THEWILL JAN 02 - 8 EDITION

We're Deploying Technology to Contain Insurgency – Mohammed

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Isaac & Nneka Moses Equity Market: UNITED BY CULTURE, Non-DividendPaying Firms Drop TOURISM to 51 in 4 Years PAGE 16

Price: N350

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2022: Tough Times Ahead As Uncertainty Awaits Nigerians

State of The States

This special publication of THEWILL x-rays the potentials of the 36 states and the FCT to achieve a quantum leap in development through investment and job creation. The prevailing cash crunch in the country makes the project more compelling for policymakers, investors and other stakeholders.

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COVER

2022: Tough Times Ahead As Uncertainty Awaits Nigerians

BY AMOS ESELE WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTS FROM AYO ESAN, UKANDI ODEY, SEGUN AYINDE, KAJO MARTINS, AMOS OKIOMA AND UDEME UFOT

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s Nigerians enter the New Year, the stark reality of life is beginning to dawn on many. Soon many will be asking what 2022 holds for them as they look back at the immediate past year with a shudder and wonder if there will be an end to the challenges facing the country at the moment, including insecurity, which has persistently disrupted human lives and the livelihoods of many families, with every part of the country under convulsion from banditry, terrorism, kidnapping for ransom and killings by “unknown gunmen.”

Against the background of the worsening insecurity and epileptic electricity supply still lagging at 5,000 megawatts for years, despite huge financial investments and support to the sector by the Federal Government, new tariffs, taxes, increase in fuel prices and electricity tariffs, as well as other tough measures are coming in 2022, courtesy of the Federal Government.

Tough times and hardship, no doubt, now stare many Nigerians in the face. Although the New Year is expected to bring with it new challenges, for most Nigerians, it is going to be a very tough year as the signs are already here with us. Labour is threatening fire and brimstone as general strikes are expected everywhere, with the private sector already preparing for a massive layoff of staff because of the difficult operating environment.

Also, with mounting domestic and foreign debts being incurred by government at all levels amid increasing drop in revenues, life for the ordinary Nigerian promises to be brutish.

WANTED: GOVT. POLICIES WITH HUMAN FACE A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with eyes on the Cross River State governorship position in 2023, Senator Gershom Bassey, believes that government policies must come with a human face. Speaking with THEWILL on Friday, Bassey said basic amenities and public infrastructure that would make life easy for the masses have to be provided first before the imposition of new tariffs, taxes and the proposed hike in fuel prices.

"Those are the only things the masses enjoy. We should do everything possible to provide for them before even thinking of introducing measures that will further compound their problems. ... And for all our elections, both primaries and general elections, the will of the people must prevail. The government should ensure the sanctity of all our elections. One of the best ways to ensure this is through the signing of the Electoral Bill with provisions for direct primaries. The Electoral Amendment Bill, an excellent bill, should be signed and implemented," Bassey said.

Obong Akan Udofia (OAU), a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and a frontline governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State , is optimistic about the future despite the headwinds ahead. He said: “There is no doubt that we are in dire times but I am an optimist and believe we have the capacity as leaders both in the private sector and in government to improve the lives of our citizens with sound economic decisions.

“Our policies at all levels have to be 100 per cent people focused like the current administration in my state under the excellent leadership of his Excellency, Udom Emmanuel. Government must focus on getting citizens to be productive; to start new businesses that will create new jobs and supporting them with incentives, subsidies and tax breaks in the process. Human capital development is key in all of this. Until that is done, I don’t think it wise and sound to introduce new tariffs on things that affect the daily lives of the struggling majority in our country."

YEAR OF PATRIOTS Commenting on the New Year, Professor of Political Economy and Management, Pat Utomi, who is currently on vacation in the United States, described 2022 as the Year of Patriots.

Warning that Nigeria’s future and survival might depend on the events that take place in 2022, he said, “All patriots must realise that 2022 is the year of the patriots. Unless they wake up and get 2022 right, we may not have a country in five years.”

Utomi noted that the country’s problem was not about the ‘big men’ leadership syndrome but a systemic malaise that must be completely overhauled through a proper orientation of the prevailing unpatriotic mindset towards a new culture of value and way of doing things as witnessed in countries, such as Singapore, Rwanda and Brazil.

He said that prevailing trends indicate that the “narcissism” of the political elite in Nigeria was pushing the country to a “downward spiral.”

Lamenting that “religious and economic cleavages” will bring Nigeria into anarchy, he added, “My desperate plea is that we must completely THEWILLNIGERIA

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turn the system over. If we do not, I doubt if we will have a Nigeria by 2027.”

scarce resources, lack of succour, increase in crime, violence and general insecurity,” he said.

Also a former Nigerian Ambassador to The Philippines, Dr Yemi Farounbi, expressed the fear that the economic situation in the country might deteriorate further in 2022 unless efforts are made to halt the downward slide of the economy.

Since it has failed to match policy review with corresponding palliatives and cushioning measures, Adeyi wants the government to equip the Police and other security agencies to be able to adequately respond to a possible upsurge in crime and allied crises that will be generated by hardship in the New Year.

"I'm particularly worried that things are likely to deteriorate because I can't see the efforts being made to ameliorate the present difficult economic situation," he told THEWILL in an interview on Thursday.

Farounbi also warned that the prevailing security situation might become even more complicated in the absence of an effective response from the Federal Government. "The danger posed by the unrestrained invasion and violent action by elements of the ISWAP and ISGS indicates that insecurity of life and property may be the greatest problem in the New Year," he said.

He advised that government at all levels to confront headlong the issue of security. "Where there is a need for constitutional rearrangement, this must be done so that state and local police can be created, well staffed and well equipped. Government at all levels must tackle issues of hunger, poverty and joblessness. They must take a look at the economy so that more value can be added to agricultural and industrial production," he said.

FAITH IN GOVERNMENT NOW SHAKY The leader of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, admitted that he nursed the same fears about the state of affairs in the country as most Nigerians.

"The fear, that political leaders in charge of the nation's affairs seem to have lost focus between what is the fundamental need of the masses and what is mundane, worries me.

"They seem to be more focused on politics and the next election. I think the fear of every Nigerian is founded on the basis of the failure in managing this nation's affairs. There is stagnation in infrastructure; lack of focus on the economy - with the Ministry of Finance talking about all manner of new taxes every day. “Unemployment is on the increase. Poverty is worsening and faith in government is now quite shaky,” Shettima told THEWILL. ‘PREPARE FOR THE WORST’ The Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Jos, Dr Major Adeyi, said his fears for 2022 are rooted in the country’s political system and leadership malfunction.

Speaking to THEWILL, Adeyi pointed out that the real and present danger in 2022 lies in the Federal Government’s insensitivity to the looming danger and threats to national peace and harmony.

In as much as this insensitivity grates public confidence and diminishes the legitimacy and credibility of the government, he argued, the interest and wellbeing of the electorate should be a guide to the government in working out interventions and intervening policies that would steer the national economy in the new year.

“Regrettably, the current administration is quite insensitive to the effect that as it is winding up, concentration will drop further as much as public confidence will, leading to mismanagement and waste of

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He called on Nigerians to prepare for the worst by working out selfreliant modules and options for themselves. He advised individuals to spend less, avoid waste and create wealth.

LIFE WILL BE TRULY BRUTISH For civil society activist and member of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Sam Aluko, 2022 is unfolding with a package of nightmares and undesirables that would make life a truly brutish experience for Nigerians.

Claiming that he had seen a lot of problems ahead, beginning with insecurity, Aluko predicted that government’s woes would worsen in this area as security challenges would be further compounded by food insecurity.

According to him, matters do not look promising in the face of President Muhammadu Buhari’s woeful failure to diversify the economy and create opportunities that will reduce poverty and rejuvenate the economy.

He said that having performed so shoddily in the past six years, the present administration lacked the ingenuity and seriousness of purpose to cause a favourable turn-around in 2022.

Aluko told this newspaper that President Buhari’s refusal to sign the new Electoral Act Amendment 2021 as a huge harbinger of some doomsday in the political and economic process of 2022.

WORSENING INSECURITY Governor Nasri el-Rufai of Kaduna State is concerned about the worsening insecurity that has been ravaging his state alongside Katsina State, whose governor, Aminu Masari , last week urged his people to buy guns and be ready to defend themselves against marauding bandits. Sokoto, Zamfara and Niger states are not left out, according to the Kaduna State governor.

El-Rufai advocated the crushing of banditry in 2022 since, according to him, one of the three-point agenda of President Buhari is to tackle insecurity.

“Banditry has enveloped the whole North-West. Because of it, we could not conduct an election in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area. What would the whole of Northeast be like in 2023 if left unchecked? We are going to see the end of banditry in 2022 because we cannot go into elections with this problem. Before going into election in 2023, banditry must be crushed,” he said.

El-Rufai spoke as the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed on Thursday that the biggest challenge that Nigeria faced in 2021 was insecurity.

Speaking at a briefing held in Lagos to showcase the achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2021, Mohammed, who

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COVER ‘WE SHALL OVERCOME’ However, a Bayelsa-based opinion leader, Mr Egberi Amapo, has said that he is optimistic about 2022 and his expectations for the year are very high. According to him, all hope is not lost because Nigerians, being resilient, proactive and hopeful, should not envisage anything evil for the country.

Amapo expressed the belief that an average Nigerian can easily adapt and adjust to any condition, adding that a few years ago when civil servants were owed salaries the Bayelsa State Government negotiated for half salary payment and nobody died as a result, while the state remained peaceful till that phase passed.

The entire country, he noted, could experience a similar situation in 2022 without a devastating results. “No new year has come without producing its own peculiar challenges, but people still cope. Be it new tarrifs, taxes and other tough measures the Federal Government has promised to introduce. We shall overcome them,” he said as he expressed full confidence.

Bassey

Udofia

MORE REACTIONS Also reacting, A PDP Chieftain in Ogun State and spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Segun Sowunmi, said, “The challenges and fear in the new year is that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has been borrowing money anyhow. Nigerians are dying, the economy is not growing well, poverty is very heavy in the land and inflation is crazy. About 90 per cent of our revenue will be used to service debts.”

had held on for long to his submission that insecurity had been tamed and the terrorists and bandits had been ‘technically defeated,” admitted for the first time that the worsening insecurity was, indeed, worrisome.

A cross section of residents in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, suggested the trimming of unnecessary expenditures as a possible solution to the impending hardship in the 2022 fiscal year.

But an APC chieftain in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Georgeman Etim, argued that it was not right to conclude that 2022 would be tougher than the past years.

The minister’s admission was not only an eye opener, but also a revelation of the depth of the security crises that would still pose serious challenges to the country in 2022 and perhaps, beyond.

The Deputy Registrar, Information, at the Benue State University, Makurdi, Mr. Tser Vanger, observed that government’s threat to end fuel subsidy with its attendant hike in transport fares is an indication that there will be untold hardship in 2022.

Etim said, "We saw the June 12 issue with all it potentials of explosion.

It was not as bad as expected. If you look at leadership, it is about taking decisions. Sometimes we take very rough decisions when we find ourselves in certain situations.

"This inevitably comes with a hike in transport fares and consequently, prices of goods and services," Vanger said.

“The leadership of this country may be constrained to take certain decisions that in their wisdom will buoy up the economy, but that could be very painful for the masses. Even when they come up with palliatives, it is always too little and most of the time, they get to the wrong people. The masses are always at the receiving end of unfavourable government policies.

“Let me admit straightaway that the year has not been devoid of challenges. For the outgoing year, in particular, the major challenge has been that of insecurity,” Mohammed said in the opening sentence of his long address that listed 100 achievements of the administration in the areas of infrastructural development, construction of roads and rehabilitation of the railway system; passage of the Petroleum Industry Act; the various enabling task forces and other operations set up across the country by the Armed Forces of Nigeria to enhance security; expansion of N-Power social scheme; inauguration of 5-G Network; NIN registration; refinery refurbishment and improved economy, among others.

HYPERINFLATION LOOMS The National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Prince (Dr) Anthony Omojola, warns against a higher inflation rate than ever witnessed in the country in 2022 due to an increase in the volume of liquid cash in circulation as political activities begin in earnest.

“As it is widely known, during election years, there is normally more money in circulation and if it is not well managed, it could lead to ardent inflation, which is inimical to the survival of the poor. Hence, I will call on our economic managers to brace up for this in the overall interest of the country," he was quoted as saying.

WAY FORWARD In self-defence and sustenance, Aluko proposed a revolutionary panNigeria agenda that will see citizens come out en masse and vote against the undesirable elements that have been manipulating the system against the will of the people. He said the present corrupt system must be deflated and neutralised for a credible leadership to be elected and erected.

Former diplomat, Farounbi, believes that all Nigerians must rise up to protect themselves.

He said, "Like Governor Masari said, they must acquire weapons to defend themselves. They must be at all times ready to offer a first level of defence when attacked. That was the advice given by the Minister of Defence, a few months ago.

"Nigerians must tackle the issue of food production as a means of banishing hunger and poverty. Food insecurity can always generate mass insecurity."

On his expectations for surviving the challenges of the new year, Arewa youth leader, Shettima said, "I expect Nigerian political leaders to pay more attention to the comfort of the people who have voted them into power because the suffering is too much. I expect that, by now, our leaders, especially the President, will avoid giving excuses on our national challenges.

"I expect the New Year to be another chance for the Federal Government to buckle up by introducing new policies and strategies for making the life of all Nigerians much better than, at least, the type of life they lived in the preceding year. I expect the Federal Government to reduce the tendency of excessive borrowing from international monetary agencies and look inwards for proper utilisation of available funds.

"Let there be a change in the style of governance and management of the nation's resources for common good. After that, we can urge some Nigerians to try to improve their life-style from cheating to survive, back to legitimately working hard to survive. Let the leaders set good example by being as selfless as possible and the followers amend their ways. If this happens, then Nigeria will be more exciting to live in," Shettima said.

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Noting that the expectations are enormous, he advised the government to end insecurity so that farmers can go to their farms and make food affordable to Nigerians in need.

In spite of the negative trend, he said the way forward for Nigerians is to cut down unnecessary expenditure and invest in high yielding offers.

Also, a Makurdi-based media practitioner, Mr. Edward Kwaghaondo, faulted the Federal Government's policy on subsidy, warning the All Progressives Congress-dominated government not to dampen the already diminishing spirit of Nigerians with the proposed increase in pump price.

According to him, the said new price regime in fuel pump price will surely trigger protests of such magnitude as the #EndSARS protests of 2021.

Kwaghaondo, however, cautioned Nigerians against extravagant lifestyles that would cost their families untold hardship in 2022.

Alarmed at the move by the government to insist on going ahead with an increase in fuel and electricity hike in the New Year, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday, December 30, 2021 began to mobilise its 36 state chapters for the battle ahead.

In a statement by its General-Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, the NLC directed its state executives to convene council meetings in order to begin sensitisation for protest rallies in all the states on January 27, 2022.

In the letter titled, “Congress Led Protest In All 36 States of the Federation on 27th 2022 Against Plans By The Federal Government to Increase The Pump Price of Petrol'', Ugboaja recalled the December 17, 2021 meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), where it was decided that January 27, 2022 was chosen as a day set aside for protests in all the 36 states of the federation against the Federal Government’s plan to increase the pump price of petrol. He therefore directed that SEC meetings be held across the states to reach out to all civil society allies in the mobilisation effort.

According to Ugboaja, together with a group, People’s Alternative Political Movement, a coalition of individuals and organisations and the Socialist Transformation of Nigeria, which rejected the impending hikes in price of fuel, electricity and gas, Labour will “organise another Occupy Nigeria Protests on the 10th anniversary of the first one in January 2022."

Investigations by THEWILL show that the Federal Government is still uncertain about the increase in electricity tariff, even as the World Bank recently warned against it. The recent increase in fees for meter applications appeared to have been stalled. Many who rushed to apply have been told to wait as the government has not opened the portal for payment. An official of National Electricity Regulatory Agency confided in this newspaper, on the condition of anonymity, that the government may go back on its proposal as it was still undecided whether to expand its free metering programme to cover more Nigerians across the states in the face of opposition to the proposed hike or not.

“Labour has threatened to go on strike. Well, labour is supposed to be on the side of the masses, but there is always the problem posed by corruption and betrayal. There is always that triangular relationship between organised labour and government and the masses’ expectations.

“If the Federal Government can thinker a bit and consider the effect of petroleum subsidy removal on the masses, it will consider withdrawing in phases and not everything at the same time. Otherwise, it will be like whipping the horse that has already fallen. The polite way should be considered except they want to kill Nigeria and Nigerians. Government should wear a human face.”

Although Etim sees Nigeria as a very resilient nation with a huge shock absorber and believes the country will survive any decision the government will make in 2022, he feels that the government should be honest, the citizens should be understanding, nothing should be unduly politicized and there should be no blame game, all should sit up and realise that 2022 may not be as bad as what prophets of doom are forecasting.

For Mfon King, an Akwa Ibom youth leader, 2022 may turn out to be a very rough year riddled with increase in taxes, petroleum subsidy removal and hikes in prices of petroleum products.

The fact that everything is Nigeria is tied to the price of crude oil, he pointed out, an increase in the pump price of petrol amounts to increase in prices of every other thing in the market and as such Nigerians should be ready for a very tough year.

“The irony of it all is that there is no increase in salaries or any source of revenue to the masses. Even the N5,000 the Federal Government said it will be paying to 40 million Nigerians, where is the data base? Who is going to handle it? Who is going to benefit from it? Nigerians should buckle up because 2022 is going to be a tough year,” he said.

According to him, there is nothing in place from the Federal or state governments to cushion the impending hardship for the masses. "Even if they kill a Nigerian worker, labour leaders will only bark and will not bite. They will be settled and will not react. They may go on strike for a month, but when they are called for settlement that will be the end. It is the masses that will suffer. Some states are still struggling to pay the minimum wage. Now you talk about increase in electric tariff, taxes and petroleum subsidy removal. It will be tough in 2022."

Jane Aniedi, a retired school principal, also in Akwa Ibom, expressed disappointment at the news of the planned removal of petroleum subsidy, increment on electricity tariff and taxes.

“If it is this tough when such plans are yet to be implemented, then one can do nothing but to surrender to the will of God for Nigeria,” she said, adding that organised labour would always go on strike to protest bad government policies only to succumb when the heat is on.

She called on Nigerians to forget everything and turn to God in prayer in 2022.

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NEWS Plateau Peace Agency Collaborates With Kaduna Counterpart FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

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L-R President Muhammadu Buhari decorates Commander, Presidential Air Fleet, AVM Abubakar Yaro Abdullahi, with his new rank and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao during the decoration of the PAF Commander at the State House, Abuja on 31/2021.

Calabar-Itu Expressway: Contractors Target April 2023 for Delivery FROM UDEME UTIP, UYO

BY AYO ESAN

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f ongoing efforts are sustained, President Muhammadu Buhari may commission a completed Calabar-Itu highway before exiting office in May 2023.

The road, which was awarded in three tranches to Julius Berger, Sermatech Engineering Construction Company and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), has so far been rehabilitated, especially the part handled by Sermatech.

During a tour of the entire stretch of road on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang, said the road was awarded to Julius Berger at N54 billion, CCECC at N52.2 billion and Sermatech at N79 billion.

Enang, who explained that the entire stretch of road was awarded for dualisation, appealed to Julius Berger to borrow a leaf from Sermatech by ensuring that the portion of the road awarded to them is motorable.

He said, “The road, from Ikot Ekpene with spurs in IdidepIbiono Ibom to Mbak Ekid Itam in Itu, has been awarded to CCECC. A section from Mbak Itam to Oku Iboku Junction, has been awarded to Julius Berger. The stretch from Oku Iboku Junction to Ikot Nyong

by Power Plant in Odukpani, Cross River State, has been awarded to Sermatech and from Power Plant to Odukpani Junction, is still awarded to Julius Berger.

"I initiated this project when I was Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters. We had difficulty accessing funds for the road. But now, he has asked THEWILLNIGERIA

Buhari Must Strive to Leave Good Legacy – Maharajj ji

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me to come and assure you that we have raised money from the Tax Credit Window granted by the Federal Inland Revenue Service to the NNPC to fund critical Infrastructure.

"A great part of the N600 billion raised from NNPC as tax credit has been dedicated to this road.

The road was awarded in three tranches, the first was at N54 billion to Julius Berger, the second at N52.2b to CCECC and the third was at N79b to Sermatech Engineering. I want to assure you and confirm that it is for dualisation, not rehabilitating, not reconstruction. “ THEWILL recalls that the road has been marked for dualisation since 1972.

Addressing the presidency/ construction team, the village head of Ikot Abiyak in Oku Iboku, Etidung Effiong Bassey Ikotidem, applauded Sermatech Construction Company for making the road motorable. The royal father however appealed to Julius Berger help the the host communities by reducing the dust.

