V O L . 1 N O. 1 3 • M A Y 9 – M A Y 1 5 , 2 0 2 1
YORUBA’S DESIRE FOR SELFDETERMINATION SHOULD WORRY PRESIDENCY, NASS -FAROUNBI
RING THE ALARM: Sexual assault is at an all time high in Nigeria. NO, the devil didn’t make them do it!
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WHY ALIKO DANGOTE FAILED TO SAVE HADIZA BALA-USMAN FROM BUHARI’S HAMMER
CHRIS UBOSI: THE RADIO AFICIONADO
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Price: N250
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T H EWI LLN I GERI A
MAY 9 - MAY 15, 2021 VOL . 1 NO. 13
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THEWILL EXCLUSIVE
Nnamdi Kanu On The Run As Nigeria Formally Requests Arrest, Extradition ● Allegedly Dumps
Nigerian Citizenship ● Flees United Kingdom, Sighted in Canada ● British Authorities Can’t Stop Us - IPOB Lawyer FEATURES
KADUNA: DOMAIN OF A DEMYSTIFIED DEMAGOGUE
MAY 9 - MAY 15, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com
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Kanu
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Nnamdi Kanu on The Run As Nigeria Formally Requests Arrest, Extradition
BY THEWILL CORRESPONDENTS
he chickens might just be coming home to roost for the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The bubble, also, appears ready to burst for the self-acclaimed leader of the Biafran struggle for self-determination as Kanu, according to THEWILL checks, is currently on the run following the official request by the Nigerian Government for his arrest and extradition from the United Kingdom with the International Police (Interpol) now right on his trail. THEWILL gathered exclusively last week that the application for the detention and extradition of the Biafran leader was made by the government about two weeks ago through the official diplomatic channel at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Inside sources close to the development confided in THEWILL that the recent upsurge in violent attacks on government institutions and security facilities across the country, especially the incessant attacks in the South-East, were the main reasons for the renewed determination of the Federal Government to bring Kanu back to Nigeria to continue his trial for alleged treasonable felony. The decimation of the IPOB apparatchiki with the killing of IPOB’s second-incommand, Ikonson Commander, in Awomama, Oru East Local Government Area, Imo State, a fortnight ago by a combined team of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Intelligence Response Team and operatives of PAGE 4
the Department of State Services was part of the robust and renewed onslaught against Kanu and elements of his movement. Aside other charges, Kanu, who founded the IPOB in 2012 had been declared wanted by the Nigerian authorities for jumping bail after his brief release by the police in 2017, when his organisation was proscribed and declared a terrorist group. THEWILL authoritatively gathered that the embattled Biafran leader, who holds a Nigerian/British dual citizenship, in apparent preparation for the worst, has allegedly dumped his Nigerian nationality as the first step to evading arrest by the British authorities and his eventual hand-over to the Federal Government. Realising that, that tactic might not prevent him from being arrested eventually, given the determination of the British authorities to hand him over to Nigeria, Kanu fled the United Kingdom, which, we reliably gathered, is obliged and determined to honour the request for his arrest and transfer to Abuja under the Mutual Legal Agreement Treaty between the Nigerian and British governments. Briefly sighted in Canada following his flight from the United Kingdom as he embarked on his search for refuge, Kanu is believed to be hiding in Ethiopia at present. THE BEGINNING Trouble started for the 54-year-old political activist
when he was arrested by the DSS on October 19, 2015. The arrest sparked off a series of protests by IPOB supporters who clashed with the security forces on several occasions, resulting in deaths of many police officers and IPOB members. Mobilising across the nooks and crannies of the entire South-East, IPOB continued to grow in leaps and bounds as the fire of self-determination for Biafra among the average Igbo youth kept burning. While calling for the immediate release of Kanu and other activists from detention, the pro-Biafra protests continued unabated until a Federal High Court in Abuja pronounced IPOB as a terrorist organisation on September 18, 2017. The Federal Government eventually proscribed the pro-Biafran organisation under the Nigeria Terrorism Act. Kanu was detained without trial for over a year and was eventually released on bail in April 2017 following a public outcry. However, Kanu continued his agitation amid several clampdowns on his members and supporters across the South-East. An attack on his family house in September 2017 forced him to flee, thus jumping bail, following which the Federal Government declared him wanted. QUITE UNREPENTANT Apparently living up to his Biafran dream, Kanu seems to be unrepentant, despite his present predicament. His late father, Eze Israel Kanu, sure knew his son very well when he declared that the IPOB leader would THEWILLNIGERIA
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COVER Uwaize had earlier told THEWILL that there would be no going back on the actualisation of the Biafran nation by IPOB, saying, “The era of dialogue is already gone.” “Let me tell you, most people in the South-East see themselves as dead persons, even myself. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a dead man. Since 2020, I considered myself to be a dead man. It was the year I died and celebrated my funeral ceremony. So, you cannot intimidate me with death. And the strong IPOB members are like that. You cannot intimidate them with death. And all the guys carrying guns are all dead people. So it is a soldier who is being paid by the Federal Government with tax payers’ money that should be afraid of death, not the people who are already dead,” Uwazie had declared. BRITISH GOVT CAN’T STOP US – IPOB LAWYER Uwazie also faulted the involvement of the British Government in the attempt to frustrate the Biafran dream.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
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We’re now an endangered species as our lives are no longer safe in the South-East due to the heavy militarisation of the environment. Only God can save us now in that zone
rather prefer to die than to give up the Biafran cause. And so, it was, on Friday, when Kanu declared on his regular broadcast on Radio Biafra, monitored by THEWILL, through his official @MaziNnamdiKanu Twitter handle, even from his hide-out. Quoting Jenny Han, Kanu declared: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a burn for a burn, a life for a life. That’s how all this got started and that’s how it’s going to end,” adding, “Fulani terrorists in #AsoRock have taken over all media outlets in #Nigeria and levied war on us all. We shall defend our land.” Earlier on Thursday, he had also stated via his Twitter handle: “In 2015, I warned the leadership of World Igbo Congress in USA and #Nigerians at large during a town hall meeting in LA that @MBuhari’s reign will usher in a deadly and devastating armed Fulani invasion of the country, but they ignored my prophesy. Today they have come.” Kanu has been using his Radio Biafra, an online private radio station broadcasting from London, to propagate THEWILLNIGERIA
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the Biafran cause for self-determination since he came to limelight in 2009. ENDANGERED SPECIES At home in the South-East, especially in Imo State, the federal clampdown on IPOB members and the Eastern Security Network has continued as the combined team of the Army, Police and DSS intensify their effort to fish out those believed to be behind recent attacks on police formations in the state. On Thursday in Orlu, about 11 members of IPOB were killed in an ambush by federal forces as the manhunt for those responsible for the killing of policemen in the state continues. IPOB Legal Adviser, Barrister Ohaeto Uwaize, has however condemned the situation where IPOB members, according to him, have become endangered species in the state. Narrating his encounter with some members of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday morning in Owerri, the IPOB lawyer said he escaped death just by sheer luck, saying he had yet to recover from the shock and trauma of the encounter. Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the soldiers to THEWILL, Uwaize said: “Early in the morning on Tuesday, I was driving on Izombe Road to Oguta, Imo State, when a group of Nigerian soldiers on patrol saw me; they stopped me upon sighting the Biafran flag and some Biafran newspapers inside my car. About three of them jumped out of their vehicle and asked me what was in my car. While trying to provide an answer to their question, one of them used his gun butt and smashed my car. Another one said they just respected me because they saw that I’m a lawyer, otherwise they would have wasted me on the spot. The situation was really a sad, nasty, terrifying and traumatising experience for me. We’re now an endangered species as our lives are no longer safe in the South-East due to the heavy militarisation of the environment. Only God can save us now in that zone.”
He said, “The Federal Government has brought in British soldiers. Can you imagine how stupid the British Government is? When they left the European Union, nobody stopped them, but they want us to remain in Nigeria. They brought in British soldiers. That High Commissioner in Abuja is the one ruling Nigeria now, not Buhari. She is the one advising them on how to deal with easterners and the one giving logistics advice to the Fulani cabal. She has left her office at the British High Commission and relocated to Aso Rock. But we are ready to defeat them, both the British and the Federal Government because we are no longer comfortable in Nigeria. How can you go and bring your Fulani brothers from Mali, Sudan, Libya, Central Africa Republic, Niger, Mauritania and Senegal to come and take over Nigeria. You arm them with AK 47 rifles to take our land. If Usman dan Fodio did that in Sokoto, Minna and Kano in 1804, you cannot do that here now. We say no to this. We are ready for them and we are equal to the task. We’ll fight for our land and we’ll defeat them.” SOUTH EAST ECONOMY ALREADY UNDER THREAT The ongoing siege on the South-East is, however, threatening the economy of the geo-political zone. An ‘incursion’ into the territory of IPOB by attempting to extradite Kanu may spell doom for a region that has been on the radar of the Federal Government in a negative way. Already, there is growing tension in the region where insecurity has heightened through attack on police stations, security checkpoints and the Owerri Correctional Centre where many prisoners were released. Since the coming of the All Progressives Congress/ Muhammadu Buhari-led government, there has been a reinforced campaign among the people of the South-East to step up industrialisation and economic development of the region. Many Igbo in the Diaspora have established businesses at home to create jobs and contribute to the development of the region. These businesses include pharmaceuticals, food processing, hotel and hospitality, school, hospital and brewing. There are also many skill-acquisition centres. In Aba, cottage factories for footwear, travelling bags and other items have emerged in the area. Incidentally, Aba is the base of IPOB members and supporters who are ready to do anything to protect the group. Many also offer handsome financial support to the group. PAGE 5
MAY 9 - MAY 15, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com
NEWS FG Pledges to Bridge Nigeria’s Electricity Gap FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR
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he Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Power, has pledged to bridge the electricity gap in the country.
The government made the pledge during the inauguration of a 60 kwp Solar Hybrid Mini Grid at Okangha Mkpansi, Ikom in Cross Rivers State. The project was executed by the Rural Electrification Agency through the Federal government’s capital appropriation.
L-R: Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Ore Famurewa; Managing Director, Mr. Ben Langat; Chairman Board of Directors, Mr. Moyo Ajekigbe, OFR, and Executive Director Finance, Mr. Marc Galjaard, during the 48th Annual General Meeting of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC held in Lagos 6/5/ 2021. Photo: Peace Udugba.
C’River Will Actualise Universal Health Coverage – DG
FROM BONG ANIEKAN, CALABAR
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he Director-General of the Cross Rivers State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong, has said that the state is on course to actualising the policy on Universal Health Coverage.
“The success of the Cross Rivers State Health Insurance Scheme will be one to be reckoned with and that is why, today we have begun upgrading facilities to meet up the pressure which will come with the commencement of services across the state,” he said.
She made this known in Calabar during a capacity building meeting held to boost staff capacity.
In his contribution, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu, praised the state’s Health Insurance Agency and it’s management for the huge success recorded thus far.
The workshop is equally aimed at improving corporate marketing skills for the scheme which targets citizens of the state.
She noted that the zeal displayed by workers would remain a lasting legacy towards the Attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
Dr Ekpenyong noted that the health scheme in the state was paramount, hence the need to train personnel.
Noting that the services will range from both infectious and non- infectious diseases, maternal and neonatal health, the Director General of the Cross Rivers State Health Insurance Scheme, Chief Goddy Iyala, said the agency was mandated to provide social health security for the less privileged.
“The state is en route to attaining Universal Health Coverage hence the need to offer world class services at all times.
The Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, who performed the commissioning, tasked the benefiting community to take advantage of the project to improve their lives. He said, “Solar Hybrid Mini Grids and solar home systems are quickly helping to close the electricity gap in the nation. Nigerians will continue to receive the best energy installations and this project will provide clean, safe and sustainable energy to this community. “You must protect this plant from vandalisation, theft, take advantage of it to improve your lives and ensure that your Rural Electricity Users Cooperative Society works for the sustainability of this project.” On his part, the MD/CEO of the REA, Engr Ahmad Salihijo, who spoke through the Executive Director, Technical Services BarkaSajou, said the Agency was committed to ensuring the deployment of the best standard energy facilities equitably across the nation. He added that the REA had harmonised technical standards and specifications for all projects being deployed. According to him, the goal is to further manage the quality, efficiency and sustainability of all REA projects. Egan Anohobi, who spoke on behalf of the community commended the president for bringing the project to Okangha Mkpansi.
Ortom Charges Security Outfit on Response to Terror Attacks FROM AUSTINE JOR, MAKURDI
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s part of its efforts to halt continued attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen, the Benue State Government on Thursday announced the creation of a community security outfit known as ‘Community Volunteer Guards’ with a mandate to curb the attacks. The security outfit replaces the vigilante guards whose bill was enacted by the State House of Assembly in the year 2000 with same mandate to fight crime in the state. In a communique issued after an expanded emergency stakeholders meeting held at the New Banquet Hall of Benue People’s House in Makurdi, Governor Samuel Ortom informed the audience of the decision to revive the community volunteer guards due to the rise in attacks recorded in the state in recent times. Ortom, who said the volunteer guards would work closely with conventional security agencies, emphasised that the outfit was in no way going to work at cross purposes with conventional agencies operating in the state.
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He commended the Nigerian Army, the Air Force the Nigerian Navy and the Police Force, as well as sister security agencies for their efforts over the years in halting the attacks and noted that the revived security outfit would complement the shortage of personnel in the state. The governor said he was personally going to coordinate the activities of the outfit at the state level alongside his Deputy Engineer Benson Abounu and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Anthony Ajoho, adding that representatives from the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police and traditional rulers will be part of the coordinating authorities in the state Ortom said the volunteer guards would be recruited at the ward level, with each council ward in the state producing 10 each. On the criteria for recruitment, the governor said community chiefs up to the tax collectors level were to be solely responsible for the process, adding that intending recruits must be between the ages of 18 and 49 years, with a sound knowledge of the community and its terrain for a period of not less than six months and without questionable character.
Other criteria include a steady income, farming and lack of criminal records. The governor also stated that licensed weapons were going to be acquired for the volunteer guards alongside other logistics to enable them carry out their mandate more effectively. Ortom charged the guards not to resort to conventional security agencies in cases of emergency attacks, but to respond rapidly in line with their rules of engagement. He warned that on no account should they abuse the trust given to them by stakeholders. Earlier, the three social cultural organizations in the state namely the Mzough u Tiv, the Opiatoha K ‘ Idoma and the OminyiIgede had passed a vote of confidence on the governor and urged him never to repeal the Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law being enforced in the state. It was observed that the chairmen of local government areas in the state, Divisional Police Officers, Directors of the DSS and other stakeholders are to coordinate the activities of the outfit. THEWILLNIGERIA
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FEATURES Kaduna: Domain of A Demystified Demagogue
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, in a protest letter addressed to the governor recently, said the decision to lay off workers at this period of great national challenges was insensitive and morally wrong, adding that labour would use available machinery at its disposal to ensure that the workers were recalled. This is another battle front for the ‘strongman’ of Kaduna. Kaduna, like most states, is in trouble. It brews with insecurity that leads to loss of lives virtually on a daily basis. While the state is not a stranger to communal and other crises, the level of killings in Kaduna since the coming of the APC-led government under Nasir el-Rufai as governor, appears unmatched. The killing spree that has become the second nature in Kaduna seems to have overwhelmed Governor el-Rufai who is known for his hard stance as a “no-nonsense” reformer. He wears the toga of one who would not share neighbourhood with bad governance, corruption or any behaviour on the wrong side of life. In 2008, el-Rufai went into self-imposed exile and became a vocal critic of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua administration. On return from exile after 23 months away from the shores of Nigeria, he urged Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 presidential election. He also advised Nigerians not to vote for those who had led the country before. He later became the most acidic critic of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
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overnor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State is having a running battle. The battle is with virtually every group and every ‘sector’ of the territory he superintends. In the midst of killings that have turned Kaduna into a land flowing ceaselessly with blood, the hard-stance, ‘no-nonsense’ el-Rufai appears overwhelmed. Kaduna is under the grip of extreme insecurity, which has not only devastated the state but also worsened under his watch. Although, what is happening in Kaduna may not be far from the experiences of many states, especially in the North-East and North-West, el-Rufai’s Kaduna attracts more attention because of his kind of person: A man of extreme wisdom beyond the reach of others. Before he became governor, he criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan in the most arrogant manner and in the worst insulting language that he could muster. For him, the Peoples Democratic Party, the springboard whose forebears elevated him into real limelight, was the den of thieves, vandals and terrorists. He spoke like one with the magic wand to subdue Boko Haram terrorists, tackle banditry, destroy rampaging gunmen and put an end to kidnapping. But his election as governor seems to have demystified him greatly. He is disrobed of the emperor’s garment of pride and know-it-all. In the midst of the turmoil underpinning the volatile state, el-Rufai is ‘merciless’ on government workers. According to the Nigeria Labour Congress president, Ayuba Wabba, el-Rufai has sacked 30,000 workers since he became governor of the state in 2015. While this might be considered a step in the ‘right’ direction, considering the dwindling revenue of the states, the security and economic consequences are dire. The sacked workers are the parents and guardians of students of the state-owned institutions of learning where tuition fees have been hiked astronomically. Recently, the governor approved the increase in fees paid at the state’s institutions of higher learning. The Commissioner for Education, Shehu Makarfi, said the Kaduna State University was directed to increase the fees from N24, 000 to a minimum consolidated sum of N150,000. The government pegged the fees for National Diploma and Higher National Diploma at a minimum of N75,000 and N100,000, respectively, while the fee for the National THEWILLNIGERIA
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But el-Rufai’s body language is that of a demagogue who cannot be faulted. Under his watch, Kaduna has become a killing field without control Certificate in Education programmes at the College of Education, Gidan Waya was raised to N75,000.
