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2023:

APC Survives Implosion, Elects New NWC

•Party Braces For Big Battle Ahead •Late Hour Horse Trading, Compromise Saves Party From The Brink •Convention a Win-Win For Buhari, Governors •Tinubu, Osinbajo’s Presidential Bid Shaky•Full List of 72-member Officers

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NIGERIA’S COMPUTER WHIZ & YOUNGEST CEO @ 19

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MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

COVER 2023: APC Survives Implosion, Elects New NWC

•Party Braces For Big Battle Ahead •Late Hour Horse Trading, Compromise Saves Party From The Brink •Convention a Win-Win For Buhari, Governors •Tinubu, Osinbajo’s Presidential Bid Shaky•Full List of 72-member Officers

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Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National Ex – Officio Member.

BY AMOS ESELE AND AYO ESAN

fter successfully organising their party’s National Convention on Saturday, March 26, 2022, big wigs of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) are saddled with the task of managing the fallout from the intrigues, horse trading and compromises that attended the event.

Positions zoned to the North-East were Deputy National Chairman (North), National Auditor, National Vice Chairman (North-East), Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Women Leader, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National Ex – Officio Member.

With the 2023 general election at the back of their minds, the stakes were so high that aspirants and leaders of the party in the various geo-political zones jostled for key positions to protect either their interests or frustrate the ambition of others.

The North-West had the positions of National Vice Chairman (North West), National Legal Adviser, National Organising Secretary, National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Youth Leader, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National ExOfficio Member.

Before the convention, there was a subtle presidential threat, THEWILL gathered, intended to whip any defaulters into line after President Muhammadu Buhari met twice with the 22 governors of the party and then with the leaders of legacy parties that merged to form the APC and successfully canvassed a consensus arrangement and zonal representation at the convention.

One of the reasons why it was difficult to agree on a consensus before Saturday for many positions, including Buhari’s choice for the national chairmanship position, Adamu, was what party stalwarts described as the President’s clique’s deft move to pick choice representatives from all the geo-political zones for positions in the party NEC, made up of 22 members.

The meeting with the founding leaders of the party, which held last Thursday was attended by the Interim Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande; Senator Rochas Okorocha, former governors of Lagos, Kano and Sokoto States, Ahmed Bola Tinubu; Ibrahim Shekarau and Aliyu Wamako, respectively, as well as the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.

President Buhari, who had been aloof to party matters, suddenly showed some statesmanship to ensure that the party held its convention.

According to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, he met twice with the governors, first, to disclose his preference for the North Central as the zone to produce the National Chairman and for the second time, when he pointedly told them that Senator Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State was his choice for that position.

He also met with all the seven candidates for the office of National Chairman. They included ex- Nasarawa State governor, Tanko Al-Makura and his predecessor, Abdullahi Adamu; Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume; a Senator from Niger East, Sani Musa; Saliu Mustapha from Kwara State and an aide to the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Etsu. Notably, all seven aspirants hailed from the North-Central geo-political zone to which the party zoned the position.

Even then, there was division in the house among the governors over the presidential choice, not necessarily because of Adamu’s suitability for the position, but because, as it later became clear to some of them, President Buhari was asking for too much, as a source put it to THEWILL. He wanted other choice positions for the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Meanwhile, the Governor Bagudu Atiku-led Progressives Governors Forum, tried to woo all the state governors in the party to the President’s side on the issue. All through Thursday and Friday, negotiations were still going on far into the night up till Saturday evening during the convention.

That was why Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who headed the National Convention Media and Publicity SubCommittee, could not fulfill his promise to make the UNITY LIST of aspirants to be adopted at the convention through consensus before Saturday. But by 2 a.m on that day, all the other THEWILLNIGERIA

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Adamu

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi; and the Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Mai Mala Buni, were also in attendance.

According to party sources, apart from choosing the National Chairmanship, Buhari clique also chose key positions for the South-East, South-West, North-Central and the North-East.

seven contestants for the National Chairman, stepped down for Adamu and signed a consensual statement to that effect.

BUHARI’S ‘OFFENDING LIST’ According to its Director of Publicity, Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, the CECPC had deliberated on and approved the recommendations of the Committee on zoning, which was headed by the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

Positions zoned to the North-Central were National Chairman, National Vice Chairman (North-Central), Deputy National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National ExOfficio Member.

The South-South got the positions of National Vice Chairman (South-South), National Publicity Secretary, National Women Leader, Deputy National Treasurer, Deputy National Welfare Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National ExOfficio Member.

Offices zoned to the South-West were National Secretary, National Vice Chairman (South-West), National Youth Leader, National Physically Challenged Leader, Deputy National Auditor, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special Leader (Persons with Disabilities – PWD) and National Ex-Officio Member.

The South-East had Deputy National Chairman (South), National Vice-Chairman (South-East), National Treasurer, National Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, Zonal

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In the South-East, Buhari and his men chose former Senate President, Ken Nnamani for the position of Deputy National Chairman, South. Others are former Representative of BirninKudu at the House of Representative and an unrepentant Buharist, Farouk Aliyu from Jigawa State for the position of National Organising Secretary, Waziri Bulama, a former acting National Secretary from Borno State during Adams Oshiomole’s tenure as National Chairman of the party, for the position of Deputy National Chairman, North.

For the South-West, they approved the choice of Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele of Ondo State for the position of National Secretary, a position that was micro-zoned to Oyo and Osun States. Oyedele, a 2020 governorship aspirant in Ondo State, was said to have been nominated by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who we gathered later switched his support for Senator Iyiola Omisore for the post, following overtures from the aspirant as well as pressures from the five APC Governors in the zone.

At a point, another Buhari loyalist in the South-West and former Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, worked with the CPC elements in the party to get presidential approval for Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi for the position of National Vice Chairman, South-West. This move conflicted with the choice of the governors of the zone who had unanimously chosen Mr. Isaac Kekemeke from Ondo State for the position. Kekemeke eventually emerged following negotaitions.

Omisore was said to have enjoyed the support of Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, a member of the CENCP and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a frontline presidential aspirant. He was seen with Tinubu a fortnight ago at the National Assembly when the former Lagos governor paid a consultation visit to solicit support for his presidential ambition.

Omisore also holds the aces in the Osun State governorship election scheduled for July 16, 2022 because he dictates the political tunes in the Ife District of the state, which was crucial to the victory of Oyetola in 2018. A repeat performance from him is expected in the forthcoming poll in the state.

THE WARNING According to a party source, zones were informed that failure

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COVER

2023: APC Survives Implosion, Elects New NWC to include any of the candidates approved by Buhari in their micro-zoned list would be voted against at the convention. In other words, only a consensus that included the presidential nominees would be accepted. Mostly affected by this warning was the South-West where the presidential choice was seen as an imposition.

Sensing what he called an imposition of CPC men in the SouthWest, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had kicked against it in a statement. As an alternative, he also canvassed a list of the South-West. In it, a former Chairman of the party in Ondo State, Kekemeke, was nominated for the position of National Vice Chairman. With opposition still coming from members, the governors took over the process to ensure the party stayed together. Key Governors in the Progressives Governors Forum made their feelings known to the President and got approval to go into negotiations.

Standing on his resolution to make the convention a success, President Buhari caved in on his earlier position. This led to the trade-off that saved the party from implosion and rancour.

Senator Ken Nnamani was replaced with Chief Emma Eneukwu, also from Enugu State. Otunba Iyiola Omisore replaced Oyedele, while Senator Abubakar Kyari replaced Waziri Bulama. The bulk of the stakeholders in the party appeared somewhat content with the outcome of the convention where national party officers were elected through consensus.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW APC NWC Following the compromise and negotiations, most of the following party officers emerged as endorsed in the list obtained

by THEWILL, tagged 'National Convention 2022 Endorsement List.’

THE LIST AS RATIFIED AT THE CONVENTION, ARE: 1. National Chaiman - Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nassarawa State); 2. Deputy National Chaiman (North) - Sen. Abubakar Kyari (Borno State); 3. Deputy National Chaiman (South) - Chief Emma Eneukwu (Enugu State); 4. National Secretary - Otunba lyiola Omisore (Osun State); 5. Deputy National Secretary Barr. Fetus Fuanter (Plateau State); 6. National Vice Chaiman (North Central) - Muhazu Bawa Rijau (Niger State); 7. National Vice Chaiman (North East) - Mustapha Salihu (Adamawa State); 8. National Vice Chaiman (North West - Salihu Lukman (Kaduna State); 9. National vice Chaiman (South East) - Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu (Imo State); 10. National Vice Chaiman (South South) - Chief Hon. Victor Ton Giadom (Rivers State); 11. National Vice Chaiman (South West) - D.I Kekemeke (Ondo State); 12. National Legal Adviser - Barr. Ahmed El-Marzuik (Katsina State); 13. National Treasurer - Uguru Mathew Ofoke (Ebonyi State); 14. National Financial Secretary - Bashir Usman Gumel (Jigawa State); 15. National Organizing Secretary Suleiman M Argungun (Kebbi State); 16. National Welfare Secretary- Barr (Sir) F. N. Nwosu (Abia State); 17. Martional Publicity Secretary - Barr. Felix Morka (Delta State); 18.

National Auditor - Sen. Abubakar Malkafi (Bauchl State); 19.

National Women Leader - Dr. Beta Edu (Cross River State); 20. National Youth Leader - Abdulahl Dayo lsreal (Lagos); 21.

Special (Persons with Disability (PWD) Laader -Tolu Bankole (Ogun State); 22. Deputy National Legal Adviser - Barr. Ibrahim Salawu (Kwara Stste); 23. Deputy National Treasurer -Hon. Omorede Osifo (Edo State); 24. Deputy National Financial Secretary - Hamma-Adama Ali Kuro (Gombe); 25. Deputy National Organising Secretary - Nzo Chidi Duru (Anambra); 26.

National Publicity Secretary - Yakubu Murtala Ajaka (Kogi); 27.

Deputy National Welfare Secretary - Christoper Akpan (Akwa Ibom); 28. Deputy National Auditor -Olufemi Egbedeyi (Oyo); 29. Deputy National Woman Leader - Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim (Taraba); 30. Deputy National Youth Leader - Jamaluddeen Kabir (Zamfara); 31. National Ex-officio (North central) - Oluwatoyin Opawuye (Kwara); 32. National Ex-officio (North East) - Sirajo Dahuwa (Bauchi); 33.National Ex-officio (North West) - Allyu Ahmed Yako (Kano state); 34, National Ex-officio (South East) - Aqunwa Anekwe (Anambra); 35. National Ex-officio (South South) - Diriwari Akedewei (Bayelsa state); 36. National Exofficio (South West) - Bunmi Oriniowo (Ekiti state); 37. Zonal Secretary (North central) - Yakubu Mohammed Adamu (FCT); 38. Zonal Secretary (North East) - Mohammed Wali Shettima (Yobe state); 39. Zonal Secretary (North West) - Bello Goronyo (Sokoto state); 40. Zonal Secretary (South East) - Azobu Innocent Tapa (Ebonyi state); 41. Zonal Secretary (South South) - Ita Udosen (Akwa Ibom state); 42. Zonal Secretary (South West) - Vincent Bewaji (Ekiti state); 43. Zonal Legal Adviser

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(North central) - Hadiza Aliyu (Kogi State); 44. Zonal Legal Adviser (North East) - Dauda Chakpo (Taraba state); 45. Zonal Legal Adviser (North West) - Bashir Usaini Dutse (Jigawa state); 46. Zonal Legal Adviser (South East)- Mayor Ogbona Earnest (Ebonyi state); 47. Zonal Legal Adviser (South West) - Isma’il Kolawole Majoro (Oyo state); 48. Zonal Organising Secretary (North central) - Ahmed Attah (Kogi state); 49. Zonal Organising Secretary (North East) - Abubakar Adamu Musa (Taraba state); 50. Zonal Organising Secretary (North West) - Salisu Uba (Zamfara state); 51. Zonal Organising Secretary (South East) - Dozie Ikedife (Anambra state); 52. Zonal Organising Secretary (south south) - Blessing Agbome (Edo State); 53.

Zonal Organising Secretary (South West) - Lateef Ibirogba (Lagos state); 54. Zonal Publicity Secretary (North central) John Okoho (Benue state); 55. Zonal Publicity Secretary (NorthEast) - Lamido Mohammed (Gombe State); 56. Zomal Publicity Secretay (North West) - Musa Makafiya ( Zamfara); 57. Zonal Publicity Secretary (South East) - Augustine Onyedebelu (imo State); 58. Zonal Publicity Secretary (South South); 59. Zonal Publicity Secretary (South West) - Ayo Afolabi (Osun State); 60.

Zonal Women Leader (Norh cantral) - Oluwatoyin Opawuye (Kwara State); 61. Zonal Woman Leader (North East) - Hon. Zainab Abubakar Alman (Gombe State); 62. Zonal Woman Leader (North West) - Hajiya Hadiza Shagari (Sokoto State); 63. Zonal Women Laader (South East) - Hon. Mimi Uchenna Diyokeh (Enugu State); 64. Zonal Women Leader (South South) - Miss Caroline Omugha (Bayelsa State); 65. Zonal Women Leader (South West) - Mrs.Yetunde Adesanya (Ogun Stata); 66.

Zonal Youth Leader (North central) - Zubairu Aliyu ((Kwara State); 67. Zonal Youth Leader (North East) - Jason Baba Kwaghe (Adamawa State); 68. Zonal Youth Leader (North West) - Abdulhamid Umar Mohammed (kano state); 69. Zonal Youth Loader (South East)- Hon. Ihonna Anyalevechi (Abla 5tate); 70. Youth Leader (South South) - Comrade Ehimobowe (Delta State); 71. ZonalYouth Leader (South West) - Kolade Lawal (Ondo State); 72. Zonal Leader of Person with Disabilly (North Central) - Labo Lazarus Audu (Benue State); 73. Zonal Leader of Person with Disability (North East) - Mohammed Baba Isa (Yobe State); 74. Zonal Leader of Person wlh Disability (North West) - Lawal Na Rago (Kano State); 75. Zonal Leader of Person With Disability (South East) - Dr. Nwachukwu Stanley Chinedu (Imo State); 76. Zonal Leader of Person with Disability (South South) - Chief Edet Asia (Cross River State).

THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PARTY AND TINUBU’S PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION For the APC, Buhari’s decision brought temporary relief from the bickering and intrigues that took place during the build-up to the convention.

