interrogate “the influence of negative gender social norms and cultural practices on how women and girls are viewed in the society. It would also help us create a space to discuss and develop an understanding of how culture itself, religion and even colonial norms help to place women in subordinate positions.”

One of the panellists, the Director of Programs for WARDC, Ms Emmanuela Azu, said most forms of violations particularly against women and girls were man-made cultural practices infused into religion as well, for validation.

Acknowledging that most of the triggers for gender-based violence (SGBV) are created from people's socialisation process, Ms Azu said everyone must be involved in tackling the malaise, and there is need for reorientation.

"We need a mind-set shift. We really need to move our minds from where we presently are, to be able to see things differently and act differently," Azu stated.

Azu explained that most gender based violence cases - even the minor ones - occur because people are generally ignorant of the fact that they are violations.

She said that one of the approaches by her organization WARDC is to approach traditional custodians who have influence in communities to make them understand the implications of certain acts so they can sensitise the people by themselves to reduce the incidents of GBV. According to her, the effort to end GBV is a collective one that must involve traditional rulers, political stakeholders, law enforcement agents, and many others.

Ibe Kachikwu

Visiting

Continued from page 32

A Win For AfCFTA is a Win For Nigeria

BY TEMITAYO OLOFINLUA

In 1967, seven years after Independence, Nigeria, the country with the largest population on the African continent, was on the verge of a political crisis.

Delegates from both sides—the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Eastern Region— claimed they did not feel safe having a meeting on either side so they met on neutral ground at Aburi, Ghana.

The meeting was the last opportunity to nip the ongoing crisis in the bud. At the end of the meeting, which must have been tense, the Aburi Accord was born.

Popular for its high mountains, botanical gardens and fine wood markets, the town is fast becoming popular for something else: the seat of high-level government meetings in Africa.

Fifty-three years after the Aburi Accord, Nigerians along with other Africans from different walks of life—civil society experts, business managers, policymakers, technocrats, and entrepreneurs— gathered at Aburi for another meeting. This time, for the continent. Called the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, it was an annual strategic platform aimed at facilitating the conversations and partnerships on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Between January 26 and 28, 2023, along with other vibrant voices from across the continent, they discussed the topic, “AfCFTA, from Ambition to Action: Delivering Prosperity through Continental Trade”.

It was organised by the Africa Prosperity Network, under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission on Africa (UNECA), UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), and Africa Soft Power – along with partners including KGL Group, Planet One Group and Templars.

Indeed, Nigeria is integral to conversations on improved trade across the continent for several reasons. First, with over 200 million people, Nigeria has the largest growing population on the continent. No conversation about trade on the continent can exclude Nigeria. Second, Nigeria is bordered by at least seven countries, sharing land borders with Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger; and maritime borders with Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Consequently, a win for AfCFTA is a win for Nigeria.

However, for this win to be maximised for the nation and the continent, several important issues are critical. One of such is the governing trade laws between countries. For instance, in 2019, Nigeria closed its land borders with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to reduce the smuggling of goods, particularly rice.

The AfCFTA advocates for free movement of goods and humans but the terms of engagement have to be clear. Questions like—What happens when the laws of trade engagements are broken? How are offending parties penalised? How are conflicts resolved? What institutions will reconcile and enforce the resolutions within and across African countries? What if it involves parties beyond the continent?—need to be answered.

“The laws that govern trading across Africa need to be harmonised…because businesses are the main thrust of the AfCFTA, we need to have robust dispute resolution clauses. In addition, our institutions need the capacity to handle this,” emphasised Oghogho Akpata, Managing Partner, Templars, a full-service law firm with offices in Nigeria and Ghana.

Asides the challenges with smuggling, border security is also connected with the internal security of each country. While the free flow of goods is crucial to a

stronger economy, the rising threats of terrorism, banditry and other existential issues have made many African countries even more cautious. Yet, trade and security are interwoven. To tackle this, security needs to be taken beyond solely a security official’s point of view.

That was the traditional pathway to security; to change the narrative, everyone including the private sector has to be involved, charges Dr. Catherine Chinedum Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director for Ford Foundation, West Africa.

“We need to start mainstreaming security into conversations—especially those around economic empowerment, around trade and business—and recognise that security is integral to the continent’s prosperity,” she said.

Once this is done, the trust needed to trade together will be built gradually across different participating companies in the different countries, stated Ahmed Mansur, President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria:

“We need to ensure that we bring together the key operators —whether it’s small-scale or large-scale enterprises—to come together to build the necessary confidence and trust to work together.”

A popular Yoruba saying states that ‘money spoils the eyes of friendships.’ To avoid such controversies, it is important to mainstream a payment system that takes into consideration the diversity in currencies and currency strengths across the continent. Hence, the need to centralise the creation of a fast secure and technology-led payment system that works.

This is because “whoever controls your payments system controls you and will control your trade. If Africa doesn’t have a payment system that it owns and controls, then the AfCFTA will be a pipe dream,” counsels Mike Ogbalu III, CEO, Pan-African Payment Settlement System (PAPSS).

The Africa Prosperity Dialogues at Aburi has come and gone. However, just as there has grown a generation in Nigeria with a limited understanding of the Aburi Accord, and the events after, it is important to involve different generations in the execution of the AfCFTA admonishes Uzodinma Iweala, CEO, The Africa Center.

“I think it’s crucial for us to take a step back and think about how we are developing the next generation to put together a new set of ideas and how we are supporting those people who are going to create the services and goods that we are going to live upon as a continent.

”Beyond the ability to carry on the agreement for decades to come, young people in Nigeria (and Africa) are critical to the continent’s success. At some point, we have to realise that advancing new and bold narratives about Africa requires decisive and collective action,” emphasised Dr Nkiru Balonwu, Founder, Africa Soft Power, and Advisory Board Member, Africa Prosperity Network.

Indeed, collective action involving different segments of Africa has started, as the African Union spearheads this through its Africa 2063, Africa We Want agenda, focused on young people.

This should be mainstreamed across the continent as young people are behind the wheels of many national economies. The AfCFTA agreement may be in its early days but if it will achieve its goals, if it will be the beginning of a greater Nigeria, and Africa, then young people have to be central to it.

While the free flow of goods is crucial to a stronger economy, the rising threats of terrorism, banditry and other existential issues have made many African countries even more cautious

Travelling Puts me in Position to Appreciate Other People's Culture – Mba TOURISM

Convener of Leadership Conference and founder, Zeal Solutions, Dr Lina Mba, speaks with JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR about the need to rehabilitate the out-of-school girl-child, her love for Edmonton, Nigerian cultural values and why the forthcoming Leadership Conference will be hosted in Canada, among other issues. Excerpts:

Becoming an ambassador of a multi-racial city like Edmonton in Canada

I think hosting conferences and playing the part of a touristis necessary for me as an aspiring ambassador who loves Edmonton so much. I want to promote and easily access tourist sites. I have already started hosting international conferences and bringing potential investors to the city. I'm doing all these things because of my ambassadorial ambition. So that people can easily access tourist sites. It is something that you need to make your job easier.

Inspiration for girl-child project

By just looking at my daughter, I see how important it is to raise her into a self-sufficient and independent woman that can work, create income and contribute to the economy effectively. It breaks my heart to see that there are many teenage girls that dropped out of school due to early pregnancy and they don't have the skills to support themselves. Since the Nigerian Government is not designed like the Canadian government that provides support to the less privileged, we need to empower these young girls and help them to acquire skills, such as sewing and hairdressing, while they focus on raising their children.

Passion for conferences and tourism

I started Zeal Solutions because I love to travel and the world is like a global village to me. Now it is very important that, even if you don't have a visa to go to all these countries, to have a Nigerian passport. There are lots of visa-free countries close to Nigeria that are beautiful. It is very important to explore such countries. When you travel, you have a better mindset and you appreciate other people's culture. There is this type of education that comes with travelling. I encourage everyone to travel. I am passionate about traveling, tourism and posting. I'm also interested in self-development. I want people to be educated and to enjoy traveling. It is like an all-in-one package: You are networking, getting education and exploring the city of Edmonton. This is awesome.

Also I love to do volunteer work. I founded an organisation through Mercy Foundation. Aside the girl-child project, we have provided learning materials to children in struggling schools. We have also sponsored WAEC examinations for those who could not afford it. Also we do a lot of volunteer work. I love to help people and I love to see our communities develop.

My 5-year plan for Zeal Solutions

We hope to organise more conferences across the world in the next five years. We hope to expand in terms of training and workshop. We plan to go virtual, in a sense that those, who are unable to attend a workshop in person, can attend online. We are all about impact and to make sure we spread our impact all over the world.