Earlier, in his public life, el-Rufai had declared that Muhammadu Buhari was perpetually unelectable. When confronted with this position after Buhari had become president, he said he did not have sufficient knowledge of the man at the time he made the declaration. He is known for his “all-knowing” stance in any aspect of the nation’s affairs. “He makes arrogance and pigheadedness look like something to delight. His body language in public matters is that of one who cannot be faulted in any way because he would create the image of a man who has returned from the orbit of a superior world” said a state government official, on the condition of anonymity. But Kaduna is in a dire situation. Yes, other states are not faring better. But el-Rufai’s body language is that of a demagogue who cannot be faulted. Under his watch, Kaduna has become a killing field without control. While the North-East states are under the attack of terrorists of the Boko Haram and ISWA stock, Kaduna is undergoing bloodletting created by internal bandits, gunmen and herdsmen who have turned the state into a battle ground.
Gov. el-Rufai said the increment in school fees was aimed at repositioning tertiary institutions in the state to deliver quality skills and training to tackle 21st-century challenges. But how parents, who are grappling with high level insecurity, unemployment and a declining standard of living, are going to achieve this is better imagined than explained. Kaduna’s record of out-of-school children, no doubt, is going to worsen. The hard stance on the ‘Almajari’ may not achieve much because of the historic religious sentiments and economic link to it.
In his column in The Guardian newspaper of October 7, 2020 entitled, “Kaduna: Diminishing status, looming atrophy”, Alade Rotimi-John wrote:
El-rufai’s disclosure that the state had steadily increased its internally generated revenue from N13bn in 2015 to N44bn in 2019 without hiking tax rates is a quantum leap in public finance management. How the state was able to record such a feat, amid high level of insecurity where lives are lost almost on a daily basis, needs some interrogation. The farmers, who have deserted their farms for fear of being attacked by armed herdsmen, cannot contribute to the state’s Gross Domestic Product. They cannot be in the tax net either, because they have been dislodged from the platform of human existence.
“Home to the mythical Kaduna Mafia and herself the symbolic headquarters of the romantic idea of Northern Nigeria as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” Kaduna has fallen into pre-mature antiquity.
Gov. el-Rufai had ordered that all public servants on level 14 and above and those from 50 years and above in the 23 local councils be relieved of their positions. The Nigeria Labour Congress has asked him to immediately rescind his decision to sack civil servants in 23 local councils, as criticisms by stakeholders trailed the order.
“The unresolved Southern Kaduna question has further compounded the woes of Kaduna. The abject lack of official will to confront the bugbear of a settler/indigene matrix is a factor that is festering the unequal intercommunal relations paradigm regarding the apparently un-ending internecine imbroglio.”
“It is disheartening to observe that the once flourishing and bustling environment of Kaduna is today a poor shadow of itself, no thanks to the internecine crises of its outlying parts and to a previously insidious or unobtrusive but now brazen official siding with a particular party to the conflicts.
“So long as she has continued to ignore some very uncomfortable truths about herself e.g. plurality, diversity, respective distinctive identity, hegemony and the absence of homogeneity, so long will she be haunted by the ogre of the requirement to retrace her steps back to her “glorious” antiquity.
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FEATURES
Change Begins on Atan-Lusada-Agbara Road
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, penultimate week, turned the sod for road construction in the Lagos/Ogun corridor at Lusada in Ogun State, thereby signaling the change that is about to begin in that axis. JUDE OBAFEMI reports
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t was clear that a momentous occasion was in the offing on Thursday, April 29, 2021, when the Atan-LusadaAgbara axis of the Agbara area of Ogun State came alive with activities in preparation for the arrival of eminent guests invited to the sod-turning ceremony for the reconstruction of the Atan-Lusada-Agbara Road. As early as possible, the event handlers were on ground to prepare the venue for the arrival of Governor Dapo Abiodun and his entourage. Security agencies had manned their posts by the time the guests began to arrive for the event, which was scheduled for 11 am. Some of the guests, the very important ones in particular, and traditional rulers were treated to a rousing reception by a live music band and several banner-wielding attendees who were mostly grassroots party faithful. On their way to the event, they had to endure the undulating terrain around the AtanLusada Road deemed to be a hazard to pregnant women. The road, which links the industrial hub of Ogun State to the commercial nerve centre of neighbouring Lagos State and provides access to the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa – the largest of its kind in the country – as well as the largest industrial estate in Nigeria, was once described as an embarrassing evidence of many years of neglect and decay that is evident in the infrastructural makeup of the country as a whole. It is one road that is in dire need of rehabilitation. The bad roads cost many businessmen operating within the free trade zone dearly, in terms of accidents, vehicular damage, falling of articulated vehicles, delays and damage to products, so much that they were forced to leave. Their unexpected exit had, unfortunately, put all the investments in the Ogun-Lagos industrial corridor in jeopardy. Seeing the clouds of dust thrown up in the air each time a Sport Utility Vehicle, bus or security van drove into the venue, one did not need to be told that what was supposed to be a source of revenue for the Ogun State had become a major hindrance to productivity, hence the need for its reconstruction. Evidently Governor Abiodun had observed the poor condition of the road during his election campaign at the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area in which Agbara is located. The level of degradation of the road and challenges it posed to road users and residents of the area must have compelled him to intervene. The fan-fare that earlier greeted the arrival of other guests paled in comparison to the boisterous outburst, which heralded the governor’s entrance. Afterwards the event kicked off with a welcome address delivered by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Ade Akinsanya, who briefly highlighted the importance of the 10.25km project to the state, which revolved basically around economic growth. Some of the guests got up to applaud Governor Abiodun for taking the initiative to order the reconstruction of the road. One of them was Ivan Bekker, the Managing Director of the construction giants Hi-Tech Construction Company, which was contracted to handle the entire reconstruction project. Bekker shared their excitement of being directly involved in the effort at fixing the road, while pledging to wrap it up on time. Goodwill messages followed immediately. One after the other, Salim Adegunwa, the Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria in Ogun State and the Managing Director of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Wole Adeniyi, appreciated the governor for keeping his word to rehabilitate the road. They pledged to support the project and expressed the belief that it would change the landscape of the area when completed.
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The current state of Atan-Agbara Road. (Insert) Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State in dark Suit, other state officials, at the turning of the sod for the construction of the road. There was a youthful slant to the messages when Abayomi Oke, the President of the Yewa-Awori Youth Council and a representative of Nigerian students addressed Abiodun. They thanked the governor for his “listening ear” as this was an answer to the “End-Bad-Road” protest by the youth in the area in 2020. Both youths, who were clearly in high spirits, hailed the governor as “Mr Talk And Do”. They expressed the hope that he would keep his promise to engage youths in the community for the manpower needs of the project, while charging him to quickly summon a security meeting to address the rising insecurity in the state, especially around the campuses of tertiary institutions in the state. The main theme of the speeches remained the same as Senator Akin Odunsi, who represented Ogun West in the Senate between 2011 and 2015 came to speak. He was followed by Senator Yayi, who was the first to describe the planned reconstruction of the road as a “legacy project”, while pledging the support of the Senate and, by extension, the Federal Government, to ensure the completion of the project. This same theme reflected in the words of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Muhammad Aliero, who urged the governor to seek reimbursement when done with the project. After a brief interlude of a dance performance by a cultural dance group from the Ogun-West Senatorial District, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, continued in the same vein, by promising to support the governor, while considering the benefits that the road will bring to the industries within the locality. At about 2pm a group of school children, who had come in their uniforms, led by their wards, came to wave at Governor Abiodun as they sang and promptly returned to their seats. The award-winning Ogun State Cultural Troupe entertained the guests before the governor was introduced to speak on the occasion. At about 11 minutes after 2pm, the governor took to the podium and began with a song of praise. He said the project was part of his government’s cardinal programmes captured in the acronym, ISEYA, with ‘I’ standing for ‘Infrastructure’, ‘S’ for ‘Social Welfare and well-being’, ‘E’ for ‘Education’, Y’ for ‘Youth employment and job creation’ and ‘A’ for
‘Agriculture’. He made sure to note that the local indigenes were consulted to decide which roads were necessary for improvement at each stage in the life of his administration because his government was intentional, decisive and inclusive. Amid loud applause, the governor promised a completion timeframe of 15 months, as he could no longer continue to wait for the Federal Government to fulfill a campaign promise. It was part of his road construction efforts which had so far covered 172km and over 120km of which have been rehabilitated. It will come as a relief to the more than 40 registered companies in the FTZ of the area and about 30 other companies who use this road on a daily basis that the governor is committed to the road project primarily to improve the ease of doing business in the area, improve the quality of life of the people while bringing wholesome development to the entire Ogun-West. He finished by saying, “I look forward to returning to this site soonest with the Honourable Minister of Trade and Investment, my brother and leader, His Excellency Aliero, Senator Yayi and all my brothers sitting down here and many more. We will return here in the next 15 months to commission this road, to the glory of God and the continued development of Ogun West, in particular and the entire Ogun State, in general.” “I want to thank you all for listening to me and God bless you,” the governor concluded. After Abiodun had exchanged pleasantries with some of the guests and posed for photographs amid tight security, the event progressed to the unveiling of the plaque. The governor spoke a few words, cut the tape, took some pictures and it was done. THEWILLNIGERIA
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POLITICS preparation for a national convention on the part of the Buni committee. A member of the Tinubu Grassroots Support Group, Alhaji Gani Anifowose told THEWILL, “We thought they would hold the convention in December last year but for their selfish interests. They embarked on a membership revalidation and registration exercise. Instead of finishing the exercise in good time for a convention in December as mandated or early January this year, they extended the exercise till the end of March. “Now we learnt they are planning to collate the outcome of the exercise and prepare party registers for all units nationwide before the convention. So we see this as nothing but a ploy to seek another extension. We were recently told the committee planned to review the party’s constitution as well. These are some of the reasons why people are worried. Why are they embarking on so many things at the same time? They don’t want to leave. And our leader, Chief Akande has warned them about tenure elongation.” Also speaking with THEWILL, Comrade Sola Olawale, who is a member of the Campaign for Democracy, said the Buni –led committee was usurping the role of the executive of the party. He said what it was appointed to do was to organise a convention within six weeks, but almost one year into office, has failed to fix a date for the convention. There is a strong indication that the plot to elongate the committee’s tenure enjoys the support of the APC governors. Buhari
It was, however, gathered that the majority of the party’s National Assembly caucuses are prepared to oppose the move.
APC And The Problem Within
BY AYO ESAN his is not the best of times for the ruling All Progressive Congress. The party is currently facing a backlash from the general public over the shoddy performance of its government at the federal level. Aside this, there seems to be an additional burden on its shoulders arising from expressions of mutual fear and suspicion among its members nationwide.
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Efforts aimed at repositioning the party have resulted in the controversial sacking of its executive led by a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, on June 25, 2020 and its replacement by a Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee led by Governor Mai Mala-Buni of Yobe State. Almost after it was inaugurated, the caretaker committee has not been able to bring stability to the ruling party whose members have been described as strange bed fellows by many political observers. So instead of bringing the much desired unity, the actions of the committee have been perceived by members of the party with suspicion. One issue that has constituted a problem within the party is the perceived elongation of the tenure of the caretaker committee. When the caretaker committee was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2020, it was given six months to conduct a convention that would midwife a new executive for the party. Almost a year later, the committee has not only failed to organise a convention, but also it has been unable to convince members of the party that the convention would hold anytime soon. When the tenure of the caretaker committee was about to expire last year December, the party on December 8, 2020 extended it by another six months. The time consumed by the governorship elections held in Ondo and Edo States was cited as the reason for elongating its tenure. Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State then announced June 30, 2021 as THEWILLNIGERIA
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the new date for the expiration of the committee.
The party also announced waivers for new and intending members of the party, which would make it easy for such new members to contest positions within the party. It would be recalled that the former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, had openly condemned the constitution of the caretaker committee by President Buhari, saying such authorities always ended up in contempt. Akande, who made this known after he validated his membership of the party, then asked the party’s current leadership to resist the temptation posed by ‘sit-tight syndromes’ which he warned usually characterised ‘handpicked authorities’ in most underdeveloped countries of the world. He also berated the leadership of the party for embarking on what he called a wasteful and improper use of funds in the membership registration and revalidation exercise. Akande lamented that the exercise was a sheer waste of resources in relation to the country’s current economic reality. Akande’s position was supported by the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu and the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. It is gathered that dissatisfaction is currently brewing in the party over an alleged plot by some party chieftains to further extend the tenure of the Buni-led caretaker committee. Some interest groups, THEWILL gathered, are warming up for a showdown should the Buni-led committee renege on its mandate to conduct a national convention in June 2021. It is alleged that the Buni-led committee plans to stay in office beyond June 2021. Some chieftains of the party, who craved anonymity, have already decried the lack of
THEWILL also learnt that some chieftains of the party are planning to approach the court to stop further execution of the programmes of the caretaker committee as a way of aborting the planned tenure elongation. In fact, the registration and revalidation exercise has been one issue that has brought controversy into the party’s hierarchy. In many states where the APC is dominant there is mutual fear and mutual suspicion between the old and the new members of the party. In Oyo State for instance, the new members include bigwigs from the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and Accord Party who are not willing to take the back seat. The death of a former governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has created a leadership vacuum in the party. The struggle for leadership between old members and the newly recruited members is also creating a potential crisis in the party. Also in Osun State, the defection of a former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, and his group to the APC did not go down well with the Minister of Interior and a former governor of the state, Engr Rauf Aregbesola. An ally of Omisore and a former Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Jelili Adesiyan, and a social-political group founded by Aregbesola, Oranmiyan Worldwide, recently engaged in open altercation in the media as a result of this. The Oranmiyan group berated a “press release” by Adesiyan, who asserted that Omisore was reproached by Aregbesola for joining the APC. The group described Adesiyan’s tenure as the Commissioner for Education in the then Osun State, and as Minister of Police Affairs, the darkest years for the state and the country. It further said “Comparing Ogbeni Aregbesola with Iyiola Omisore is like chasing shadows, attempting to gather water with a sieve, or rather navigating a river in a leaking boat. Young Aregbesola was the Speaker of the parliament when he was a student of The Polytechnic Ibadan, President of the Black Nationalist Movement, and a host of other positions that can be associated with a great mind as he. Also in Ogun State, former Governor Gbenga Daniel’s arrival to the APC did not enjoy the support of Senator Ibikunle Amosun and his supporters. Analysts have seen the recruitment of new members by the caretaker committee as a development that may bring more cracks into the ruling party. Only God knows how long it will take before they begin to manifest.
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POLITICS
‘Nigeria In a State of Anomie’
I dare to say - and I stand to be contradicted - that there is no part of this country that you will not find a competent soldier, a competent policeman or a competent whatever. So, every part of the country can certainly give its best when it comes to filling vacant positions in governance in this country. I don’t see the reason, as I have argued with many compatriots, why certain sections cannot be represented.
Lawyer and marketing communications consultant, Harry Audu, speaks on the worsening insecurity in the country, the prospects of the 2023 general elections and other matters in this interview with UKANDI ODEY. Excerpts:
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igeria is facing many challenges that are threatening its corporate existence. What do you think is the way forward for this country? I am of the view that the Nigerian political elite, especially in the class of 1999, and the ‘children’ they have given birth to in the political space have actually constituted themselves into a bunch of low grade, backward, narrow-thinking persons and groups. I am speaking of a number of them who have been at the level of leadership as governors, national or state legislators, even ministers. The entire notion of enlightened self-interest seems to have affected the choices they have made, leading to the failure of our state. And because of this humongous failure, we have continued to experience the results which have manifested in insecurity: insurgency, banditry, kidnaping, armed robbery, etc.
A lot of people think that the 2023 general elections are already threatened by this growing turmoil in the system. Do you see the 2023 elections being held as scheduled? I am old enough to tell you that when it comes to our political gladiators, every elections cycle becomes further opportunity for prognostication about how elections will be undermined or tear the country down. But we have been able to see that they are always able to rally round and ensure that every election delivers what they want; they would be able to rig or out-rig one another; the flare up you hear in the political space and all the incendiary language is just all about people looking for political relevance. I want to go as far as to suggest that this rhetoric about the 2023 elections sign-posting a collapse of the sovereign state is exaggerated. Rather, I want to take a step backward and insist that it is the very same diversionary trick of the political elite to take our attention away from their failings and what actually are our existential threats. You will agree with me that we are actually retrogressing. What is the state of public infrastructures and utilities in the country. What is the state of health care provision? What is the state of education? The public education system is all but collapsed. Where is the justice delivery system? As we speak, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria is on extended strike. The other day I read that their leadership had to walk out when the Minister of Labour kept them waiting for two hours. Is that leadership? So, when you look at it, these political elites who orchestrate the conversation about the collapse of the country in 2023 are the same people who are holding the reins of power now either directly or indirectly. And, rather than have a conversation about existential threats, they are projecting into future elections that we know have always been manipulated by their types to give them predetermined results. As a Nigerian, I would rather that we hold them to account for what they are failing to do now. The conversation should be about the now. As we discuss 2023, which is very important, my opinion is that the civil society must rise to the occasion and hold especially those of them with elected and appointive offices to deliver on their promises, especially given the fact that if you look around us, it is like “this house is falling.” Looking at the national security architecture and the strategic security failings in recent times, the general impression is that the Muhammadu Buhari Administration has failed Nigeria. What is your
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If you look at it really, it begs the question: What has happened to our common wealth in the last 20 years or so? The truth is that the persons vested with the responsibility of managing our common wealth have failed to orchestrate or institute or administer a coherent strategy to properly manage our collective wealth as the constitution provides. So, if you ask me, we are in a state of anomie as a country. And, to me, it speaks to these failings by political actors who have had a good fortune to lead us. And at every level you find that this political class has failed; and failed us very badly.
