THEWILL JAN 23 - 29 EDITION

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For President, We Need Compassionate, Capable Person – Sonaiya

Economy: Budget Padding Hits N3trn in 6 Years

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– PAGE 16

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The Face of AFRIMA – PAGE 35

T H EWI LLNI GERI A

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AHEAD OF FEBRUARY 26 NATIONAL CONVENTION:

APC Chieftains Intensify Bid For Top Positions

•Four Candidates Emerge Frontrunners for Chairmanship •Party Leadership Yet To Meet Buhari On Zoning, Others •Fresh Fears Over Unresolved Crises •Presidential Aspirants Plot To Have Allies in New NWC

FEATURE

ALMIGHTY DISCOS & MONOPOLY OF POWER

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COVER AHEAD OF FEBRUARY 26 NATIONAL CONVENTION:

APC Chieftains Intensify Bid For Top Positions

•Four Candidates Emerge Frontrunners for Chairmanship •Party Leadership Yet To Meet Buhari On Zoning, Others •Fresh Fears Over Unresolved Crises •Presidential Aspirants Plot To Have Allies in New NWC

BY AYO ESAN

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he governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally announced Saturday, February 26, 2022, as the date for its National Convention.

The announcement followed weeks of uncertainty and intrigue that shook the party to its foundation, especially with the growing speculation that the party may not be too keen about the February date, no thanks to the various antics of the Buni-led caretaker committee to perpetuate itself in power so as to conduct the presidential and governorship primaries of the party.

Now, the initial fear has been laid to rest and the party appears set and ready for its much-anticipated national convention, the scheduling of which was the outcome of a meeting of the APC governors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja. Ahead of the convention, however, intense lobbying, intrigue and uncertainty have pervaded the party across the country over the allocation of the party’s top positions.

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, who is also the Governor of Yobe THEWILLNIGERIA

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State, Mai Mala Buni, had met with President Buhari to fix a date for the party’s national convention.

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 26 for the convention.

That settled, the party last week released the programme of activities for the upcoming event. It meticulously spelt out in detail the activities, which will begin on January 31 and end on February 23, 2022, during which period it will receive the interim report of the National Reconciliation Committee, consider and adopt reports of state congresses and conclude the processes involved in the sale of forms to aspirants, screening them and settling complaints arising from the screening exercises.

The party further said that accreditation of all statutory and elected delegates to the national convention will take place between February 24 and February 23, 2022, while the convention, whose primary objective is to elect national officers to the National Executive Committee, will hold on February 26, 2022 .

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Also the National Convention Appeal to hear and resolve complaints arising from the convention is scheduled for February 28, 2022.

CRISES IN APC STATE CHAPTERS Investigations by THEWILL show that the announcement of February 26, 2022 as the date for the national convention has not stopped the party from further descent into deeper crises. At present, in the APC it is one day, one problem.

THEWILL recalls that the party recorded parallel executives in many states during its 2021 ward, local government and state congresses.

At the last count, as a result of disagreement over the congresses, there are crises in its 15 state chapters, namely Enugu, Delta, Ekiti, Kwara, Bauchi, Taraba, Imo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Zamfara, Lagos, Kano and Rivers States. In another instance, the problem borders on unresolved defection issues. Litigations are also threatening the party.

Zamfara State presents a case of defection. There, the relative peace achieved in the state chapter of the PAGE 5

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COVER party, following the reconciliation of former Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa and their groups, was truncated by the defection of the incumbent governor, Bello Matawalle, from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the party. The defection made the governor leader of the party in the state, according to its constitution. But new-found friends, Yari and Marafa, are united against the governor as his leadership would rob them of their hold on the party structure in the state.

APC Chieftains Intensify

Aggrieved members of the governing party from Ekiti, Osun, Zamfara, Taraba, Lagos, Kwara and Kaduna, to mention just a few states, have either filed or are threatening court actions against the party’s leadership at the state and national levels.

RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE The Congress Appeal Committee set up by the party to mediate in the crisis was rebuffed by aggrieved members of the party in various states. Most of the aggrieved groups in the states where there were crises refused to file petitions before the appeal committee.

So the members of the committee moved back to Abuja when they were presented with no report.

Although the committee is yet to submit its interim report, indications are rife that it may not achieve much reconciliation. In most of the states visited, the committee just met with the aggrieved groups without any concrete effort to ensure peace, according to THEWILL’s checks.

For instance, after the committee left Osun State, there was a disagreement between Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s group, Ileri Oluwa and former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s group, The Osun Progressives (TOP).

Aregbesola, who is the current Minister of Interior, still maintains that the party is polarised into two. Chairman of TOP, My Lowo Adebiyi, admitted that much to THEWILL in a brief interview, but he expressed hope for the better. After his group made its presentation to the Abdullahi committee when it visited Osun State a fortnight ago, he said, ‘’We were told that we will hear from them soon. Let us hope they will do the needful.”

LITIGATION THREATENS CONVENTION Besides the inability of the APC to achieve full reconciliation, litigation is another matter that the party still has to contend with. At press time, seven court cases instituted by the members of the APC and the PDP, as well as the New Nigeria Peoples Party, on the eligibility and legitimacy of the Mai Buni – led committee since it was inaugurated in June 2020, following the sacking of Adams Oshiomhole in that year, are still pending and unresolved.

Senator Marafa, a lawmaker from Zamfara State, has dismissed the party’s plan to hold its national convention in February 2022, urging Buni and members of the Caretaker Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) not to waste the scarce resources of the party in conducting what he described as an “illegal act in the name of national convention” without doing the needful.

Marafa said, “Some of us are putting our papers together to challenge the very existence of the so-called Caretaker Committee headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni. The tenure of that illegal committee expired in June 2021, PAGE 6

Buhari

It was due to this that the party recently inaugurated the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led reconciliation committee to go round the states and reconcile the aggrieved members.

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against the APC may affect the party’s national convention scheduled for February.

We are heading to court. Let the court decide whether our Constitution or the APC constitution has any provision allowing a serving governor to hold office and at the same time preside as (a party’s) national chairman but it is still there acting illegally and causing trouble all over the place. Buni should take the path of honour and resign while he still has the chance.

“We are heading to court. Let the court decide whether our Constitution or the APC constitution has any provision allowing a serving governor to hold office and at the same time preside as (a party’s) national chairman. We will challenge every decision taken by this illegal committee since it came into office in June 2020.”

Aggrieved members of APC in Bauchi State, who instituted the case with suit number FHC/AVJ/ CS/841/2021 between Babaji Abdullahi and six others versus the APC and five others, have also insisted on going ahead with the suit.

There are concerns that many court cases instituted

Towing the same line of reasoning as Senator Marafa, 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 a lot of problems. To me, it is not possible to have a unified house by February.

The party has degenerated into a 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 national level. Things have gone terribly bad in so many states,” Lawal told THEWILL. INTRIGUES AS FOUR MAIN CONTENDERS JOSTLE FOR NATIONAL CHAIRMANSHIP Despite the uncertainty trailing its convention, the party is still forging ahead as those determining its fortunes are enjoying the bumpy ride as long as they are in control. They include the Attorney -General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and the troika of Governor Bagudu Atiku of Kebbi State and Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, his Jigawa counterpart, Abdullahi Badaru and Mala Buni.

This has boosted the morale of many chairmanship aspirants who are going round to lobby other members of the party.

The February 26, 2022 national convention is an elective one. It will produce the new executive of the party that will replace the Caretaker Committee, which took over the running of the party after the exit of the

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COVER

Bid For Top Positions

loyalty. This leaves Al Makura and Saliu Mustapha as favourites.

Al-Makura won the Nasarawa State governorship election on the platform of the CPC in 2011 by defeating the incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe-Doma, of the PDP. He was the only one to win such a coveted position on the defunct party’s platform. Saliu Mustapha from Kwara State in 2011 became a founding NEC member of the CPC, first as an Ex-Officio, and subsequently as its National Deputy Chairman under the leadership of Prince Tony Momoh.

Also, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is currently leading the Reconciliation Committee of the party and has travelled across the nooks and crannies of the country meeting members of the party, also stands the chance of clinching the chairmanship position if he can win the trust of the president.

PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS AWAIT OUTCOME OF CONVENTION Some presidential aspirants are, however, waiting for the conclusion of the forthcoming national convention before making up their minds on whether to formally declare their ambition or not. Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, is one of them. But the surprise addition is the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

Al-makura

Some of the presidential aspirants in the party have also started scheming to ensure that their men hold key positions in the National Working Committee that will emerge at the convention. Most of them, THEWILL gathered, have begun the leg work and are criss-crossing the country with different permutations.

Adams Oshiomhole – led National Working Committee (NWC) in June 2020.

The party is yet to announce its zoning policy. A ranking party member told THEWILL that President Muhammadu Buhari holds the ace with regards to zoning of the chairmanship position and other key party positions. He said: “The chairman of the caretaker committee will have to take directive from the president on where to zone the chairmanship position to and other key offices. The president will also determine who emerges as National Chairman just like he did when Oshiomhole was elected.”

However, there is the thinking within the party that the leadership may throw the presidential position open and zone the chairmanship to the North-Central. All chairmanship aspirants that have shown interest either through open declaration or through body language so far are from the northern part of the country. Most of them are from the North- Central states of Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Benue and Kogi.

The leading contenders among them include a former governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, who is believed to have received President Buhari’s nod, and his predecessor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. The others are Alhaji Saliu Mustapha from Kwara State and former Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari.

Sources within the party, who craved anonymity, confided in THEWILL that the APC is likely to follow the footstep of the PDP by picking its National Chairman from the North-Central.

is treading softly with a possibility of throwing the presidency open should the Chairmanship candidate emerge at the planned national convention in February.

This thinking, it was gathered, will temporarily restore trust among presidential contenders, even when the party’s minders have another ace up their sleeves. The inclusion of direct, indirect and consensus mode of conducting primaries in the Electoral Act Amendment, THEWILL learnt, will give the powers-that-be in APC an opportunity to determine who emerges their party’s presidential flag bearer.

Sources within the party hinted that the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the parties that merged to form the APC, will produce the national chairman of the party.

The CPC, which was formed by President Buhari and on whose platform he contested the 2011 presidential election and lost, is said to have received his approval to produce the chairman for reasons borne out of

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Sources within the party hinted that the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the parties that merged to form the APC, will produce the national chairman of the party

For obvious reasons that are connected with the zoning formula for the presidency, the governing party THEWILLNIGERIA

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The Caretaker Chairman of the party, Bala Buni, is being lobbied by the APC governors towards ensuring that whoever emerges as Chairman will dance to the tune of the state governors during the primary that will lead to the election of the presidential candidate of the party.

Faced with the stark reality arising from the horsetrading in the party, ahead of the national convention, the Kogi governor, who has been boasting before now that nothing would stop him from contesting the presidential election, is singing a different tune.

Fearing that the likely emergence of a National Chairman from the North-Central, his immediate constituency, will jeopardise his ambition, he has tactically disclosed that he will wait until end of the convention before making up his mind on joining the presidential race.

Several attempts through phone and text messages to reach the National Secretary of the party, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, for comments were unsuccessful as he neither answered his phone nor replied to the messages.

However, a chieftain of the party and Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu, told THEWILL that there was no cause for alarm, regarding the crises in various states. He said the party would come out of the crises stronger than ever.

“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 the year of primaries,’’ Okechukwu said.

With the crises plaguing the party on many fronts, there is no doubt that its leaders have an uphill task on their hands making peace in the days ahead, just a month to the convention. For now, it is a bumpy ride to the convention.

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NEWS Artificial Rice Pyramid Mockery on Nigerians’ Sensibilities – Ortom

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Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State); Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, (Abia State); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Nyesom Wike ( Rivers), former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi and former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, welcome Lagos4Lagos, a prominent dissident group in the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on January 21, 2022.

Ortom Suspends 4 Traditional Rulers Over Misconduct FROM KAJO MARTINS, MAKURDI

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overnor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has approved the immediate suspension of four traditional rulers in the Sankera Intermediate Area of the state for alleged gross misconduct.

The suspended chiefs include Mue Ter Ngyen, Chief D. K. Ijah from Ukum; Mue Ter Ichongo, Chief Terngu Iorhuna and Mue Ter Ipusu, Chief Enoch Kyumen, both of who are from the Logo local Government Area, as well as the District Head of Tir, Chief Boi Johnson in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy

Affairs, Barr Kenneth Achabo, said the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty, Prof James Ayatse, has since appointed Chief Donald Vihive as acting Mue Ter Ngyen, Chief Stephen Tyôkpev as Mue Ter Ipusu and Chief Orlu Mbakor as acting Mue Ter Chôngo.

The statement said the Tor Sankera, Chief Abu Shuluwa, has also appointed Chief Philip Saamaaya as acting District Head of Tir. It would be recalled that some traditional rulers in Gwer East Local Government Area were suspended over their alleged involvement in communal strife at different points in time.

‘Only Atiku Can Win Presidential Election For PDP’ FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Segun Sowunmi, has urged the leadership of the party to consider giving the presidential ticket to Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as he is the only one that can win the election for the party.

Sowunmi disclosed this while responding to a rejoinder on the party’s aspirants that should be given the presidential ticket of the main opposition party.

The trio of Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State had declared their intention to run for president on the platform of the PDP

Police Recruits From C’River to Serve There, Says IGP

But, Sowunmi, while responding to a rejoinder on the party’s aspirants that should be given the presidential ticket of the main opposition party, said that with the political antecedents of the former Vice President he was sure to win the presidential election.

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

He said neither Tambuwal or Saraki was fit to take over the reins of power from President Muhammadu Bubari, stressing that the PDP would lose the election with anyone of them becoming the party’s presidential candidates in the 2023 general election.

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he Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has said that all the 250 police recruits from Cross River State will be deployed to the state to boost security at the end of their training.

He disclosed this in Calabar while paying a courtesy call on Governor Ben Ayade.

The IGP said he met a command that was motivated, charged and ready to provide policing.

He commended the governor for providing support to the rank and file in the state, stressing that he met highly motivated officers on ground.

To further support and motivate the officers and men of the command, Baba announced the release of 10 operational vehicles to the command.

Responding, Governor Ayade described Alkali Baba as a visionary IGP, who

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had brought innovation to policing.

He said, “I want to let President Muhammadu Buhari to know that the IGP we have today has made the police proud.

“I have never seen where a police officer visits you and is bringing goods worth several millions of naira, including vehicles, helmets, uniforms and others.

“This can only happen under a visionary leader like Usman Alkali Baba. So we celebrate you because when you bring an academic into power, you will see class and excellence and that is what you have done. You have shown that truly, your education is being put to good use.

“It takes a man who has this level of exposure and integrity to come before a governor and come before a people and state and rather offer than ask. It has never happened before.”

Sowunmi, who described the two stalwarts of the party as “kindergartners,” lampooned them for de-marketing Abubakar as a man not fit for the party’s ticket, accusing them of bringing their states backward as governors.

He said, “My attention was called to the funny mumbo-jumbo that serious-minded people ought not to give a second look save for the fact that it contains the name of Waziri. Atiku Abubakar is the only one that can win the presidential election for the PDP and he should be given the ticket.

“At a more auspicious moment, I will discuss the role of Atiku Abubakar in the political life of a few of those people mentioned, including how one of them got to win a primary election that made him governor of a North-Central state.

overnor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that the bad policy of the All Progressives Congressdominated Federal Government has brought hunger, malnutrition and hardship to Nigerians and will not be forgotten in a hurry.

He also described the ‘artificial’ rice pyramid mounted in Abuja to portray the country as producers of rice, even when Nigerians go to bed hungry almost every day, as fake and a mockery.

The governor, who made the statement while signing the 2017 amendment to the Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition Law at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, last Thursday, noted that some of the 5,000 bags of rice were from MIVA Rice Company, but no credit was given to Benue State as the producer of the commodity.

Ortom said, “The Federal Government is rather deceiving unsuspecting members of the public that it was the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy that yielded fruit, “The pain inflicted on Nigerians by the APC government is too much to bear.

The economy is in bad shape. The 419 rice pyramid in Abuja is fake and aimed at mocking hungry Nigerians. The government should chase out terrorist foreign Fulani herdsmen harassing farmers for them to carryout farming activities in the country.”

The governor also alleged that the Federal Government was not fighting corruption, but persecuting its perceived enemies, insisting that the former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, are victims of such witch-hunting.

According to him, some former governors who stole more than Dariye and Nyame allegedly did, have been made members of the federal executive council by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“Let us do the right thing by protecting the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by ensuring fairness, equity and justice for all so that things will work well for the country. Mr President, all is not well”.

“The Bible says, I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Nigerians are scattered and don’t know what to do.

Sycophants and mediocre in the corridors of power are deceiving Mr president that all is well.”

He decried a situation where bandits are able to freely mount checkpoints in some parts of the country to kidnap innocent Nigerians and kill those whose families are unable to pay ransom.

He, however, commended President Buhari for accepting the PDP Governors Forum’s advise not to impose a mode of party primaries on political parties in the country; urging him to sign the revised the Electoral Act into law as soon as the National Assembly presents it to him.

Under the Revised 2017 Anti Open Grazing, Prohibition and Ranches Law, any cow arrested will attract a fine of N50,000 rather than N2,000, while N20,000 will be paid daily on each cow staying at the quarantine camp, among others.

He therefore charged the people of Benue State to obtain their PVC in order to participate in the 2023 general election and decide who governs them.

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Olujimi

Onyejeocha

POLITICS

Rising Agitation For More Women Inclusion in Politics, Governance

BY AYO ESAN

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here is renewed agitation for more inclusion of women in politics and governance in Nigeria.

Analysts and watchers of political events in the country believe this is justifiable, considering the number of women in elected political positions since the inception of the present democracy in 1999.