Life as mother, wife, etc, rolled in one

It is not easy juggling this whole thing at once. As a wife and mother, I think I am lucky to have a family that supports me. I don't put my business before my family. It is actually the other way around and I make sure that, in everything that I do, my home is being taken care of. Of course, working as an ambassador and running Zeal Solutions is not easy. This is not the traditional nine-to-five routine. My business is like a personal skill. I still have that flexibility to work within a specific time-frame. This reflects on the girls that

we are trying to empower because if they can sew and do hairdressing, it means that they can work within a specified time-frame. This way, they will not be separated from their kids.

The fact is that most of these girls are scared to go back to school. For them, it is very important that the kids come first. And that is what we're trying to do by raising funds for them to acquire certain skills that they can put to effective use without neglecting their children.

So juggling it all, like I said, has been possible only by the grace of God. You just have to manage your time effectively and you have to plan. I have different journals and planners

Spending leisure time

Travelling is my favourite hobby. I can travel all the time. Another thing I love to do is take my daughter out to play in winter. There are lots of parks here. We visit indoor parks and we go to the library. There are many beautiful side attractions in Edmonton, especially for children. Also there are many art works. If you' are someone who loves art, you will enjoy the sights in the city.

Shopping is my hobby, too. Although I am a frugal person, I have this constant urge to do some shopping. And often I find myself struggling to contain this urge.

Tourist sites in Edmonton

We have the Aviation Museum, West Edmonton Mall and Alberta Legislature building, among others. There are other historical monuments that the average tourist would love to visit. We have one of the best restaurants in Canada and Edmonton is home to many festivals. We have Farmers’ Market and just so many wonderful things that new tourists would enjoy.

Dealing with challenges

As a black representative, you're going to face a lot of problems from white counterparts who feel that you're not qualified enough. This is as much my position as that of other people who live and work in Canada. They will tell you just the same thing, if you ask. When you are black and you are a leader or hold a top job, a lot of people, most of them white folk, will ask questions: Who is this guy? Who is this lady? Where did he get his education from? When did she come to Canada? Is she even Canadian? This is one of the challenges that many immigrants face. And that's why I encourage people who want to start their own businesses to go on and do it. That way, they don't have to combat discrimination in the workplace.

Place of cultural values in child development

Raising children is important, but most of the work goes into what you do at home. I try to share our values with my daughter. I read the Bible to her, I make sure I pray with her and I let her know the importance of attending children's Bible study. I'm very intentional about moral values because virtue starts from the home. If at there is no moral value at home, it will reflect in the child's character. Everything starts at home. I'm also very intentional about taking my daughter to community meetings, such as Igbo community meetings, Yoruba community meetings and other Nigerian community meetings, so that she can have a sense of belonging and identification.

It is important to know where one coming from and to have a better understanding of Nigerian culture. That is why I try to incorporate moral and social values in the training of the child. I keep my daughter within the community. I don't expose her and so she is around people with similar values. She is growing up in a home with strong Christian and traditional Nigerian values. So I'm not too concerned about what the society may think or say because she has a solid foundation and I'm here to back her up physically and spiritually.

Although I'm an ambassador, it may shock you to know that I make dinner almost every night. I cook frequently because I am currently on a diet and I'm making like three different meals every day: One for my husband who loves spicy food, one for myself and another for my daughter because she cannot eat the spicy food I make for her father. So I literally cook a lot. Also, I have to clean and sanitise the house because she plays a lot. Canada is not like Nigeria where you can get help easily. You're going to be surprised that people here do things by themselves. They juggle a lot of things and they are very practical.

It is important to know where one coming from and to have a better understanding of Nigerian culture. That is why I try to incorporate moral and social values in the training of the child. I keep my daughter within the community. I don't expose her and so she is around people with similar values

Mba

leg building

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

Photographs of The Presidential And National Assembly Election Held on February 25, 2023

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Delta State Governor/ Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, casting his vote at Polling Unit 017/ Ward002, Owa-Alero, Ika North East LGA, Delta State.

President Muhammadu Buhari casts his vote in Daura, Katsina State.

PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, casts his vote in Yola, Adamawa State.

APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, casting his vote at Sunday Adigun polling Unit 085 Ward C, Alausa, Ikeja. He was accompanied by his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

LP Presidential candidate Peter Obi after casting his vote in Agulu, Anambra State.

NNPP Presidential Candidate, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, casts his vote in Kano.

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 04, 2023

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 04, 2023

THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com

THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com

ETINOSA IDEMUDIA ENGINEER

IN ACTOR'S CLOTHING

Beside being an actress, Etinosa Idemudia is also known for online comedy skits in which she features some of her colleagues. She speaks with IVORY UKONU about her journey into the make belief world and her perspective of life

MY ACHIEVEMENTS TRANSCEND VANITY – ETINOSA IDEMUDIA

Whatdoes acting mean to you? Is it a means to an end or a dream come true?

It is a dream come true. It is something I had always wanted to do all my life, but circumstances didn't make it happen in time because I come from a family of engineers, we are primarily a science-inclined family. Growing up one was nurtured to dream of becoming an astronaut or doctor or engineer etc. My father is a complete scholar, an ‘overachiever’ in the engineering profession. My mother is also a scholar and an ‘overachiever’ in the education system. So yes, acting is a dream come true and I am finally fulfilling it to the glory of God.

How did your journey into the make-believe world begin?

It is a very long story. Not one that I can summarise because the truth is that the journey is still ongoing. The long and short of the story is that when I was still practising as an engineer, I hardly went on leave. I was a workaholic. I slept, ate and drank at work. But something happened at a particular point in my life and I needed to heal. I was badly in need of a breath of fresh air and I took all the leave that was piling up. I took some months off work. I went to America and the United Kingdom. I was just travelling around and I began to fantasise about acting, which I always wanted to do. I returned to Nigeria and enrolled at the Royal Arts Academy, Lagos, just to have a feel of what it feels like. I had the money and the time and I was on a very long vacation, so why not?

So I enrolled without informing my parents. Only very few friends of mine were aware of my plan. I was enjoying the experience. I used the opportunity to make funny videos and skits with my classmates. In fact, shooting the videos and skits was just a continuation of what I was already doing. At this time, Instagram didn't allow for video posting. As soon as it became a feature, I posted one of the videos. I began to get views from my videos and some recognition. By the time I finished from the film school to return to my job, I succeeded in attending some auditions, did some production jobs just to get closer to some movie producers. Armed with some contacts in the industry, I returned to my engineering job. Unfortunately, I was distracted and I longed to return to what I loved doing: acting. I would log online and see what some of my colleagues were doing and how they were making waves. I wondered what I was doing in my engineering office or at work sites. So I began to make plans to return to acting. I was already getting detached from my job anyway.

What branch of engineering did you study?

I studied Computer Engineering, but I ended up working as a planning engineer for oil and gas construction projects which I have a diploma for.

At what point did you finally decide to switch careers?

I made the move when I felt I had gotten partial acceptance into the movie industry. I didn't just switch like that. I also gave myself time to solidify a financial plan before switching. I made the move in 2016.

Is it goodbye to engineering or do you plan to dust up your certificate in the nearest future?

No, I still do third party contracting. I focus more on procurement engineering now. Once in a while I do post about it on social media.

How long did you practice?

I practised for three years.

Do you regret studying engineering?

I can never say goodbye to an industry that I'm wellgrounded in. I'm grateful for that because I use the skills I acquired in the engineering field now that I'm a movie producer. What I'm trying to say is that as a planning engineer, you pretty much do the work of scheduling, follow up and risk analysis of really huge projects. As a producer, movie projects are small things, compared to what I've planned and executed in the past as an engineer. One of such projects is the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. The company I worked for at the time was in charge of some sections of the rehabilitation. I was the senior planning engineer on site. Another of such projects will be the debottlenecking of a gas plant at a multinational liquified gas company. I was the senior planner from my company working with the French, Germans and Nigerians. In fact, a lot of my top oil and gas executives/colleagues were so mad when I switched careers. But now I guess they can understand why because the difference is clear. Now most of them say, 'I always saw it in you.' I used to host their multinational soirees free-of-charge. At that time, I didn't know I would later commercialise my talent of entertaining people.

How easy or difficult was your acceptance in the industry?

I would say, divine. I wouldn't say it was easy or difficult. Of course, nothing good comes easy. I had to make sacrifices and pay my dues. In fact I am still paying dues. but when it comes to my art, how people see my films, the first film I featured in, the first skit I made that got people to know me, I must say it was beautiful because they accepted me well. The acceptance was lovely, it came naturally.

Which movie gave you your big break?