Come to think of it, many of these ruling APC stalwarts had accused the PDP and the previous government of the same problem. And see it now; barely six years later, rather than cure that malady, the APC and its apparatchiks have actually constituted themselves into a defense wall for the perpetration of the same nepotistic tendencies that they complained about earlier on. It speaks of double standards; it speaks of hypocrisy.
impression? Do you see Nigeria recovering or rising again from Buhari’s misrule? I am thoroughly and terribly worried about the type of leadership responses we are receiving and we have been receiving, perhaps for the better part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure. A lot of people who have been in defence of this government would argue that the first tenure was required for stability. Now, what has happened is that in the second tenure, instability has more than tripled. Therefore, I am concerned that in a particular era of the Buhari administration, we are worried about instituting a legacy of good governance, of forging and providing the welfare and protection of the citizenry that is a constitutional provision that he swore to uphold. But what is seen instead is the metastasising of crises; and paripassu, we are seeing a seeming total absence of coherent government response to it. Yet, we hear from the Police or the chief of Army Staff from time to time different claims about security performance and readiness to respond to challenges. Even with their verbalising, such as “we will get to the root of the matter”, “we will deal with the situation”, et cetera, in spite of all these promises, what is happening in reality to all Nigerians in different parts of the country, the security architecture you made reference to has, in all intents and purposes, failed us. So, if the President of the country, a retired war-time major general, right under his watch, we are seeing our security or law enforcement apparatus busting at the seams, then, surely, he must stand and look himself in the mirror there in Aso Rock and ask himself ‘what am I doing wrong?’ Do you agree that this Buhari led APC government is bedeviled nepotism and massive corruption? I do not have evidence of corruption against the government and its officials. But, I have, together with many patriots, insisted that in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country like Nigeria and given the stage of our democratic experience, leadership at different levels must ensure that the different segments of the country have a sense of belonging and representation; that is, we must make sure we have a democratization of the different offices.
For me as a Nigerian, my argument will always be that when the chips are down, let us hold him down to account, not based on his tribe, but based on his performance. But, so far, what we have seen is that some of these appointments, no matter how well intentioned they are, have failed the nepotistic test, and have failed in terms of performance and competence. Given the trending story of Isa Pantami, his links with terrorism, and the Presidency rising to his defense, do you see the Buhari government as having integrity and candour? In answer, let us split the question into two. The first is the Isa Pantami angle. Of course, I have read Mallam Garba’s (Shehu) reaction to the Pantami story. I have also been fortunate to preview, in the period between 2007-2012 some materials associated with Isa Pantami’s attitude to the crises in Plateau state as at that time. The late senator GNS Pwajok was holding appointment in the Jonah Jang administration. My relationship with him privileged me to access some materials that demonstrated to me the type of person Pantami was. So, even with his appointment as the DG of NITDA, I had my reservations. Of course, you saw what played out when he went to the Senate for confirmation; the same thing repeated itself when he was appointed minister. As I think and reflect about it, I’m wondering now, should I have filed a petition against him based on what I knew. But I am not a member of the APC or PDP. As an ordinary Nigerian, I’m a member of the Peoples Redemption Party; so I should have filed a petition. To that extent, I blame myself for that. As far as Pantami’s antecedents are concerned, what people are seeing in the public domain today, some of us have already known as far back as 2009-2012. Many people may not remember, but I was part of the delegation to the International Criminal Court West Africa Regional meeting in Accra where the Plateau issue came to the fore. With the amount of materials we had, we were able to counter some of the arguments and sensationally propagandistic materials that were orchestrated to the International Criminal Court about the issues in Plateau. So, I know a lot about this man even before now. It is a shock that the security agencies, the Presidency itself that nominated him, could overlook all of these knowing our situation as a country. That being said, where is the integrity of government when, we give you the benefit of the doubt, and you fail to see the reputational damage that this kind of matter does to the government; two, the nation; and three, our international relationship. Even in the face of these his damaging credentials, his claims, preachment and associations and the people he admires out there in the world of terrorism, the government cannot put its foot down and ask for his resignation. If up to his moment Isa Pantami has not resigned, it speaks to his character disposition. THEWILLNIGERIA
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Obasanjo
POLITICS
2023: Obasanjo on The Move Again
BY AMOS ESELE
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or a man who is arguably the most successful leader to have governed Nigeria as a military head of state and as an elected president, sticking out his neck to put out wildfires created by bad governance have not only become a trade mark but a consistent feature in his brinksmanship over the years. If it is not letter-writing to caution or criticise an administration or a government policy, it is spearheading a headhunt to get a ‘Mr Fix’ Nigeria. It is in this light that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s current reported move to draft African Development Bank President, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, into the presidential race in 2023, should be seen. Obasanjo has had a hand in the emergence of all presidents that have ruled this country in the new republic, either directly on indirectly. His singlehanded nomination of late Umaru Yar A’dua, and former President Goodluck Jonathan is legendary. Yar’Adua, his successor, had just finished his second term as governor of Kaduna State when Obasanjo drafted him into the presidential race, following the strong opposition to his support for the presidential aspirations of the ex-governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili. As president of the dominant and almost the only party in the country at a time, Obasanjo’s word was law, even though he often faced some opposition within the party, like the selfsuccession plan that was opposed by his Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani. He indirectly participated in the success of the current President Muhammadu Buhari by giving the latter his support after he had dramatically exited his party, the PDP, whose membership card he publicly tore to pieces. In fact, the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called Obasanjo the ‘Navigator of the Nation, during a visit of the APC leadership to Abeokuta, to seek Obasanjo’s endorsement of Buhari in 2015. With the worsened insecurity and virtual collapse of governance in the country, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo is said to be walking the political circuit across the geo-political zones in the country to sell the suitability of Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and former dynamic Minister of Agriculture, as president in 2023. The move comes as the former head of state reportedly failed to convince Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and THEWILLNIGERIA
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former Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State to sink their individual political ambitions for the common interest of their party, the PDP, ahead of the 2023 general elections. Tambuwal and Kwakwanso, are known to be eyeing the presidential race and are ready to tackle former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who has long declared his interest for a oneterm presidency, giving age as a reason. The PDP platform has suddenly become attractive to stakeholders, following the insecurity, poverty and mass unemployment in the country, this newspaper has learned. Even so, the move is said to be facing resistance from big wigs within the ruling elite who also have their preferences, ahead of the politicking in 2023. Faced with rising opposition to his proposal to draftAkinwunmi, reports say Obasanjo is believed to be considering another platform that may comprise factions of the two big parties. There is some uncertainty as to the veracity of the move which place it in the realm of speculation as THEWILL has learned, but given Obasanjo’s past in this regard, the move may be connected with the general aspiration of the ruling elite to find solutions to the lingering problems in the country. “It is speculation. Did we react to the reports when it broke?” said Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, Media aide to Obasanjo in response to enquiry by THEWILL. “If you want to go ahead with your story, please feel free to do so. OBJ is a news maker any day, whether it is about something positive or negative.” A newsmaker, indeed. On Wednesday, May 5, Obasanjo opened up on his views about 2023. At his Penthouse residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library premises in Abeokuta, he played host to the Tiv Professional Group, led by Prof. Zocharys Anger Gundu. Prof. Gundu, in a paper presentation, made available to THEWILL, decried the killing of innocent Nigerians in Benue State by those suspected to be herdsmen and bandits. He called on the former president and other eminent personalities in the country to wade into the situation. Gundu, who called for the payment of compensation to victims of killings and destruction in Tivland while also calling for the proscription of armed Fulani groups and intensified advocacy against nomadic pastoralism and hosting, stated there were different shades of instability in the country. He said, among other things, “ While the Nigerian state grapples with insecurity and the current Nigerian challenge,
there is need for ALL nationalities, big and small, to reaffirm their commitment to the rebirth of our country on a level playing field which will ensure nation building in which every citizen will matter and get the full protection of the state. “This is the time for ALL patriots to stand and bind together to salvage the country. The Tiv Professionals Group stands with patriots. But in a situation in which it becomes impossible to recover from the brink and the Fulani are bent on enslaving others, we will be left with no choice but to take our destiny into our hands.” In his response, the former President said 2023 would be the decisive year that will either bring about the emergence of a new federation or make the country slide into dissolution. For him, stakeholders must join ranks to overcome the current national crisis so that the country does not slide into war and eventual breakup. Obasanjo said: “I do believe that whatever else we do, we have to make the year 2023 a watershed for Nigeria. The year 2023 should give us the beginning of the emergence of a new federation or a feeling that if the rot continues, and then, we are going to be sliding into dissolution. God forbid.” He expressed fears for the current security crisis in the country and the impact it may have on the minorities, as well as the need for a leadership with a vision and humanness that can hold the diverse, multi-ethnic peoples together. “I believe that if we will get it right in Nigeria, any leader must look at Nigeria with the prism of diversity. For as long as you look at Nigeria with the prism of your ethnic group, then you aren’t going anywhere; either your ethnic group or religious group. “But is there hope? There is hope.” Prof. Gunda in a chat with THEWILL after the Wednesday meeting between Obasanjo and the Tiv Professional Group, said the former president did not show any indication that he was spearheading a campaign for anybody, ahead of the 2023 general election. “No, he did not say such a thing or anything close to it. He was not political though like everyone one of us, he came across as if we had some good political leadership, we would not have been in this mess today. On that point, I agree with him. Leadership is critical in our recovery from the brink.” Whatever it is, the coming days would reveal the true state of things, especially in the face of current calls and proposals for a sovereign conference on the state of the nation.
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POLITICS/INTERVIEW
Yoruba’s Desire For SelfDetermination Should Worry Presidency, NASS -Farounbi In this interview with AYO ESAN, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, broadcaster, media manager and politician, Dr Yemi Farounbi, speaks on issues affecting the nation, the Yoruba and the media. Excerpts: PAGE 12
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hat is your take on the prevailing insecurity in the country? How do we tackle the problem? We have to take some steps. The first one is to remove the factors that have given rise to insecurity. The first factor is the structure of the country, which centralised security. You cannot centralise policing in a federation like Nigeria and not have challenges. So we have to re-organise Nigeria in such a way that policing will not only be in the centre, but also at the state and local governments levels. We also have to re-organise Nigeria in such a way that the creation of jobs for the unemployed, the provision of food for the hungry and the provision of houses for the homeless will be sufficiently decentralised. All the resources of Nigeria will not be concentrated in the centre, too. That is the first thing we must do. Secondly, apart from changing the police and military command, you need to carry along the
people themselves. The people are the ones who will know when strangers come. They are the ones who will know where they are hiding or the route they have taken. In addition to re-organising Nigeria, the masses have to be involved, so that the local government police and the state police will be seen as working positively for the people. The third step is for the Presidency to shed its clearly partisan image. It must begin to speak and act in such a way that shows it truly belongs to Nigerians and not to a particular set of people. Its officials must also begin to act in a way that shows they are not privileged and favoured people who are above the law. The presidency must begin to behave as if every Nigerian is important, not just a particular ethnic group. But, no matter what we do, if we don’t rearrange the security architecture, which places 774 local government areas and 1 million square kilometres under the Inspector-General of Police, the THEWILLNIGERIA
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POLITICS/INTERVIEW
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If a group of people who accommodate and have sabos or Gaas for Fulani herdsmen and have many parts of their cities inhabited by the Igbo, begin to ask for separation, then those who are ruling Nigeria ought to know that they have pushed the goat to the wall and the goat is about to turn and bite
It would be recalled that Chad, Niger, Cameroun and Nigeria once had a joint action team. At a particular time, all the other members of this team avoided us because they could no longer rely on us. It would appear that our security agencies and the various departments of government had been infiltrated by the insurgents, and the government and security agencies were beginning to take decisions and actions in favour of the insurgents. That was what led to the fact that Cameroun, Chad and Niger could no longer trust Nigeria and partner with her. However, apart from what Smart Adeyemi said, I was hoping that the National Assembly would realise that all the things we are experiencing are symptoms of a decentralised federation and they, lawmakers, would rewrite the constitution to give power, resources and authority to the local government councils and the states. If they can do it, Nigerians will salute them as a responsible National Assembly.
current insecurity in the country will persist. A few days ago, Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to seek foreign assistance in resolving the problem of insecurity. As a former ambassador, do you support Adeyemi’s position? There are times when you have no choice other than to seek foreign assistance. When the Boko Haram insurgency started, we had foreign support, in terms of sharing intelligence, training our own security personnel to fight the insurgents and terrorism. But all of that stopped when the foreigners found that Nigeria was not a reliable partner. They discovered that valuable information given to Nigeria was being leaked to the insurgents. They also found that weapons made available to Nigeria were ending up with the insurgents. So we have to first make ourselves a reliable partner. THEWILLNIGERIA
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The security situation in the South-West recently seemed to take a turn for the worse and despite reactions from people like Chief Sunday Igboho, it was clear that the Yoruba still lacked a truly recognisable leader. Aren’t you worried about this? It would appear as if the Yoruba lack leadership, but the truth is that leaders are not born in Yorubaland; leaders make themselves. And when the circumstance arises, the appropriate leader will surface. We are not like the people from the other parts of Nigeria where leaders are born. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not born as a leader; he worked hard to make himself a leader. That is what will happen. The circumstance will produce the leader. When we had the June 12, 1993 crisis, leaders arose. When we were being intimidated by past military dictators, leaders arose. I have never been worried about the Yoruba when it comes to that. Leaders will arise, depending on the nature and the direction of the circumstances. The National Assembly and the presidency should be worried when a group of people, who have never thought of seceding from Nigeria, begins to show a strong desire for self-determination. It means that they have been pushed to the wall.
They ought to ask why the Yoruba are doing this now. Is it because their forest reserves have been occupied by criminals and nothing was done about it, in spite of their loud protests? Is it about the herdsmen who have been destroying their farms and sexually abusing their women, while nothing was done to apprehend them? Is it the difficult hurdles they had to scale to create Amotekun, including the Federal Government’s refusal to allow them to carry arms for self-defence. Is that the reason? I expect those who are ruling this country ought to ask why these people are agitating for Oduduwa Republic. They have been the most accommodating set of people. If a group of people who accommodate and have sabos or Gaas for Fulani herdsmen and have many parts of their cities inhabited by the Igbo, begin to ask for separation, then those who are ruling Nigeria ought to know that they have pushed the goat to the wall and the goat is about to turn and bite. So, action had to be taken yesterday because tomorrow could be too late. What is your assessment of the media’s role in the crises currently plaguing the country? The media has been the greatest defender of the poor in Nigeria. In the difficult days of the military or in the post-June 12, 1993 era, it was the media that carried on the battle. Today, the media is doing very well. But they have problems. The harsh economic situation in Nigeria is making their job difficult, either in acquiring printing equipment, purchasing broadcast equipment and news print, or in having enough money to do investigative journalism. The problems notwithstanding, the media is re-inventing itself. As we look forward to the 2023 general elections, the zoning of the presidency remains a burning issue in the minds of many Nigerians. What is your advice to the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, on this issue? My advice is that the two political parties should first of all abandon the quest for 2023. They should consider building a strong, united and prosperous nation first before any other thing. Let us build a nation that will endure and stand the test of time. I think the first thing they should be looking at is what has gone wrong with Nigeria’s present structure. Why can’t the political parties gather together like they did in 1963 and produce a constitution that Nigerians will be happy to have? It is that constitution that will let us know if the position of President will be rotated or we should have a Prime Minister or chancellor. You have to look at the foundation of the house that is falling and rebuild it before you start looking at who will occupy the master bedroom. But those who declared that they will support restructuring and oppose rotation ought to understand that such an arrogant statement can inflame the polity, increase the temperature of the political scene and make it difficult to achieve peace and harmony. All the registered political parties in the country, including the APC and the PDP, must learn to treat one another with respect. We need very urgently a negotiated consensus on how to move Nigeria forward. It should not be a dictated path, but a way that will be negotiated by all the parties and they will be happy. How I wish the APC and the PDP can be in the forefront of this. PAGE 13
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EDITORIAL Two Years of Ninth National Assembly T he Ninth National Assembly will be two years old on June 11, 2021. Its inauguration on June 11, 2019 also marked 20 years of unbroken democratic rule in Nigeria, which was the longest in the history of the country since 1960 when it attained independence from Britain. The manner in which the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly emerged was received with great optimism by many Nigerians, who witnessed the ugly politics that transpired during the tenure of the Eighth National Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara. The emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives, respectively, was also seen by pundits as a positive development. Lawan, who is from Yobe State, has been a member of the National Assembly (first in the House of Representatives) since 1999, while Gbajabiamila has been in the House since 2003. With the quality of the leadership of the assembly Nigerians believe their collective destiny is in good hands. However, halfway into its tenure, an assessment of the Ninth National Assembly’s performance shows that the legislature has been all motion without movement. As the country reeled under the burden of a harsh economic climate and worsening
insecurity these past two years, many expected the National Assembly to wake up a snoring presidency from its deep slumber. Unfortunately this has not been the case. Instead, the legislature appeared to have borrowed a bed from the presidency and engaged it in a sleeping competition, while the country continued to burn.
It is obvious that the National Assembly has abdicated its primary duty, which is to protect the interests of Nigerians. Members of the assembly have done nothing except watch, unperturbed, as terrorists continued to reap a harvest of deaths, abductions, rape and destruction of valuable property across the country. The Boko Haram insurgency assumed a more dangerous dimension, thereby prompting reactions from governors of the 36 states and many Nigerians across the country, irrespective of party affiliation. More selfdetermination groups have sprung up and called for secession, yet our lawmakers have chosen to remain silent. Only a few have dared to kick against such calls, while the majority feel less concerned. To members of the Ninth National Assembly, party loyalty seems to be more important than the interests of millions of Nigerians who elected them. This was demonstrated recently by Senator Remi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, during an emotional presentation by Senator Smart
Adeyemi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, on the worsening insecurity in the country. Our position is that the Ninth National Assembly has failed the country at the time the country needed it most. We wish to remind the federal legislature that enacting good laws to guide the country’s economic and social development is its duty, just as the interest of the electorate should be paramount to it. It is also the expected duty of the legislature in any democracy in the world to serve as a watchdog whose main objective should be to whittle down the excesses of the executive. But what Nigerians have witnessed in the past two years is the shoddy and haphazard manner in which the assembly has conducted the screening of ministers and heads of statutory agencies and parastatals. This is evident in recent revelations on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami’s past. We urge members of the Ninth National Assembly to wake up now, shed the tag of a rubber stamp and stand firm on the side of the people. Nigerians expected them to put their feet down whenever they discover that the presidency is not living up to expectation. Their duty is to put the executive on their toes and guide them to fulfill the expectations of the people. This they must achieve in the next two years.