To ensure that more women are included in politics and governance, some legislators recently called for reserved seats for women in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Also a bill aimed at amending the Constitution of the Federal Republic in order to create new legislative seats for women is currently in the House of Representatives.

Sponsored by the Deputy Chief Whip, Nkeiruka Onyejocha (PDP, Abia) and 85 other legislators, the bill is proposing the creation of one additional senatorial seat in each state of the federation and Abuja that will only be occupied by women.

As of now, each of the 36 states has three seats in the Senate, while Abuja has one. Although the constitution gives any eligible adult the right to contest for a senatorial seat, the reality is that the Senate has always been dominated by men, with only eight of the current 109 senators being women.

The bill also seeks to create two new federal constituency seats in each state and Abuja that will be reserved for women. Nigeria currently has 360 federal constituency seats in the House of Representatives, with only 13 of them currently occupied by women.

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Also a bill aimed at amending the Constitution of the Federal Republic in order to create new legislative seats for women is currently in the House of Representatives

The bill has the intention to alter Sections 48, 49, 71, 77, 91 and 117 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The proposed Section 48 reads: “48. Composition of the Senate (1) The Senate shall consist of: (a) three Senators from each State and one from the Federal Capital Territory; and (b) An additional Senator for each State and for the Federal Capital Territory, who shall be a woman.”

Also, the proposed Section 49 reads, “Composition of the House of Representatives. (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the House of Representatives shall consist of: (a) three hundred and sixty members representing constituencies of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one state; and (b) Two additional members for each state and for the Federal Capital Territory, who shall be women.”

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The bill also contains a proviso that women will still be allowed to contest for the existing seats. Should it become law, the Nigerian Senate will have a minimum of 37 women, while the House of Representatives will have a minimum of 74 women.

Furthermore, should the bill be passed into law, the State Houses of Assembly will also get three special seats per state exclusively for women.

During the presentation of the bill, Ms Onyejocha argued that the current National Assembly has only 4.4 per cent of its population as women.

She added that the situation is worse in the State Houses of Assembly.

“My respected colleagues, Women have only 4.4 per cent representation in the 9th National Assembly. You may wish to note that Nigeria has been identified as the worst performer in women representation in parliaments in the West African region and one of the lowest in the whole of Africa.

“This is evidenced in the most recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ranking of women in parliaments where Nigeria ranks 179 out of 187 countries worldwide. Eritrea is the only African country ranked lower than Nigeria and this is because there have not been national elections since its independence in 1993.

“The situation is worse at the States Houses of Assembly level, where a good number of our states do not have a single woman. In some of these states, men •Continues on page 12

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

For President, We Need Compassionate, Capable Person – Sonaiya Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya was the only female aspirant that contested in the 2015 presidential election. She speaks with AYO ESAN on the controversial Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the rising number of presidential aspirants in the country, among other issues. Excerpts:

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to sign it?

I believe that the President and the legislators should first recognise that they are in office because Nigerians voted them in. So they should really be there to serve the interest of the people. And I know that Nigerians have spoken out very clearly on the issue of the kind of reforms they would like to see in our electoral laws. Nigerians were really expecting that the President and the legislators would sign and enact the suggested reforms. So it is a big disappointment on the part of the people who have elected them to serve us and oversee our affairs. I think that kind of orientation is what is needed. People are not there for selfish interests. This is because I know that during the public hearing, Nigerians made their views known, regarding the reforms they would like to see in our electoral laws. And this issue of direct primary is part of it. I should really be disappointed that people we have voted into offices do not respect the will of the people.

The president explained that the issue of indirect primary should be amended to give Nigerians many options. How do you see his position?

That is why I am emphasising what the people are saying.

We should not dwell on what the President is saying. He is just one man. The question we need to ask is what are the citizens saying? That is the direction in which I am trying to push in this conversation. Let us not pay so much attention to the desires of an individual. What are the people saying?

The generality of the people, the citizens of this country, what are they saying? They have expressed themselves, their desires and that is what should be done.

So I am saying that people want to participate in the governance of their country. They don’t want just any group of people to be the ones that will be selecting who the candidates will be . And let us just mention the election in a party that I belong, the KOWA Party. In KOWA we always have direct primary. People are saying it is going to be very expensive and so on. We know the present age is powered on technology. We should not continue to conduct our affairs in the same archaic ways. KOWA Party had direct primary and people could vote wherever they were on the globe. A few people were physically present at the place where the convention took place. But through the use of technology, every KOWA member who wanted to vote, were able to vote from wherever they were. So that is the way elections can be conducted, using direct primary. People should not

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Sonaiya

hat is your take on President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the conditions he gave

pretend that we are constrained by whatever. That is not true.

What do you want the National Assembly to do about the Electoral Act Amendment bill?

That is what I have been saying. They should listen to what Nigerians are saying and enact the law in consonant with the will of the people. If they don’t do this, let the people be ready to chuck them out. The elections are coming. Let us learn to vote into office people who will represent our will, who will do that which the people want.

Aren’t you disturbed that since 1999, we have not had a female governor in any state of the federation? What are people like you doing to encourage women to go into politics and governance?

It is the people who vote, isn’t it? Many women have presented themselves for various positions: for the presidency, for governorship and so on. Unfortunately, Nigerians have not voted into office a woman at the level of governor, like you said. But we have to understand that within the context of our own political set up.

You know, recently people have been talking about South Africa and how a certain family has had a hold on the state.

They called it the state capture. We may have a group of people in Nigeria, too, who have captured the state and who determine who gets into what positions. These are the issues

we need to deal with. In particular, I believe that keeping the people impoverished and uneducated is not a good thing.

In fact, it is a strategy that is used to control others. When you have an impoverished majority, the primary concern would be their stomach and then you can easily buy them over during elections.

You also asked what people like me are doing. We are now advocating reserved seats for women. It is not a position I like to support because I believe Nigerian women are capable. We have seen them demonstrating that capability in many areas of human endeavour. It is only in politics that doors seem to be shut against Nigerian women. And it is because of godfathers, money bags or whatever you want to call them, who have captured the political terrain.

So if they are not going to allow for a level playing ground, then we have to legislate and to require that a certain no of seats be reserved for women. So you know probably now that it has been suggested and I hope the Senate will pass the bill, that in the Senate, one more seat be created for senatorial districts which should be reserved for women. It will also create more seats for women in the House of Representatives.

It is not the kind of solution that I would have like to have but unfortunately, it is not like the political class is willing to play by the rules and have a level playing ground for everybody so that women can compete favourably.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

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We want candidates with skill, capacity, ability, with compassion and integrity. I think we should scrutinise the aspirants properly. It is not a candidate with money, who has a bullion van loaded with money and able to buy everybody over. That is not what we need this time

Our politics is politics of money, of vote buying and things like that. Many women cannot engage in that kind of situation. It is the country that is suffering by not having women participate in politics.

What will be your advice to the womenfolk as we begin preparation for the 2023 general election?

There is no need to be advising the womenfolk. Many of them are interested and they are showing interest. But they are being harassed in different ways. Look at what happened during the last general election. When they see that a woman is coming up, they will go and burn her campaign office. So what kind of advice do you think we should give? It is not to the women, but it is to the state, the men and the police.

It is the duty of government to ensure that a system is created where women can participate fully. That is the thing. Women have already shown that they are interested.

Even in the current march towards 2023, they are already showing interest. But are the people going to play a fair game? Are they going to play by the rules? In the election coming up in the Federal Capital Territory, there are several women who are candidates. So let us see what will happen.

And the mentality of our people, who think that women are not supposed to be heard, but seen, an idea that was unfortunately backed by President Buhari when he visited THEWILLNIGERIA

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Germany some years ago and he was saying that his own wife is meant for the kitchen and the other room and things like that. So there is a whole mindset that we also don’t need among the population.

Many people are already showing interest in 2023 presidency. What are the qualities you expect the next Nigerian President to possess?

We want candidates with skill, capacity, ability, with compassion and integrity. I think we should scrutinise the aspirants properly. It is not a candidate with money, who has a bullion van loaded with money and able to buy everybody over. That is not what we need this time.

We want a well educated and well informed person to represent us in the public arena and international spaces.

Sometimes, one becomes basically ashamed of the kind of people who represent us at international gatherings, honestly.

And people know that we have very capable people.

We have seen Nigeria’s leading in so many places around the world. Two Nigeria women are occupying two important seats globally, the World Trade Organisation with Dr Okonjo- Iweala and the United Nations with Mrs Amina Mohammed. Also there is the President of the African Development Bank and so on. So it is not as if Nigerians are not capable. We are supplying even politically to other countries. We are supplying manpower to them, people who are running their affairs. The world is wondering at us and saying how come we are helping other countries to work and excel and develop them, but we cannot do that for ourselves at home. It is a real shame on us. I hope we will be mindful of the fact that it high time we got rid of this shame and prove to the world that we can really lead our affairs well and we are not going to allow this corrupt system to continue to determine how we run our affairs. It is not just acceptable at all.

What do you want the Independent National Electoral Commission to do differently ahead of the 2023 general election?

I believe that Nigerians have also been expressing their opinions in this regard. INEC should engage more technology in the conduct of elections. It should begin to think outside the box. I am even of the opinion that we do not have to run our elections in the same way in every part of the country. There are places around the world where elections are conducted on state by state basis. So a state can determine that it is not going to even use physical ballot on the day of election. May be they will send you your ballot and you will mark the person you want to vote and post it.

Some do it electronically, others will do it with hard copy ballot and some with a mixture of both.

Let us not box ourselves into this unworkable system. It is because we are trying to be so uniform that elections must happen at the same time, in the same manner and in every corner of the country, that we are having problems with our population, bad roads and so on.

So we say election materials did not get to a particular place on time and they have to deploy thousands of policemen.

It is wasteful. Let us seriously consider how we can use technology to make election cheaper for ourselves, for one thing and to make it more free and fair and valid. These are my own suggestions.

I think we box ourselves in and waste a lot of money. Many educational institutions, hospitals don’t have that kind of money. They are not given the kind of budget that INEC is given to conduct elections. Isn’t that a waste? How do we spend so much money on an election? Hundreds of billions of naira for just one day, whereas a university that is supposed to conduct research, innovations that will transform our lives and solve our existential problems, does not have that kind of money. So I hope that INEC will put together a small think-tank, that will say look, our goal is to cut down the budget. May be we should start by saying cut it to half and ask what are the areas that we can deploy technology in order to achieve that.

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Adamawa: Namdas’ Governorship Aspiration Gets Boost

BY ADENIYI OLUGBEMI

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hile others are indecisive, frightened, waiting to be ‘called upon,’ or endorsed by godfather(s), Honourable Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, is the first aspirant to throw his hat into the Adamawa gubernatorial ring.

He laced his declaration with a novel idea, as he carried the gospel of his aspiration to the doorstep and obtained the grace to succeed from the who-is-who, in Adamawa politics.

Today, Namdas, a two- term lawmaker representing Ganye/Toungo/Jada/ Mayo-Belwa federal constituency, has brighten the chance of his party, the APC for a smooth return to Dougirei Government House as he had wooed back leaders of African Democratic Congress, ADC, alongside thousands of their supporters to APC. The cohesion the party is enjoying today, is also to the credit of Honourable Abdulrazak Namdas, who singlehandedly prevailed on former executive members of the party who lost their position at the last congresses, to keep faith with the party.

It is on record that the over 100,000 votes recorded by ADC, ranked it the third strongest party in Adamawa state and populated by aggrieved members who defected from the APC, in the build up to the 2019 general elections, cost APC the 2019 governorship election.

The returnees stated that their home coming was because of the belief that Namdas has what it takes to salvage the state from its current state of underdevelopment.

Former secretary of the party (ADC), Abubakar Babajo, who spoke on behalf of the returnees said, “out of the array of those trying to lead the state, only Namdas cares about the people which informed his drive to embark on massive consultation with the people.

“Politics is about give and take and Namdas is the only aspirant who approached us and asks for our support.

As politicians we weighted the request and found that it is out of a genuine drive to salvage the state and we have no option other than to support it,” he said.

Babajo noted that his group also decided to endorse Namdas because of his pedigree as a grassroots politician who enjoys mass appeal.

“Apart from being a grassroots politician, Namdas is intelligent, young, vibrant and well exposed. So we believe he has the clout and the wherewithal to rescue the state,” he said.

Namdas yeoman efforts for APC to reclaim its lost mandate come 2023, was acknowledged by the chairman of APC in Adamawa State, Ibrahim Bilal.

He applauded Namdas for wooing the defectors into the party and thanked him for the numerous contributions he has been giving towards the growth of the party.

Serving the ruling party (PDP) quit notice, the campaign coordinator of Namdas, Abdurrahman Shuaibu said, “ADC is the third strongest party in the state. If the third and the second biggest political parties fused, the future of the ruling party is at stake.”

Shuaibu emphasize that, the aspiration of Namdas has reinvigorated the party and has made it a rallying point of many stakeholders adding that with the strides being recorded, APC will surely retake its lost prize come 2023.

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POLITICS She says, “I don’t consider the creation of additional seats an efficient way to get more women into politics.

At face value, it is a way to save women the challenge of having to compete with men for the existing seats.

In reality, it is crucial to adopt distinct approaches that deal with the underlying barriers women face in conducting successful campaigns and getting elected.

“The interconnected barriers include lack of trust among women, the fear of success or rejection, fear of popularity, violence inherent in politics and importantly, the entrenched, obnoxious socio-cultural structures and patriarchy.

“All these need to be tackled to ensure that women get into office. If these challenges are not dealt with, the seats will be available and there will be no women to occupy such positions”.

Although the need to engender more recognition for women’s participation in politics, public affairs and governance has been in the front burner since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on women in Beijing, China in 1995. Nigeria has very few women participating in politics.

Tinubu

Only seven out of the current 109 senators and 22 of the 360 House of Representatives members are women. Also only four out of the 360 deputy governors are women. The country has never had a female state governor.

Rising Agitation For More Women...

•Continued from page 9

chair the Women Affairs Committee because there is no woman available to take the role.”

While the bill seems to be enjoying huge support among members of the House of Representatives, analysts believe there is still a long journey to go before it becomes law.

In the 8th Assembly, the Constitution Alteration Bill meant to ensure that 35 per cent of political offices were reserved for women was rejected. According to Section 9 (1, 2) of the Nigerian Constitution, constitutional amendment bills must garner two-thirds support in both chambers of the National Assembly. Also, 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly must approve the amendment.

It would be recalled that a report by an indigenous nongovernmental organisation, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), in 2020 revealed that the Nigerian Senate had had only 36 women since 1999.

The report states that the Senate has had 654 members since 1999, meaning that men have occupied 618 slots and women only 36, which is a paltry 5.5 per cent female representation as against 94.5 per cent for men.

The report said the total number of senators, which is 654, was deduced from Nigeria’s electoral history within the period under review with elections conducted six times in 1999, 2003,2007,2011,2015 and 2019.

It stated that at each of the election periods 109 senators were elected.

The report, in its breakdown, notes that out of the 109 senators elected in 1999, only three were women; while PAGE 12

in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, only 4,8,7,8 and 6 women were elected as senators, respectively, with one additional seat gained through the judiciary in the 2019 general election to make the number 7.

Analysts also believe the figure given by the report may not be accurate when one considers the fact that some women did or have done more than one term in the Senate, like Senator Remi Tinubu who is currently serving her third term, having been first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015 and 2019.

Reserved seats for women through the constitution could be seen as a good way to get more women into politics and elected positions. Is the bill novel in Africa? No, Rwanda and France are countries with good examples where seats are reserved for women. In 2003, Rwanda adopted a new constitution that reserves 30 per cent of parliamentary seats for women and requires political parties to ensure that women hold at least 30 per cent of elected internal positions. Also France and 48 other countries have statutory quotas or reserved seats for women.

As at 2020, most African countries have at least one gender quota in place, including 13 countries that reserve specific seats for women in parliament, as opposed to legislated candidate or political party quotas.

By 2021, 26 countries around the globe had reserved seats in the lower or single house.

The question being asked is, will this bill, if passed into law, solve the problem of the perceived marginalisation of women in politics and governance? A political scientist and gender specialist, Damilola Agbalajobi, says it may not solve the problem holistically.

Speaking with THEWILL, a member of the Campaign for Democracy, Comrade Olusola Olawale, says it is true that the number of women in political positions is low. But he says he will not support the idea of reserving seats for women, saying such will hinder the growth of democracy.

“Reserving seats for only women may bring in mediocrity. Everybody should show his or her willingness.

I support the idea that political parties should encourage women by shielding them from paying huge sums of money for nomination forms to contest political offices.

“Some key positions within the party’s management can also be reserved for women. But I don’t support the idea of altering the constitution to reserve some seats for them. That is not too good”, he says.

Also speaking with THEWILL, the candidate of the KOWA Party in the 2015 presidential election, Prof Oluremi Sonaiya, said, “It is not a position I like to support because I believe Nigerian women are capable. We have seen them demonstrating that capability in many areas of human endeavour. It is only in politics that doors seem to be shut against Nigerian women. It is because of godfathers, money bags or whatever you want to call them, who have captured the political terrain. So if they are not going to make allowance for a level playing ground, then we have to legislate and to require that a certain number of seats be reserved for women.

“So you know probably now that it has been suggested and I hope the Senate will pass the bill, that in the Senate, one more seat be created for senatorial districts which should be reserved for women. It will also create more seats for women in the House of Representatives. It is not the kind of solution that I would have like to have, but unfortunately, it is not like the political class is willing to play by the rules and have a level playing ground for everybody so that women can compete favourably. Our politics is politics of money, of buying votes and things like that. Many women cannot engage in that. It is the country that is suffering by not having women participate in politics.”