He said, “Sermatech has been able to keep the road motorable.

They water the road every two days to reduce dust. They have shown great capacity. Please help us to also appeal to Julius Berger to come to our aid. It is highly insensitive not to water the road after putting the surface cement on it. The dust on their portion of the road is killing us.”

Speaking on behalf of Sermatech Engineering Construction Limited, the site agent, Engr. Joseph Ukpata, said the company haD fully mobiliSed to site.

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he Founder of One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj ji has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he leaves good legacy before ending his second term in 2023.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Maharaj ji said that as a way of preserving a good legacy for himself, Buhari must ensure that he clears all salary arrears owed university lecturers, polytechnice lecturers, teachers and medical doctors.

He said, “The recent 20 per cent increase in police earnings is not enough. It should be increased to 40 per cent. The Nigerian Army should also be considered for 40 per cent increase in their salaries. The President should also pay all outstanding arrears due to ASUU, medical doctors and the staff of polytechnics in all the parts of the Federation. Also payments due to all retired members of the public and private service should be paid to them. The President should pay state retirees’ money directly from the state’s allocation and give the balance to the state. It is then and only then that we can call President Muhammadu Buhari a correct President”.

Maharaj ji also expressed sympathy with those parts of the world affected by typhoons, tornadoes and other disasters in the last few weeks.

He said that any governor, who fails to implement the minimum wage of N30,000, should be impeached by members of the legislature in his state, adding that the situation of the downtrodden should be looked into this new year.

On the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Maharaj ji throws his weight behind the direct primary mode adopted by the National Assembly.

he Director-General of the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, Joseph Lengman, has said the agency is working in collaboration with its Kaduna State counterpart to achieve and foster cross-border peace between the two states.

The focus, he noted, is on the restoration of peace in restive communities in southern Kaduna that border Plateau communities experiencing similar issues.

He said the agency has since worked out and is implementing its roadmap to peace in Plateau state, which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the DG, the agency looks forward to promoting tolerance and love as well as to entrench the imperatives of togetherness, inclusiveness and cross-cultural understanding.

To enlist mass participation and grassroots understanding and support, he added, the agency’s activities are complementary and continuous, with a media outreach that is multi-pronged to effectively diffuse its development messages.

Lengman was advised to appeal to his principal, Governor Simon Bako Lalong, to stop breaching the peace and stoking the fires of violence and break down of law and order by restoring constitutionality in Langtang North Local Government Area.

Emmanuel Swears In New Judges In A'Ibom

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overnor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has sworn in two new High Court judges.

They are Justice Eme Daniel Ekong and Justice Effiong Asuquo Effiong.

Justice Eme Ekong, 56, has served in the Akwa Ibom State judiciary and rose through the ranks to the position of Chief Magistrate 1, while Effiong Effiong (FCIA), 48, served as Chief Registrar in the judiciary, prior to his new appointment.

Speaking after administering the oaths of allegiance and office, Emmanuel congratulated the newly swornin benchers and commended the contributions of the judiciary to the state’s governance.

"While I congratulate the two judges, I am happy that we are doing this before the end of 2021," Governor Emmanuel declared.

The governor called for collaboration and a harmonious relationship between members of the judicial and executive arm of government, while urging the legal institution in the state to strive to give the state a good representation at the federal benches.

"I know the work is much, but let us keep a good relationship. Let me thank you for working with us so far. I hope we gear up for even better collaboration toward moving the state forward in 2022," he said.

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NEWS XTRA Buhari Reassures Nigerians Of Better Days Ahead In 2022

BY JOY ONUORAH

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has praised Nigerians for their courage and resilience which enabled the country to pull through Covid-19 induced economic meltdown in the outgone year and overcome challenges along the path to building a prosperous nation.

The President, who stated this in his New Year message, reassured Nigerians that his administration would continue to sustain policies and programmes that would roll back the worsening insecurity in certain parts of the country threatening to unravel the “incremental gains achieved in the real sectors of the economy and in the administration’s overall objective to position the nation on the irreversible trajectory of sustainable growth and progress.”

L-R: Project Sponsor, Chief Ike Chioke; Auxiliary Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Rev. Anezichukwu Obodo; wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs Betsy Obaseki; wife of the Project Sponsor, Mrs Eva Chioke; and Headmistress, Central Primary School, Obioma, Mrs Obiageli Aneke, during the commissioning of rebuilt classroom blocks at the School, in Enugu State on 30/12/21.

2022 Will Bring Hope, Atiku, Lawan, Arapaja tell Nigerians F

ormer Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the New Year will be full of hope and optimism for Nigerians.

the task of “washing our hands off every molecule of hate and strife and immerse our hearts in unity, love and peace.

promises to the Nigerian people with respect to our legislative focus. We are proud that we have kept those promises.

Atiku, who was also the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election, said this in his New Year message to the nation on Friday.

Also in his message to the nation, Senate President Ahmad Lawan congratulated Nigerians everywhere as 2021 tapered out into what he hoped would become a happy and prosperous 2022.

He said, “The year 2021 came and went with challenges, especially the second, third and fourth waves of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic and sundry upsets that troubled the peace and security in different parts of the country; a depressing economy and many touching stories of tragedies.

Describing 2021 as very challenging for Nigerians and millions of other people all over the world, he said it was praiseworthy that beyond the challenges, Nigerians could see the rays of a bright future from the New Year.

“For instance, breaking the jinx of the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB), which had defied passage for about two decades, was high on our agenda in 2021. With the cooperation of the Executive and the support of the key stakeholders, we were able to break the jinx. We passed the bill and got it signed into law in 2021.

“For Nigerians, who lost their loved ones to these calamities, it is my prayer that God shall continue to comfort them and their bereaved families.

“But this New Year, 2022 promises to be a remarkable one. It is one year that will be filled with hope and optimism, which comes with a unique opportunity for us to redefine the remainder of this decade.

“Moving forward into the decade of the 2020s, our New Year resolution should be about eschewing divisive and parochial tendencies and embracing inclusion and the general good”.

Noting that Nigerians cannot continue to kick the same can down the road, the former Vice President added, “We need a reawakening that must invigorate our unity as one people of one good country.

That is the commitment that we must pursue in this New Year.

“We must seek to do something different and, in doing so, let us become peace ambassadors of God. Hate and strife never build a nation. They even destroy the individual faster. Rather, unity and understanding bind a nation together.

“Unlike hate and strife, an individual that chooses a life of unity and common understanding finds inner peace and love”.

He congratulated Nigerians on the New Year, 2022, urging everyone to abide with

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He said, “As your elected representatives, our new year pledge is to continue to pursue our common desire of a just, peaceful and prosperous country.

“We promise to continue to discharge this responsibility without fear or malice, confident that by working in harmony, Nigerians will build the great country that is their abiding dream and manifest destiny.

“Without a doubt, insecurity is today one of our biggest challenges. However, I can attest that the government is resolutely addressing these challenges.

“As a critical contribution to that effort, the National Assembly has appropriated more funds in the 2022 budget to enhance the operational capabilities of our security agencies.

“My message to fellow Nigerians is that we should not lose faith in our country and its democratic institutions. The current challenges will be overcome and become mere footnotes in our glorious national history.

“The ninth National Assembly is focused and will never be distracted from the implementation of its Legislative Agenda as we had spelt out following our inauguration in 2019.

“Within the context of that Agenda, we have passed many critical bills and have many more to roll out in the new year.

“At the beginning of 2021, we made specific

“This piece of legislation will significantly impact the Nigerian economy and propel a significant turnaround in our oil and gas sector.”

The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, urged Nigerians to work together to restore Nigerians on the path of greatness and to be committed to its development.

Arapaja, in a press release made available to journalists through his Special Assistant on News media and Publicity, Mr Bamitale Ibrahim, felicitated with other citizens on the beginning of the New Year.

He urged Nigerians to keep all hope alive as the new horizon beckons, saying, “Let us continue to persevere, for our desired and people oriented government of PDP would soon come in to give us the desired development and growth we deserve.”

The Deputy National Chairman, South of PDP also appreciated the Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, for his unprecedented support and appealed to the peace-loving people of Oyo State to continue to give him the maximum support needed in the new year.

He said, “Dear patriots, we need to continue showcasing to the entire world our law abiding nature. We should be diligent to our country, knowing full well that we have no other place to call our home. The good news is that, the Pharaoh we see today, soonest, we shall see them no more through our renewed efforts and total dedication to PDP.”

He said the Federal Government would remain resolute in its commitments and continue to press ahead with its programmes and plans.

According to him, although the path to nationhood is riddled with unpredictable difficulties and challenges, most tried and tested nations have always prevailed through what he described as dogged determination, resilience, concerted commitment to unity and “the conviction that the whole of the nation, standing together against all odds, is by far greater and would ultimately be more prosperous and viable than the sum of its distinguishable parts.”

President Buhari said security is still at the front burner of priority areas that his administration has given utmost attention to by investing heavily in re-equipping the military, in line with upgrading the platforms and firepower required to tackle the current challenges being faced in the country.

“Government, however, realises that victory on the battlefield is just one aspect of sustainable victory. We know that to fully win this war, we must also win the peace and real security lies in winning the hearts and minds of the affected citizens.

To this end, working with our international partners and neighbouring countries, we would be deploying multi-faceted solutions that will be targeted at addressing human security at the grassroots, before it leads to insecurity,” he said, while thanking the security personnel for their gallantry and commiserating with Nigerians, who have lost loved ones as a result of insecurity in different parts of the country.

While he submitted that the government showed a high level of resilience to record some significant achievements despite the turbulence that has characterised our economy and indeed, the global economy, he promised better days ahead in 2022 through a diversified economy that produces jobs, encourages investment and encourages emerging sectors.

He said, “In year 2022 and going forward, our Administration will intentionally leverage ICT platforms to create jobs, while ensuring that the diversification of our economy creates more support to other emerging sectors. I am proud to announce that several foreign investors are taking advantage of our ranking as one of the leading start-up ecosystems in Africa to invest in our digital economy.

“As we welcome 2022, let us, with hope, envision a year of continued progress against our combined challenges arising from security and socio-economic issues.”

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Buni

Buahari

POLITICS

Bumpy Road to APC National Convention

BY AYO ESAN

T

he governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has been swimming in crises, which have left its future in uncertainty. Almost two months after the party announced February 2022 as the date for its national convention, no concrete programme of action has been mentioned.

The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, as well as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party and the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, recently met with President Muhammadu Buhari and chose February 2022 as the date for the party’s national convention.

The party said the decision to host the convention in February was the outcome of a meeting of APC governors with President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja.

Bagudu disclosed that he led two of his colleagues to the meeting where President Buhari, acting in his capacity as leader of the party, approved February for the convention.

Bagudu said the month was chosen to enable four outstanding states to conclude their congresses and allow for festivities in December.

He however said that the party's leadership had yet to decide on a specific date in February for its national convention because of the need to write the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Buni also gave the assurance that all stakeholders would be involved in the choice of a particular date in February for the convention.

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The reconciliation committee, however, has failed to curb hostilities. It has not made any headway, three months after it was set up

Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Zamfara, Lagos and Rivers States.

The Congress Appeal Committees, which was earlier set up to mediate in the crises was rebuffed by aggrieved members of the party in various states. It was due to this that the party also inaugurated the Senator Abdullahi Adamu- led reconciliation committee to go round the states and reconcile the aggrieved members.

The reconciliation committee, however, has failed to curb hostilities. It has not made any headway, three months after it was set up.

Political observers have also noted that the announcement of February 2022 as the convention date has not stopped the party from further descending into a deeper crisis. In the APC nowadays, it is one day, one problem.

Another reason given for the continuous postponement of the national convention of the APC is the preponderance of crises arising from its congresses.

With only a few weeks to the February date, the CECPC has not announced the timetable for activities leading to the convention. This has led to the insinuation that the February date for the convention may be unrealistic.

The party said the February date would further give the Senator Abdullahi Adamu – led reconciliation committee, which was set up on September 15, 2021 room to reach out to aggrieved members across the nook and crannies of the country.

Only few days ago, a group within the APC known as the Progressive Mandate Movement (PMM) appealed to the Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC to ensure that the party’s national convention is conducted on February 5, 2022.

It would be recalled that the party recorded parallel executives in many states and at the last count, there are crises in its chapters in Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara, Bauchi, Taraba, Imo, THEWILLNIGERIA

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The PMM made the appeal in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, and Secretary, Mr Adekunle Fijabi, on Sunday, December 26, 2021 in Abuja.

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The group also urged the APC CECPC to ensure the immediate release of processes leading to the national convention, latest by Jan. 5, 2022, to avoid crisis within the party’s ranks and files.

The PMM, which claimed to be a foundational group of the APC, called on the Buni-led CECPC not to prolong the date for the party’s national convention a day beyond February 5, 2022.

The statement said the group is in possession of the instructions given to the committee by the presidency on the need to conduct the party’s national convention on Feb. 5.

It, therefore, appealed to the CECPC to respect the party’s leaders and President Muhammadu Buhari by releasing to the public all the necessary information concerning the forthcoming national convention.

“We also warn that if nothing is made public before Jan. 5, 2022, we shall launch aggressive operation #occupy national secretariat to force our leaders to do the right thing”, the group said.

It would also be recalled that shortly after the announcement of February 2022 as the new date for the national convention, a youth wing of the ruling party which christened itself, Progressive Youth Movement, PYM-CECPC led by Mustapha Audu announced the ‘sack’ of the Buni-led committee and inaugurated a new Caretaker Committee led by him and which include the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

The PYM-CECPC also announced its decision to conduct the national convention of the ruling party on February 26 at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

However, the party wasted no time in reacting to the development, describing the attempt by the CECPC led by Audu as criminal.

The APC through the National Secretary of the party, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, in a statement said the party would not join issues ‘with a misguided group’, noting the focus of the committee was to prepare the ground for a rancour-free convention.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

We're Deploying Technology To Contain Insurgency – Mohammed The Minister of State for Science and Technology, Abdullahi Mohammed, speaks with KAJO MARTINS, about the APC Chairmanship, ongoing insurgency and Buhari's score card. Excerpts:

If you look at the history of the North Central, it has always been a PDP stronghold. But over time, that narrative has changed and now APC is strong enough in the geopolitical zone. So it is fair enough to encourage APC to have a stronghold in the North-Central states that will galvanise the people to support the party. But my personal view does not override the eventual decision of the party leaders as to what zone should produce the National Chairman.

Your former principal, former Governor Tanko Al-Makura has expressed his desire to go for the position of National Chairman. How do you see his candidacy?

In my personal capacity, I will support him wholeheartedly because I worked closely with him and I have come to understand that he means well for the country. He is a patriot. He has sacrificed a lot for the party from the days of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) when nobody gave us any hope in the 2011 general election in Nasarawa State. There was a sitting PDP President at the Federal level and there was a sitting PDP governor at the state level, but Al-Makura came from nowhere under the platform of the CPC and the unimaginable happened. He defeated a sitting governor. To an extent, it showed Al-Makura’s capacity and tenacity of purpose. I believe that he can bring that experience to bear at the national level. He is eminently qualified to be National Chairman of APC. But again, that depends on the party’s current leadership. I'm just voicing my opinion.

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Mohammed

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he All Progressives Congress(APC) is about to hold its national convention, with the NorthCentral agitating for chairmanship, while others are agitating for presidency. What is your opinion on this?

As a loyal member of the party, I don't think it is fair to pre-empt what the leaders will decide or direct.

However, my personal view is that it will be fair enough for the North-Central to have a shot at the position of National Chairman to ensure its challenges can be properly articulated. Based on that, I feel it will be fair enough to do that within the APC.

Are you thinking of running for any elective position as the 2023 general election approaches?

Well, I think first things must come first. President Muhammadu Buhari has given me an appointment as a minister in his government. So, my priority at the moment is to deliver on the task before me. May be when we reach the bridge, we will definitely find a way to cross it.

It appears that the APC has scored President Muhammadu Buhari high in terms of performance and achievements, even though outsiders are complaining of failure. Which side do you belong?

Usually, no matter the facts, people try to cling to their set opinions or views. You will agree with me that President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to rejuvenate our dying infrastructure, which has been there for many years but not looked into. So, the decay is damning and almost total.

Look at the roads and the highways, which have been so bad and not rehabilitated for a long time. Look at our hospitals and railway system. In fact, the rail tracks in some areas have been stolen. So it is like laying fresh tracks. These are the things that the President has focused his attention and to a large extent, achieved results.

But whatever the APC do, the opposition PDP doesn't see it at all. They paint us black and they will point at insecurity as one of the challenges we have not been able to tackle without blaming the previous government.

These are the things that the APC also met on ground and we are trying to fight them headlong.

The Boko Haram insurgency is one of the security challenges inherited by the current government. Now the present administration has ensured that the security arms of government are provided with the necessary tools and they are effectively responding to the challenges in affected areas.

You would notice that the insurgents have been largely incapacitated. The armed forces always respond to their sporadic attacks. So the APC administration has been able to handle security challenges across the country. The opposition PDP has overlooked the construction of roads, rail tracks and the ongoing work on the Second Niger bridge. President Buhari has performed creditably well and his achievements are there for everybody to see.

Would you say the Ministry of Science and Technology has proffered technological a solution to insecurity in the country in the past six years?

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POLITICS youths. It has also exposed me to the deficiency we have in terms of our ability and inclination to study sciencebased courses.

“

What we are doing now essentially is to look at the STI policy and see how it can be reviewed. There is an ongoing review in collaboration with UNESCO. The objective is to ensure we can make the STI policy not only accessible to people, but also to ensure that implementation is made easy in order to reach a wide spectrum of youths and encourage them to embrace STEM. Of course, the STI policy is meant to lay the foundation for our technological advancement so that we can compete globally with most advanced countries.

Yes, without necessarily bringing out confidential information to the public domain, I can tell you that we are doing a number of collaborations with security agencies to ensure that we use technology to track and contain insurgency

We are also reviewing a number of policies that cover the STI field. For instance, we have the methanol policy, which we just developed. It's essentially to ensure that we diversify from a mono-product economy so that we can have Methanol Energy through our industries. It is a clean energy, not only does it help in protecting the environment, it is eco-friendly and also has the capacity to generate revenue. We also have a leather policy which is to ensure that as part of our diversification, we invest in leather industry so that we can also generate employment, production activities and also ensure that we have enough for export and we are also doing biotech revolution globally because at the moment, there is what we call the biotech revolution. It is a race by all nations to produce food proof effective for Covid-19 and subsequent diseases that may come up. So we have been able to join that race as a country to ensure that we also participate in the biotech revolution.

We are also partnering with the Ministry of Communication to ensure that Nigeria is involved in the fifth industrial revolution, which is joining the spectrum of 5-G countries that rolled out during the development of FINTECHS four businesses and banks, developing and actively participating in block chain services. So, in a nutshell, I think I have brought in a broad outlook now as a lawyer.

Yes, without necessarily bringing out confidential information to the public domain, I can tell you that we are doing a number of collaborations with security agencies to ensure that we use technology to track and contain insurgency. I know that for instance, the National Agency for Space Technology is providing requisite information on movement of troops and terrorists with the appropriate agencies; equipment to ensure that once they are intending to go on attack, they are apprehended before they unleash mayhem on people. Then, there are some items that we have been able to develop through the institute in Zaria. They are used to detect the location of operatives, assuming they are lost in the course of operations. There are a number of things we are doing, but I don't want to disclose such information in view of its sensitivity. I can assure you that we are using technology to support security operations in the country.

What has been the achievement of your ministry since you came on board?

Well, I was appointed minister in the second term of President Buhari and my background is in Law. My position in the Ministry of Science and Technology has exposed me to global technology trends and to Science, Technology, Enginerring and Mathematics advocacy in terms of promoting the inculcation of knowledge to our THEWILLNIGERIA

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Can you say that the Ministry of Science and Technology has been able to meet some of its set goals and targets so far?

Well, let me say that our objectives have been achieved.

What are the basic objectives? One, it is to bring to the consciousness of Nigerians the need to understand what is STEM and the need to embrace it. To a large extent, we have been able to do that. We have synergised with the states to establish the Ministeries of Science and Technology Innovation, we have been able to develop a framework where these Ministries and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology meet at the Council level to articulate policies for adoption both by the states and Federal Government.

We have also been able to establish a competition where young Nigerians, particularly in secondary schools, reticle their interest in science and technology. At the end of the day, we will select the best in each state to compete at the state level and then we select the best to compete at the federal level. Now, competition is just to reticle the mindset of the younger generation to accept and look at science as something that they can do with interest. Then, we have been able to establish what we call 'Science Education Development Expo’ the junior inventors who have scientific inventions, who have tech inventions will come to play their activities and inventions. The essence of doing that is to ensure that we have a market place so that a typical investor can invest in such inventions. So the Expo is like a match making forum where you bring a researcher who has invented a particular item, then you bring an investor that has something to invest, he can invest in it and ensure mass production. The essence is that as they produce, they direct economic activities, they generate production activities, employment activities and market for their products and possibly, export it.