AUSTYN OGANNAH
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala News Editor (Online) – Felix Oboagwina Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu Photo Editor – Peace Udugba Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @THEWILLNG +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888. EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA [Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com] PAGE 14
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OPINION Ortom: Between Leadership and Demagoguery BY JEROME-MARIO UTOMI rom the political tragic-comedy that unfolded in the political topography called Nigeria, in the year 2017, the prevailing harsh economic situation in the country, a state of depression (or is it a recession) designed by yet to be established architects and unfulfilled change premised, I published a piece in August that year, titled; Caging the demagogues in our political space.
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Essentially, the piece in question was inspired by a new orientation and shaped by fiscal, sociological, political and communal happenings in the country; coupled with the pockets of ethno-religious upheavals and misgivings from one region against another or powerful personalities against each other. It reads in part: “They were voted to provide good and qualitative leadership; elected to bring the nation’s economy out of the woods and were chosen to bring democracy’s dividends to the people. But, instead of providing the lavishly promised and highly expected leadership, they visited the masses with cluelessness and utopia. Instead of reviving the comatose economy, they threw it further down into recession and instead of bringing dividends of democracy, they democratised poverty, institutionalised unemployment and ‘governmentalised’ hopelessness and frustration. They are not authentic leaders but demagogues.” After about four years, the piece was published. The questions were: How correct were those assertions/ issues/ and concerns mentioned in the piece? Have those factors that impeded political and socio-economic development of our nation identified in the piece still alive and active? Do we truly have demagogues masquerading as politicians/public office holders? Are all politicians in the country guilty as charged? Apart from the fact that those Nigerians, who were initially deceived by the change mantra of the present administration, have finally realised that nothing has changed, the greater reality Nigerians now worry about, going by commentaries, is the way the present Federal Government and states approach the job of leadership. It has become obvious that many so-called public office holders want to be worshipped by everybody, even when their impact is not positively felt and their office is devoid of service and almost free of responsibility. This unrealistic expectation, wrong appreciation of leadership and the
disordered approach designed to stand democracy on its head and undermine a government of the people by the people and for the people, which is supposed to be generally open to public scrutiny, has created political shortcomings in the country. It does not only disjoint the nation’s amalgams, but also weakens the masses reverence for public office. But there is an exception as there will always be an exception.
that stands a creative leader like Ortom out.
From the ashes of leadership hopelessness and years of public office hemorrhage in the country came Samuel Ioraer Ortom, the incumbent Executive Governor of Benue State, a much more charming personality with singleness of purpose.
The reasons why Ortom’s actions and utterances must be documented and celebrated by the watching world are obvious. First, it is coming at a time when someone outspoken, with a different set of ideas, values or organising techniques, is often viewed as ‘the enemy within’. Also what makes his actions historic is the fact that it is happening in a country where constructive debate is often seen as unnecessary, messy and divisive; where debate over differing political ideas and strategies is perceived as destructive to the nation’s interest.
Governor Ortom has been in the news not as a demagogue, but as an authentic leader that daily demonstrates a passion for his job, practical leadership values and consistently led the people of Benue state with his heart, as well as his head. Before going further into comparative analysis to establish what qualifies him as exceptional and why this opinion got fixated by his leadership qualities, even at a time that the nation is going through the pangs of and ravaged by security challenges, it is necessary to first, underline who a demagogue is and what differentiates him from an authentic leader. A demagogue as defined by Wikipedia “is a person who seeks political support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument. The Merriam Webster dictionary sees a demagogue as a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and purposes in order to gain power. From the above, one striking take is that demagogues are not restricted to our 774 local government areas or the 36 states of our federation. They are all over the earth’s surface. They share one common denominator. They do not have the interest of the people at heart. They do not contemplate providing security and a robust economy, which are the two major responsibilities of any democratically elected government, but are engrossed with holding on to the people’s commonwealth. They are reputed for using people to further their own ends. Their antics involve intimidation. They are sly and get things done by lying or other dishonest means. They could be likened to an evil wind that blows no nation or state any good. The only attribute that is Nigeria-specific is that the ones that operate here are hyper unrefined, nonconstructively brazen and stunning in audacity. With this fact highlighted, the piece moves away from attributes that constitutes a demagogue to finding particulars
At a time everyone is keeping quiet in the face of the deteriorating security situation in the country, Ortom has become reputed for speaking truth to the government at the centre. He has decided to be on the side of the people, having recognised that sovereignty belongs to the people.
By rising in stout defence of his people at a time when other state governors have become more conservative and conscious in their political utterances and strategies, when open discussion is seen as a challenge to the nation’s leadership hierarchy, Ortom has become an institution where the world can now learn the art and science of public leadership. In truth, the name Ortom now means different things to different people. It seems that he has taught other state goverors that bearing the tag ‘Excellency’ does not confer excellence or greatness to anyone, but requires hard work and consistency to be outstanding ad recognised. In the same vein, while Nigerians youths see the governor as a leader they can trust and look up to or emulate, the people of Benue on their part views him as a unifying factor, especially now that he has succeeded in uniting all the ethnic groups in the state against their common enemy: killer herdsmen. To some socio-political commentator, he is ‘Ortom the Tough’ For me, I have learnt from the Benue State governor that ‘human relations must be encouraged in the right direction. That any act of negation or denial can lead society to anarchy, chaos and unwanted societal conflict which of course, would be detrimental to human peaceful co-existence.’ •Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy.
Just Before £4.2m Delta Loot Returns
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As a Nigerian state governor, Ibori went to England repeatedly and lodged large cash sums in multiple accounts in various British banks. NO QUESTIONS WERE ASKED. Certainly now, it is the very least the British Government can do, to return the money to the rightful coffers. And they have now decided to do just that.
Christy Idie(nee Ibori) and girlfriend, Udoamaka Onuigbo (a.k.a Okoronkwo) were minor celebrities in Nigeria, hailed and featured in soft- sell magazines. In England, all three were sentenced in a separate trial in 2010 to five years imprisonment each for their roles in the money laundering saga.
That was hardly breaking news.
On March 9 2021, the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, announced that the sum of £4.2m recovered from Ibori would be repatriated to Nigeria “in the next few days”. This is not really the shocking part of the news. Periodically, Nigeria gets notified of repatriated loot that had been stashed away in foreign banks by a former head of state or by a few state governors. What is confounding is the Federal Government announcing that it would retain the funds and even utilise them for building projects in other parts of Nigeria ( not in Delta ). Pressed further, Malami expressly stated that the money would not be returned to Delta State.
Ibori’s arrest in 2010 in Dubai was on a British arrest warrant, not on a Nigerian one. He travelled to Dubai from Nigeria a free man. He was arrested in Dubai later when he was negotiating to buy himself a private jet, valued at between 20 and 30 million pounds. It was at the request of the British authorities that Ibori was extradited to Britain.
BY MIKKY ATTAH was quite surprised when on May Day there was a newsflash on national television that the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation ad Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had issued a statement on the expected James Ibori loot. That day being a public holiday, I had thought that something good or frightfully awful had happened. But all he said was that procedures in foreign banks had delayed the transfer of the money to Nigeria. He said that he had expected it in two weeks. All the same, he was still expectant.
However, what is important now is that before this money is returned, there is the pressing need for the rigorous interrogation of the prosecution of James Ibori and especially the consequent loot seizure, before its repatriation ends in misappropriation. In spite of the petitions filed by Deltans against their former Governor James Onanefe Ibori, the man walked free after the half- hearted attempts that were made to prosecute him for corrupt enrichment during his tenure as state governor. Ibori relocated to Dubai- it was there he was picked up and later extradited to the United Kingdom. Only in the UK was he made to face the full wrath of the law for money laundering and for fraud. In what was hailed in Britain as a landmark case, Ibori was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2012. He was found guilty of 10 charges of fraud and money laundering committed during his 8 years as Governor of Delta State. THEWILLNIGERIA
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It is indefensible that the Federal Government would want to retain the money meant for Delta State. The claims of having cooperated with the UK in the trial of Ibori are only spurious at best. Nigerians in Delta State were the people being plundered. Rather, back in Nigeria, Ibori was briefly picked up on 170 unsubstantiated charges against him, ALL of which were dismissed. Furthermore, the courts granted him a court order stopping the London Metropolitan police from coming to Delta State to gather evidence in 2007- and the Federal Government did nothing to challenge and possibly reverse that order. Ibori’s accomplices, his wife Nkoyo(Teresa), sister
Moreover, in sentencing Ibori at Southwark Crown Court in London, Judge Anthony Pitts, the trial judge had said, “During those two terms, you turned yourself in very short order into a multimillionaire through corruption ”. The British police had accused Ibori of 10 charges of fraud and money laundering committed during his eight years as governor of Delta State. He had pleaded guilty. He was jailed and later released on parole in 2016. His forfeited millions were also to be returned. Money so returned has always been received and repatriated to the state governments concerned. Plateau and Bayelsa States, had in the past, received their erstwhile looted funds after repatriation to Nigeria from Britain. Under no circumstances should these repatriated funds of Delta State now be captured by the Federal Government. •Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com
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Forex Scarcity As Vampire Sucking Economy Dry PAGE 33
IGR, Taxation: Plateau Embarks On Learning Curve PAGE 34
Stock Market Declines N340bn in One Week PAGE 35
COVID-19 Tests: Air Travellers Bemoan Exorbitant Charges •Fake Certificates on The Rise BY ANTHONY AWUNOR
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ravellers on international flights are lamenting the exorbitant cost of COVID-19 tests at the nation’s airports as fake test certificates are said to be in circulation, thereby defeating the purpose of the exercise, THEWILL findings have shown. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a major challenge encountered by air travellers, is the series of Polymerase Chain Reaction test for COVID-19 which each air traveller needs to undergo before undertaking any international journey. A PCR test for COVID-19 is a test used to diagnose people who are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. The PCR test is the “gold standard” test for diagnosing Covid-19 because it is the most accurate and reliable test. PASSENGERS RECOUNT ORDEAL With the mandatory COVID-19 tests, most travellers are paying more for their trips, largely due to an additional cost of the PCR test, which is done more than once for each trip. This places additional financial burden on the travellers who also have to cope with the continued depreciation of the naira against the US dollar. Investigation shows that many families have pruned down their rate of international travels, while others have reduced the size of their family entourage involved in overseas trips. The foreign exchange scarcity plaguing the economy has also worsened the plight of travellers who are now being asked to pay more for COVID-19 testing – a compulsory requirement for international travel. Narrating his experience, Mr Jude Onwubuya told THE WILL that he was surprised that he could spend so much money on COVID-19 tests when he visited Nigeria from Glasgow in the United Kingdom, last December. Onwubuya claimed he had to part with an initial sum of £120 (One hundred and twenty pounds ) for a single test done before leaving the United Kingdom. On getting to Nigeria, he was asked to do another test after seven days, which cost him about N40, 000. That was not all. He had to do another COVID-19 test when he was ready to go back to the UK, an exercise that cost him another N40, 000. In the end, he spent about N150, 000 on tests alone. Another Nigerian citizen, Mrs Constance Braimoh, who travelled to South Africa late last year, recounted how she spent large sums of money for COVID-19 tests in Nigeria and South Africa. According to Braimoh, the cost of the tests has seriously affected air travellers. She therefore appealed to the authorities to find a way to make the tests more affordable for all air travellers.
IATA WANTS COST BORNE BY GOVERNMENTS To ensure that air travellers don’t pay exorbitant fees to get the tests, the International Air Transport Association is already working out ways to ensure that high costs for COVID-19 testing do not put travel out of the reach of individuals and families. However, an IATA sampling of costs for PCR tests (the test most frequently required by governments) in 16 countries showed wide variations by markets and within markets. Of the markets surveyed, only France is said to have complied with the World Health Organisation recommendation that states should bear the cost of testing for travellers. Out of the 15 markets where there is a cost for PCR testing to the individual, the average minimum cost for testing was $90 while the average maximum cost was $208. In his comment, the Director General of IATA, Willie Walsh, said, “As travel restrictions are lifted in domestic markets, we are seeing a strong demand. The same can be expected in international markets. But that could be perilously compromised by testing costs—particularly PCR testing. Raising the cost of any product will significantly stifle demand”. “The impact will be greatest for short-haul trips (up to 1,100 km), with average fares of $105, the tests will cost more than the flight. That’s not what you want to propose to travellers as we emerge from this crisis. Testing costs must be better managed. That’s critical if governments want to save tourism and transport jobs; avoid limiting travel freedoms to the wealthy”.
Also narrating his experience, Mr Raphael Ukeji, who just left Nigeria to Belgium, complained about the high cost of doing COVID-19 tests, stressing that the charges are on the high side.
Explaining further, the IATA DG noted, “Testing costs should not stand between people and their freedom to travel. The best solution is for the costs to be borne by governments. It’s their responsibility under WHO guidelines.
Ukeji, who said that he spent not less than N200, 000 on tests alone during a visit to Nigeria, appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of air travelers by taking up the bills for Covid -19 tests.
“We must not let the cost of testing—particularly PCR testing— limit the freedom to travel to the rich or those able to be vaccinated. A successful restart of travel means so much to people—from personal job security to business opportunities and the need to see
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family and friends. Governments must act quickly to ensure that testing costs don’t stall a travel recovery.” WHO ADVOCATES FREE TESTS, VACCINATION Similarly, the World Health Organisation’s International Health Regulations stipulate that states should not charge for testing or vaccination required for travel or for the issuance of certificates. Reiterating its position on this, the WHO COVID-19 Emergency Committee recently called on governments to reduce the financial burden on international travelers of complying with testing requirements and any other public health measures implemented by countries. A MARKET FOR FAKE CERTIFICATES According to experts, many states are ignoring their international treaty obligations, putting a travel recovery in jeopardy and risking millions of livelihoods. It is also believed that high testing costs can also incentivise the market for fake certificates. For instance, in early March this year, the Murtala Muhammed Airport Police Command arrested five suspected syndicates which specialise in forging fake COVID-19 certificates in Lagos. According to the Airport Police Commandant, CP Abubakar Umar Bature, the suspects are also the ones luring passengers to the airport where various sums are extorted from them; In this case, N50, 000. Explaining further, the CP said, “The victims have access to all the nooks and crannies of the international airport and approached one Michael Osagbogu who was on a queue of London bound aircraft and at the pretence of procuring COVID-19 Certificate, if he was in need. Thereafter, they cornered the passenger to an isolated toilet where N50, 000 was extorted from him. He also informed that the suspects confessed to the crime and exhibits, including N50, 000 and laptop computers used to generate the fake COVID-19 Certificates as well as the certificates which are being used as exhibits.
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MONEY MARKET
Forex Scarcity As Vampire Sucking Economy Dry
the implication of these economic activities on our country begin to go to television and begin to say our exchange rate is N480. This is very unfortunate.” Many stakeholders claim that the CBN shares most of the blame in the exchange rates disparity due to some of its policies. For example, there are restrictions on third party transfer of forex from one account to another while importers have limited room to source forex. Forex illiquidity in the official market also means most businesses have no option but to source forex in the parallel market where it costs more. Not doing so means they will not meet their obligations, such as servicing loans in forex, paying suppliers and honouring contracts. Meanwhile, the IMF last April pointed out that unifying the exchange rate would impact the economy more positively than the multiple exchange rates regime, which creates room for arbitrage. The IMF disclosed this when it approved the sum of $3.4 billion as emergency financial support for Nigeria. The financial support, which is under its Rapid Financing Instrument programme, was to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria’s economy.
BY DAVID OLADELE he persistent scarcity of foreign exchange in the country is largely responsible for the multiple exchange windows, an anomaly that is impacting severely on the economy. The foreign exchange channels include the official, investors and exporters, bureau de change and the parallel (black) market windows.