'The Washerman'. It was widely known and instrumental to my rise in the movie industry. As for the series I would say, 'Chairman'. The sitcom, in which I played the role of Amanda, was also very instrumental to my rise. Both were released in the same year.

What determines the kind of roles you take on in movies?

Before I take on any role, I always ask myself what the character's

purpose is. What is she up to and what is her motivation? Is she pivotal to the movie? What does this character add to the story? What does this character tell the audience? And when I can confirm that the answer to those questions aligns with my values as a person, then I take the role and go as hard as possible.

Do you sometimes make inputs in the roles you play?

Of course, I do have inputs in some of the roles that I chose to play in movies. I feel that every actor should have a creative input in the characters they play. Apart from their looks, they can also have gestures, story additions. For instance, maybe a certain character is supposed to swim in an ocean and save a woman. Based on the characterisation, one could suggest that since the character has a phobia for deep water and is more of a land person, the person playing the character could suggest saving the damsel in distress with an armour truck.

So as creatives, we should be able to chip in one or two suggestions into our characters to make it as believable as possible. Method acting has to do with becoming the character. So once you become something, of course, it takes your essence and you cannot help but make creative inputs. Another example is when I played the role of an Edo king in a movie. I played Enogie in the movie called 'Izoduwa'. As a woman, my character was supposed to be disguised in the community as a man. Beyond the costume of a man that I was given on set, I also had to internalise a man, not just any man, an Enogie, the king. So that helped me interpret my role very well.

Idemudia

Idemudia

Which role and movie do you consider to be most challenging as an actor?

The role of a King in the movie, 'Izoduwa.' It was challenging. Not only because I had to internalise an Edo Monarch, I was also six months pregnant. So imagine your female hormones raging and you have to be a man. Judging from the feedback I got from my viewers and fans, I can say I did maximum justice to the role

Did you ever think that you would become as big and recognised as you are today?

When I started creating skits (short films) all I really wanted to do was just to make people laugh. And I was enjoying myself. Expressing myself through my short skits, I didn't even think I would become immensely popular. I was an engineer. What concerns an engineer with entertainment recognition?

Surprisingly, I started getting recognised. I had to start taking classes on the craft, branding etc and subsequently had to switch careers.

Do you have a dream role in your bucket list?

I have played my dream role actually, but I want more of it. And that's to be a villain, unstoppable with mystical powers.

How many movies have you produced so far and which would you say challenged your craft?

I have produced about six films and my first, 'The Washerman' has been the most challenging because of the cast and crew size, the art etc. Another challenging one will be my yet to be released royal film, 'Queen Consort.' Managing people is more difficult than it seems. The sheer size of the cast and crew made it challenging.

Why did you feel the need to join the movie production train rather than just stick to acting?

I have always been a producer, even before I knew the meaning of the word, while I was still an engineer. It is only natural that after proper training I continue with my passion.

If you were given the opportunity to change one thing about your industry in order to take it to another level, what would that be and how would you go about it?

Although it is gradually improving, distribution is still a major issue. It is painful to every true artist, after putting in so much work and only a handful get to see it. The real reward of a true artist isn't really money most times. It's for people to appreciate your work and then be able to commercialise it. This is my own opinion of creatives using myself as an example.

Who are some of the people you look up to in the game and why?

Internationally, I look up to the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish and a host of others. In Nigeria, it will be Nse ikpe Etim, Sola Sobowale, Stella Damasus, Majid Michel. Queen Nwokoye is another person I look up to. I have reached out to her in the past for guidelines on how to play a certain character I've seen her conquer on screen so many times and she was generous enough to share. Lovely lady.

What do you consider to be your greatest challenge as an actor and in life generally?

Let me talk about life. My greatest challenge in life is a bit weird so let me apologise in advance. It is the fact that we are only born to die and sometimes, it feels like life is empty and vain. I find it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that we are brought to the world to make networks and connect both emotionally, die and leave our loved ones heart broken. My greatest challenge in life is not being able to answer a lot of life's mysteries that begin with 'WHY'. The oldest book in the world, the Bible, has not been able to answer a lot of my questions. I read a lot. Maybe too much actually. Perhaps that is my problem. Without boasting I am a very successful woman by my own standards. It gets to a point of achievement in life where your challenges progress from vanity to mysteries of life.

What was growing up like for you? Did it in any way impact on your acting career?

My family is very bookish. They expect you to put in the work. Education is important to them. You must acquire formal education. I miss my dad though. Growing up was blissful. I won't lie, but it was not without its occasional cane on the bum, which I'm also grateful for.

does

Has there ever been a time you thought of quitting as an actor?

No, I have never thought of quitting.

In addition to acting, doing third party engineering contracting and procurement, what other things do you do?

I monetise my day-to-day content on social media. I also make money from real estate.

What is your opinion on your colleagues flaunting their acquisition on social media?

I have no problem with flaunting your property on social media. It's your page where you can post anything you like. After all, you worked for it. It is only jealous people that will be angry that someone is showing off their acquisition.

Who is your ideal man?

My ideal man is exposed, enlightened, passionate about doing good and loves others dearly. He's rich, ambitious and generous, too.

What school of thought do you belong to for a lasting relationship, to keep one's relationship off social media or flaunt it as much as you can?

There's no formula for a long-lasting relationship, but I can say that privacy helps. I prefer to keep my relationship private.

How would you describe yourself?

I am a whole lot to summarise really, but I'll say I am beautiful, confident, goal getter, very passionate about humanity and I love to see everyone happy.

What has been your greatest achievement as an actress? My greatest achievement has to be making thousands of people around the world appreciate my craft. It means a whole lot to my career as an actress.

How do you let off steam when you aren't working? I let off steam by eating and watching funny videos online.

Idemudia

Idemudia

Before I take on any role, I always ask myself what the character's purpose is. What is she up to and what is her motivation? Is she pivotal to the movie? What does this character add to the story? What

this character tell the audience? And when I can confirm that the answer to those questions aligns with my values as a person, then I take the role and go as hard as possible

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

YAHAYA BELLO CELEBRATES ST VALENTINE DAY WITH FIRST WIFE

It appears all may not be exactly well in the household of Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello. The 47-year-old who is married to three wives took to his social media account on Valentine's Day to express his die-hard love to his first wife, Amina Oyiza, a lawyer and the founder of Hayat Foundation. He posted a video of himself and Amina which was a collage of their pictures together, right from their dating days through to his days as an accountant, a businessman, when he decided to join politics and as governor of the confluence state. He added love notes to her in the video, some of which read, "You know just how to make me smile with the little things you do. And I keep finding reasons to fall more in love with you."

Another note read, "Here is to me and you, here is to all the love and laughter and just how very happily we are sharing ever after."

The governor, whose favourite pastime is boxing, totally ignored his second wife, Rashidat, who is the

official first lady and his third wife, Hafiza, prompting many to wonder if all was well and why he only chose to single out only Amina to serenade on lover's day.

Governor Bello’s actions towards Rashidat may perhaps not be totally unconnected to their constant bickering over the years. In 2021, she was rumoured to have moved out of the Government House because of a misunderstanding with her husband. He debunked the story insisting that all was well with his family. Although Rashidat remained in Government House, the rumour about a crack in their relationship would not go away. A few weeks ago, she allegedly got involved in a N3 billion money laundering scam. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged her, the governor's nephew, Ali Bello and three others, on an 18-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation and money laundering.

How Olorunnimbe Mamora Celebrated 70th Birthday

The Bellos

All through the period the accused persons appeared in court, got remanded, up until they were granted bail, Rashidat never showed up in person and that is because immediately she got wind of the investigation, long before she was charged, she disappeared into the thin air and remains at large till date. The fraud was allegedly perpetuated in 2020. Sources reveal to THEWILL that Bello is unhappy with her about this development. With his third wife, Bello seems indifferent, and this is evident in how he deliberately doesn't get her involved in anything and publicly regards her. Once while receiving an award of honour from the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) and Global Gold Consult as 'The most gender sensitive governor in Nigeria,’ Bello thanked Amina and Rasheedat for their support but refused to mention his third wife's name nor thank her.

Much Ado About 'Party Money'

With the scarcity of redesigned naira notes biting really hard, coupled with the tough stance taken by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to jail anyone caught defacing the notes or spraying them at parties, Nigerians, Lagosians in particular, have devised an ingenious means of continuing with the agelong spraying culture without abusing the naira at parties.

The latest innovation, referred to as 'party money', are money vouchers produced by event planners. Guests at the party buy the amount they desire to spray the host or hostess and

transfer the equivalent in naira to the account of the agents, who are usually the event planners who print and sell these 'party money' with the images of the celebrant or event host. The common denomination is N1000 and N500 notes. The 'party money' is in no way the real money. It is the event currency or party prop.

