THEWILL NEWSPAPER April 30, 2023

When our cover personality Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi a housewife at the time, made the move to start a fashion business after she had heard from God, it didn’t go as she had envisioned. She lost everything, but that didn’t stop her; she went back to the drawing board and lost even more. She then went back to her prayer closet, and this time she got details, from the company’s name to the mission statement, but she didn’t have enough capital, so what did she do? She bought fabric with what she had from what the markets call sample fabric and had the idea to combine them. This time, her business did much better. Today she runs a business in the fashion industry and has a real estate business. Read her intriguing story on pages 8 through 10.

We end our five–part series on autism awareness this week, and I would like to use this medium to thank Ifueko Karibi-Whyte for such an enlightening series about the autism spectrum. Please read her concluding story on page 6.

It’s World Asthma Day on May 2, so we have a little something about surviving asthma on page 7.

Our career page talks about mental health in the workplace and what employers need to do to ensure that they prioritise mental well-being. The beauty pages talk about natural and synthetic products and their effects on the skin and the environment, while pages 14 through 15 are a special labour day feature on the rise of Tony Elumelu in the workforce.

Don’t miss our movie review page, and remember to scan the QR codes for the best music selection there is out there.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

FOUR WEEKS TO BUHARI'S EXIT:

Tough Times Still Lie Ahead

• Nigerians Lament Current Realities • Tales of Woes Over Failed Promises

BY SAMUEL DIALA WITH UKANDI ODEY, SAMUEL UHUEGBU, DAVID OWEI, SEGUN AYINDE AND UDEME UTIP

There is palpable fear in the land. Everywhere you turn Nigerians, male or female, old and young, are heading into the future with such uncertainty about the country that even the Federal Government itself has had to cave to hard facts and data about the current state of affairs in taking the decision to suspend fuel subsidy removal as a first step to coming to grasp reality. Although the government later on Friday said that the removal of the subsidy on petrol would not be suspended, as earlier announced,saying the committee was only being expanded to accommodate representatives of the President-elect, uncertainty and confusion still surround the decision.

According to THEWILL investigation, the government, which had suspended the fuel subsidy removal in 2022, shortly after the passage of the Petroleum Industrial Act, PIA, into law in August 2021, had to agree to an encore on Thursday, April 26, 2023, when it was presented with the picture of a “high possibility of combustible social unrest, following the current tension over a disputed presidential poll preceded by a disruptive cashless policy, all of which the removal of subsidy could aggravate,” according to a dependable source.

The Government had been so certain about subsidy removal that it made a provision for it in the 2023 budget up to June, including the fact that PIA has a provision that requires deregulation of petroleum products eight months after the effective date of the removal of subsidy. “Nigeria has huge challenges in basic things as little as investing in its people. The country has not done a lot and in terms of enabling private firms to grow and create jobs, that hasn’t happened and without these two things, it would never get out of the situation it finds itself presently.

“Nigeria is at a critical juncture. The basic message here

is that Nigeria has huge potential and often you can see it from the impact of Nigerians in diaspora and the rest of the world as well as the potential you see within Nigeria right now,” the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri, said at a roundtable with media leaders in Lagos, organised by the bank in collaboration with Agora Policy.

This deficit in investing in people and harnessing the potential of the country is a ticking time bomb.

THE SITUATION IN THE STATES

There is a virtual standstill in the states across the country in terms of providing answers to unresolved challenges of unemployment, rising poverty causing social disharmony and disease. Also, everything is virtually at a standstill in all the 36 states of the federation as the people await the inauguration of a new administration by May 29, 2023. Generally, the cost of living has hit the roof, further pauperising the people who in many cases as workers are still being owed between three and six months’ salaries in states such as Plateau, Benue, Ondo and Abia, while in places like Ogun, salary deductions run into almost a year.

In states like Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Plateau and Benue, insecurity, which abated during the 2023 General Election, has returned in full force.

Between April 13 and 16, for example, 35 persons were killed by terrorists in Atak’Njei and Runji communities in the Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A week earlier on April 7, gunmen attacked Umogidi town in Benue State, killing 46 persons. These are farming communities, like many communities in the country, which unchecked attacks have kept from farming, thereby further deepening poverty, lack of production and trading in farm produce.

In Imo State, for example, where the capital city, Owerri,

is rapidly developing in terms of infrastructures, the aesthetic look of its environment has marked it out as a unique entity. Interestingly, the rising costs of renting houses in the State is not only disturbing, but has become worrisome to the people.

Apart from the skyrocketed prices of building materials, which is even a new development, landlords have increased their houses' rent by 70 percent without considering the fact that Imo is not an industrialised state. In Enugu, Umuahia, Ebonyi, Onitsha, Awka, Aba, Obosi and Nnewi, a three- bedroom flat does not exceed N200,000.

It is on record that the outrageous fees charged by property owners are contributing to the rising level of hardship among the residents.

PAST CHALLENGES AS LESSONS

Nigerians witnessed first- hand the problems associated with lack of fuel as it happened during the recent scarcity, which the regime of fuel subsidy removal may unleash on them if the necessary cushions or alternatives, such as new or repaired refineries, are unavailable: increased cost of goods and services due to high cost of transportation; unemployment due to increased cost of production leading to lay-offs by non-profitable companies and reduction in foreign direct investment.

So far, government policies are yet to stimulate growth and development.

THE CASUALTIES

Although the government has rolled out policies to address the challenges, such initiatives are either misapplied or sabotaged, thus rendering them ineffective. Being a public sector-driven economy, policy misapplication has wide-range effects with lasting impacts.

...Tough Times Still Lie Ahead

One of the major casualties of poor economic management is the private sector, the engine of the economy, which is being overstretched amid multiple taxes, poor infrastructure and lack of ease of doing business. They bear the brunt of the government's lack of effective priorities yet remain at the receiving end of harsh policies.

In the 2022 Finance Act, which has been touted with an ambitious plan to bring “all sectors of the economy into the tax net,” the tax segments have been expanded. There is Capital Gains Tax from digital assets, Cable Undertakings and the Lottery and Gaming Businesses taxes.

These join a long list of other taxes from stamp duties, companies’ income tax excise duties on tobacco, alcohol, carbonated drinks, and luxury items, as well as the value added tax on social media adverts and electronic transfer levies.

People are wondering about the rationale in imposing more taxes on businesses that are yet to recover from the effects of COVID-19 which occurred at the heels of the 15-month land border closure.

The small and struggling businesses are subjected to other streams of taxes at the state and local government levels. This has a direct impact on profitability and employment amid rising inflation, which triggers high cost of doing business generally. Findings showed that some micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have closed shop due to their inability to cope with the challenging environment.

“By the time you pay all these taxes, both official and unofficial, and provide your own water borehole, generate your own electricity, pay for security and street maintenance levies, you have nothing left to run your business,” said Agnes Akannor, a canteen operator in the Ikeja area of Lagos, whose business closed down in March 2023.

The fate of large companies is not different. Despite the potential to take millions of people out of the labour market and their role in boosting the government's tax revenue, the firms are bedeviled by major problems that have continued to stall industrialisation in Africa’s largest economy.

Under the Muhammadu Buhari Administration, problems such as foreign exchange scarcity, high borrowing cost, multiple taxation, and shrink in capacity utilisation have plagued manufacturing and consumer goods companies, in particular.

That has resulted in some consumer goods firms cutting down on their operations and restoring some of their brands in order to cope with the harsh economic situation. Some firms are relocating to neighbouring countries or ceding the production of their products to other locations of their businesses. This has effects on employment, capacity utilization and tax revenue.

The World Bank in November 2022 reiterated its call for urgent reforms to reset the Nigerian economy and address its myriad of economic challenges, saying the country is presently at a critical juncture.