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The turbulent effect of the gap between the official and non-official exchange rates for the naira against the United States’ dollar goes beyond direct impact on individuals and groups. It also sucks vitality out of the economy. This is because it does not guarantee adequate productivity nor creates the values required to boost the economy. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund count multiple exchange rates among the Achilles’ heels of the Nigerian economy as it promotes the false value of the local currency – the naira. It also encourages arbitrage and other forms of currency abuse in the financial space. Thus, the fight against multiple exchange rates is not only for the benefit of investors, but also every economic player, including policy makers and the man on the street. Over the years, the naira exchange rate has oscillated around monetary policy rates and other guidelines aimed at “rationing” the scarce dollar and hedging the local currency from a free fall. The naira’s official rate, which is largely controlled by the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been hovering around N379 per US$1 after it was devalued for the second time in June 2020. The scarcity of forex, which triggered the adoption of multiple exchange rates, has been a source of challenge to investors and those who depend on imported raw materials. Stakeholders have blamed the CBN for the hiccup in the forex market as the apex bank adopted dovish methods in the formulation of its monetary policies. Its tightening approach aimed at curtailing inflation and ensuring a stable exchange rate has not yielded the expected comfort for players. The Governor of the CBN , Godwin Emefiele, has pointed accusing fingers at the BDC operators whose nefarious activities have worked against efforts to achieve forex stability and attain single-window forex market. Emefiele said the activities of some BDC operators, combined with the unpatriotic moves of their likes in the parallel market, have worked against the integrity of the forex market. THEWILLNIGERIA
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Forex illiquidity in the official market also means most businesses have no option but to source forex in the parallel market where it costs more
He maintained that the parallel market is a tainted platform patronised by people who desire to deal in illegal foreign exchange transactions, including the sourcing of FX cash for the purposes of offering bribes and other corrupt dealings. The banking regulator boss also noted that the parallel market is not more than five per cent of the forex market, yet it goes a long way in distorting the forex market. Emefiele, who disclosed this during a virtual briefing in Abuja after the November 2020 Monetary Policy Committee meeting said that Nigeria’s official exchange rate should not be determined by the rate in that market where the naira has weakened to a three-month low. The CBN governor who expressed his disappointment at the rhetoric of some analysts said the parallel market rate of N480/$1 had come to be accepted as the true exchange rate. Emefiele said: “Indeed, I heard some analysts talking about the parallel market, saying that the exchange rate is at N480. I want to say that it is unfortunate and really unfair that even analysts, who are supposed to know better, will play with numbers and begin to determine the exchange rate of our currency by using a parallel market rate. “For the information of everybody, the parallel market, as far as we know it and according to the data that we have, is a shallow market in Nigeria with no more than 5 percent of the market share. “The parallel market, and quote me, is a tainted market in Nigeria where people who desire to deal in illegal foreign exchange transactions, including sourcing of FX cash for purposes of offering bribes, corruption, like to go. “And that is where people who are supposed to understand
The IMF Deputy Managing Director/Acting Chair, Mitsuhiro Furusawa, expressed special interest in getting Nigeria to follow through with the unification of the multiple exchange rates. In his words, the IMF Chief said: “Steps taken towards a more unified and flexible exchange rate are also important and unification of the exchange rate should be expedited.’’ While approving the $3.4 billion loan for Nigeria, the IMF was still pressuring Nigeria to fast-track the unification of various exchange rates that are currently applicable in Nigeria. The global lender has been very consistent with its opposition to the usage of multiple exchange rates because it believes that it creates a lot of distortion in prices, hurts businesses and encourages corruption as it is susceptible to manipulation. The international oganisation also noted that a unified exchange rate would encourage transparency and help attract more Foreign Direct Investment. There is no doubt, however, that the single exchange rate has been identified as an effective tool for resource allocation. Part of the genesis of the country’s dollar scarcity is linked to the crunch in crude oil production, caused by violent attacks on facilities in the Niger Delta region, and the drop in global prices for oil on which the Federal Government depends for 90 percent of its forex earnings. The other trial against the naira is tied to a global trade tension between the US and China which impacted the global economy in many dimensions. As the world tilts towards a global village, there is the tendency that volatility in the commodity market will have spiraling effects across the world, especially in the case of inter-linked economies. The solution to Nigeria’s forex crisis hinges on boosting production and stimulating the economy towards increased non-oil revenue. The decrepit state of infrastructure across the country, especially in the areas of power and road network, must be addressed to boost productivity. This will position the over 17 million micro, small and medium enterprises for optimum product and service delivery. Agriculture and agro-allied businesses should be supported to maximally create avenues for foreign exchange earnings. This will also curb the country’s high rate of unemployment. The CBN has announced indefinite extension of the ‘Naira for Dollar’ promo aimed at encouraging dollar inflow from Nigerians in Diaspora. It is doubtful if this will achieve the desired objective as long as the disparity between official and non-official exchange rates linger.
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TAX MATTERS
IGR,Taxation: Plateau Embarks On Learning Curve Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, recently signed the Plateau State Revenue (Consolidation) Law, after which he led the government officials into the academics of the enabling law and the ‘public sector strategic engagement on taxation’. UKANDI ODEY reviews the new drive
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Furthermore, industrialisation and skills acquisition are apparently not at a buoy in day-to-day business as internally generated revenue daily faces slim and lean prospects in Plateau State. This scenario forces a desperate and panting government to innovate taxation and taxing options as part of the COVID-19 economics regime. Not done with tax consultants, especially in the face of dwindling federation allocations and signing of the Plateau State Revenue (Consolidation) law 2020, a forthnight ago, the governor, Simon Bako Lalong led other public sector actors and some private sector businocrats on a “public sector strategic engagement on taxation” – a grand scale effort to explore the revenue consolidation law and maximise the options of taxable goods and services, and block leakages within the tax and audit system. With emphasis on revenue administration and tax governance, public sector entities are to play distinct and significant roles in ensuring improved taxation and mobilisation of internally generated revenue and their sources. This collectivism will ensure compliance and co-operation from taxable individuals and corporate person. Interrogating the subject of “latent opportunities for MDAs and local government councils in Plateau State to catalyse and deliver optimal revenue yield”, the broader perspective was “Plateau State public sector strategic engagement on taxation”. Before the “strategic engagement” which brought drivers of the state government’s policies and programmes to a brain storming roundtable, has the State revenue law had been signed and put into operation. A major emphasis of the law is giving legal backing to revenue drive and vesting the responsibility on certain agencies and departments of government. Accordingly, the law “establishes the Plateau State Internal Revenue Service as the sole revenue agency to collect and account for all revenues accruable to Plateau State government through the use of technology”.
Lalong
ith the sub-regional Jos Main Market lying in ruins, the Jos Inland Container Depot far from being realised, illegal tin mining sabotaging efforts at organised economy and Fulani herdsmen attacks grating on the flourish of farming and agricultural production, the government has taken steps to boost the state revenue in order to rely less on federal allocations.
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Here in Plateau State, the State Chief Executive had in 2019 tasked the Plateau Internal Revenue Service to scale up its performance to boost the state’s revenue profile
presumptive taxes payable to the state. Cutting across all discernible and accessible services and goods within the context and framework of market legitimacy and legal trade, as at press time, there were 31 identified or established presumptive taxes within the Plateau State business cum industrial environment. Classified into micro, small scale, and medium scale businesses, expected or presumptive tax depends on the size of the business, as annual tax rates range from N2,500 for micro businesses, to N25,000 and N50,000 for small and medium scale businesses respectively.
The law further empowers the PSIRS with the “authority to freely control its day-to-day running of the technical, professional, and administrative affairs”.
Apart from churches and prayer houses, no business is too petty or miniature to be captured in the catalogue of tax payables. From pure water to welders to patent medicines, car wash, restaurants and food vendors, dry cleaners, confectioneries and bakeries, annual presumptive tax could be as much as N75,000 or N100,0000 naira, depending on the assessment of volume of trade and turn over by the assessment authority.
The template of the new IGR offensive contains
Providing a background to the seminar, the organising
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consultant noted that “the world over, the performance by government of its core responsibility – to provide for the welfare and well-being of citizens through social services and infrastructure development, etc – is totally dependent on the quantum of available resources on a sustainable, predictable basis. “Such resources are harnessed and pooled via a combination of options and methods; but chiefly in the form of taxes, rates, charges, levies/fines/ fees. These are payable by taxable individuals and corporate entities as codified and provided for by law, voluntarily, continually and consistently through data-based assessment of routine enforcements, and transparent collections”. Aligning the context of the “strategic engagement” with the global exigencies unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organising consultant, noted further that “long before the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the attendant disruptions that it provoked globally, the reality of dwindling revenues from the federally distributable pool has sparked alarm bells. “Here in Plateau State, the State Chief Executive had in 2019 tasked the Plateau Internal Revenue Service to scale up its performance to boost the state’s revenue profile. He openly supported the PSIRS to orchestrate the diligent and timely payment through voluntary compliance, by every taxable individual and entity across the state of their variegated tax obligation”. It was, therefore, a matter of emphasising the obvious when Governor Simon Lalong urged all participants at the seminar – mostly government officials – to make the best use of the occasion and maximise and take advantage of insights provided by resource persons. Internally generated revenue being a veritable way out of over reliance on statutory monthly allocations, and an elixir for development planning and projection, taxes and taxation hold the key to optimal internal revenue generation. THEWILLNIGERIA
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BUSINESS NEWS Why We Are Sponsoring Nigerian Idol Season 6 - Adegunwa
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o pave way for the discovery of music talents among young Nigerians as well as the promotion of the entertainment industry in the country, Rite Foods Limited, through its Bigi premium brand, is sponsoring the highly exciting Nigerian Idol Season 6. The Company’s Managing Director, Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, stated this while explaining the rationale for partnering with DSTV in the well-liked music reality TV show which will commence live performance on May 9 and culminate with a grand finale on July 11,. At the grand finale, the winner will have the prize of a recording contract with a leading record label and N50, 000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) worth of prizes. Adegunwa affirmed that Rite Foods’ Bigi carbonated soft drink brand will continue to promote talent discovery in music through the Nigerian Idol, while espousing the company’s interest in the creative platform where abundant talents abound in the country.
The Rite Foods boss said the sponsorship is to ensure that talents are nurtured in order to produce stars that would take the music and entertainment industry to enviable heights, like the recent achievement of Burna Boy, who have now become a global star after winning the Grammy. L-R: Head, Corporate Transformation & Innovation, Wema Bank PLC, Olatunde Mumuni; Head, Marketing, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Wema Bank PLC, Funmilayo Falola; Hackaholics 2.0 Bootcamp Fintech category Winner, Oladayo Awotokunbo of Plumter; Gaming category winner, Ernest Akinlola of Virtual Online Services, and Chief Digital Officer, Wema Bank PLC, Olusegun Adeniyi, during the prize presentation ceremony of Wema Bank’s Hackaholics 2.0 Bootcamp, at the Wema Bank Towers, Lagos on 5/5/2021. PHOTO: Peace Udugba.
Experts Proffer Interlining, Codeshare to Boost Local Airlines’ OTP, SPI BY ANTHONY AWUNOR takeholders in the nation’s aviation industry have advised domestic airlines to find a way of utilising Interlining & Codeshare Agreements as tools for profitablity and passenger comfort.
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They are of the view that woefuI and appalling On Time Performance ( OTP) / Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of the domestic Airlines would be a thing of the past if they go into interlining and codeshare agreements. An interline flight is an agreement between airlines to coordinate passengers with an itinerary that uses multiple airlines, without having to check in again or deal with their baggage at the stopover. On the other hand, Codeshare agreements is where airlines operate flights on behalf of another airline, using their flight code.
“Interlining makes it mandatory to be in the Clearing House for Interline settlements and this directly or indirectly measures the Economic Health of the Airline. Dr Olowo stated that NCAA is encouraged to use policy Instrument and Institute Pooling as stated in the Aviation Act which infers Interlining / Codesharing among the carriers in order to guarantee passenger comfort. He also opined that a central Airline Clearing House (ACH) should be established to handle Interlining Settlements not “ one on one “ basis which made few experiments in the past to fail due to frequent defaults. Olowo emphasised that such step will serve as an instrument under Consumer Protection for passenger comfort and protection from incessant sufferings through delays .
The advice was given recently by the President of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Dr Gbenga Olowo during their 2021 Quarter 1 Business Breakfast Meeting held virtually with the theme: “Utilising Interlining and Codeshare Agreement As Tools For Domestic Airlines Profitability and Passenger Comfort”.
“ Absence of a member airline at ACH will be a pointer to economic weakness which directly endangers Safety. I will recommend that Based on Safety and Consumer Protection premises Economic Regulation should regard readiness to Interline by the Airlines and presence at ACH as a condition precedent for AOC renewal”, Olowo added.
According to Dr Olowo, poor On Time Performance (OTP ) is a pointer to two things; inadequate fleet and depleting fleet thus affecting turnaround, posing safety and consumer protection questions.
In his presentation, Aviation consultant and President of the Aircraft and Owners Pilots Association of Nigeria (AOPA Nigeria) Mr Alexander Nwuba enumerated the benefits of interlining and codesharing.
Explaining further, the aviation expert noted that in the circumstance pooling through Interlining / Codeshare Agreements would have provided the needed remedy which is world’s known best practise.
Nwuba disclosed that all airline operations are done with focus on profitability, therefore, it is expected that interlining and codes hare will provide greater opportunities for airlines to be profitable.
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To effectively demonstrate its intention in attaining that, Rite Foods recently held a mini Idol show christened the Bigi Media Idol for content drivers, to further reinforce its sponsorship of the Nigerian Idol reality TV show and its commitment in advancing its good cause for the entertainment sector. At the event, one of the highlights was the microphone stunt used on stage, which was used to depict the 12 Bigi soft drink variants, a scenario that got the audience amazed at such innovation from a leading brand that is making impact in the food and beverage sector of the Nigerian economy.
Stock Market Declines N340bn in One Week
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he stock market declined by N340 billion at the close of last Friday’s trading.
The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalization depreciated by 1.60% and 1.99% to close the week at 39,198.75 and N20.431 trillion respectively. Tuesday closed N20.83 trillion , after the public holiday on Monday to mark the international workers’ day. Similarly, all other indices finished lower with the exception of NSE Banking, NSE Pension, NSE-AFR Div Yield, NSE MERI Value, NSE Consumer Goods and NSE Oil/Gas Indices which appreciated by 0.62%, 0.35%, 1.12%, 1,66%, 0.62% and 5.98% respectively, while the NSE ASeM Index closed flat. The market opened for four trading days this week as the Federal Government of Nigeria declared Monday 3rd May 2020 a Public Holiday to mark the Workers Day Anniversary. Meanwhile, a total turnover of 1.419 billion shares worth N15.918 billion in 18,459 deals were traded this week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 1.441 billion shares valued at N10.883 billion that exchanged hands last week in 19,614 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.069 billion shares valued at N9.531 billion traded in 10,907 deals; thus contributing 75.34% and 59.88% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Industrial Goods Industry followed with 60.762 million shares worth N2.005 billion in 1,070 deals. The third place was Consumer Goods Industry, with a turnover of 57.023 million shares worth N1.029 billion in 2,831 deals.
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SHOTS OF THE WEEK PHOTO EDITOR: PEACE UDUGBA [08033050729]
L-R: Bennie Van Rooy, CEO Grobank South Africa; Herbert Wigwe, GMD/CEO, Access Bank PLC, and Patrick Mathidi, Chairman, Board of Directors, Grobank South Africa, during the signing ceremony and official handover of Grobank to Access Bank South Africa in Sandton, South Africa on 3/5/2021.
L-R: Olufemi Martins, Programme Director, Bunmi Adedayo Foundation; Oniyitan Olanrewaju, Executive Director, W-Holistic Business Solution; Mayowa Ogunnusi, Board Director, Bunmi Adedayo Foundation; Ifeyinwa Ejindu, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, and Koldsweat Chidi, Executive Director, Donors for Africa at the Tech Relevant Teacher Project - Award Ceremony held in Lagos, 4/5/2021.
L-R: Oluwadare Filani, Manager, Business Development and Strategic Planning, SIFAX Group; Hon Bill Twehway, Managing Director, National Port Authority of Liberia; Capt. Ibraheem Olugbade, Executive Director, Administration, Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, and Tobi Afolabi, Executive Director, Operations, during the operational tour of the Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, the flagship company of SIFAX Group by the Liberian Port Authority officials, Ijora, Lagos on 5/5/2021.
L-R…National Women leader Social Democratic Party ( SDP) Hajiya Maggie Marian [middle]: National Chairman (SDP) Dr Olu Agunloye [3rd left]: National Secretary Social Democratic Party Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam [2nd left], and other party members in a peaceful protest on incessant security in the country at the entrance of the National Assembly Abuja on 5/5/2021.
L-R: His Highness Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi : Juergen Peschel, AG. Chief Executive L-R: Technical Assistant to Kwara State governor on Agriculture Abdulquawiy Olododo; Governor Officer, 9mobile; Abdulrahman Ado, Executive Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile; AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Alexander Okeke, Non-Executive Director, 9mobile, during a condolence visit by the management of Hajia Mariam Nurudeen Muhammed, during the flag-off of the State Agricultural Inputs Distribution 9mobile at the palace of Bichi, Kano State on 6/5/2021. Scheme, in Ilorin on 5/5/2021.
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INSIDE:
•Exclusive! EFFC Gets AGF’s Nod to Prosecute 40 Otudeko, Awosika •Senator Ademola Adeleke Bags Degree From American Varsity 41
CHRIS UBOSI The Radio Aficionado
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I Support Devolution of Power From Centre – Chris Ubosi
Businessman and founder of popular radio stations, Beat FM, Classic FM, Naija FM and Lagos Talks, Chris Ubosi, also known as Radio King, speaks with IVORY UKONU about his thoughts on the state of the nation and his passion for radio and everything to do with the media. Excerpts:
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re you still a director in Diamond Bank? Not anymore because the board of Diamond Bank got dissolved. And because there was a pre-existing board in Access Bank, I didn’t get to make the cut. As a stake holder in the banking industry, what is your take on the drama that has engulfed First Bank? First of all, you know, the Central Bank of Nigeria as a regulator is charged with protecting not just the shareholders, but also all the public monies that are being held in trust by the bank, which is part of why we had to merge with Access Bank. The regulator is charged with that responsibility and I think they did what was in the best interest of the bank because if public confidence in the bank is eroded, it will affect any bank, regardless of the size. And that, I think, was what informed their decision to do what they did and the Governor of Central Bank took his time to explain eloquently. I kind of side with him because we’ve seen banks go down and people lose the shirts on their back; they lost the funds that were deposited there. You know, when you look at the ratio of the shareholder’s funds to the deposit of the bank, you realise that the bank owes more to the depositors who keep their funds with them than to the shareholders. Was this the same scenario that prompted Diamond Bank to merge with Access Bank? We were in a place where the best option was to merge and so we had a parade of banks looking to merge with us. I think we had about four banks that were trying to merge with us and we took the best option at the time that had the same values with us. We had our profits and we had our minuses. We were the quickest growing retail bank, which is why we had so many people that were trying to merge with us but we had corporate loans, legacy loans, 10, 15-year-old loans that was just not being serviced. And so, the Central Bank thought that the best thing would be for us to merge. With the deal we got, the stock values went up, the shareholder’s funds were secured. As for the staff, we ensured there was no rapid firing, depositor’s funds were safe and everyone was happy. The present situation in the country has prompted people like Robert Clarke, a prominent lawyer and social commentator, to suggest that the political leadership hand over power to the military. Do you agree this could be the best solution? As much as we complain about the inaction of the government, I don’t think we want to go that far as to say the Army should take over. I mean, the Army is no more qualified to do the right thing than the civilians. So, I would say I’m quite surprised, although I haven’t read it that somebody of the calibre of Clark, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, would say that. Yes, we can see from a lot of things that has been happening in the country in the recent past and that is still happening … you could see from the #EndSars protest and from the growing agitation across the country that people are beginning to take their destinies into their own hands, saying if the leadership doesn’t chart a clear path, the vacuum will be filled with all sort of people and negative forces. You can see now that people are beginning to agitate more forcefully.