While the naira policy has given event planners another reason to be creative, it is obvious, more still needs to be done to sensitise partygoers on how it works. A case in point being that of controversial singer, Habeeb Okikiola, aka Portable, who

was sprayed with money vouchers at a recent event he performed in Ogun State. The cantankerous singer had made a video cursing out those who sprayed him with the money vouchers which he referred to as fake naira notes. Unknown to him, he was supposed to have approached the show/event planner or host to redeem the vouchers.

Also, because some of these money vouchers are printed like real naira notes without the image of the celebrant, awareness has to be done on how to detect counterfeit and real money, so people don't start faking the naira notes. Counterfeiting is an offence as only the CBN has the authority to issue a legal tender. In this regard, a lot of fine tuning still needs to be done with these so called 'party money' or money vouchers to avoid going against the law. Recall that on February 3rd, Nollywood actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, popularly known as Simisola Gold, was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for spraying and stepping on the new Naira notes at a party. She was later granted bail to the tune of N5m.

Medical doctor turned politician, Olorunnimbe Adeleke Mamora, recently clocked 70 and to mark the day, he decided to roll out the drums in celebration. On the auspicious day, he held a thanksgiving service at the Christ Baptist Church, Gbagada, Lagos. Mamora, who is currently the Minister of Science and Technology, launched his autobiography where he detailed his sojourn on earth in the last seven decades. The book is simply titled, 'Olorunnimbe'. He also launched the Mamora Education and Leadership Foundation (MEL). Some of those present at the party, which took place in Lagos, were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss

Mustapha; a former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; former governors of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, Gbenga Daniel; Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Sambo; Minister of State for Health, Ekumankama Nkama; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat; Erelu Abiola Dosunmu; Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola. The chairman of the occasion was former President Olusegun Obasanjo. A former senator, Mamora previously served as Minister of State for Health. In 2018, he turned down President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment as the chairman of the Abuja Investment and Infrastructure Centre because, according to him, the position was beneath him.

Canadian University Honours Late Pius Adesanmi

Carleton University, Canada has unveiled a resource centre in honour of late scholar and writer, Prof Pius Adesanmi. The late Adesanmi joined Carleton University in 2006 and was until his death Director of the Institute for African Studies.

In a bid to keep his memory alive, the university opened a new Institute of African Studies lounge and the Pius Adesanmi African Studies Resource Centre on the 17th Floor of Dunton Tower, Canada. The unveiling ceremony was chaired by the University's President and Vice-Chancellor Designate, Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon. He was joined by the Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social

Sciences, Dr. Pauline Rankin, members of Africa’s diplomatic corps to Canada etc. The IAS lounge is designed as a hub for students, visiting researchers and community members for research and networking at the university.

Adesanmi, who lived from February 27, 1972 to March 10 2019, was the author of ‘Naija No Dey Carry Last’, a 2015 collection of satirical essays. He died on March 10, 2019, when an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft, Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off. The Nairobi-bound flight nosedived and crashed just a few minutes after takeoff from the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

Femi Otedola Completes Part Sale of Geregu Power Plc

About two months after THEWILL reported that Geregu Power, a power generating firm promoted by businessman and investor, Femi Otedola was having acquisition talks with investors, the company has successfully sold five per cent equity stake to Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA). FEDA is the impact development arm of the Africa Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank). FEDA bought 125.0 million units of the company’s stocks at N100 per unit, amounting to N12.5 billion. Geregu had made its entry into the

Nigerian Exchange, NGX with a market value totalling N250 billion after scaling the regulator’s hurdle. The power firm is valued at N307 billion with 2.5 billion outstanding shares sold at N122.80, thus making it the first Nigerian owned power generating firm to list its shares on the NGX. The deal between Geregu and FEDA was completed during the week in an off-market deal, with PAC Securities Limited as the buyer and APT Securities and Funds Limited as the seller. Geregu Power was acquired by Otedola, shortly after he sold his interests in Forte Oil a few years ago.

THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA

Mamora

Adesanmi

Naira notes being defaced

Otedola

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

JOHNSON ALABI, AKEJU OWOSENI JOSTLE FOR HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SEAT

Muhammadu Dahiru Wada Clocks 70

Businessman, Muhammadu Dahiru

Two political aspirants, Akeju Owoseni, better known as, Bukunmi Akeju and Johnson Alabi of the All Progressive Congress (APC), both eyeing the Ondo House of Assembly seat for Akoko South-West Constituency two are at loggerheads over the constituency seat. Akeju and Alabi had contested for the party primary election last year and Akeju won as the candidate of

the party to represent Akoko-West Constituency two. However, the result of the primary election was challenged at the Federal High Court in Akure. The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Demi Ajayi, had nullified the outcome of the primary election in Akoko South-West Constituency 2 where the court found that unapproved delegates were used in the said primary election. Akeju

thereafter headed to the Appeal court to nullify the ruling of the High Court. Despite the fact that the Appeal Court has not ruled on the matter, Akeju allegedly ignored the first court ruling and she has been allegedly parading herself as the candidate of the party. She was said to have commenced her campaign across her constituency. Alabi threatened to institute a contempt of court process against Akeju for allegedly parading herself as the candidate of Akoko South-West constituency two, despite a federal high court judgment nullifying her victory at the primary election. He accused her of causing confusion among his supporters and by implication, threatening the peace in the constituency. He is also planning to commence a contempt of court process against her and embark on committal to prison because she is committing a very grievous offence by misleading the local government and the constituency.

Why John Fashanu, Daughter Are Not on Speaking Terms

Former professional footballer, John Fashanu and his daughter, Amal are not enjoying the best of relationship now. In fact, the duo have not spoken to each other for some months.

Amal, who is the product of the marriage between Spanish model, Marisol Acuna, and the football icon is a presenter, journalist, fashion designer and activist against homophobia in sport and an agent representing her father.

In 2022, father and daughter both worked on securing an ITV deal. The deal was for a British Television series, 'Dancing on Ice,' a skating reality show which involves celebrities and their professional partners dancing on ice skates in front of judges. John Fashanu was announced as one of the participants in the reality show last October, but the show only just kicked off a few weeks ago.

The duo were trying to secure the deal together until Fashanu outsmarted his daughter and clinched the deal without her and allegedly cut her out of it. Amal later discovered that her dad had signed up for the show after getting a phone call from an ITV worker asking if she could be filmed offering support as part of the show.

At the time of the phone call, in

which her dad was also on the line, Amal was left speechless as she didn’t know she was no longer his agent. While granting an interview about her father's betrayal, she accused him of going behind her back to secure the deal for the show. She claimed that she hadn’t spoken to her dad since then as she felt used after he completely cut her out of the deal.

Unable to get over his attitude, Amal noted that she wants nothing more to do with him and she is unwilling to make up with him. She added that her father doesn’t think about

DURO MESEKO SET TO FLOAT RADIO STATION

Wada has joined the septuagenarian club. The oil and gas mogul marked his landmark age last week in the company of family and friends who showered him with love while pouring encomium on him as one of the kindest and most generous men they know.

Wada, is the son of Alhaji

Inua Wada, a prominent and respected politician of the First Republic, renowned teacher, parliamentarian, minister, transporter and industrialist who passed away in 2015.

The celebrant’s wife, Yemisi, ex-wife of Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, ensured that her husband's birthday was well celebrated. After pouring accolades on the man she has been married to for 26 years, she posted pictures of the special moments they had together on social media,

from their wedding, to the birth of their two sons, to him playing the role of a father to his stepdaughter during her wedding. She organised a surprise private dinner at L' Adventure Restaurant in London, which had members of the family and their close friends in attendance. It was followed with an after-party at their London residence where the few guests who attended had more than enough to eat and drink while enjoying good music.

how his actions hurting people and claimed that his actions had gotten worse as he is aging.

The fashion designer revealed that it is not the first time her father would be cutting her off a deal. According to her, she had helped him to sign up for 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins,' a quasi-military competition which John appeared on in 2020. She said she was working alongside someone else as her dad's agent when he told her partner that she did not need five per cent of her share of the deal, which he felt was too much due to their relationship.

Duro Meseko, a former House of Representative member, representing Kogi West senatorial district is planning to float a radio station under the auspices of his communication company, Dgovscoops Communication Limited. It has been his dream to set up a world standard radio station in Kogi state and thus applied to the National Broadcasting commission for approval. His radio station was among the 67 new broadcast licenses granted by the Muhammadu Buhari's led administration recently. The former lawmaker had to share the good news after he got his approval. Gushing over the laudable feat, he revealed that it was a dream come true. He shared a screenshot of the lists of companies that got a nod from the Federal Government to operate their radio and Television stations. Expressing the excitement and that of his staff for the laudable feat, he promised not to disappoint the government and the indigenes of Kogi state while discharging his patriotic duties. A graduate of Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he was elected Member, House of Representatives in 2003. After his tenure in the National Assembly in 2007, he ventured into Media Consultancy business and has been privileged to consult for some standing Committees in the Senate and House of Representatives respectively. In 2015, he was appointed as Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Governorship campaign in Kogi State.