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The consensus arrangement for electing national officers at the convention was the President’s last ditch effort to hold the shifting grounds in the party.

According to Governor Lalong, the zoning and consensus agreement united governors who were “disunited” before the President took the decision after two meetings with him and the Progressives Governors Forum agreed.

With just a few months to the 2023 general election, many competing interests had jostled to position themselves along lines of the legacy parties that merged into the APC, namely the Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigeria Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

From his medical vacation in the England, where he had gone for a routine medical checkup, the President intervened to restore order in the party.

Some governors were accused of working with the National Caretaker Chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Buni, to upstage the party’s move towards a successful hosting of the convention, while Governor Sani Bello of Niger State temporarily took charge.

The consensus arrangement for electing national officers at the convention was the President’s last ditch effort to hold the shifting grounds in the party. According to Governor Lalong, the zoning and consensus agreement united governors who were “disunited” before the President took the decision after two meetings with him and the Progressives Governors Forum agreed.

The governor added that the consensus decision was easy to accept because the party had always adopted it in its choice of former National Chairman.

“In our own case in APC, we used it during the election of Chief John Oyegun. The election of his successor, Adams Oshiomhole, was also by consensus. That is why the President asked us to continue. That the President had to take the decision is nothing strange because everyone who wants to contest any elective post usually goes to consult with the President,” he said.

Yet with the President shifting ground to accommodate other interests in the party’s NEC, which will run the affairs of the APC henceforth and organise the party’s primaries in May, it is quite clear that Buhari has opened more windows for accommodation for now. The battle next time will move to plotting the emergence of a Presidential candidate of the party, for which he disclosed in a Television interview that he has a preferred candidate but refused to disclose the person’s identity for fear of a possible assassination attempt.

At another level, Tinubu’s presidential ambition and that of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the platform of the party is threatened with the composition of the NWC. Though Tinubu could be said to have supported the governors of the South West in their bid to have their men in the NWC, he did so for political survival. Lagos his home state did not get the key positions allotted to the zone. Vice President Osibanjo, who is from Ogun State, had minimal to zero input in who got what in the zone, according to our findings.

Omisore’s emergence as the National Secretary, the engine room of the party, took the buy-in of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, a close ally of Buhari, to successfully sail through.

Moreover, the inclusion of Omisore in the South-West list for strategic reasons, given his influence in the forthcoming July governorship poll, is expected to further widen the crack in the Tinubu camp in the South-West, where the yet to be resolved death of former Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, re-echoes among many who accused Omisore of involvement, despite being exonerated by the courts. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the Interim National Chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande, to a questionable degree, considering the latter’s loyalty to Tinubu, are vocal opponents of the new National Secretary, a stand that will make Omisore more comfortable with the Aso Rock group.

Speaking on the anticipated crisis in the APC, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and a member of the party’s National Convention Media Sub-Committee said that as a young political party, the APC “has to go through steps of growth. What is going on in the party is a reflection of the national crisis in the country. What we try to do is to ensure there is compliance with the rules.”

The APC was formed on February 6, 2013 and became the ruling party in 2015 following its shocking defeat of the erstwhile ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party.

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MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

NEWS NAMB Gives Out N900M Loan to Boost MSMEs

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L–R: Manager, Reckitt Benckiser, Tunji Oladipo; Public Affairs Specialist, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Edidiong Peters; Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Raphael Fisher; Category and Marketing Manager, Nestlé Waters, Gloria Nwabuike; Quality Assurance Supervisor, Beta Glass, Olagbende Sunday, and Agbara Factory SHE, & Water Resources Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Evelyn Dike at a forum to mark 2022 World Water Day in Ogun State on 24/3/2022.

Photo: Peace Udugba

Why We Withdrew Our Services in Customs DG UNICAL, Public Varsities – NAAT Ali Slumps, FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

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he National Association of Academic Technologists, University of Calabar Chapter, has said that it withdrew its services from public universities because the Federal Government failed to meet most of its demands.

The Chairman of the UNICAL chapter and Zonal Coordinator of the Association in the South-South, Comrade Alexander Oko, disclosed this after its emergency congress held at the Physics Laboratory of the University of Calabar.

Oko listed the demands to include non-full implementation of the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement, delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NAAT Agreement, non-payment of arrears of the national minimum wage, government’s refusal to release the enabling circular for the implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for academic technologists as contained in the MOU of 2017, 2020 and 2021, non payment of Earned Allowances (EA) for members specifically as agreed in the MOU of 2021 that subsequent release of EA shall be union based and subsequent sharing shall be based on template

generated from signed agreement each union and not number of persons in each union as personnel cost, as well as the non release of adequate laboratories/workshop/studios in Nigerian universities.

He lamented that 12 years after signing agreements with NAAT, many components of the agreement are either partially or not implemented.

The branch chairman also faulted the government on the non-conclusive renegotiation of the FGN/NAAT 2009 agreement that has been ongoing for more than two years, describing it as smacking of insensitivity and provocation on the part of the government.

He added that if the government fails to address its demands, NAAT might be compelled to embark on a total and indefinite strike.

NAAT also faulted the current practice in public universities where many hitherto functional laboratories, workshops and studios are gradually being converted to classrooms.

Flown Abroad For Medicals

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he Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), has been flown abroad for immediate medical attention.

Hameed Ali, THEWILL learnt slumped on Wednesday during prayers in Abuja.

A reliable anonymous government source familiar with the development told THEWILL that the DG was flown abroad for medicals in a customs jet on Wednesday night from Abuja after the incident.

THEWILL could not independently confirm if the retired former military officer is suffering form any major ailment.

Ali was born on January 15, 1955 and was appointed DG of Customs on August 27, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Urhobo Community in Bayelsa Told to Register For PVCs

Ogun Clamps Down on 32 Unapproved Buildings The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olatunji Odunlami, disclosed this during an interview with THEWILL in Abeokuta, saying most of the buildings were either without planning permit or built beyond approval.

Odunlami maintained that obtaining a planning permit before commencing construction is not negotiable, as the present administration was determined to ensure that the State is safe, orderly, livable, and business-friendly.

“No building is allowed to spring up in Ogun State without obtaining planning THEWILLNIGERIA

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FROM DAVID OWEI, YENAGOA

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head of the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, the Urhobo Community in Bayelsa State has started mobilising its members to register and collect their permanent voter cards.

permission and comply with the State building laws”, he said.

He urged all property owners, developers and other stakeholders in the built sector to ensure that they obtain a building permit and produce it when demanded by officials of the Ministry and its agencies, adding that non-availability of the permit would lead to sealing of the property, while the owner would be made to face the law.

The Commissioner also warned property owners and all concerned to desist from breaking the government seals, warning that placement of seals on buildings, be it residential or commercial means the owner must have contravened the law after necessary notices had been served.

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The move is part of efforts to usher in a government that is both responsible and responsive to the yearnings of the citizens of Delta State at home and in the Diaspora.

The leader of the Urhobo in Bayelsa State, King Joshua Apoyi Aweyu, Okobaro 1, who superintends over the 24 Urhobo clans living in Bayelsa State, said the people had decided to be part of the electioneering process this time, since successive governments of Delta State had failed to identify with them.

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o fewer than 32 buildings have been sealed off by the Ogun State Government in Isheri, Ifo Local Government Area of the state for violating various building regulations.

he National Association of Microfinance Bank (NAMB) has made available a special loan of N900 million to boost the operations of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Ogun State.

The Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, who disclosed this during a virtual quarterly stakeholders' meeting in Abeokuta, the state capital, said that the credit facility could be accessed in any micro finance bank across the state.

Longe said that the N900m loan was made possible through the Governor Dapo Abiodun led administration by partnering with NAMB in order to build on the achievement of the MSMEs business clinic recently held in the state She noted that the loan was in addition to the funding opportunities such as the N1bn Ogun State Government -Bank of Industry (OGSG-BOI) loan and the Ogun State Agricultural and Multipurpose Credit Agency (OSAMCA) credit facility, which were available to entrepreneurs in the state.

"I am happy to inform you that the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) has made the sum of N900 million available in the form of a special lending product to entrepreneurs operating in Ogun State," she stated.

The Commissioner stressed that the ministry, through its partnership with financial institutions, had commenced an MSMEs Business Clinics' follow-up programme tagged "Access to funding" to proffer solutions to the financial limitations facing entrepreneurs.

Longe said the state was deploying various strategies towards building the capacity of entrepreneurs, fostering linkages between industries and entrepreneurs, enhancing the export capacity of entrepreneurs and facilitating export for improved foreign exchange earnings.

The state government, she adds, is constructing shared facilities for start-ups, domesticating the National Policy on MSMEs through the reenactment of the State Council and developing a Special Agroprocessing Zone (SAPZ) in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Industry, Trade, and Investment, Chief Remi Ogunmefun assured that the government would continue to engage entrepreneurs in fostering lasting solutions to the challenges of the MSMEs' sub-sector.

"Even the present Governor of Bayelsa , Senator Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, have confirmed and appreciated the numerical strength of the Urhobo living in all the eight local government areas of Bayelsa State.

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SHOTS OF THE WEEK Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

Access Bank Celebrates Two Decades of Transformational Leadership at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos on March 22, 2022

L-R: Former Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke; Chairman, Coscharis Group, Cosmas Maduka; Chairman, Coronation Capital, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; former Chairman, Access Bank Plc, Mosun Belo-Olusoga; Chairman, Access Bank Plc, Ajoritsedere Awosika; GMD/CEO, Herbert Wigwe; Gbenga Oyebode and Ayo Oni, both past chairmen of the Bank during the anniversary dinner in commemoration of 20 years of Access Bank’s Transformational Leadership.

L-R: Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Herbert Wigwe

L-R: Chairman, Coronation Capital, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; former President, Olusegun Obasanjo; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe.

A cross section of dignitaries with Aigboje and Herbert, the founders of the Bank.

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FEATURE Emmanuel Njoku: Nigeria’s Computer Whiz & Youngest CEO @ 19 Any 13-year-old Nigerian boasting of becoming a Mark Zuckerberg of Africa is likely to earn a dismissive wave from family or friends. Computer whiz Emmanuel Njoku did exactly that six years ago. His mother thought he was a joker at the time but Njoku is inching closer and closer to making his dream come true, becoming one of the most sought after programmers in the world. Not only that, he is now CEO of his own company Lazerpay – at just 19. Michael Jimoh reports…

developer at Project Hydro, a blockchain company based in the British Virgin Islands. He would be paid $700 monthly in Hydro tokens.

At this point, he knew he wasn’t going back to school; everything happening to him agreed with that decision.

here are a few lucky kids who come prepared for life more than the rest of us. From very early on, they have more than a clear idea what they want to become –especially professionally – and once they commit and stick to it, they more than excel in it.

Picasso is a ready example. It has been said the Spaniard started to sketch as soon as he could grasp a pencil. Lionel Messi, the Argentine football legend, is another. At 13, he told an interviewer his ambition was to win the Ballon d’ Or. He has won it six times.

“At the time, the pandemic was already easing up, and students had started going back to school. So, Njoku told his father he was going back to school. Aronu made him an offer ₦150,000 net salary, a MacBook, and free accommodation.”

“Njoku wanted to leave Kwivar and needed something to replace it.

So, he reached out to Ugochukwu Aronu, the co-founder of Xend, the parent company of Quiva Games where he’d interned for five months, to check if there was an opening. After sharing what he’d done at Project Hydro—decentralised wallet, snowflake infrastructure for decentralised identity—Aronu invited him to come to Enugu and join his new venture Xend Finance, a decentralised finance (DeFi) platform for credit unions, cooperatives, and individuals, backed by Google and Binance.

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Njoku himself later recalled: “I went to Port Harcourt to show my parents the offer and told them I was dropping out of school. It was obvious they couldn’t do anything about it. Going back to school just to graduate and earn about half or as much as I was already earning wasn’t wise.”

Njoku

In a 1957 profile for the New Yorker on Picasso, Janet Flanner suggested how the early beginnings of the painter would have been like, a genius in the making. “What must have early distinguished him as beyond normal was his unconventionally high state of consciousness. He apparently started his life by being already intact—by being precociously ready and functioning to begin with—rather than by proceeding classically through the tentative, qualifying stages of development customary to the average very young human being.”

Emmanuel Njoku is neither a world-class painter nor a genius on the soccer pitch. But as a computer programmer, the 19-year-old Nigerian is already showing signs of excelling in the field he has chosen for himself.

Like Messi, Njoku was 13, in 2015, when he started chest-thumping he wants to become the African Zuckerberg. Bemused like any mother would, Mrs. Njoku thought her son was a joker, something close to wishful thinking. Six years down the line, Emmanuel is inching ever so close to realising his dream. For one, he is one of the most sought after programmers in the world today, with flying logs to dozens of countries, perhaps, more than diplomats on peace missions during war.

Like the Gates and the Zuckerbergs of this world, Njoku is insanely devoted to computers, programme development, coding and what the machine can do for humanity. And just like Gates, he dropped out of school to focus squarely on what he believes is his first love.

Njoku’s obsession started right from home in Port Harcourt when an aunty, a robotic engineer, introduced him and his siblings to computer programming. He was hooked from then on. Before this time however, Njoku Senior encouraged his children to do their homework without using calculators. The lad himself admitted as much in one interview: “My father forbade us from using a calculator to solve our mathematics homework. Every computation had to be done with your head—why else do you have a head?”

“Why else do you have a head?” It is a question you expect from a Maths prodigy anyway. The lad more than used his head as a student in secondary school. During Mathematics competitions for which he represented his school severally, he won some and lost some. But where he easily outperformed his peers was in geometry, combination and permutations.

While students had a single textbook for all of those topics, the Maths whiz had different textbooks for each of them, and they were tomes which he studied avidly. His dedication paid off. Njoku had A+ in Mathematics and Further Maths.

Of course, Njoku had to go to university as he matured. His doting father wanted his boy to study Medicine. The young boy rebelled, opting for Electrical Engineering instead at Enugu State University of Science and Technology. That was in 2019. But after attending a few classes, Njoku thought it was all a waste of time. It has also been said that Picasso shunned classes or doodled away while in school, never paying much attention to what the instructor was saying.

Njoku recalled in one interview that what they were teaching in his first year was “too elementary” for him. “I thought everything would be advanced, but it was people packed into a small hall to learn social sciences and general studies. I was like ‘What the hell is going on here?’ And the maths they were teaching at 100 level was like my JSS 3/SS 1 maths. So, it became a waste of my time.”