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Like I said, if you look at the #EndSars thing which united people, strange bed fellows who ordinarily wouldn’t have come together. And you can see from the emergence of the Eastern Security Network, the Amotekun, etc, that everybody is retreating to their tent. So, they feel now that something is about to happen. My theory has always been that the only people who can change the country are the legislators and they are not willing or able to do so. But now that things are getting closer and closer home, you are now seeing them being a bit more forceful, governors saying things that they ordinarily wouldn’t say because they are closer to the people, they are seeing this agitation and seeing it on a day-to-day basis. Some members of the House of Representatives and Senators, can’t even go back to their communities anymore. And I know for a fact that there are like-minded people in the National Assembly, who are coming together to say we cannot sit down here and watch this country slid down the way it’s sliding under our watch. So, I think that if we give them more time, I’ll suggest that’s a better option than the military taking over. If you say the military isn’t a better option, have the civilians faired any better? Well, the military that is existing now is not the military we used to have. The military recently released a statement warning its personnel against entertaining any thoughts of staging a coup. Don’t you think there might be some agitations within the rank and file of the military to warrant them issuing that warning? I’m not privy to it, but I hope there is none. If they are agitating, I dare say that it must be for better conditions of service. I mean, let’s not forget that the Nigerian Army stopped the war in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Those were brutal wars where they didn’t know the terrain. I have always been of the opinion that if they are properly funded
and motivated, they will take out Sambisa. What is Sambisa Forest? They would turn the forest into a golf course. It doesn’t make sense to have so many soldiers go to be slaughtered for nothing. It lowers the morale of the soldiers when you know you are going to fight someone with a water pistol and then you meet an AK47 rifle. It just lowers their morale. So, I would say if there’s any agitation, it’s because of that rather than the state of the economy. I think that you have to first worry about the immediate community before you start looking at the bigger picture. So, I wouldn’t buy that. I’m not a confusion theorist. You spoke earlier about governors being closer to the grassroots people so they are voicing out. Do you think they are voicing out properly and collectively? Well, they started Amotekun against the better advice of the centre. The South East guys have set up Ebube Agu. In the past, they wouldn’t have done that. They would have said, it’s our party, let’s follow the party line. Go to the East, you don’t see policemen in uniforms, they are in mufti nowadays. People are no longer safe; they are burning houses, police stations, opening jails, etc. So, I don’t think it’s the Army we need. Let’s be real. Everybody knows what’s going on with this thing now. Some people are allowed to carry AK47 rifles while others are not allowed to even carry cutlasses. I mean, how does that work? So, the agitation has to come unless it is officially said that it’s a different law for different people. But the agitation is here and it’s only going to grow until next year before 2023. So, let us not invite the Army. Let us wait. We know how to solve the problem. That is my opinion. Do you support restructuring? I support the devolution of power from the centre. That way, development will spread quickly. I cannot explain to myself why the centre gets so much from the budget when the people making the money are not getting enough. A rewriting of the THEWILLNIGERIA
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constitution, which is tantamount to restructuring, will be equitable so that there’s more development and there’s more incentive and reward for hard work. We see what’s going on now. It’s soft power exchange. Technology is the new oil. Flutterwave is a billion dollars. Interswitch is worth a billion dollars, too. You don’t have to sit on one thing. There are so many other ways to create an enabling environment for people. The key among them is ensuring that lives and properties are safe. I look back to the days when I could drive down to my village in Anambra State. Now, I can’t think about it. It shows you the state of the nation. I also think there should be a lot more focus on the family unit. When we were younger, we were raised by the community and not just our parents. We promote the wrong things now. Somebody goes into politics and buys off the entire town and we worship him. Pastors pray for people going to carry drugs. We have lost our value and that’s where we need to go back to. We need to begin to bring back the morals that we have lost and that’s the only way. I mean, in those days, how would I drive a car into my father’s house. He would say, “My friend, how did you get that car?” And even if you borrowed it, he would ask, “Are you not satisfied with the car you have?”But now you would see a kid in the university with a phone costing half a million naira and you’d be wondering how they got it. From a political point of view, I think we need to devolve a bit of power from the centre. It can only do a lot of good to the country. Have you ever thought of dabbling into politics? Sadly, I don’t have the temperament for politics. I think they would do something to me because I cannot stand injustice. Even my politician friends don’t discuss illegal things with me because I will flare up. I think it’s a shame that a country as gifted and as blessed as we are should have so many poor people. That’s such a massive crime. I was in America and a friend of mine had a heart attack. They came to pick him in a helicopter and took him to the hospital. I don’t know how much they spent on him, but he came out bouncing. Here in Nigeria, you can die of malaria, even with the amount of money that we have in this country. The same way you heard that someone has just died of malaria because of N500, you’d hear that someone has just stolen N80 billion, in the same country. I think it is unfair. A lot of things are unfair in this country. For instance, how do you take oil that is meant for the whole country and give it to an individual? How have you been drilling oil for years and you don’t know how much oil you drill? Some things can’t even be told to a five-year-old. Why do you have four radio stations? They serve different markets. Beat FM is for the young generation, Classic FM is for people like me, who like older music. Naija Fm is the local languages station that speaks Pidgin English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo languages. Lagos Talk is just a conversation radio. You know everybody in Nigeria is a politician and everybody is an analyst. There are good or bad analysts, but they have an opinion and want to air it. It’s been largely successful and we are grateful for that. It must cost a lot running the four stations. How do you cope? That’s why I’m always broke. That’s why I have no money. That’s why I’m not as wealthy as my colleagues. It is also because we do things right. We pay our vendors, we pay salaries, we’ve never owed, not for a day. I used to actually borrow money in the beginning to pay salaries and that’s how we are able to retain decent staff and keep trying to improve. So, what prompted the switch from quantity surveying to the media? The thrill of the media. I still have my construction company. I’m the Chairman of a digital bank, and on the board of other companies. I do all my work out of here because I like the energy that the media has. You know, I get to meet people like you who ask me questions about things that happen on a day to day. There’s a new topic everyday in the media. Your media company, Megaletrics, the umbrella body for the four stations is going to be 12 later this year. Yes. But we won’t do anything until we are 15. By the time we are 15, we would have developed our head office. We are building a new head office. Oh... wow! Where? Here. You are pulling this one down? Yes. But what’s wrong with this office? We want to make it a bit more modern. We want to build it like a creative hub. So, we have agencies, production studios, THEWILLNIGERIA
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Like I always say, it’s not just about the money. I think you do things to solve a problem which, in this case, is to entertain, to educate, to enlighten, to inform and as a by-product of solving those problems, the money will come
video editing, possibly, a television station. Congratulations in advance. Thank you. Then, I’d take you around. How has it been running the four stations these past 12 years? Running the stations in Lagos has been easy. Like I always say, the three key things for any successful business are leadership, people and technology. We are very fortunate to have a perfect mix of the three of them here. So, it’s easy. But the challenges have been the out stations. We have stations in Abuja, PortHarcourt and Ibadan. The cultures are different. Not to sound like an expatriate, but it’s not as easy as it was 10 years ago to go to Port-Harcourt to stay for one week because you never can say what will happen. Last time, we did a retreat in Ibadan, it took me seven hours to drive to the city. But now, you can go by train in 1hour 45mins That’s what I hear, but I was mentally scarred by that because I schooled in Ile-Ife and I used to get to Ife in 1hour, 45mins. So, it hasn’t been as easy managing the out stations. At first, they were a bit shaky, but now we are starting to get things better and everybody is doing pretty well. Technology has improved from when you started. Are you saying you can’t transmit from here to Ibadan? Is it not possible? Yes, it is, but the beauty of radio – which is why I say radio will never die – is that it is local. If you look at the big stations, such as iHeart radio and the rest of them in America, they are falling apart because they pick a show and syndicate it. If I’m in Port-Harcourt and you are telling me there’s an accident on Third Mainland Bridge, I’d leave you and go to someone who would give me local news. Also, I think it’s illegal from the National Broadcasting Corporation standpoint to do that. What have you gained from setting up these radio stations? How has it changed you as a person? First of all, radio is a very good change agent. I mean, you champion a cause, you can articulate, inform and educate people on different viewpoints and then, more specifically, I just like it. What has it done for me personally? I like to see people grow in whatever profession they’re in and I see a lot of people start here and become megastars. I’ve watched how we formed opinions out of what people have said. We have saved a few lives here by what we’ve said and done. Like I always say, it’s not just about the money. I think you do things to solve a problem which, in this case, is to entertain, to educate, to enlighten, to inform and as a by-product of solving those problems, the money will come. Those are the kind of small wins that you get but the bigger wins are when you go somewhere and the keynote speaker is saying…. “and I want to thank this guy from this radio station because they championed this course in a balanced and fair way…” Those are the kinds of wins I get. I can’t say it has not been rewarding. Of course, it’s been rewarding. We’ve gone on to over 400 members of staff and we pay them every month. So we are making money, but it’s not the cash cow that everybody thinks. People see me and expect that I have a lot of money. There seems to be a proliferation of radio stations in Lagos. What do you think? I’m not the regulator and I have nothing with there being many radio stations, but, like I tell people, where it begins to hurt is when you realise that some people, because of the
sheer number and because the advertising industry is not as sophisticated as it should be, are not making enough money to keep the lights on. They are not making enough money to pay their salaries. I know stations that are owing salaries for eight months, nine months. To me, I always say to my people, if the Central Bank opened up banking today and say there should be an application for banking licenses, there would be 5,000 applications, but the economy cannot sustain 5,000 applications. So, the Central Bank, in trying to keep the banking industry sane and viable and vibrant, limits the number. That’s why I think the regulators in broadcasting should limit the number to what the market can take. Okay, let’s leave Lagos. Look at Ibadan with 26 radio stations. Really, how much advertising budget is in Ibadan that they are licensing 26 radio stations? But I don’t speak out on these things because they would say it’s because I have and I don’t want others to have. Almost every three months, I have someone calling me to ask if I would I like to take over their radio station, operate it for them and then we share the revenue that accrues from it. And I say no because when you come into it, you just realise it’s not lucrative. I don’t even know how many radio stations that are operating in Lagos. Every day, I hear there is a new one, but we just keep striving to be the best we can be. I think that to keep the market viable, you have to regulate the number of entrants. You can’t just open it free for everybody to come in because all the politicians now just want a radio station for politics. I have political friends who put up their radio stations and they say when there is light, they operate and when there is no light, they turn it off. It’s where we have found ourselves. But there is a massive proliferation. I agree that there are too many radio stations. It is also affecting professionalism. There is nobody training professionals. Here, we have to train you for one month when you join us before you’d be allowed to start. There is no school to train. There is the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, but how many can they train? The radio stations themselves are not making effort to train their staff and I think that’s just the problem. If you are not trained, how are you going to train people? In about 12 years of operating, have you ever received NBC’s sledgehammer? Of course, I have, but I try to obey the rules and regulations. We signed up to obey the laws of NBC. I’ve been slammed for playing music with sexually explicit or rude content, but I’ve never been really slammed for anything too serious. I try to get my people to balance their views on the news and moderate the discussion so that you air two sides of the story rather than one sided conversation. So, I’ve never really been slammed because everyone that comes to work with us has to read the book of broadcasting, understand the laws and realise that you are keeping the air space in trust for the public, you cannot offend public sensibilities and I try not to. You cannot inflame the country. What’s the easiest way to inflame the country, if not by saying something inflammatory when everyone is listening to you? It can just start a fire. And because I am apolitical, I don’t tell you what to do. I just ask you to be fair and balanced in what you do. If I do not find you fair and balanced, you go. Besides playing tennis, how else do you unwind? I like walking my dogs. I watch a lot of TV programmes. I don’t sleep much, I like a nice glass of really good whiskey and I watch Arsenal Football Club. That is how I punish myself. I’ve been an Arsenal fan for 34 years. In those days, when things were good, I used to have a seat at the stadium. Now that they are playing rubbish, I decided not to give myself more high blood pressure than I should. Which one of your three kids is interested in the media? None of them. My son just graduated, my daughter is in the university and the little one is in senior secondary school. But you must have a plan for retirement I’m not going to retire; I’m just going to move on. But then I have very competent staff here. Everything I do is on merit and if we need to fill a vacancy, a competent hand will fill it, not my son. If he decides to come into the media and he proves he is capable, fine. He is into entertainment but more into artist management and he is going to intern at 300 Entertainment in New York. So I don’t think he’s got any plan to join me here. Even my station in London, he doesn’t even go there. I don’t think anyone should pressure people to do anything. A company is a company, but if we need to fill any vacancy, we advertise to get the best hands so that all our stakeholders will get the best they can. So, you are not like the typical Nigerian? I don’t generalise in anything. Everybody is different and they do what they want to do, I do exactly what I want to do. Whatever works for you, do it.
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Otudeko & Awosika
STORIES BY IVORY UKONU
Exclusive! EFFC Gets AGF’s Nod to Prosecute Otudeko,Awosika
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he last may not have been heard of the financial impropriety that recently rocked First Bank of Nigeria PLC and FBN Holdings as the foremost anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has been given express approval by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to prosecute the duo of Ibukun Awosika and Obafunke Otudeko, both Chairmen of FBN PLC and FBN Holdings respectively. It would be recalled that in a bid to protect both institutions and over 31 million customers and shareholders from the financial recklessness that was
allegedly being perpetrated by both Awosika and Otudeko, the Central Bank of Nigeria decided to sack the boards of FBN Plc and FBN Holdings and immediately replaced them with seasoned professionals as the new helmsmen. In addition, the CBN also reversed the sacking of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Adesola Adeduntan, who had already been replaced with Gbenga Shobo without following due process. The apex bank had earlier raised concerns over the way and manner both institutions were being run in relation to inappropriate credit facilities, as it concerns Honeywell Group owned by Otudeko, bad corporate governance and other financial improprieties. Before taking these decisions, the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, had revealed how he made attempts to reach Otudeko, a majority shareholder with the FBN, and asked him not to interfere with the removal of Adeduntan, whose tenure was yet to expire. But his calls, pleas and messages to Otudeko through emissaries, who were his fellow shareholders, were spurned and rebuffed. To prevent the bank from near collapse, the CBN had to take immediate action. Otudeko, however, insists that credit facilities taken in favour of Honeywell Group were being serviced and Awosika equally insisted that the removal of Adeduntan was in order and in the best interest of the bank. Now both of them have no choice but to face the music and explain their roles to the EFCC. Awosika will have quite some explaining to do when the agency beams its lights on the humongous edifice that she is allegedly erecting in Shoreline Estate, Ikoyi, very close to Banana Island. It is where a privileged few have their magnificent homes and where she hopes to settle after retirement.
Erelu Abiola Rebrands High End Club, A Beach, Now Calls it Culture Table Lounge
Dosunmu
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bout 12 years ago, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu who is one of Lagos society matriarchs, opened the doors of her exclusive club, The A Beach Centre, to mark her 62nd birthday. The high-end outlet, which was specifically set up to cater to professional executives, businessmen, monarchs and just about anyone worth talking about, was located at her highrise building on Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The upscale club was an annual membership paying one and offered facilities such as a restaurant, gym, massage room, cyber parlour, library, meeting room, games room, conference room, exclusive lounge bars, etc. Unfortunately, the high patronage the club expected didn’t quite happen, thereby prompting many to wonder at what had become of the club touted to change the face of private club membership in Nigeria. But a few weeks ago, the Erelu Kuti of Lagos, who was married to the late billionaire, Deinde Fernandez, decided to re-launch the club and renamed it The Culture Table Lounge, solely for the promotion of African culture and values. Hopefully, this one stands the test of time.
Why Aliko Dangote Failed To Save Hadiza Bala-Usman From Buhari’s Hammer
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his is obviously not the best of times for Hadiza Bala-Usman, the erstwhile Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority. Hadiza, a card-carrying member of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, must have thought that being a member of the party would put her in the good books of President Muhammadu Buhari. Of course, the fact that she belongs to the party must have been instrumental to her appointment at the helm of the NPA, as some critics, who hardly believe she earned it by any logical means, claim. But she never expected, however, that the ‘immunity clause’ that supposedly came with being in the president’s good books could be revoked anytime. This explains why she found it hard to believe that she was suspended from office and insisted that until the President communicated directly to her, she remained the MD of NPA. While she was still in denial mode, news of the commencement of an investigation on her five-year tenure was announced by one of Buhari’s spokesmen, Garba Shehu, via Twitter. While the official reason for her sack hasn’t been made public yet, the real reason for her ‘suspension’ is undermining her supervising minister, Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transport. According to reliable sources, Bala-Usman, who was first appointed in July 2016, had by-passed Amaechi to get other people to make overtures to the President for her reappointment. Luckily, it worked as the President reappointed her for a second tenure in January 2021. Now the gaffe in this is that, at the time of her reappointment, her first tenure was yet to expire (it will expire in May 2021), but she got the President to think her tenure had expired and she was due for reappointment. Miffed by her effrontery and disregard for him, Amaechi, who has the ears of the President, approached him to point out this anomaly. President Buhari was said to have been furious and promised to fix the issue which he did through her ‘suspension’. One begins to wonder how Hadiza’s boyfriend, Aliko Dangote, the wealthiest man in Africa who has his ears and eyes in high places, missed this underground move and failed to act quickly to prevent the president’s hammer from falling on her. Did he know what was to come and deliberately allowed it to happen for reasons best known to him or was it simply an oversight? Perhaps he may deploy his arsenal to ensure his babe gets a soft landing. Who knows? We await unfolding events.
Embattled Pantami Bags Minister Of The Year Award
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Bala-Usman
Pantami
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espite calls from different quarters to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, to resign from his job, following the revelation of his ties to terrorist groups, he has refused to budge. Given the sensitive nature of the position he holds in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, one would expect that the most honorable thing to do is to resign. Perhaps, that may happen in another lifetime. Encouraged by the presidency and some people who believe he deserves to keep his job, having supposedly renounced his ties with the terrorist organisations and admitted to making some offensive statements against Christians over the past years, Patanmi has decided to hang on to his job. The minister was recently named as the Most Outstanding Minister of the Year by the People and Power Magazine. The medium explained that it bestowed the award on him, in recognition of the laudable policies developed by the ministry under his supervision, such as the NIN-SIM data linkage and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria, among several other reasons.