Kayode Olagunju Bows Out of FRSC

Assistant Corps Marshal Kayode Olagunju has retired from the Federal Road Safety Commission after spending more than 30 meritorious years in its service. He bowed out gallantly after he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Corps Marshal.

Capturing the moment, his wife, former newscaster, Seun Olagunju gushed over him as she posted a photograph taken during his emotional pull-out ceremony, which has earned him torrents of ovation. The decoration of his promotion to DCM took place at the National Headquarters of the FRSC in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, ahead of his retirement ceremony last week. Perhaps one of the highly educated officers of the FRCN, Olagunju holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Transport Geography from the University of Lagos. The Ilesha, Osun State-born also has some other professional qualifications from within and outside the country. He

has served in various capacities, handling various assignments in different parts of the country. A two-time Sector Commander in Lagos, he was also a Sector Commander in Oyo, Kogi, Adamawa and Rivers States. Olagunju was a pioneer Corps Transport Standardisation Officer and a member of the FRSC management. He served briefly as the Corps Public Education Officer. The polo lover is also a part time lecturer. He is working to become a professor and plans to spend his retirement as a full time lecturer in a reputable university.

Meseko

Alabi Akeju

Olagunju

Wada

The Fashanus

BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

MODUPE OZOLUA BAGS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

One of the pioneers of cosmetic surgery in Nigeria, Modupe Ozolua, has bagged the United States of America President's Lifetime Award, which is given to people who have exhibited outstanding character and dedication to their communities through humanitarian services. The award was founded in 2003 by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Ozolua was one of the recipients of this year’s award for her services to humanity. The mother of one, who shuttles between Nigeria and Atlanta engages in humanitarian activities

through Empower 54, an international organisation that she founded and dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance, such as medical missions, hunger eradication, refugee programme to underprivileged Africans. Late Archbishop, Desmond Tutu was a patron of the foundation before his demise. An excited Ozolua stated that she received a letter from the White House personally signed by President Joe Biden as well as a White House pin. She thanked the president and the Christian Women in Leadership Association for the award while pledging to continue serving humanities.

Biyi Otegbeye's Political Ambition Suffers Setback

Barrister Biyi Otegbeye, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and anointed candidate of a former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, has suffered a setback.

In spite of enjoying overwhelming support from Amosun, Otegbeye is not in the good books of prominent members of the ADC in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, his home-LGA, so much that they appear to have turned their backs against the governorship ambition. After collapsing its structure, the leaders of the ADC announced that they had joined the All Progressive

Muhammed Ali Pate Appointed CEO of GAVI

Aformer Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammed Ali Pate, has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI), a private and public global health partnership organisation with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. Dr Pate, who is the first Nigerian and first African to be appointed CEO of the organization, was chosen after a year-long recruitment process supdervised by the Chairman of the Gavi Board, Prof José Manuel Barroso. He was chosen for his wealth of experience in internal medicine and infectious diseases as well as the various roles he has played in the health sector around the world. A medical doctor by profession

and global health leader, Pate holds an MBA from Duke University. He is currently a Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. He served as the Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population and then, Director of the Global Financing Facility at World Bank between 2019 and 2021. He led the World Bank’s US $18 billion COVID-19 global health response and represented it on boards, including those of GAVI Alliance, Global Fund and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. While serving as Minister of State for Health between 2011 and 2013, Pate steered

the Saving One Million Lives Initiative, initiating the Midwives Service Scheme, and revived routine immunisation and primary health care at the national level, while advocating for the introduction and access of new vaccines to Nigeria at the international level.

Segun Showunmi, Ladi Adebutu on Warpath

Progress, APC and they pledged support to Senator Solomon Adeola, the APC Senatorial candidate in Ogun West and others. Numbering over 500, the defectors were led by Alhaji Hassan Ajibola, the Yewa South Coordinator of ADC, to meet Senator Adeola at the Asade Agunloye Pavilion, Empire Field in Ilaro, Ogun State where they all declared their interest for the APC. At the event, Alhaji Ajibola downplayed the potentials of the ADC, stating that the party hardly stood a chance of making an impact in the forthcoming General Election. He said it was a waste of time to support Otegbeye's ambition because the party and its candidates were not involved in governance at any level in the country.

Lauding Senator Solomon's efforts in terms of infrastructural development and empowerment of the people across party lines, Ajibola added that the women and youth leaders of the party in Yewa South LGA had also left the ADC. This is not the first time that Otegbeye's political ambition will suffer a setback. He was recently reinstated by an Appeal Court in Ibadan as the governorship aspirant of the ADC after the Labour Party (LP) and APC separately dragged him to court for non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of their primary elections. A Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State had earlier

disqualified him after Labour Party and APC filed a lawsuit against him. The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to remove Otegbeye's name from its list. However, the Appeal Court overruled the judgement and reinstated him. Also, some traditional rulers led by His Royal Highness, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, the Eselu of Iselu in Ogun State stated that some royal fathers in Ogun State will not support his candidacy. Oba Akinyemi noted that traditional rulers in the state had agreed to back the Ijebu to clinch the governorship seat in 2023. They have thrown their weight behind Dapo Abidoun, who is an Ijebu man, in his re-election bid and there is no going back on their words.

The duo of Ladi Adebutu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State and his rival aspirant, Segun Showunmi, have resumed their animosity towards each other.

Both politicians have been at loggerheads with one another over the governorship seat in the state and it seems they have taken their political enmity to another level. Addressing party

leaders in Abeokuta last week, Showunmi accused Adebutu of lacking respect and good human relations. He complained of paying a visit to the latter to commiserate with him on the death of his mother, but Adebutu failed to respond to the gesture.

Showunmi also accused Adebutu of pretending to be working for their party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, whereas he was in actual fact

working against him. He went on to claim unwavering allegiance to Atiku and reiterating his displeasure with Adebutu, he vowed not to support Adebutu's political ambition. Not done, Showunmi said he was expecting the Supreme Court to rule against Adebutu’s ambition. He warned the latter not to be unduly excited ahead of the election.

Responding in a statement, the Director of Media, Ladi Adebutu/Akinlade's Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya described Showunmi's allegation as laughable and ludicrous. He labeled Showunmi a backstabber and a serial cheat who should not be taken seriously.

Stating that the PDP in Ogun was intact and peaceful, the statement noted that the party would not allow a man beclouded by selfish motives to stall its progress. It advised Showunmi to settle his differences with the PDP in an appropriate and civil manner and not drag others with him.

Oluboyo, Olemija Accused of Instigating Political Violence in Ondo

The duo of Lasisi Oluboyo, a former governor of Ondo State and erstwhile APC lawmaker representing Akoko Northeast Federal Constituency and Stephen Olemija, have been accused of instigating political violence in the state. The Olukare-in-Council, which made the accusation, described the activities of both men as treacherous to the people who sacrificed a lot to make them successful.

The Olukare-in-Council are a group of traditional chiefs saddled with the responsibility of choosing traditional rulers and maintaining law and order in a community.

Oluboyo and Olemija had held a meeting where they stated that there was a rotational agreement between Akoko North-East and

Akoko North-West Constituencies in the selection of candidates to represent them in the House of Representatives. According to them, the rotational agreement should begin in 2023. They said they would not support any candidate anointed by the Olukare-in-Council because it was not in line with the rotational agreement. However, the council disagreed with the two parties. They accused them of turning their back against the town that brought them into the limelight, stating that Olemija had nothing before the town made him council chairman three times and a voted him into the House of Representatives.

A former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, it was gathered,

also brought Oluboyo from the gutter to the limelight by making him a deputy governor in the state. Unfortunately both men have turned around to wage war against the town. The Olukare-in-Council also dismissed the rumoured rotational agreement Akoko North-East and Akoko North-West Constituencies, describing it as “beer parlour talk”. They stressed that the selection of a representative for the two local government areas would be jointly determined by the people.

The council added that Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a member of the House of Reps representing Akoko NorthEast and Akoko North-West on the platform of the APC had been chosen by the town to contest in the 2023 election.