Rather than waste his time in this way for five years, Njoku spent more time with his laptop, “laser-focused on coding.” He also started dodging classes, re-routed money for textbooks to “buy coding courses on Udemy.”

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Naturally, his father got to know about his absenteeism from ESUST. About this time, too, the lad had a stint with a gaming company, Quiva in Enugu, a place where he updated on coding. So, under the pretext of discussing some family issue, Njoku Senior invited his son home only to impound his laptop blaming him for “coding too much.”

The intention was to force him to go back to ESUST. Njoku would have none of that. He borrowed laptops from friends to complete jobs he had going. Of his father’s action by seizing his most important work tool then, Njoku said: “I didn’t know it was a trick to seize my laptop. I went back to school and had to borrow laptop to finish some projects at hand and keep learning.”

But the most important shot in Njoku’s arm came in the form a virus, Covid-19. It is something of an irony that while the pandemic paralysed and undermined economic activities worldwide, Njoku got a boost from it, he profited from the lockdown immensely. First, the pandemic shut down most institutions around the world – including educational institutions. Second, it provided the kind of solitude and ambience Njoku needed to work.

Writing for an online publication, Techcabal, on February 24, 2022 how the pandemic was a blessing in disguise, Damilare Dosunmu stated thusly: “When COVID-19 hit in 2020 and everywhere was locked down, everybody panicked and scared, Njoku was somewhat happy; he’d be away from school without getting into trouble. So, he upped his game and started coding 12 hours a day. He didn’t want to go back to school, and the only thing he had was to learn as fast as he could and get a remote job.”

As if programmed by the secret hand of fate, jobs started coming.

The first came in March 2020 at Kwivar, in Port Harcourt where he’d lived mostly. Njoku had finally come into his own - at just 16!

“The salary was ₦70, 000,” Njoku said in the same interview with Dosunmu. “When I got it, nobody could talk to me. I was the biggest boy I knew. My parents couldn’t believe you could get a job during the pandemic when companies were laying people off. Though the salary isn’t enough reason to not study medicine, they finally saw what I had seen since 2015.”

Money in hand and more time to himself, Njoku had limitless opportunities to broaden his knowledge, especially about blockchain which he soon mastered. Soon, there was another offer from the British Virgin Islands. What was the pay? $700 monthly. It was the beginning of Njoku’s rollercoaster ride in the tech world. ESUST was now out of the question for him.

Recounting what happened between his last job and September of the same year, the tech journalist wrote: “In April 2020, a month after he started working at Kwivar, he got another offer as a blockchain

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There are very few parents, if any, who will plump for their wards continuing their university education after presenting such plum appointment. Njoku’s guardians finally allowed the young man to take his fate in his hand and so, gave their blessing for him to follow his heart.

His next place of work, Xend Finance was also fortuitous. An engineer had failed to report for work. Njoku was an available and ready replacement as a blockchain engineer. There were obstacles in the beginning. But then, as every engineer knows, problems are meant to be solved. Njoku did.

“It was difficult because I had to take charge of an entire project in the middle of building. I fixed the bug, wrote, and deployed smart contracts. But I made a deployment error that cost the company $10,000.”

The owner, Aronu, informed Njoku the loss would be deducted from his pay. He was earning N300, 000 this time. It is enough to give any teenager the jitters. But it also made him look for jobs outside the country – if only to pay back without putting a big hole in his wallet.

The international offers came in quick succession. First, it was MakerDAQ offering $3, 000 monthly pay. Next was Instadapp. Pay was $90 per hour. Njoku later confessed he was simply won over. “I was like these people don’t know me: I’ll work 20 hours per day.”

Njoku’s epiphany in the tech world came around this time, too. MakerDAQ had arranged a meeting in Portugal. For some reason, Njoku couldn’t attend because his visa was approved almost too late. Enter his robotic engineer aunt again. Relocate to Ghana and apply for visa from there. It worked like magic. Njoku also relocated to Dubai, thanks to her aunt’s sagely counsel.

“She also suggested Dubai, and I took it. After staying in Dubai for a month, I told her I’m not coming back home.”

Why would he, considering how much money Njoku was making in Dubai. There were ideation sessions, as well, with like-minds from Nigeria and other countries. There have been offers for as much as $3, 000 weekly from a company in Singapore, partnership with others all over the world.

As they say, Njoku is on a roll, getting good pay for something he is passionate about and no longer getting scornful, sidelong glances from parents who baulked initially at his chosen métier. Indeed, he confessed to Dosnumu that having made this pile of cash, he could no longer allow his father pay his brother’s tuition, a medical student in Bulgaria. “My brother is in Bulgaria, so imagine earning in naira and paying tuition in euro. So it’s only right I took that off my father’s plate.”

Now fully in charge of Lazerpay, co-founded with Abdulfatai Suleiman, it is a “crypt payment gateway startup launched in October…

During its beta phase, the crypto startup has been endorsed by several tech and blockchain enthusiasts as a necessary innovation needed to accelerate crypto adoption in Africa. But what is even more remarkable about Lazerpay is Njoku, its 19-year-old CEO, who seemed to have emerged from nowhere to become one of the most sought-after young tech darlings in Africa.”

Summing up Njoku’s odyssey so far in high-tech world, Dosunmu concluded thusly: “He knew what he wanted from a young age and stood by it. His steadfastness has turned everybody around him into a believer…Njoku isn’t Zukerberg and may never be, but he’s building his own empire in the blockchain world. At 19, this can only be the beginning of his journey.”

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POLITICS

Umeh

Nwosu

Smaller Parties And 2023 General Election

BY AYO ESAN here were 92 political parties in Nigeria before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deregistered many of them in February 2020, leaving 18. INEC had acted in line with Section 257 of the Constitution (as amended), which empowers it to deregister 74 parties for their lacklustre performance in the 2019 general election.

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The two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the (Peoples Democratic Party) are among the surviving 18 parties that were finally registered by the electoral umpire.

Others are the Action Alliance (AA); African Action Congress (AAC); African Democratic Congress (ADC); Action Democratic Party (ADP); All Progressives Congress (APC); All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Allied People’s Movement (APM); Action People’s Party (APP); Boot Party (BP): Labour Party (LP); New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); National Rescue Movement (NRM); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Social Democratic Party (SDP); Young Progressive Party (YPP); and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

INEC has said that it will not be able to field new parties in the 2023 general election. This means that only the 18 political parties will be on the ballot, come 2023 when another general election will be held.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State, Obo Effanga, clarified that only the 18 registered political parties would take part in the forthcoming 2023 general election Effanga explained that even if more political parties were registered, they would not be able to field candidates in the general election, since the new Electoral Act prescribes that political parties must be registered one year before the election.

Political analysts believe that of all the 18 registered political parties, only the APC and the PDP did well in elections held over the past years.

Also watchers of political developments in the country have concluded that most of the remaining 16 parties do not only perform poorly during elections, but they are also dumb and numb as preparation for the 2023 general election gathers momentum. This situation has compelled many Nigerians to assume that although the country lays claim to a multi-party political system, what is actually on ground is a two-party system.

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Political analysts believe that of all the 18 registered political parties, only the APC and the PDP did well in elections held over the past years

Comrade Gbenga Ojo, a public affairs commentator based in Abuja, told THEWILL that only two of the 18 registered political parties (the APC and PDP) had performed well in past elections held in the country. He added that even as the country moves towards 2023, the PDP and APC are the only ones visibly preparing for the forthcoming election.

He described the situation as unacceptable, saying, “It is either these other parties brace up or they should be deregistered.”

Ojo commended INEC for pruning the political parties from 92 to 18 in 2020. He urged the Commission to monitor the performance of the parties in the 2023 general election and afterwards prune the list of registered parties once again.

But the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Nwosu, disagreed with the notion that only two parties had been active in terms of preparation for the 2023 general election.

He said the ADC on its part had commenced talks with some political groups under the aegis of the Coalition for New Nigeria (CNN) on areas of collaboration in the 2023 general election.

Nwosu said the party believed that there was a need for all hands to be on deck to give the country a better deal.

He noted that despite the challenges in the country, the vision for a better Nigeria must be kept alive. He added that the

meeting between his party and CNN was intended to create a synergy that would create a positive change in the polity in 2023.

“We have our challenges. But we must not allow these challenges to blur our vision for our country. In 2016, we set up CNN as the first major coalition of political parties so that we can find a way to move our country forward.

‘The system has to change and it has to change democratically. They are meeting to create that compass that will lead us to a successful 2023. And they are committed,” Nwosu said.

On his part, the Acting National Chairman of CNN, Chief Peter Ameh, said the meeting with the ADC leadership WAS aimed at repositioning the country.

“We have started this discussion to continue to work out the modalities for which we will birth for Nigeria, a new and progressive nation. That we will be able to come up with candidates that will represent the true wishes and aspirations of our people; candidates that will arise from free and fair primaries conducted within the party.

“As our members have deliberated, they have agreed there will be a major retreat where we will announce our final decision,” Ameh stated.

Nwosu said the party had also unveiled the party’s presidential aspirant, 42-year-old Chukwuka Monye, in Asaba, capital of Delta State.

He said that a new Nigeria would begin with ADC in 2023, adding, “APC and PDP have failed Nigerians and reduced Nigeria to the poverty capital of the world with ravaging insecurity and dilapidated infrastructure in the past 22 years they held on to power at the centre.

“ADC has been built over the last 20 years to become the party of the moment and the much desired third force to upstage the APC and PDP. “A new Nigeria will begin with ADC. APC and PDP are the same. You can’t differentiate between the two parties. They are the same people” Nwosu vowed that ADC would displace the governing APC and the main opposition party, PDP, in the 2023 presidential election.

•Continues on page 11

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MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS

PDP Ready to Redirect Governance For Nigerians’ Good – Koshoedo Not at all. A house built on a faulty foundation will surely develop cracks and eventually collapse. The founding of the APC was faulty ab initio. So I can't be surprised they are in crises. In fact we are just seeing the beginning of the crises.

Deputy National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Setonji Koshoedo speaks on the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun; the newly signed Electoral Act 2022 and the PDP’s preparation for the 2023 general election, in this interview with AYO ESAN. Excerpts:

What is your take on the new Electoral Act, especially the section that mandates political parties to produce their candidates for elections earlier?

Every review of any law ought to improve on the provisions.

The new Electoral Law has come with improvements on the older version. It's a good idea to produce candidates long before elections. It allows for longer time and better interaction between the candidates and the electorate. It is a way of allowing the electorate to scrutinise the candidates better before elections.

How prepared is the PDP for the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States?

Members of our party in Ekiti and Osun States are working hard to win the governorship elections. To the best of my knowledge, they are doing their best to win. However, the will of God is sacrosanct. So let's wait and see what plays out eventually.

There are two PDP governorship candidates in Osun at present. How soon can the party resolve the issue?

As far as the party is concerned, the PDP has a single candidate in Osun State. The party has a process for selecting

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any Nigerians are looking up to the PDP for succour after enduring hardship from the APC. How would you assure them of the PDP’s readiness to win the 2023 general election?

The issue is not just about winning the general election; what we do after winning it is more important. The PDP, through its recent antecedents in terms of management and reforms, has shown Nigerians that it is more politically mature and prepared to redirect governance for the good of individual Nigerians and the nation at large. So, we are ready not just to win the election, but also to utilise our success at the polls for the good of everyone.

its candidates as provided for by the electoral law and backed up by the Constitution of the Federal Republic. We have followed the due process and we are going to work with the candidate that emerged from the process. It is normal for some people to have dissenting voices against the outcome.

The party is working hard to reconcile all factions to win the elections and that will hopefully be achieved soon.

Are you surprised about the lingering crisis in the governing APC?

What qualities should Nigerians look for in the next president?

Nigeria is a complex country. Whoever to govern Nigeria must see it beyond just an ambition. Nigerians should expect a president that has leadership qualities beyond mere political to meet their needs. First, the incoming President of Nigeria must have enough leadership qualities to harmonise and attend to the diverse interests. Second, is that the president must be intuitionally sound to be able to draw inspirations from his sixth sense to govern. Third. He must be highly detribalised and focused to enable the unity of Nigeria. And most importantly, the incoming president must have clear vision and how to achieve it; he must have a manifesto beyond just political talk.

What are the PDP's chances of occupying Lagos Alausa Oval office in 2023?

A great chance better than ever before, this time around.

People have suffered and they now realize their mistakes and the fact that power is in the hands of the electorate.

I only hope that they use it well to make PDP occupy the oval office.

Smaller Parties And 2023 General Election

•Continued from page 10

Also speaking on the general election, the ADC presidential aspirant, Chukwuka Monye, said he decided to pitch his political tent with the ADC because of its ideology of restoring the dignity and value of Nigerians.

While speaking on the issue, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator Victor Umeh, agreed that the season of politics had commenced, but he noted that not all the political parties would roll out their programmes for the 2023 general election at the same time.

“You are wrong to say that only the APC and PDP are preparing for the 2023 general election. On our part, we are preparing. APGA is not quiet. We are keying into current events and also all the political parties are yet to run out their programmes to participate in the next election. When the time comes, APGA will run out its own programme.

“As for the 2023 general election, I assure you that APGA will fight for all positions available across the country.”

Asked if he was worried that the APGA, which is the third biggest party in the country, had not unveiled any presidential aspirant, Umeh said he was not worried.

“May be you are not aware that we have a presidential aspirant in the person of former Anambra Chief Judge, Prof Peter Nnamdi. He has declared his interest. Other people are still consulting. We are watching events in other political parties.

In every election, we will put our candidates’ names forward.

We still have time. But I can assure you that we are not sleeping,” he said.

Another issue that bothers political pundits is that even the two dominant parties, PDP and APC, are actually not different ideologically, but only in personality.

They believe that is why defectors can swing from one party to the other with ease.

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Pundits also believe that the high presence of bigwigs that are crowd pullers, big spenders and grassroots mobilisers make the big parties to outshine the smaller ones in any contest.

The General Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Chief Willy Ezugwu, also talked about the dominance of the two political parties in elections.

In an interview with THEWILL in an interview, Ezugwu said, “How would you explain that only two parties, the APC and the PDP, are functional in the country? There is bad governance and hunger in the land. Before now, political parties used to generate their own funds. Not anymore. We were as many as 97 at a time, but after INEC deregistered parties we became less than 20. Many of them are finding it hard to cope.