We have also established through the National Board for Incubation Technology an Incubation Centre in each state where incubators go there to leverage the platform of equipment and utilise it for inventions.

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Bumpy Road to APC’s National Convention *Continued from Page 9

He said the purported group and membership are unknown to the party, its structure or as a registered support group.

“However laughable, the criminal attempt of the purported group to usurp the leadership of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC now bothers on treasonable felony.

Relevant security bodies must now check and address their unscrupulous activities”, Akpanudoedehe said.

LITIGATION THREATENS CONVENTION There are concerns that many court cases instituted against the APC may affect the party’s forthcoming national convention. It would be recalled that aggrieved members from Zamfara, Ekiti, Osun, Lagos, Kaduna and Taraba States have either filed cases or they are threatening court actions against the party leadership at national and state levels.

No fewer than seven cases are pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja challenging either the legitimacy of the Buni-led party leadership or the outcome of decisions taken by the committee since its inauguration on June 25, 2020.

Senator Kabiru Marafa, a factional leader of the Zamfara State chapter of the APC, has already dismissed plans by the party to hold its national convention in February 2022.

CHAIRMANSHIP ASPIRANTS WALKING IN THE DARK Despite the uncertainty trailing the convention, many chairmanship aspirants are showing their faces and going round to lobby other members of the party. The February 2022 convention is an elective one. The convention will produce the new executive of the party that will replace the caretaker committee that took over the running of the party, following the sack of the Adams Oshiomhole – led National Working Committee in June 2020.

But the APC is yet to announce its zoning policy. It is believed within the party that its presidential candidate will come from the South. So all the aspirants that have indicated interest in the chairmanship so far, either through open declaration or their body language, are from the North. Most of them are from the North-Central states of Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Benue and Kogi.

The leading contenders among the aspirants include Senator Ali Modu Sheriff; former Nasarawa State governors, Tanko Al-Makura and Senator Abdullahi Adamu; former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume , Senator Sani Musa from Niger State and Alhaji Saliu Mustapha from Kwara State.

Speaking with THEWILL, a chieftain of the party and Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu, said there was no cause for alarm, adding that the February date was realistic.

“To be honest there is no cause for alarm as far as the fixed February date for our national convention is concerned.

There is a limit to shifting the date, as all of us are aware that 2022 is the eve of the 2023 general election and year of primaries.

“Don’t forget that every disappointment is a blessing. Consequent upon that today BVAS is Vaccine to Vote Rigging.

In spite of the controversy over the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, electronic transmission of results is retained. For instance, the Anambra State governorship election has made it clear to any political party leadership that if you don’t put your house in order, the electorate will do it for you,” Okechukwu said.

Also speaking with THEWILL, a chieftain of the APC from Osogbo in Osun State, Alhaji Kabiru Lawal, described the February date for the convention as unrealistic. .

“The February date for the national convention of our party is not realistic. There are too many problems. For me, it is not possible to have a unified house by February 2022. The party has degenerated into crisis and it is neck deep in it. To achieve unity in the party will require more time and energy, as well as more seriousness from the managers of the party at the federal level. Things have gone terribly bad in many states,” he said.

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POLITICS

2023: Lagos PDP And The Task Ahead

BY AYO ESAN

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State chapter, is preparing hard to take over the reins of power from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), come 2023. It is on record that since the return of democracy in 1999, the PDP has not for once won the governorship election in the state. The party’s greatest achievement in the struggle for political control of Lagos was when it secured eight seats in the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015. It also won three seats in the Federal House of Representative in that year.

However, there is renewed hope among the leaders of the PDP in its chances of victory at the 2023 governorship poll in Lagos. Their confidence is boosted by the recent defection of a vocal faction of the APC, known as the Lagos 4 Lagos Movement, to the PDP.

Speaking while welcoming the Lagos 4 Lagos Movement into his office in Lagos penultimate Thursday, Chief George said, “There are new stirrings everywhere in our nation today.

In this season of goodwill, a touch of renewal and rebirth can be perceived in the air. Beyond the usual bustle and gaiety that trail the Christmas season, there is also the feverish movement of partisan activities.

“Here in Lagos, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party is welcoming a new infusion of massive decampees from the crumbling All Progressives Congress led by Mr Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor.

“We welcome Mr Adediran and his thousands of followers, who have decided to abandon the sinking and blighted ship of the APC for a renewed, energised, invigorated and forwardlooking PDP. “Let it be known by all and sundry that the strength of all political parties resides precisely in their population. The more, the merrier. A good political party does not turn people away.

It embraces everyone who can contribute to the progress of the party. The great founder of modern China, Ma Zedong, put it appropriately when he observed in February 1957, in Peking, now called Beijing, during a fiery contention in the communist fold. Chairman Mao had said, “Let a thousand flowers bloom.

This is logical, appropriate, valid and genuine, wherever we seek progress and development.

“Mao’s ultimate logic is about democratic contention of ideas and the beauty of plural contributions. Ideas must contest.

Multiple opinions must be heard. Visions must clash before we arrive at the compromise of the peace of the round table.

“For those of us who are already in the PDP in Lagos, let us welcome the new entrants with warm and open embrace. They are coming to add value to our party. We know who the enemy is. We know those who are despoiling the riches of our state.

We know the man who is carting away N9 billion every 30 days from our collective coffers. There is no need for unnecessary enmity. There is no need to feel threatened about our new members. We must work together to achieve victory. Everyone will be given a level ground to achieve their aspirations.

Politics is always a game of number.

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Here in Lagos, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party is welcoming a new infusion of massive decampees from the crumbling All Progressives Congress led by Mr Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor “We can only strengthen ourselves when we embrace and encourage those who are joining our team and sincerely work with them to take our state back from the prodigal mismanagers. I believe our people will troop out in their thousands to welcome Mr Adediran and his followers, when they make their official declaration in January, 2022.

“No one should feel threatened about the thousands of people who are joining us. The umbrella is big enough to give us all effective protection and salvaging refuge”.

Also speaking at the reception, the Convener of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, has vowed to win Lagos in 2023 if given the PDP governorship ticket.

He, however, said he was ready to subject himself to “a fair contest” in the struggle for the governorship ticket of the PDP. He thanked members of the party for welcoming him, stressing that he left the APC with his members because of a leadership problem.

“Where we were coming from, we were orphans, but the PDP has given us a home and saved us from being orphans. We are very grateful for the warm reception.

“We will change the government of Lagos State in 2023. We are ready to subject ourselves to fair contest. We came to PDP to combine strength to take over power. We will put our popu-

Adedira

However, the leader of the PDP in the South-West and Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, after consulting with other state governors in the party, advised that Jandor and his followers should be welcomed into the party in an elaborate ceremony. The reception has been scheduled for Tuesday January 11, 2022 in Lagos and all the 13 PDP governors in the country will be in attendance.

George

Led by Abdulazeez Olaide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, the Lagos 4 Lagos Movement had before the defection openly condemning the alleged manipulation of APC congresses conducted at the ward, local government and state levels by the leadership of the APC. A few weeks ago, members of the group were formally admitted to the PDP by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Thereafter, group met with PDP leaders in Lagos State led by former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George.

larity to test. We were lonely and naked where we were coming from. PDP has clothed us and we feel at home,” Jandor said.

He also disclosed that his group had found out why the PDP failed to win the past governorship elections in the state, saying it was due to the fact that members of the PDP failed to deliver their polling booths to the party.

“Things will have to change. We are determined to win Lagos State and all the members of our new party must work toward that goal,” he said.

The question on the lips of political observers, analysts and social commentators is this: How far can the PDP go in 2023?

Will the party be able to defeat the APC in Lagos, for the first time, and take over the Alausa Oval House in Ikeja?

Speaking with THEWILL, a public affairs commentator, Kayode Somolu, said that wresting political power from the APC in Lagos would be a difficult task for the PDP. “But you can’t rule out anything in politics. 2023 is still far away and if PDP and its leaders can be more serious and ensure they blocked the usual leakages of their strategy to the ruling party, it may spring a surprise, come 2023”, he said.

Also speaking with THEWILL, a member of the Campaign for Democracy, Mr Segun Adio, said the defection of members of Lagos4Lagos Movement to the PDP was not enough to guarantee victory for the PDP at the 2023 governorship election in Lagos.

Adio noted that while the crisis resulting from the APC congresses might affect the party in future elections, it would not be to the extent of losing the governorship election.

“I can see the PDP gaining more seats in the state house of assembly and even the House of Representatives, but not to the level of winning the governorship seat,” he added.

But, speaking exclusively with THEWILL, George says it is possible. “We can win the Lagos governorship election if the Independent National Electoral Commission and the APC government in the state allow free and fair election. We pray they give us a level playing field. We are going to surprise the APC in 2023,” he said.

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FEATURE Abayomi Barber: Passion for Art & Life

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

A

rt history is replete with stories of child prodigies starting to doodle very early in life. Pablo Picasso is one famous example. It has been said the Iberian-born, world-renowned artist started drawing as soon as he could fit his tiny fingers around a pencil.

Of course, he was guided by his father who was a teacher in an art school in Malaga where Picasso was born.

In a tribute written by Okey Uwaezeoke in THISDAY of November 10, 2019 on the occasion of a book published on the artist, the journalist had this to say about his wanderlust: “His restless legs and mind would later see him drift from a studio in the Obalende area of Lagos, where he carved thorns, to Lagos Grammar School, where he had to deal with recalcitrant students as well as to Yaba College of Technology, where the British art instructor extolled his proficiency in portraiture.”

Abayomi Barber who died aged 93 last week didn’t have the luck of a father who was an art instructor. But like the Spanish legend, Barber took to drawing very early on. According to him, he frequented shrines in Ile Ife in his younger years - not to consult the gods on what the future will be but to learn and admire the art works in those temples.

Born in September 1928 a first child to a dad who was African representative of GB Olivant, a merchandise company owned by Europeans, Barber confessed from very early on that “my life found meaning in drawing, painting and sculpturing. People say I am one of Nigeria’s greatest artists. I don’t know whether they are right or wrong. All I know is that I produced some fantastic art works.”

For a whole week, children in his school visited some of the shrines and were shown the sculptural pieces.

“During that week,” Barber recalled in an interview once, “school children were taken to shrines in Ile Ife where we beheld sculptures by ancient Ife artists. I was one of the children who visited the shrines. The instructors showed us the deities and their names. This was where I took interest in sculpture. I practically taught myself how to make sculptures.”

How true! Some of his paintings adore the living rooms of prominent Nigerian collectors such as Engineer Yemisi Shyllon, and other private collectors. But there are some on public display. Chief among them is the bust of ex-military head of state, Murtala Mohammed in Lagos and another of his late uncle Oba Aderemi in Ife.

After his informal art education in the Ife sanctuaries, the young artist began to limn, to sculpt. He started by drawing those close to him: his father, for one. Dad was always impressed. He also immortalized some village elders on paper, gladly showing off his portraits of the senior citizens. Next was his uncle who would later become the Ooni of Ile Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi.

Like any excited preteen would, the young lad breathlessly showed his uncle portraits of him he had done.

He rewarded him correspondingly, a coin or two for his painterly effort.

Like the restless spirits they are, most artists are sometimes on the move, never quite settling down for too long in one location. The budding Ile Ife artist was something of a peregrinator, sometimes forced to take to the road by circumstances beyond his control.

At Ife, his uncle thought he was becoming a coddled kid. So, he urged him to repair to Ilesha - a town some 39km from Ife. Barber did and continued his painting, mostly of senior and well to do citizens.

You could say it was in Ilesha the artist experienced a turning point in his nascent career. “When I was at Ilesa, my uncle helped me to secure a warehouse which became my first studio,” Barber told an interviewer in 2017 when he was 88. “I became popular in no time because I made sculptures of big people in the town.”

It was not only the big people in Ilesha who took notice. The daughter of one of the senior citizens fell in love with his paintings, prelude to falling in love with the painter himself.

“At Ilesa, there was this beautiful girl who frequented my studio to behold my art works and marvel,” he said in the same interview with Taiwo Ojoye of Punch. “Over time, I got closer to the girl. Her admiration for my work also led to an admiration for me. We became close friends and we fell in love.”

Her father would have none of it. But his daughter was so besotted with the painter she couldn’t just leave him. What to do?

Send the painter out of town. (It is just possible the wealthy Ilesha man, a reluctant in-law, for that matter, would have marked down her daughter for the son of another prosperous citizen like him and not a young man traipsing around with brushes, paints and easel.) And so, Barber, once again, found himself on the move, this time to Lagos where he enrolled at Yaba Technical Institute and soon distinguished himself. Of course, his instructors took notice, with one of them confessing his student could outdraw him.

It has also been said of Picasso that he paid little or no attention to his classes while in school. Abayomi was similarly inclined at Yaba Tech. He left school to set up a studio Abayomi THEWILLNIGERIA

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There are dozens of paintings, too, mostly oil on canvas. Pipe Dream, showing a traveller with his walking stick and clouding the air around with puffs of smoke from a long pipe clenched in his mouth is one of his cherished works. New Dawn depicts a day just breaking with vivid hues dominating the canvas.

“

Barber was not content just being an artist. He was also a musician who played the saxophone as seriously as he concentrated on his art works.

In fact, so good was he as a tenor saxophonist that he became “the best tenor saxophonist in colonial Lagos

Barber Studio where he continued to paint, sculpt. At this time by his own admission, he used to frequent the Marina in Lagos and wistfully imagined himself in one of those ships sailing off to Europe.

One day, he and a friend approached a sailor and made their wish known, of wanting to follow him to Europe, London precisely. The only way the two youngsters could travel was as stowaways. Okay, save some money and get your passports ready, the sailor told them. They did. But, first, the young chap had to inform his mother. His mother, in turn, told her elder brother, Oba Aderemi Adesoji who was governor of Western Region from 1960 to 1962.

Of course, the big man was scandalized but the hopeful traveller was unaware of the hurt he had caused his influential and well-connected uncle. As they say that “wetin de for Sokoto de for so ko to” meaning that what you are looking for from afar might be near you. It turned out to be so because his uncle only had to mention his nephew’s wanderlust to Obafemi Awolowo. That was how Barber won a scholarship to study art in London.

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Just as important as the art works he left behind are the students of art Barber trained in his school. There is Muri Adejimi Muri Adejimi, Olumuyiwa Spencer, Adebisi Alade, Olubunmi Lasaki, Archibald Etikenrentse, Adebayo Akinwole, Femi Adewolara, Ato Arinze, Olatunde Barber and Conrad Decker. They have become accomplished themselves. And just last year, when their instructor/ mentor turned 92, all of them were on hand to celebrate him at the National Gallery of Art in a show titled “Abayomi Barber: An Artist Born and Made.”

Senior journalist and onetime Arts Editor of The Guardian, Ben Tomoloju said of Barber that day. The artist was “distinctly a part of the surrealist movement in Europe, an attribute that has its signature in his works…The motive-force of surrealism is to allow the artist’s or writer’s unconscious to be expressed with complete creative freedom. With such freedom at the subliminal level of the human faculty, the Barber School legatees will tend to branch out for air in diverse directions even as it is obvious that they shoot out from the same stem.”

Barber was not content just being an artist. He was also a musician who played the saxophone as seriously as he concentrated on his art works. In fact, so good was he as a tenor saxophonist that he became “the best tenor saxophonist in colonial Lagos.”

Why won’t he after stints with David Bamigboye and Victor Olaiya musical bands?

In a remarkable profile of Picasso published in 1957 in the New Yorker, Janet Flaner wrote of the prodigy thusly: "What must have early distinguished him as beyond normal was his unconventionally high state of consciousness. He apparently started his life by being already intact—by being precociously ready and functioning to begin with—rather than by proceeding classically through the tentative, qualifying stages of development customary to the average very young human being.”

Though Barber did not have the international clout and traction of the enigmatic Spaniard, it is possible to assume he began life as an artist born ready who also got made in the process of his very rich creative output.

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EDITORIAL

Politics Without Bitterness

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he New Year is here and the stage is set for the commencement of full political activities ahead of the 2023 general election. Activities in the past year had been skeletal as political actors and interested aspirants in the various political offices were only testing the waters, with many intensifying their "consultations" to determine the suitable time to publicly declare their interest.

Without any iota of doubt, the year 2022 is very crucial and strategic as the process for yet another transition in our democratic experiment is set to kick off. The general belief among many Nigerians, however, based on previous experience, is that real governance might suffer greatly as real politicking, ahead of the big battle, begins in earnest.

The signs of what to expect in the coming months are already in the air, with the bickering and skirmishes across party lines.

No political party is immune from intra-party crises and these are expected to even get worse with the commencement of full political activities ahead of the general election.

Preparation is already in top gear for the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States scheduled for this year as aspirants continue to jostle for relevance and contention ahead of the primaries to determine the candidates, who will fly the parties' flags in the elections.

At the national level, conventions of the two leading political parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – are still contentious with factions already emerging. The APC, for example, has been battling with factions, especially that which is threatening to overrun the party's national secretariat ahead of the APC national convention.

The crisis rocking the Kano State chapter of the APC is already setting the governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, against his predecessor, Abubakar Shekarau, with the possibility of tearing the state apart. In Zamfara State, the destruction and mayhem unleashed on the venue of the congress of the state chapter of the PDP last month are some of the manifestations of the politics of bitterness being played not only in the state, but also in virtually all the states in the country.

In Osun State, the elders of the APC are still trying to intervene in the battle for supremacy and control of the state between factions loyal to Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbeshola, as the lingering crisis has the potential of affecting the chances of the ruling party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The situation in Imo State is worse as it is, without doubt, the most violent state in the South-East.

With Governor Hope Uzodinma coming down hard on the opposition, especially supporters of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Rochas Okorocha, the people of the state

are bearing the brunt as unknown gunmen continue to unleash unimaginable terror and mayhem on the state.

The recent display of brute force in the storming of an Anglican Church in the state during Sunday service in a bid to arrest Uche Nwosu, a former governorship aspirant, who is also Okorocha’s son-in law, is politics taken too far. The desecration of a worship centre by politicians to score political goals is highly condemnable.

These are just few examples of the situation across the states and even at the federal level where politics that is supposed to be for good causes and good governance is being played with bitterness by political actors, who

THEWILL therefore calls for caution, especially in the coming months, as there is the tendency for this ugly trend to escalate and even turn bloody with maiming and killings of political opponents as preparations for elections begin

derive pleasure in unnecessary grandstanding as they turn serious governance into propaganda.

THEWILL therefore calls for caution, especially in the coming months, as there is the tendency for this ugly trend to escalate and even turn bloody with maiming and killings of political opponents as preparations for elections begin.

Nigerians have had enough of violence, kidnappings and killings in the past few years and they do not want these to be compounded further with the coming elections.

We call on all political actors to call their supporters to order by guiding and counselling them on the appropriate behaviour and proper code of conduct during political campaigns and the elections proper. As the political parties are set to hold their national conventions from this month, we implore them to play the game by the rules and set good examples for Nigerians.

We hope that members of the ruling class will look back on their abysmal performances and disappointing show of shame over the past years to determine whether they have delivered, or not, on the promises they made to Nigerians when they were seeking their votes. It is not too late to seek forgiveness and make amends as we prepare for the next political dispensation. The New Year resolution for every politician in the country should be the resolve to eschew bitterness from politics and play politics for the good of the people.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Austyn Ogannah Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala Copy Editor – Chux Ohai Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu Photo Editor – Peace Udugba Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @ THEWILLNG, +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888.

EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA [Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com]

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OPI N ION

Fighting Insecurity Same Way we Fought COVID-19 (2)

BY MAGNUS ONYIBE

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ot many people consider taking ownership of the forests from the prism of its playing the dual purpose of solving the problem of insecurity and at the same time, taking care of another critically important challengefood insecurity, which is a corollary to the scourge of insecurity of lives and properties afflicting a critical mass of Nigerians.

rules, culminating in the dastardly act of beheading two active duty policemen and torching of police stations, as well as similar government infrastructure and facilities like the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission; the eastern part of our country has invariably become the hotbed of anarchy of unprecedented dimensions, except for the period of the civil war (1967-70.)

masses in the ability of the military to win the war against the terrorists, more than the fact that citizens have accepted to pay tax to terrorists that have become more brazen by hoisting their flags (not just in far flung locations in the forests) in locations as close as Niger and Nasarawa States, all of which are adjacent or contiguous to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

It is rather heartening that northern state governors seem to be paying attention and establishing or being in the process of establishing ranches as recommended, which is why herdsmen-farmers bloody clashes have somehow abated lately.