STORIES

Ozolua

Pate

Showunmi Adebutu

Otegbeye

Olemija

INTERVIEW

Afrobeat Music is Accepted Globally – Diamond Sheva

Victoria Oshona, popularly known as Diamond Sheva, is a Nigerian A and R manager, as well as a public relations expert. In this interview with TUNDE OMOLEHIN, she speaks on the Nigerian music industry, her promotional works and how upcoming African artists can excel. Excerpts:

Tellus about yourself and background

My name is Diamond Sheva. I am an artist/ repertoire manager and public relations practitioner. I am from Kabba town in Kogi State. I have made an impressive career using the music business in the past seven years. I am the founder of DIMA Africa Empire and Africa’s representative at Menta Music.

You did some commercial modeling in the past. Can you tell us more about your sojourn in the fashion industry?

I did commercial modeling for a few years. I worked with Exotic Model in Accra, Ghana. I also got an opportunity to be featured as Sun Girl in Daily Sun Newspaper in 2015. It was an adventure that I was involved in between 2010 and 2016 before delving into the music business.

At what point did it occur to that you could fit into the music industry?

At first, I just realised that I was in love with fashion. I really wanted to launch myself into both the fashion and entertainment industry. But, first, I had to do a bit of modeling for about four or five years in both Nigeria and Ghana. It was during this period that I met Amota Dking. He was still an upcoming artist with raw talent. I realised that he was a good artist but lacked a manager. He eventually asked me to be his manager. After we had some discussions, I realised that I had the capacity for the job. I am the kind of person that likes doing one thing at a time. I decided to quit commercial modeling and focus on being an artist manager.

I started my music business in 2015 after meeting Amota Dking. I started getting him shows within Nigeria and promoting his work. At a point, we moved to Ghana and started promoting him there. In 2018, I was contacted by a music executive in Nairobi, Kenya for partnership. That was the moment I entered the music industry fully.

I was asked by Mdundo to represent Mdundo in West Africa. They are into the music library business. During my spell with them, I played a major role in signing up 50 percent of our priority artists within West Africa. In Nigeria for instance, we have the likes of Mavin Records, Chocolate City, DMW, Mad Solution, Omah Lay, Chike, etc. I was able to sign them up with Mdundo. I was also organising and attending meetings with our partners in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. Also I was able to submit over 30 new releases weekly for uploading on Mdundo’s library and send them for marketing promotion via Mdundo. So, it was through Mdundo I was able to immerse myself into the music industry in Africa.

How many countries have you taken your work to?

I have good relationships with some stakeholders in the music industries of Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Liberia, Kenya and Cameroon.

What kind of music genre do you enjoy promoting?

Any music genre, but the content has to be good enough. It could be Afrobeat, Gospel and any other kind of secular music. The lyrics have to be good, too.

Amota Dking is one of the music stars under your label/management. Tell us more about his work and latest album?

Amota Dking is a great talent whose works have been under the DIMA Africa Empire Africa for about a decade now. In 2017, he dropped an album and won four best albums in East Africa. We got various awards with the album. It was that album that motivated us to do more and aimed global. In 2019, he also dropped another album called Africa with Zojak Music Worldwide, a distribution company from Jamaica. The album was in Zojak Music until last year when we took it down and gave it to Menta Music. Last year, Amota Dking dropped another album titled ‘Big Waist’. His new album project called 7'7 EP will be released exclusively on Boomplay and

distributed by Menta Music by February 24, 2023. We had a meeting with Boomplay and they wanted us to drop the album only for them for about two weeks before others can pick it up. So, the album will only be on Boomplay exclusively. Also, this year, we are planning big things for him, starting with a United States tour by April and a European tour by June this year.

What are your thoughts about the Nigerian music industry?

Nigeria's music industry has become global. I'm so proud of the industry because in Europe and other continents, it is all about afrobeat. In the United States, they have even forgotten their hip-pop and embraced afrobeat. I'm proud of that. Nevertheless, I think, there is more to do on the part of managing these artists. Most of these managers are really destroying these artists by scamming for selfish reasons. I always advise most artists that I come across by telling them to work with managers they can trust. The last time I travelled to the USA, some artists that I interacted with are telling me their experiences with managers who scammed them just to take them to Africa. A lot of these artists based abroad wanted to come to Africa and have a show or tour because of the booming audience in the industry, but they ended up being scammed by the so-called managers.

Can you name any big artist you would like to work with?

I wish I could work with any big artists, but my priority as an A and R manager is to get good talent. Even if it is an upcoming artist that has good content and a label to back it up, I will definitely work with him or her. But my major aim is to be one of the best artist managers in Africa.

Aside music promotion, what else are you involved in?

I'm into branding and advertising. I am currently working with Menta Music as Africa’s representative. In Menta Music we provide an advanced and reliable promotional service to artistes. We distribute artist music to Spotify and Apple music, among others.

What has DIMA Empire Africa been able to achieve since it was founded?

When we started DIMA Empire Africa, I was not sure how far the music industry could go because a lot of budget was attached to every activity. But, in the end, we were able to establish it in East Africa with their artists under our label. We also secured many good artistes in Tanzania under the DIMA Empire Africa. We want to work with more artistes this year as long as they have good contents.

We are working on how to register the DIMA Empire in the USA. We don't want to limit our operations or presence in Africa alone. We want to see the possibility of working with other global artists directly. That is our goal at the moment and we are working to achieve it. We are open to any artiste that has good content and a good marketing budget to work with.

Many artistes based abroad want to come to Africa and perform at a show because of the large audiences, but they end up being scammed by their so-called managers

Oshona

Polls: Lai Mohammed Lauds Nigerians’ Determination

As Nigerians await the outcome of the Saturday general elections, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed has lauded his compatriots’ determination to elect credible leaders for the country.

Mohammed, who voted at his Polling Unit 006 in Oro Ward 2, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, particularly lauded the voting process which he described as “peaceful”.

He also lauded the massive turn-out of voters.

“What struck me the most is the turn-out of the young, old, strong, the physically challenged men and women; they all came out to cast their votes.

Elections: Police, PDP Praise Peaceful Conduct in Imo

The Police Command in Imo and the National Secretary of the PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, have lauded the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s election in the state.

They gave the commendation on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while giving their assessment of the election in the state.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Henry Okoye, said that the command did not record any violence or any arrest in any polling unit.

Likewise, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, who hailed the Police and other security operatives for their professional conduct, said there was no report of violence in his area.

Anyanwu, who said he voted at Polling Unit 012, Central School, Amaimo in Ikeduru Local Government Area, said the entire electoral process was peaceful.

“The process was peaceful, except for the fact that INEC officials were not so conversant with the BVAS.

“Although they managed the situation, they were slow in handling the BVAS machine,” Anyanwu said, while expressing optimism of an improved process in subsequent elections.

In his assessment, Okoye noted that security operatives deployed for the election performed their duties professionally.

“Our men conducted themselves in the best professional, democratic and human-right compliant manner, and I can tell you that Imo people can attest to this,” Okoye

said.

According to him, many had thought that Imo would be hot and that elections would not be held in the state.

Okoye attributed the security success recorded in the state to the strategy deployed by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Barde, his management team as well as the synergy with other security agencies.

“The strategic deployment of security personnel yielded a lot of results, even the seminars we have been conducting also contributed and yielded a lot of results,” he added.

He also commended Imo youths “because they did not only come out en masse to exercise their franchise at the polling units but devolved themselves to nonviolence in any form.

“And as such, the election was peaceful in every polling unit where the election was conducted,” he said.

However, Okoye declined comments when asked about attempts by suspected hoodlums to disrupt Saturday’s election process in Orsu.

NAN gathered that security operatives intercepted election materials which were hijacked by the hoodlums in Orsu.

Eyewitness said security operatives neutralised the hoodlums and duly returned the materials to the INEC officials.

According to the source, elections subsequently proceeded peacefully in the area.

Obasanjo, Osinbajo Express Satisfaction Over Election Conduct

in Ogun

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, have adjudged the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Ogun as smooth and credible.

Osinbajo and Obasanjo expressed their views in separate interviews with journalists after casting their votes in Ikenne and Abeokuta respectively.

Obasanjo, who voted at about 10:32 a.m. at Ward 11, Polling Unit 22, Olushomi Compound, Sokori area of Abeokuta-North, expressed satisfaction at the peaceful and orderly conduct of the polls.

“I think we are getting it through the election in our country.

“One can see things that are encouraging and giving hope for the future as far as the election is concerned, because there are improvements,” he said.

Obasanjo, particularly, commended INEC for the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), saying that technology had improved the voting process.

“I came in and I was checked. I was asked to remove my glasses and the gadget was placed before my face and my picture appeared.

“That is a new one and if that will happen all over the country, I think we are making progress.

“One should encourage and support anything that will help the credibility, integrity and transparency of the electoral process, because credible election is the beginning of good governance of any country,” he said Obasanjo expressed optimism over the outcome of the polls, adding, “my expectation is high”.