“But are the two strong parties providing the leadership and opposition required of them? Due to the continued indulgence in anti-democratic tendencies, internal democracy in Nigeria’s political parties has continued to nose-dive in the last 22 years of our democratic experiments.

“The two self-acclaimed biggest political parties in Nigeria, the APC and the PDP, have continued to hang on to practices that negate the core tenets of democracy globally, leading to stagnated growth of Nigeria’s democracy and the sustenance of bad governance at all levels of government.

“As a result of lack of interest in the cornerstones of democracy, such as freedom of speech and rights to hold divergent opinion, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed in decision making and trampling upon their rights to choose their leaders, among others, Nigerians have continued to wallow in penury in the midst of plenty.

“This is why the two parties have continued to manipulate the country’s political space, exchanging members and elected officials, who defect at will, and maintaining a high level of disregard to their own party’s constitution, such that the courts have become the last resort for most aggrieved mem-

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bers who can afford the cost of litigation.

“The internal conflict resolution mechanisms in both political parties are either hijacked by competing godfathers or comatose, merely existing in their party constitutions.

“As impunity has continued to thrive in the two political parties, the consequence is the unending emergence of factions and cliques of aggrieved members at the end of every internal election, including congresses and primary elections.

“Nigeria’s democracy cannot advance beyond where we are as the country will continue to recycle corrupt politicians and their cronies that end up impoverishing the populace. This will remain our experience if the bar of internal democracy and adherence to the cornerstones of democracy is not raised and given priority by the two dominant parties.

“We therefore challenge the APC and the PDP, as leading political parties, to live by example of the standards of democratic parties as we approach the 2023 general elections. This will not only deepen democracy in the country, but also ensure that the people’s rights to choose their leaders within the parties and at general elections are upheld without manipulations, rigging or impositions” The presidential candidate of the YPP in the 2019 election, who recently joined the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2023 polls, Prof Kingsley Moghalu supports Ezugwu’s views.

He said, “The political status quo and its two major parties have failed Nigerians. To vote for them again is to waste your vote. The results, for the past 22 years, include rigged elections, Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, 4,000 megawatts of electricity for 200 million people, 33 per cent unemployment, terrorism, and our lives today cheaper than the naira to the dollar. We must now focus on governance beyond politics if we are ever to escape from today’s mess and the misery it will surely continue to generate if the same recycled politicians remain in charge.”

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EDITORIAL

Frequent Power Outages: Time For Decisive Action

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n recent time, Nigeria has been hit by power outages arising from the collapse of the national grid, which has occurred three times, at least, since the beginning of 2022. Businesses and average households are suffering the biting effects of the anomaly. The economic consequence is grave and far-reaching.

The persistent collapse of the national grid, which is traceable to low-gas power generation amid several challenges, is a national embarrassment. According to experts, the amount of gas that Nigeria pushes into the power sector to generate plants is not enough. At the national grid level, the plants need a maximum of 5,000MW, but on the average due to maintenance issues and the subsisting ageing grid, they can typically fire between 3500MW and slightly over 4,000MW. The power generated and made available on the grid, which was put at between 3,500 MW and 3,834 MW in November 2013, has remained at an average of 4,089 MW. Data from the Nigerian Electricity System Operator (NESO) showed that generation sent on the grid as of November 2021 stood at 3,844 MW. The DisCos have failed to inject the required funds to boost their working capital and lift the needed infrastructure for the nation’s power distribution network. The DisCos are also accused of diverting their bill revenues to personal vaults instead of settling their debts and improving their working capital.

They are said to be holding on to decaying assets, which sink their performance, while they feed fat on their helpless consumers through the notorious estimated billing system.

The system needs to have a balance.

Lack of the needed balance is the cause of the occasional grid collapse. The distribution companies resort to rationing power when they are not getting enough from the transmission end to deliver to the distribution end.

There are also cases of pipeline vandalisation.

As we have argued in our previous comments, it is a shame that Nigeria, a major producer of oil and gas, is still grappling with electricity supply at this level of our national development.

More disturbing is the fact that the Federal Government’s huge budgets for infrastructure have shown little effects on electricity.

Six years into the life of the present administration and eight years after the unbundling of the state-owned electricity company, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerians are still unable to enjoy regular electricity supply.

Sadly, no meaningful achievement has been recorded in the eight years that the power sector has been under private ownership (since November 2013).

Several policy measures by the government have failed to yield the desired results as the corrupt system has succeeded in generating more cash for the players than electricity for consumers.

Electricity is the bedrock of modern industrialisation. Its production and consumption have a direct relationship with wealth creation in every economy. No economy has made progress without adequate and uninterrupted supply of electricity.

The Federal Government should consolidate and fast-track measures to resolve the challenges in the electricity sub-sector. These include restoring the gas pipelines affected by the act of vandalism.

There is also negotiation with Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on an interim energy sales agreement, to bring the new Okpai II power plant off the grid, thereby contributing additional 400MW of generation capacity. ‘Pigging’ the gas pipeline supplying gas to the Odukpani power plant is scheduled for completion in the

Six years into the life of the present administration and eight years after the unbundling of the stateowned electricity company, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerians are still unable to enjoy regular electricity supply

first quarter of 2022 thus ramping up generation by about 400MV. There is also the Nigeria and Siemens power sector deal signed in 2019, which provides a blueprint on improving power generation and fixing the archaic transmission and distribution infrastructure in the sector.

Notably, President Muhammadu Buhari set a goal of achieving 7,000MW and 11,000MW of reliable power supply by 2021 and 2023. In the medium-term, the Nigeria Gas and Power Investment Company (NGPIC) , a subsidiary of NNPC on the framework for the overhaul of the Okoloma gas processing plant in River State is being pursued. It is aimed at restoring the full capacity of the 650MW Afam VI in Port-Harcourt combined cycle power plant.

Government should fast-track the move to amend the Electricity Sector Power Reform Act, the law upon which the 2013 privatisation was based. This will eliminate the ugly activities of the GenCos and DisCos. With the full withdrawal of the electricity subsidy, the government should partner with Labour towards achieving the desired economic objectives.

The National Assembly recently passed a bill to enable state governments to engage in Nigeria power industry chain. The bill will empower the states to embark on the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in areas covered by the national grid and for related matters.

State governments should take advantage of this development to boost power supply in their respective territories.

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

Civic Engagement: The Osun Example

BY ABIODUN KOMOLAFE

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ot long ago, Osun State Government launched a feedback platform to further bridge the gap between policy implementation and the experiential realities of the residents of the state. The website, www. civicengagement.os.gov.ng, was launched through the state's Civic Engagement Centre.

According to Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, pioneer Head of the Centre, the website was designed to "serve as a feedback mechanism between the government and the people in the areas of the measure of development as well as ascertain the functional value of government policies and programmes.”

Oyintiloye, who also doubles as Special Adviser to Governor Gboyega Oyetola on Civic Engagement, stated, “Both residents and non-residents will also have the opportunity to express their opinion about government programmes” and how those programmes “affect them, using the platform as a credible conveyor.”

Created in the Year 2020, Osun Civic Engagement Centre has undertaken programmes and activities that have placed the state in good stead. Among them were: ‘Governor's Family Meeting with Informal Groups’, ‘Community/Rural Engagement’, and ‘Market/Park Rallies’. It has also held parleys with farmers, women, youths, traditional councils/ community leaders, trade unions, religious bodies, andnonindigenous communities “in the state towards enhancing inclusive governance and peaceful coexistence." This is in addition to creating an "avenue for partnership with many multinationals and NGOs with interest in the improved living condition for rural dwellers.”

When the project started, Nigerians hardly gave it a serious thought. Added to it was that the man at the helm of affairs at the Centre was largely seen as an underdog. But, takeit or leave it: the former Member of the Osun State House of Assembly was resilient. He refused to lose fuel. Instead, he concentrated on his mission. As fate would have it, the systemic aspect of the structure was able to add finesse to

the output. Thankfully, the impact has been rewarding!

Sociologically, Oyetola’s version of civic engagement has a way of actually making the people appreciate the government in a way never witnessed in history. Why did I say so? In this part of the world, governments go, governments come! Their mission, primarily, is to deceive the people with programmes that are only lofty on paper.

But, that is where it ends, for they end up not yielding this kind of response, or result. Once upon a government in Osun, we had ‘Labe Odan’, which was more of a jamboree.

That Oyetola is sending a team out to discuss with the electorate adds a touch to governance. And that makes it magical because the voting public is easily drawn to the government.

Where there is no communication, there is no relationship!

Worthy of note is the effective communication, with creative feedback, which is greatly impacting Oyetola’s system of government. Besides, the beauty of Oyintiloye’s team was that, instead ofstaying in the city centre, dancing, flowingly, to Portable’s ‘SazuZeh’ or recreationally, to Tekno’s ‘Skeletun’, it would travel hours through the rough and toughpaths, just to spread the good news of the government to the governed in their huts and hamlets. At times, telephone receptions would fail members of the team. Yet, they would keep walking, and working, until results were obtained. Is it any wonder therefore that, within the one and a half years of the Centre’s establishment, the team has visited more than 1000 communities across the state?

Well, for those who delight in running after empirical information such as power of incumbency and influence of moneybags as the required ingredients in wining an election, Osun Civic Engagement has offered an alternative: develop a man or a neighbour and the multiplier effect will acquire a life of its own!. Taken together, here is a governor who does not talk much but goes about doing his job, meticulously. He is always solemn, carrying the burden of governance with all his heart and looking at how to improve

the lives of an averageresident of Osun. It is not that Oyetola does not like the merry crowd. Available information says he does! But, in a country where water is not running, where power supply is erratic, and unemployment rate is on its way to 50%; where inflation rate is in double digits; and exchange rate is fast accessing the rooftop, that the governor has succeeded in bringing out the esoteric part of the art of governance is no mean feat. Take his cabinet as another example. Members also watch the body language of their principal. Of course, that is why they are not seen misbehaving.

The issue on ground brings to the fore the essence of pattern formation. This is an approach whose time has come! Give it few years, political mass-participation of the people will be laudable and commendable! Civic Engagement protocol ensures a free-flow symbiotic relationship between the government and the led. Unadulterated feed-back is also assured.

All said, feelers from the streets insisted that, most times, governments run after insinuated narratives of the opposition, instead of dictating their own narratives. This needs improvement.Good to note therefore that the project has captured the rural dwellers. The arrangement is also in the interest of the ruling party in the state. With it, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is far better, more so as each of the meetings of Oyetola’s very ingenuous approach to politics will just be like a mini-party interface with the people.

It is important to note that a serious government will not only think of sustaining Osun Civic Engagement for the future but also improve on what the Oyintiloye-led team is currently doing. This will go a long way in connecting with the people and giving them a disserving government, not just by propaganda or campaign rhetoric but in the delivery of goods and services to the people.

•Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Ijesa, Osun State.

Africa’s Rural Communities in Danger of Plastic Pollution

BY JOSHUA AMPONSEM

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lastic waste in Africa is not just an urban issue, but also a rural one. Rural communities are almost always heavily dependent on natural resources, such as water and arable land, to make a living.

These resources are being irrevocably contaminated with plastic waste, the impact of which is often underestimated.

Sub-Saharan Africa produces over 17 million tonnes of waste annually, with only 12 per cent of plastic waste being recycled. The rest finds its way into landfills, streets and waterways. In rural areas, much of the plastic waste is burnt, largely because most rural areas have no rubbish collection or recycling facilities available.

Plastic disposed of in this way releases toxins into the environment, killing life on land and in water, and contaminating previously fertile land. Most governments in Africa do not have the resources to police this behaviour but do acknowledge the issue and are often very willing to collaborate to find relevant solutions.

The biggest challenge facing Africa is the fact that for millions, putting food on the table for their families is their single biggest concern. This has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with many people losing their source of income.

We need to work together to demonstrate the extent of the risk, as it will have an impact on the livelihoods of farmers and other informal workers – as well as the overall value chain keeping economies alive.

With the population growing and the middle class expanding, plastic waste will soon become Africa’s biggest risk, coupled with the overall climate change crisis facing the continent.

As the waste volumes increase, individuals have seen opportunities to collect waste and sell it to recyclers.

While this may make a dent in the waste problem, it raises questions around dignity, health and safety. Many of these waste pickers are women and young girls, who venture into unsafe areas and pick through waste without protective clothing.

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Africans have started to take up the challenge to clean up their communities. In rural Ghana, communities have long reused discarded plastic containers; for example, reusing them as packaging for cleaning supplies for sale, storage of oil and other non-consumable products.

In Rwanda, the government has mandated a monthly clean up called Umuganda – a national holiday acknowledged on the last Saturday of every month. This has received global praise for the incredible impact it has made, and instilled a real sense of ‘community’. However, the reality is that this initiative is not the norm.

To address a rural plastic waste crisis before it drives communities into poverty and urbanisation, we need innovators, influencers and industry to educate and enable people to embrace the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ mindset.

Across Africa, innovators are focusing their efforts on addressing the plastic waste crisis. The Afri- Plastics Challenge, which is currently underway, has identified numerous initiatives working to combat waste in new ways.

For example, the Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE) in Lagos State, Nigeria, is a buy-back initiative that aims to empower women and the youth through collection and recycling of plastic waste.

Mega Gas in Kenya converts unsorted plastic waste into clean and affordable cooking gas through a patented process, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Full Development Agency (FDA) is recycling plastic waste into products, including paving tiles for parking lots, sidewalks and gardens in the city of Bukavu.

In the West African nation of Togo, Green Industry Plast collects, sorts and recycles plastic waste into building materials, tables, benches and plastic objects.

These organised efforts take plastic waste and reuse a great deal further, but ultimately recycling is not enough: we need a two-fold approach, looking at both how to reduce waste, and what to do with existing waste. It is crucial that the plastic deluge is addressed at its source.

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These efforts could not have come at a better time. United Nations negotiators meeting at UNEA 5.2 have agreed on a roadmap for a global plastic treaty that would address plastic production and design, according to a draft resolution, which is a major step to agreeing an ambitious deal.

A draft resolution, entitled "End plastic pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument," states that the treaty should address the full life cycle of plastic, meaning production and design, as well as waste.

Industry need not wait for changing consumer demand to step up: manufacturers must proactively develop environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastic.

The issue arises about job losses and this highlights the need for the public and private sectors to find innovative solutions while retaining jobs and fuelling growth with new opportunities.