At this juncture, it is worth pointing out that the escalation of violence in the North via Boko Haram, mimics the trajectory of the Niger Delta militancy, which degenerated after the authorities failed to invite for negotiation, the intellectual and genuine environmental rights agitators, such as Ken Saro-Wiwa. Rather than dialogue, Saro-Wiwa was executed alongside other Ogoni leaders as felons.

Again, this is based on public complaints by victims and the admission by state governments in statements available in the open media space. That a de facto government set up by outlaws is demanding loyalty from indigenes and receiving same with full compliance from our fellow compatriots, who are reportedly being treated like prisoners of war, is an existential reality that is very unnerving .

Similarly, instead of having a conversation with the leader of Boko Haram, whose members reportedly refused to comply with the state government’s directive to wear helmets for their own safety while riding motor bikes, he was allegedly murdered by the authorities, setting off an armed struggle threatening to overwhelm not only the North, but also the entire country.

Obviously the Nigerians that are being oppressed in those locations, perhaps, feel better off than those in lnternally Displaced Peoples camps or those in their early graves for failing to comply with the terrorists.

Hopefully, taking full ownership of the forests would entail inviting not only South African mercenaries to combat the criminal elements, as Tambuwal has demanded, but also South African, Zimbabwean, Brazilian and even Israeli farmers (Muslims in UAE are partnering with Israeli tech experts in Jebel Ali port) to convert the forests into farms and to take care of the growing food insecurity that also ravaging our country.

It is rather intriguing that barely a decade after the violent resistance to the authorities by religious extremists led by the late Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, somewhere around Maiduguri, in Borno State, religious insurgency has, like a malignant tumour, metastasised into an unmanageable cancer that is gnawing not only at the heart of the North where it was originally confined, but also the eastern part of the country that has also lately assumed the nature of a cauldron of sorts. The violence in the south-eastern flank of the country, which is driven by agitation for secession, is also exacting a high death toll.

Alarmingly, it is also aping the pattern in the North as separatism has degenerated into sundry criminal activities by known and unknown gunmen crippling the South-East geopolitical zone.

Considering the persistent scourge of murdering of traditional rulers in cold blood (which l understand is a sort of reprisal against them for betraying their members to security forces) in addition to the assassination of prominent figures ostensibly for defying the separatists

By resorting to the use of force, instead of negotiating with the nation of Biafraagitators like Nnamdi Kanu and Oduduwa Nation proponent, Sunday Igboho; the current occupants of the Aso Rock Villa seem to be treading the same path of perdition trodden by past leaders who preferred brute military force as their preferred crisis management tool, as opposed to applying the instrumentality of negotiated settlement.

Taking all the listed mayhem and human carnage in our country together, it is clear that the masses and our leaders at the sub-national level have reasons to lose faith in the ability of the military to protect them because, as a nation, we appear to be losing the war to terrorists and secessionists. If nothing else, the twin demons have attracted opprobrium, locally and internationally to our country as we have been besmirched by the ugly news of mindless killings and the concomitant human rights abuses.

Nothing reflects the rapid erosion of the confidence of the

Put succinctly, there is rule of the bandits in the captured areas, instead of the rule of law in the cities, probably yet to fall to the arsonists, if action through a different and aggressive approach is not adopted sooner than later.

Now, before our beloved country’s degeneration into what looks like an active war theatre, Nigerians were regaled with allegations that the funds (to be precise $1.2bn) meant to have been applied in purchasing arms and ammunitions to fight Boko Haram was converted into campaign slush funds by the National Security Adviser, to former President Jonathan, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd.) for the re-election of the former ruling party, PDP, hence our military was ill equipped to successfully take on and defeat Boko insurgents. The impression was created that as soon as the requisite strategic weapons were acquired, the terrorists would be wiped out.

ONYIBE, a public policy analyst and former commissioner in Delta State, contributed this article from Lagos To be continued.

Rotational Presidency Not Answer to Bad Governance A

BY MAC OGBAMOSA

gitations are rising. More than ever before, many Nigerians are debating the necessity or otherwise of rotating the position of president from one part of the country to the other. These agitations have created a division between our Northern governors and their Southern counterparts . Whereas Southern Governors are insisting that the next president in 2023 must come from the South in the interest of justice, fairness and equity, their Northern colleagues are kicking against it, saying that such a call is not only unconstitutional but undemocratic.

While this writer agrees that there are some genuine reasons for the agitations, he does not believe that mere rotation of the Presidency can guarantee good governance in the country.

Without doubt, one of the major reasons for the calls for rotational presidency is the concentration of powers in the hands of the President. The President is like an emperor or monarch, who is in control of virtually everything. He is in charge of allocation of resources. He does not only have a hand in the appointment of those in executive positions, but also the heads of the judiciary. He even influences the election of heads of the legislature.

It is the belief of many agitators that in exercising these powers, the President practises nepotism. He appoints people to “principal, sensitive or juicy” offices without obeying the principle of Federal character as enshrined in Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution under: Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

Section 14(3) of the directive says, “The composition of the government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic groups or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies ” Have our presidents been complying with this provision?

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President to do the right thing, largely because the Constitution did not make it enforceable. Section 6(6c) of the same Constitution makes a provision to ensure that violation of this principle by the President cannot be questioned in Court.

The section says, “The judicial powers vested in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section Shall not, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, extend to any issue or question as to whether any act or omission by any authority or person or as to whether any law or any judicial decision is in conformity with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in Chapter II of the Constitution.”

Perhaps, the most important reason for the calls for rotational presidency is the poverty of our political class. Most of our political leaders are generally selfish. They ignore the fact that the primary purpose of their presence in government is to ensure the security and welfare of the people they govern, as clearly stated in Chapter II, Section 14(2b) of the 1999 Constitution.

They behave as if they are in politics not for the people but for themselves. This has resulted in a situation where those in power engage in privatisation of the state, leading to primitive accumulation for themselves and their families, while the rest of the people wallow in material poverty.

It is also the belief in some quarters that the President will locate projects in his own part of the country while ignoring other parts. It is argued that most of our political leaders tend to favour their areas of origin in deciding where to locate major projects. In their attempts to satisfy their regional and ethnic divisiveness, they jettison economic considerations in determining the right place for project location. This has been evident in many cases.

There are cries of marginalisation by people from parts of the country whose indigenes have not been privileged to be at the helm of affairs under civil rule.

From the perspective of this writer, rotational presidency without considering the competency of the leaders cannot cure these ills and guarantee good governance.

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Rotational Presidency has the tendency to stir up ethnic, religious and regional sentiments, thus promoting disunity and regional or sectional loyalty.

Rotational presidency may not promote patriotism among citizens. It is very likely to empower only the political class while the larger population remain marginalised. This can be seen from the trend of leadership we have had since our political independence in 1960.

Despite the fact that the North has produced most of the nation’s leaders since then , majority of its citizens are the poorest and most marginalised in the country. One of the outcomes of this state of affairs is the high level of insecurity in this part of the country today.

Although Chief Olusegun Obasanjo ruled the country for about 10 years (both as a military head of state and civilian president), the South-West, where he hails from, did not enjoy any special benefits from his long stay in power. In fact, he fought against the then Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, by stopping local government allocation from the Federation account to the state since, according to him, Tinubu violated the constitution by creating local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.

Goodluck Jonathan ruled for about six years, but he did not develop his region of origin, the South-South.

This writer believes that what Nigerians deserve is good leadership, a leader who loves to work for the people. It does not matter where the leader comes from. For many members of our generation, the best national leader the nation ever had is the late General Murtala Muhammed, who ruled for only 200 days.

We were all proud to be called Nigerians during the short period of his tenure. We did not want to know where he came from.

Rotational presidency without consideration of competence and without enforcement of Chapter II cannot guarantee good governance in the country.

OGBAMOSA is a legal practitioner and communications consultant

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www.t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.1

Onyema

N EW Y EA R EDI T ION 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

Equity Market: Non-DividendPaying Firms Drop to 51 in 4 Years

BY SAM DIALA

T

he number of quoted firms on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) that have failed to pay dividends in at least five years dropped from 84 in 2017 to 51 in 2021. This represents a 60.7 percent decrease. In 2012, the figure was 41. While the Exchange had a total of 156 quoted firms as of December 2021, 171 companies were listed on the daily official list of the Nigerian bourse as of March 2017 when the previous report was compiled.

This implies that the number of listed companies dropped by 8.7 percent in four years.

Shareholders in the 51 affected companies did not record capital appreciation through rights issues, either. Thus, they have their assets stuck in firms that are either dormant, not making a profit, or making a profit but would not declare dividends. A check showed that such firms cut across sectors with some having never paid dividends since their inception decades ago.

Daar Communications Plc, in the consumer goods sector, has not paid dividends since it was listed in 2008 and has been reporting losses since 2013. Champion Breweries, in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, last paid dividends in 1986. Premium Prints Plc last paid dividends in 2001 (20 years ago). Premier Paints Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc, Union Dicon Plc and Juli Plc last paid dividends in 1999.

According to a Premium Times report, John Holt Plc last paid dividends in 2005, Royal Exchange Insurance Plc in 2006, Staco Plc in 2008, Standard Alliance Plc in 2009, Morrisons Plc in 2009,

Assessing NCAA Under Captain Musa Nuhu

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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n Monday, March 16, 2020, Captain Musa Nuhu formally took over as the seventh substantive Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), following his appointment on October 23, 2019, and eventual

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confirmation by the Senate.

The NCAA is the regulatory body for aviation in Nigeria. It became autonomous after the Civil Aviation Act 2006 was passed into law by the National Assembly and assented to by the president. The Continues on page 33

FTN Cocoa Plc in 2010 and Guinea Insurance Plc in 2010. FTN Cocoa Plc has been posting losses since 2011 and Royal Exchange Insurance Plc since 2015. On their part, Abbey Building Society Plc, EkoCorp Plc, International Energy Insurance (IEI) Plc and Omatek Plc have not paid dividends since 2011. This is the same with Chellarams Plc, Ellah Lakes Plc, NCR Plc, RT Briscoe Plc, Tantalisers Plc and Vanleer Plc (formerly Greif) who have not paid dividends since 2012.

Meanwhile, a number of firms have failed to pay dividends even when they recorded a profit. Studio Press Plc, which has been reporting profit since 2016, has not paid dividends since 1995, while Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, which declared a profit since 2012, has not paid dividends since 2011. Arbico Plc has declared a profit five times since 2015, but has not paid dividends since 1998. Afromedia has declared a profit since its inception in 2017 but has never paid dividends.

The national chairman, Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Mukhtar Mukhtar, has accused most non-dividendpaying companies of fleecing unsuspecting shareholders and resorting to fraudulent practices to unjustly enrich themselves.

He expressed concern that the regulatory authorities look the other way, thereby subtly condoning the excesses of the said companies, which are all enlisted on the Exchange. According to him, a well-organised system would not tolerate such practices that create loopholes and promote corporate governance deficit.

MORE INSIDE Buhari Commissions Aircraft Hangar, Others At Maiduguri Airport PAGE 34

Why More Women Are Banking With Access Bank – Wigwe PAGE 34

Continues on page 15

Ogun Will Assume Oil Producing Status Soon - Gov. Abiodun

BY SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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overnor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has stated that his administration is working towards ensuring that the state takes advantage of its oil rich deposit and becomes an oil producing state.

Abiodun disclosed this during the Convocation Lecture he delivered at the 2nd and 3rd Convocation Ceremony of the Mountain Top University.

Continues on page 34

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COMMERCE/INSURANCE Equity Market: Non-Dividend-Paying Firms Drop to 51 in 4 Years

Continued from page 16

Continued from page 16

Nuhu

Assessing NCAA Under Captain Musa Nuhu

Act empowers the Authority to regulate aviation safety without political interference, and oversee the airports, airspace and meteorological services.

The aviation industry is a highly regulated one, making the CAA of any country pivotal to the safety of flight operations within and outside their airspace.

After 20 months at the helm, operators in the aviation sector believe that Captain Nuhu has sanitised the system and raised the bar in the agency’s regulatory roles. This is expected to be improved when the National Assembly passes the amendments to the Civil Aviation Act. Regulation Recent events in the aviation industry have put the agency in the spotlight, with a large percentage of stakeholders scoring the current NCAA management high in terms of regulations.

Enforcement Part of Captain Nuhu’s achievement is his strict adherence to the rules of the industry. In March, 2021, under the eagle eyes of the regulator, the NCAA, pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015, suspended the operations of all the Boeing 737 Aircraft in the fleet of Azman Air Services Limited, with effect from March 15, 2021.

The suspension followed a series of incidents involving Azman Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft. The NCAA then conducted an audit of the airline to determine the root cause(s) of the incidents, and recommend corrective actions to forestall a reoccurrence.

Since then, the safety compliance of virtually all airlines has improved significantly.

Operators who acquired the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) under Nuhu’s tenure have attested to the fact that the NCAA is up and regulating both airlines and other stakeholders in the industry.

On the global stage, the NCAA boss resolved five cases at the Cape Town Convention on Mobile Equipment, thus creating international confidence in the oversight function of the NCAA.

On February 1, 2021, the Nuhu-led agency granted its first AOC to United Nigeria Airlines after a rigorous process that included test flights.

The AOC is valid till January 31, 2023.

In September 2020, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, with the help of the Nuhu-led board successfully restructured the NCAA as part of the efforts geared toward streamlining government agencies.

Relaying his experience, the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, High Chief Okonkwo, commended the NCAA for the diligence and due process adopted in issuing them their AOC. Okonkwo said, “Within this period, NCAA has been very diligent in the processing of AOCs. We are happy and grateful to God that we were able to scale through this very strict and stringent process. Today, we are flying.”

Speaking on the dynamics of civil aviation regulations under Captain Nuhu, renowned aviation trainer and CEO of Westlink Airlines, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia, said the aviation process is one of the most regulated industries in the world, adding that it cannot be overregulated.

The airline operator noted that the current regulations need more operators’ voices because when they were made, some of them were made in a hurry to enable the approval of certain requirements.

Mshelia said, “So, aviation in itself needs to be regulated the way it is; whether there are lacunas here and there.”

He said there was no place in the world where you could find anybody who liked the CAA.

Administration

Under the restructuring midwifed by Nuhu, the Consumer Protection Directorate (CPD) was merged with the Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR); the Directorate of General Aviation (DGA) was merged with the Directorate of; and the Directorate of Operations and Training (DOT) was merged with Licensing.

However, three directorates—the Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards (DAAS), the Directorate of Human Resource and Administration (DHR&A), the and Directorate of Finance—were retained.

With these positive changes recorded in just one year and half of his administration, there is no doubt that Captain Nuhu is fully prepared to take Nigeria’s aviation industry to the next level and ultimately ensure safety, which is the backbone of aviation worldwide.

He initiated and completed movement into the NCAA corporate headquarters in Abuja and strengthened and equipped five regional offices to bring more efficient and friendly services closer to stakeholders. Furthermore, the agency is in the process of acquiring EMPIC Regulatory Equipment for the automation and digitisation of NCAA processes for improved and friendly services.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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He argued that any company that consistently fails to pay dividends for 35 years is not worth investing in as the directors and management of such companies are most likely exploiting the loopholes in the system to swindle the unsuspecting public.

He observed that such loopholes exist and the failure on the part of the regulators to sanction erring firms remains the bane of the Nigerian investment window.

He recalled that such unhealthy practices thrived during the period of boom in the equity market and contributed to the crash that produced the dormant equities that have stopped generating dividends.

“I remember that in the booming years of our capital market before the 2008 crash, moribund or bankrupt companies continued trading their shares on the floor of the NSE with booming share prices thereby shortchanging the uninformed public.

“People, especially directors, stockbrokers and insiders made disproportionate exploits through the trading of moribund companies which the system unfortunately condoned. This is regulatory abuse, dereliction of duty and connivance of the highest order,” Mukhtar told THEWILL. The shareholders’ group boss argued further that non-dividendpaying companies should not be listed on the equity market, even though they report profit sometimes and might extend the capital appreciation window to investors through the creation of rights issues. He maintained that dividend payment is part of the fundamentals of companies that encourage investors to patronize such firms.

“These companies that have failed to pay dividends to shareholders have no business being in the capital market. I understand such companies may still create undue value to holders of their shares through share price appreciation whereby they can sell to make high profit. “But this in itself is abuse and fraud. How can share prices of companies which never paid dividends appreciate without abuse of process and fraud?

“Dividend payouts are part of the strong fundamentals of companies which encourage investors to invest with its attendant share price appreciation. Anything short of this must be fraudulent and the swindling of the unsuspecting public.”

Mukhtar suggested that regulators should be ready to wield the big stick against erring companies and, if need be, prosecute their directors and the management team.

The Nigerian Exchange earlier this year delisted some companies for failing to comply with specific regulatory requirements. Most of the affected firms have not paid dividends in years.

In a statement signed by the NGX Regulation company secretary,

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Companies that have failed to pay dividends to shareholders have no business being in the capital market Eseose Okiwelu, the regulatory body disclosed that four of the affected companies, referred to as issuers, had been approved for delisting, effective June 14, 2021. These are Evans Medical Plc, NigerianGerman Chemicals Plc, Roads Nigeria Plc and Unic Diversified Holdings Plc. The process of delisting another issuer, Aso Savings & Loans Plc, is ongoing.

An investigation by THEWILL showed that some of the companies were affected by the downturn in the economy, while others were plagued by mismanagement. The affected companies, like their counterparts on the healthy side of the market, suffered the stings of inflation, devaluation of the local currency and high operating costs. Some of them have not held any annual general meeting nor filed returns with the Exchange in 12 years, a development industry experts described as abnormal.

The central effect of the development is the possible loss of investors’ assets.

While the funds cannot be deemed lost as the companies are still going concerns and not liquidated, having such assets ‘trapped’ in dormant equities which do not yield value is as good as lost.

“It is a bad report that up to 51 companies have not paid dividends within the last 35 years. As an investor, I am very disappointed and hope that the board of these companies will turn around the misfortune and change the nonchalant attitude of non-dividend payment into one that rewards their investors who have painfully born this unhealthy development,” said Mrs Bisi Bakare, national coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria.

The penalty for default in timely disclosure of financial performance is punitive. The rule states that: “Any late submission of accounts shall attract a fine of One hundred thousand Naira (N100,000) per week from the due date until the date of submission. A listed company which contravenes any of the provisions of the Listing Rules and General Understanding and fails to pay the penalty imposed on it for such contravention on or before the due date shall be liable to a further fine of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) in addition to twenty-five thousand naira (N25,000) per day for the period the violation continues.”

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BUSINESS NEWS Why More Women Are Banking With Access Bank – Wigwe

BY SAM DIALA

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ccess Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, has identified good customer service, access to finance, provision of educative and possibility of business growth are some of the reasons why more women are patronising the bank. According to him, this is also the reason why half of the bank's customer base are women, particularly those in business.

Wigwe made the disclosure recently while discussing the company’s expansion plans in an interview on CNN’s First Move with Julia Chatterley.

Noting that more women are embracing the bank due to what the bank has done for women, he explained that Access Bank had programmes for women and if they needed financing, they would be supported by the bank.

L-R: Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Kunle Oluomo; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Chief Economic Adviser/Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo at the signing of the N351bn State's 2022 budget into law at the conference room of the governor at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta on 27/12/2021.

Ogun Will Assume Oil Producing Status Soon - Gov. Abiodun

Continued from page 16

He spoke on the topic, "Quest for Excellence: The Nexus of Faith, Knowledge and Resilience".

The governor expressed regret that Ogun lost a $16b Dangote refinery to Lagos after a break in discussion between the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Dangote.

He recalled that he had the privilege to work as the chairman of the Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the refinery cited in the state, noting the project was also to take advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around the corridor. "we are working assiduously on that, so, I accept this challenge, we will further strengthen our resolve to ensure that we bring Ogun State to oil producing status in the very near future".

"I worked as chairman of Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the Dangote refinery cited in Ogun Waterside, however, discussion broke down between Dangote and the then administration which led to the loss of that project to Lagos state; a sixteen billion dollars was lost to another state."

"That project was conceived with the aim of not just refining petroleum in Ogun, but also take advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around that corridor that has even not begun to be exploited," he added Abiodun also disclosed that the state has very rich oil reserves in Tongeji Island, hinting that the state is situated in the Dahomey Basin, which stands for the Niger Delta that goes all the way to Ghana

Mouka Changes Ownership to Dolidol

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ouka, makers of mattresses, pillows and other bedding products, has announced its change of ownership to Dolidol, the market leader in Francophone Africa based out of Morocco.

According to the CEO of Mouka, Mr Raymond Murphy, this transaction sets the scene for bigger and greater things for the Mouka brand with this affiliation with a regional market leader.

“In the light of this new development, Dolidol, a Moroccan market leader in the mattress space, will bring to the fore significant foam science, technical and engineering expertise to Mouka. As the market leader in Francophone Africa, Dolidol’s expertise will also be introduced to boost Mouka’s operations and the quality of its product portfolio”. Murphy said.