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POLITICS

Kano Sets the Tone for 2023 Polls

BY AMOS ESELE

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The prayer, which was attended by politicians across the state, was led by the Chief Imam of Kafin-Maiyaki, who recited verses from the Holy Qur’an.

ith last week’s storming of the ancient and commercial city of Kano by unofficial supporters of ‘Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo for President’ and a message to build a ‘New Tribe’ for Nigeria, the quest by aspirants to woe voters in Kano State, noted for its highest voter population and turnout in the country, has gathered momentum.

According to Kofa, “This special prayer was organised for the success of the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the forthcoming general election as well as for peace and stability in the country.”

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu kick-started the rush in 2021 when he held his 69th birthday celebration under the 12th Bola Ahmed Tinubu Colloquium on March 29, 2021 in the state and consolidated on that event with the recruitment of one of his director of campaigns, Alhaji Jibril, from the state.

Tofa who now goes as a Director of Campaign for the APC National Leader, explained that “the spiritual men were drafted to seal the foreseen presidency of Tinubu.”

Reacting to these developments, Malam Yisar Ibrahim, Director of Press to Governor Ganduje, sounded a note of caution.

For Senator Sola Adeyeye, who addressed the crowd at the launch of ‘The New Tribe’ of patriotic, detribalised and progressive Nigerians whose leadership is represented in Vice President Osinbajo, Kano’s role in setting the tone for 2023 polls is political.

He told THEWILL that it is like a homecoming event for aspirants who are trooping to launch their campaign in Kano. The politicians, he said, have had a long affinity with Kano either through their numerous friends and associates but he conceded that, “one would not rule out the possibility that politics is creeping into their affiliations anyway.”

Kano is currently reeling from a deep political crisis arising from the controversial parallel congresses of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), which has pitted Governor Abdullahi Ganduje against his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and their factions. As both combatants battle for the control of the soul of the party in the state through the law courts, while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso, wait on the wings to harvest the fall-out of the lingering crisis, Kano is forging ahead in another political direction.

Unruffled by the internal bickering of its politicians, Kano appears ready to to set the tone for the 2023 general election. Presidential aspirants are courting it with carefully planned campaigns and an eye to the three million plus votes that it usually turns in every election to sway the tide of votes for candidates. Also, the state returns the highest number of delegates for party primaries.

With the country’s highest voting population of 4.9 million out of its 10.4 million citizens, according to the 2006 population and housing census, and 16 million persons, according to the 2016 projections by the National Bureau of Statistics, Kano has progressively caught the attention of serious politicians over the years.

In 2015, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC won the presidential election with 15,424,921 votes or 53.95 percent of the 28,587,564 total valid votes cast. President Goodluck Jonathan, of the PDP, won 12,853,162 or 44.96 percent.

1,903,999 of Buhari’s total votes came from the 2,172, 444 voters in Kano alone, the most populous state in the country, followed by Lagos and Katsina States.

Ganduje

Adeyeye said, among other things: “With its population, history of activism, level of political awareness and peculiar political culture, it is no wonder that Kano’s votes have always come as a political tide to push Nigeria in the right direction, at the most critical juncture. ...Yemi Osinbajo is the man who will lead us in the right direction, with the help of God and millions of Nigerians, the New Tribe, that have been yearning for an opportunity to side-step all the forces that have been pulling us apart, so that Nigeria can truly emerge as the giant it long should have been.”

“

Apart from the purely political, Kano is also setting the tone for sectarianism through involvement of clerics, usually weaponised by politicians across the country for myth making, diversion and prescription to the electorate

in 1.9million votes; Zamfara returned 247,840, votes; Imo State fetched 697,532 votes and Katsina threw in 802, 819 votes. It is therefore understandable why Kano will take centre stage for aspirants, ahead of the 2023 general election, beginning with the primaries and then the general elections.

Apart from the purely political, Kano is also setting the tone for sectarianism through involvement of clerics, usually weaponised by politicians across the country for myth making, diversion and prescription to the electorate.

Buhari repeated the feat in 2019 with 15.2 million votes against PDP’s Atiku Abubakar with 11.3million in the general count. Out of this figure, Kano gave Buhari 1464,768 votes.

This was what the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Abdullmumini Jibrin Kofa, did recently when he put together over 2,500 clerics to offer prayers to God on the 2023 presidential ambition of Tinubu.

For the presidential primary of the party, the story was the same. During the presidential primary of the APC, for example, Kano returned 2.9 million votes for Buhari. Other states like Rivers gave APC 388,653 votes; Lagos brought

Kofa, former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency, organised the prayer session in his hometown of Kofa in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State.

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He added, “Most of these aspirants have links with Kano before now. They come to Kano once in a while. The launching of their platforms is not necessarily about votecatching and as for the prayers for the ambition of politicians, people do it in the country. You cannot stop them.

One cannot, however, rule out the possibility of politics creeping into these things, anyway.”

A senior journalist based in Kano, Bernard Awogu, said assuredly that it was all about the 2023 general election.

He said, “Senator Adeyeye’s argument is that Kano is the bedrock of politics from where the late Aminu Kano spread his dragnet, insisting that when you win in Kano, you have won Nigeria. That is the bottom line.”

On the prayer session organised for Tinubu’s ambition, Awogu noted that religion and politics in Nigeria are like Siamese twins, adding, “They have and will continue to be the means to control the gullible electorate, forgetting that man created the problems for which they are seeking God’s divine intervention and it is only man that can solve them.”

Explaining further, he said that until the people wake up to the reality of this deceit by politicians that sustains them in their oppression of the people, which ironically Aminu Kano fought against in his lifetime, things will continue to remain the same.

These sectarian and partisan outlook is a habitual practice by Nigeria politicians, even though it was cleverly done in the past republics. Awogu submitted that the radical politics that was people-centered is still noticeable in Kano because it was ideologically based. It has only been concealed by the opportunism of many present-day politicians.

For both the APC and the PDP, which have taken turns to govern Kano State since 1999, with a notable interlude by the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), under former Governor Abubakar Shekarau between 2003 and 2011, these mentioned issues have dominated, coloured and shaped the erstwhile radical and grassroots politics of the old state from which Jigawa was excised in 1991.

“This is the time for many of these politicians to relate with the people they have known for a long time in Kano,” said DG Ibrahim. That is, indeed, why and how Kano is setting the tone for the 2023 general election.

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EDITORIAL

National Development Plan: Time To Stop Mimicking Realities

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resident Muhammadu Buhari on December 22, 2021 launched Nigeria’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025, a medium-term development plan to succeed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 20172020). Like its ancestors, the Plan has a laudable objective. It points to the type of Nigeria that we all want and encourages the use of science, technology, and innovation to drive growth.

The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, who anchored the unveiling of the Plan, revealed at the event that, “The current difficulties are the result of many years of ineffective policies, fiscal leakages, and global economic phenomena. This administration is taking the necessary steps to fundamentally alter the structure of the economy and how government business is conducted in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness.”

However, the said objective of the NDP 2021-2025 is not fundamentally different from previous development plans, including the ERPG 2017-2020 it is said to succeed, which achieved little result and witnessed Nigeria’s worst socio-economic condition.

The ERGP, launched in April 2017, served as an umbrella framework that incorporated 60 national development strategies; 12 of these strategies including infrastructure, industrial and power sector development were identified as priorities. The ERGP, which achieved little result, had set the ambitious target of 7 percent real GDP growth by 2020.

Again, the ERGP emerged in the

seventh year of Vision 20:2020 launched in September 2009. The Nigeria Vision 20:2020 (NV20:2020) was the country’s long term development goal designed to propel the country to the league of the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.

Attainment of the Vision would enable the country to achieve a high standard of living for its citizens, the government then said.

Realising its inability to meet Vision 20:2020 goals, several years after the country embarked on an ambitious agenda to be among the top 20 economies, in terms of GDP size, President Muhammadu Buhari on September 9, 2020 in Abuja inaugurated the National Steering Committee to oversee and actualise Nigeria Agenda 2050 and MediumTerm National Development Plan (MTNDP). The MTNDP was aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

Speaking at the inauguration, President Buhari said: “The main objectives of MTNDP considered as successor plan, include to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years, particularly given the World Bank’s projection that Nigeria will become the world’s third most populous country by 2050 with over 400 million people.’’

Long before this time, Nigeria had had Vision 2010 created by the late Gen. Sani Abacha-led government in November 1996. The broad vision was that by 2010, Nigeria would have been transformed into “a united, industrious, caring and God-fearing democratic society, committed to making the basic needs of life affordable for everyone, and creating Africa’s leading economy”.

Amid these development plans and vision strategies, Nigeria slipped into the trench of the world’s poverty capital and has remained there till date with 93.9 million

of its population living below the poverty line. At the end of May 2018, Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with India’s 73 million, according to the Brookings Institution’s report.

Today, virtually every development index is against Nigeria.

Unemployment rate is at an alltime high of 33.1 percent from 9 percent in 2015 when the Buhari-led government was inaugurated. The country’s real GDP value dropped from $486.8 billion in 2015 to $440 billion in the third quarter of 2021.

The growth rate dipped from 6 percent to 4.03 percent as of 2021 after suffering two recessions in 2016 and 2020.

Similarly, Nigerians are three times more miserable than five years ago from 14.75 percent to 50.48 percent, while inflation rate has remained at double digit point –15.63 percent in December 2021 as against 9.01 percent in 2015. The official

Nigeria has been badly governed and its affairs unpatriotically managed.

It is antithetical to expect an effective development in an environment that operates contrary to the philosophies of such plans

exchange rate climbed from N197/ US$1 in 2015 to N416 currently.

Nigeria has the largest out-ofschool children in the world at 13.2 million. Amid worsening insecurity, Nigeria is ranked the third most terrorised country in the world after Afghanistan and Iraq, while a global corruption index report shows that the country climbed from 180 in 2015 to its current 145 position.

This ugly picture does not show that the country has had a successful development plan or that the vision strategies had any impact on her citizens. The major reason lies in poor leadership at all levels of our national life. Nigeria has been badly governed and its affairs unpatriotically managed. It is preposterous to expect an effective development in an environment that operates contrary to the philosophies of such plans.

The Federal Government should return to the spirit and strategies, which produced the past national development plans that laid a solid foundation for our economic growth.

These include the first, second, third and fourth National Development Plans. (1962-68, 1970-74, 197580 and 1981-85, respectively).

Emphasis was placed on key sectors, such as agriculture, manufacturing, education and manpower development, and infrastructural facilities. This led to a quantum leap in our economic advancement.

The government should establish an agency in the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning with the mandate to monitor the strict implementation of the NDP 20212025. Annual budgets should be tailored toward the objectives and goals of the Plan. There must be attitudinal change in our governance culture, otherwise the NDP 20212020 will end up another exercise in strategic deception.

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

Osun APC And Lyrics Of Reconciliation

BY ABIODUN KOMOLAFE

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he National Reconciliation Committee of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) paid a visit to Osun State recently in an effort to reconcile aggrieved members of the party in the state.

Nigerians expected that the aggrieved members would be open to a truce in the objective interest of the party and the Osun State government. They also hoped that the openness would enable the committee to midwife genuine reconciliation among members of the same political family.

Under the concept of negotiation and reconciliation, if two parties feel cheated, it is better to reconcile on that premise so that the ‘cheating’ will become mutual. If it is one party that feels cheated, the chances are that the other party will be swollen-headed, thus leading the opposing camp to feel alienated.

What happens next is that the ‘cheated’ party may either seek succour elsewhere or work from within to undermine the existing structure. But that will be antithetical to the ideals of democracy and principles of development. The implication is that the idea of a zero-sum game is not only unworkable in a search for true and ideal reconciliation, but also an illusion.

Reconciliation helps to removing resentment and dehumanisation. It also facilitates ‘the re-humanisation of the other and transforms harmful attitudes.’ Simply put, it is like going to the market to carry out business transactions at a most reasonable price for the best of qualities. Even the one with fake wares will also want to display his stuff with a view to getting ‘a good buyer’ – to his advantage and the buyer’s loss, obviously. In this instance, there is a side that needs to be civil enough to admit that a ‘winner-takes-all’ politics is a dangerous concept, even as the other side must also know that it must let go of certain things so that the lost sheep can be brought back home.

So, one expects the Abdullahi Adamu-led efforts to go beyond the ceremonial handshake. Instead, the fundamental issue should be the reconciliation of interests, which is paramount.

A political party is as strong as its membership. In other

words, much as politics is a game of power, it is also a game of numbers. To that extent, the number of members it has will go a long way to determine its electoral success or otherwise.

With this in mind, if the feuding factions, or fractions within the Osun State chapter of the APC cannot resolve their differences at a roundtable; if they cannot dance around personal issues with a view to reaching amicable solutions, the overriding imperative is like a hermaphrodite, which has the capacity to metamorphose into something else, totally unknown. It is like the crew of a boat, rowing together, but in opposing directions.

What worsens the situation in Osun is that the impasse has been left for too long to fester. So, if members don’t grow up quickly and rise above their differences; if there are no leaders or elders that can call the gladiators to a roundtable, it may end up as nothing but bad business for politics.

At a time in the old Oyo State when the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) went into an avoidable ruination because its handlers did not do enough or simply looked the other way. Instead of calling the faithful to order with a view to striking the middle course, the leaders simply relied on the strength of votes from ‘stones’ as a way of sealing the party’s coasting home to victory.

Unfortunately, it is either the ‘stones’ refused to cast their vote or certain forces mightier than the ‘stones’ did not make their votes count. I was a pupil of Ijebu-Jesa Grammar School at the time. So, I can confirm that we all paid dearly for it The implosion in the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) also started with the trouble between the National Chairman of the party and the presidential aspirants. The initial impression was that the late Adisa Akinloye was about to compromise, particularly on the issue of the zoning arrangement by which the presidency would remain in the North and Akinloye, a southerner, would remain as Chairman of the party unperturbed. Interestingly, the social status ascribed to whosoever became the chairman of the party at that time was way above what obtains at present.

Dateline: December 14, 1991 The inability of the political gladiators to agree on the way forward during the 3rd Republic gave Michael Otedola the Lagos State governorship on a platter. Have we also forgotten that the defunctAlliance

for Democracy (AD) government in Osun would most likely have been victorious, had the party not succumbed to the whims of the internal wrangling which troubled its Israel on its way to the April 19, 2003 governorship election? Typical of fate and its wiles, Akande had long left office before he was nicknamed ‘Baba Omo Kekeke’, in recognition of his performance in office.

If the aforementioned experiences have sought succour in the ‘archives of the archaeologists’, then, the loss of the senatorial bye-election by the Osun APC in 2017 readily comes to mind.

Since failure is always an orphan, July 8, 2017 happened to APC and loads of excuses accompanied the loss of the opportunity of a lifetime. But then, the party in power forgot, or overlooked the essence of certain people whose duty, as it were, was to tailor the minds of the people to the ideals and norms of the society, especially, in a country where the gain of public service has taken flight. God and Caesar met at the table and … the rest is history!

Speaking for posterity, how much of the energy being dissipated, currently, against opposing members of the same party is being dispensed into convincing some alreadyconfused voters at ‘Okada’ and ‘Korope’ terminuses that the APC-led government in Osun State means well for the people; and that it will do more, if Governor Gboyega Oyetola is reelected, come July 16, 2022? How much of confidence and assurance is being given to the mass of the people that this epitome of wellness, stateliness and unshaken hope, if given another opportunity, will leave no stone unturned at ensuring that dividends of democracy are equitably distributed among the good people of Osun? Instead of showing offwith attractive-yet-needless conflicts, what stops loyalists on both sides from showing forth through winning souls for the party? In the interest of democracy, what stops the gladiators from removing issues that are personal from the objective interests of the party? What stops the ‘Us vs. Us’adherents from allowing institutional interests to outweigh personal and individual interests?

•KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

Nigeria 2023: Candidates Wey No Sabi

BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

“

...I know who will be the next president, but I will not mention his name, because if I do, the person will be eliminated...” Mr. Muhammadu Buhari In our political party, we do what we promise Only fools can believe We will not fight against corruption Because there is something certain for us Honesty is fundamental to achieve our deals We will demonstrate that this is a great stupidity to believe that Mafias can remain part of the government as in the past.

We ensure, without a shadow of a doubt, that Social justice will be the main goal of our mandate.

Despite this, there are still stupid people who think that One can continue to govern With the wiles of the old policy.

When we will assume the power, we will do so to end the privileged positions and influence peddling We will not allow Our children starve We will accomplish our purposes though The economic reserves are emptied completely We will exercise the power until You understand that from now We are the “new policy”.

And now, read from the bottom up, starting with the last line and up to the beginning.

What you understand from that opening comment is at your own risk and I dare say it means a lot and speaks to many issues regarding the Nigerian state. So, for the next 12 months In Shaa Allah, I will once a month X-ray the issues around the forthcoming general election in the world’s largest black population and democracy. Kindly note my use of the phrase In Shaa Allah. I am THEWILLNIGERIA

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not a politician that feels that all is figured out...and I am not one of the owners of Nigeria that determines who gets what.

that several millions of Nigerians are children under the age of 18 and half our population is youthful, whether lazy or otherwise?

Let me start in the following manner.

While we do the drama of cost of cooking gas and gas flaring, solid cooking fuels (which creates respiratory ailments), inadequate sanitation and substandard housing is at a peak, people lack access to proper drinking water within a 30-minute round trip walk.

While we take pride at our 200million+ population figures, and fight amongst ourselves which ethnic group or faith has the higher number, millions are multi-dimensionally poor people having at least one undernourished person in their homes.

A huge piece of bakery deliciousness sat in front of me. It was a combination of three desserts in one. One layer was cheesecake, another layer was ice cream cake and in between, there was a layer of brownie-like chocolate cake... all drizzled with some kind of fudge icing that was calling my name.