In Ghana, water is typically sold in plastic sachets in the streets. People prefer to carry reusable water bottles, but there are seldom taps available where they can refill their bottles. As such, they must resort to buying the sachets.

There is a simple solution: portable water tanks can be installed across key locations so that people can refill their own reusable water bottles.

It is about changing perceptions and implementing easyto-use solutions that are practical for individual markets.

Africa has a young and vibrant population made up of innovators capable of overcoming the plastic waste issue and broader climate change challenges. Initiatives such as the Afri-Plastics Challenge is critical to constantly reminding people about the negative impact plastic waste is having on their cities and rural communities.

We need to focus beyond waste management and start changing consumer attitudes and put pressure on both the public and private sectors to play their part.

•Amponsem is Founder of the Green Africa Youth Organisation.

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MA R CH 27 - A PR I L 02, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

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www.t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.1 3 ACCESS BANK ASSETS GROWTH

ACCESS BANK GROSS EARNINGS

ACCESS BANK P.A.T

2017-2021

2017-2021

2017-2021

(N’trn)

(N’bn)

(N’bn)

500TRN

764.71 bn

666.75 bn

528.74 bn

971.88 bn 11.13 trn

8.67 trn

7.14 trn

4.95 trn

160.21 bn

106 bn

94.05 bn

94.98 bn

60.08 bn

1BN

459 bn

500BN

4.1 trn

1TRN

0 Wigwe

2017

2018

2019 2020

2021

Source; Bank’s Annual Reports.

Access Bank Sustains Industry Leadership with N11.74trn Assets

BY SAM DIALA ier-1 lender, Access Bank Plc, has reinforced its prominence as Nigeria’s largest quoted company by assets size, its Full-Year 2021 audited results have revealed. By this performance, the 33-year-old bank has maintained the topmost position as the largest firm in Nigeria, ranked by assets, both among the financial services institutions and the 171 listed companies on The Exchange (NGX) for the 2021 accounting year.

The bank’s N971.88 billion gross earnings for 2021 represents 30 percent increase from N764.71 billion in the preceding year, and 111.7 percent compared with N459 billion in five years – 2017. Customer deposits jumped from N5.58 billion in 2020 to N6.95 in 2021 reflecting 25 percent increase. Within five years, the growth trajectory resulted in 210.26 percent from N2.24 billion in 2017 to N6.95 billion (customer deposits) in the review period.

The enhanced performance was achieved on a remarkable 28.25 percent increase in assets base to N11.14 trillion in 2021 from N8.68 trillion recorded in the preceding year.

This puts Access Bank far ahead of other listed companies, with deposit money banks (DMBs) dominating the first 10 in the N8 trillion region,

The bank’s pre-tax profit rose from N125.93 in 2020 to N176.7 billion in 2020 or 28.75 percent. It recorded 51.15 percent in profit after tax (PAT) to N176.7 billion from N106 billion in the preceding year. The 2021 PAT represents 166.63 percent jump over N60.08 billion in the five year period – 2017.

The hefty balance sheet of Access Bank in 2921 resulted from the significant increase in critical components such as loans and advances which grew108.98 percent in five years from N1.99 billion in 2017 to N4.17 billion in 2021.

The 2021 performance (N4.17 billion) was a 30 percent jump from N3.21 billion in 2020.

Commenting on the bank’s 2021 performance, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr Herbert Wigwe, said, “Our diversified business model yielded positive sustainable results, guided by a robust risk management framework, as we grew the business cautiously and recorded sound prudential ratios. This year’s results reinforce our resolve

T

Continues on page 31

Nigeria Air: Foreign Investors Jostle For 49% Stake •Carrier to Begin Operations in July

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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s the take-off of the National Carrier project, Nigeria Air, gathers momentum, foreign investors are intensifying efforts to win and be chosen

PAGE 30

as the preferred bidder.

THEWILL has learnt that there is renewed interest among the bidders, Continues on page 31

An increase in brand awareness and recognition is one of the notable benefits of social media advertising.

Social media advertising is a great way to make users become familiar with your brand and its offerings by sharing quality content that allows your brand to interact with them on familiar grounds

Making The Best of Social Media For Brand Advertising

BY HENRIETTA IGBEKEA

I

n the past few years, social media has grown from being a way for people to socialise to one of the most powerful means of advertising and marketing businesses. It has become an essential way to reach customers, gain valuable insights and grow brands. More and more companies are including social media as part of their advertising plan, while those that already Continues on page 32

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AVIATION/BANKING Nigeria Air: Foreign Investors Jostle For 49% Stake

Access Bank Sustains Industry Leadership with N11.74trn Assets

Continued from page 30

Continued from page 30

to generate sustainable returns despite challenging market conditions.

“To actualise our vision of becoming the world’s most respected African Bank and Africa’s Payment Gateway, we have taken strategic strides to create indelible footprints across the African continent.

These include our most recent additions in South Africa, Botswana, and Guinea. We also strengthened our business in Mozambique and Zambia, with noticeable improvement in rankings and market share.

particularly foreigners, following the Federal Government’s promise to formally launch the project on July 1, 2022.

The government has also given Nigerians the assurance that it will not give special preference to any bidder, while maintaining that it is yet to endorse any organisation, foreign or local.

It also denied reports claiming that the government had chosen Qatar Airways as its preferred bidder for the proposed airline.

Investigation by THEWILL showed that the new airline will eventually take to the sky after the first out of the three wet-leased aircraft for the airline arrives in the country in June. Also, the airline's Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), which will enable it to commence as a scheduled operator from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), may be granted in June or earlier.

According to a source, the airline, which was originally scheduled to commence operations in December 2018, could not start as planned due to the preparation towards the 2019 general election, while the outbreak of COVID-19 prevented it from taking off between 2019 and 2021.

The source hinted that the transaction team for the project has since been on ground in Nigeria and working towards its emergence, while ensuring the issuance of Request for Proposal (RFP) for the establishment of the national carrier, which was advertised in national newspapers and the foreign media.

The source also said that about 10 Nigerian experts, including the Interim Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the airline, among others, has been recruited for its takeoff, while Abuja has been chosen as its Operational Control Centre (OCC) and the headquarters.

“

In recent times, there is a renewed interest among the bidders, particularly foreigners, following a fresh promise of 1st July, 2022 given as authentic date for the actualisation of the dream THEWILLNIGERIA

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The government, he noted, has chosen May 10, 2022 as the last day of the submission of bids, while several foreign airlines and investors had already bid to be part of the national carrier project.

The source said: “The process for the establishment of the national carrier, Nigeria Air, is very much on track, but as it is, no decision has been taken on any of the bidders. All the concerned authorities are being carried along in the process that will lead to the establishment of the new national carrier for Nigeria, including the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

“Nigeria Air is a huge issue for many international airlines, private investors and players in the sector. The airline is Public Private Participation (PPP)-focused and the Federal Government will only own a maximum of five percent stake in the airline. We intend to start with domestic operations and later spread our wings to the West coast of Africa and the entire world in the future.”

It was also gathered that the Federal Government planned to start the new airline with three wet-leased aircraft and to grow the fleet to 30 within five years of operations.

The government is already in talks with Boeing and Airbus aircraft manufacturing companies, as part of its future growth for the airline. About 7,000 jobs will be created by the airline between five and 10 years through the airline Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and aircraft leasing company, which are also in the pipeline.

“We are very optimistic that the airline will be a success. We have a very huge market in Nigeria with its over 200 million people. The Minister of Aviation is committed to the implementation of the roadmap that was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the structure of the Nigeria Air is such that private sector partners/ consortia are expected to comprise an international airline (maximum of 49 per cent shares) and Nigerian financial and institutional investors (minimum of 46 per cent shares) so that the total Nigerian shareholding will hold a minimum of 51 per cent of the shares of Nigeria Air’ (including the five per cent noninteractive FGN share), as required by international laws for a national carrier.

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Wigwe said that 2022 is pivotal for the company as it concludes its 2018-2022 corporate strategic plan.

He added that the bank will focus on a disciplined implementation of its strategy to drive efficiency and operational excellence across all segments, expand revenue and increase profitability.

According to him, this will go with enhanced focus on risk management practices and a disciplined cost containment structure.

“As we go into our next 5-year strategy cycle, we are realigning the franchise for growth, by transitioning into a Holding Company (HoldCo).

This will enable us to unlock and capture available nonbanking opportunities in the market that would lead to the diversification of our earnings, drive efficiency, and grow scale while maintaining our moderate risk management approach,” Wigwe said on the release of the bank’s 2021 results recently.

Access Bank’s turnaround began in 2019 when it acquired Diamond Bank in April of that year. Access Bank emerged the largest bank in Nigeria by assets size in that exercise of 2019. It thus displaced Zenith Bank Plc that occupied that position with its assets base of N5.59 trillion as at December 31, 2018 over Access Bank’s N4.954 trillion.

First Bank ranked second with 5,568,316 trillion while UBA and GTBank had asset bases of N4.86 trillion and N3.28 trillion respectively as of 2018.

Other strong parameters in Access Bank’s 2021 results include net interest income after impairment charges which rose from N200 billion in 2020 to N218.24 billion in 2021 reflecting a 10 percent increase. Massive investment

“

Our diversified business model yielded positive, sustainable results, guided by a robust risk management framework, as we grew the business cautiously and recorded sound prudential ratios

in technology led to an increase in e-business income. It rose from N56.1 billion in 2020 to N66.28 billion, while investment in IT and e-business jumped to N25.78 billion in 2021 against N18.73 billion in 2020. The bank recovered bad debts totalling N48.54 billion in 2021 compared with N34.58 billion in the preceding year.

Earnings per share (basic) jumped to N4.59 in the review period from N3.00 in 2020 as total dividends remained flat at N35.54 billion – the figure since the 2019 merger with Diamond Bank.

Before then, total dividends were N28.92 billion in both 2017 and 2018.

Commenting on the significance of strong asset base for the banks, a professor of Finance and Accounts at the Nasarawa State University, Muhammad Mainoma, said it signifies that the financial institutions take advantage of the environment and that they act strategically.

“For a bank there is no period that people will not need money. Once a business is focused and invests in areas that people always need, they will not lose at all. This explains the continuous growth despite different circumstances for the past 5 years,” Mainoma told THEWILL in a note.

Access Bank in September 2020 received regulatory approval to become a Holding Company, thereby joining the list of conventional banks in Nigeria seeking to diversify and restructure their operations into a holding structure. The bank in a statement said that the holding company structure would enable it to further accelerate its objectives around business diversification, achieving improved operational efficiencies, talent retention and robust governance.

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BRAND & MARKETING

Making The Best of Social Media For Brand Advertising

Continued from page 30

have it are increasing their budgets in this regard.

The benefits of social media cannot be overlooked, but, like everything else, there are two sides to it. On the one hand, social media platforms are great for keeping in touch with your target audience, sharing content, analysing trends, and launching well targeted advertisements. On the other hand, these platforms make businesses vulnerable since the public’s response to content are not always predictable.

An increase in brand awareness and recognition is one of the notable benefits of social media advertising.

Social media advertising is a great way to make users become familiar with your brand and its offerings by sharing quality content that allows your brand to interact with them on familiar grounds. These interactions could increase brand visibility and help build the reputation of business.

Another benefit of social media advertising is wide audience reach. With many of the world’s population using social media, one is afforded the chance to reach millions of people, including those who are not even following your brand on social media and may not have heard about your brand before. Social media breaks down whatever demographic barriers that may exist – be it age, sex, or social status.

Everyone on any of the social media platforms can be reached irrespective of where you are logged on from. Example is the massive #EndSARS protest that sent Nigerian youths to the streets of major states in the country in 2020. The incident had a big reach outside the borders of Nigeria due to the twitter platform and the hashtag deployed, #EndSARS. Hollywood celebrities tweeted and spoke out about it, CNN broadcast live videos of the protests and two MPs of the United Kingdom Parliament spoke about

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“

With many of the world’s population using social media, one is afforded the chance to reach millions of people, including those who are not even following your brand on social media and may not have heard about your brand before

it in the parliament’s session. This is how wide social media reach is, irrespective of location.

High in-store visitation is another benefit of social media advertising. With more people learning about your brand, it goes without saying that there would be increased inbound traffic to not just your website but also in-store. Some social media users having seen your ads and learned about your products are encouraged to purchase. This act which is called ‘webrooming’ is common in most emerging markets where trust is still a major issue in buying products online.

Finally, social media is cost-effective. It is possibly the most cost-efficient part of an advertising strategy.

Signing up and profile creation is free on all the platforms, and if you choose to invest in a paid promotion for your brand, you will find that it is reasonably low-cost, compared to other marketing plans. This is such an advantage because you can see

a greater return on investment and retain a bigger budget for other marketing and business expenses.

However, one of the disadvantages of social media is the risk of getting negative feedback and responses from customers. Negative content shared online about a brand could tarnish your product name, break customer trust, ruin brand perception for businesses and companies, and deter potential customers from doing business with your brand. All these can be done within 24rs.

Another downside to social media advertising is that social media takes control off brand owners and marketers, leaving them vulnerable. The continuous availability of the platforms is unsure as the government can initiate a policy to shut down a social media platform, leaving brand owners who are heavily vested on social media for advertising, powerless and at a loss. Take the Nigerian Government twitter ban of June 4th, 2021 for instance, this left business owners in despair and with an economic loss estimate of N546.5 billion by the time the ban was lifted after 222 days.

Lastly, time consumption is a disadvantage of using social media to advertise a brand. Advertising a brand on social media is not a one-and-done type of marketing. You must constantly post new content, monitor that content, engage with your audience on these platforms and measure impact of the content.

All these activities can be very time consuming.

In all, it is only normal for even the most popular means of marketing to have drawbacks. The important thing is to be aware of them; that way, you can do your best to minimise the negatives. This means carrying out proper research and being well-informed about all aspects of social media platforms intended for use for your brand marketing before subscribing to it.

•Igbekea, a Brand Specialist, wrote in from Lagos.

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PERSPECTIVE

Simple And Factual Explanation of Nigeria’s Exchange Rate Dynamics

BY SALAMATU IDRIS

W

hat is the Exchange Rate?: The exchange rate of the Naira is simply the price of foreign currency. Given that the dominant foreign currency in Nigeria, as it is in many other countries, is the US Dollar, the exchange rate in Nigeria usually refers to the price of the US Dollar. Every other currency's exchange rate, such as the exchange rate of the British Pounds Sterling, derives from the price of the US Dollar.