Also, Osinbajo, who cast his vote at Unit 014, Ward 1, Ojurege in Ikenne Local Government area of the state, also described the exercise as peaceful.

He expressed hope that the election would be orderly and peaceful across the country.

“This is my polling booth. The Ojurege polling booth is very peaceful.

“You can see the determination and resolve on their faces in an atmosphere of conviviality.

“I hope that it will be the same atmosphere and ambience in every other polling unit,” the minister said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seat of the President, the 109 slots in the Senate and the 360 seats in the House of Representatives were up for grabsli on the first Election Day.

The next Election Day is March 11 when Nigerians will elect new state governors and members of state houses of assembly.

Elections: 23 Suspects Arrested in Lagos – Police Spokesperson

Police command in Lagos State said 23 persons suspected to be involved in electoral violence and other crimes were arrested during the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday in Lagos.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

Hundeyin noted that the figure of arrest might increase as the command was still collating the number of suspects arrested in different divisions during the Saturday exercise.

“Collation of suspects arrested ongoing. 23 suspects at last count,” he said.

NAN reports that hoodlums and unknown gunmen allegedly attacked some polling units and disrupted the elections in Mafoluku area and burnt ballot papers thumb printed.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, CP Idowu Owohunwa, told newsmen on Saturday that there were pockets of violence in some parts of the state.

Owohunwa said that some persons were arrested, noting that the number of people arrested would be made known to the public.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, casts his vote at the Polling Unit open space, Awolowo Road, Egunrege, Ikenne in Ogun

State

on February 25, 2023.

Insurers’ Incredible Unbeaten Run

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

Bendel Insurance and Lobi Stars are currently leading their respective groups, Group A and Group B, in the Nigeria Premier Football League as the league takes a mid-season break. Promoted from the Nigerian National League last season, they have been the surprise package of the season so far with an impressive record of seven wins and two draws from their nine outings.

The team has remained unbeaten and currently holds a seven-point lead at the top of Group A table, which underlines their title credentials. In their latest match, they secured a 1-0 win against Enyimba, who are eighttime champions.

There were signs that Bendel Insurance were the real deal, even before the new season kicked off. Early in November 2022, the freshly promoted side beat Brazil’s Santos FC 2-1 in a pre-season friendly match as the Benin City-based team prepared for the upcoming top-flight season. The match was played at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo State and it was a good way for the club to register its quality and level.

However, Bendel Insurance are not new kids on the block. They are a historical football club in Nigeria, with a rich tradition of producing top-class talents who have gone on to play for the national team, the Super Eagles. The likes of Osaze Odemwingie, Ifeanyi Udeze, Julius Aghaowa and Pius Ikedia started their careers at the club before they became successful.

Yet, despite this rich history, the club has faced numerous financial and administrative crises over the years. Bendel Insurance recently gained promotion

There were signs that Bendel Insurance were the real deal, even before the new season kicked off. Early in November 2022, the freshly promoted side beat Brazil’s Santos FC 2-1 in a pre-season friendly match as the Benin Citybased team prepared for the upcoming top-flight season

back to the Nigerian topflight league due to the renewed support of the government and corporate bodies that have aligned with the project to return the club to its glory years. This process is what the domestic league is witnessing as the club began the season with a win away at Akwa United. It was a win that look fortuitous at the beginning and appeared to be beginners' luck.

To dispel the attribution of their determination to excel to luck, it is apposite to take a step back and see how they have overcome adversity to return to the summit

of the local league. Founded by Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, they were one of the founding members of the Nigerian Premier League in 1972. Based in Benin City, Bendel Insurance play their home matches at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium with a capacity of 12,000. They had a successful start in the Nigerian football scene and, as mentioned previously, produced some top-class talents who went on to make their mark in the national team.

However, it was not all rosy. Bendel Insurance's history has been a constant trough and crest, rocked with financial and administrative crisis over the years. The club had its first month of the 2007/2008 season delayed because of a management dispute over who controlled the team. The crisis at one time resulted in the emergence of two different clubs, both of which laid claim to the name Insurance. They were relegated at the end of that season after finishing in last place, the first relegation from the top level in the team's history.

In August 2008, the ownership crisis was settled and the Edo State Government took control, officially reverting the name to Bendel Insurance Football Club. However, the insurers’ financial problems continued throughout the season and they were temporarily banned from using their stadium in February 2009 because it was not up to league standards. In March of the same year, they were one of eight teams threatened with having their participation suspended due to a backlog of debts and fines. They were exiled to Ilorin, North Central Nigeria, for their final home game of the season after crowd trouble in a 1-1 tie against Shooting Stars FC that put an end to their promotion chances.

The reason for Bendel Insurance's breakdown was because of this ownership situation. Despite these

Insurers’ Incredible Unbeaten Run

setbacks, the club was promoted back to the top flight for the 2019 season after spending over 10 years in lower divisions. However, the club was relegated back to the NNL after one season.

It won promotion back to the NPFL on the penultimate day of the 2022 season, a feat that showcased the players’ and staff’s resilience, a quality that is still showing as they lead the league in the current campaign.

Bendel Insurance have also had a history of success, having won the Nigeria Premier League twice in 1973 and 1979, and the Nigerian FA Cup thrice in 1972, 1978, and 1980.

They also won the CAF Cup once in 1994 and the West African Club Championship (UFOA Cup) thrice in 1993, 1994, and 1995. Their performance in CAF competitions has been decent, having made two appearances in the African Cup of Champions Clubs and reaching the Semi-Finals in 1980. They also made it to the Semi-Finals of the CAF Cup Winners' Cup in 1979 and the Second Round in 1982.

Bendel Insurance Football Club have a rich history that is filled with success and setbacks. Despite the challenges they have faced, they have continued to push forward and strive for excellence. With their recent promotion to the NPFL, the club hopes to build on their past success and continue to make a mark in Nigerian football. Despite the challenges it has faced, the support of the government and its corporate sponsors have made Bendel Insurance determined to make their mark in the NPFL this season and build on its legacy of producing top talents for the national team.

As an example, in January, before the new season began, the ‘Benin Arsenal,’ as the club is fondly known,

Continued from Back Page

had its kit sponsorship deal with Sterling Bank Plc renewed for the new Nigerian Premier Football League season.

Task Before The President-Elect

region, kidnapping in almost every region, terrorism in the North and the militancy in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, the next President must prioritise economic development and job creation, especially for Nigeria’s burgeoning youth population. The nation’s economy has struggled in recent years due to falling oil prices and other economic challenges. He must work towards diversifying the economy and creating opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs across different sectors. This will not only address the country’s economic challenges but also help address the root causes of insecurity and unrest.

We can be a great country, just like the United States of America, with good political leadership because we are naturally entrepreneurial, embrace free enterprise and emboldened with die-hard and can-do traits. As a priority, the next President must place a premium on good governance and accountability.

Endemic corruption has been a major challenge in Nigeria and it has contributed to the country’s economic woes and undermined public trust in government. To address this, the President must demonstrate a strong commitment to transparency and accountability. This could involve implementing measures to prevent and detect corruption, strengthening institutions, such as the EFCC and ICPC, and promoting a culture of ethical leadership and public service.

The President must work towards building strong institutions and promoting transparency and accountability in all aspects of governance. This includes ensuring that public officials are held accountable for their actions and that public resources are used for the benefit of all Nigerians.

To address the challenge of national security, he must demonstrate strong leadership in the areas of counterterrorism, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution. This could involve boosting the capacity of the country’s security forces, implementing effective intelligence gathering and sharing, and strengthening the criminal justice system to ensure that perpetrators of violence

and terrorism are brought to justice.

All that can be done while the President addresses the root causes of insecurity, such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality, by investing in social and economic development programs that create jobs and provide opportunities for the country’s youth as discussed.

To tackle the challenge of a struggling economy, the next President must prioritise economic growth and development. This could involve implementing policies that encourage foreign investment, reducing the country’s reliance on oil exports, diversifying the economy by promoting non-oil sectors such as agriculture and technology, and creating programmes to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality.

In regards to the country’s university system, he must address the concerns of university unions and work to improve funding, governance and workers welfare in the education sector. He must also focus on improving the quality of education by investing in teacher training, curriculum development and educational infrastructure.

The President must also lead by example by ensuring that his own administration is transparent and accountable to the people. He must be strong, decisive and committed to democratic governance, a leader who demonstrates a willingness to confront vested interests and self-regard. The fate of the country in the face of these challenges largely depends on the strength of character and dedication of the incoming President.