The Chief Operations Officer of Mouka, Mr Femi Fapohunda, also shared his excitement about this change in ownership. “With Dolidol’s stake in Mouka, our consumers and trade

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partners should look forward to new and ground-breaking innovations due to the technological expertise Dolidol brings onboard. In addition, from an operational point of view, we look forward to improved productivity and product quality that meet consumer needs and exceed their expectations,” Fapohunda said.

Dimeji Osingunwa, Mouka’s Chief Commercial Officer and lead strategist behind Mouka’s unrivalled distribution of approximately 2,000 branded outlets nationwide shared his views on this transaction. “I believe this strategic ownership will create additional investments in the expansion of the Mouka footprint within Nigeria and beyond our borders. I look forward to the synergy between the Mouka and Dolidol in deploying a world-class route to market strategy”. Dimeji said.The CEO of Dolidol, Mohamed Lazaar, also said that “I believe the acquisition of Mouka will allow Dolidol to strengthen its presence in the continent and complement Mouka’s growth in the region with an addressable market of around 200 million Nigerians".

Buhari Inaugurates Aircraft Hangar, Others At Maiduguri Airport

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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riental Energy Resources Limited founded by renowned industrialist, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi, OFR, scored a high mark on its infrastructural contribution to the country’s development last Thursday when President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned its new ultramodern aircraft hangar at the Maiduguri International Airport in Borno State.

The works also included the cast of an apron slab and a new taxiway constructed to connect the hangar to the main runway of the airport The hangar materials, including beams, columns and metal sheets, amongst other technical components, were procured by Oriental Energy Resources Limited, while its precision integration and construction was awarded to the nation’s leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. In less than one year of commencement of the works, Julius Berger has built the hangar, which houses not only aircraft but also offices and welfare spaces for the client, its employees, pilots and executive guests.

Ancillary facilities at the new state-of-the-art hangar include two modern guesthouses designed and built to Julius Berger’s ISO certification quality standard.

He said "Most times, they have gotten the money, it's about supporting them with respect to various programs that would help educate them on what to do, how to grow their businesses, all of those type of things. So, that is what has made us so different and the fact that most women would rather bank with Access than anywhere else" On Access Bank’s African expansion plans, Wigwe said, “It is something that we have been planning as part of our corporate strategic planning 2017 and the whole idea has been to support our correspondent banking business, to support our payments business and to basically ensure that there is greater trade within the continent. So, for us, what are we doing? We're basically making sure that we have a strong presence in all the major trade centres in the continent.”

On Access Bank’s outlook for 2022, the bank CEO added, “I think we're on track. I think in terms of profitability our different franchises are doing exceedingly well. And I think 2022 perhaps is actually going to be a big, big year for the institution.”

Explaining further, Wigwe said that in 2014, the bank created the W-program which is a more robust program, and it's about inspiring, connecting and it's also about empowering women.

He said the W-Programme includes both the professional lady or businesswoman who needs to be supported.

"You know sophisticated businessperson who is thinking about succession and wants a bank that can help them. All of those things were provided. We took it The respected industrialist, Alhaji Indimi deeper and deeper into maternal health commended Julius Berger for the excellent quality of works delivered for Oriental Energy care schemes. Schemes that no other Resources at the airport. institution in the world have basically looked at. It's the reason we won several, Other important dignitaries, who accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari several awards.” to the ceremony, included the Governor Revealing Access Bank’s focus on women of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, the in Nigeria, Wigwe also stated, “Coming Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir back to Nigeria, and what it has done for El-Rufai, former Governor of Borno State women, half of our customer base today Ali Modu-Sheriff, amongst others. The are women, all right. And because they Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky know that they will be served by Access.

Irabor, personally actively led the security And if they needed financing, they will be and military contingent to the successful supported by Access. Most times, they have ceremony in Maiduguri. gotten the money, it's about supporting Representing the Managing Director of them with respect to various programs Julius Berger, Engr. Dr Lars Richter and that would help educate them on what to leading Julius Berger’s delegation to the do, how to grow their businesses, all of commissioning ceremony in Maiduguri those type of things. So, that is what has was the company’s Executive Director of made us so different and the fact that most Administration, Alhaji Zubairu Ibrahim Bayi. women would rather bank with Access Engr. Goni Musa Sheikh, Director of Julius than anywhere else.”

Berger Nigeria Plc was also at the ceremony.

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ISAAC & NNEKA MOSES

UNITED BY CULTURE, TOURISM PAGE 35-40 THEWILLNIGERIA

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Isaac and Nneka Moses, hosts of Goge Africa, speak with SHADE METIBOGUN about the secret of their 24-year marital bliss, the success of their two decades-old TV tourism/ cultural show and sundry issues

The Moses

WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO – ISAAC AND NNEKA MOSES Y

ou recently celebrated 22 years of Goge Africa and 24th anniversary of your marriage.

How does it feel marking such landmark achievements?

Isaac: It feels good. As for marriage, it still feels like yesterday. For Goge Africa, I still have that same excitement I had when we started, especially if there is a new episode coming up. I am always excited to get down to work. Once we finish production, I always want to get it out from post production and send it to the station that would broadcast it. It still holds the same excitement that it used to hold a few years ago. I don’t always remember our marriage anniversary, except my wife reminds me. I just take one thing at a time. That is the way it should be.

Everyday should be as important as the other.

What have you achieved with Goge Africa?

Isaac: Being alive is an achievement. Also seeing people begin to look inwards by using local contents as materials for their programmes and looking inwards for tourism are achievements for me. Goge Africa has changed the perspectives of many people with the way we showcase

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The Moses

different cultures and heritage of the people. Because of that, local designers are beginning to get patronage from more people. Our food has become the in-thing.

Brands are now interested in sponsoring and associating with our culture and festivals. For me, these are major achievements. For instance, because of the culture festival that MTN sponsors, other local festivals now have a lot of equity. For such a big brand to be identified with local festivals, it has influenced some other brands to associate with our local festivals and sponsor them as well. We have been able to draw attention some of these local festivals. We have shown what communities look like in their happiest moments and how hospitable they are, as well as how and when you can see the very best of them, which is what brands love to associate with. That single effort by Goge Africa has created an enabling environment that has boosted tourism. People come from other places, especially neighbouring countries, to be part of our festivals. Those are major achievements for us.

The perks of this business may not be about money; it may be a barter arrangement with a company or hotel. We may have to take people to a hotel so as to run down our

bill. Leaving our house and moving into the hotel makes everyone happy. For me, it is fun. We are passionate about what we do and we catch fun doing it. We may get a phone call to cover a festival somewhere, which means that it could be an all-expense paid trip with free accommodation and free food etc. Sometimes the invitation may not come with money and sometimes it does. We are just having fun basically.

Nneka: Most times, it comes with money, but there are places we go on our own just to discover new things and support the people because they don’t have brand support and the community is not rich enough to do that. We have gone to Makoko, a slum in Lagos State. It was sponsored

by Goge Africa Foundation. It is just something we enjoy doing. We organised a training workshop on tourism for youths sometime ago and it was free. Some of those participants came back to say thank you. And they came with gifts to show their appreciation.

Was there ever a time you were tempted to suspend the programme because of some challenges you had?

Isaac: In fairness to you, there are always challenges.

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South-Africa or East Africa for the accessories. The one that touched me so much was a trip to Ethiopia. We were invited for the Timket celebrations. During the celebration, some children were shouting Goge, Goge. Apparently they were referring to Goge Africa shows on Ethiopia television. The community has only one television, which they watch every Sunday. Those people fell in love with us when they saw us in real life. I can say that the community is poorer than Makoko. The children said their parents would be happy to have us in their community so we accepted without even knowing the location of the place.

Our host said we could not go there because it was a very poor community, so poor it lacked an access road. But we gave the children the address of the place where we were lodged. They came back and we followed them. We drove a while and parked our car somewhere so as to finish the journey on foot. We kept walking on a small narrow road for some hours. When we got there, they had contributed money to cook for us and they bought two bottles of drinks for the five of us which we shared. You can imagine the benevolence from their part. A whole community contributed money to buy two bottles of drinks. We were touched. For me, that trip was more significant than spending two weeks in a comfortable place and enjoying myself. Going to the slum and being invited by little children hawking pure water, not sachet water like our own here in Nigeria, was something cool for me. I felt loved.

I can tell you that it has not been all that rosy for us. But I enjoy what I do so much that the challenges are the things that make me stronger. Although we started with some independent producers, many of them are no longer there.

Not that I am happy that they are not there, but it shows how challenging the business can be. The challenges made us push and explore all other avenues to sustain the programme. Here we are, 22 years and still counting.

Nneka: Working with my husband is easy. We have both disagreed on some issues in the past, but we do disagree to agree. Quitting the programme or our partnership has never crossed my mind. I have never seen it as an option.

I have always found out that I am not complete if I am alone. I always feel complete if my husband is with me because he gives me the confidence that I need. With him and God, everything and anything is possible. Problems and challenges come, but my husband has been very supportive. He is a man of faith. He always believes that we will overcome and usually, we do.

How did you coin the word Goge and what language is it?

Isaac: Goge was coined from the Hausa language. It is a musical instrument used in Africa. It is used in the northern part of Nigeria. It’s a traditional guitar. Late singer, Dan Maraya Jos, a famous musician from northern Nigeria used it for his music. The word also means “to clean”. So Goge Africa means to clean Africa and it is symbolic because of the instrument.

Many couples find it difficult to work together, but you have been able to build a working relationship over the years. How have you been able to achieve this?

Isaac: It works for me, I don’t know of other people. I am more at ease to know that whatever I don’t remember she would remember. It’s a family business. So she has the interest of the family at heart. She wouldn’t discuss a business that would not be of benefit to us. I am an easy going person. If she gives me a good reason for not adopting a template, I will go with it. I am not too full of ego to accept or see a better reason. And it has been working for us perfectly. She is good at finding our route.

If I miss my way, she calls me back. You don’t have to be another person just to make someone happy. How long will you keep up with that? I am myself. We might see a Yoruba woman with a big backside while driving and we would laugh and just have fun.

How do you resolve your business conflicts?

Nneka: We have division of labour and negotiating with outsiders is my job. Like he already told you, whatever I agree with a client is what is best for us. In addition to what you have asked him, I will say trust has kept us together. We have a joint bank account and anyone of us can sign to collect money. We also have friendship.

I am not talking about love now. You can be in and out of love, but if somebody is your friend, you can even accommodate such a person more. There are so many ways to justify what a friend has done and it is easy for me to forgive so much. It is easy for him to forgive so much too. We are also lucky to love each other, but our friendship has helped us to build that trust overtime. It is what has translated to what people see over time. It wasn’t perfect from the beginning, but over time it became smooth. He doesn’t wait for me when he is going out. If I am not ready, I would just grab my food and run over to the car. We ensure it is just one car we use at a time because we are always together. Although there are other cars, we are just comfortable in each other’s company and I can say that he enjoys my company, too.

Isaac: It is effortless. It is not as if you have to struggle and go out of your way all the time. It is not as if what you are doing is what you don’t want to do, so it will be easy to be yourself. I don’t want nagging and some other things, which she is aware of.

Which would you consider to be your most memorable trip since starting this programme and why?

Nneka: Most of my trips are memorable. It is difficult to pick one. I can say that I love this place because of this particular thing, but there is none that has everything put in one. Some of them were for the adventure, some for the food, jewelries and accessories, but I would choose THEWILLNIGERIA

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We have been to the python temple in Benin Republic as well. One python came to stand by us while we were making our presentation. I would cherish such experiences forever. We went to a crocodile farm, too. The crocodiles were sun bathing and we were making our presentation

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Aren’t you afraid of visiting remote places where the people have strange beliefs and culture?

Nneka: Why should I be afraid when I am looking forward to seeing something new and different? There was a time we went to Bwindi, an impenetrable forest in Uganda. There were silver back gorillas there, but to find them, you had to go into the forest, which was very thick. We walked for about two or three hours before we encountered them. It was quite an experience. We have been to the python temple in Benin Republic as well. One python came to stand by us while we were making our presentation. I would cherish such experiences forever.

We went to a crocodile farm, too. The crocodiles were sun bathing and we were making our presentation. Anything could have happened, but then, I was enjoying it.

Isaac: I find it exciting each time I want to show a new episode, especially if it is somewhere most people haven’t been to. In Burkina Faso, we rode on a crocodile. We had to give it a chicken to eat before climbing it and give it another one when it dropped us off. The community had a bond with the crocodile. That is the life of a tourist.

How do you handle language barriers?

Isaac: We face that, too. But in fairness, we go to places where English is spoken because of this same issue.

Unless we have interpreters who will help us, we don’t go to certain places.

Nneka: We have been to places where the people don’t speak English or French. So we have to connect with the government and the locals. They always have someone who can communicate with us. We face language barriers, but it is not so much a hindrance. The hindrance I think we have is funding. If we have a lot of money, we will go to many places. You wouldn’t even catch me on this table.

What are the things that government can inject into the tourism sector in order to boost it?

Isaac: They should strengthen or build tourism infrastructure. Right now, tourism practitioners have been badly affected by the COVID -19 pandemic in most countries. Some countries’ survival depends on tourism. Government should inject some kind of palliative or bailout so that they can have something to lean on, pending when their recovery process becomes complete.

If they can do that for tourism practitioners, it will help.

Then infrastructures should be strengthened. As rail tracks are being built, the train can take you to more remote places than vehicles would take you. Such would further boost the tourism industry. There should be an enabling environment. The environment should be secured because inbound tourists could be hindered if there is insecurity.

Even locally, people want to go to places where they feel secure. For instance, northern Nigeria has a huge tourism potential that may never be realised as long as

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there is insecurity in the region. These things should be put in place so that people can feel free to move around. That is why I talked about the train because it makes tourism more affordable for the average person. In Europe, travelling by train is more reliable, faster, clean, safe and efficient. The Federal Government is trying to develop the railway system in Nigeria, but it can do more because it has the wherewithal to do more. One thing I notice is that the government does not have a marketing communication vision out there on television, maybe on Cable News Network selling Nigeria as a tourist destination. Like we see in Incredible India and Welcome to Los Angeles, Nigeria should have one. It is the government that funds such communication. Our little effort has helped other tour operators sell over time and people are beginning to see the beautiful places we have in Africa through the spotlight we have thrown on those places. So, it is no longer all about going to European destinations because some places in Africa have taken the shine off those destinations. Africa is beautiful, it has places you would go to and you would not want to leave again.

Africa’s tourism is not enjoyed by Africans.

Europeans are the ones enjoying it. Those destinations are not being developed for local tourism. Domestic tourism is the biggest income earner in the tourism business. Once it is developed, it will bring in foreigners and revenue will increase.

In the Caribbeans, there are peak and low periods. During the low period, prices are slashed so low that the locals would move into hotels to enjoy their facilities. But when the price changes, they know it is time for foreigners to visit and they move out. Also, the aviation industry is another big boost for tourism. People should be able to buy cheap tickets. In Europe, there are sites you can visit to get cheap tickets. Once you get such cheap tickets, they don’t serve you meals in the plane.

Such facilities should be available here in Nigeria.

I remember when the city of Los Angeles said that the average resident gets $837 dollars tax rebate because of tourism.

If we take it seriously here, we will be happy because of it. The good thing about tourism is that it dovetails into developing other sectors of the economy.

Nneka: I think the government should work with tourism operators to set guidelines for the industry. For instance, The Moses any foreigner can come into Nigeria and invest in the hospitality business, which is not applicable in other countries. There are small boutique hotels that belong to foreigners and our people will be struggling to set up theirs in their own country. In other countries, they will tell you that if it is not a five star hotel, you should leave them alone so that the local people who are in the industry can set up local boutique hotels in their country. If you go to Ghana, you will pay a special fare to enter any of their tourist sites. As a foreigner, you pay more but indigenes pay less. There is nothing like that in Nigeria.

Also, when you come into Nigeria as a tour operator, nobody checks to see if practitioners are qualified. If you are a nurse in Nigeria and you go to the United States, you will have to take some examinations to certify that you are qualified. The authorities want to be sure that the standard of operation is at per with their own over there. In Nigeria, foreigners conduct and curate tours with nobody stopping them and Nigerians would be looking at them.

I know two people who come in here with groups and they do what they want to do at Osun-Oshogbo Festival and leave. As part of creating an enabling law, we should

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In marriage, you look for friendship and companionship, for someone who will be there for you. It is not just simply having children and then you divorce. You must have a certain level of rapport with your other half to make progress and to have marital bliss

make progress and to have marital bliss. During our 24th anniversary celebration, one of our guests said the ship in relationship must continue to sail. If you want to jump out of that ship, ask yourself if you can swim. If you jump out of that ship to the water, have you considered the sharks and other wild creatures in the ocean? If you are thinking of the yacht that is more luxurious and more fashionable than yours, maybe you were just admiring it at a distance, by the time you move closer to it you will notice so many things that will ruin the attraction. That is life. A girl may be attractive because she is married, but if she breaks up with her husband, the guy that made her break up may not be ready to marry her. She will be stupid enough to quit the marriage thinking that the other guy will take care of her. So, those questions must be answered, the “ship” in that relationship, courtship, friendship must be sailing.

Nneka: My friends and family members talked about adopting a child while we waited, but we felt that if we were going to adopt a child, we should adopt not because we don’t have a child of our own. We don’t want to adopt a child because we need a child of our own. We should adopt a child to help our own child because that child needs a home and companion. And I can say yes that we have adopted a child because my daughter (my husband’s niece) started living with us since she was two years-old and she is 11 now. We started taking care of her when she was some months old, then she later moved in with us after we had Kamara, our own child.

know who a tourism practitioner is, what makes him a qualified practitioner and the certificates in his possession.

A lot of people call themselves tour guides, but what certification do they have? For us to pull it together and move forward, we need an enabling environment with all the aforementioned.

Were you at any point tempted to give up on having a child, especially after waiting for 13 years?

Isaac: No, there was no such time for me. Each time my wife sees her monthly period and she is down, I tell her that if it is not this month, it will be the next month.

But then, having children is not the ultimate objective of marriage because you can have children without being married. I have friends in this entertainment business who have children and are not married.

In marriage, you look for friendship and companionship, for someone who will be there for you. It is not just simply having children and then you divorce. You must have a certain level of rapport with your other half to

A lot of marriages these days don’t stand the test of time. What do you think is responsible and what can be done about it?

Nneka: There is too much pressure on their pockets, too much pressure to produce whatever it is that puts food on the table and the salaries are not enough to foot those bills. Some don’t even have jobs and so things are falling apart for them and affecting their psyche. When such people go home, which should be peaceful, they take their problems along and unleash them on their partners. If you don’t have the grace of God to control your nagging as a woman and for the man, if your ego cannot beat the pressure, there will be a head-on collision.

There will constantly be quarrels on a general note because of what the society has put on us. On the other note, I don’t know what rocks people’s boats, but I know that every ship should have one captain. If it is your choice that your captain should be the woman, you should not complain.

If you choose that the man will be the captain, the woman should obey her husband. In our own relationship, I captain a certain part, which is the kitchen. I know what we should eat that is why he will ask me what we are having for dinner at times. There are other departments where he functions better. So I yield to his leadership. He is the head but sometimes, he permits me to be the neck.

Isaac: She has said it all. It is all about trust. There has to be one captain and both partners must agree to that. It is not a competition. So it shouldn’t be some form of rivalry.

I have seen some couples trying to behave as if they are in a competition. If that is the spirit, they will not have problems. They are supposed to have the same purpose and objective.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

A TALE OF TWO OIL CHIEFS

Why Princess Folashade Ashley Stands Out Among Ooni’s Women

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The Tinubus

ALLEGED MARITAL CRISIS PERSISTS IN SEYI TINUBU’S HOME A

Avuru

Sokefun

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oth have, no doubt, paid their dues in the oil and gas industry. When the story of Nigeria’s cash cow industry eventually gets written, both names will definitely be mentioned. Unfortunately this is where the similarity ends. One would have expected that having given their time, resources and expertise in building the two organisations where they both plied their trade, recognition and reward for their efforts would be inevitable. While that has been the case with one, it hasn’t quite been the case with the other.

In an apparent end of the year gesture, Ronke Sokefun returned to OANDO Plc, many years after she left, as a non executive director. But Austin Avuru on the other hand earned himself a sack, as a non executive director of the board of SEPLAT, a company he co-founded and served as the pioneer CEO. For a man, who is regarded as a thorough professional in the industry, this isn’t quite the kind of ending the highly cerebral Avuru envisaged for himself, certainly not from a company he gave his blood, sweat and took public in a historic dual listing on the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges. Seplat is the only African exploration and production company to be listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange.