What Determines the Exchange Rate?

One of the first principles of secondary school economics is that the price of a commodity is determined by the interplay of demand and supply for that commodity. If the demand for a product, like sugar or garri, increases, the price will rise. Consider, for example, the price of accommodation (that is, rent) in newly minted State Capitals like Asaba or Osogbo in 1991.

Once demand for housing increased when Delta or Osun States were created and civil servants had to relocate to these capital cities, the price of housing (rent) increased. It does not matter what anyone could have done, rent rose astronomically in these cities because of rising demand.

Similarly, if the supply of a commodity falls, the price also rises. Imagine for a moment that in a town that used to have 10 (ten) bread bakeries, 9 (nine) suddenly close their shops and only one bakery is left. What would happen to the price of THEWILLNIGERIA

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bread the next morning? It will rise because the supply of bread has fallen.

So, in general, just like the price of cows or cars, the price of the US Dollar in Nigeria is determined by the quantity of US Dollars that flow into the country as well as the quantity of US Dollars demanded by Nigerians.

Using this simple principle of demand and supply, let us now look at how the exchange rate (that is, the price of US Dollars) has fared in the last couple of years. The simple truth is that the exchange rate in Nigeria has risen/depreciated because it is suffering from two simultaneous effects: the supply of US Dollars is falling at the same time when the demand of US Dollars is rising.

People always refer to the 1970s and 1980s when the Naira was “stronger” than the US Dollar, or at least, were at par (the same value). But the real question to ask is: what was the demand and supply of US Dollar at that time, and what is it today?

Demand Side of the Exchange Rate: Let us look at the demand first. In the 1980s and 1990s, the number of Nigerians studying abroad (for which US Dollars is needed from here for their upkeep) was negligible. Yet, according to data from the UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, the number of Nigerian students abroad increased from less

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than 15,000 in 1998 to over 71,000 in 2015. By 2018, this number had risen to 96,702 students, according to the World Bank.

In the 1980s and 1990s, you would search hard before you can find parents who sent their children to primary and secondary schools abroad. Today, a sizeable amount of the foreign exchange request Nigerian banks receive for school fees are for primary and secondary school education, some of which are for neighbouring African countries. In light of the above, it is no wonder that foreign education has cost the country a whopping sum of US$28.65 billion between 2010 and 2020, according to the CBN’s publicly available Balance of Payments Statistics.

If this amount were not sent abroad but was part of the CBN’s Foreign Exchange Reserves, the Naira would be much stronger today.

How about healthcare? No one reading this would deny not ever knowing anyone who has travelled abroad in the last few years specifically to receive medical care. According to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Nigerians spend over US$1 billion annually on medical treatment abroad. This fact is corroborated by a review of the Central Bank’s balance of payment data, which indicate that Nigerians have spent US$11.01 billion on healthcare related services over the past 10 years.

Continues on page 34

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PERSPECTIVE Continued from page 33

...Explanation of Nigeria’s Exchange Rate Dynamics Over the last 10 years, therefore, foreign exchange demand specifically for education and healthcare has cost the country almost US$40 billion. As you may know, this amount is equivalent to the total current foreign exchange reserves of the CBN. If we were able to avoid a significant portion of this demand, the Naira would be much stronger today.

According to Nairametrics, a leading Nigerian online newspaper, Nigeria and its corporates spent a sum of US$55 billion on foreign expatriates for business, professional, and technical services in the last 10 years. Similarly, Personal Travel Allowances gulped a total of US$58.7 billion over the same period. In fact, in the 9-month period between January and September 2019, the CBN sold US$9.01 billion to Nigerians for personal foreign travels.

Still on demand for US Dollars, in 1980, Nigeria’s total imports (for which we need dollars to pay our suppliers) was US$16.65 billion per annum.

By 2014, our annual import bill had risen astronomically to US$67.05 billion, though it has gradually fallen to US$54.71 billion as of last year.

Similarly, in 1980, food imports cost us US$2.63 billion. We were mostly eating what we produced here in Nigeria. But as of 2011, food imports had skyrocketed to US$18.91 billion, though it has fallen to US$14.84 billion as of 2019.

In 1980, over 75 percent of the cars we drove on our roads were made here by either Volkswagen in Lagos, Peugeot in Kaduna, or some other automobile companies. Today, over 99 percent of the cars we drive are imported (for which we need dollars to make payment). In 1980, most of the clothes we wore were from Nigerian textile mills in Funtua, Asaba, Kano, Lagos, or other numerous towns and cities. Today, almost all the clothes we wear are from imported fabrics.

With this level of demand on education, healthcare, professional services, personal travel, and the likes, the exchange rate will definitely be under constant pressure to rise, particularly when the Central Bank does neither prints US Dollars nor exports Nigeria’s crude oil. Under these circumstances, the price of US Dollars will continue to rise, especially if its supply either remains constant or worse still, falls.

Supply Side of the Exchange Rate: But that takes me to the supply side of US Dollars in Nigeria. As one of my respected colleagues once remarked, an economy must “earn” US Dollars for the supply to rise. The productive base of the economy must be strong in order to produce goods and/or services that the rest of world is willing to pay for in US Dollars. In the case of Nigeria, we can do so either by oil exports or non-oil exports.

While we have seen from the analysis above that demand for US Dollars has risen tremendously over the past decades, its supply has unfortunately fallen sharply. Recall that in 1980, our import bill was US$16.65 billion? That same year, we earned US$25.97 billion in exports, leaving us a “savings” of US$9.32 billion. So, in 1980, we were able to meet all the demand for US Dollars from our supply of US Dollars and still had over US$9 billion to spare. In this instance, the exchange rate (the price of the US Dollar) will not rise because, like any commodity, its supply is more than the demand.

By 1996, we earned US$59.83 billion from our exports. That is, approximately US$59.83 billion was “supplied” into the Nigerian economy in 1996. Conversely, our import bill (the demand for US Dollars) for that year was US$25.71 billion, leaving us a surplus supply of over US$34 billion.

Indeed, from 2003—2013, we enjoyed a surplus of US$331.73 billion into the economy. During the same period, oil exports alone accounted for over US$798 billion. Of course, with such “excess”

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dollars, the exchange rate would be stable, and the Naira would be “strong”.

In the last 12 years unfortunately, oil exports, which accounts for over 90 percent of our foreign exchange supply/earnings, have fallen from US$93.89 billion in 2011 to US$31.4 billion in 2020. This drastic decline, amongst other reasons, implies that the demand for US Dollars has exceeded its supply by about UD$18.45 billion over the last 7 years.

Other Factors that Affect the Exchange rate: In addition to the fall in crude oil exports, reflecting organized theft, rampant vandalization and exogenous factors, there are many other issues that adversely affect the supply of US Dollars into the economy.

For example, we lose a lot of Foreign Exchange inflows when 80 percent of cargo ships and planes that bring goods to Nigeria (for which we pay dollars) leave our shores empty (implying we do not earn dollars from potential exports of goods they would have carried).

How can we improve non-oil exports (and supply of US Dollars) when the balance sheet (loanable funds) of the Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank is less than 10 percent of the balance sheets of comparable countries? For example, the balance sheet of the Export-Import Banks of India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Turkey is $18.3 billion, $770.5 billion, $85.4 billion, $6.6 billion, and $25.9 billion respectively. But that of our NEXIM Bank is only $423.4 million. How can we compete in the export market and in the ability to earn US Dollars therefrom with this significant disadvantage in funding?

Over the last several years, thousands of men have relocated their families abroad but continued to work here in Nigeria. Whilst these men are here earning Naira, their major expenses are in dollars for family upkeep, mortgages, car loans, and the likes. This means we have a couple more thousands more people chasing dollars every day, every week, every month. Without going into the reasons for their decisions but imagine that they were reversed and their families were here in Nigeria, the Naira would be significantly strengthened.

Why is it that it takes half the time and half the cost for a container to travel from China to Apapa than it will take for the same container to move from Apapa to Ojota? If it takes 21 days and $8,500 for a 40-foot container to be shipped from China

to Apapa, why should it take 42 days and $17,000 for the same container to be moved from Apapa to Ojota? How does this help international trade and inflow of dollars into the economy?

From all of the above, we can deduce that the real problem facing the exchange rate is the simultaneous decline in supply of, and increase in demand for, US Dollars. Holding one constant, any one of them would have been enough to put pressure on the exchange, yet we are suffering from the two at the same time.

It does appear therefore that any objective person would have to conclude that the issue of stabilizing the exchange rate, while an official mandate of the CBN, is a collective responsibility of every Nigerian. And unless and until we stop the scapegoating of one another but rather look introspectively at the issues and honestly work on changing our fortunes, the exchange rate will continue to suffer undue and avoidable pressures.

How the CBN’s Policies Are Helping to Stabilize the Exchange Rate: So when you hear that the CBN is massively investing in Agriculture to boost local food production, in the power value chain to improve electricity supply, in cotton farming to resuscitate our textile mills, in universities to enhance our educational quality, in manufacturing plants to boost local production, and in health care to curb medical tourism, I hope you now know why.

I hope you now know why the Bank initiated the 41-item policy to curb imports of items we are producing or can produce locally, after all, it has reduced imports from US$67.05 billion in 2014 to US$54.71 billion in 2021. I hope you now know why the CBN established the RT200 FX Program to significantly improve our non-oil export earnings. I hope you now agree with the Naira4Dollar policy that has lifted remittances from an average of US6 million per week in December 2020 to about US$92 million per week as of March 2022.

I hope you can now empathize with the CBN’s situation and understand that the exchange rate’s stability or the Naira strengthening is not rocketscience but requires us as a country to improve our US Dollars earnings capacity and reduce our appetite for importing anything and everything.

Our problems may appear significant, but there are tested and trusted solutions.

•Salamatu Idris, an economist writes from Kaduna.

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QUINCY AYODELE

&

TOBI KEENEY

...Partnership that works PAGE 35-39

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In honour of Mother's Day, prominent herbal medicine practitioner and Founder, Quincy Wellness Centre, Quincy Olasumbo Ayodele and her daughter, US trained biochemist, Dr Tobi Keeney, who runs the Centre, speak with SHADE METIBOGUN about work, mother-daughter relationship and sundry issues. Excerpts:

Ayodele

I'M JUST THE FACE OF QUINCY WELLNESS CENTRE – QUINCY AYODELE H

ow does it feel to see your daughter run Quincy Wellness Centre successfully?

It feels great! I feel privileged and I thank God to have at least one of my children who took an interest in my line of work and run it even beyond my expectations.

You can be an engineer and all your children may just be interested in studying Law or Medicine or any other discipline. So to have at least one child that has the flair to learn something in line with your own discipline is a blessing. And I am grateful to God for it.

Before handing over the business to her, you must have had some concerns or entertained fear about the future I was more concerned about the changing environment, the economic situation in the country, trends and current events and how that could affect my business. I was more concerned with how to handle and overcome those challenges than I was of handing over to her. This is because we were in the business together for at least 10 years before she took over. Quincy is a family business and I am just the face of the business. My entire family has been involved in the business in one way or the other since inception. Now my sons in-law are involved, too. So, this handing over thing happened 10 years ago. It is just being publicised now.

What is the most significant thing you have done to support your daughter in managing your business?

Apprenticeship, mentorship and guidance throughout the years, I would say, have been the most significant things I have done to support my daughter in managing the business.

So, in essence, all-round support is the most significant thing that I have done for my daughter in handling the business.

If you were to give her one important piece of advice that you should have taken as a younger person, what would it be?

Be a problem solver. Be a solution provider first, then the money will come after.

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What has been keeping you busy since she started managing Quincy Wellness Medical Centre?

Medical professionals and healers don't retire. You must keep helping people to get better until you literally have no strength to heal anymore due to old age.

There is a reason why people still seek out very old doctors for solutions to their health problems. We still have some rare or critical cases that my daughter needs to refer to me for guidance and knowledge.

Ayodele So, in terms of that, I am still working.

Additionally, I am very involved with my grandchildren, and they keep me very busy. I have also noticed that as I got older, especially after turning 60, I have had to solve even more than health problems. Apparently I have also become an elder. I have found myself helping people with marital advice, business advice, child rising advice and even to be a prayer warrior to intercede on their behalf. In conclusion, I am busier than I ever have been.

Do some clients try to seek your attention instead of trusting your daughter to handle their health challenges?

I get that a lot. Like I mentioned earlier, healers don’t retire.

Some cases still need to be handled or identified and solved by me. In natural medicine, you never stop learning. Each plant can have up to 100 active ingredients and we have hundreds of thousands of medicinal plants. So you can imagine the number of decades it will take to amass the vast wealth of knowledge necessary to know just 70 per cent of what is out there.

What is the best thing about being a grandmother?

Being a yummy grandmother is awesome. My grandchildren and I speak the same language and surf the Internet together. We can Facetime each other, enjoy the same food, travel together and can enjoy the same things together. So, I thank God that my father sent me to school when I was young so I can be able to relate with and spend quality time with my grandchildren now.

What do you think is the best approach to motherhood in the 21st century?

From raising my grandkids who are the generation Z and beyond, one must be very involved in their lives. You can’t leave your kids to domestic servants and nannies. You have to be there for them in all aspects of their lives, down to who their friends are. There is the social media and the Internet which is full of different things that I did not have to worry about when I was raising my kids in the 1980s and 1990s.

Whatever your mother taught you at the age of 9, you have to teach your child at the age of 6 or even 5 years in this day and age, if not, something else will teach them for you and it can be the wrong way. Don’t approach your children as though they don’t know what is going on around them, they are very much more socially aware of life and current events than we were at their age.

What advice do you have for people who patronise traditional medical practitioners without knowing the fakes and real professionals in the business?

You must first identify who is a qualified traditional medical professional. We have degrees, certificates and licences from government bodies. We at Quincy Wellness Centre have degrees, licenses and certificates from both orthodox and traditional health institutions, since we are a fully integrated medical centre in accordance with WHO recommendations and Lagos State guidelines. It is better to patronise professionals who will not endanger their health and lives.

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I WAS INTRODUCED TO MY MOTHER’S BUSINESS AT 7 – DR TOBI KEENEY H

ow does it feel stepping into your mother’s shoes and carrying on with the legacies she started with Quincy Wellness Centre?