The multilateral institutions had urged Nigeria to dump the cancerous fuel subsidy, which had eaten into the fabrics of the nation’s economic life, with the result that Nigeria spent $10 billion on oil subsidy in 2022. This is equivalent to N4.7 trillion at the interbank exchange rate of N462 to a dollar. It budgeted N3.3 trillion to cover fuel subsidy payment for the first six months of 2023.

After losing N2.3 trillion revenue to oil theft in 12 months, Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has secured a $800 million facility from the World Bank to cushion the effects of the planned oil subsidy removal on the “most vulnerable”, poor Nigerians.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said that the $800 million World Bank facility was the first tranche of the palliatives to be disbursed through cash transfers to about 50 million Nigerians, who belong to the most vulnerable category of the society.

The $800 million World Bank palliative package had drawn flak from experts who expressed the concern that it would worsen the country’s economic woes with a huge debt profile, and that its implementation efficacy is doubtful.

The experts argued that the share of the subsidy palliative for those it is meant for is infinitesimal and would offer literally little or no real benefits compared to the huge pains the subsidy removal will impose on the citizens.

“At an exchange rate of N500 to $1, this translates to N 400 billion. If you divide N400 billion by 50 million Nigerians, we are talking of N8,000. What will N8,000 do for an average Nigerian, if we remove subsidy and the price of PMS from that N185 per litre that it is today to N450-N500 per litre? How will that justify the impact of the subsidy removal on the person?” queried Nnaemeka Obiaraeri, an investment expert and Managing Director/ CEO, Taurus Oil & Gas Limited.

Prof Bongo Adi of Pan African University, Lagos observed that inflation is the greatest evil confronting the masses at the moment. He warned that additional borrowings would worsen the situation.

Prof Adi suggested that governments work through value chains in agriculture and trading that have direct links with the poor. He said subsidies should be directed towards food and medicare.

“Any other means other than these will be considered part of the same corruption syndicate that Buhari’s government has nurtured over the past eight years,” Prof Adi told THEWILL in a note.

According to the Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Dr. Osagie Okubor, Nigeria lost an opportunity to produce and sell about 65,700,000 barrels of oil in the last one year due to issues related to pipeline vandalism and the resultant oil theft that the government showed lack of capacity to contain.

This translates to about N2.3 trillion loss in oil revenue based on the prevailing official exchange rate and average oil price in the international market.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) had disclosed in January that it spent 4.39 trillion Naira ($9.7 billion) on petrol subsidy in 2022, a cost it blamed for dwindling public finances. The Federal Government budgeted N3.36 trillion ($7.5 billion) to spend on petrol subsidy until mid-2023 when the subsidy is planned to be scrapped.

Nigeria’s current total public debt of N70 trillion Naira, if shared among the current population of 220.2 million people, places a debt burden of N317,850 on each citizen, according to data compiled by THEWILL. The 774 local government areas of the country will also be liable to N90.5 billion each as their share of the total public debt.

The N70 trillion public debt is made up of N46.25 trillion of the federal and state governments, and N23,70 trillion borrowed by the federal government from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through ways and means. The current estimated population of Nigeria is 220,229,992 based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.

In a country where 133 million people live in multidimensional poverty and earn less than $2 per day, the impact of the debt burden is crippling.

Ten years ago, Nigeria earned $62.9 billion (about N12.5 trillion at that time) as revenue from the oil and gas sector, with daily oil production hovering between 1.8 and 2 million barrels per day in 2012. Nigeria’s crude oil production has declined to an average of 1.3 million barrels per day, meaning that oil revenue has dropped significantly. The implications are obvious – shrink in government revenue with ripple effects on the wider economy.

A THREATENED GENERATION

According to the NBS Labour Force Report, unemployment among young Nigerians (15-34 years) stood at 21.72 million or 42.5 per cent of the estimated 29.94 million young Nigerians in the labour force.

The NBS in its last report said that the national unemployment rate stood at 33.5 per cent as at December 2022, and is projected by global consulting firm, KMG, to have reached 40.6 per cent in 2023 With youth population estimated at 60 percent of Nigeria’s total population of about 215 million, it means that about 45 million Nigerian youths are jobless.

GOVERNMENT DOING MUCH BUT GETTING TOO LITTLE RESULT

President Buhari has spent N3.5 trillion on social intervention and poverty alleviation programmes since 2015. These include the National Social Investment programme, N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Government Enterprise and Empowerment programme, TraderMoney, MarketMoney and FarmerMoni all arms of GEEP.

But with the NNPCL making zero remittance to FAAC, the Federal, State and Local governments have relied on tax and other non-oil revenue sources to buoy government revenue.

Nigeria’s total annual upstream capital expenditure decreased by 74 percent from $27 billion in 2014 to less than $6 billion in 2022, according to Oilprice.com. Oilprice.com, a leading energy news site, recently revealed that Nigeria’s yearly capital expenditure in the upstream arm of the oil sector decreased by over 70 percent within the nearly eight years of Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

The energy news platform said competition from regional peers contributed to the decrease in the proportion of the overall upstream investment attracted by Nigeria.

“The oil and gas production in Nigeria is being severely impacted by the Western ESG (Environmental, Social and Government) strategies that are forcing IOCs to reconsider their upstream and downstream operations worldwide, resulting in major reshuffling and divestments of assets. The report stated that Nigeria, one of OPEC’s leading oil producers, has already seen $21 billion worth of assets divested, putting its future in jeopardy.

Nigeria Spent 96.3 per cent of the 2022 Revenue To Service Debt – World Bank. According to the report, Nigeria's fiscal position deteriorated in 2022, leaving the cost of the petrol subsidy to increase from 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent of GDP. The World Bank says Nigeria spent 96.3 percent of its 2022 revenue on servicing its debts.

“There is no way an economy in such a quagmire can generate jobs, improve people’s living standard and guarantee a stable future. This is why we should be worried about the ‘mess’ Buhari is leaving behind,” said a top banker on the point of anonymity.

From what is happening, it is obvious that the country is faring worse, with the citizens facing a grim struggle to scrape a living. As a result, the life of an average citizen is severely challenged from all angles.

The oil and gas production in Nigeria is being severely impacted by the Western ESG (Environmental, Social and Government) strategies that are forcing IOCs to reconsider their upstream and downstream operations worldwide, resulting in major reshuffling and divestments of assets. The report stated that Nigeria, one of OPEC’s leading oil producers, has already seen $21 billion worth of assets divested, putting its future in jeopardy

ANA

Bayelsa Calls

FG to Rehabilitate Gabriel Okara State Library

Why Substandard Goods Enter Nigerian Markets – SON

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria says it's absence at the entry points into the country is responsible for the presence of substandard goods in our market.

Mallam Farouk Salim, FPSN, the DG/ CE of SON disclosed this in Calabar during a stakeholders sensitization forum.

The one day sensitisation had as theme: SON: Partners in Progress for Business boom via standardisation.

Usman Mohammed, the director of the South/South Region of SON who spoke on behalf of Mallam Salim said this lapse makes it difficult to control the entry of these goods into our markets.

"Most of these substandard goods get into the country either through the ports or borders and the government in it's wisdom some years back decided to take SON out of the seaport which is the entry point.

"If you are not there at the seaports where all these things come in, how will you be able to control it, that means you will start running after it in the town which makes it very difficult.

"If we are at the entry point, it makes it very easy to nip it at the board.

"However, government is considering taking us back to the port and a large number of substandard products will be prevented from getting into the country", he said.

He added that the aim of the sensitization is to enlighten manufacturers in Cross River State on the need to adhere to the requirements of standards.

Also speaking, Richard Adewumi, the director of marketing at SON, said that about 400 firms in the country have received the Management Systems Certification.

on

The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Comrade Julius Laye, has called on the Federal Government to speedily complete the National Library Complex, located opposite the Silverbird Galleria in the Swali area of Yenagoa. Comrade Julius stated this while on a tour of reading facilities in the state capital, as part of ANA' Bayelsa's drive to commemorate this year's World Book Day.