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Senator Ademola Adeleke Bags Degree From American Varsity
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ociety watchers must have noticed that Senator Ademola Adeleke has been missing in action for some time. They are probably wondering where he is and what he has been up to. Well, there is no need to worry any longer as Adeleke, fondly called dancing Senator, has decided to shame his detractors by returning to school to get a degree. The former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, who lost his bid to govern the state in 2019, still maintains that the election results were manipulated in favour of his main contender, the incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All-Progressives Congress. At the height of his battle to secure the governorship seat, Adeleke’s educational qualification was called to question and he even got dragged before the court for not possessing the requisite qualification to contest the governorship election. Now the Senator has completed his degree programme in Criminal Justices from the Atlanta State Metropolitan College, Atlanta, Georgia, United State of America, perhaps in readiness to get into the electoral ring one more time.
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ocialites and ex-lovers, Terry Waya, popularly known as Mr Versace due to his love for all things Versace, recently clocked 60 and as the quintessential party man that he is, the day didn’t pass by without the billionaire throwing a party in Abuja where he lives. However, quite unlike him, Terry, who is also known to throw the biggest and wildest parties, disappointed most of his VIP invitees, when he preferred to just host them to a simple birthday dinner. The only thing grandiose about the dinner was Terry’s birthday cake, which was quite humongous. One cannot help but wonder what could have prompted the low-key event. Could it be that growing older had inadvertently reduced his impulsive urge to party wildly or is it simply a case of strictly abiding with Covid-19 protocols? The latter is not likely the reason as only one person attempted to adhere to Covid-19 protocols at the dinner. That person was none other than Eno Udoh, a former lover and his baby mama. Eno, who used to be married to Biyi Olafisoye, owner of defunct Lord’s Night Club, and diminutive Terry Waya, were an item several years ago. Their relationship produced a male child, but that was not enough to compel Terry to make a honourable woman out of Eno. Rather than get tied down a second time by one woman, Terry, who has remained single for as long as anyone can remember following his divorce from the mother of his grown children, prefers the company of as many beautiful women as he can possibly accommodate. Unable to tolerate this attribute of him, she moved on with her life, but remained a recurring decimal in his life for the sake of their son. Little wonder when he decided to host a shindig for his 60th birthday, she was fully present as a ‘dear friend’ among his retinue of friends. Some of the VIPs who graced the occasion include the Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila; Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, former governors of Delta and Abia States, James Ibori and his wife, Senami Sosu; as well as Orji Uzor Kalu; the executive director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Segun Awolowo; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; Bola Shagaya; Charles Ahize; billionaire lawyer, Olu Adewunmi and his new wife, Glory Onuoha etc.
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How Rev Roseline Oduyemi Keeps Body and Soul
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or many who do not know her, Rev Roseline Oduyemi is the widow of Rev Gabriel Oduyemi, the late flambouyant founder of Bethel Ministries who died in 2005 after a prolonged illness. The late Odueymi glamourised his calling and was the first clergyman to own a private jet, ran a live broadcast of his church programmes for many years on television, thus spending huge sums of money to keep it on Nigeria Television Authority. Although the ministry isn’t making as much waves as it used to do in its heydays when the founder was still very much alive, Mrs Oduyemi has managed to maintain a stoic mien while steering the ship of the ministry her husband left behind to the best of her ability. While some widows of founders of religious centres, would prefer to remain single in other to preserve the name and legacy of their late husbands, the case isn’t exactly the same for Roselyn Oduyemi who once hinted at remarrying when, in response to a question broaching the subject, she said that a lot of men were insecure and often viewed women like
Oduyemi
Terry Waya Reunites With Ex-Lover, Eno Olafisoye, At His 60th Birthday Bash
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he insecurity presently ravaging the country has assumed a frightening dimension, what with the sudden rise in daylight attack on individuals and surprisingly, in seemingly calm places. Penultimate Friday in the nation’s capital city, late Pa Alfred Rewane’s grandson, Otunba Adejare Adegbenro fell victim to a vicious attack that nearly took his life. Shortly after prayers at the Abuja Central Mosque, the Otunba Laje of Owu Kingdom in Ogun State, decided to give alms to three women who were seated opposite the mosque. He offered each of them N500 and before he could say Jack Robinson, a mob of about 15 to 20 beggars swarmed and overwhelmed him. He was restricted in an attempt to get away from the mob, when he felt a cold object jabbed into his body. It was a pistol. And right there, in broad daylight, Adegbenro was robbed of his expensive leather slippers, his high-end phone, an Audemars Piguet wristwatch and his wallet containing a substantial amount of money. Luckily his life was spared and he managed to escape the mob. So shaken is the philanthropist that he is of the opinion that no one is safe anymore even in the calm city of Abuja and that sooner than expected, the hunger in the land will prompt a revolution the rich may not be able to contain if something isn’t done about the insecurity and high rate of unemployment in the country. A businessman and philanthropist, Adegbenro is in the habit of quietly changing lives via his Otunba Adejare Adegbenro Foundation. Adegbenro
Adeleke
Otunba Adejare Adegbenro Robbed in Abuja
herself as terrifying. “They just look at me and say, okay I can’t meet up, that’s the truth,” she was quoted as saying. In addition to running the ministry, being a school proprietress, hosting Ignite TV Programme on YouTube, she runs her own clothing line, Maison de Kaba, where she churns out exquisite designs.
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BY SHADE METIBOGUN & JOY ONUORAH
Skales Hooks Congo Artist, Neza
Skales &Neza
Mr Macaroni, Nengi, Others Emerge Winners at GAGE Awards
Nengi
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he just concluded GAGE Awards 2021 virtual ceremony was both historical and glitzy as top influencers, comedians, fintechs and stars of Internet Africa convened to celebrate the feats achieved by individuals and brands that have made recognisable impacts on the lives of people across the world. Hosted by former Big Brother Naija housemate and actress, Bisola Aiyeola, the award ceremony had several categories from which deserving winners emerged. Nengi Hampson, one of the housemates in the BBNaija Lockdown season, carted home the award in the Influencer of the Year category, which was determined via public nominations and votes. V-Bank, amongst other top traditional banks, emerged the winner in the Banking App of the Year category. Known for his ‘Sugar Daddy’ role in his online comedies, Mr Macaroni emerged the winner of the Online Comedian of the Year category. One of the biggest awards of the ceremony, which was the GAGE Star Award to celebrate the most outstanding digital mind who revolutionised the digital space with an interesting innovation that made life a little less stressful and simple, was awarded to online comic act, Josh Alfred. Popularly known as Josh2Funny, Alfred happens to be the first ever GAGE Star Award winner. He was celebrated for his ingenious idea, #dontleavemechallenge, that went viral to become a global phenomenon. According to the convener of the GAGE Awards, Johnson Anorh, the ceremony is a comprehensive celebration of individuals, groups and brands who have impacted lives by making life easier and better for all hence the consistency it exudes in facilitating growth, driving innovation and attracting new talents to the digital space.
Chidinma
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hen talented music act, Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, popularly known as Skales, proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Neza Patricia Masozera, a few months ago, many did not expect the singer to quit the bachelors club too soon. The artist, who had his traditional marriage a few weeks after proposing to his girlfriend, may have settled down to enjoy his new status, but many are still wondering how he was able to keep the identity of his lover under wraps despite having dated her for many years. THEWILL reliably gathered that Skales’ path and that of his wife, Neza, crossed about four years ago. It all started as mere friendship but later blossomed into a love affair and finally, marriage. Neza is a fast-rising Afro pop artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The beautiful lady won some awards while she was still active as an artist, one of which was the All Africa Music Award in the Most Promising Artiste in Africa category. Some of her singles also ruled the air waves before she ventured into other areas of interest. She lost her father when she was very young and was raised alongside her siblings by her widowed mother in Rwanda. However, she later moved to Ottawa in 1998 and worked at the office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. She moved to Nigeria a few years ago when she was offered a record deal by a Lagos based record label, MCG Empire, owned by singer turned restauranteur, Mc Galaxy. Neza may not be a Nigerian by origin, but she is one at heart. She speaks Pidgin English fluently and was one of the famous faces that lent their voices to the #EndSars protest which took place a few months ago. The curvy lady is not all about beauty, she has brains, too. She sits atop a real estate firm, an online retail clothing store and a public relations firm.
Chidinma Returns To Gospel Roots
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fter a long absence from the music scene, popular singer, Chidinma Ekile, recently announced her return from the secular music to the gospel genre. The tale of her debut as a gospel artist was made known to her fans while celebrating her 30th birthday. According to her, the switch was birthed after an encounter she had while spending time with God. Even before her return to the gospel genre, the singer had always been a part of her church choir from the age of six. She abandoned her choir colleagues in Foursquare Church following the loud ovation that greeted her foray into secular music. Now she has made up her mind never to leave the church and work of God again as she did earlier. As expected, her announcement generated a lot of reactions from music lovers, especially top gospel artistes who applauded her for making the right decision. However, many of the singer’s colleagues in the music industry did not welcome the development as they lamented how much her talent and impact would be greatly missed in secular music. On the other hand, some of her fans reserved their comments, saying they were eagerly waiting to see the outcome of her latest venture. Chidinma who now wishes to be addressed as Minister Chidinma, came into stardom in 2010 after winning the third season of the Project Fame West Africa reality music show. During her brief stay as a secular artist, Chidinma acquired fame, influence and wealth and was even an item with sexy singer, Chinedu Okoli, also known as Flavour. Although the duo vehemently denied having a romantic affair, sources, however, divulged that Chidinma and Flavour had more than just a business deal back then. With her bio changed to ‘Endtime Soldier’ on all official social media platforms, she has deleted all secular songs that she had done in the past from her social media page, leaving only the link to her recent song which was also inspired by her encounter. Chidinma also declared that she would use everything within her power to bring back other people to Christ.
Yomi Fabiyi Makes U-turn,Condemns Baba Ijesha Chris Attoh Pulls Publicity Stunt With a ‘Third Marriage’
Baba Ijesha & Yomi
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drumming up support for him is Yomi Fabiyi. He demanded to see the Close Circuit Television, CCTV footage of the incident just to ensure that it was not a set up by those seeking the downfall of the actor after accusing his colleagues of jumping to conclusions. However, Yomi has made a U-turn after watching the CCTV footage of the incident and has condemned the alleged action of Baba Ijesha. He said, “It is disturbing and unfortunate viewing the images of the released CCTV footage of a minor being sexually abused by a senior colleague, Mr Lanre Omiyinka. I condemn this act, it is embarrassing and disappointing.” He also stated that his hesitation to jump into conclusion about the alleged rape case was misunderstood and taken to mean that he was supporting Baba Ijesha. Advocating for the protection of children in Nigeria, the actor admonished those sympathizing for the victim, to take to the street in a peaceful protest and demand for the persecution of the perpetrator for the alleged disgusting act.
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few weeks ago, the rumour mill was agog with news that handsome Ghanaian actor, Chris Attoh, had walked down the aisle for the third time with a United States based investment banker, Chinecherem Eze. A video where the alleged love birds were saying their vows also circulated on the social media. It was further said that the movie star had a secret court wedding in California in April, while their traditional marriage rites were performed on May 1, 2021. The actor and his alleged banker wife were said to have been engaged some months ago in the presence of close friends, but they decided to wrap it up with a lavish but secret wedding some months later. Going by this news, congratulatory messages and well wishes flooded the actor’s timeline while some of his colleagues got annoyed that they were not invited to the ceremony. However, Information pieced together by THEWILL revealed that the
Chris & Chinecherem
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bout two weeks ago, popular Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, also known as Baba Ijesha was arrested by the Lagos state Police Command for allegedly sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl when she was just seven years old and later at age 14. His arrest and detention generated so many reactions from his colleagues and fans with many Nigerians, particularly actors in the Yoruba movie industry, drumming support for him. One of the embattled actors’ colleagues who has been at the forefront of
popular actor is yet to leave the single’s club and the video circulating on social media is from a movie scene shot by the actor and Chinecherem. It is all a publicity stunt to promote the movie before it hits the cinema. The movie is titled ‘Married Till Dawn.’ Chris Attoh walked down the aisle in an elaborate ceremony with colleague, Damilola Adegbite in 2015. They had a son, Brian, before going their separate ways in 2017. The actor later took another shot at marriage again in 2018 to a United States based businesswoman, Bettie Jennifer, who was unfortunately murdered in 2019. THEWILLNIGERIA
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ARTS
Six Mountains On Her Back
Power, Gender Relations, Character and Nation Building edited by Ngozi EzenwaOhaeto, Awka, 2015, 144pp
Hobbes defines holding power as the “present means to obtain some future good.” Continuing, the erudite professor of philosophy posits that Hobbes does not much differ from his compatriot in the human quest for power: “I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire for power after power that ceaseth only in death.”
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he typical African woman, it used to be said, lumbers around with six heavy mountains strapped on her back. They are oppression from outside, traditional institutions against her, ignorance and her colour. The last two are herself and man. And so monumental are the forces weighing against women that it naturally spawned feminism to sort of protect the rights of the long-suffering opposite sex.
All that is enough to make the charge stick that men truly subjugate women. But how true is that is open to debate. Of a truth, women have risen in dozens of professions unlike it was decades ago. They also seem to be better at multi-tasking and also more adept than the men folk in computer-based technology. Still, the opinion is strong that women are slightly less empowered than men. That view is what this handy collection that you can slip into your pocket explores. And in doing that, it taps from the knowledge and experience of a gaggle of eminent academics, poets and writers. There is Reverend Father Professor Obi Oguejiofor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Ikenga Ken Oraegbunam, Ijeoma Nwajiaku and Chibuzor Asomugha. Oraegbuna is a senior lecturer in the Department of International Law & Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law of Unizik while Nwajiku and Asomugha are lecturers at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko. It started as a colloquium organized by Professor Ezenwa-Ohaeto Resource Centre in Awka. Indeed, this is the second of such colloquium in remembrance of the late poet and scholar who shared LNG prize for literature with poet Gabriel Okara. Ezenwa-Ohaeto, it must also be said, wrote a magisterial biography of fellow author, Chinua Achebe. The colloquium, therefore, is meant to keep alive the name of a prolific writer and academician who died of cancer. And what better way to do that than latch on to a topic that is forever in the front burner of academic discourse? Starting off with a foreword, Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto, the daughter of the deceased writer and also CEO of Ezenwa-Ohaeto Resource Centre, sets the pace for the lecture by making a case for a level playing field not only for women but all genders. She accurately notes when women started agitating for their own rights. “The very first sign of agitation by women against the prevalent trampling on their rights, subjugation and dominion by men in their various forms and all kinds of oppressive and exploitative machineries systematically set by societies (men are the beneficiaries of this set up) was first felt in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.” According to her, “The wave extended to Africa and since then, THEWILLNIGERIA
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In allowing that the topic has become more than relevant, Oguejiofor writes that “gender studies have become one of the most interesting and expanding novel courses…gender studies have therefore been gradually finding a place in Africa, even though much of it is still overly axed on gender representation in literature resulting in such terminologies as African Feminism, Africana Feminism, Stiwanism, Womanism…”
Ohaeto
Most women are still of the view that compared to men, their lot has not improved by much. They still languish under such traditional laws which force them to shave their hair when a husband dies, for instance. They have less job opportunities than their men folk. And even while employed, there is a glass ceiling. In other words, women cannot aspire to rise above certain positions in the work place. Women invariably suffer most during wars. Worse still, some of them are condemned to spend their lives in the kitchen cooking for men who so eagerly oppress them.
humans hanker after it. As Russell so memorably put it, “when a moderate degree of comfort is assured, both individuals and communities will pursue power rather than wealth; they may seek wealth as a means to power, or they may forgo an increase of wealth in order to secure an increase of power.
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With the number of feminist movements in existence today, it is hard to fault her. For readers who are not in the know, there are movements now like Womanism, Black Feminism, Africana Womanism, Femalism, Stiwanism (Social Transformation Including Women in Africa), NegoFeminism
a lot of movements have cropped up with various nomenclatures and theories.” With the number of feminist movements in existence today, it is hard to fault her. For readers who are not in the know, there are movements now like Womanism, Black Feminism, Africana Womanism, Femalism, Stiwanism (Social Transformation Including Women in Africa), Nego-Feminism, Motherism, and even Snail Sense Feminism, etc. All the movements, Ngozi-Ohaeto insists, “have one prime agenda – to re-channel as well as redefine the society in order to create a level ground and equal opportunities for all genders.” In his own presentation, Prof. Oguejiofor whose lecture is the longest and the most engaging looks to English philosophers Bertrand Russel and Thomas Hobbes to define what power really is and why
How all that affects gender relations and nation building is so brilliantly laid bare for readers. As the chairperson of the Board of Professor Ezenwa-Ohaeto Resource Centre Odia Ofeimun gave the opening remarks to an ancient topic that has kept scholars and intellectuals musing on the fate of men and women. Ofeimun likened male/ female relationship to kolanut. His point is clear: men and women can only coexist by being fair and just to one another. “Along gender dimensions,” he writes, “we can imagine the two-lobed kolanut as a representation of the union of man and woman, making a whole. Once split, however, neither is respectable enough to be wedged for presentation at ceremonies.” A colloquium with many scholars in different disciplines is bound to throw up some opposing views. True. Asomugha, for instance, makes a different case against women. In his view, it is men who are enslaved to women. To prove it, he references Chinwezu’s famous publication on and about women, The Anatomy of Female Power. No wonder Asomugha’s title is “Men are Almost Slaves of Women.” Alex Asigbo, a professor of Theatre Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, agrees with Asomugha, asking whether women are really slaves “I have never shared the view that sees women as the weaker sex or the marginalized gender,” he writes. “I want to believe that women are stronger than men, and what this tells us is that most times, it is because we are louder, so we tend to make more noise but actually we are like the head and women are the neck.” Asigbo does not stop there. He makes reference to a person some women would consider the ultimate woman-hater, Chinwezu. Quoting Chinwezu, he says that “women are the puppet masters while men are the puppets. Most times they work behind the scenes but they will always get the man to do what they want.” That, Asigbo insists, has “been in practice for years.” Contributions by other writers are equally engaging. In all, the book is a balanced presentation of a topic that has kept both genders working their brains and getting known for that, too. Without feminism or talk about women, it is doubtful if women like Germaine Greer and Gloria Steinem would have achieved the kind of fame that has come their way. This book, also, is keeping the name of Ezenwa-Ohaeto more than alive. There can’t be a worthier memorial. PAGE 43
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NEWS EXTRA Obaseki Reassures Citizens of Safety, Improved Security
BY AYO ESAN
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overnor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said his government concluded plans for the upgrade of the Police Training School at Ogidan Barracks in the Egor Local Government Area of the state. Obaseki, who disclosed this when he was led on an inspection tour of the facility by the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Philip Ogbadu, reiterated his administration’s commitment to the safety and security of lives and property of Edo citizens. The governor noted that the upgrade of the Ogidan training school would benefit policemen and other security agencies by equipping them with the skills needed in the discharge of their duties effectively and efficiently.