It’s a big shoe to step into. I am privileged to be able to do so. I still have a long way to go, as I am about the age she was when she first started Quincy Wellness Centre. Luckily for me, I have been in the business since 2001. So I have had a bit of a head start quite early.

Has it always been one of your dreams to take over the business from your mother?

I didn’t think about it when I was growing up until I found myself in it. It was when I started that I realised that I was passionate about healthcare delivered the right way. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but growing up, there was nothing like what we are doing right now, which is integrative medicine. So it wasn’t even a concept, talk less of dreaming about it. However, just like everything, things evolve, and so do people’s dreams and aspirations, so here I am and loving it.

You are married to a Caucasian. What was your husband’s reaction when you announced you were going back to Nigeria to help your mother with her business?

My husband came to Nigeria first and then I joined him later.

It was when I joined him in Nigeria that I decided to join the business. He came in 2009 when recession hit America. He just packed up and came to Nigeria and I came to join him in 2010, but really stayed till 2012. However, I go to the states much more than he does. We met online in America and after a Keeney while, we decided to get married in Nigeria and we went back to America. When I was about five months pregnant, he left How do you deal with clients who insist on having your America for Nigeria. And I was coming off and on until 2012 mother’s touch because of familiarity or preference? when I decided to stay. A lot of people used to think I brought Luckily, I have been with her since 2001 and more actively since him to Nigeria. It is the other way round. Some even think that 2010, so I haven’t had issues with her older clients. They trust I married him because of the papers, which is not true. I am an me, especially as I have training in both orthodox and traditional American citizen. I got to America through the green card lottery medicine. when I was a teenager.

How supportive has he been since you took over the management of Quincy Wellness Centre?

He was the one who revamped the organisational structure.

He worked on the employee’s handbook, put the business on Amazon and helped with the administrative portion of the business.

If you weren’t handling your mother’s business, what would you have been doing careerwise?

If I wasn’t in my mom’s business, I'd be in one hospital somewhere in America, prescribing medicines or delivering anesthesia in the theatre. I might also have entered public or community health or even politics to be a policy maker in the quest for better healthcare for my people.

What challenges have you encountered while running Quincy Wellness Medical Centre?

The challenges are dealing with certain notions held by black people in general and Nigerians, in particular, in terms of good health, good medicine, wellness and everything related to it.

Although Nigerians have one of the lowest life spans, 53 years approximately, in the whole world, we are still too blind to see that some people are doing the right thing for themselves and others healthwise. I must pull teeth with some of my patients just to get them to eat right and change their lifestyle. The average Nigerian would rather spend money on prayers to cure diabetes than on healthy food, regular testing, the right medicines or medicinal plants. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol is a disease of lifestyle not a disease caused by witchcraft.

However, once they see results that they haven’t seen elsewhere, they become advocates.

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What special touch and innovations have you injected into the business since you took over its active management?

I think just by virtue of me being younger, just like my kids know a lot more about current things than me, I think my siblings and I have helped move the business to where it is now. We are now fully integrated, dually licensed with full medical services and laboratory. We have expanded our services in the wellness, skincare, and medical aspects. We handle more obesity-related diseases, we have put the business in the international market, we have been well immersed in the digital space and we have digitalised our process by going paperless, etc. We have developed several customised, intensive and effective protocols for obesity, chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer, even COVID-19.

How would you describe your mother?

My mother is energetic, naturally funny and young at heart. She is a go-getter. If she sets her mind on something, it’s going to be done. She is also family-oriented. She doesn’t play with our dad, her kids and especially her grandchildren. Then her sons-in-law, those are her first and second born, the rest of us are the rest. She is a very wonderful woman.

What special wish do you have for her on Mother's Day? I wish for long life, more grace, more prosperity, good health and all the good things in life for her. She is the best mom I could have asked for and I thank God for her in our lives. She is also the best grandmother to her grandchildren. My prayer is that God will continue to keep her for us all.

Who are you closer to between your father and mother?

That is a very difficult question. I honestly can’t choose. I am

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Keeney close to them equally but separately. There are some things I discuss with my dad and some things I discuss with my mum.

However, when I was much younger, I was closer to my dad as my mum was the stricter parent. Over the years, we have met in the middle. Let me say since we started working together at Quincy Wellness Centre, we became closer.

What was growing up like?

I had a very happy childhood filled with love and tons of family. Looking back at it, we didn’t have much in terms of material things, but our parents gave us the best they could and that’s what counts. We were also immersed in all my mum’s businesses at the age of seven. So we joined her to sell puff puff on the roadside. I had fun doing it. My mum raised us as children of villagers, so we knew that even having bread to eat, going to a good school, or the ability to ride in a car was a privilege, not a right. We are quite traditional, and conservative compared to a lot of my Lagosian peers and it's due to our upbringing. Also, our parents never forced us to do anything. They didn’t even need to give curfews or force us to study or warn us not to wear this or that. We knew when we needed to come home, or who we should be friends with and what we should not wear that will disappoint our family. They lived by example, and we just followed suit. Plus, they were always very close to us so we had that sense of responsibility and accountability to make sure we didn’t lose that independence they gave us. I think it’s the best way to parent. Your kids will not need to rebel if you don’t stifle them with overly strict rules and regulations.

What are the integrated services offered at Quincy Wellness Medical Centre?

We offer full medical services, diagnostic laboratory, integrative medicine, traditional medicine, medical assisted weight loss, surgery free liposuction, male and female infertility treatment, women and children’s health, chronic pain management, skincare, IV vitamin infusion therapy, home healthcare, Covid19 management, chronic disease management and much more. To every disease, there is a cure in nature.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Ruth Obih Ends Marriage of 3Years

MEET WEALTHY INVESTORS KEEPING NIGERIANS IN PERPETUAL DARKNESS

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attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear on board a US flight, is the chairman of Sahelian Power SPV Limited in charge of Kano Electricity Distribution Company. Alhaji Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar is the Chief Executive Officer of the power distribution company.

Otubu

Cole

P

ower outages in Nigeria have certainly become a part of our everyday life, going by how long we have had to grapple with the situation. Unless something drastic is done, this abnormal phenomenon is not likely to end any time soon. However, in the past few months, the outages have assumed an embarrassingly high and alarming dimension with the power grid breaking down more frequently than it has ever happened over the past few years and plunging the nation in darkness for days, weeks and even months at a stretch in some parts of the country.

Worse still, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, the Electricity Generating Companies and the Power Distribution Companies are trading blames over the situation. No one is willing to accept responsibility for the persistent power outages.

Not even the Federal Government is willing to sanction these DISCOs and GENCOs or issue them ultimatums to do what they are meant to do. As with most issues in Nigeria, it has been business as usual. THEWILL has therefore compiled a list of wealthy investors who own electricity assets in Nigeria, so that people will know who to channel their displeasure at with hopes that they will eventually do the needful.

Tony Elumelu Tony Elumelu who recently made inroads into the oil and gas sector, in addition to his investments in banking, insurance and hospitality, is the major investor in the Transcorp/ Woodrock Consortium, in charge of the Ughelli Plant. He runs the power generating company with Obinna Ufudo who is the Chief Executive Officer.

Femi Otedola The billionaire investor is the major promoter of Amperion Power Distribution Limited (Geregu Power Plant) as chairman with Akin Akinfemiwa as the Chief Executive Officer.

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Augustine Nwokocha He is the Chairman of 4Power Consortium Limited alongside the governors of Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. The distribution company is in charge of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.

Elumelu

Otedola

Offor Brigadier-General Tunde Ogbeha (retd.)

Although he is only a director in Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited in charge of Kainji Hydro Electric Plant and Jebba Hydro Station, Col. Sani Bello is the Chairman, while Alhaji Ismaila Isa is the Vice Chairman.

Engr Olubunmi Peters He is the major investor in North South Power Company Limited in charge of Shiroro Power Station.

Tonye Cole Although Tonye Cole is regarded as the face of KEPCO Energy Resources Limited in charge of Egbin Power Station, he however runs it with his partner, Tope Shonubi. They also invested in NEDC/KEPCO Consortium in charge of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company with Kola Adesina as the Chairman. While the former is a power generating company, the latter is a power distribution company. Both Tonye and Tope are known for their popular oil and gas company, Sahara Energy.

Victor Osibodu The embattled business man, who is fighting to keep his prized homes from being taken from him

by Ecobank over alleged debts to the tune of $19m, is the Chairman of Vigeo Power Limited in charge of Benin Electricity Distribution Company. His wife, Funke Osibodu, a former Managing Director of Ecobank and Union Bank, is the Chief Executive Officer.

Alhaji Shehu Malami He is the chairman of KANN Utility Consortium Company Limited in charge of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company. Neil Croucher, a Briton, is his Chief Executive Officer.

Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab The businessman and financier whose son, Umar Farouk, aka Underwear Bomber, is serving four life jail sentences and an additional 50 years in a US prison for

Tunde Ayeni He is the Vice Chairman of and a major investor in Integrated Energy Distributing and Marketing Limited, with Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Yola Electricity Distribution Company as the company's major assets.

Although Captain Hosa Okunbo is his co-investor, with his demise, the current state of Okunbo's investment is uncertain. A smart businessman, Ayeni made General Abdulsalami Abubakar the Chairman of the distribution company, while Dr. Sola Ayandele is the Chief Executive Officer.

Emeka Offor The diminutive businessman, who has investments in the oil and gas industry, also has his tentacles spread in the power industry with his investment in Interstate Electrics Limited in charge of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company. He is the company's Chairman.

Ernest Orji, Dere Otubu, Charles Momoh, Tunji Olowolafe & George Etomi Although Ernest Orji is a director in West Power and Gas Limited in charge of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, he is a well known investor and businessman in corporate circles. He is the promoter of Southern Sun Hotel and was a non executive director in Finbank.

Charles Momoh formerly of Addax petroleum and one of the key directors of the company was the pioneer chairman of the distribution company but was recently replaced with Dere Otubu the chairman of Staco Insurance, SIC Property and Investment Company Limited, Staco Prime Capital Limited and Senforce Insurance Brokers.

Tunji Olowolafe, a serial investor and consummate business man, is also a director in the company, while George Etomi, SAN one of Nigeria's most seasoned power sector and privatization legal experts, is also one of the founding directors in the company.

Alhaji Garba Mohammed Noma He is the chairman of Aura Energy Limited in charge of Jos Electricity Distribution Company.

Dosunmu

OBA ELEGUSHI COMES OUT OF MOURNING, HONOURS OLD FRIEND

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hen the good book says there is always a friend who sticks closer than a 'brother', the duo of Oba Saheed Elegushi of Ikateland and Chief Adebola Dosunmu, the Akinsiku of Lagos and the custodian of Lagos' most popular cultural festival, Eyo, took this saying literally with their enviable friendship. So rock solid is their bond that no one has successfully been able to come between them. Despite the five year gap between them, Dosunmu respects Oba Elegushi both as a monarch and a friend. Oba Elegushi hardly leaves his palace on any occasion if Dosunmu isn't in his company, either to party or to attend to the business of leading the people of Ikateland.

Also, If there is one person Oba Elegushi's first wife, Olori Sekinat listens to, respects and takes advice from besides his mum, that person would be Dosunmu. Which was why during the lavish 45th birthday ceremony of her husband last year, Dosunmu was the one who put Sekinat in check to prevent a possible clash between her and the monarch's second wife, Olori Hadiza, both of whom do not see eye to eye. Such is their friendship that Oba Elegushi had no choice but to put aside his grief of losing his heir apparent a few weeks ago to attend the 50th birthday of Dosunmu which was held on Thursday March 24 at The Monarch Events Centre. Dressed in formal casuals, the monarch looked every inch the dapper king that he is as he walked in midway into the party with a small entourage. He stayed till almost the end of the party, lending moral support to his friend.

he is considered an expert of some sort in the real estate sector where she plies her trade via 3Invest, a boutique investment company. Having made appreciable effort over the years to create a thriving real estate sector and committing resources in real estate advocacy, the same, unfortunately, cannot be said of her marriage which broke down irretrievably, forcing her to end the three year old union.

In ending her marriage, Ruth noted how important her mental health and well being is to her, allegedly implying that perhaps, she wasn't in a good place mentally, all through the period she was married. The marriage produced a son which they unfortunately lost early in the marriage. But in late 2021, she welcomed a set of twin girls.

An ambitious go-getter, Ruth married her US-based husband, Linus Obuah, a petroleum engineer in 2017 in Houston Texas, after years of a long distance relationship. A Obih lawyer who began her

career with Ajumogobia and Okeke law firm in Lagos, Ruth founded 3Invest in 2007 and in 2011, she led the globalisation and digitisation of the real estate industry with the launch of 3invest’s online information portal and the first syndicate real estate radio show, Real Estate On-Air. In 2012 she launched Real Estate Unite, the largest annual gathering of real estate leaders in Africa and in 2013, launched the Real Estate Investor Network.

In 2015, Ruth launched the first timeshare co-working space in Africa called Lagos CoWork.

Seyi Tinubu, Wife Move to Reconcile Differences

S

eyi Tinubu, son of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress party and a presidential aspirant on that platform, has began making reconciliatory moves with his wife Layal, who allegedly moved out of their home.

Recall that THEWILL had reported that a few months ago, trouble erupted in their home following reports of Seyi getting back into the arms of his baby mama, a socialite who runs a high end spa on Lagos Island.

The rumour mill also alleged that the baby mama had taken in for him a second time. Seyi, in a bid to do some damage control, denied that he had any issue with his wife or revived an affair with the mother of his four-year-old son. He urged the reading public to discountenance the 'tale'. But by then, it was already late as his wife, and mother of his two children, allegedly moved out of their matrimonial home.

She also unfollowed him on social media, deleted pictures of them together including a post she made when their marriage turned five years old and finally blocked him. On Christmas day of 2021, both still smarting from Seyi's alleged infidelity, refused to put up their family picture in matching pajamas on their individual social media pages as is their custom. Instead, they individually posted pictures of their kids in matching pajamas accompanied with a terse season's greetings message to their fans. But now it seems the new year started off on a good note as the alleged estranged couple are making what seems to be some reconciliatory moves.

The couple recently travelled out together to the city of love, Paris, on vacation with their kids. While Seyi put out the pictures from the vacation on his Instagram stories, Layal couldn't be bothered and only posted pictures of her and their children on her social media.