This was served to me while on a family vacation. At the time, I was at the beginning of my no-sugar adventure. I had been dropped into a place that was teeming with bakery things my mind could not even conceive of, while everyone around me could eat a pound of sugar a day and still look fit and trim.

I didn’t want my family to miss out, so I told them to please enjoy.

“I’m fine,” I said with a carefree smile. But inside a totally different dialogue was playing in my mind: It’s not fair!

Saying “it’s not fair” has caused many girls to toss aside what they know is right for the temporary thrill of whatever it is that does seem fair. But the next day, the sun will rise. As each band of light becomes brighter, the realisation of the choice she made the night before becomes clearer.

I have friends who like to restore cars. I have other friends who like to restore houses. Many times, we like to restore things because they are broken or because fixing something usually costs less than buying it new. But I think many enjoy the challenge of a fixerupper because we enjoy the process of building something that is better than what was there before.

When we look at Nigeria as it rides towards the next election, the truth is that it is not fair that the candidates around don’t really understand the enormity of the work ahead, how badly fragmented Nigeria is as a nation, that the deal structure which never has been really federal is disjointed.

Do the candidates whether for the office of governor of Plateau state or for the ‘unhallowed chambers’ of presidency understand

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With the campaigns soon heating up, with the best of efforts, Nigerians live in households where a scary percentage has not completed at least six years of schooling, have no access to electricity, lack seven of eight of the following assets (a radio, television, telephone, computer, animal cart, bicycle, motorcycle, or refrigerator). They also do not own a car.

These candidates no sabi wetin dey. They will prove that though money is available that could have gone towards the social good, it largely will go to shore up their chances at the polls rather than the manufacturing and industry of the nation.

Dem no sabi say across the nation we need to de-commodify education, which includes strengthening public education and preventing the privatisation of education in the manner we have gone about it.

No candidate, not even those that are teachers are promoting or discussing our education. They are not talking about how a ‘would be’ great nation can bridge the electricity and digital divide, build publicly financed and publicly controlled high-speed broadband Internet systems with spaces open for private players to thrive.

We keep talking about out-of-school children, but in reality, these candidates are not about ensuring that all school children have access to all the elements of the educational process, including extra-curricular activities or developing channels through which students participate in decision-making processes in all forms of governance and education.

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w w w. t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.0 4

Lawan

JA N UA R Y 23 - JA N UARY 29, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

Economy: Budget Padding Hits N3trn in 6 Years

BY SAM DIALA

T

he National Assembly inflated Nigeria’s annual budgets with a total of over N3 trillion within six years (2017-2022), thereby distorting the economic growth and objectives the budgets were originally intended to achieve. The jerking up of budget values, popularly called padding, is a process by which the lawmakers adjust the expenditure plans originally presented to them by the Executive arm of government for approval as required by law, thereby creating extra costs.

The adjustments come in the form of insertion of new items – mostly on the recurrent expenditure; amendment, expunging or replacing of the items originally formulated by the executive.

The action puts the economy in jeopardy with the result that the budgets hardly deliver on the purposes the executive declares during the presentation of the spending plan.

Data from approved budgets from 2017 to 2022 show that the lawmakers inflated the spending plans with an average of N516.66 billion each year – a sum that is close to the monthly FAAC revenue that is sometimes shared by the federal, state and local governments. The figures range from N90 billion to over N900 billion.

In 2017, the budget of N7.28 trillion presented by the executive was raised to N7.44 trillion with additional N160 billion. The sum of N960 billion was added to the original N8.61 trillion resulting

Tackling Pilots’ Unemployment Through Airline Investment

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

A

s at 2019, the number of unemployed pilots was estimated to be well over 500, according to the former Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Abdullahi Mohammed.

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The figure of these trained, but yet to be employed pilots seems to be increasing on a daily basis, particularly at the local aviation industry level.

Continues on page 33

in an approved budget of N9.12 trillion in 2018. For 2019, the lawmakers padded the original budget of N8.83 trillion with N90 billion, bringing the approved budget to N8.92 trillion.

The approved budget for 2020 was originally N10.33 trillion; the figure jumped to N10.81 trillion after the lawmakers injected extra N480 billion into the spending plan. The 2021 and 2022 budgets were not spared: they were padded with N590 billion and N731 billion to arrive at the approved N14.57 and N17.12 trillion. The budgets originally presented by the executive were N13.98 and N16.39 trillion respectively.

Details of the original 2022 budget of N16.39 trillion presented

by President Muhammadu Buhari comprised N3.90 trillion debt service figure, N6.8 trillion recurrent expenditure and N4.8 trillion capital expenditure. In the revised, approved budget, debt servicing was reduced by 0.35 percent to N3.87 trillion.

It is most probable that the padded figure was put on the N6.9 trillion recurrent expenditure, with a 1.4 percent increase from the originally proposed figure. The highest increase was on capital expenditure with the greatest increase in the approved budget, which rose to N5.4 trillion, a 12.5 percent increase over the president’s initial proposal. The approved N17.12 trillion budget is 17.58 percent over the N14.5 trillion budget figure of 2021.

MORE INSIDE Excess Crude Account Balance Hits $35.8m PAGE 41

FAAC: FG, States, LGs Share N699.824bn December 2021 Revenue PAGE 41

Continues on page 33

Ogun To Upscale 10,000 MSMEs On Agro-processing, IT, Others FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

T

he Ogun State Government has said it will upscale 10,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in five specialised areas, including agro-processing, information and communication technology, non-metallic and basic minerals, fashion and textiles, as well as beauty care.

The Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, who Continues on page 41

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AVIATION/ECONOMY Tackling Pilots’ Unemployment Through Airline Investment

Economy: Budget Padding Hits N3trn in 6 Years

Continued from Page 16

Continued from Page 16 According to the revised budget, the National Assembly is taking the sum of N139 billion for the fiscal year, out of which the Senate gets N33 billion while the Federal House of Representatives will spend N51 billion.

Amid severe revenue challenges, the National Assembly plans to spend N5 billion on a library project while another N300 million will be spent on e-library projects. The sum of N139 million is earmarked for spending on the NASS dashboard.

These projects were not contained in President Buhari’s original proposed budget.

Modibbo

A foremost civic-tech organisation leading the advocacy for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance, BudgIT Organisation, recently said it identified 460 duplicated projects in the 2022 FG Approved Budget, slamming the National Assembly for budget padding and other corruption loopholes.

A major concern is that many of these professionals and even aircraft engineers are still roaming the streets without jobs after spending huge resources to get trained. At NCAT, for instance, the average cost of training a pilot is about $50,000; However, fees paid by foreign and local students differ as the cost for the latter is highly subsidised. Even after spending so much on training, jobs are usually out of the reach of the freshly graduated pilot, if he is not favoured with the type-rating system.

A type rating is an authorisation entered on or associated with a pilot’s licence and forming part thereof, stating his privileges or limitations pertaining to certain aircraft types.

Such qualification requires additional training beyond the scope of the initial license and aircraft class training.

However, experts have noted that the issue is not only about type-rating, but the experience.

For instance, even when some newly trained pilots come back from America, they still don’t get jobs because they have not gathered the necessary hours. Different airlines have different requirements. Most of the airlines require a certain minimum of hours for insurance purposes before you can fly their aircraft.

National Carrier/Flag Carrier To The Rescue Aviation experts believe that one way to solve pilot unemployment is to invest massively in airline businesses, either in the form of a national carrier or flag carrier.

A national carrier means any aircraft operated by or on behalf of the government, while flag carrier is an airline that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. By investing in any type of carrier, analysts believe that massive jobs will be created for both the pilots, aircraft engineers, Air Traffic Controllers and even the air hosts and hostesses.

Raising the hope of a national carrier, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, a few months ago vowed that by April 2022, Nigeria would be gifted with a new national carrier.

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

He reiterated that the Federal Government would not have more than 5 per cent stake in the new national carrier, while it emphasised that THEWILLNIGERIA

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no fewer than 70,000 jobs would be generated with the birth of the airline.

Reacting to the Minister’s promise, President of Aviation Round Table (ART), Dr Gbenga Olowo said he is not worried about the time of entry or exit of any carrier, adding that his earnest desire is to see the emergence of strong, efficient, globally competitive Nigerian flag carriers.

Dr Olowo noted that the weight thrown by the Federal Government on Air Peace/Emirates commercial negotiations in UAE disagreement is a confirmation that Nigeria already endorsed that flag carrier by throwing its weight behind them.

“I am trusting that the same steam will be deployed to sanitise all the routes which post negative trade balance to Nigeria viv-a-vis Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) till date. No thanks to corruption.

“Government should give its full hug to all destinations served by all countries, hitherto in preparation for an additional or two more Nigerian flag carriers,” Olowo said.

In the same vein, the Rector of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Capt Alkali Modibbo, advised that the only way to get jobs as a pilot or an engineer is to get more aviation industriallisation by having more airlines and ATOs. Call For Pilots’ Diversification According to Capt Modibbo, pilots should not insist on flying alone, but they can also work in the agencies and the ministry as a pilot or an engineer.

“The only way to get jobs as a pilot or an engineer is to get more aviation industriallisation by having more airlines and working in the agencies and the ministry as a pilot or an engineer. It is not necessary that you must fly or repair an airplane. You can work in any of the agencies as a pilot.

“If you look at Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), is a pilot. The immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, was a pilot and the same applies to Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Organisation (NCAA). Also, the current Commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau, Engr. Akin Olateru, is a pilot, just like many others. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) called on the citizens, CSOs, private sector and the international community to prevail on the National Assembly and Presidency to urgently amend and eliminate the loopholes in the Federal Government’s 2022 Approved Budget.

“Our preliminary analysis of the 21,108 capital projects in the 2022 approved budget revealed 460 duplicated projects amounting to N378.9billion. Recall that BudgIT observed 316 duplicated projects inserted into the 2021 FG Budget approved by NASS. ICPC verified 257 duplications, while the Budget Office confirmed the existence of only 185 duplicated projects worth N20.13bn, after which it informed the public that funds were not released for the projects in 2021.

“Furthermore, BudgIT notes that the occurrence of inflated projects amounting to billions of naira directly linked to the State House and the Presidency is a cause for concern.

Examples include the N20.8billion requested by the Presidency to construct a 14-bed presidential wing at the existing State House Medical Centre, N28.72 million requested the purchase of two units of 10KG washing machine and six units of LG televisions in the State House Lagos Liaison Office, among others.

“The loopholes for fraud in the 2022 FG budget is a crime against the 86 million Nigerians living below the poverty line, an injustice to hardworking taxpayers and an open mockery of the countries and lending institutions that intend to lend Nigeria N6.29 trillion in 2022,” the NGO said in a statement signed by its Communications Associate, Iyanu Fatoba, and made available to THEWILL. Other Channels of Profligacy Details of the budget further revealed that the President and the Vice-President are to spend the sum of N3.087 billion on travels within and outside the country in the fiscal year. Specifically, the President plans to spend N2.309 billion on travels, while the Vice President was

“

Amid severe revenue challenges, the National Assembly plans to spend N5 billion on a Library project while another N300 million will be spent on e-Library projects. The sum of N139 million is earmarked for spending on the NASS dashboard. These projects were not contained in President Buhari’s original proposed budget allocated the sum of N778.2 million for the same purpose.

This implies that the President would spend more money travelling abroad than within the country as he is planned to spend N1.53 billion on his foreign travels and N775.602 million on local trips during the year. On the other hand, the Vice President is expected to spend N476 million on foreign trips and N301.96 million on his travels within the country in 2022.

Budgetary provisions for the President and his deputy, captured above do not include the travel budget of N162. 253 million created for the State House Headquarters, which includes other workers in the place. Furthermore, the budget details revealed that the President would spend N301 million on food and catering, while his honorarium and sitting allowance was allocated N174.176 million.

According to the details revealed in the breakdown, the President’s cost of utilities for the year is pegged at N503 million, covering electricity charges, telephone, Internet access, water rates and sewage charges. Office stationery/computer consumables and books, newspapers, magazines, printing of documents, drugs and medical supplies will cost N470.4 million. The maintenance of office equipment, furniture, buildings, vehicles, generators and others are expected to gulp N402.2 million.

The Vice President was allocated N156.662 million for food stuff and catering services, as well as N20.26 million for meals and refreshments for his functions. The on-going construction of the Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre was allocated the sum of N21.974 billion, while the centre itself was allocated a separate N687 million.

The President is also expected to spend a total of N12.5 billion on the Presidential Air Fleet in 2022.

About N1.6 billion is provided for the purchase of vehicles and spare parts. According to the estimate, the ongoing phased replacement of vehicles and spares will cost N1.6 billion compared to the N436 million set aside for a similar purpose in the 2021 proposal.

About N180 million is provided for purchase of tyres for bulletproof vehicles, plain cars, CCU vehicles, platform trucks, jeeps, ambulances Continues on page 41

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TELECOMS

Nigeria: Setting The Pace For 5G Technology In Africa

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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Danbatta

T

he Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said that there is a possibility that Nigeria will have the highest number of subscribers of 5G technology in Africa by the end of 2022.

Pantami, who stated this at the closing of the service-wide capacity building programme on e-government in Abuja, recently also disclosed that the Federal Government had approved the national policy for 5G network to boost new technology and Nigeria’s digital economy at large.

He said, “If you look at our ranking, Nigeria has the biggest digital economy in Africa. Nigeria has the biggest ICT sector in Africa. Nigeria has the highest number of phone users in Africa. Nigeria has the highest number of internet subscribers in Africa.

“Now, the Federal Government has approved the national policy for the fifth generation for the Nigeria digital economy. By the end of 2022, I do hope that we will have the highest subscribers of 5G in Africa.”

Pantami further stated that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) carried out about 499 Information Communication Technology (ICT) projects estimated at N152 billion in 2021.

The NITDA serves as the clearing house for IT projects in Nigeria. The agency is mandated to clear all IT projects in line with the policy objectives of the Federal Government to maximise transparency and accountability.

According to the minister, the government’s commitment to spending on digitalisation for government services is evident in the amount cleared in 2021 projects valued at N152 billion, compared to 2019 projects worth N9 billion.

“To show to us the level of the implementation of the government’s digital services in the country, from January to December 2021, NITDA, on behalf of the government, has approved the execution of 499 projects. However, the approved projects include the backlog of 2020 and 2019,” he said, adding that the Federal Government had approved 16 national policies for the ICT digital economy.

Also speaking at the event,the Director-General of the NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, said the government trained 1,376 civil servants from 48 ministries, departments and agencies on ICT between November 2020 and December 2021.

Meanwhile, Nigeria made history on December 13, 2021 when two network providers, Mafab Communications Ltd and MTN Nigeria Plc, emerged the successful winners of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G technology to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband services in Nigeria.

Both winners emerged in a keenly contested 3.5GHz Spectrum auction conducted at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

“

Three companies, namely MTN, Airtel and Mafab Communications Limited, had qualified for the auction, having met the requirements stipulated in the Information Memorandum (IM) for the spectrum auction Three companies, namely MTN, Airtel and Mafab Communications Limited, had qualified for the auction, having met the requirements stipulated in the Information Memorandum (IM) for the spectrum auction. The three companies had also participated in a mock auction held on Friday, December 10, 2021, which served as a precursor to the main auction conducted on Monday, December 13, 2021.

According to NCC, there is already a holistic, strategic plan being conscientiously implemented to address the infrastructure deficit in the telecommunications sector with the objective to bridge the digital divide, which had undermined Nigeria’s march to a robust digital economy.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, who gave the assurance recently, emphasised that telecoms infrastructure deployment across rural communities in Nigeria is at the heart of every effort of government towards ensuring the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Danbatta made these declarations at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, while delivering a keynote address at the 2021 National

Conference, Exhibition, and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

At the conference, themed, ‘Expansion of The Energy Mix For National Economic Growth,’ Danbatta spoke on the sub-theme, ‘Strategic Collaboration Between the Town and Gown for Effective Rural Development.’

The NCC boss said the vision of the Federal Government, as enunciated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (20202030) and the National Broadband Plan (20202025), is being vigorously implemented.

Explaining the connection between these policies and NCC’s operations, he said that the NCC’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 20202024, streamlined in the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan (2021-2025) to enhance operational and regulatory efficiency, is aligned with the Federal Government’s vision for an all-inclusive digital economy.

Accordingly, to improve Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure, Danbatta noted, the NCC divided Nigeria into seven Zones, consisting of the existing six constitutional geopolitical divisions and Lagos constituting the seventh due to its importance as a strategic commercial and technological hub within the structure of Nigeria’s telecommunication ecosystem.

Most stakeholders in Nigeria’s telecom industry ab initio perceive spectrum auction for the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network as a banana peel for the Commission. In fact, the exercise had been seen as a litmus test for the actualisation of the 5G project.

However, for NCC to successfully carry out, both the mock and main auction, it is an indication that the Commission is on its way to mark a turning point in Nigeria’s determination to harness the benefits of 5G for the nation’s socioeconomic growth as a concrete roll-out of 5G commences in 2022.

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The Founder, All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and marketing communication expert, Mike Dada, speaks with IVORY UKONU about his vision for AFRIMA and what keeps him going

Dada

I’M IN BUSINESS OF PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGES – MIKE DADA Y

ou are a big player in the entertainment industry.

What is the attraction?

I won’t really say that I am in the entertainment business. I would like to think that I am in the business of proffering solutions to challenges. Yes I have a Law degree, but I already had a degree in chemical engineering. However, after working with my first degree for a while, I realised that I had a passion for something different and that is building brands, which is now my actual 9-5. Having realised how passionate I am about providing solutions to communication challenges, I decided to acquire the requisite knowledge by getting certifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, United Kingdom; Nigeria Institute of Public Relations; Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom, etc. At a time, I became a fellow of the National Institute of Marketing Nigeria as well as acquiring membership of the aforementioned bodies. Later I moved to advertising and got licensed to practice by the Advertising Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria. What I do isn’t to get applause, but simply push myself further so that I can impact society.