Finally, Nigeria is at a critical juncture and the incoming President will be a crucial factor in determining the country’s future trajectory. As such, he must be a unifying figure who can address the country’s many challenges and promote national unity, economic development, and good governance. With the right leadership and policies, the country can overcome its many challenges and emerge as a prosperous and peaceful country that is a source of pride for all Nigerians in particular and Africa in general.

The announcement was made during the unveiling of the new kit at a recent ceremony held at the Edo State Government House in Benin, Edo State. Sterling Bank Executive Director, Tunde Adeola, expressed gratitude and honour to be part of the return to footballing glory of Bendel Insurance. He pledged Sterling Bank's continued support and sponsorship for the football club, adding that it cherishes the partnership.

The Deputy Governor of Edo State and Chairman of Bendel Insurance and Edo Queen Football Clubs, Philip Shaibu, also thanked Sterling Bank for its continued support, particularly after the Board approached several private establishments for sponsorship. Shaibu disclosed that Sterling Bank had been the only corporate entity to sponsor a team in the Nigerian National League (NNL) and the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), with a recordmaking deal worth N50 million in the previous season. This partnership has been extended to the tune of N75 million for the new season as the football club vies for honours in the top flight.

The footballing relationship between Bendel Insurance and Sterling Bank has been mutually beneficial. Not only has the football club gained promotion to the Nigerian Premier Football League, but Sterling Bank was also crowned champions of the 2022 edition of the Nigerian Bankers’ Games.

Still, Bendel Insurance’s head coach, Monday Odigie, has refused to entertain talks that his team is now the favourite to win the League title, despite being unbeaten after nine matches. The coach emphasized that his team still has a lot of work to do before the end of the season. He remained grounded, as every coach is supposed to, saying: "We still have more games to play in the second half of the season. Winning the league isn’t our priority as we want to focus more on maintaining a high level of performance in our remaining fixtures. Our team is young, so they need to be thirsty for success. If all this can be done, success will surely come.”

With the support of the government, corporate sponsorship, dogged determination and disciplined focus, the ‘Benin Arsenal’ can do the unthinkable and lift the 2023 NPFL title. The second half of the abridged season will tell but they have shown the possibilities that exist in Nigerian Football with the right support and mentality.

Odigie

Gusau

Task Before The President-Elect

Nigeria with its burgeoning population of over 200 million people is at a critical juncture in its political history. As Africa’s largest democracy, its political decisions can have ripple effects throughout the continent. This and other domestic concerns, including righting the ship of State to prevent violence, anarchy, strive destruction and anomie, were among considerations that made it of absolute importance that we got our processes for free and fair elections right. With that hurdle seemingly behind us (hopefully without protests and unrests), the necessity for a more responsible and responsive leadership takes centre stage and there is no better time to elucidate on the expectations of the country's new Chief Executive Officer and Citizen Numero Uno than now.

I have reached a factual conclusion that the corAs a country that has faced significant challenges in recent years, including economic instability, religious and ethnic tensions, and a growing threat from armed groups such as Boko Haram, one of the most pressing issues facing Nigeria is the need for effective leadership.

Over the past two decades, the country has seen three Presidents come and go, each with their own set of promises and challenges. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, for instance, was initially conceived as a beacon of hope and he translated that hope into a government that could relate with the plight of the average Nigerian as exemplified in the reduction of the pump price of fuel, the fair distribution of political favour, such as the freeing up of Lagos State council funds, and in the implementation of the Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta.

However, Yar’Adua’s failing health truncated his tenure which ended under a cloud of controversy. His successor, Goodluck Jonathan, was widely criticised for a lack of action on corruption and security issues, two of the wide range of problems that bedevilled his time in Aso Rock and overshadowed other positives of his administration.

The outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015 on a wave of optimism. A former military ruler, Buhari promised to tackle corruption and restore security to the country. He also pledged to revive the economy, which had been hit hard by falling oil prices and mismanagement under the previous administration. However, Buhari’s tenure has been marked by several setbacks. His efforts to fight corruption have been criticised for being half-hearted, selective and more or less ineffective, if not outrightly non-existent. Unlike ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose government was accused of targeting opposition figures and ignoring corruption allegations against members of his own party, corrupt practices found a means to become commonplace without fear of consequences. Meanwhile, Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups, who took advantage of the general absence of pushback, became emboldened to continue to carry out attacks in the northeastern part of the country. Kidnappings became their favourite pastime despite Buhari’s repeated promises to defeat them. In addition, the economy has struggled to keep up, especially in the face of high levels of inflation and rising unemployment.

Despite efforts to diversify the economy away from oil, which has helped Agriculture record impressive growth under the Central Bank’s Anchors Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), the country remains heavily reliant on crude oil, leaving it vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices. The fraudulent subsidy regime has also

worked against the common purse, keeping Nigeria from benefiting from upward swings of international oil prices. The sabotaging of the oil supply chain falls under the same category as corrupt practices that go without sanction, without consequences and without actionable repercussions as though the country is on autopilot. These are joined by the lengthy fuel crises that the country is just beginning to recover from, the sabotaging of the otherwise justifiable Naira redesign policy from

without favour or discrimination. This means strengthening institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and ensuring that they have the resources and independence they need to do their jobs effectively. He must also demonstrate clean hands for the sake of equity and because this is what will translate to a dedicated fight against all acts of corruption.

which we are yet to recover from, the prolonged strike action of university lecturers, the intermittent power supply issues, the wide scale problems of insecurity and others and it is obvious why the message of getting it right was paramount as Nigerians headed to the polls for what many determined as the most important election in the world this year.

Indeed, the country’s future hangs in the balance. It is clear to all that while peaceful transitions of power have been a hallmark of the country’s democracy so far, the track record of its leaders has left much to be desired. Leadership was the plank on which the country's potential for greatness could be galvanised into reality. To truly actualise Nigeria’s destiny as a regional and global powerhouse, the next president must be a leader with vision, discipline, and a commitment to transparency and accountability. The Nigerian people deserve nothing less. The winner of the 2023 presidential elections must do more than make promises as his predecessors have done in the past. He must show that he is ready, has the wherewithal to address the country’s challenges headon and the political will to see it through.

The challenges facing Nigeria’s next President may be significant, but a comprehensive approach will be effective in dealing with them. The first and most urgent challenge is to address the country’s fractured polity. The President must undertake immediate measures toward national reconciliation and integration. This could involve creating forums for dialogue and consultation with representatives from different ethnic and religious groups, encouraging greater inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance and understanding, and investing in cultural and educational initiatives that promote national unity.

It goes without saying that the key challenge facing Nigeria is corruption. The president-elect must be committed to fighting corruption at all levels of government,

The president-elect must also prioritise security. Boko Haram and other armed groups pose a grave threat to the country. The government must work to improve intelligence gathering, increase troop levels, and coordinate efforts with neighbouring countries. At the same time, it must address the underlying grievances that drive people to join these groups, such as poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity. It is important for the attraction of investments that the country be deemed safe and investors can trust that the government is prepared to do all that is necessary to safeguard their investments, including the rule of law. In addition, the next president must focus on economic development. This means investing in infrastructure, education and healthcare, as well as promoting entrepreneurship and small business growth. The government must also work to diversify the economy away from oil and create a more favourable environment for foreign investment.

Education is on the ropes and very nearly moribund. It is surviving by the thread with acute lack of facilities, substandard faculties, threadbare infrastructure and underpaid and overworked academic and non-academic staff. These are not features of a progressive-minded country. Healthcare is even in a worse state with the private sector filling in the gap at ridiculous costs. These must change for growth. For all of these to come together seamlessly, the next President must be a unifying figure who can bring Nigerians together across ethnic, religious, and regional divides and make them all believe in and work for one Nigeria.

We have a diverse country with many different cultures and identities. It is essential that the next President works to promote national unity and reconciliation. The evidence from international football games involving our national teams and the heroics of our sportsmen and women show that Nigerians, deep down, are united and desire nothing but the success and glory of their country. One way to achieve this is by appointing a diverse and inclusive cabinet that represents different regions, religions and ethnic groups in Nigeria. I have had cause in my past writings to recommend a unity cabinet modelled after Abraham Lincoln’s successful attempt to reconcile with his old adversaries. It is along those lines that I am making this recommendation for a unifying President.

The President must, as a matter of priority, address the root causes of the ongoing conflict and violence in various parts of the country. These include tackling issues such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality, which often fuel communal tensions and violence.

The President should work towards finding lasting solutions to long-standing grievances among different groups, such as the herder-farmer conflicts in the Middle Belt

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I have had cause in my past writings to recommend a unity cabinet modelled after Abraham Lincoln’s successful attempt to reconcile with his old adversaries. It is along those lines that I am making this recommendation for a unifying President