The Tinubus

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STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Meet Kano Princess Who Stole Oluwo of Iwo's Heart S

MOSUN FILANI-ODUOYE DUMPS ‘FIRST LADY’ AMBITION, RETURNS TO NOLLYWOOD

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ollywood actress, Mosun Filani-Oduoye may have put her ambition to fully manifest as a politician's wife in the back burner and instead, returned to the movie industry which brought her to the limelight. The actress, who took a long break about a decade ago, is already on location shooting a new movie entitled Different Strokes.

Mosun quit acting almost immediately after she married Kayode Oduoye, a politician and son of late Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Simeon Oduoye. As the wife of a politician, she was required to project a certain lifestyle and acting wasn't part of it. More so, as her husband's plan to represent

Ifelodun, Boripe and OdunOtin Federal Constituency of Osun State in the House of Representatives was already in motion in 2015. Besides, the realisation that she might need to relocate to Abuja with her husband put paid to any ambition she was nursing in respect of her acting career.

Unfortunately, Mosun’s husband lost at the polls. Not long afterwards, Sir Kay as he is fondly called, decided to test the waters again by signifying his interest to govern Osun State in 2018 on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party. This time, Mosun already imagined herself as the first lady of the state and was preparing

Filani-Oduoye to play that role. Once again, her dream did not come true. So she decided to concentrate on her beauty business and caring for her family.

Now, not only has Mosun returned to Nollywood, she is working on her first film as a producer and appears to spare no cost to ensure that it has a talented cast. She is featuring Jim lyke, Mercy Johnson, Lillian Esoro and Blessing Jessica Obasi in the movie.

everal weeks after denying that he sent a letter to Osun State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, seeking financial assistance to the tune of N20 million for his marriage ceremony, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, officially got married to his new found love, a 27 year-old Kano princess named Firdaus Akanbi nee Abdullahi.

The marriage, which took place on Saturday, March 19, 2022, happened about three years after the Oluwo’s messy divorce from his Jamaican born wife, Chanel Chin. The controversial monarch married Firdaus in a flamboyant ceremony at the residence of the Madakin of Kano, in the ancient city. A reception strictly for ladies held at the Gidan Rumfa, inside the Emir of Kano’s palace shortly after the wedding. The Oluwo met his new wife during one of his trips to the North.

Firdaus is a granddaughter to Ado Bayero and a niece to the current Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. Fondly called Fidy Madaki by her family and friends,

she is a chef and the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Kano-based Grills Thrills. The company also offers catering services for outdoor and indoor events, such as snacks, smoothies, grilled fish and other assorted meals.

Firdaus studied abroad and was based there for some time before relocating to Nigeria. She grew up in Kano and was raised under strict Islamic laws. The lanky lady is social media shy as both her personal and company’s account are not active. She prefers to live a very private life and it is Akanbi only those who are close to her knew that she was Oluwo's marriage to Chanel hit dating the Oluwo. the rock due to irreconcilable The Oluwo's first marriage was in differences. The Oluwo claimed his 2015, to Chanel shortly after he was ex wife attempted to poison him crowned a traditional ruler. She is and took contract money for his the daughter of Jamaican reggae life. She however countered him, star, Ludlow Chin, also known as claiming their marriage was built Bobo Zaro and known for the song on falsehood and that he never Pain, which was a collaboration provided for her and their son, with Capleton, another Jamaican Oduduwa all through the duration reggae and dancehall artist. of the four year marriage.

Cubana Chief Priest Still Late Ayinla Omowura’s Relatives at War With Obi Cubana Fight Over Proceeds From Movie S

Iyiegbu

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udging by recent events, it does not appear as if all is well between Pascal Okechukwu, otherwise known as Cubana Chief Priest, and his former boss, Obi Iyiegbu, also known as Obi Cubana.

Pascal has pitched his tent with Kolaq Alagbo Herbal Bitters and has totally shunned Obi Cubana’s new business venture, Odogwu Bitters, which was distributed across two continents last week in preparation for the formal launch next this week.

Pascal has been flooding his social media space with products from Kolaq Alagbo and urging his fans to patronise the brand. He did not only fail to display Odogwu Bitters on his timeline as a show of solidarity, but also did not congratulate his former boss on his latest venture. The fact that he started influencing for Kolaq Alagbo about the same time as Obi Cubana began the distribution and market activation of his own Odogwu Bitters surprised many and got them wondering if it was a mere coincidence, a strategic business THEWILLNIGERIA

Okechukwu strategy by Kolaq Alagbo or sign of a deepening crack in his relationship with Obi which many were not aware of.

Paschal’s actions have also got people wondering if he truly made peace with his boss or just attempted to ‘fulfill all righteousness’.

THEWILL recalls that last year, the two businessmen decided to sheath their swords after feuding for 10 months.

It all started midway in 2020 after Pascal reportedly informed Obi that he wanted to start his own nightclub business. The decision did not go down well with Obi who quickly unfollowed him on social media.

Pascal eventually cut ties with Obi, but their separation was messy. After many attempts at reconciling the duo, they eventually made up at a post-funeral concert held in honour of the late mother of Kingsley Okpala, the promoter of New Age brand of phone accessories. To further consolidate their renewed friendship, Okechukwu donated 46 cows to his former boss during the THEWILLNG

burial ceremony of his late mother, Mrs Uche Iyiegbu, which took place in Oba, Anambra State. It was, as a matter of fact, the highest donation from a single person at the event.

ome members of late Apala musician, Ayinla Omowura’s family are allegedly at war over the sum of N1 million given to the family by ace movie maker, Tunde Kelani, who recently shot a documentary film of their late patriarch. Released in 2021, the film was based on the tragically short but impactful life and times of the late music icon. It shows how the singer used music to address issues in contemporary society, commending and criticising actions by government and individual.

Following the successful debut of the movie, the daughter of the singer, Halimat Omowura, who is allegedly the spokesperson of the family was accused of collecting more than N1 million from Kelani.

This is more so when other family members got to know that the movie was one of the highest grossing movies of 2021. It raked

in almost N92 million at the box office.

Halimat and a few relatives allegedly signed a letter authorising the filmmaker to go ahead with the production of the film without duly consulting other members of the family. After she allegedly received the money, those who were not consulted allegedly accused her of collecting more than the declared sum. She was also accused of allegedly recording a song titled, Anigilaje with some Fuji artistes, such as Seffiu Alao and Oyetola Oniwide, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her father’s death.

However, all efforts to

prove her innocence were abortive despite explaining that she acted in the interest of the family. The rest of the family is reportedly out for a show down with her.

Rinsola Abiola’s Desire to Lead APC Youths Stirs Controversy

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insola Abiola, one of the daughters of late businessman and politician, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, has declared her interest in the position of National Youth leader on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is coming four years after renouncing the party and describing it as a party lacking in democratic principles.

Abiola had resigned from the party, claiming that her desire to pursue youth liberation on the party’s platform was resisted. She also said the party was not youth friendly

and accused it of being dictatorial in its approach.

Thereafter she defected to the Action Democratic Party (ADP). The ambitious lady encountered some challenges after defecting from APC. Despite clinching the party’s ticket for the Abeokuta North/ Odeda/Obafemi Owode Federal Constituency in the House of Representative, she lost to Olumide Osoba, son of a former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba.

She was criticised for making the wrong political moves then as she would have emerged the preferred candidate for

the House of Representative seat had she tarried. She was warned sternly to steer clear of lobbying for elective positions in ADP and to watch from the sidelines since she was new in the party.

Since the circumstances didn’t favour her, she returned to the APC to seek an elective position. However, her return and desire to become the youth leader of the party has been criticised. Many have labeled her a disloyal member of the party and an opportunist who wants to ride on the popularity of the party to power.

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www.thewillnigeria.com MARCH 27-APRIL 02, 2022

Nigeria's Crude Oil Theft Crisis And Leadership Deficiency

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he reality of the treasonous theft of the nation’s crude oil is suddenly being given the attention it deserves by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, even though it should have come much earlier.

By no means a recent phenomenon, yet this theftuous recurrence has currently been elevated to brazenly new heights and it is threatening to crush the country's fragile economy and further degrade the environment.

While vandalisation of pipelines channeling crude oil from wells to designated platforms dot news reportage intermittently, the current attention to the criminality, which began with the recent sobering admission of the gravity of the of crisis by businessman and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, has since been corroborated by a host of stakeholders and principals with inside knowledge of the oil sector in the days that followed.

Clearly, that this crisis even festered at all under the watch of state governors in the South-East and the Niger Delta, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the President, the Navy, Police, EFCC, DSS and the Civil Defence points to the failure of leadership or lack of it and of course, zero accountability.

How do we even comprehend that more than 80 percent of the country’s oil production is lost to brazen criminality daily and no one amongst the persons we put in charge of these precious resources is being held accountable? I find this incomprehensible.

In a series of tweets, Elumelu, Chairman of UBA Banking Group and Heirs Holdings, whose TNOG Oil and Gas Limited acquired a 45 percent stake in the 27, 000bpd OML 17 last year, drew the obvious link between the country's inability to meet its OPEC crude oil production quota and the massive theft of our crude.

He pointed at the Bonny Terminal, which ought to be receiving over 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily for export but was instead limited to less than 3,000 barrels because of pipeline breaches.

The significance of this disclosure is that the country, which is solely dependent on earnings from crude oil to fund its budget, is not raking in the kind of petrodollars it should be getting, even though it is meant to be a boom season for oil producers, courtesy of the West’s sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. This is a major contributor to the scarcity of dollars in the country and the significant weakening of the naira on the streets.

Before Elumelu’s outburst, residents of oil producing states, particularly those in Rivers State, have for months been calling on the government to shutdown the illegal refining of crude by thieves as soot enveloped the state’s skyline.

Also, warning that the theft of crude oil has crossed critical levels, Austin Avuru, the founding MD/CEO of Seplat Petroleum Development Company, the leading indigenous Nigeria oil and gas exploration and production company, called for the declaration of a national emergency in the oil and gas sector.

In a report titled, ‘Reining in the Collapse of the Nigerian Oil industry’ and published by the Africa Oil + Gas report, Avuru admitted that as much as 80 per cent of oil production never reaches the export terminals. The seriousness of the situation was brought to the fore when he declared that "the entire export pipeline networks" had been "surrendered to vandals and illegal bunkerers".

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+13107950457 ◆ AUSTYN.OGANNAH@THEWILLNIGERIA.COM

This unprofitable business climate has consequences and Avuru laid it bare with the revelation that because oil producers are forced to initiate “alternative evacuation” schemes costing them four to five times what pipeline export would normally cost, they are exiting the onshore/shallow water segment of the business entirely, with Shell and ExxonMobil as clear examples.

Another cognate example is the experience of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), operators of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) pipeline. The company, faced with the troubling incessant vandalism, perennial sabotage and outright theft, threatened to exit the facility completely, citing "the activities of economic saboteurs whose audacity continues to be growing by the day."

All of these are part of the reason why, though claiming to a have a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day, which ranks her as Africa's largest producer of oil and the sixth largest oil producing country in the world, Nigeria is unable to fulfill its 1.7m barrels per day OPEC quota.

The Nigerian economy is hemorrhaging gravely because of this. The Governor of the

I strongly believe that crude oil theft and illegal bunkering in the country is now as lucrative and synonymous as cocaine production and trafficking is to Colombia. It will require a strong dedicated effort and ingenious leadership to curb it drastically Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, at the March 21 media briefing held at the end of the second 2022 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja, lamented the unprecedented rate of oil theft recorded in recent times and its debilitating effect on government revenue and accretion to reserves and limiting its ability to defend the naira.

The stance of the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo, was even more damning. Addressing the media in Lagos on March 24, Osifo held that "from October 2021 to February 2022, between 90 and 99 per cent of the crude oil pumped into the Trans National Pipeline (TNP) by operators was vandalised."

He added, "Reconciliation/fiscalisation at Bonny terminal shows that between five and 10 percent of crude oil metered from the operators gets to the terminals."

As a result, "Nigeria is losing close to 500,000 barrels of crude oil daily to theft and pipeline vandalism."

The consequence of such brazen acts of thievery is far-reaching. Osifo noted that preliminary inspections recently revealed that about 150 illegal tapings were used in siphoning crude oil from the TNP. Operators injecting crude into the TNP have therefore been forced to suspend further injection, thereby shuttingin production. Joint-venture oil companies like TOTAL Energies and SPDC, for example, stopped production into the TNP pipeline completely, while Agip ENI declared force majeure on their brass terminal.

Disturbed by these revelations, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed on March 22 that it had set up a team of experts to carry out a thorough audit of the activities of operators in the upstream petroleum industry in the last two years, in a move to ascertain the actual volume of crude oil stolen by vandals and saboteurs.

According to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), in its audit report made public in July 2021, which indicated that in 2019, Nigeria lost 42.25 million barrels of crude oil to thefts valued at $2.77 billion, much more than an investigative team from an arm of those involved in the sector is required to deal with this crisis. It also goes beyond Avuru's recommendation that the NNPC and regulators set up a “war room” strategy to deal with oil theft because the sheer brazen disposition of the thieves point to the complicity of those entrusted with the assets.

How about the oil theft that occurs daily at the export terminals involving export platform personnel with the connivance of unscrupulous oil agency regulators, who sign dubious paperwork and military personnel deployed to protect our waters? Or do these vessels used to transport stolen crude just disappear into the thin air?

It is selfish and wicked for these unscrupulous Nigerians to continue to treat our commonwealth this way. Our country is crumbling before our eyes and we must be patriotic enough to say enough is enough.

I strongly believe that crude oil theft and illegal bunkering in the country is now as lucrative and synonymous as cocaine production and trafficking is to Colombia. It will require a strong dedicated effort and ingenious leadership to curb it drastically. The first part of the solution to this crisis is the application of the rule of law. Our laws for economic sabotage must be very effective in deterring these kinds of crime.

We are infamous for being a lawless nation where no one is held accountable for their crimes, especially when they are rich or highly connected. This must change.

The buck stops at the table of President Muhammadu Buhari, who also doubles as Minister of Petroleum Resources. Therefore, it will take inspired leadership from the very top, the willing participation of stakeholders, the comprehensive cancellation of the dubious subsidy on petrol as well as the wholesome implementation of the provisions of the PIA, the improvement of other sectors of the economy, the establishment of regulated and licensed modular refineries, the nononsense deterrent prosecution of all those found to be complicit in the criminality and a hard-nosed resolve to end this malaise backed by action for it to end.

But do we have such leadership?

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