Since you had a passion for marketing communication, why didn’t you go with it in the first place?

Sometimes, one isn’t opened to opportunities. One’s knowledge about certain things depends on one’s level of awareness, but when it comes and you realise this is what you want, then you go for it. Sometimes you know what you want, but not how to get it. What made me study chemical engineering was the fact that I was opportune to be one of the brilliant ones. In secondary school, I always took the first position, never came second and aced my O’Levels …. The only logical thing one’s parents would think you should study in school at that time was either law, medicine or engineering.

As a young boy, I wanted to become an aeronautical engineer, later I wanted to study medicine and finally, I chose engineering. In the university, I was fully involved in campus/student unionism. I would later discover my passion after school, which is marketing communication and after spending years outside of it, I went for it. I acquired a body of knowledge on it, learnt the ropes and began to practise. Later, I wanted to study law and increase the quality of my thought process and mind. Don’t forget I was a science student and never did literature which was a prerequisite to study law. I

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had to go back to sit for literature at O Level. The first time, my result wasn’t released, the second time, I failed it and did a re-sit. The third Dada time, the results of the entire centre where I did the exams was canceled. I got the result after four years of trying.

How come you were not discouraged? What made you to keep trying?

I don’t get discouraged easily. That is one of my strong points.

I had my eyes set on getting a law degree and since it would require a process for me to acquire it, I subjected myself to it. I eventually got a direct entry admission into the University of Lagos, completed the course and went to law school.

Did you ever practice?

Yes I did.

Do you own a law chamber?

Yes, Simon and Blake. I engaged some lawyers to keep the place running. We are involved in corporate and transactional law. So when there is a need to go to court, we go to court.

Public Relations and Law are kind of similar. With the two, you know something about everything and everything about something.

You said you were involved in student unionism in the university. One would think you would been an active player in Nigerian politics today?

Everyone is a political animal, irrespective of whether they are active or not. However, I consult for politicians and political players. We don’t just do the paperwork, we dig deep. We go to the grass roots level to understand the challenges. So, one way or the other, I get involved in politics. At PRAfrica, our PR and brand agency, one of our key strength is political marketing.

We ran campaigns for governors and even presidents in some African countries and they won. Some of the campaigns that we have run are the Akinwunmi Ambode election (Lagos State); the Godwin Obaseki election (Edo State); the Gboyega Oyetola election (Osun State); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo State); we handled some campaigns in Rivers State as well and many others. And when they come, the idea is to showcase what they

will offer to the people of the state that will make a difference and I know those who are passionate and genuine about the country because I am equally passionate about Nigeria and finding solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the country and Africa by extension. Proffering these solutions is not rocket science. Nigerians and Africans are not asking for too much. We all travel out and see the way things are done, we don’t need angels to come and solve some of these problems for us, it is only a function of planning and people doing the right things.

You can’t deny that some of our own challenges are peculiar That is because the kind of challenges we see are as a result of the kind of system we run. Even if you put someone who has the right solutions to our peculiar challenges, the problems will still be there. Until we find a solution to the system, we will continue to have the same challenges, unfortunately.

The system is designed to make the poor become poorer and the rich richer. So I may not be an active player, but I am politically conscious. At the advent of our democracy, I was one of those people in the anti-military struggle calling for the enthronement of democracy.

You mean with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO)?

No. Quite a number of groups were actively involved to ensure the end of military rule and I was a member of one of such groups. In 1998 it was decided that some or all of us who were part of the struggle should get involved in the transition to democracy and politics. Some schools of thought were against our joining as the military could not be trusted. I was one of those who felt we should get involved because if we were not part of the democratisation process, we would not be able to correct the anomalies or get certain results. But because of the democratic manner by which the organisation I belonged to was being run, as well as the ideology of the organisation, they concluded that we shouldn’t and we were bound by that.

Looking back now, it is unfortunate that those who were not THEWILLNIGERIA

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really part of the struggle became the so-called political leaders and office holders. These characters claim to be vanguards of democracy today and we just laugh at them because we know what roles they played when we fought for democracy to be entrenched. But there are certain things that you go to the grave with. And what did they do to us that fought for the enthronement of democracy? They pushed us away. Many of the genuine vanguards of democracy in those days would travel in the middle of the night with leaflets, pamphlets and posters from Ife to Owerri and Maiduguri and back to Lagos. Many of our comrades lost their lives, families, and limbs to this same cause. Some are living in abject poverty today. But I can’t be mentioning what some of us do to keep these comrades afloat.

Things like paying for their children’s school fees, providing them with some sort of succour. It is just unfortunate that many of those in the corridors of power are far from the vanguards of democracy they claim to be. And we know them. But it is okay.

Hopefully, Nigeria will get better.

AFRIMA is a tourism product.

My vision is to sell destinations and promote the people of the continent, connect, unite them and tell the story of the continent for global competitiveness

So what has happened to the spirit of activism in you?

It is still there. It never died. For anyone that seeks a better society, you will always be an activist. I still canvass and yearn for a better society. You can see that in all of the things that I am involved in, even with the All Africa Music Awards project.

People think I am crazy and wonder why I cannot channel the money I spend on AFRIMA, which has no fundamental monetary returns, to other viable ventures. For me, it is about fulfilling our dreams of ensuring that we can tell our own story and contribute our own quota to the development of society.

Be that as it may, AFRIMA has been positioned to become bigger than any group or individual.

What is your vision for AFRIMA in the long run?

AFRIMA is a tourism product. My vision is to sell destinations and promote the people of the continent. There is a global cultural enslavement. Americans want us to behave like them, same thing with the British and the French. The implication on the economy is that you think like Americans; you want to wear their clothes, eat their food, buy their iPhones, watch their movies, listen to their music and then you feel inferior and think they are superior to you. They make more money when you consume their products and services. The result is that we become a consumptive economy and in the long run, you are subjecting yourself and your generation yet unborn to poverty.

That is the economics of tourism.

Americans don’t do Oscar or Grammy awards for doing sake.

The same thing with BAFTA. This is what we are trying to achieve with AFRIMA on the African continent. If we don’t do it, no one will do it for us. We always think that there is one power somewhere that will do things for us, but if we don’t come together as Africans to sell ourselves and tell our stories, we will continue to remain consumptive economies.

So regardless of whether we see sponsorship or not, we will continue to organise AFRIMA and it is only going to get bigger and better.

What is the story behind AFRIMA? It is part of my quest to project the image of Africa positively to the world. The idea began in 1999 during one of these international football tournaments and people were quite excited about it. It occurred to me that I can do so much more to ensure that people are happier and get connected that way. So I decided to replicate this effect in another sector, entertainment, music specifically, which is a veritable tool to use to connect people, unite them and tell the story of the continent and communicate Africa for global competitiveness.

Why music and not movies, which is also entertainment?

Interestingly, I can’t sing to save my life, but music is a communication platform and I like music, I listen to it and sometimes sing along. Besides, there was already a platform involved in movies at that time. Incidentally, I also like event production. I later realised that there was an African music award festival called KORA All Africa Music Awards, which was promoted by Benin Republic businessman, Ernest Adjovi.

Since I didn’t want to duplicate what was already existing to unite Africa, I kept it in the cooler. Destiny and providence would eventually unite me and the promoter of KORA award together. So we went into collaboration to work together. We went to South Africa to produce KORA Awards with other professionals, worked on the project for three years. It was an eye opener for me. A time came to move KORA around the continent and Nigeria won the bid to host it after I fought for it, together with my partner, Teju Kareem, founder of multimedia company, Zmirage. I rallied round, got some sponsorship. Unfortunately, we ran into some hitches with the KORA promoter. This was in 2007. Not only did the ceremony not hold in Nigeria, that was the end of KORA awards on the continent. After two years, I dusted my portfolio on AFRIMA and in 2010, we began brand building for it in earnest. It took us another three years to get the African Union to come on board. We also had to move around the continent to meet like minded people, going to places like Congo, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Morocco, Uganda, Kenya.

Naturally, I had to source for funds for the maiden edition as nobody would have been willing to take a gamble on me until they see what I am capable of doing. People came in from the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, to develop strategy in terms of developing the idea, fleshing it out and developing structures for it. I didn’t want to develop something that would be solely tied to me. I have deliberately positioned AFRIMA in such a way that one would hardly know that it is masterminded by me. The first edition was supposed to take place exactly a year after we put everything in place, which was in October 2014, but we couldn’t because of the outbreak of Ebola. After all the money spent, planning and all, it had to be postponed but it eventually held in December 27, 2014.

How has the journey been so far?

Fantastic! We have held AFRIMA since that time except in 2020 because of COVID-19. But last year, despite the uncertainties surrounding events, crowd gathering, it happened but under strict COVID-19 protocols.

What were the challenges you encountered when working on a project of this magnitude?

Challenges are part of life. If you don’t have challenges in life, THEWILLNIGERIA

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How are you able to combine all the things you are involved in and still give it your best shot?

It all boils down to planning. One can create time for anything.

Also we are wired differently. Everyone should know their strengths and weaknesses. I understand my strengths and I have the capacity to multi task. I am wired to go for whatever I want to do, regardless of the challenges. It can be overwhelming sometimes. So I try now to delegate as much as possible by getting the people who will do the job.

Dada

then there is no life in you. It has been rough, tough, fulfilling, but we are not giving up.

What is it like getting artists from all over the continent to attend the show every year?

It is a big ticketing problem. It is humongous. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said that government should take over an award of this magnitude because of the logistics nightmare. There are 381 elements that must be perfected before the show takes place and there are teams managing each of those elements with one person overseeing the entire 381 elements. It is like punishment. That is all I can say.

Have you tried to follow Obasanjo’s advice by reaching out to people in government for partnership perhaps?

I can say that the Minister of Information has been very supportive morally, regardless of anyone’s opinion about him.

There was a time we had visa issues with delegates coming into the country and there was so much pressure. We reached out to him and he made presentations to the comptroller of immigration and it was resolved that all delegates should be given a visa on arrival so that the event goes smoothly and does not flop. That was even before the adoption of the visa on arrival policy in Nigeria. He can’t push AFRIMA beyond his capacity. I doubt that he even has enough budget to run his ministry. But at the end of the day, we can count on his support.

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What would you say has shaped you to be who you are today?

That would be my mum. She was my first teacher and she began teaching me early in life. She would teach me mathematics at home in both Yoruba and English. I remember a particular day she was trying to teach me and I wasn’t absorbing what she was teaching. I started crying and she beat me. My dad came home and I thought he would rescue me from my mum’s beating, but on learning that I didn’t understand what I was being taught, he also pounced on me. It was at that point I realised that if I failed to understand mathematics, my parents would kill me. So I braced myself and trained my mind to understand it and it ended up becoming my best subject. Mathematics is like water to me. Even now, I teach pro bono in some secondary schools and I have tried to apply to the University of Lagos to teach mathematics as well. As humans, we do not seem to understand the power that we have. We can become whatever we want to be as long as we put our mind to it. That is the philosophy of what I imbibed from that incidence.

Another thing is that I am continually trying to evolve myself.

I am never satisfied with remaining at a particular point in life.

I am always thinking about moving to the next level, how to make an impact and become a solution provider, make things better, change the situation of people around me to the best of my ability.

What do you do when you are not working?

I spend time with my family and friends when I have the time to spare. I try to balance work life, family life and social life. I love to read, but I haven’t done so in a while. I need to revive that.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Wife Throws Surprise Birthday Party For Lanre Shittu

ADEBOYE HEADS BOARD OF RONCHESS GLOBAL RESOURCES

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Adeboye

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ne would expect that being the child of Pastor Enoch Adejare, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of Christ and his wife, Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, he would follow in the footsteps of his parents and go into full gospel ministry, but not Adeolu Adeboye.

Unlike his younger siblings, Bolu, Dare (late) and Leke, Deolu, had early on carved a niche for himself in the business world, starting with his foray into the sale of luxury clothes for men.

Deolu created a standard in that line of business via

his well curated, Wise Men Apparel Boutique. With branches in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. His enterprise was at some point, one of the most sought after for men who understand what it is fashionwise, as he stocked up on luxury fashion items from some of the best designers in the world. The spouses of his customers, who desired luxury clothing items and accessories requested a female version of his boutique. He responded by establishing The Duchess, which is run by his very stylish wife, Tope. Both luxury fashion boutiques continue to thrive.

The 54-year-old graduate of

software engineering from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, was recently appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ronchess Global Resources PLC, a Lagos-based traffic solution, construction and procurement company. His appointment was made after the company was successfully listed on the Nigerian Exchange, following the restructuring of its board.

Besides being a big player in the fashion and retail business, he has also made inroads into insurance, power and construction and given a good account of himself in those fields.

arlier in the month, one of Nigeria’s leading automobile dealers and socialite, Olanrewaju Rasak Shittu, clocked 64. Unfortunately, his plan to have a quiet celebration backfired as his youngest wife, Oyindamola, decided to make him feel loved by throwing a surprise birthday party for him somewhere in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The event turned out to be well planned, with quite a number of prominent Nigerians, including technocrats, politicians, business associates, socialites, and at least five traditional rulers keying into the plan to surprise him.

That Lanre has done quite well for himself would be simply stating the obvious. He is the number one dealer in Mack trucks in Africa and holds the sole franchise for Mack brand vehicles in Nigeria. He is also the only dealer in Sany Heavy Duty Equipment and Yutong Buses in Nigeria, as well as an accredited dealer of KIA, NISSAN, Jinbei Buses, to name a few. Furthermore, he is a leading supplier of genuine Spare Parts to automobile dealers in Nigeria.

But it hasn’t all been fairy tales for the man of means as he has been plagued by scandals. In November 2000, Lanre was abducted by operatives alleged to be from the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who allegedly collaborated with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to whisk him away. He was arraigned before a US court for alleged money laundering.

Following his abduction, his wife and children were forced to flee their then Surulere, Lagos residence.

Apparently, there was a pending civil suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja over a move by the Federal Government, Shittu led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to have him extradited to America to answer to the alleged money laundering charge. Although his extradition was a clear violation of the extradition treaty between Nigeria and the United States, there were speculations alleging that the government of the day was aware of the ‘kidnap.’

Lanre was eventually freed, following the realisation that the District Court of New York lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter because both countries had violated the treaty on extradition, which they agreed to be binding on them.

Also, his young wife who threw him the surprise 64th birthday party was involved with a young

struggling banker while still an undergraduate and even after she graduated and started working.

But because the automobile dealer had more financial power, he allegedly snatched Oyindamola from this banker, whose name is Owolabi Bankole, after lavishing money on her. To make matters worse, Oyindamola was the best friend to one of the daughters of Lanre. But on learning of her dalliance with her father, she quarreled bitterly with Oyindamola and parted ways with her. Not to be deterred, Oyindamola and Lanre carried on with their affair without a care in the world and got their relationship formalised. In 2019, they both renewed their wedding vows.

Louis Onwugbenu Donates Why Osayaba Giwa-Osagie Recused Self as N21m to Nnewi Youths AMCON’s Receiver/Manager For Ibadan DISCO

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n spite of the biting poverty in the country, billionaire industrialist and Chairman/ CEO of Louis Carter Group of Companies, Louis Carter Onwugbenu, recently decided to put smiles on the faces of members of his community in Uruagu Nnewi in Anambra State by donating the sum of N21 million to 21 youths. The businessman said he was moved to do this after he found out that some of the youths in the

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community were unemployed while others were still struggling to make ends meet. He lamented the rising unemployment rate in the country, which has left many graduates without a source of livelihood. Onwugbenu said the financial grant was aimed at raising new millionaires who will in turn lift others from poverty.

He noted that If many people were rich, the burden would not be heavy on one man or a handful of people. This is not the first time Onwugbenu would be carrying out such feat. As a young man, he contributed to the development and building of a multimillion-naira theatre for nursing students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, which led to its accreditation.

While urging other billionaires like himself to join in the empowerment drive, he revealed that he already had a convert in the person of businessman, Chief Cletus Ibeto, who promised to empower more than 50 persons by the end of the year.

Ayeni, Giwa-Osagie & Okunbo

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n Friday January 21, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria affirmed its take over of Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Limited, core investor in Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company for defaulting in their loan repayment.

IBEDC distributes electricity to consumers in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, and Ondo as well as some parts of Ekiti and Kwara States.

The loan was funds released to all DisCos by the Central Bank of Nigeria under the Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Funds for the purpose of improving networks and reducing aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses. This is in addition to a Loan Purchase and Limited Servicing Agreement executed with Polaris Bank Limited in 2018.

Following IDEML’s inability

to repay the loans, the National Electricity Regulation Commission ordered IBEDC to commence the process of dissolving its Board within a 21-day period.

NERC even fined IBEDC 50 million naira for its failure to secure a refund of an interestfree loan the board of IBEDC granted to its core investor group.

The two major investors in IDEML are money bags, Tunde Ayeni and late Captain Hosa Okunbo. Incidentally, both men feuded till Okunbo drew his last breath over accusations that one cheated and ousted the other over another business investment.

Ironically too, Ayeni was removed as chairman of defunct Skye Bank for allegedly using his position to obtain loans above regulatory limits, thereby running the bank aground.

The accusation that IBEDC defaulted in it’s loan payment didn’t sit well with Tunde who THEWILLNIGERIA

countered NERC, insisting that IBEDC had completely fulfilled its financial commitments. Not done, the directors of the company decided to sue NERC for asking that they be removed from the board. They succeeded in getting a court order asking NERC to vacate that order.

With the takeover now by AMCON following a September 2021 Federal High Court preservative order in it’s favour, AMCON decided to appoint Osayaba Giwa Osagie as it’s receiver/manager.