Buhari Approves Postponement of 2023 Census

BY AYO ESAN

The ANA Bayelsa helmsman, along with members of his Executive, including the Vice Chairman, Amatare Mozimo, Publicity Secretary, Dr. Eyinimini Agoro, and Mrs Peremobowei Fatai, the Financial Secretary, reiterated that having befitting libraries, is one sure way of boosting reading and writing culture amongst youths to deter them from social vices.

"In Nigeria today, about 400 companies in Nigeria have received the Management Systems Certification to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

"What this does is that any organisation that subscribes to that we are sure they have put in place proper management Systems in line with the requirements of the standards", he said. Also speaking, Chief Emeka Duru, the Senior Special Adviser to the DG/CE and national coordinator of sensitisation programmes said a platform like this is used to interface with stakeholders and create awareness so that businesses can move forward.

He added that without the stakeholders SON does not exist and the platform will also help in implementing best practices and minimizing wastes.

On his part, Engr. Ninma Apim, the Cross River State coordinator of SON said the sensitization is aimed at harmonizing services and facilities to produce quality goods.

He added that it will provide a benchmark for regulating the overall performance of the industry in order to compete globally, thereby providing confidence to customers.

In his words, "Compliance to the specification of the NIS is a sure bet to increased patronage in the industry. Customers’ satisfaction leads to increase in productivity and this further leads to increase in turn-over, which leads to high profit, employment, wealth creation, economic growth and development of Nigeria", he said.

Usen Umoh, a representative from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria said said MAN will continue to partner with SON to ensure that locally manufactured goods are always up to standard.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, which was earlier scheduled to hold between May 3 and May 7, 2023, to a date that will be determined by the incoming administration.

The President gave the approval for the postponement after he held a meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, April 28, 2023.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed made this known in a statement that he released on Saturday morning .

Mohammed in the statement said, “In arriving at the decision to postpone the census, the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last census, to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people.”

The minister said Buhari disclosed that appreciable progress had been made in the preparation for and implementation of the now postponed census, adding that the President commended the methodology being put in place by the NPC to conduct accurate and reliable census.

“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, conduct of first and second pre-tests, the recruitment and training of ad hoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

“He also commended the methodology being put in place by the Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world class Census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.”

While commending the Federal Government for including Bayelsa in the National Library Project, which began about a decade ago, Comrade Laye was quick to remind the National Assembly of their oversight functions and allotment of funds to see to the final completion of the National Library Project in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital.

"It's a good project. But its completion is taking too long. The edifice is great and compelling. Its location is central and assessible. As writers, we embrace the National Library Project in Bayelsa. We can't wait to put it to use."

Laye, who is also the incumbent State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), charged the Bayelsa State Government to follow the steps of the Federal Government by reconstructing and refurbishing the State Library which was named after the literary Icon, the late sage, Dr. Gabriel Okara, as it is in a sorry state of disrepair and a death trap to users!

"We call on Governor Diri to refurbish and reconstruct the Dr Gabriel OKARA STATE LIBRARY, located beside the Former Diamond Bank, at the Central Business District. It's an eyesore. It needs to be pulled down and rebuilt. Books need to be provided and the environment must be made conducive for research work and pleasure reading. It should be made to be totally conducive. With state of the e-library," he said.

As the global literary community marks the World Book Day, it is pertinent that Government and other stakeholders must see the need of ensuring that public libraries are readily available to assist writers and other users in so as to give a boost to education in Bayelsa State.

L-R: NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Mr. Charles Ogunmola; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Umana Okon Umana; NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku; Representative of the United States Consulate, Mr. Chamberlain Eke and NDDC Director Legal, Dr Stephen Ighoumuaye, during the signing of MOU, at the PPP summit, Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos on April 24, 2023.

FROM DAVID OWEI, YENAGOA

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

Nigeria, Italy Reaffirm Commitment to Global Counterterrorism Efforts

Nigeria and Italy have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening criminal justice and rule of law in combating terrorism across the globe.

This commitment was demonstrated when the two countries co-chaired the seventh Plenary Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s (GCTF) Criminal Justice and Rule of Law (CJROL) Working Group in St Julian’s, Malta.

This is contained in a statement from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Friday in Abuja.

The Coordinator, National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), retired Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa, said the administration of criminal justice terrorism-related cases could neither be efficient nor effective if the rights of those concerned were not protected.

Musa, who represented Nigeria at the event, said the effect of lack of protection for witnesses had resulted in the striking out of cases by the courts involving heinous crimes because witnesses often refuse to testify due to the absence of a system designed to cater to their protection.

He said that Nigeria had on May 23, 2022, signed the Witness Protection and Management Act into law to specifically address that challenge.

According to him, Nigeria first cochaired the CJ-ROL Working Group with Switzerland in 2018 and developed the Abuja Recommendations on Collection, Use and Sharing of Evidence for Purposes of Criminal Prosecution of Terror Suspects.

He said the recommendation was endorsed at the 2018 GCTF Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly.

ANAN Optimistic of Buhari’s Assent to its Amendment Bill

The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) has said it is optimistic that President Muhammadu Buhari will assent to its Amendment Bill before leaving office on May 29.

Prof Benjamin Osisioma, the President of ANAN, said this when he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chartered Institute of Management (CIM) in Abuja on Thursday.

The MoU was aimed at deepening professionalism among members of two bodies through exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Osisioma who was leaving office after the expiration of his tenure, said that his desired was to leave ANAN better than he met it.

He said that the amendment bill had gone through the Senate and the House of Representatives and hopefully on May 2, it

UCH, Roche Healthcare Partner on Research, Capacity Building

Roche, a Swiss multinational healthcare company, has said thT it is in partnership with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, to equip its research team with the necessary skills to compete with others internationally.

Mrs Huwaida Bulhan, Senior Clinical Research Operations Lead, Africa Area, Roche, made this known at the kick-off of the Roche site alliance project on Friday in Ibadan.

Bulhan said that the site alliance project was set up to shape the healthcare ecosystem by providing capacity to bridge the gap in diversity and inclusion of Africans in clinical research.

She said UCH, Ibadan is among the four Centres of Excellence in Africa selected and currently undergoing Roche capacity building in site development programme.

COAS Tasks Think-tank Centre on Bridging Operational Lapses

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has challenged the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre (NAHFC) to proffer solutions to identified lapses in the operations of the army.

Faruk gave the directive at the centre’s inaugural lecture and orientation programme, on Friday in Abuja.

The lecture with the topic ‘From Colonial Occupation to a National Force, Nigerian Army Past Experience, Present Realities and Future Prospects’, was delivered by Prof. Abayomi Akinyeye.

He said the growing threats to national security by non-state actors made him to urgently reposition the Nigerian army with a view to effectively defeat the threats and contain the myriad of security challenges.

Yahaya said the centre should serve as “loyal opposition” with the mission of serving as a research organisation for the army through formulation and development of policy frameworks.

“Other roles and responsibilities of the centre include developing plans for the entrenchment and preservation of army heritage.

Bulhan expressed the readiness of Roche to demonstrate what Africa was capable of doing through its partnership with UCH and other health organisations.

She added that UCH would soon be a major source of opportunities for other institutions in Africa.

According to her, we are ready to demonstrate what Africans are capable of doing.

“Our organisation has a long term plan for this project. This is not only limited to Roche, it is to give UCH, Nigeria and Africa a platform to open door of opportunities for others.

“The capacity building is not only for research, but it will translate to quality healthcare in UCH.

“The project will give practitioners within the institution the opportunity to get access to innovative diagnostics and therapeutic products before they are commercially available in the country.

“Roche, through UCH, is going to motivate other centres in Nigeria, and we believe that once it is well done in UCH, other centres will follow suit,” she said.