The reason for Avuru’s sack, which he has described as mischievous with a calculated attempt to malign his reputation, is what they purportedly claim THEWILLNIGERIA

to be a breach of the company’s corporate governance policies and his fiduciary duties. Although Avuru through his lawyers have advised the public to disregard the sack, one cannot deny the the alleged obvious link between his sack and the scandals that have been rocking SEPLAT these past few months.

The company’s reputation has taken quite some damage as a result of the board chairman, Dr ABC Orjiakor’s indiscretions.

Orjiakor is indebted to the tune of $78 million dollars via his Sheba Petroleum Development Company Limited. This prompted some Nigerian banks to drag him to court and some of his business partners warned to give SEPLAT a wide berth. A French independent non-executive director of SEPLAT resigned his position as a result of this.

Although he claimed to have resigned for personal reasons.

With Orjiakor forced to resign his position as chairman, following the embarrassment, coupled with Avuru’s sack, there is no denying that this may just be an alleged purge to rid SEPLAT of the last vestiges of the duo that have come to symbolise SEPLAT. What a way to get rid of a thoroughbred professional and vocal advocate of indigenous participation in the exploration and production sectors of the Nigerian oil industry. In fact, Avuru has in the past, come close to being appointed as the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, specifically during the tenure of the late President THEWILLNG

Umaru Yar’adua. With a career spanning over 30 decades, Avuru’s career traverses NNPC as a youth corps member, Allied Energy (Nig.) Limited as the Exploration Coordinator, SEPLAT petroleum which he co founded with Orjiakor, among several others. In 2020, he stepped down as both co-founder and pioneer Managing Director of SEPLAT. Today, Delta State-born Avuru spends his time running Platform Petroleum Ltd, a company he founded in 2003 and later teamed up with Orjiakor to create SEPLAT. Ronke, on the other hand, is a trained lawyer who joined OANDO in 2002 after a legal career that spanned 12 years with both Ighodalo and Associates, a company secretarial firm and the prestigious firm of Aluko and Oyebode where she left as a partner. While in Oando, Ronke rose through the ranks to become the Chief Legal Officer. In 2011, she left for public service in Ogun State and proceeded to serve as a commissioner under Senator Ibikunie Amosun’s two-term administration as governor. In January 2019, she was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation where she still serves till date.

A mother of one, Ronke used to be married to Gbenga Sokefun, the older brother to celebrity photographer, TY Bello. The marriage allegedly ended after Gbenga fell on bad times.

Gbenga has however, now regained his groove.

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few weeks ago, THEWILL had reported that all may not be well in the home of Seyi Tinubu, the son of All Progressive Congress leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, Layal with whom he has two children.

Layal was reported to have allegedly moved out of their matrimonial home, unfollowed her husband on social media and deleted all pictures of him on her social media page. Seyi on the other hand didn’t unfollow his wife but left only a handful of his wife’s pictures on his social media page. Their bone of contention was allegedly, Seyi’s socialite baby mama who runs a high end spa.

There were reports that Seyi hooked up again with his baby mama and knocked her up a second time, prompting his wife to move out of their matrimonial home. But Seyi refuted either his wife moving out or knocking up his baby mama a second time. He maintained that the narrative is false and should be discountenanced. However, weeks after this report, there is a likelihood that things have indeed, allegedly fallen apart in Seyi’s home. On Christmas Day, while many of his ilks took to their social media spaces to post pictures of themselves and their families in matching pajamas, seated under their individual Christmas trees and sending out Christmas wishes to their fans, not Seyi and Layal. Instead they both posted pictures of their children in matching pajamas seated under the Christmas tree, hugging themselves. Layal’s caption was simple. “Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours from my two little loves.”

Seyi’s caption was no different. It was terse. They both didn’t tag each other in their posts and both played it safe by posting only their children, obviously an indication that the alleged storm is yet to be over to warrant them getting photographed together. This is very unlike Seyi’s post of December 25, 2019 which had a photograph of him, his wife pregnant with their second child standing by a Christmas tree and a lengthy caption which ended with wishing his fans a Merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance. A similar picture was repeated on December 25, 2020 but this time, with the newly born second child, not by a Christmas tree but with a usual lengthy caption ending with wishing his fans a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

ollowing last week’s public dumping of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, by his now estranged queen, Olori Naomi Silekunola, who was his third wife, there appears to be widespread speculation regarding who among the many women in the Ooni’s life will be chosen to replace Olori Naomi as the official queen. From Ife Princess, Ronke Ademiluyi, the founder of Africa Fashion Week London and Nigeria, who has been close to the Ooni long before he was crowned king, to Tope Adesegun, the deputy convener of Hope Alive Initative, who was rumoured to be the one to replace the Ooni’s second wife, Olori Wuraola, and single mother, Afolashade Ashley Adegoke, who is the founder of Ashley Adegoke Foundation alleged to be parading herself as the very first woman in the life of the Ooni. Among the three ladies aforementioned, Afolashade seems to be the one mostly in the news with many touting her as Olori Naomi’s replacement. However, feelers from very reliable sources claim that filling the gap created by Naomi’s exit is the last thing on Afolashade’s mind as she already holds a pride of place in the Ooni’s heart. The Ooni is smitten by her and does not tolerate any disrespect towards her. THEWILL reliably gathered that even before Olori Naomi became queen, Afolashade was already a member of the household of the Ooni as his lover and was well respected in the palace where she holds sway. In fact during the Ooni’s 47th birthday back in October, Afolashade was up and about as a member of the inner caucus of the Ooni and even took photographs with Olori Naomi.

Afolashade also dresses the part, as a queen but likes to refer to herself as the ‘princess of the source’. On several occasions in public, she addressed the Ooni as her crown, meaning her king or

lover in traditional parlance.

Unfortunately, being a single mother, she cannot be regarded as an official queen as tradition allegedly forbids the Ooni from making an unmarried mother his official queen.

But who really is Afolashade, what is her antecedent and why has she in recent times been courting the limelight?

From Ile Ife in Osun State, Afolashade lived in the United Kingdom and at one time worked as a staff of Krispy Kreme until she recently began to come back home more often to solidify her relationship with the Ooni. She was allegedly married to a UKbased Nigerian, who is the father of her only child. After she broke up with her husband, she started a relationship with a former top government official from the South-South, who allegedly ended the relationship with her to avoid problems for himself when he discovered she was frolicking with royalty. Back in the UK, she allegedly has an older love interest who is Caucasian and who picks up her bills. Coming from a polygamous home with humble beginnings, Afolashade has had to hustle hard to get things done for herself. Her mum was a trader in Ibadan, while her father was the late Prince Jacob Adebayo Adegoke. She attended Federal Polytechnic, Ede in Osun State but was more popular at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, where she allegedly pretended to be a student of.

Today, she runs a foundation through which she puts smiles on the faces of the less privileged.

One cannot deny that Afolashade has come a long way from her days of humble beginnings and is today, a force to be reckoned within the highly reverred palace of the Ooni of Ife, coupled with a well orchestrated plan, allegedly, to dominate Nigeria’s social and business circles in the not too distant future.

Adegoke

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STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

REAL REASON QUEEN NAOMI DUMPED OONI OF IFE

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he dissolution of the three-year marriage between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and his estranged wife, Olori Silekunola Naomi, has continued to generate controversy.

Although the Ooni’s palace has refuted claims that there is trouble in Ooni’s paradise, they insist that the queen’s social media page was hacked, which led to the release of the separation message posted there. However, beyond their denial, Naomi’s mother has been allegedly fingered as the cause of her marital woes. Her overbearing and unruly behavior in the palace allegedly crashed her daughter’s marriage.

Since she moved into the palace after her daughter’s marriage to the king, she has been at loggerheads with palace staff and some of the other queens. While the Ooni wasn't too happy about the situation, Olori Naomi allegedly always took sides with her mum.

The queen’s mother also allegedly had a reputation for constantly

Mercy Aigbe in Alleged Romance With Kazim Adeoti N Ogunwusi

demanding money from the Ooni.

The Ooni would always oblige her but her last request was allegedly turned down, a gesture that did not go down well with the queen and led to a major faceoff between the royal couple after which she threatened to move out of the palace. Queen Naomi allegedly carried out her threat by packing her things and leaving the palace, explaining her absence at the Ooni’s sixth coronation anniversary.

Queen Naomi’s elder brother, Gbenro, also played a major part in the collapse of the marriage. He allegedly misappropriated funds given to him by the traditional ruler to build a luxurious housing and property resort in Akure, Ondo state.

The Ooni had allegedly contracted Gbenro, who was allegedly idle with nothing tangible to do, to oversee the project. He reportedly started on a good note but kept requesting more funds, which was allegedly squandered on personal issues.

Not long after, it was discovered

that most of the structures could not stand the test of time as some were already collapsing. The Ooni disengaged his in-law and replaced him with another person. However, Gbenro, who was not satisfied with the decision of the royal father, allegedly engaged the services of thugs to disrupt workers at the site and constitute a nuisance.

He was allegedly reported to Queen Naomi who blamed the Ooni for replacing him instead of reprimanding her brother.

A meeting was scheduled in the palace to address the issue, but Gbenro’s unruly behavior abruptly ended the discussion. The development further widened the gulf between the queen and the king.

However, there are indications that things will return to normal for the couple following a reconciliatory meeting brokered by elders of Ile Ife and Ondo, where Olori Naomi's mother allegedly apologised for her wrongdoings.

disbanded in 2016 due to family related issues, P-Square organised a concert on Saturday, December 25, 2021. The event, which was well attended, had the likes of J. Martins and Timaya in attendance.

The two were invited on stage to perform their hit collabo with the duo of P-Square. After an exciting performance of Good or Bad, a song released in 2008 by J.Martins in which he featured

P-Square and Timaya, the twins reconciled both artistes.

J.Martins and Timaya drifted apart after Good and Bad became quite successful, winning several awards, including Hottest Single of the Year award at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards and Best Collaboration for feature at the Headies. At that time, Timaya was still basking in the euphoria of the success of his hit album, Gift and Grace. He included some of the lyrics of his successful album in the collabo which made it more accepted. But the success soon faded away after J. Martins and Timaya disagreed over irregularities in the sales of Good and Bad, which were allegedly not commensurate with the success recorded and applause it received from fans all over the country. Both stars accused one another of cheating and vowed never to work together again. They stopped speaking to each other and did not attempt another collaboration since then. However, after they were reconciled by P-Square, they hugged each other and sang the hit single to the admiration of their fans.

ollywood actress and entrepreneur, Mercy Aigbe seems to have found love again after she left her marriage of five years. The actress who was formerly married to top hotelier, Lanre Gentry left her marriage in 2017 on allegations of domestic violence and infidelity. The mother of two is rumoured to be in a relationship with movie producer, Kazim Adeoti, the boss of Adekaz Production, a movie production outfit.

The two have allegedly been together for a while now and there is hardly any movie produced by Kazim that has not featured the actress. She often plays lead roles in his movies.

Kazim has also produced some of Mercy’s movies and always attends her events. He doesn’t hesitate to celebrate her for any little achievement on his social media space. Mercy in turn calls him boss and he is the one she allegedly refers to as “di owner” in most of her social media posts while hailing herself as “Agbeke aya di owner”. Although Kazim has been married for more than 20 years, his relationship with the actress allegedly poses a threat to his marriage.

Funsho Adeoti, wife of the

Adeoti

Aigbe movie producer, is a notable fashion designer and the owner of Asiwaju Couture. Her upscale store boasts of high-profile clientele in the National Assembly and social circles. Since she

allegedly got to know about her husband’s closeness with Mercy Aigbe, she has not had peace.

She is said to be worried sick that Mercy might soon become her husband’s second wife.

Bbnaija Star Miracle Igbokwe’s J.Martins, Timaya End Seven-year Rift Marriage Hits The Rocks

Martins & Odom

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artins Okechukwu Justice, popularly known as J.Martins, and Inetimi Odom, otherwise known as Timaya, are now on speaking terms. The two talented artistes, who had been at loggerheads with each other since 2014, were reunited by Paul and Peter Okoye, a.k.a P-Square. As part of their effort to re-launch their career in the music industry after they both

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he once rosy union between Miracle Ikechukwu Igbokwe, winner of the 2018 edition of Big Brother Naija reality TV show tagged “Double Wahala” and his American wife, Adaeze, has hit the rocks. The two love birds, who hooked up after the reality star relocated abroad to pursue a career in aviation, have decided to return to the singles club. Miracle and Ada met in the United States.

They dated for some months before making their marriage official in January 2020. However, the reality star ensured he kept his relationship status a top secret.

Even while celebrating his partner on social media, he made sure not to leave a clue about his marital status that his fans can easily decode. Their best kept secret was revealed after things went sour between them. Ada who was

Igbokwe & Ada THEWILLNIGERIA

heartbroken and disappointed took her grievances to the social media. According to her, they were both deeply in love after they met and got married. She described her ex-husband as a very great guy who made her a better person. He encouraged her to go to school, got her a better paying job from which she bought a car.

She claimed never to know that her husband was a celebrity, prior to meeting him as she didn’t watch the Big Brother Naija reality show that launched him into the limelight. She added that Miracle also didn’t want her to know much about the reality show. Cracks began to appear in their marriage in June after they had their first fight, which led to a series of altercations.

Adaeze claimed that she went to jail after she served Miracle divorce papers because of the fight and altercations they had.

But they were able to patch things up and got together again, only for Miracle to eventually quit the marriage. She blamed herself and Miracle for not making their marriage work. However, she made clarifications that the reality show star didn’t marry her because of her Green card.

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STATE OF THE STATES our governance space while frugality assumes the back seat.

Introduction:

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here are concerns that Nigeria’s worsening revenue challenge may escalate into a financial implosion, with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (subnationals), being the worst hit. The situation is aggravated by the nation’s escalating public debt stock (now over N35 trillion). The debt stock comprises domestic and external loan obligations of the Federal Government and the sub-nationals.

With over 70 percent of the nation’s revenue committed to debt servicing annually, governments at all levels are struggling to survive. There is little left for capital budget, pay salaries and undertake other priorities to grow the economy.

Moreover, there is a limit to which the people and corporates could be taxed. Yet, profligacy and waste take the centre of

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As such, the sub-nationals are hemorrhaging huge resources in paying salaries and other emoluments of a bloated bureaucracy.

To survive, they are urged to diversify their revenue base, embark on aggressive internally generated revenue (IGR) and depend less on the shrinking federal allocations.

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

State of the States, a bi-weekly publication, features two states per edition. It endeavours to unearth hidden treasures in each state and ascertain, through consultations and evidencebased survey, areas of comparative advantages and economies

BORNO STATE

orno is a state in the north-east of Nigeria. It shares boundaries with Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest and Adamawa to the south. While its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border forms part of the national border with Niger Republic. Similarly, its north-eastern border forms all of the national border with Chad.

It is the only Nigerian state to border three foreign countries.

Development and Empowerment Programme (ADEP) aimed at improving rural industrialisation at the grassroots.

The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State. Its capital, Maiduguri, is the biggest major trading hub in the state and the entire North-East geopolitical zone.

FACT-FILE: LGA: 27 Land Area: 7.782 sq mi.

Registered businesses: 144 Public primary schools: 1,670 circa Public secondary schools: 113 University (3): Federal - 1, military - 1, state – 1 Polytechnic: State - 1 College of Education: State - 3 College of Agriculture (3): Federal-1, state-2 Nursing/Health Science (4): Federal-1, state- 3 Technical school (3): Federal - 1, state - 2 College of Business Management (2): Federal -1, state-1 Total Revenue: N49.07bn @ 2020 Total Tax: N10.27bn Total IGR: N11.57bn @ 2020 (16.16% of total revenue) FAAC: N32.892bn @ 2020 (67.02% of total revenue) Domestic Debt: N189.04bn @ 2020 External Debt: $20.806m @ 2020 Unemployment rate: 40.80% @ 2020 Airport: Maiduguri International Airport.

Maiduguri lies at the end of a railway route connecting Port Harcourt, Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, Kafanchan, Kuru and Bauchi. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing.

According to Property Market, a publication on real estate and mortgage business, aside Abuja and Lagos, Maiduguri is rated the third most expensive city for buying and renting in properties. The city has always been a place of refuge for rural-urban immigrants from neighbouring countries, including Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Niger and Cameroon.

Borno State is endowed with a climate that is comparatively conducive for agricultural production. Varieties of food and cash crops, such as cowpeas, groundnuts and soya beans grow there.

Maize, millet, sorghum, rice, wheat and bambara nuts are also grown there. Fruits commonly found in the state are orange, lemon, mango and guava. Vegetables that are available in commercial quantities include tomatoes, pepper, onions, okra, pumpkin and melon.

Tubers, such as yam, cassava and sweet potato are grown in large quantity, together with Gum Arabic and ginger. Fishing is a major occupation of the residents, together with the rearing of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and rabbits. Thus the economy of the state is driven largely by agriculture and trading.

of scale. The publication will show-case, in no exaggerated terms, the socio-economic status of each state and highlight the opportunities and threats.

Furthermore, State of the States will examine existing realities that hinge on sector-specific areas of competitive advantage – Agriculture, Tourism, Transportation, Education and Skill Acquisition, Wellbeing and MSMEs. Ultimately, the project seeks to create the desired spotlight on the subnationals to motivate them to venture into something different for better results.

We have featured Lagos and Ogun, Kwara and Kogi, Anambra and Enugu, Benue and Taraba, Kebbi and Sokoto, Cross River and Akwa Ibom, Ekiti and Osun, Bauchi and Gombe, Rivers and Bayelsa, Kano and Jigawa, Imo and Abia.

This week periscopes Borno and Yobe.

The Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) said the grants would help to reinvigorate small businesses affected by violent attacks carried out by Boko Haram insurgents in parts of the state.

Zulum

BY SAM DIALA & OLAYEMI SHABA

Natural Mineral Resources The state is blessed with natural mineral resources, including limestone, kaolin, clay, iron ore, quartz, uranium, magnesite and mica.

The fund is shared among 16 co-operative societies, with each receiving N288,750 to reactivate and improve small-scale agricultural enterprise in their respective communities.

For effective results, members of the beneficiary co-operative societies have undergone training and counseling, prior to disbursing the funds. This is to ensure the judicious utilisation of the grant to boost productivity and improve the livelihood of the communities. The scheme is anchored on the state’s Agri-business THEWILLNIGERIA

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Limestone

Agriculture and Industrial Development Liaising with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the state government is driving agricultural and rural development with utmost zeal enunciated in strategic policies and programmes. To revive dormant small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the government received N4.6 million from the agency, which has been channeled toward the development of various projects. The scheme is executed through approved co-operative societies.

Chad Basin National Park

Tourist Sites Biu Plateau – formed by dormant spews from a volcano, Chad Basin National Park, Mandara Mountains, Borno State museum, Lake Tilla, Rabeh’s Fort, Shehu of Borno’s Palace, Sanda Kyarimi Park, National Gallery of Arts, Maiduguri, Jarry Falls and Lake Chad.

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STATE OF THE STATES

Borno Working Towards Post-Insurgency Economy A fter years of devastating attacks by Boko Haram insurgents operating in the North-East, with Borno as the epicentre, the Borno State Government appears to be determined to rehabilitate the people and to rebuild the battered economy. To this end, it has received the support of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), the agency created by the Federal Government to manage the reconstruction of the region devastated by insurgency.

The state government is redoubling its efforts to boost agriculture, particularly production of cash crops, in order to create employment and enhance food security. The adverse effects of insurgency on fishing, one of the primary occupations of the people, is receiving due attention from the government and donor agencies.The government is eyeing post-insurgency reconstruction for lasting economic development.

The state is partnering with Sudan in the production of wheat, gum Arabic and livestock in the Lake Chad basin.

At a recent forum attended by the Sudanese Experts in Agriculture and Livestock (SEAL) in Maiduguri, the state

government disclosed that the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) had earmarked $500,000 (about N2.5 billion) for the execution of projects in the agricultural sector of the economy.

It noted that Borno and Sudan share about the same ‘climatic and soil conditions’ for the production of wheat and gum Arabic, as they have comparative advantages over other African countries. It said the agricultural and livestock projects would be extended to the rural areas to restore the people’s livelihood destroyed during the years of insurgency.

The chairman of the Borno State Partnership Committee and former Minister of State for Agriculture, BukarTijjani, acknowleged that the state was the epicentre of terrorism in the North-East and it was devastated since July 2009.

According to him, many farmers and herders lost their means of livelihood and took refuge in various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the state.

“As peace gradually returns to the state, all hands must be

on deck over stabilisation and recovery process to restore livelihoods for economic growth and development.

Tijjani noted that as Sudan is one of the leading producers of gum Arabic and wheat, and the partnership would be adopted to implement the 25-year development plan and 10-year transformation strategy of Governor Babagana Zulum.