L_R:: Special Adviser to the Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Mufutau Ojo; health journalist with Nigeria Health Watch, Chibuike Alagbaso; Editor-in-Chief, NAN, Mr Silas Nwoha; Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu; Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle; and the Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary of NAN, Mrs Ngozi Anofochi, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on provision of training and support for the Solution Journalism Africa Initiative between NAN and Nigeria Health Watch, at the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja on 6/5/21.
EFCC, Army Join Hands to Fight Terrorists Financing BY AYO ESAN
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he Maiduguri Zonal Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Onwukwe Obiora, has stressed the need for the Nigerian Army and the commission to collaborate in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing in the North-East. He stated this during a courtesy visit to the Theatre Command, Operation HadinKa, in Maiduguri, Borno State. Obiora said, ‘’The Theatre Command is a very critical stakeholder in the fight against corruption and the role it plays is enormous. Therefore, it is necessary and important for the Nigerian Army to join hands with us to end insurgency in Nigeria by identifying and cutting off the source of financing for the insurgents. ‘’We want to equally inform you that in carrying out our mandate the Commission ensures that movement of cash by Non-Governmental Organisations across the local governments in Borno, Yobe and some part of Adamawa states must be approved by the Zonal Office”.
Yahaya pledged the command’s support to the EFCC. According to him, the Army will help the EFCC in identifying and reporting the bad eggs amongst NGOs, bureau de change operators and other local contractors with the aim of stopping money laundering and terrorist financing in the North-East. In a related development, the Army has pledged to improve the existing relationship between it and the EFCC. The Commander, 3 Brigade Nigerian Army, Kano, BrigadierGeneral S. Nicodemus made the pledge Thursday May 6 when he visited the Kano zonal office of the EFCC. Nicodemus, who assumed command of the Brigade on April 23, 2021 said the visit was to cement the existing relationship between the Army and the agency. He disclosed that he was briefed by his predecessor about the cordial relationship that exists between the brigade and the EFCC and urged the zonal head to uphold the relationship.
He further stated that if sponsors of insurgency, kidnapping were cut off, the fight would be won by the theatre command.
The Kano Zonal Head, Mualledi Dogondaji in his response, gave Gen Nicodemus the assurance of an enhanced relationship and support.
Obiora appealed to the command to report suspected illicit funds linked to NGOs or individuals to the commission.
Dogondaji further stated that the doors of the Commission were open to the Nigerian Army.
In his response, the theatre commander, Major-General F.
Healthcare: Ogun Receives Ambulances from BUA Group
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n line with its synergy with the private sector, the Ogun State Government has taken delivery of three ambulances from the Abudu Samad Rabiu Foundation and the BUA Group. Receiving the ambulances at Government House, Abeokuta, at the weekend, Governor Dapo Abiodun commended the Foundation and the BUA Group for being responsible business concerns that give back to the society. “I want to thank the BUA Group for being a responsible business concern that wants to give back to the community where it is doing business”, Abiodun said. He added that his administration had prioritised the implementation of the state economic agenda by ensuring the provision of the much needed infrastructure in the five pillars of ‘ISEYA’, particularly in the area of health infrastructure.
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The governor noted that his government had also embarked on an aggressive approach to rehabilitating its primary and secondary health care centres. Abiodun, who also said that his administration had launched a 24-hour ambulance service across the state, disclosed that the three newly donated ambulances would increase the number of functional ambulances in the state to 20. He pledged to raise the number to 30 before the end of May. “We have since launched a 24-hour ambulance service in Ogun State, and these three new ambulances will make them 20. We met five and we added 12, making 17 before today. And we are very confident that between now and the end of the month, the number will probably proceed to about 30 ambulances,” the governor stated.
He said, “We are redesigning the security architecture for the state and it will enable us to have a permanent training facility for about five or six squads at a time, made up of 50 men in each squad. “They will be equipped with introductory training in security, intermediate and advanced training, as well in different levels. It can’t happen with the facility in a state of disrepair.” The governor further noted that the state government was concerned about the state of the security system and cannot leave it for the Federal Government alone. “Security is everybody’s concern and as a state government, we have decided to put our money where our mouth is and use what we have to try and solve our problem,” he said.
TUC Chairman Emerges ASCN Boss in Bayelsa
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BY DAVID AMOUS - OWEI
he Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Bayelsa State, Comrade Laye Julius, has been elected as the chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria. He was returned unopposed in an election that was closely monitored by officials of the National Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, the Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Comrade John Ndiomu, Bayelsa State House of Assembly House Committee Chairman on Labour, Hon Ebiowu Koku - Obiyai and a representative of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity. Following the outcome of the election, Julius replaced the former TUC chairman, Comrade Tari Dounana, after eight years in service. Speaking after his emergence, Comrade Julius said he was happy for his new position, stressing that he would continue to fight for the improved welfare of civil servants in the state. He further stated that as TUC chairman, he would change the narratives of civil servants with the implementation of primary school promotion from 2012 to date and the new minimum wage, state oracle payment, payment of gratuity and implementation of the 2014 minimum wage for pensioners. On his part, the immediate past chairman, Comrade Tari Dounana, charged the incoming administration to utilise the undeveloped seven plots of land by completing the ASCN Complex. Also speaking, the chairman of the Bayelsa State chapter of the NLC, Comrade John Ndiomu and TUC chairman in Rivers state , Comrade Austin Jonah, both thanked the delegates for their peaceful conduct and charged them to consolidate on the achievements of the predecessor. Other elected officials of ASCN, include Tarilaye Nwankwe, who emerged as Internal Auditor; Clever Oyakemeagbegha, Treasurer; while Allen Enemotimi was elected 1st Vice Chairman and Dickson Famous emerged 2nd Vice Chairman, with Ebidaepre Sikpi as Secretary. THEWILLNIGERIA
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REMINISCENCE
Malam Aminu Kano: 38 Years After BY MUSA DISO
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During the Yakubu Gowon Military Administration, Aminu Kano was Federal Commissioner for Communication between 1967 and 1971 and also Federal Commissioner for Health between 1971 and 1974. He also served as a member of the Constituent Assembly between 1977 and 1978. From 1979 to 1983, when he died, he was the leader of the People`s Redemption Party and its presidential candidate in the 1979 general elections.
n the last half-century or so, northern Nigeria paraded some notable politicians who, no doubt, have made the region proud. Some of them can be traced to the First Republic whose grassroots democratic ideals have made tremendous impact not only on the political structures of the region, but also the citizenry in general. Among such political juggernauts, were the first Premier of the region, Alhaji Ahmad Bello (the Sardauna of Sokoto), the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa and the first leader of the opposition, Mallam Aminu Kano, whose party, the Northern Elements Progressive Union, gave the conservatives sleepless nights during its numerous campaigns where it proved to be the party to beat.
Throughout his public life, Aminu Kano proved to be a great leader who practised what he preached. As Yusuf Maitama Sule, former Nigerian ambassador to the United Nations, once said, he led by example. He had no bank account anywhere in the world. He had no boxes full of clothes. He only had two or three sets of white clothes and a red cap. That was all he had.
Other top notchers from the old North were Chief Joseph Tarka; Alhaji Maitama Sule; Alhaji Tanko Yakasai; Chief Paul Unongo; Alhaji Yahaya Kwande; Alahji Abubakar Rimi and many others.
The Director of Mambayya House, Prof Ismaila Zango described Malam Aminu Kano as a man who was concerned with the exposition of social ills and problems prevalent in the society in his days. He was committed to fighting corruption and eradicating poverty, ignorance, prostitution, injustice, diseases, mal-administration and the exploitation of women and children, as well as a host of other societal vices and problems.
Many of these politicians (some of them have passed on) contributed immensely to the political, economic and social development of northern Nigeria. But one of them, who stood out like a Colossus and would not be forgotten in a hurry because of his dogged fight for the rights of the poor masses (the talakawas), was Malam Aminu Kano.
The direct and indirect impact of Aminu Kano on the history of this country, Zango noted, is considerable. According to him, the politician could best be remembered as a strong believer in and dogged fighter for the upliftment of humanity and the dignity of women.
Amino Kano’s fearless disposition and defiance against the authorities of his time had always set him on the war path with the establishment, which he regarded as a mere appendage of imperialists notorious for exploiting the downtrodden. Today makes it exactly 38 years since this great patriot departed to the great beyond. Unfortunately, the vacuum created by his exit remains unfilled. The North is yet to witness his equal, in terms of political acumen, dexterity and response to the oppressive tendencies of the powers that be in his time. Although the likes of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Joseph Tarka, Paul Unungo and Tanko Yakasai, etc, have contributed to the development of northern Nigeria and made considerable impact in the region’s body politics, they pale significantly, when compared to the Champion of the Talakawa.
time Mufti in the Qadis`s court in Kano. He was from the Gyanawa Fulani clan, which is noted for Islamic scholarship. He received early education from his mother, who taught him the Qur`an, before moving on to the Shahuci Elementary School in 1930 for his primary education.
Aminu Kano virtually came, saw and indeed, stooped to conquer. He fought the Sarakunas (Emirs) tackled the dreadful feudal lords head on, just to free his people from the bondage of poverty and oppressive rule in his early political days. The fact that, in spite of being intimidated, harassed and subjected to psychological trauma, he and his teeming followers never looked back or allowed themselves to be distracted from their chosen paths, should serve as food for thought to today’s politicians.
Aminu attended the Kano Middle School, the Katsina College and later, the Kaduna College between1933 and 1942. After teaching for about five years at the Bauchi Middle School, he proceeded in 1947 to the Institute of Education at the University of London to undertake a diploma course in Education. Upon his return, he was posted to Maru Teachers` College in Sokoto, Sokoto Province, where he taught until 1950.
Aminu Kano was born on August 8, 1920 in the Sudawa quarters of Kano City. He was the first son of Malam Yusuf and Malama Rukaiyatu (alias Mambayya). His father was a renowned Islamic scholar and a oneTHEWILLNIGERIA
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Aminu Kano resigned his teaching career in 1950 and joined active politics. He was elected President-General of the Northern Elements Progressive Union at its first congress held in Kano in April 1953, a position he held up to the demise of the First Republic in 1966.
Zango added that Aminu Kano`s struggle had historical roots and an ideological basis that cannot be ignored. He wrote so many pamphlets, which were directed against the aristocracy, and became more radical while at Bauchi where in 1942, he met Sa`ad Zungur whose radical thoughts broadened his sociopolitical mode of thinking. Aminu Kano was well versed in Islamic ideology. He was never a believer in the Marxist school of thought because he considered Islam to be the vehicle for a system of social justice. And this is embodied in his party`s (NEPU) slogan: “To glorify God, association and service to the community”. Throughout his political life, his preoccupation was the democratisation of local authority structures. But were he to be alive today, would he have welcomed the creation of over 700 local government areas, the creation of states, the open ballot system and ward as the unit of political organisation? Perhaps, yes. It is no secret, however, that Malam Aminu Kano was against the prevalent mode of political activity at the local level when it was under the Sarauta system, which alienated the talakawa from any form of political participation. PAGE 45
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SportsLive
Ultimatum As Acid Test of Nigeria’s Sports Administration BY JUDE OBAFEMI he Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development is currently enmeshed in a self-inflicted crisis that may have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s participation in the 32nd Olympiad due to commence in less than 80 days in Tokyo, Japan, while embroiling it in a domestic crisis of similar complications.
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The board members of the 31 sports federations hereby give the minister 48hour ultimatum within which he is to rescind and reverse all unlawful pronouncements he made over the dissolution of duly appointed board members of sports federations or face appropriate reactions from the federations
It all began last Friday when the ministry ordered the dissolution of the boards of all 31 sporting federations in the country. This was considered a necessary step by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare. According to him, it was in keeping with the Olympic Charter. “Following the provision of the Olympic Charter, the tenure of the national Olympic Sports Federations in Nigeria has come to an end. There is a need for a transition from the old boards to new ones,” Dare was quoted as saying. To keep the activities of these federations running smoothly, the minister simultaneously placed the affairs of all dissolved boards under caretaker committees unilaterally appointed to hold the forte until fresh elections are held.
In alphabetical order, the following caretakers were appointed to their respective federations: The Aquatic Federation of Nigeria Caretaker Committee is headed by Babatunde Fatai Williams; Olumide George leads the Athletics Federation of Nigeria; Francis Orbih is in charge of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria; Ahmadu Musa-Kida is at the helm of the Nigerian Basketball Federation and Gen. Joseph Ayeni (retd) oversees the affairs of the Nigeria Boxing Federation. Others included DIG Sani Sani Mohammed (Nigeria Chess Federation); Prof Yahaya Ukwanya (Nigeria Cricket Federation); G. Masari (Cycling Federation of Nigeria); Abubakar Gaya (Darts Federation of Nigeria); U. Nahuche (Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation); Abubakar Dangaladima (Fives Federation of Nigeria); Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Nigeria Golf Federation) and Kelvin Erhurnwunse (Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria). The new caretaker committees also had Samuel Ochecho (Handball Federation of Nigeria); Senator Andul Ningi (Nigeria Hockey Federation); Brig-Gen. Z. Abubakar (Nigeria Judo Federation); Sila Agara (Karate Federation of Nigeria); Yakubu Abubakar (Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria); Adewunmi Adekunle (Nigeria Wushu Kungfu Federation) and Rear Admiral Porbeni Festus (retd.) (Nigeria Rowing, Canoeing and Yatching Federation). The rest were Grace Iyorchia (Nigeria Rugby Federation); Suleman Gora (Nigeria Scrabble Federation); Maj-Gen Johnny Hamakim (Nigeria Shooting Federation); Oyerinde Adeboye (Nigeria Squash Federation); Tikon Ishayaku (Nigeria Table Tennis Federation); Margaret Binga (Nigeria Taekwondo Federation); Akindoju Olaoye (Nigeria Tennis Federation); Usman Musa (Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria); Musa Nimrod (Nigeria Volleyball Federation); Tonobok Okowa (Nigeria Weightlifting Federation) and Daniel Igali (Nigeria Wrestling Federation). As expected, the minister’s action elicited sharp reactions from many of the board members. They based their disapproval of it on the grounds that the ministry was wrong
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Aware of the imminence of the Olympics, the minister tasked the caretaker committees with the enhancement of Team Nigeria’s participation at the Tokyo Olympics Games while promising to collaborate with the Nigeria Olympic Committee to map out the timetable for the fresh election of members of the 31 boards.
to claim that they had reached the end of their terms as they still had about two more months. In fact, they held that they could only be replaced through election. Of particular interest was the case of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, which leadership tussle had come close to a boiling point with an unhealthy dose of litigations, court statements and appeals. As a result of the already fractious status quo therein, and the very divisive decision of the sports ministry to appoint one of the feuding parties as caretaker, the appointment was rescinded. THEWILL had earlier disclosed that in a concerted effort to resolve the lingering crisis that has taken far-reaching legal implications within the administration of athletics in Nigeria, the World Athletics’ had ordered the AFN to hold its elective congress before June 14, as a way to get the Federation back under structured guidance and leadership. This was the conclusion of a crisis resolution meeting between the representatives of the WA and the AFN held last month at the country’s capital in Abuja. Jackson Tuwei, the chairman of Athletics Kenya, and a Chief Executive Officer of the Confederation of African Athletics, led the visiting WA reps to the meeting and he was accompanied by a Senegalese Athletics official. Although the ministry was quick to backpedal in the case of the AFN, it stood resolute on its dissolution of the other boards, a stance that further infuriated the dismissed board members. Rising from a meeting of the board members of all 31 federations, at the Presken Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, May 4, they issued a stern statement totally rejecting the arbitrary and untimely dissolution of the boards of duly and democratically elected federations, to which was added an
ultimatum for the sports ministry and the minister. The part of the statement containing the ultimatum read: “The board members of the 31 sports federations hereby give the minister 48-hour ultimatum within which he is to rescind and reverse all unlawful pronouncements he made over the dissolution of duly appointed board members of sports federations or face appropriate reactions from the federations.” It did not take long for the warning in the another part of the statement, which read: ”The members unequivocally stated that on no account will the caretaker committees be recognised by the International bodies of the various sports federations in place of the duly elected boards” to come to pass as on Wednesday, Khaled Babbou, Rugby Africa President, announced the immediate suspension of Nigeria from participating “in all Rugby Africa and World Rugby activities until further notice”. In a letter to the ministry, Rugby Africa warned that if appropriate steps were not taken, in line with the approved constitution of the Rugby board, Nigeria would cease to partake in any of its global activities. The letter read: “We have learned of the dissolution of the boards of 31 sports Federations in Nigeria, including the above Rugby Federation to be replaced by a handpicked caretaker committee. “We would humbly remind the Honourable Minister that the constitution of the NRFF which was ratified at their Extraordinary General Meeting held in Lagos on the 3rd of March 2018, was also formally approved by Rugby Afrique and by World Rugby at the time. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com
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