Also, on the project, the Medical Director, Roche, Bolarinwa Oyedeji, said that the project currently running in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, would be a win for all parties.

“This project has been put together to create a kind of foundation and a network of site across countries in Africa.

will pass through votes and proceedings.

On the possibility of Buhari’s assent to the bill before leaving office, he said, “there is nothing you can be sure of, but we pray for the best, we can only hope and believe.”

“We are people of faith, we pray the president assent it because it is for the benefit of this nation, it won’t stop us from doing what we are doing but we will be more efficient with what we are doing.”

He said, “in few days, I will be leaving office and my successor is waiting on the wing. My stay was fruitful, I have had my best.

“We wish we could say we are perfect but even our shortcomings was not borne out of any deliberate infractions.”

Mr Olumide Adedoyin, the Registrar, CIM said the MoU was on reciprocity gesture which would help the two institutes to function effectively.

“Monitoring the implementation of bilateral agreements that affect the Nigerian army and institutionalising and mainstreaming novel solutions to its tactical, operational, administrative and logistics challenges.

“In addition to these responsibilities, the centre will regularly receive list of key strategic issues from Army Headquarters for consideration while also supporting the research and development efforts of the Nigerian army,” he said.

The COAS expressed the hope that the thought-provoking discourse during the lecture would “kickstart and give direction to the future activities of this centre”.

The Director-General, NAHFC Maj.-Gen. Kamila Kadiri, said that the Nigerian army has had very rich heritage and history, founded on its successful prosecution of the Nigerian civil war and several operations within and outside the country.

“The reason we are doing this is to ensure that we have a win for our patients, for the institution, health practitioners and even for ROCHE.

“We are trying to build capacity and capability within the institution, enabling our institution to be ready for global clinical trials,” Oyedeji said.

In his remarks, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, the Chief Medical Director of UCH, said the hospital has embraced the new development, assuring Roche of maximum support that would make the project to be a success.

Otegbayo, represented by Dr Abiodun Adeoye, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), said: “It gladdens our heart that we will be the first and the only one for now in Nigeria to become Centre of Excellence for this project in Africa.

“We all know that the way people respond to medication differs based on their genetic make-up and gender, their implications.

President of Rotary Club of Naraguta, Mrs. Virginia Jang (second left); Past District Governor of Rotary International District 9125, Nigeria, Dr. Elvis Chukwu (third left); Assistant District Governor of Rotary International District 9125, Nigeria, Tongnaan Dada-Bawa (second left) and other members, during the inauguration of the club's Awareness Campaign Signboard for sickle cell disease in Jos, Plateau State on April 24, 2023.

POLITICS

Tinubu Shettima

Setting Agenda For The President-Elect

BY AYO ESAN

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu won the February 2023 Presidential Election.

Although two contestants in the election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) are already challenging the outcome of the election in court, the situation as of now is that Nigeria has a President-elect in the person of Tinubu.

However, if sworn in on May 29, 2023, Tinubu will have in his possession, the enormous powers that the extant constitution bestows on the President of the Federal Republic and he must focus on what to do for his country and how he will do it.

One needs to warn that having made a reasonable success of governing Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not take for granted his new assignment.

Lagos is not Nigeria. Nigeria is a highly diverse country of over 200 million people spread across more than 900,000 square kilometers and so it is far more complex to manage.

Tinubu will need the political sagacity and the wisdom to surmount the challenges ahead of him. To this end, only wise and confident advisers and cabinet members will make his task easier and his tenure memorable.

With less than 30 days to the inauguration of the new President on May 29, 2023, Nigerians are already setting the agenda for the incoming helmsman. They are eagerly awaiting Tinubu’s assumption of power amidst the decadence of the past eight years.

Many Nigerians believe that despite the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim to have done his best for the country, his best has not been enough. Little wonder, Tinubu christened his manifesto, “A Renewed Hope”.

Political analysts and commentators cannot agree less with Tinubu that what Nigerians need now is hope from

the past decadence.

Tinubu, the president-elect, has put together an 80page ‘Action Plan for a Better Nigeria’ which has characteristically shown that he is intellectually and mentally prepared for the task ahead.

Tinubu has earlier described this job that he is about to take up as his life-long ambition.

The 1999 Constitution has set in unambiguous and simple language, an agenda of action for any government in charge of the country no matter the political leaning. Section 14 (2)(b) of the Nigeria Constitution says that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government…’

All political, economic and social measures of all branches of government and their agents at every level must be guided by this unambiguous provision.

The provision is fully articulated in the entire chapter on ‘Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.’

Some informed opinions believed that an industrial

economy must have enough electricity to power it. They said, “With due respect to the measures stated in the Tinubu action plan, there is a need to declare an emergency in the power sector. The industries and other businesses are functioning at unacceptably low capacity because of poor power supply. But the rest of the world is passing Nigeria by in terms of production and productivity. This is embarrassing. Mr Tinubu must think out of the box to quickly increase electricity supply first to the businesses. That way manufacturers will work longer, more workers will be engaged and goods and services will be generated at lower costs than obtain at present.

“The agricultural output will be raised by steps that include increasing land under cultivation from the present 35 per cent to 65 per cent in four years, set up commodity boards to buy produce from farmers at a guaranteed price, and attracting investment and interest in the agriculture sector through its ‘Farm Nigeria Project.’

Tinubu promises to ‘review the organisation, structure and operations of the Nigeria Railways Corporation’ to achieve ‘better uses of rail…, decongest traffic in urban areas… (and) reduce the number of road incidents and accidents”.

Interestingly, he has identified national security as the bedrock of a prosperous and democratic society’ in his blueprint for a better Nigeria. It goes on to expatiate as including, to ‘redefine military doctrine on method of implementation and practice’ as well as ‘reposition the Police.’

Tinubu and his campaign team rightly takes security matter as first before other matters for the simple reason that, in an unsafe environment, nothing meaningful can be achieved in other spheres of human endeavour. That is the pillar of the constitution in Section 14(2)(b).

With less than 30 days to the inauguration of the new President on May 29, 2023, Nigerians are already setting the agenda for the incoming helmsman

...For The President-Elect

Continued from Page 10

Among other daunting tasks that he would be confronted with is how to unite a country that has been torn apart by ethnic and religious sentiments. Many observers believe that Nigeria appears to be more divided now along ethnic lines than in the last eight years.

Analysts believe that the sharp division in the country heightened the last presidential election where support for the major candidates was largely along regional lines.

A political analyst, John Osadebe, said, “The results of the last election only highlight Nigeria’s deep, ongoing divisions. Many Nigerians voted according to ethnic, religious, and social sentiments.

“Generally, if you look at it, it only shows how deeply divided Nigerians was and may be for a long time”.

Sadly the division was further seen in the March 18 governorship and states assembly election, where violence was allegedly unleashed on some non-Yoruba residents in Lagos in a bid to suppress and intimidate them from exercising their franchise.

This also caught the attention of Tinubu who said he was saddened by the “isolated” infractions in some states as well as the divisive rhetoric that characterised the polls. In the midst of the current tension, many believe the president-elect has the daunting task of uniting the country.

Many analysts however believe that based on his largeheartedness and tolerance, the president-elect can unite the country, though it is not going to be easy. They cited his cabinet in Lagos where he had many people from outside Lagos and Yoruba land as a whole in his government.

The likes of Ben Akabueze, Adama Igholi, and others were names that were not Yoruba, yet they functioned well under Tinubu. It may be difficult in the first one year, but unity will return afterwards”, they posited.

Alexander Idachaba, an indigene of Ankpa in Kogi State, said that Bola Tinubu did all he can to win, but afterwards, he will do all he can to unite Nigerians unlike Muhammadu Buhari, who never cared for the Eastern part, some North-Central states and South-South of Nigeria for not voting for him.