Unfortunately, THEWILL gathered that the respected lawyer turned down the appointment out of deference to Okunbo. GiwaOsagie according to findings, hinged his decision on the fact that he and Okunbo are kindreds.

Like the late Okunbo, he is a Bini man from Edo State and allegedly doesn’t want to be involved in selling the assets of another Bini man who is deceased, especially because, Okunbo while alive, was and is still being revered even in death.

AMCON was now forced to appoint Kunle Oqunba Esq. SAN to act as receiver/manager nominee in the receivership action.

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JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

Tunde Gbadamosi, Estranged Wife Battle Over Asset

MERCY AIGBE MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE WITH LOVER A

few weeks ago, THEWILL exclusively reported that Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe, had found love again, about five years after the breakup of her marriage to hotelier Lanre Gentry who has since remarried.

Mercy’s current heart-throb is movie producer Kazim Adeoti, also known as Adekaz. He is the founder of Adekaz Movie Productions. Before now both lovers had managed to keep their relationship discreet. They were recently seen together at a party held by popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal aka KWAM1, somewhere at the Lekki area of Lagos.

It is speculated that the lovebirds may have already had a secret wedding, judging by the expensive-looking ring on Mercy’s finger, which she constantly flaunts on social media.

On his part, Adekaz has subtly owned up to his relationship with the actress, describing the mother of two as a “great partner” in a statement he posted on a social media platform to celebrate her birthday.

Although Adekaz has been married to another woman for the past 20 years, his religion permits him to marry as many wives as possible. This may perhaps explain why Mercy now has a Muslim name, Minnah, in solidarity with Adekaz’s religion.

T Adeyemi

ALAAFIN PARDONS REPENTANT QUEEN OMOWUMI MEMUNAT Controversial Show Promoter T Kogbagidi Unmasked Aigbe & Adeoti

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few weeks ago, international show promoter, Olasunkanmi Quadri Taoreed, professionally known as Kogbagidi, was trending for the wrong reasons.

The serial entrepreneur had a running battle with an upcoming music act, Portable (Habeeb Okikiola), who he started promoting late last year.

Kogbagidi was accused of riding on the success of Portable’s songs to enrich himself as he often takes the lion share from the artiste’s earnings. They were able to settle their differences, but it was not for long. Soon they resumed their animosity towards each other. Kogbagidi had to eject the singer from the hotel room he got for him and went as far as unfollowing him on social media after Portable retrieved his login details and started handling his social media pages himself. His constant running battle with the artiste has attracted so much attention to himself, with some people wondering who he really is and what his antecedents are.

Findings reveal that Kogbagidi has had a smooth career and has successfully promoted and managed other known artistes before his running battle with the upcoming act began. He started his career more than a decade ago as a ticketer of comedy show, Night of a Thousand Laughs THEWILLNIGERIA

organized by veteran movie producer, Opa Williams. He has a great relationship with Davido.

During Kogbagidi’s early days in the entertainment industry, Davido performed for free in some of the shows he organised.

He has also promoted the likes of Oyindamola Johnson Emmanuel, popularly known as Dammy Krane, Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf, also known as CDQ, Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael,

professionally known as Zlatan Ibile, Dapo Olabanji, also known as Dbanj. He recently got a gift of 5million naira from Zlatan after successfully promoting his show abroad last year. Aside from being a show promoter, Kogbagidi has his hands in hospitality business. He owns VVIP lounge in Lagos State. He also runs mentorship programs and business development programs.

Taoreed THEWILLNG

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he Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has forgiven his wife, Omowumi Memunat Adeyemi, popularly known as Olori Omoh, her sins and allowed her to reunite with the rest of his household.

The young queen, who returned to the palace on the monarch’s instruction, is one of those who ensured that the 51st anniversary of her husband’s coronation, which took place last week, was successful. She also celebrated her husband a few days before the event.

During the event, Olori Omoh heaped praises on Oba Adeyemi, reliving the memorable experiences she had had with him and praying that he would celebrate the new decade in good health.

Olori Omoh was one of the beautiful queens who escorted the king from the palace. She was spotted by his side, dancing to music by a group of traditional praise singers before entering his car. Such an act is quite unusual of the royal father who had ostracized some of his young queens accused of ridiculing their titles in the past before eventually sending them packing from the palace.

THEWILL recalls that late last year, the queen was accused of infidelity.

She had relocated abroad with one of her co-wives, Olori Folashade, but allegedly started fooling around with a married man. The wife of the man sent a message to the Alaafin complaining of Omoh’s behaviour. The traditional ruler then requested that a Deoxyribonucleric acid (DNA) test be carried out on the three children she bore him, a set of female twins named Ibidun and Ibironke, as well as her son, Olayiwola, to ascertain their paternity.

Olori Omoh had thought her co-wife, Folashade, was behind her predicament and made sure that she was also deported to Nigeria.

he animosity between Tunde Gbadamosi and his former wife, Shade Balogun has assumed another dimension as the erstwhile couple is currently in court over a jointlyowned asset, Amen Estate.

Tunde and Shade’s marriage ended as a result of allegations bordering on infidelity and excessive nagging. According to sources, Tunde allegedly got a Nigerian lady resident in the United Kingdom, Yinka Balogun, pregnant, while Shade is said to be overbearing and nagging.

At a point, THEWILL gathered, Tunde felt really tired of Shade’s nagging and her penchant for putting him down in public.

On the other hand, she was so hurt by his unfaithfulness that she would not forgive him. The bubble finally burst when she kicked him out of their home

and took over the real estate business he was running.

Before their relationship turned sour, Babatunde had acted as the brain behind their business.

He was the chairman and CEO of Redbrick Homes International Limited, promoters of Amen Estate where Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello lives. Now they are in court over the sharing of their joint asset.

Tunde, who is a former governorship aspirant in Lagos State, has since been warning those calling him to make enquiries regarding the purported sale and development of Amen Estate Phase 3, which Shade has started advertising to prospective clients, to do so at their own risk as the matter, which is a subject of litigation, is yet to be resolved.

Balogun & Gbadamosi

Muyiwa Olanrewaju Receives British Award

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igerian-British gospel singer, Muyiwa Olanrewaju, has been honoured with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. The radio host was handed a medal in an investiture ceremony held at the Windsor Castle, United Kingdom.

The medal was presented to the music act by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William.

Muyiwa was awarded the medal for his contribution to the British music industry. He was awarded an OBE when he appeared on Queen Elizabeth’s 2020 birthday honours list, but his investiture and official decoration took place about two weeks ago. The elated artiste appreciated all who have invested relentlessly in his career as they are the reason for his laudable feat.

According to him, one of his lecturers once discouraged him by saying that no one is paying attention to him as a gospel act.

However, a few years later, the

same gospel music earned him an award as the Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Olanrewaju is the host of popular gospel show, Turning Point, he has also appeared as a judge for various events such as BBC Songs of Praise, Gospel Choir of the Year Competition.

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STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN AND IVORY UKONU

FELA DUROTOYE JOINS FORBES COACHING COUNCIL A

former presidential aspirant and Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Group, Fela Durotoye, has been admitted into the Forbes Coaches Council. He was selected for his diversity, depth of experience and professional accomplishments. The membership of the Forbes Coaches Council is by invitation only. Qualified candidates interested in joining the council must meet some criteria, such as being publicly recognised as a business, career and professional coach. The new member must have his or her coaching consulting business for at least three years and

Meet Wealthy Nigerian Romancing American TV Star, Porsha Williams

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Durotoye

be actively engaged in coaching.

Having fulfilled the criteria, Durotoye’s application was considered and granted by the council.

Commenting on his admission, the former presidential aspirant described it as a truly humbling experience for him. He is deeply honoured to be welcomed and admitted into the council which is a respected community of leading coaches across the world.

The father of three admitted that it was gratifying to put in over two decades of coaching and consulting for businesses and

impacting leaders across diverse sectors of the economy, adding that his commitment to the growth and successes of businesses is now attracting global recognition at the highest level.

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only organisation for leading business coaches and career coaches. Those admitted into the membership of the organisation have the benefit of appearing on the Forbes website and the opportunity to publish on Forbes.com, which will set them apart as bold voices in their industry.

Femi Falodun Releases Documentary Film 0n Davido

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he Chief Executive officer of Info Digital Africa, ID Africa has unveiled a documentary film titled, We Rise: The Davido Story. The documentary tells the story of music star, David Adedeji Adeleke, professionally known as Davido, and captures his journey into music, as well as his influence on emerging and younger artistes.

The film also tells the story of Davido’s rise to fame, how he started as a teenager and the struggle for his father’s approval to go into music. It explores the controversies associated with the artiste and the funds raised during the celebration of his 29th birthday. It is the first feature film on the singer who has won several

awards and gained international recognition within a decade of his career.

It was gathered that the project took over eight months to complete. It features original interviews with leading entertainment industry figures, such as DJ Jimmy Jatt; the CEO of Storm 360, Obi Asika; Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi; Eromo Egbejule; Tosin Ajibade and Davido’s music lecturer at Babcock University, Dr Olusegun Ojuola.

According to Falodun, Davido’s story should be told. One of the goals of ID Africa is to use digital media for capturing and sharing the stories of people, places and events that matter to young Africans.

Falodun

e is a native of Benin City in Edo State and CEO of Simcol Petroleum Limited Company, as well as a relative of Aisha Guobadia, a former gold merchant and socialite jailed in the United Kingdom for some time before returning to Nigeria in 2000. He is Simon Guobadia and is currently dating Porsha Williams, a member of the cast of Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Simon and Porsha are not only dating, they are reportedly engaged as she has been flaunting a bejeweled ring for all to see. So in love are the two, or so it seems on Simon’s part, that he lavishes attention and expensive gifts on the mother of one. He recently bought himself a Rolls Royce and got a matching one for her as well. To prove that he is completely smitten with her, the 57-year-old got his very first tattoo, which spells out her first name in cursive script on his upper back.

Since they started dating, both lovers have been suffocating their social media fans with loved up photos of themselves with captions reiterating their love for each other. Simon has five children: Christian, Nicole, Benjamin, Quentin and Ximena, from two of his previous three

Williams & Guobadia marriages. His first marriage was with Karron English and it lasted 20 years. The second marriage was with Connie Andrade-Rivera. His last marriage to a much younger lady, Falynn, which was contracted in 2019 and ended in 2021, didn’t produce any child. Simon, who graduated from Columbia University, lives in Georgia.

On the other hand, 40-year-old Porsha used to be engaged to a certain Dennis Mckenly, an African-American whom she bore a daughter, but ended their

relationship, perhaps for not being such a lavish spender like some of the African men she had dated in the past.

Porsha was once involved with oil baron, Jide Omokare, who has since gone into oblivion, following his fraud case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

At another time, she was involved with Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue jnr, the son of a former President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Fans Blast Eniola Badmus Over Weight Loss Photos N ollywood actress, Eniola Badmus has been criticised for over editing her pictures, which make her look slimmer than she really is. The talented actress unveiled a slimmer figure in pictures she made public last year, ahead of her 20 years on stage celebration held in December, 2021. This prompted many to commend her for her zeal to shed unnecessary weight. But it soon dawned on many that the actress was selling a false narrative by pretending that she was on a weight loss regime, whereas she was overediting her pictures.

Many criticised her for this. They accused her of bowing to pressure to lie about shedding almost half her weight. Some berated her for disfiguring her shape in most of her pictures due to overediting.

They said she was living a fake life.

Last year, the actress revealed that the pressure and the stigma she received about her weight made her to embark on a weight loss journey. She stated that she got to a point where she could

no longer control her feeding habit, as she couldn’t say no to anything edible. That was when she realised that she needed to help herself. The plus-size actress revealed that she had to use some weight loss products to assist her in getting her desired weight.

She has successfully shed over 33kilogrammes of weight and has promised to ensure that she does not weigh more than 100 kilogramme.

Toyin Saraki Remembers Late Brother, Dapo Ojora

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Saraki & Ojora

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ate Dapo Ojora would have clocked 60 on January 20, 2022. His relatives, friends and associates would have rolled out the drums in celebration of the landmark age. Unfortunately the socialite cum polo buff did not live up to that age.

His younger sister, Toyin Saraki, wife of former Kwara State governor and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, however, didn’t allow the day to pass without a celebration. The beautiful woman, who has not yet come to terms with the demise of her brother, made a lovely video and

wrote a short eulogy to celebrate his 60th birthday.

“Daps, my darling big brother, brave prince of courage and peace, kind and gentle soul. In the arms of an angel, far away from here, may you find some comfort there. Rest in peace on your 60th birthday,” she wrote.

Late Dapo died two years ago in controversial circumstances. While some people attributed his death to a gunshot wound, which he accidentally inflicted on himself, others alleged that he committed suicide.

Badmus THEWILLNIGERIA

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BUSINESS NEWS Excess Crude Account Balance Hits $35.8m

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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he Federal Government has given an update on the Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance, which was put at $35,868,086.40 as at 17th January, 2022.

The Minister of State For Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, gave the figure during the 122nd physical meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) , chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN recently.

The meeting, which focused on sub-national ease of doing business, demographic transition and others, also had some state governors, the Minister of the Federal Capital City, Mallam Mohammed Bello, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha and the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, among others, in attendance.

L-R: Director of Public Affairs, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Osita Nwajah; Chairman, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa and Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Oparah, when the latter paid a visit to the commission in Abuja on January 15, 2022.

Ogun To Upscale 10,000 MSMEs On Agro-processing, IT, Others Continued from page 16

made this known in Akute in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, during the second edition of the MSMEs Business Clinic for the Isheri/Akute Zone, said the state government was committed to helping intending entrepreneurs.

Longe, who was represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mr Olu Aikulola, said the Dapo Abiodun administration would do everything possible to address the challenges facing MSMEs in order to aid their growth through the clinic and contribute to the economic development of the state.

“These Business Clinics are meant to sensitise and expose entrepreneurs to the immense opportunities available for starting and scaling up their businesses.

Our goal is to help MSMEs thrive and have a fair play in the market,” she said.

Speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Remi Ogunmefun, said

that the current administration in the state had organised the clinic across five zones to assist small business owners to access capital, improve on market access and grow their ventures.

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Continued from page 33 and other utility and operational vehicles.

Reports show that N116.19 million was set aside for a similar purpose last year. The government also budgeted N210 million for what it described as the “purchase of Phase 7 Avionics for AW 139 helicopters”.

Rubber Stamp NASS

In his remark, the General Manager, Ogun State Agricultural and Multipurpose Credit Agency, Mr Olugbenga AbolajiIsrael, called on participants who were yet to start their business to identify and tap the opportunities around them.

Beside walking the familiar path of profligacy through budget padding, the lawmakers contribute to the economic woes of the country by frivolously approving many foreign loan requests from President Buhari.

These include the $5.5 billion foreign loan approved in November 2017, the $30 billion and the $22.7 billion approval in December 2019 and March 2020 respectively.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Miss Oluwatosin Abiade and Mr Adeyemi Ogunsanya lauded the state government for organising the clinic, affirming that it had linked them with various development partners and provided support for their businesses.

In April 2021, NASS approved $1.5 billion and 995 million Euros, while it gave approval to the President’s request to borrow $16.18 billion in June 2021. In November 2021, they also approved $16.2 billion and N1.02 billion Euros and gave the nod to yet another request for $5.8 billion in December 2021.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

FAAC: FG, States, LGs Share N699.824bn December 2021 Revenue he Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N699.824 Billion December 2021 Federation Account Revenue to the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a virtual meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for January 2022.

The N699.824billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N507.267billion; distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N187.409 billion and Exchange Gain of N5.148billion.

In December 2021, the total deductions for cost of collection was N30.003 billion and the total deductions for statutory transfers, refunds and savings was N36.643 billion. The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was

Economy: Budget Padding Hits N3trn in 6 Years

$35.368 million.

The communiqué confirmed that from the total distributable revenue of N699.824 billion; the Federal Government received N279.457billion, the State Governments received N221.190 billion and the Local Government Councils received N163.879 billion. The sum of N35.297 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13% derivation revenue.

The distributable statutory revenue of N507.267 billion was available for the month. From this, the Federal Government received N248.885 billion, the State Governments received N126.238 billion and the Local Government Councils received N97.324 billion. The sum of N34.820 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13% derivation revenue.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA

The lawmakers have been severely criticised for being too eager to approve such loan requests without the necessary debates or critical questions. The 8th Assembly had declined approval to several foreign loan requests from the executive for what the lawmakers described as lack of details – specific projects the loans were meant for, expected return on investment, repayment plan and cost of borrowing.

A former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, in December 2021 lambasted the National Assembly for regularly approving the loan requests submitted by President Buhari without asking questions.

“During our stay in the National Assembly, requests for loans were thoroughly scrutinised and debated seriously. In the committee where I had the likes of Dino Melaye, Ben Murray-Bruce, we threw away the loan requests that did not represent the general wellbeing of Nigerians. Within two years, this National Assembly has approved over $30 billion loans without serious debates.

“This time, before Mr President sends a request for a loan, it has already been approved without scrutiny”, Sani said at the Delta State Civil Society Day and Award 2021 event held in Asaba.

While the Stabilisation Account balance, as at January 17, 2022 stood at N30, 685, 611, 413.79, while the Development of Natural Resources Account balance as at the same period, stood at N42, 820,382,381.40.

In his presentation, Agba also sought the support of the National Executive Council on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Policy for Nigeria.

According to the minister, the ODA policy will serve as a guide for Nigeria’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) relationship, regulate and co-ordinate the flow of aid, as well as provide an operational framework for delivery and receiving international development assistance by ministries, departments and agencies at both national and sub-national levels.