Meanwhile, the state government is to establish Rural Urban Grazing Areas (RUGAs) for herders displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the state.

The establishment of the grazing areas is supported by the Federal Government intervention of N4 billion in the state’s 25-year development plan.

The project is built on 250 hectares of land, comprising various infrastructural facilities, including 1.5-km perimeter fencing, closely monitored by the government.

Challenging Factors: Insecurity, declining soil fertility, water shortage, poor infrastructure, adverse weather conditions and sandstorm.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Mining of Mineral Resources

Dairy Production

Gum Arabic Production

Fishing and Processing

Vegetable Farming and Processing

Transportation and Haulage

Agricultural Equipment Rental

Poultry Farming

Cattle Ranching

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STATE OF THE STATES

In Damaturu, the wet season is hot, oppressive and mostly cloudy. The dry season is sweltering, windy and partly cloudy.

Yobe occupies an area of 45,502 square kilometres to become the sixth largest state in Nigeria.The state is an agricultural area producing mainly maize, rice, millet, groundnut, gum Arabic and cotton. Its people also engage in livestock rearing and fishing. It has one of the largest cattle markets in West Africa, which is located in Potiskum.

In its 30 years of existence, Yobe State is said to have fallen short of expectation. The government identified that the three major sectors (education, health and agriculture) has suffered a major setback over the years. One of its major problems, from its early years, has been identified as environmental, such as the consistent threat of desertification. Most parts of the state are surrounded by moving sand dunes that regularly consume farmland, depriving farmers of their means of livelihood.

Natural Resources Yobe is blessed with many natural resources that could be mined in commercial quantities, including potash, kaolin, gypsum gravel, silica sand, limestone, diatomite, gold, silver, tin, copper, lead, zinc, iron, nickel, chromium, aluminum, uranium and dimension stone.

Tourist Sites Tourist sites in Yobe include Dufuna Canoe, Bula Tura Oases at Nguru, Dokshi Spring Water, Dagona Birds Sanctuary, Birnin Ngazargamu in Tulo-Tulowa, Kamti Festival, Barakau Festival, Old Daniski Settlement, Bade Fishing and Cultural Festival, Daura Old Settlement in Fika, Goya Valley, Hadejia Nguru Wetland and Damaturu Monument.

Public-Private-Partnership friendly policies having partner with Nigeria Shippers’ Council for the construction of a Trailer Transit Park in Potiskum and Family Homes for the building of 3,600 housing units across the state, the construction of an ultra-modern market in Damaturu; resuscitation of the Sahel Alluminium Roofing Sheet Factory, Potiskum; woven sacks industry, Damaturu and Yobe Flour and Feed Mills, Potiskum, among others.

The governor also took advantage of the gathering to unveil the investment potential of the state.

FACT-FILE: LGA: 17 Land Area: 7.568 sq mi.

Registered businesses: 39 Public primary schools: 1,020 circa Public secondary schools: 289 University (2): Federal -1, state-1 Polytechnic (2): Federal- 1, state - 1 College of Education (3): Federal- 1, state-2 College of Agriculture: 1 Nursing/Health & Science School (2): Federal -1, state- 1 Technical school: 1 College of Business Management: 1 Total Revenue: N57.21bn @ 2020 Total Tax: N 5.90bn @ 2020 Total IGR: N17.77bn @ 2020 (13.60% of total revenue) FAAC: N49.43bn @ 2020 (89.40% of total revenue) Domestic Debt: N54.86bn @ 2020 External Debt: $26.55m @ 2020 Unemployment rate: 50.20% @ 2020

Buni

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obe State, located in north-eastern Nigeria, was created on August 27, 1991 from the old Borno State. Its capital is Damaturu and its largest city is Potiskum. Yobe shares boundaries with the Niger Republic by the north and Borno by the east; Gombe to the south-west, Bauchi by the west and Jigawa by the north-west.

YOBE STATE

Agriculture and Industrial Development Yobe is driving socio-economic development through various schemes. The state government and the Kingdom of Morocco are partnering in the areas of agricultural development and youth empowerment. Both sides will work toward the resuscitation of the Gujba Fertiliser Blending Plant so that farmers in Yobe State and across the country will have a steady and dependable source of fertiliser supply.

The agricultural partnership, according to the state government, will also explore date farming and animal breeding to tap into the vast agricultural and animal resources in the state and provide employment for thousands of people.

Dufuna Canoe

Governor Mai Mala Buni announced that his government had already commenced discussion on the stimulation of economic growth in the state with the encouragement of

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Gypsum gravel

Established 40 years ago, CONSCCIMA is the largest regional organised private sector body that comprises 19 northern chambers of commerce, including the Federal Capital Territory.

It is also the biggest business assemblage, which has its headquarters at Kaduna, Kaduna State.

Dokshi Spring

The state hosted the 38th Annual General Meeting of the Coalition of Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CONSCCIMA) in Damaturu in December 2019 to unlock her industrial potential.

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NEW YEAR EDITION 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STATE OF THE STATES ‘We are Focusing on Education and Agriculture’

Y

obe State was first hit by terrorist activities in 2009.

The Boko Haram insurgency badly affected every aspect of the residents’ lives, especially the education sector. According to Governor Mai Mala Buni, to get it right in the coming years, the state has to prioritise education and agriculture.

Yobe is adopting a new approach to developing education, with the declaration of an ‘emergency’ in the sector. Determined to improve the standard of education, the state government is encouraging enrolment in schools and the provision of infrastructure that will move the state forward educationally.

More classrooms has been built and equipped with learning aids.

In the last two years, the government awarded hundreds of scholarships to the people, mainly in health care, engineering, technology and agriculture. With two universities: Yobe

State University, Damaturu and Federal University, Gashua, educational opportunities have been expanded. New modern markets are also being built in the major towns of the state. .

What informed this decision was the awareness that agriculture is essential to the development of the state and the country, as well as the knowledge of the devastation that communities face due to incessant encroachment of the desert. The government, therefore, recognises the role of human capital in driving its socio-economic development through education and agribusiness.

The first step taken by the Buni administration was to organise an agricultural summit. It was the first-ever agricultural summit in the state According to Mamman Muhammed, a social commentator, this gathering of scholars, experts and captains of industry was

convened with the aim of developing a strategic roadmap that would ensure long-term solutions on how best to harness the state’s God-given potential and resources in such a way that Yobe farmers can have comparative advantage in agricultural production, as it also finds sustainable ways to remedy the hazards of desertification.

A carefully selected group of experts came up with a road map and plan, which include, among others, drawing up an effective agricultural master plan based on practicable models, feasible schemes and copious subsidies.

The outcome and recommendations dwelled on the need for meticulous securing of sturdy implements and materials, timely procurement and subsidies on fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and other requisites. It also emphasised the expansion of utility of the industry through revamped storage, processing of produce and the facilitation of marketing opportunities to augment the value chain.

Challenging Factors: Insurgency, declining soil fertility, water shortage, poor infrastructure, adverse weather condition and sandstorms.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Mechanised Farming

Cattle Rearing

Cotton Farming

Meat and Fish Packaging

Water Refill Station

Transport/Haulage

Gum Production

Veterinary Clinic

Pharmaceutic

PAGE 44

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NEW YEAR EDITION 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

RETURNS ON UTILIZATION OF FUNDS SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 31ST-DECEMBER 2021 This publication: Mandated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) BANK: ECOBANK NIgERIA LIMITED

SN

CUSTOMER

ITEM OF IMPORT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 " 21 " 22 23 " 24 25 26 27 28 " 29 30 " 31 " 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED ECOBANK GUINEA CONAKRY ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED AKANBI JOSEPH ADETOYE KAZE ROSELYN VOU IDOWU TOMIWOLOJU DAMILARE OJUKWU JOSEPH FAJINMI EJIRO IYINOLUWA ARIBIAH FRANCIS OBERU OLADEJI SUNDAY AMOS DAWODU AKINTUNDE OLUSOJI OKUYA OYOVWI ADEREMI TOLULOPE TOBI ADEREMI TOLULOPE TOBI AJIBOLA ABIODUN OJO NIGERITE LIMITED NIGERITE LIMITED GVE PROJECTS LTD BUA SUGAR REFINERY LIMITED BUA SUGAR REFINERY LIMITED 29-Dec-21 BUA SUGAR REFINERY LIMITED 29-Dec-21 BUA SUGAR REFINERY LIMITED BUA SUGAR REFINERY LIMITED 29-Dec-21 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC BENGOODMAN ENTERPRISES NIGERIA LTD DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED 29-Dec-21 DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED 29-Dec-21 DE UNITED FOODS INDUSTRIES LIMITED 29-Dec-21 MASSILIA MOTORS LIMITED GOODFAV ELECTRICAL ENTERPRISE EUNACO REFRACTORIES LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED STEEL LINE INDUSTRIES LIMITED

39

WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

NAMPAK CARTONS NIGERIA LIMITED NAMPAK CARTONS NIGERIA LIMITED LNPACK INDUSTRIES LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED SHAKTI INDUSTRIES LIMITED SHAKTI INDUSTRIES LIMITED OLYMPIC INKS LIMITED GHANA HIGH COMMISSION NGBOCHI ISAAC TUFNELL LIMITED I GLOBE PHARM LTD METALBERG MANUFACTURING LTD METALBERG MANUFACTURING LTD METALBERG MANUFACTURING LTD METALBERG MANUFACTURING LTD METALBERG MANUFACTURING LTD WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD

DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL REPATRIATION DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL REPATRIATION DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL REPATRIATION PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION DEAL REVERSED DEAL REVERSED OFFSHORE CHARGE OFFSHORE CHARGE SOLAR PANEL IMPORTATION US NO 2 OR BETTER HARD RED WINTER WHEAT IN BULK, PROTEIN MIN 11PCT "SPARES FOR MACHINERY 414.00 "RAW SUGAR IN BULK 414.00 RAW SUGAR IN BULK "SPARES FOR MACHINERY 414.00 OFFSHORE CHARGE OFFSHORE CHARGE SEASONING FOR NOODLES SEASONING FOR NOODLES "SEASONING FOR NOOODLES 414.00 OFFSHORE CHARGE "POLYRINSAN AND KANSUI 414.00 "SEASONING FOR NOOODLES 414.00 OFFSHORE CHARGE IMPORTATION OF RAW MATERIALS FOR PURCHASE OF INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS (SPECIALTY LUBRICANT) PIGMENTS ETHYL ACETATE CRODAMIDE ER-BE-(HU) ERUCAMIDE OFFSHORE CHARGE TVS HLX PLUS 100CC KS (AGD) MOTORCYCLES IN CKD - TVS BRAND, ENGINE TYPE: 4 STROKE PETROL VERSION OFFSHORE CHARGE OFFSHORE CHARGE Importation of PVC Compound 5-007 METHANOL PURE INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS AND SPARE PARTS LDPE ELITE 5401 G ETHYL ACETATE DEAL REVERSED DEAL REVERSED IOTIM EYE DROPS, IOTIM-D EYE DROPS, ZO EYE DROPS IMPORTATION RAW MATERIALS IMPORTATION RAW MATERIALS IMPORTATION RAW MATERIALS IMPORTATION RAW MATERIALS IMPORTATION RAW MATERIALS TVS 3W SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES - TVS BRAND TVS 3W SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES - TVS BRAND TVS 3W SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES - TVS BRAND TVS 3W SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES - TVS BRAND MACHINERY FOR STORAGE AND RE-PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT (STATIC CONVERTER) - LUMINOUS BRAND INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS - ACTIVATED EARTH INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS - ACTIVATED EARTH DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL REPATRIATION DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL REPATRIATION PAYMENT FOR GOODS - LTE MIFI PAYMENT FOR HARD AND SOFT WARE ITEMS DEAL REVERSED PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA PTA EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION Sniper Flying Insect Killer 300ML/600ML Sniper Crawling Insect Killer 300ML/600ML/750ML Sniper Multipurpose Insect Killer 300ML/600ML AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 100ML AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 1L AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 250ML AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 100ML AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 1L AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE: KOMBAT 250ML Sniper Flying Insect Killer 300ML/600ML Sniper Crawling Insect Killer 300ML/600ML/750ML Sniper Multipurpose Insect Killer 300ML/600ML AGRICULTURAL HERBICIDE: BUSTER 1L AGRICULTURAL HERBICIDE: ROOTER 1KG AGRICULTURAL HERBICIDE: ROOTER 225GM

60

WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104

MULTI-CHEM INDUSTRIES LTD MULTI-CHEM INDUSTRIES LTD ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED SPECTRANET LIMITED SPECTRANET LIMITED SPECTRANET LIMITED OYEDEJI WURAOLA OLORUNTOBI OFILI PRECIOUS FAVOUR ODUJOKO ABIMBOLA HELEN ADERIBIGBE OLASEHINDE MASELI OGHENETEGA MASELI OGHENEKOME SAKA TAIWO AYINDE ADENIKINJU OLUMAYOWA OLA UKAEGBU EMMANUEL EZE PETER KEBE ADEGBUYI YEWANDE ENWEREM DANIEL AHAMEFULA TEMIDAYO IREBAMI ADEOYE AJUNWA AMANDA CHIAMAKA ADESINA OLUWASEUN DANIEL AKINNITIRE OLUBUNMI VICTORIA OWOSHAGBA AJOKE OMORINRE AJIBOLA AMBALI ADEOYE YUSUF OPEYEMI TOSIN SAKA SODIQ ISHOLA EKELE AHCENEJE EMEKA ADEGBUYI OLUSEUN LAWAN MOHAMMED TELA BAMIJOKO OLUBUNMI OLAOYE KAZEEM OLATUNBOSUN ALI SALISU MOHAMMED SALISU ABDULWAHAB ALIYU ADEYEMI OLUWAYOMI OLUWATOYIN ASHUBIOJO OLAREMI JUDITH AWOMUSE OLUBUNMI BOLANLE OYEYIGA OPEOLUWA ABAYOMI FAWIBE OLATUNDE OLUSEGUN NWANKWOR ONYENACHI SAMUEL EZEKAKA IFEANYI AROTAYO ABDUL-LATEEF AYOBAMI AWE RACHEAL OLAMIDE UMAR USMAN ZAGGA

105

SARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED

106

SARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED

107

SARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED

108

SARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED

109

SARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED

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THEWILLNG

DATE OF USD EXCHANGE FUND SALE RATE

THEWILLNIGERIA

AMOUNT

29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 24-Dec-21 24-Dec-21 24-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 28-Jun-21 75,000.00 28-Jun-21 8,025.39 29-Dec-21 29-Jun-21 3,420.34 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Jun-21 283.40 29-Dec-21 29-Jun-21 290.08 29-Jun-21 7.72 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21

443.50 413.00 452.62 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 413.85 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00 411.00 411.00 411.00 411.00 414.00 412.10 412.10 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00 412.10 412.10 414.00 412.10 412.10 412.10 412.10 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00 414.00

748,584.74 61,250.00 1,349,752.92 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,903.40 4,000.00 1,517.40 12,125.01 7,947.00 300.00 403.80 4,038.00 60.00 60.00 75.00 9,376.52 2,484.90 4,194.00 699.00 1,500.00 8,454.09 3,995.90 3,995.90 2.27 20.00 843.36 620.39 4,000.00 3,926.29 1,932.09 4,000.00 3,968.06 4,000.00 4,000.00 474.83 346.93 637.30 510.00 833.09 1,104.65 21,101.85

29-Dec-21

414.00

1,029.24

29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21

414.00 414.00 414.00 413.00 413.00 413.00 413.00 413.00 411.00 413.85 413.85 410.92 413.00 412.50 412.00 412.00 413.50 413.50 413.50 413.50

1,535.38 4,547.50 662.81 14,436.16 26,085.80 41,942.50 21,451.54 31,084.00 34,445.00 17,314.00 12,350.00 78,683.19 5,316.81 450,000.00 28,096.62 437,903.38 12,160.88 336,608.00 131,386.43 69,041.70

29-Dec-21

413.50

121,146.94

29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 23-Dec-21 23-Dec-21 23-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21

413.50 413.00 443.50 452.62 413.50 413.50 413.50 413.85 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95

234,548.75 65,451.25 748,584.74 1,349,752.92 5,546.29 397.81 5,944.10 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,994.89 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,994.89 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,791.76 9,885.66 12,419.79 4,739.70 1,478.88 9,885.66 3,927.18 4,062.60 5,416.80 12,500.00

30-Dec-21

413.25

182,476.80

30-Dec-21

413.25

47,500.00

30-Dec-21

413.25

53,860.00

30-Dec-21

413.25

182,476.80

30-Dec-21

413.25

1,242.70

SN

110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190

SN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

CUSTOMER

ITEM OF IMPORT

DATE OF USD EXCHANGE FUND SALE RATE

Sniper Flying Insect Killer 300ML/600ML Sniper Crawling Insect Killer 300ML/600MSARO AGROSCIENCE LIMITED L/750ML Sniper Multipurpose Insect Killer 300ML/600ML SUCCESS LINKS MEGA TRADE CONCEPT MOTORCYCLE IN CKD GREAT FOTREX VENTURES EMBOSSED STEEL SECURITY DOOR EL-KABOD INTERNATIONAL COMPANY NIGERIA LIMITED USED LABELLING MACHINE DON KING UDOKA ENTERPRISES CHILDREN TOYS GLOBAL CHIDEX NIGERIA LIMITED ELECTRICAL GOODS BENECHUKS MERCANTILE COM LTD TRANSMISSION VALVE OSAYUWA FARMS USED MEDIUM DUTY DISC HARROWS EMCAL VENTURE BANNER PRINTING MATERIAL ARIKSON GENERAL CONTRACTS AND COMPANY PRECISE 2316 PANEL SAW NIGERIA LIMITED ONATEN TRADING COMPANY INDUSTRIAL FILLTER, PNEUMATIC TRANSMISSION VALVE JOTHAN LIMITED LIGHTER BECELL JOEJEM TECHNICAL SERVICES SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE NOC ESSENTIAL PLUS LIMITED TRACTOR IN CBU KING DAVIDE BABIES INTERNATIONAL STORE CHILDREN TOYS SUNNY GOODNESS OVERSEAS LTD TOYS 2000 PCS OF VALVE SETS (VALVE NOZZLE/LANGE/OIL VALVE/AIR CONTROL VALVE) IB INTERNATIONAL COMPANY PECULIAR JEMIZE AND EJAIZY CO ENTERPRISES AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY M-SQUARE AND FINISHING LIMITED WATER PUMP AUTO BATTERY BRAND 3 POWER /YOKOHAMA/AUTO POWER/AFAM/XTREME POWER GULFSTAR NIGERIA LTD MODEL: N45MF 12V45AH DUM-DUM GLOBAL CONCERNS LIMITED USED KNITTING MACHINE P.O.DOCTOR NIG ENTERPRISE STANDARD MOULD BASE MAIDMALL LIMITED ALUMINIUM NOT ALLOYED BRAND CICA FOODS LTD DEXTROSE MONOHYDRATE PROMEDIX LIMITED DEGLUCO 500MG (METFORMIN) TIBAO TIBAO RESOURCES TRANSMISSION VALVE SEAL ALMAS RESOURCES NIGERIA LIMITED 180 UNITS OF COMPLETELY KNOCKED DOWN COMPONENTS FOR MOTORCYCLES KENEUGO GLOBAL RESOURCES LED ENERGY SAVING LAMPS NGBOCHI ISAAC TUFNELL LIMITED 453-ENG LAGOS - WESTERN AVENUE STANCOLA CONTRACTING LIMITED ALUMINUM MATERIALS ROUGES AND GRAINS LIMITED ISOLATION SWITCH ABS FRANC ENTERPRISES ALLOY WHEEL ZENES ELECTRICALS AND ELECTONICS SEWING MACHINE, Brand: HUAKING, Model: W-100 CYNGODS POWER INTERNATIONAL LIMITED COMPOSTION LEATHER TRIBROZ GOBAL LTD STANDARD MOULD BASE BLESSED AYDOT NIGERIA ENTERPRISES IRRIGATION SYSTEM PUMPING MACHINE,BRAND FENDA MODEL:50KB-2 TONYLEX ENTERPRISES AGRICULTURAL WATER PUMP BRAND SUMEC MODEL WP30X NNEBE INDUSTRIES LIMITED USED PARTS S ALABI AUTO MECHAN WORKS AND GEN C USED LABELLING MACHINE TARTANTRACK NIGERIA LIMITED CAR ACCESSORIES NEDSDELIGHT GLOBAL RESOURCES SCREWS DON EMILY GLOBAL ENTERPRISES TABLET MACHINE BRAND: TUOYE MODEL: 100KN ZIM ZINA RESOURCES INSECTICIDE SPRAYER BRAND GREATEST GREAT GIFT VENTURES Signal Brand Hammer ,Signal Brand Measuring Tape ,ignal Brand Paint Brush HOUSE OF PAUL ENTERPRISES SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE ECHOONE GLOBAL RESOURCES LTD BALL VALVES - ACTIGRE MODEL YY1501 SERRAL AND BENDAT LTD AGRICULTURAL MACHINE SPARE PARTS-VALVES FOR PNEUMATIC TRANSMISSION CHEVON GLOBAL RES LTD SEWING MACHINE/PARTS JOHNCO GLOBAL LINKS LTD MEASURING TAPE FOR INDUSTRIAL USE 3 AY HERITAGE VENTURES PLAIN ALUMMINUM COIL KHAFAGA IMPORT AND EXPORT LTD FOOD PROCESSING MACHINE USED WANDEL INTERNATIONAL NIG LTD RAW MATERIALS KUPONIYI ADEFOLAHAN KIKELOMO DEAL REVERSED KUPONIYI AYOTUNDE SUNDAY-SIMEON DEAL REVERSED MAKINDE OLUWASEUN TOSIN PTA OGUNDE ONYIYECHUKWU LILIAN PTA ETETE TEMISANREN PTA ADESANYA FATIMAH OLAMIDE PTA OLAJIDE OLUWATOBI OLUWADEMILADE PTA FILANI ABIOLA PTA UMAR USMAN ZAGGA PTA MUHAMMED BALKISU PTA ADEBIYI ABIGAIL PTA OYEDEJI CAROL EDEINOKUN UPKEEP OYEDEJI CAROL EDEINOKUN MORTGAGE PAYMENT AJALA ABEL LIVING EXPENSE AKU JIBRIL J MORTGAGE PAYMENT OLAGOKE OLUTOSIN ESTHER UP KEEP AZEEZ JAMIU ABOLAJI UP KEEP OLASINDE OLUFEMI OLALEKAN UPKEEP OLASINDE OLUSEYI YEWANDE UPKEEP GHANA HIGH COMMISSION GOVERNMENT OF GHANA SPECIAL COLLECTION FERDINAND KINGSLEY MAINTENANCE/LIVING EXPENSES AINA OLUBISI FELIX MORTGAGE PAYMENT AINA OLUBISI FELIX MORTGAGE PAYMENT EZEANI VICTORIA CHIWENDU LIVING EXPENSES DARE EMMANUEL OKUNTILU LIVING EXPENSE NNAMDI-EKWEM CHIAMAKA VIVIAN LIVING EXPENSE KESBEL AND GOLDMAN LIMITED UPKEEP IQUAIBOM EKPO AKPAN UPKEEP IPI POWERTECH NIGERIA LIMITED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS

30-Dec-21

413.25

210,366.72

30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21

413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95

20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00

30-Dec-21

413.95

20,000.00

30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21

413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95

20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00

30-Dec-21

413.95

20,000.00

30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21

413.95 413.95

20,000.00 20,000.00

30-Dec-21

413.95

20,000.00

30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21

413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.50 413.75 413.75 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 413.95 411.09 411.09 412.00 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 412.00 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 411.09 412.00 413.00

20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 17,314.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 196,656.05 3,972.15 3,972.15 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,994.89 3,737.59 3,987.82 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 3,933.56 2,421.17 4,747.40 2,916.26 4,747.40 3,051.90 3,051.90 3,024.77 3,024.77 16,000.00 2,984.08 1,121.37 1,121.37 3,062.75 2,984.08 3,002.25 1,356.40 2,000.00 30,451.25

RETURNS ON SOURCES OF FUNDS PURCHASED FROM CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 31ST-DECEMBER 2021

SOURCE CBN INTERVENTION OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS CBN INTERVENTION OTHERS OTHERS DOMICILIARY ACCOUNTS DOMICILIARY ACCOUNTS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS CBN INTERVENTION CBN INTERVENTION CBN INTERVENTION CBN INTERVENTION CAPITAL IMPRT/FDI DOMICILIARY ACCOUNTS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS DOMICILIARY ACCOUNTS DOMICILIARY ACCOUNTS TOTAL AMOUNT AVERAGE AMOUNT

DATE OF FUND PURCHASE 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 29-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 30-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 31-Dec-21

AMOUNT

USD EXCHANGE RATE 443.00 413.00 410.21 410.21 452.12 412.00 412.85 412.50 411.01 410.25 410.25 410.25 410.25 443.00 452.12 411.95 411.95 413.00 412.00 410.31 410.31 410.31 410.31 410.31 411.00 410.25

AMOUNT 748,584.74 61,250.00 289,562.97 504,327.03 1,349,752.92 135,000.00 800.00 722,000.00 34,729.00 75,488.33 2,641.40 43,990.07 109,778.27 748,584.74 1,349,752.92 1,000,000.00 800,000.00 677,923.02 58,000.00 5,715.90 175,496.90 1,165.81 906,282.73 108,979.03 11,188.13 81,462.80 10,002,456.71 384,709.87

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Mama Roz’s Chronicles

Unrequited Love Prison Series (3)

shortcomings. Mercy was made for him.

BY ROZ AMECHI

They had four children together over a span of ten glorious years and then tragedy struck. Their last child was but a few months old. Mercy had never really recovered after the birth.

She became very sick and could not go to the farm or even take care of the house.

He had to help her with everything. Four days before Christmas she was so ill, he took her to the hospital for a scan but they could not find anything and could not explain her ailment. They returned home and opted to go for traditional medicine.

On the 28th of December, three days after Christmas, Mercy gave up and left her best friend, Jerome to cope with their four children alone.

J

Jerome’s Story erome had been a farmer all his life. His parents were both farmers too and it never occurred to him that he would be anything else.

Farmers grow things, they nurture life; they do not kill and it makes him sad to be associated with killing of any sort.

When he thinks back on the events that brought him to his present abode, Jerome sees the death of his wife as the defining moment; the point when the light went out of his life and the darkness set in slowly but surely, blotting out the light, guiding the events until everything was total darkness.

That’s how he sees his life now, total darkness and he still wonders how he got here.

Jerome met his wife Mercy in 1995. Like him, both of her parents were farmers and she had practically grown up on a farm.

Again, like him, she was a Christian but not well educated. In fact, neither of them had gone past standard six. Jerome always knew he wanted to be a farmer, even as a child.

Farming did not lend itself to education much. During the planting and harvesting seasons, he always had to leave school to join his parents in their huge farms.

They both had separate farms, and he worked on both farms as a child and a young adult. With so much time spent out of school, he fell far behind with his studies and finally dropped out completely before he got to standard six. As a young adult he started off farming a portion of his father’s land in Kwaka, Suleja and in time was able to purchase some land and start his own farm.

Being out in the farm most of the time also prevented Jerome from building a social life and consequently his social development which included dating and approaching women was completely stunted. At the age of 39, Jerome had neither married nor even had a stable relationship with any woman.

He was afraid to speak to women for fear of rejection and had no idea how to relate to them. Mercy was therefore a blessing in disguise for him because with her, he did not require much experience in speaking or socialising.

Mercy took charge from the very first day.

Her parents’ farm was close to his and she had been observing him for a couple of years. She liked the way he kept to himself and was very diligent with his farm. She also liked the fact that he went to church every Sunday like her parents; they all attended the same church. Mercy had taken to stopping by his farm to talk to him most days. He wasn’t much of a talker and he was very shy around women. Mercy didn’t seem to notice. As she talked, she would help him with weeding and tilling his farm. Sometimes he presented some of his produce to her as gifts and she was very appreciative.

Marrying Mercy came naturally; it was a given. In her, he knew he had found his life partner and she never gave him reason to regret his decision. She was his friend, his companion and his lover. She knew everything about him and tolerated his

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Jerome was devastated after the death of Mercy. He felt he had lost everything.

The one person he could totally rely on, who stood beside him through thick and thin was gone. He was inconsolable. His parents and siblings gave him all the help they could render but when they went back to their own homes, he was all alone. The two youngest children at 18 months and 4 months, were too young for him to care for alone while also tending his farm, so he sent them to live with his sister. It was a sad time for his family as the thread that held them together had departed.

For a few years Jerome was alone but was well aware that he needed to find another wife, a companion who would help him raise his children. He was no longer as shy around women as he used to be but he also didn’t have much experience in that area either. The only women he knew and related to were either farmers or the women

“

Encouraged by her last victory, Christiana was unmoved. “Jerome” she said, “Come and stop me then. You better choose between the firewood and your life” she declared. The odds seemed a bit extreme but with their flaring tempers, neither of them stopped to put it in perspective.

he sold his produce to. And that was how he met Christiana.

Christiana was from another village.

She frequently visited Kwaka, where Jerome worked and lived, to buy produce to sell in her village. She was 41 years old and had been previously married with 4 children. Her first marriage had ended in divorce and she met Jerome two years later.

Christiana had a fiery spirit unlike the calm nature of his first wife Mercy but Jerome liked her. He gave her gifts from his farm every time she returned to her village. He proposed to her within a few months and she stayed with him for 8 months after he had proposed.

At the end of that time, she went home to prepare for the marriage ceremony. He gave her N3,000 to buy a tree near his farm which she wanted to use for firewood. He helped her cut it down and she took part of the wood with her to sell when she went home leaving the rest on his farm.

She had spent quite a few weeks at home, more time than it took to prepare for a wedding, when Jerome sent word to her to find out why she had not returned. Initially there was no response but a few weeks later Christiana reappeared and told Jerome that she was no longer in love with him and that she would not be continuing with the wedding plans.

She visited a few more times after that to collect her firewood but still insisted that she was not interested in the marriage. Jerome did not accept her rejection and sent word to her parents that he was still waiting to hear from them about the wedding plans.

The third time she came for her firewood, Jerome was in the farm and asked her what she came for. “I came to collect my firewood” she said.

“You cannot collect any more firewood. I gave you the money for

the tree so the wood is mine. Since you said you don’t love me anymore, you cannot collect the remaining firewood” he responded. She ignored him and collected another batch of firewood which she balanced on her head and walked away.

left his farm and went to his brother’s house to inform him of the incident and to seek his advice. His brother told him not to worry, he would go and see her family the next day to resolve it. If she required any medical assistance, they would take care of it.

A week or so later she returned for more firewood. Again, Jerome tried to stop her. “You can’t take any more firewood from here” he said. “I’ve told you not to come here again.

What are you looking for here? The firewood is not yours”

That morning as Jerome’s elder brother prepared to go to Christiana’s village, they received word that Christiana had bled to death on her way home. She never made it to her village alive. Jerome was devastated.

This was now a murder case.

Encouraged by her last victory, Christiana was unmoved. “Jerome” she said, “Come and stop me then.

You better choose between the firewood and your life” she declared.

The odds seemed a bit extreme but with their flaring tempers, neither of them stopped to put it in perspective.

His brother went to Christiana’s village head to tell him what had happened at the farm. Christiana’s corpse had been taken to the village and the police went there to collect it. Jerome’s elder brother informed the police that she was his brother’s fiancé and that there had been an altercation which led to both of them being injured. The police told him to produce his junior brother and Jerome was arrested and taken to their Minna office for questioning.

Jerome was sitting down at this point and she advanced on him with the axe she used for cutting the firewood in her hand. When she got close to him, he stood up and she pushed him back. He lost his balance and fell over sustaining a little injury. He got up again and Christiana, furious by this time, raised the axe to strike him. He pushed the axe (which was still in her hand) back and it hit her on the forehead resulting in a gash. She held her head in her hands, screaming as she left, and went home without the firewood.

Jerome was disturbed by the altercation. He did not have time to examine the extent of injury Christiana had sustained but he knew her forehead was bleeding. He also knew that her family would be very upset about this turn of events. So, he

He spent almost two years awaiting trial and then was sentenced to life imprisonment which was further reduced to 25 years. He has served 9 years of his sentence so far.

Jerome’s parents are still farming in Kwaka. As a result of what seemed like a minor altercation, lives have been destroyed and children have been rendered parentless. His four children, two boys and two girls now live with one of his sisters.

Christiana’s four children are being raised by her relatives. Jerome deeply regrets the incident that led to the loss of Christiana’s life.

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

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THEWILL Guide To AFCON 2021

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

A

fter enduring two enforced postponements, due to unfavourable climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, the TotalEnergies 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), will now take place between January 9 and February 6, 2022 in Cameroon. About 52 countries out of the 54 on the continent took part in the qualifying stages of the competition, with Eritrea and Somalia opting out. In the end, 24 national teams booked their slots for what will be the 33rd edition of the biennial continental tournament.

Group C COMOROS The qualifying series for Cameroon 2021 had a fairy-tale ending for Les Coelacantes of Comoros as they resiliently reached their first-ever AFCON to the pleasure of coach Amir Abdou. A toptwo Group G finish was no small feat for Comoros as the group boasted stronger footballing nations like Kenya, with six AFCON appearances and one win, Togo, with eight appearances and one win, and group winners Egypt, 25 appearances and seven wins.

But, the small island nation, which has only been competing in international football since 2006, picked up the second ticket in the group and will hope to show Africa some more of their resilience in Cameroon.

The 24 teams were drawn into four-teamed groups from A to F for the initial round of the competition. Group A, with hosts Cameroon are billed to play their matches at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé.

They will contend against Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Ethiopia.

Group B, consisting of Guinea, Malawi, Senegal and Zimbabwe, will compete at the Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam while Group C teams - Comoros, Gabon, Ghana and Morocco - will slug it out at the Yaoundé-based Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.

GABON Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's captainship of the Panthers of Gabon was inspiring as it led to their return to competing for glory on the continental stage after missing the previous 2019 edition.

Although their last appearance was in 2017, their best showing at the AFCON had been a while. They have never gone past the quarter-finals stage, which they reached twice before in 1996 and 2012. With Patrice Neveu in their dugout, applying tactical injection into the team's game, they have a good shot at better outcomes.

THEWILL provides below, a definitive guide to the 23 African teams that have proven themselves, through tough qualifying games, at home and away, with fans and without, in times of normalcy and under the health and safety protocols of the COVID-19 era, to be capable of representing the best the continent has to offer in football terms with the intention to battle it out in Cameroon for the title of African Champions.

Of the lot, two teams, from the Comoros and the Gambia are going to their debut AFCON tournament and will have nothing to prove but to show that they deserved their opportunity to be reckoned with on the continent. Nigeria's group mates, Egypt, are going for their 25th episode as the country with the most appearances and the most successful African side in the competition, having won it seven times previously.

In the THEWILL guide that follows, there are details of how many times each qualified country has made it to the AFCON, when they last played at the continental showpiece of African football excellence, in what years each team performed their best and how they ended their part of the competition during their best years to better appreciate the background to this year's qualifiers and to have as a handy keepsake when the tournament kicks off next Sunday.

To keep it orderly, the 24 teams have been arranged according to their groups, from A to F. Group A BURKINA FASO Prior to qualifying for the 2021 AFCON, the Stallions of Burkina Faso have made 11 appearances at the continental event, but they are yet to win the trophy. The closest they have come to clinching the coveted African trophy was in 2013. They lost the final to the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Their last AFCON was the 2017 edition as they failed to qualify for 2019. They have qualified for this year’s event in Cameroon, which will be their 12th appearance, under the guidance of Coach Kamou Malo.

CAMEROON As hosts, the Indomitable Lions will be participating at the 2022 competition with Coach Toni Conceicao in charge. They have been one of the most successful African teams at the continental level, with five trophies to show for their 20 appearances. They are also one of the few African teams to successfully defend the continental title between 2000 and 2002, their third and fourth titles. Their last appearance was at the 2019 event where they failed to defend it again after their 2017 success.

CAPE VERDE The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde have previously made it to two AFCON events. The first time was 2013 when they surpassed the expectations of football fans and pundits to reach the quarter-finals.

Their second and last appearance was at the 2015 tournament, where they did not progress beyond the group stages after three draws from three matches. However, as they venture into their third, coach Pedro Leitao Brito, fondly called ‘Babista,’ will be hoping they can improve on their 2013 debut.

ETHIOPIA Ten previous appearances for the Walia Ibex of Ethiopia has THEWILLNIGERIA

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The Super Eagles will seek to reach the knockout stages from Group D while playing against Egypt, Guinea Bissau and Sudan at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in Garoua. The teams in Group E, such as Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone will play at the Douala-sited Japoma Stadium and the Limbe Stadium, just as the Group F teams of Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Tunisia.

established the landlocked country on the Horn of Africa as one of the regular qualifiers but not very successful with winning especially recently because for all their showings, they have only a 1962 title to show. After an eight-year absence, Wubetu Abate's charges must show that they can be known as modern-day winners too.

Group B GUINEA The Syli Nationale of Guinea return for the 13th time to improve on a history of no-show in the honours list at the AFCON tournament.

The disappointing run does not inspire confidence as the best of their 12 previous showings was a dated runner-up slot at the 1976 tournament. There is something to be said about their consistent qualification as their last event was in 2019, but it is expected of the team with the tactical guidance of Kaba Diawara to do more than just make up the numbers for these continental competitions and bring home more honour.

MALAWI The Flames of Malawi have made it to two AFCON tournaments but failed to go beyond the group stages. Malawi is returning to the continental competition after a sustained absence of 11 years.

After a second group stage exit in 2010, Malawi did not qualify for AFCON until this year. It may be something about what the coach, Meke Mwase, has infused into the team or another factor, but if they can build on it, perhaps a better outcome than the previous two may result.

SENEGAL Senegal's Lions of Teranga have built a formidable team with individual talents sprinkled across Europe's biggest clubs heading into next year's African competition. Their 15 previous appearances in the competition tell a story of consistency and resilience and their recent best showing being a runners-up finishing in the last time in 2019 means they have straightforward favourites. It now behoves on Aliou Cisse, their coach to blend these talents into a cohesive force and bring their talents to bear so that the team can improve on their AFCON history of two runners-up endings in Cameroon and demonstrate why they are the highest-ranked African side.

ZIMBABWE The Warriors of Zimbabwe have not been very warlike in their previous four appearances at the African football showpiece. Each time they qualified, they exited at the group stage. In 2004, 2006, 2017 and 2019, the circumstances did not change. They have returned for the 2022 competition with interim coach Norman Mapeza, instead of Zdravko Lugaruric, calling the shots from the dugout, they may be charged to go the distance. Yet, escaping the group may be the sign of better days ahead.

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GHANA The Black Stars of Ghana are the side with the third most appearances that qualified for the competition in 2022. Having been to AFCON 23 times, they deserve the consideration of tournament favourites that seem to follow them every time they show. And, they have the titles to show for it, carrying victories home in the 1963 edition that they defended in the 1965 event and two more in 1978 and 1982.

Though they are yet to claim victories since the turn of the century, their physical toughness and defensive reputation set them apart as a team to watch. But, Milovan Rajevac's charges must know their nation expects a trophy to bring them back to continental reckoning.

MOROCCO One old record of title winning, in far away 1976, is all the Atlas Lions of Morocco have to boast of in their 17 appearances at the African football showpiece that is the AFCON. Although the were at the immediate recent competition of 2019, they failed to make it past the Round of 16, falling to the Republic of Benin through shootouts. It now rests on the leadership qualities of team captain Romain Saiss and coach Vahid Halilhodzic to infuse that winning mentality into the side for a competitive bite to make sure their 18th progression counts for more than just another appearance.

Group D EGYPT The Pharaohs of Egypt have done enough to establish their continental superiority in football at both the national and club levels, even reaching as far as fourth place in the recently concluded FIFA Arab Cup. Their unrivalled seven African titles cement their status as the dominant country of the tournament. They are always favourites to take home the trophy and prove that entitlement as valid often. They have defended the title twice, between 1957 and 1959 and between 2006 and 2008. Added to those four were victorious outings in 1986, 1998 and 2010. Their last showing was at the 2019 event. Carlos Queiroz, their Portuguese coach, will lead the Elephants to once again aim for further glory.

GUINEA BISSAU For each of the two previous appearances of the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau at the AFCON tournament in 2017 and 2019, they have failed to make it beyond the Group stages. But, they have one thing going for them, in that they keep coming back to the continental event. Could this be third time lucky for them, will the the question for their coach Baciro Cande, as he prepares for another shot at the top spots when Cameroon 2021 gets underway next year. If they make it beyond the group level, they will have made some progress on their record.

NIGERIA Three-time winners, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have usually been picked as favourites to win the AFCON every time and there are statistics that back why: the Super Eagles have finished in third place 15 times since 1976. In fact, Nigeria has consistently reached third place at AFCON since 1963. But, shocking, they have just as easily missed clinching the prize, except for the three times in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Yet, they have not always been at the event as they have been banned once, withdrew four times, and failed to qualify in 2012, 2015, and 2017. As the Austin Eguavoen's team flies into AFCON 2021 with an unbeaten qualifying flight, it might just be their year again, with new head coach Jose Peseiro joining as observer.

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