“I think Bola Tinubu knows the dynamics of politics more than any of us. He will send his foot soldiers and move where necessary to gather people back to support his government. We should wait for his cabinet that will tell us how ready he is to unite the citizens after the election troubles,” he said.

Also speaking about what Tinubu should do when he assumes power, the wife of former Governor of Oyo State, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, said, “We have seen tremendous improvements in governance and as far as I am concerned, he would do well as the President of Nigeria because he is an experienced man and a good manager.

“He is also going to improve on what the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari has done. The issue of governance is continuity and no one or individual can finish governance. When you get there you have to continue on what is on ground and improve on it. No doubt, President Buhari has done his best and I am sure, Asiwaju will perform and he is going to surprise Nigerians. He is capable of turning the economy of the country around and I know that he has already mapped out how the security issues in Nigeria would be tackled.

“Unifying the country is definitely one of the issues which the coming Federal government should look into in order to further cement the existing unity in Nigeria. This would also reduce the agitations of marginalisation here and there. This would go a long way to address the issue of insecurity because each zone or region would

map out how some of these issues would be solved according to the dictates of the region.

“One of the areas that I expect the incoming government to look into is education, the employment of the youths and empowerment of women. I would like women to be more involved in governance and programmes of the new government of the APC. I am sure Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is already listening to the requests of the people and he would do something about them,” she said.

James Ojo, an Abuja based political commentator, said Tinubu would have to tackle many issues that the outgoing administration will leave behind, including a struggling economy, corruption, insecurity, high unemployment, rising inflation and a country divided along ethnic lines.

He said Nigeria is neck-deep in debt and that Tinubu should not embark on further borrowing.

“There is a need for the incoming administration to put all necessary policies to stop federal and states government from borrowing and in the case where the borrowing is necessary the said borrowing should be well monitored and be used to fund projects that can generate revenue out of which the debt can be repaid.

A chartered Marketer with interest in public policy, Michael Umogun said, “Priority for the President elect should be an improvement in power for domestic and industrial consumption. He should also move fast to remove the shame of the lack of refined crude in an OPEC member state.

“Also deserving immediate attention is the spate of terrorist attacks across Nigeria. Investors are losing interest in our case as a country and they are looking elsewhere. We need to help the President elect bring back our lost glory.

“According to the Financial Times of London, Nigeria’s President would inherit a fragile and battered economy. So the task before the Jagaban as our president elect is called is to ensure this sick giant is restore to good health.”

Col. Tony Nyiam (retd.) told THEWILL that he had opted for a spiritual solution to Nigeria’s problems. “For Now I am praying for nigeria, my homeland,” he said.

In the midst of the current tension, many believe the president-elect has the daunting task of uniting the country

POLITICS

Race For Senate President Hots up

BY AYO ESAN

The arrival of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the country last Monday has rekindled the race for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

Also, the quest for a new Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and a new President of the Senate has engaged Tinubu’s attention since his return.

Most of those aspiring for both positions have been trying to win the support of the President-elect.

At least four senators are in the front race to succeed the incumbent Senate President as from June when the 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated.

They are Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Abdul Aziz Abubakar Yari (Zamfara) and Barau Jibrin (Kano).

The contenders have been moving round the country to campaign and justify their aspiration for the position.

One of the leading aspirants is the current Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who last week met with the president –elect in his Aso-Rock home in Abuja where they were said to have engaged in a closed door meeting afterwards.

Apart from the leading four aspirants already mentioned earlier , others in the race are Sen Sani Musa (Niger East); Sen Ali Ndume (Borno South), Sen Osita Izunaso (Imo West), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North); the serving Senate president, Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North); former Deputy Senate leader, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central); Senate.

Of all these aspirants, only Umahi is going to the Senate for the first time.

Meanwhile Tinubu has admonished the APC governors to work with the party to avoid precipitating a leadership crisis in the National Assembly.

Tinubu asked Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and others to work with the party leadership and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the 10TH National Assembly.

Tinubu made this admonition last Thursday during a meeting with some members of the Progressives Governors Forum who visited him at the Defence House in Abuja, according to a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman.

It has been gathered that the President- elect agreed with the suggestion of the governors that consensus candidates should not be picked, rather the positions should be zoned.

It was gathered that the meeting was part of Tinubu’s consultations with the APC stakeholders for the planned zoning of the positions.

He had earlier met with the party’s National Working Committee members and some aspirants.

The governors were led to the meeting by the Chairman of the PGF who also doubles as the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu.

The Permutations

A lot of permutations are ongoing concerning the zoning of leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly. It is believed that since the President-elect hails from the South-West and the Vice Presidentelect, Kashim Shettima, is from the North-East, the APC’s ceding of the position of President of the Senate will give the South-East geopolitical zone a sense of belonging in the coming Tinubu administration.

Kalu, who was actually the first among the contenders to publicly declare his intention to contest for Senate presidency of the 10th Assembly, stressed that it is his turn to occupy the exalted office, since he is a ranking APC member of the Senate as well as the highest APC officer from the South-East.

He is also banking on his Christian background and had unequivocally rejected any zoning arrangement that will make a Muslim to emerge as Senate President in the coming Assembly, arguing that since Nigeria is a secular state, it would not be right for persons of the same religious faith to occupy the first three highest political offices in the country.

Tinubu and Shettima, the President-elect and Vice President-elect respectively, are Muslims. Kalu has argued that he as a Christian should be the Number Three man in the country.

Political analysts believe that the incumbent senate president, Ahmad Lawan, who is said to be interested in the retaining the seat but has not made any public statement to confirming his interest, will face an uphill task given the fact that the North-East, where he hails from has already produced the vice president in the person of Shettima.

It is also believed that Lawan’s Muslim background and his manner of handling of affairs of the 9th Senate, which made many to see the Red Chamber as a “rubber stamp” will equally work against his bid.

For Akpabio and Barau, their respective bids are hinged on the need for power balancing among the geopolitical zones. Akpabio, who hails from the SouthSouth, is a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, while Barau is from Kano in the North-West. So they are equally hopeful that the APC leadership will consider their respective zones in deciding where the pendulum will swing to. But Akpabio is also having an edge, being a Christian.

Akpabio’s supporters are also talking of the way and manner he stepped down for Tinubu at the APC Presidential Primary, wishing that Tinubu will also pay him back by endorsing his ambition to lead the senate.

Musa, who is from Niger State, has adopted a cautious approach to his bid. Though eminently qualified going by the Senate rules and other considerations, Musa who represents Niger East (North Central) has realised that his Muslim background may pose an obstacle to his ambition. He has therefore said that he will not allow his political ambition to cloud his sense of patriotism and nationalism.

He has opted to respect the heterogeneous structure of Nigeria, and has said that he will not allow his Senate presidency ambition to contribute to the already tense political atmosphere in the country, following the emergence of two Muslims as President-elect and Vice President-elect.

Musa told journalists recently in Abuja that although his primary desire was to contest for the Senate presidency, he was willing and ready to sacrifice his number one choice and go for the Office of Deputy President of the Senate, only on religious consideration, so that a Christian could be elected as the next President of the Senate.

He said, “For the exigencies of our time, looking at the volatile situation of what has generated the MuslimMuslim ticket in this country, I am one person that believes in the secularity of one Nigeria. I am one person that believes that, for every reason, there should be give and take in this country.

“We have lived with both Christians and Muslims. Some of us still have relatives that are still Christians and Muslims. We have lived in a society where there’s intermarriage; we have lived for so long. Our forefathers envisaged a country where we would all live together. “I will not have any problem seeing a qualified, competent personality like me in the Senate, who has also presented himself for the office of the Senate President and asked me please to drop my ambition for him; I will do it. “There is a position of Deputy Senate President, which also is a presiding officer in the National Assembly. I will be willing to do it if it’s going to be in the best interest of Nigerians and if it’s going to be in the best interest of the zone I am going to represent. There’s no commitment or sacrifice too much to make to keep the unity this country deserves.”