Explaining further, he pointed out, that the policy would address the issues of poor aid coordination; ineffective management of aid programmes and resources; data availability and reliability; poor linkages and lack of harmonization amongst Development Partners, guide creation of platforms to measure the impact of aid on Nigeria’s development aspirations and ensure mutual accountability and transparency amongst partners.

Microsoft Boosts Small-Midsize Businesses With New Working Tool

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icrosoft has announced the first-ever stand-alone offering of Microsoft Teams, a working tool specifically designed for small-midsize businesses (SMBs), called Teams Essentials.

Explaining the functions of the tool, the tech company said, “We all know that the shift to remote and hybrid work has presented ample challenges for companies of all sizes, but the unique challenges that small businesses face require unique solutions and Microsoft is well-positioned to provide its SMB customers with the best possible tools to succeed.”

According to the Corporate Vice-President for Microsoft 365, Jared Spataro, the new Microsoft Teams Essentials is built for small businesses.

He noted, “While the past 20 months have been challenging for all organisations, I don’t know any that have been hit harder than small businesses.

“They have had to adapt nearly every aspect of their operations and work with customers, often without access to critical tools and technologies. The world isn’t going back to the ‘old’ way of working, so small businesses need solutions that are designed specifically for their unique needs to thrive in this new normal.”

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Mama Roz’s Chronicles

The Dark Side of Love Prison Series (4) Amaka’s Story

L Part 2

ater that evening when Amaka got home, she was in a confused state. She was elated that she was engaged of course, even if she didn’t have a ring to prove it. It was a bit strange though that Mr Isaac had told her not to tell anyone what they had done or about the marriage proposal. Perhaps he wanted to tell her parents first in his own time.

It was a huge secret to keep but she would obey him, after all he would soon be her husband. As it turned out it did not remain a secret for too much longer.

Mr Isaac was a happy man. Things had advanced much quicker than he had expected.

He certainly had not expected her to give in so quickly. He was also surprised to find that she was a virgin. He hadn’t really expected that as some of these school girls could be very experienced. All in all, he was very happy except for one minor detail; the matter of the marriage proposal. He felt a slight twinge of guilt when he remembered that. Undoubtedly, that had hastened things along but surely, she could not really have thought he meant it. Perhaps not. He decided he would not mention it again and hopefully in time she would forget about it.

After that first day, they spent every moment they could together. Since she couldn’t tell anyone about her engagement, Amaka had to sneak out of the house to see Mr Isaac and like Cinderella, rush back home again before her parents got home and noticed her absence.

This lasted several weeks until Amaka realised that she had missed two periods. She didn’t know what to do or who to tell about this. If she told her friends, they might spread the news around and she would have to leave school. She decided to tell her sister, Ify. Amaka had two sisters, both older than her. The eldest had dropped out of school as a result of mental health challenges. She frequently ran away from home roaming around the streets for weeks until her father picked her up and took her home. Sometimes she would go missing for months and once she was away for a whole year. There were usually tell-tale signs when she was about to have one of her episodes and then her father would lock her up in a room until she was sober again. Amaka was not very close to her, no one was really, so she couldn’t tell her about the pregnancy. Her other sister, Ify on the other hand was very accommodating and usually gave her sound advice so she decided to confide in her. She wanted to know how she could remove the pregnancy before their father found out but Ify did not think that was a good idea and alerted their father.

Once Amaka’s father found out, an abortion was completely out of the question. He however wanted to know who was responsible for this. His daughter was only 16 years old. How could anyone be so wicked?

For weeks Amaka would not give his name since she had promised to keep it a secret.

Eventually with sufficient pressure from her father, Amaka confessed that Mr Isaac was responsible for her pregnancy.

Amaka had not told Mr Isaac that she was pregnant because she hadn’t seen him for a while. He had travelled and since he came back, he had been unavailable. So, the first he heard of it was when Amaka’s father knocked on his door with a policeman who invited him

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to accompany them to ‘A’ Division police station.

Mr Isaac was well aware of the full implication of the offence he was being accused of. Amaka was under age and therefore admitting to having had carnal knowledge of her was admitting to statutory rape. Moreover, what would his wife say when she discovered he had impregnated a young girl?

He denied it completely and said that Amaka was delusional. He didn’t know her well and had only given her a ride to school out of kindness, once when it was raining. There was no way Amaka’s father could prove it so he told Mr Isaac that God would judge him and left it at that. If indeed they left it at that, perhaps the events that followed would have been avoided. As it turned out, their lives were intricately woven together forever.

Mr Isaac went to the village and brought back his wife and three children. They had a daughter and a pair of twin babies. He told his wife that ‘they’ were trying to pin Amaka’s pregnancy on him but that he was completely innocent. His wife was furious but not with him, with Amaka. She went to their home and warned her severely to leave her husband alone. “Husband snatcher! Home breaker!

Prostitute! Go and find the man that impregnated you”, she ranted on and on at every given opportunity until Amaka was too afraid to come out of her house.

Seven months later, Amaka had a baby boy to her father’s delight. Her father was a successful builder with three beautiful daughters whom he adored but he had no son. He was therefore very pleased to welcome his grandson.

“

Seven months later, Amaka had a baby boy to her father’s delight. Her father was a successful builder with three beautiful daughters whom he adored but he had no son. He was therefore very pleased to welcome his grandson

In time, Amaka returned to school, completed her WAEC exams and gained admission to the College of Education, Minna.

Mr Isaac completed his house next door to Amaka’s house and their family moved in. He had not spoken to Amaka again since the pregnancy was discovered. He did not contribute anything toward the upkeep of the child and in fact treated Amaka as if she were a complete stranger rather than a woman he had shared intimate moments with.

His wife on the other hand, did not let up at all. Every time she saw Amaka the ranting would start. Several years after Amaka had given birth to her son, the wife still hadn’t stopped taunting her.

It was 2010 and Amaka’s son was six years old. Amaka, now 22 and in the College of Education, had returned from school and had been home for a while because their lecturers had gone on strike. However there had been a recent announcement on the radio that the school was reopening so Amaka was preparing to return to school. She came out of her house that morning to go to the market to buy the things she would need in school.

At that same moment Mr Isaac’s wife was coming out of her house and saw Amaka and as usual the sight of her just set her off. She started her usual rant, calling Amaka names “useless girl, prostitute, husband snatcher”, on and on she went.

Something snapped in Amaka’s head that day. It was just too much and she had had enough of it. As usual she did not respond to the woman to avoid incurring the wrath of other neighbours, all of whom were in full support of Mr Isaac’s wife. She just ignored her and went back into the house but she felt an indescribable rage consume her.

After Mrs Isaac had gone to the market, Amaka came out again. Mr Isaac’s children and Amaka’s son were all playing together outside. Two years earlier, Mrs Isaac had been pregnant again and had given birth to another

child, a little girl. All five children were playing together outside their house.

As Amaka walked by, she picked up the two-year old baby and took her to an uncompleted building nearby. She put a Bagco bag over the baby’s head and tied it up. The child struggled as she tried to breathe but Amaka held her down and strangled her until she was still.

Then she carried the baby in the bag to a farm nearby. She saw a farmer there.

“Amaka how are you?” he greeted. He knew Amaka quite well. Her mother owned one of the farms in the area and she often came with her mother and her sister to till the farm.

There was something strange about the way she looked today though; a certain glint in her eye. He couldn’t place it but he was a little unsettled by it. “Is all well?” he asked. Amaka nodded “All is well” she said. He looked at her again, then went about his business. She sat down on the ground holding the bag until the farmer left and then she hid the bag in a secluded part of the farm still tied up and went home.

When Mrs Isaac came back from the market, she started looking for her baby.

The children had all been playing and had not noticed when the child went missing. Everyone got involved in the search. Mrs Isaac came to their house and asked her father if he had seen their child but he hadn’t. He, Amaka’s mum and her sisters all joined the search for the missing child to no avail. The next day Amaka returned to school.

A month later, Amaka came home for a visit. She had been home for a few days and was preparing to return to school when a policeman came and knocked on their door asking to speak to her. Her father asked her if she had fought with anyone in the market that day but she said no.

“Maybe it’s about the missing Isaac child. Do you know anything about it?”

he asked. She said she knew nothing about it. The policeman was under instructions to bring her back to the station so she went with him and her parents accompanied her. She kept denying any knowledge of what had happened to the child until they told her that the farmer said he had seen her on the farm that day carrying a Bagco bag. They promised to let her go back to school to take her exams if she confessed. Sensing that the game was up, she confessed to murdering the baby.

The case was concluded in 2014 and she was sentenced to death by hanging.

It was commuted to life imprisonment in 2020 after she had been incarcerated for ten years.

Amaka regrets what she did. She has spent about 11 years inside and is now 33 years old. Her father died 2 years ago. Her son, who was raised by her parents is now 17 years old and out of school as he has no one to pay for his school fees. He lived with her uncle and his wife for a while but they really maltreated him and he went back to her mother.

Her parents had sought Mrs Isaac’s forgiveness and if she has the chance, she would also love to apologize to her. To date Mr Isaac has still not admitted that he was responsible for the pregnancy and she feels that he completely ruined her life.

Amaka regrets her anger and her desire to revenge. She hardly sees any members of her family now. She hasn’t seen her son since she was incarcerated.

Since her father died, her sister with the mental health challenges disappeared and has not been seen since. Her other sister, Ify lives in Minna with her husband and family.

Amaka is working towards retaking her WAEC examination again and is planning to attend the open university to study Guidance & Counselling.

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

LET THERE BE RICE ...

The FCT Mega Rice Pyramids under the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria - Central Bank Anchor Borrowers’ Programme was unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari and CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele at the Trade Fair Complex in Abuja on January 18, 2022, as the country continues to drastically cut rice imports. More than one million bags of paddy rice were showcased at the event.

President Buhari (M) flanked by State Governors - Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Muhammad Abubakar (Jigawa), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) & Ben Ayade (Cross River) - SGF, Boss Mustapha; President’s CoS, Ibrahim Gambari; Aliko Dangote, President of RIFAN, Aminu Goronyo and others.

President Buhari presents an award to Mr. Emefiele as Dr. Fayemi looks on.

President Buhari delivering his key note address at the event.

President Buhari, Mr Emefiele, Dr. Fayemi and others at an exhibition stand.

President Buhari (M) flanked by Mr Emefiele (R) and Dr. Fayemi (L).

RIFAN President Goronyo addresses President Buhari, Mr. Emefiele and other guests.

L -R: Dr. Fayemi; President Buhari; Mr. Emefiele; Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu Abubakar and others.

Photo credit: Sunday Aghaeze/Presidency

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FEATURE Almighty DISCOs & Monopoly of Power

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

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here was a time in Nigeria when if you wanted a telephone line at home or in the office, you must, of necessity, go to NITEL – acronym for Nigeria Telecommunications Limited. It was the only government-owned company mandated to provide such services to Nigerians.

But because they monopolised that sector, NITEL ran exasperating rings round their customers: they tossed lines indiscriminately; charged customers exorbitant fees for services not provided and if you dare complain, you might never see that chunky set resembling a miniature typewriter you so much wanted on a corner table in your sitting room unless you went to them on your knees - with cash.

In short, you couldn’t do without NITEL. And because of their vice-like grip on anything from installing new telephone lines to making calls, NITEL played God, turning themselves into monopolists in the process. But most Nigerians know that, for the period it lasted, NITEL was a colossal failure.

Nigerians also know that NITEL’s obituary was written when TELCOS replaced it as service provider in that all-too-important sector in the lives of many citizens. And such was NITEL’s total demise that, today, some younger generation of Nigerians brandishing sleek Android and I-Phones do not even know what NITEL stands for let alone what its national mandate was.

Competition, economists like to say, brings out the best in people, products and services. And where there is no competition?

The result is strangulating monopoly, monopoly that does not grow business rather it stifles or kills business.

Nigerians are beginning to feel strongly that DISCOs (Distribution Companies) in the power sector may go the same way as NITEL, meaning that if they do not shape up, they may eventually ship out.

A major reason is their monopoly of the power sector. Known by several regional names like Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), the existing DISCOs in the country are 11 in number. To be sure, DISCOs do not generate or transmit power. Gencos and TCN do that while DISCOs distribute to our homes and collect revenue for power consumption. This is where they have had the most serious issues with customers ever since they came on in 2017, especially paying customers who complain of overbilling, illegal disconnection and much else.

Last October, to cite a recent face-off between a customer and EKEDC, a woman in Surulere, Ms. Oluwasolafunmi Kotun, an accountant and development coach, was overbilled by almost three hundred percent. The bill EKEDC sent to her suddenly rose from N33, 000 to N215, 000 in just two months.

“In September, it went from N33, 195. 66 to N83, 859.30,” Ms. Kotun told THEWILL via a WhatsApp message. “We paid because the tariff had been raised and we got more power. When they brought the October bill, it went from roughly N84, 000 to N215, 360.32 for a household. The bill claims that our energy consumption was 3, 572. 45 kilowatts.”

According to the accountant, her house is under Ijora/ BAGCO feeder band. Since the house itself has not been metered, the feeder band in her own case cannot go higher than 856 kilowatts and not the 3, 572.45 kilowatts by EKEDC. Of course, the woman refused to pay because her household consumption pattern had not changed. Soon after the outrageous bill, Kotun wrote to understand why and how. No response came from EKEDC. Next, she wrote another to a forum where differences between consumers and suppliers are resolved. Nothing came of it. Kotun has also written to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) but met the same wall of silence.

In the back and forth between the accountant and EKEDC, the power distributors threatened to disconnect her from the power grid. But she stood her ground, insisting that, according to NERC, disconnections are not permitted or at best ilegal if there is an ongoing altercation between a consumer and the supplier.

There is also the matter of N400, 000 arrears which EKEDC insists she must pay before providing a pre-paid meter. She refused to pay. Kotun believes the “matter of technicalities on billing and the failure of EKEDC to be customer centric. If we did not complain, they would have cheated us and used it as a way to get us to blindly move to pre-paid metering.”

According to Kotun, a staff of EKEDC came once to the resi-

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“

It is apparent that in the face-off between Kotun and EKEDC, the power company never observed any of those rules. For one, it took EKEDC three long months to respond to the intial complaint made last October. Even the one made in December is yet to be addressed dence to install a prepaid meter. But he came with a single phase meter for two buildings with three phases. A second installer called but never visited the premises in person.

In an earlier letter sent to EKEDC concerning the unresolved arrears, Kotun complained that she “has never heard a situation where any bill payer will agree to pay a portion of a bill that includes a disputed amount as part of the ‘total amount due… the unwillingness of any of your team members to a request for clarification on the revised December bill and to state clearly (without the usual ambiguity) an amount to pay highlights the inability of EKEDC to provide transparent billing to us as a customer.”

Of course, EKEDC’s customer care would have received thousands of such complaints from customers. Responding to the complainant, Tope Ajiboye of EKEDC said the company he represents “regret the delay experienced with regards to reconciliation of account.” He also urged the customer to “make payment based on the approved capping for your feeder knowing full well that reconciliation was ongoing and to enable you still enjoy supply.”

For now, however, the customer is not much keen on EKEDC power supply. After the disconnection, she installed solar panels and bought inverters as alternatives to the Almighty DISCO. Generating her own electricity supply is the least of her wor-

ries, though. What is more galling is how EKEDC has breached her right as a consumer. For those who do not know, there are certain rights due customers of power companies. One is that “all customers have a right to transparent billing.” Others are notifying customers in writing ahead of disconnection of the electricity service by the DISCOS serving the customer in line with NERC’s guidelines” as well as the customer’s right to contest any electricity bill.

Customers also have a “right to file complaint and to the prompt investigation of complaints.”

It is apparent that in the face-off between Kotun and EKEDC, the power company never observed any of those rules. For one, it took EKEDC three long months to respond to the intial complaint made last October. Even the one made in December is yet to be addressed.

It must be said however, that DISCOS also have their own worries in discharging their duties. One is they are underfunded and become insolvent in the process. Witness last week’s takeover of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company. The receivers were there at the head office in the Oyo state capital to take over IBEDC. IBEDC services not only the entire Oyo state but neigbhouring states like Ogun, Ondo, Osun and some parts of Ekiti and Kwara.

The takeover by Assets Management of Nigeria (AMCON) was announced by the COO of IBEDC, Engineer John Ayodele to the startled staff of IBEDC. But are takeovers lasting solutions to poor performance of DISCOS or their shabby treatment of customers and sheer unprofessionalism in performing their duty?

Experts say no, insisting the real problem is their monopoly in the power sector. They couldn’t be more correct. NITEL once had that monopoly. Once TELCOs were introduced into that sector, Nigerians were free of NITEL’s stranglehold.

Can the same measures work with the Almighty DISCOS? Can the government break their monopoly in the power sector and allow professionally-minded, private companies run the power sector?

Those are questions Nigerians have been asking without credible answers just yet. For some however, not bowing to bullying tactics and overbilling by DISCOS is now a thing of the past. Ms. Kotun is a living example. With her solar panels and inverters, she has looked the supercilious staff of EKEDC in the eye and not blinked first.

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FEATURE

KKU: Between Church Politics and Tribe Karl Kum University, Vwang in Plateau State is yet to commence academic activities due to some challenges, including a clash of interest between its management and the host community, UKANDI ODEY reports

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arl Kum University, a private university in Vwang, Plateau State, has been mired in a crisis since its Governing Council announced the principal officers to supervise the commencement of academic activities at the institution.

With the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) as the Visitor to the university, the inauguration of its Governing Council on May 12, 2021, also marked the beginning of a conflict between the host community and the management of the institution, which forced the National Universities Commission (NUC) to withdraw the institution’s operational licence. As a result, KKU has been under lock and key, with members of a vigilante formed by the Vwang Youth Movement keeping watch on the main campus.

The bone of contention between the host community and management of the university is the appointment of a registrar for the institution. Initially one Daniel Dung Kim was chosen for the job on merit and in fulfillment of a Memorandum of Understanding between the management and the host community, which had earlier donated over 60 hectares of land to the university.

According to reliable sources, Mr Kim dutifully performed the role of secretary to the Governing Council during its inaugural meeting held on May 12, 2021. Things went awry just the next day as appointment letters were issued to all the principal officers of the institution, except the Registrar, Daniel Dung Kim. In the succeeding moments, intrigues were consolidated and anxiety gave way to agitation and eventually, debacle.

While the host community accused the management of KKU of betraying their agreement and witch-hunting Kim, the latter claimed that Kim was interviewed in error and must not be allowed to hold the same office, qualified or not.

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The community has resolved to stand by Kim, affirming that he is still its candidate for the position of registrar, based on the MoU it had with the university authority.

The community also revealed that on one occasion the Chairman of the Governing Council of KKU, Prof Ochapa Onazi, told a delegation of concerned residents that telephone calls from Professors Bogoro (of Tetfund) and Rahila Gowon urging the council to rethink the appointment of Daniel Dung Kim in order to check the dominance of the Berom ethnic group in the University and Church hierarchy had halted the issuance of an appointment letter to Kim. This was what led to the crisis that has stalled the progress of the university till date.

The governing council is on a hot seat, with an excruciating moral burden over-hanging it. It has traced Kim’s trajectory back to the State College of Education in Gindiri where he first held the portfolio of registrar, before retiring to take up appointment as the registrar of the Plateau State University, Bokkos.

Onazi and his team are insisting that Kim did not only retire from the college of education, but that his tenure as registrar of Plateau State University was mired in controversy and infamy, culminating in an inglorious exit and subsequently, litigation against his former employer, PLASU. It was however confirmed that the problem Kim had at PLASU, which led to his forced resignation and exit was actually a clash between discipline and abuse of standards in a matter involving the Vice Chancellor of PLASU at that time, who was accused of short-circuiting procedure by allegedly approving and paying a whopping N50 million to himself from the institution’s coffers.

Between May and December 2021, sentiments and hostilities heightened as the leadership of the COCIN Church changed. Only recently, a new President of the Church was installed to bring a formal close to the tenure of Rev Pandang Yamsat, a Berom like Kim, and the entirety of the Vwang population.

As is discernible so far, the new era has not shown as much potential to resolve the impasse as it has stoked the fires to

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provocative and endemic depths. A fortnight ago, the KKU Governing Council paid a visit to Governor Simon Lalong at the Government House in Rayfield, Jos. In the course of his address, Prof Onazi did not only invite the governor to intervene and resolve the situation, the Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO) has noted with grudge and exception that Onazi on the occasion use pejorative and foul language that denigrates the sense of honour and integrity of the Berom as a people.

In a world press conference held last week, BECO dismissed the visit to Governor Lalong by the governing council as idle walk and time-wasting gerrymander, noting that if such a visit were to hold any value, it should have been carried out by the COCIN leadership on behalf of the Church with whom the Vwang people signed an MoU. BECO has alerted that the governing council of KKU is currently engaged in some “cunning” moves “that will undoubtedly worsen the already bad situation”. It noted further that “since the outbreak of the cold war between the university and its host community, no effort has been made by the council and the institution’s Board of Trustees to consult critical stakeholders within and outside the host community for their intervention”.

BECO also regrets that “the host community, whose candidate in the principal officers cadre is the egistrar, who has become the target of attacks and frustration”.

It further observed that “appointing another candidate other than the President of COCIN as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees was intentionally done to completely pull the carpet off the feet of the Church in policy formulation and critical decision making on matters concerning the university”.

While the Berom socio-cultural organisation called on COCIN to continue on the commendable path of engaging the host community to resolve the situation, it also wants the Church to call its appointees at the KKU to order and interface with critical stakeholders, as it hopes that these efforts and a culture of adherence to established channels of communication in university organisational structure will pave the way forward, keep the school gates open and usher in the dawn of the desired atmosphere for teaching, learning, and research. This will also save the Church from doctrinal crash as a result of organisational politics.

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NEWS XTRA Calachika Chicken Products Ready For The Nigerian Market – Ayade FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR overnor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has disclosed that the state-owned chicken processing plant, Calachika, has met almost all the requirements for certification by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

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The 24,000 birds per day factory is one of the facilities established by the present administration in the state and located at the Ayade Industrial Park along Goodluck Jonathan Bypass in Calabar, capital of the state.

The governor said, “Our factory products are completely ready to hit the market, we are in the last phase of NAFDAC certification.

“The certification is taking a process because we need to separate the selection of the live birds from the production line,” he said.

Speaking on the health benefits of Calachika chicken, Ayade said, “the live birds contain high levels of pathogens and their pathogenicity is very huge.

“A typical example is cosidiosisimitis. It can be very infectious and its pathogenicity is well established. To create a control system, NAFDAC has given us clear specifications and we are adjusting our production process to meet the NAFDAC criteria.

“In addition, we needed to set up a laboratory, and the laboratory is already in place as we await certain sensitive equipment for final testing.

“Indeed, that is why we are yet to launch it aggressively, in terms of marketing and advertising, because we need the final NAFDAC certification to do so,” Ayade said.

The governor stressed that Calachika was poised to boost the protein intake of Nigerians, adding, “Statistics show that the average Nigerian consumes only 2.5k of chicken per annum and that is a little above one chicken.

“So it means that an average Nigerian is seen to be consuming a little over one chicken in a year. This means that a child growing up in an average Nigerian home has access to only one chicken in the entire year and chicken is one of the cheap sources of protein.

“Calachika provides a great opportunity for us to increase the growth level of our young children.

In no distant time, Nigeria will experience a huge supply of chicken from Calachika.”

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L-R: Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Deputy Governor, Kwara State, Kayode Alabi; Chief Judge, Kwara state, Justice Suleiman Durosinolohun Kawu; Brigadier General Abdulsalam Abubakar; and Brigadier General A. P. Oguntola; during the Armed Forces remembrance day, in Ilorin on January 15, 2022.

PENCOM Holds Retreat Witness Reveals How Suspect Deposited Fake 482,000 in Bank on Review of Pension Reform Act, 2014

BY JOY ONUORAH, WITH AGENCY REPORT

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he trial of Saidu Abdu Abdullahi, a self-acclaimed Malaysian-trained software engineer, continued on Friday, January 21, 2022, before Justice A.O. Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, with the first prosecution witness, PWI, Chuks Igboerika, revealing to the court how the defendant deposited fake Euro notes to the tune of €482,000 at the Ajah-Lekki branch of Access Bank.

Abdullahi, who was arraigned in November 2021 on a three-count charge bordering on an alleged €482,000 (Four Hundred and Eighty-two Thousand Euros) counterfeit fraud, allegedly deposited the fake Euro notes 93 different times into 58 different accounts at the branch between April and August 2021.

One of the counts reads: “That you, SAIDU ABDU ABDULLAHI, on or about 30th April, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had in your possession 12 pieces of 500 Euro counterfeit bank notes knowing it to be counterfeit and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 5(1)b of the Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) Act No. 22 of 1984.”

Another count reads: “That you, SAIDU ABDU ABDULLAHI , on or about 30th April, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, uttered 12 pieces of 500 Euro counterfeit bank notes knowing it to be counterfeit and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 5(1) a of the Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) Act No. 22 of 1984.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against him.

At the resumed sitting today, Igboerika, who is Team Lead of Investigation at Access Bank, during cross-examination, narrated to the court how he and his team conducted an internal investigation that led to the discovery of the fake currencies.

Igboerika had earlier stated in his examination-in-chief ,while being led by the prosecution counsel, Ebuka Okongwu, that the defendant deposited

the total sum of €482,000 at the AjahLekki Expressway branch of the bank.

He further revealed that the defendant contributed about 94% of the total Euro deposits in the branch between April and August 2021.

When asked by the defence counsel, J.H. Bashir, if he received the fake currencies, he said the currencies were received by the retail operation staff of the Bank’s branch.

According to him, “However, there were complaints from some customers of the bank who claimed that the money paid to them by the bank was fake after they had travelled with it. So also another bank who received the same Euros from us complained.

“This prompted the Investigation Unit of the Bank to investigate and ascertain the source of the funds, which revealed that they were deposited by the defendant”.

When asked by PW1 if the Bank is authorized to receive fake currency, he responded that “the bank is authorized to receive both local and foreign currencies.

However, where fake currencies are detected, they are reported to law enforcement agencies and the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Igboerika also revealed to the court that the defendant did not own a foreign account with the bank, but made deposits of the said funds into third parties’ accounts, who in turn withdrew the money from other locations of Access Bank, thereby dumping the fake notes at the branch of the Bank.

He added that upon their investigation at the bank, the fake currencies were submitted to the EFCC for forensic examination, which further proved that they were indeed counterfeit money.

Responding to whether the money deposited by a customer belongs to a customer or the beneficiary, Igboerika said that a customer who makes a deposit at bank and fills the deposit slip is held accountable for any fake currency that may be discovered in the transaction.

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o identify salient issues to be reviewed in the PRA 2014 as a prelude to advancing legislative action on the Bill, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) is organising a retreat on the review of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014) in Abuja.

The PRA 2014 was enacted, following a review of the initial Pension Reform Act of 2004, which introduced the legal and institutional frameworks of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and established PenCom to regulate and supervise all pension matters in Nigeria.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the retreat, the Director-General of PenCom, Aisha Dahir-Umar, informed the participants that the PRA 2014 codified one of the most important socio-economic reform initiatives of the Federal Government.

She said the pension industry accumulated pension assets in excess of N13 trillion, which has been invested in various aspects of the Nigerian economy.

According to her, the review is a corollary to some implementation challenges encountered with certain sections of the Act, not long after its enactment in July 2014, as well as the persistent calls from stakeholders for the amendment of some sections of the Act. Dahiru- Umar said the PRA resulted in several legislative initiatives through the sponsorship of bills for amendment of the PRA 2014 by the National Assembly.

Consequently, the Commission, as the regulator of the pension industry, decided to coordinate and harmonise the various efforts in order to achieve a more comprehensive and constructive exercise for the review of the PRA. It is expected that the National Assembly would subsequently organise a public hearing in order to provide an avenue for stakeholders to formally make input into the proposed amendment.

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JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SportsLive

AFCON: Goals,Disappointments,Milestones And Rampaging Super Eagles

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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frica’s biggest and best football competition, the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, finally ended a goal drought that characterised the first round matches. After an initial spell of goalless draws, Cameroon again brought another and more exciting dimension to the tournament as they kicked off the second round of matches with a five-goal thriller, four of which they put past Ethiopia.

It was another double for Cameroon captain, Vincent Aboubakar, and a first for Karl Toko Ekambi, both of whom feasted on the generosity of the Ethiopian defence at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde to make it two wins from two for their team. That single game was but a harbinger of the goals that would come. THEWILL recalls that Match Day One fixtures saw only 12 goals scored in 12 games, with nine games ending in goalless draws. However, AFCON, which had reached a total of 12 1-0 wins and overtaken the 11 witnessed in the group stages of the 2019 event, was going to get the goals it demonstrated that it needed.

In the 12 group games played on Match Day Two, 29 goals had gone in, which was a significant improvement over the previous 12 in Match Day One ties, even if it fell only slightly below the tally recorded during the 32nd edition of the tournament. Yet, as Match Day Three games were concluded in some groups, some teams still failed to live up to expectation and were knocked out.

The Black Stars of Ghana, four-time African champions and one of the regular favourites to clinch another continental title, were among the teams that fell by the wayside. An underwhelming and disjointed team display in Cameroon saw the cup contenders unable to qualify for even a measly third slot in a group with teams from Morocco, Gabon and debutants Comoros. Ghana were so disappointingly poor that the Milovan Rajevac-led team finished rock bottom and summarily crashed out, unable to make even the third-place slot in the new format of the 24-team Tournament.

Ghana’s opening 1-nil defeat to Morocco was followed by an even worse and niggly 1-1 draw with Gabon, which ended with Ghana’s Benjamin Tetteh punching an opponent in the face before the referee could intervene. Tetteh was later handed a three-match suspension for his behaviour. The Black Stars were therefore expected to raise the bar of their performance against the newcomers, given their reputation on the continent and in the competition. Yet, it was the Comoros celebrating after the final whistle.

Obviously, the red card handed out to influential star, Andre Ayew, did not help Ghana’s resolute attempt to stay in the competition, but Ben Nabouhane had put the Islands ahead early on before the Black Stars were reduced to 10 men after Ayew was sent off.

When the Black Stars admirably rallied back to tie the match at 2-2, Ahmed Mogni extended the lead for the Comoros, scoring his second goal in the 85th minute to send Ghana out of the group stage for the first time since 2006. It was by far one of the biggest upsets in the history of the African Cup of Nations competition. Not only did the Comoros score for the first time in the finals to earn their first maximum points, they took the scalp of one of the most respected teams, which had secured a place in the playoffs for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup ahead of the commencement of AFCON. Despite losing their first two games in Cameroon, the Comoros, the 132nd-ranked team in world football, now have a chance to advance to the knockout stages as one of four best-ranked thirdplaced teams. The tiny island nation, which has a population of just under 1 million and seems to be better known for its military coup d’etats than football, had only won its first Nations Cup or World Cup qualifier at the 20th attempt in 2016. With a roster strengthened by some Diasporan players, many of whom play in the lower levels in France, they valiantly battled for their chance and overcame one of the continent’s football giants. They were overjoyed with their three points and looked forward to the outcomes of the last round of matches in the remaining three groups to see if their surprise victory would keep them in the tournament.

On the other hand, Ghanaian fans at Garoua’s Roumde Adjia Stadium were astonished when the final whistle blew, leaving them to ponder a rollercoaster second half that halted their hope for a first Nations Cup title since 1982. The circumstances of the Black Stars’ departure will only put more pressure on coach Rajevac, who took over for a second time in September.

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In 2010, the Serb led the Black Stars to a Nations Cup final and the World Cup quarter-finals. In 2014, he led the West Africans to Africa’s World Cup play-offs. Yet, since his return, it has been a bumpy ride. Ghana barely finished ahead of South Africa in their Qatar 2022 qualifying group and made it via goal difference. As an unseeded team for the play-off draw, they will have to contend against one of Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria or Nigeria for a place in Qatar. It is another uphill task that will prove even more daunting after their disappointing AFCON display.

Defending champions and tournament favourites, Algeria, have put an unimpressive performance similar to that of Ghana. The dire straits that the Desert Foxes have found themselves was made obvious in the words of coach Djamel Belmadi, whose honest assessment of his team’s situation as succinctly summarised as “a tough situation.”

In Match Day One, Algeria’s inability to overcome the brilliance of Sierra Leone goalkeeper, Mohamed Kamara, earned the 22-year-old a performance boost, while two goals they put in against Equatorial Guinea were called out for offside in Match Day Two. For the second straight fixture, the Algerians were unable to find a way past another goalkeeper, this time Jesus Owonu, who made two saves from Youcef Belaili to give his side the opportunity to win. As a result, Algeria’s 35-match unbeaten run, which began in October 2018, came to a screeching halt against a team ranked 114th in the world.

After Match Day Two, the team’s ability to stay in the competition was all but gone, especially when the prospect of facing Ivory Coast remained on the horizon. They needed all the maximum points on offer and the favourable outcomes of other matches to make further progress in the competition, but it was out of their hands after the initial draw and the loss that followed. Even with talented players, such as Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, who was expected to shine as brilliantly as he was doing for City in the English Premier League, Algeria were without goals to celebrate at the end of Match Day Two. The fact that Ivory Coast finished their second round of games on top of the group on four points, Equatorial Guinea on three and Sierra Leone on two points meant that by the end of Match Day Two, all four sides were still battling to qualify and each team was not willing to give as much as an inch to the other.

After Egypt did it in 2010, no country has successfully defended

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the Nations Cup, and Algeria’s performance in sub-Saharan Africa will once again be questioned. Two of their players cited the tropical environment as a factor in their opening stalemate, but what could be said of their loss to Equatorial Guinea even when the Desert Foxes dominated possession. The best they could muster were disallowed goals and frustration with themselves as the game progressed. By the time the defensively stout Ivorians put two past them in the first half of their Match Day Three encounter, with Franck Kessie and Ibrahim Sangare on the scoresheet, there was even more pressure on the defending champions than there was after their opening goalless draw against Sierra Leone. As with Ghana, a strong contender was disappointing the bookies and performing far below expectation.

After Nicholas Pepe scored in the second half, Algeria managed to get their first AFCON goal, which was not enough to save the FIFA Arab Cup champions an embarrassing exit from Cameroon after the 4-1 loss.

These disappointments aside, there was a special and historic occasion at AFCON in the past week. The CAF-organised competition chalked off a milestone when Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda became the first female referee to officiate an AFCON match. On Tuesday, she oversaw the Group B match between Guinea and Zimbabwe in Yaounde’s Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

Mukansanga had already made history on January 10 when she served as a fourth official in a game between Guinea and Malawi at Bafoussam. The 35-year-old was part of an all-female lineup, which was also the tournament’s first-ever all-female squad, featuring Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco), the VAR referee. It was a moment for female representation and girl-child motivation in the predominantly male-centric role.

As far as the Super Eagles’ part in the competition was concerned, their 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in the final Group D tie capped up a strong showing in the group stages. Already guaranteed a spot in the last 16, the Super Eagles advanced to the knockout stages as Group D winners with a perfect record after winning their third game in a row on Wednesday last week. There was an opportunity to ease off the steam, but Nigeria’s caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen chose to keep the momentum going as his team put up a convincing performance yet again. However, Eguavoen himself identified room for improvement in the team’s inability to maximise goal-scoring chances created. It is hoped that they will improve as they progress into the knockout stages where every little extra can be the difference maker.

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