Meanwhile Tinubu has admonished the APC governors to work with the party to avoid precipitating a leadership crisis in the National Assembly

Apabio Kalu

Foundation Tasks Tinubu, Governors-elect on Appointing PWDs to Positions

The Albino Foundation (TAF Africa) has tasked the president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu and governors-elect to appoint Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) as ministers and commissioners.

Mr. Jake Epelle, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TAF Africa said this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

Epelle also advised Tinubu to incorporate PWDs into his transition committee as there was non in the committee presently.

He said that at the onset of preparations for the 2023 general elections, TAF Africa through its European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria II programme built the capacity of PWDs to contest for elective positions.

He said that although none of the engaged PWD candidates was successful at the polls, their willingness to contest was a strong message that PWDs were capable of contesting for elections and will be willing to perform when given the opportunity.

“With the end of the 2023 general elections and the emergence of elected individuals, an opportunity to drive disability inclusion and strengthen the political voices of persons with disabilities in Nigeria’s political process has been birthed.

“These elected individuals have a duty to entrench disability inclusion in their governance by making their political appointments disability inclusive.

“By being appointed as ministers, commissioners, heads of parastatals, special advisers, among others, PWDs are empowered to take their place alongside other citizens in affecting wide-ranging policies as it affects disability inclusion.

“As it is said “Nothing about Us without Us” relies solely on the principle of participation, no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group affected by that policy.

“Hence the need for disability inclusion in every sphere of governance,” he said.

Coalition Advocates

South-East Senate Presidency For Fairness, Equity

The Coalition of Civil Society Organization for Peace and Unity of Nigeria (CCSOPUN) have advocated for a Senate President from the South-East to promote fairness, equity, Justice and balance for peace and unity of Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the call was made during a meeting on “10th National Assembly Leadership” issues and prospects in Abuja.

According to Dr Onwubuya Breakforth, Chairman of the Coalition, the South East -geo-political zones are being treated unfairly and unjustly in the political equation of our country.

10th Senate: We Haven’t Made Endorsement- Forum

Epelle expressed disappointment that in spite of the disability inclusion interventions at the national level, the transition committee of the presidentelect had no representation of the community of PWDs.

He said that this could have been a unique opportunity to break down social stigmas by ensuring that PWDs appear alongside other citizens as active participants in the transition process of the president-elect.

“As the world beams its torchlight on disability inclusion in electoral processes, we call on the President-elect, Governorelect, and all elected individuals in the thirty-six (36) states of the federation including the federal capital territory to take the opportunity.

“This is to collaborate and commit to driving disability inclusion in their governance, by appointing persons with disabilities to become political office holders in their respective states,” he said.

Epelle also encouraged all elected individuals to priorities the appointment of persons with disabilities who contested for positions during the 2023 general elections but could not make it at the polls.

He said that the political appointments of PWDs should not be based just on their disability status but on their capacity and competence to drive positive change in public office irrespective of their disability status.

He said that Section 29 of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 provided that all employers of labour in a public organisation should as much as possible have PWDs constituting at least five per cent of their employment.

He said that the war against discrimination against PWDs would only be won when institutions, government, and the people collectively collaborate, say no to nuances of discrimination, and actively campaign for the rights of PWDs, thereby building an equitable society for all.

Forum of former House of Representatives members who are now senators-elect, says the group has not endorsed any candidate for the position of President of Senate.

Convener of the group and Senator-elect, Ahmed Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa West), made this known while briefing newsmen after a meeting with members of the forum in Abuja on Friday.

Wadada, who is to represent NasarawaWest Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, said that the forum was yet to declare its support for any candidate.

He said there was no discussion whatsoever about anybody’s candidature yet. When we get to the bridge we will cross it,” he said. He said with the support of his colleagues, he has the privilege of convening the former House of Representatives members that are now senators-elect.

“This is for us to reunite for the good of the country devoid of our different political parties,” he said.

“We are also united devoid of the different political parties we belong to and the sentiments talked about.

“We have decided to come together because we had experienced it before.

“I was a member of the House of Representatives in the fifth and sixth Assemblies.

“So we have decided to come together because we constitute a good bloc.

“We are about 26 members of the forum. This gives us a good bloc for us to come together with that sportsmanship we had at different times while in the House of Representatives for the development of the country.

“We are getting rejuvenated for the good of Nigeria,” Wadada said.

He listed the likes of Gov. of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal, who is also now a Senator-elect; former member, House of Representatives, Sen. Abdul Ningi, and the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, among members of the forum.

“From 1999 till date, the South East has been denied Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the South West has done Presidency from 1999-2007, NorthWest 2007 to 2011, South-South from 2011 to 2015, North-West again 2015 to 2023.

“For the Vice President, North East has done from 1999 to 2007, South –South has done 2007 to 2011 and North-East 2011 to 2015 and South-West 2015 to 2023.

“Now 2023 should have been the turn of the South-East to produce the President of Nigeria but the ongoing events now showed that the South-West again has the President and the North-East for the Vice President.

“The question is where the South-East in all this political equation is? Where is fairness? Where is equity? Where is brotherhood? Where is justice? Where is one Nation?

“To this end, we sincerely plead with all National Leaders, Political Fathers and elites, the Leadership of APC, PDP, LP, APGA, SDP, YPP and all elected Senators to for once stand for truth, justice, equity and cohesion.

“To support the candidates for South-East to emerge as Senate President that will in a long way heal our divisions, agitations, and discourage any act of National insubordination.”Breakforth said. He also added that the South-East Presidency will help discourage continuous agitations like IPOB and others in the South-East.

“We have reputable senators from the South-East such as Senator Osita Izunaso and others that have the capacity to Chairman the National Assembly and bring the balancing and dividend of democracy as Nigerians are clamoring especially from the South-East.

“This coalition will resist and protest against any attempt by APC to zone the Senate Presidency to any other zone other than South-East.

“Further support for disunity, inequality and unfairness is not acceptable as it will continue to worsen National disunity,” he said.

In his remarks, Alhaji Salisu Abdullahi, Pan African Youth, noted that the most important thing for all Nigerians was the unity of this nation.

“The beginning of the crisis in Sudan started because of injustice so we believe that in order for Nigeria to avoid that crisis, there must be Justice for the Southeast,” he said. Also, Comrade Bello Osaretin, DG, Progressive Leaders Association of Nigeria PLAN-Nigeria commended the Collation for putting up this initiative on the importance of equity.

L-R: Outgoing Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF)/Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji; and Director General NGF, Asishana Okauru; during NGF’s valedictory meeting in Abuja.. on Wednesday.

Politics of Fuel Subsidy Removal

The confusion trailing the planned removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria is not only shocking but also unnecessary. This is coming as most Nigerians believe that the fuel subsidy regime, which is costing the country a whopping N3.36 trillion ($7.3 billion) in the first six months of 2023, is not only sustainable but also a waste of public funds. To many concerned Nigerians, what the Federal Government has been referring to as fuel subsidy is simply a big fraud with the channeling of the so-called subsidy payments to some smart businessmen.

Nigerians, who had been looking forward to the challenges ahead of the subsidy removal, were therefore jolted when the news broke on Thursday that the planned removal had been suspended.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zaniab Ahmed, had broken the news , saying the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which was held on Wednesday, had approved the suspension. The minister had explained that the removal of the subsidy would likely take effect in June because the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA and the 2023 budget provided subsidy till June, stressing that any delay may require the amendment of the PIA and the budget provision.

However, coming a day after the announcement by the minister and just about the time the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was jubilating over the reported suspension, the Federal Government came out in its true elements by dismissing the earlier report as it affirmed that the scheduled subsidy removal has not been suspended.

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EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA

[Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com]

A statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser, Media & Communications, to the minister, Dr Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, countered Thursday's disclosure by his boss as he insisted that the Federal Government has not suspended the fuel subsidy removal.

“Against the backdrop of the story in some media that the Federal Government has suspended the removal of petrol subsidy, the government has said that it has not suspended the removal but has rather expanded the subsidy removal committee to include teams from the incoming administration and the state governors.

“The Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zaniab Ahmed, said that NEC deliberated on the issue extensively and came to the conclusion that the subsidy must be removed as it is not sustainable, but there is a need for further consultations, especially the need to involve members of the incoming administration and representatives of the State governments. We agreed to form an expanded committee that will be looking at the process for the removal of the subsidy, including determining the exact time as well as the measures that need to be taken to provide support to the poor and the vulnerable," Abdullahi said in the statement, which he signed on behalf of the minister.

He added, “There is also the need to agree to alternative measures that will be put in place to ensure that there is sufficient supply of petroleum products in the country. The Subsidy Removal Committee currently comprises the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, the downstream and upstream regulators, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the

Chief Economic Adviser to the President.

“The 2023 Fiscal Framework and Appropriation Act as well as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) have made the provision that the government should exit fuel subsidies by June 2023. The committee is to work out a

road map for the removal of the subsidy. No change in the overall policy direction regarding the petrol subsidy is envisaged by June 2023.”

Nigerians are not surprised at all by this face-saving denial of what the Federal Government actually has in plan, more so, as it is coming from a government that has not demonstrated enough political will to end the fraudulent subsidy regime throughout its eight-year tenure that is ending on May 29.

We therefore wonder what benefit the purported suspension will bring to the same government that has failed woefully to deliver on its promises to Nigerians. We are also worried that the same finance minister, who had been in the forefront of the whopping $800 million loan from the World Bank to cushion what she described as the effects of the subsidy withdrawal on 10 million vulnerable Nigerians, would even imagine the suspension of the plan.

We therefore call on the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to display the uncommon courage he is known for and call the bluff of those still interested in continuing the fuel subsidy fraud by sticking to the removal plan as scheduled. While we are glad that Tinubu has also expressed his support for ending the subsidy regime, we want to encourage him to stick to the plan by not allowing anybody to scuttle the plan.

Nigerians, no doubt, will feel the impact of the withdrawal on their day-to-day activities, but the benefits of stopping the fraud far outweighs the immediate pains it would cause. No attempt should therefore be made to continue the fraudulent regime under any guise as we say NO to the kite being flown currently by the Federal Government.

We therefore call on the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to display the uncommon courage he is known for and call the bluff of those still interested in continuing the fuel subsidy fraud by sticking to the removal plan as scheduled. While we are glad that Tinubu has also expressed his support for ending the subsidy regime, we want to encourage him to stick to the plan by not allowing anybody to scuttle the plan

2023: The Other Side of The Story

BY ABIODUN KOMOLAFE

In most human societies, visible phenomena are oftentimes credited or associated with the causes of other events, then the analysis will take off from there. But, most often, there are other unknown forces or factors that are not easily discernible, but are sometimes the real causes, or responsible for a particular phenomenon. Take, for instance, what started as #EndSARS focused mainly on police brutality. Somewhere along the line, other unknownbut-important factors, such as youth unemployment, hunger, frustrations, lack of opportunities, bad political leadership, economic hardship and subhuman standard of living contributed largely to what was surnamed #EndSARS. Unfortunately, ending (the) SARS has not removed the other problems.SARS was removed and given another name (which was merely a change in nomenclature), but so far, it has not changed the societal living conditions.

So #EndSARS was just like an arrowhead. At a glance, the given title of the protest did not portray the whole picture or capture the expressed anger of the people. It was after the decentralised social movement took off, other things including youth restiveness started showing up. So, the youths served as ready tools for venting their deep-seated frustrations; #EndSARS only provided an avenue for the free deployment of their energy. Indeed, that’s why it took such a fatal form of expression.

Unfortunately, the government took things for granted. In the same light, prior to the Year 2023 general elections, insecurity had become an exasperating omen in Nigeria, poverty seemed to be adamant, despite all attempts by the outgoing national government to address it.

University students were frustrated and were even on strike for the better part of last year, their lecturers were agitated and, as at the time of putting this piece together, their demands remained largely unaddressed.

In all, President Muhammadu Buhari’s promises upon assumption of office in 2015 seem not to have seen the light of day, eight years after. So, generally, Nigerians are frustrated!

Beyond question, all these and other issues are a thing to look for as the starting point for the incoming government. The Bola Tinubu-led government must sum up all these itemised issues with a view to addressing them because it is the minimum irreducible effort that can make Nigerians know that his government will be responsible

BY BOB MAJIRIOGHENE ETEMIKU

and responsive. But to just come with the usual whimsical approach that won’t edify democracy or speak directly to what has led us to this sordid pass will not be pleasing to the masses.

Therefore, Tinubu must show that he has the capacity to handle the situation better and differently. Doing otherwise will only amount to a journey back to the ‘one chance’ government!

Let’s start with Nigeria’s current security situation. Let Tinubu’s government recruit more soldiers, proceed with their training and put them at strategic fighting positions. Let him also import help–munitions and allied military hardware – from abroad so that the country will begin to feel safe. Once that happens and people can see it, they will begin to appreciate the essence of a new era.

Without a doubt, it is an insult to our collective intelligence for criminal Fulani herdsmen to take their cattle to a man’s farm to eat up what he has laboured all his life for. They won’t even stop at that; they will kill the farmer and nothing will happen! The sadder side is that these herdsmen are not ashamed, because, to them, it is a way of life! So, Tinubu must look beyond RUGA as a method of rearing cattle. Until he does that, nothing is likely going to change!

There’s another major area which Tinubu must look into; and that is, freeing the states to think outside the box! For example, if it is possible for Osun to make camel rearing a profitable venture, let the state rear it to the extent that it can export the same with a view to boosting its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). If Edo State can also think of generating solar energy that can power the entire country, let it go ahead and develop it. To put it succinctly, Tinubu’s government should work towards the states behaving like federal states, not just states that will always go to Abuja every month, cap-in-hand, to beg for alms in the garb of monthly allocations.

At a time like this, failure to notice and analyse the current trend in the judiciary a la Nigeria’s political firmament can only be likened to a monkey missing its branch. Though what the Bar and the Bench see and exploit as technical issues will never be known to a layman, certain impressions are created which may not sit well with the ethics of the legal profession. Quite sad, too, that what we have in Nigeria, presently, is not teaching us tolerance or how to embrace the rule of law. So, it is either we improve our electioneering processes or transform our legislative interventions.

Memo to Tinubu

Dear Mr Tinubu, there are many very-well placed people around me who often express confidence in your ability to rescue Nigeria from the Buhari catastrophe. I will technically identify two of them without a mention of their names. Let me start with a certain former student of mine.

In 2015, just before you made his excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, president, this student of mine would often swear on his mother’s grave that President Buhari was going to outperform, out-manoeuvre and outdo all presidents who have ever run Nigeria.

This young chap often cited Buhari’s oft-vaunted reputation as a no-nonsense dictator who had at some times past barged into our collective consciousness as head of state. All my efforts to identify Muhammadu Buhari to this fellow as a tyrant whose only credentials towards being president was the leanness of his frame rather than any solid personal achievements or capacity failed. At that time, I suggested to the many who unnecessarily indulged in those annoying arguments with me, that Muhammadu Buhari was a leopard that isunable to change its spots.

As Buhari began to unleash his full relevance and import as an incompetent leader on all Nigerians, this young chap boarded the japa train and ran like a frightened rabbit off to the United Kingdom. I was to find out in addition, that his support for Buhari was not a support for Buhari per se, but a support for the ethnic considerations of the number two Buhari man, Yemi Osinbajo. From where he ran to in the UK, I have often seen him again rallying support for you, in his belief in your capacity to lift Nigeria from the dregs of human existence that characterize Nigeria.

One of your ardent supporters identifies you as the Lion of Bourdillon. He enthusiastically reminisces on your ability to have taken on the Olusegun Obasanjo behemoth when you were

governor of Lagos State. That is, how you ran Lagos ‘successfully’ after Olusegun Obasanjo stopped allocation to the state. Besides the other thing that this supporter of yours talks about, is your human capital development ability, in that you seem to have been the one governor among your contemporaries who have built the capacity of your subordinates to be able to take over from you. He has often ignored the many embarrassing stories concerning your person and expresses a strong conviction that you will deliver.

But I have no such conviction in you to deliver Nigeria from the mess and the miasma of despondence that the man you put there in 2015 put us. I have no conviction in the others as well – Atiku, Kwakwanso and Obi. I know you all to be regular politicians. What I know of you and your ilk is what my father told me before he passed on – that whenever a politician greets you, and says ‘Good morning’, know surely that its already midnight. The learned people in America say that politicians always have two mouths – in that they campaign in poetry and govern in prose. I remember all of the things you said that Buhari would do when you were all campaigning together in 2014 – all of which he has either denied saying outrightly or repudiated. From what politicians like yourself have put us through, I have learnt to be the eternal sceptic, and the ultimate Thomas the Biblical doubter. The people who stuck their necks out for Buhari, those who have trekked and drank mud water for him all squirm now whenever the name Buhari is mentioned.

I am drafting this memo to you to kind of place you on notice. Let me explain: you say that you are ’emilokan’, that is, it is something of your manifest destiny to rule or run Nigeria. In the King’s English, that lingo translates to a sense of entitlement, something completely and avowedly antithetical to the rule of law and the tenets of democracy. Your argument often has been that you have prepared to run or rule Nigeria over a span of thirty years. To get to this point, you have said that you have built

A country without a vision goes nowhere! In other words, Nigeria will only develop if and when itto has an executable Grand Plan for development. Therefore, the ingredients to bring a vision to fruition are what she needs! If Tinubu wants to move Nigeria towards Little London, let him work towards it until his last day in office. How he micromanages that aspect of his vision is left to him.

As Nigeria marches towards greatness, there’s a need for her to have a superior political will and target. For instance, immediately after Lee Kuan Yew became conscious of Singapore’s sociocultural and multi-ethnic diversities, he came up with a policy, with education as its arrowhead. Needless to repeat that Yew’s policy has turned Singapore into a new bride globally. Back home, Lagos wouldn’t have become a dream destination for investors without the foresight of a man who gave the state a Marshall Plan. As fate would have it, that man is Nigeria’s next president! Tinubu’s administration must also strive to strengthen the Rule of Law. The efficacy of the Rule of Law determines how safe society is even as it enhances investors’ trust in any system. And this starts with the orientation of obedience to the rules and laws as simple as traffic laws. Yes, the nitty-gritty of business interactions is a high bar! When a foreigner observes that a man is in breach of traffic laws, what therefore gives the impression that such a defaulter will be a gentleman when it comes to contractual agreements? Basically, when people run away because of insecurity, oftentimes, it’s not just about the lack of physical safety, it also means they can’t have justice through the judicial process. People troop to Saudi Arabia today because the natives know their privileges and the foreigners know their limits. In the last 50 years, Dubai has practically striven to become what it is today. Since Nigeria also wants to develop, what stops her from learning from the abovementioned countries, at least?

Lastly, if we can’t find people who can help transform our university system in Nigeria, why not go searching from other climes so that our universities can truly reflect the capacity for the universality of knowledge? For God’s sake, why can’t the vice-chancellors come from, say, California in the USA; even from among the Eskimos? With Nigeria’s present situation, getting the best for the university system should no longer be a product of nepotism! Let Tinubu change the terrible orientation for the better! This is the right time to utilise the right tools to get the right results. It is now or never.

bridges across the length and breadth of Nigeria. You claim that you have the structures, structures that failed you woefully at the February 35th 2023 Presidential elections.

In reading Jeffrey Sachs’s ‘The End of Poverty’, I find that there are parameters that people expect a candidate for an election to meet, and discuss whenever they meet the electorate. Rather than ‘structures’, or the entitlement disposition that you projected all through the campaigns, Sachs says that you should have discussed how to raise the level of our human capital (health, nutrition, and skills); then there are matters of business capital, infrastructure (roads, power especially, water and sanitation, airports and seaports, and telecoms systems), public institutional capital (the laws that guide commerce and the judicial systems, government services and policing), and knowledge capital (the scientific and tech knowhow to raise business output and stem the brain drain syndrome).

These are the issues that town hall meetings throw up, and that you could have taken on. However, you shunned all of these town hall debates, insisting that your famous gaffe was a ‘town hall, different from Balablue, Bulabo’. I have not joined the rabble to mock this gaffe, and have wondered that this is the one true thing you did very right, what with the right pronunciation, and the deployment of the right stresses to project your idea of disdain for these kinds of fora.

To conclude, let us be clear: we do not believe that you can deliver on the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians. You do not appear to be well enough to withstand the strain and rigour of running a country. You were the person who foisted the Buhari catastrophe on us, and even the very elections that brought you in as president-elect turned the rules upside down – the BVAS were switched off, did not work and you allegedly did not win 25 per cent in Abuja. How you’re going to surmount all of these is entirely your bucket to carry. Carry it, but if you disappoint, we will come for you. That’s a promise.

Estimated Billing Customers Hit 6m in Q4 2022 Amid Metering Racketeering

BY SAM DIALA

The number of ‘Estimated Billing’ customers in the books of Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) rose to 5.93 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This represents a 3.4 percent rise from 5.74 million customers they recorded in the estimated billing category in Q4 2021; and higher by 0.34 percent in the preceding quarter (Q3 2022) which had 5.91 million estimated billing persons.

Estimated billing is a system of arbitrary charge against unmetered electricity consumers for electrical energy they did not actually consume. The billing is based on perceived pattern of consumption, or on the ‘best of judgement’, with unjustified high revenue targets as the motive.

Consumers in this system are mandated to pay far above what they consumed on a monthly basis and the charges are usually outrageous. “It is a system that thrives on corruption and is driven by tardy inclination to exploitation which defines a commodity in the category of monopoly,” said Gab Madu, an electrical installation contractor.

The NBS in its Nigeria Electricity Report for Q4 2022 showed that the DisCos recorded a decline in electricity supply amid rise in revenue and in estimated billing customers.

In terms of revenue, N232.32 billion was generated by the 11 DisCos in Q4 2022 compared to N202.62 billion in Q3 2022. On a year-on-year basis, revenue collected rose by 16.02 percent from N200.23 billion in Q4 2021.

Similarly, on a year-on-year basis, electricity supply declined

Why Incessant Strikes at Airports Worry Stakeholders

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

Stakeholders in the nation’s aviation industry are becoming more worried, following a series of strikes embarked upon mostly by the workers' unions at the nation's airports. Key aviation unions involved in the disturbing development include: the National Union of Air Transport

Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and

Continues on page 33

by 3.48 percent compared to Q4 2021. However, the 2022 figure stood at 5,611 (Gwh) from 5,024 (Gwh) in Q3 2022, showing a rise of 11.68 percent.

The report showed that Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has 1.3 million estimated billing customers – the highest in Nigeria, as the country grapples with perennially poor supply. Ibadan also belonged to the league of top revenue generating DisCos – after Ikeja (IEDC), Eko (EKDC) and Abuja (AEDC), which raked in N45.6 billion, N35.5 billion and N35.2 billion respectively in Q4 of 2022.

Ibadan (which covers Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and parts of Niger, Ekiti and Kogi states), pooled N28.4 billion during the period.

Yola, Kaduna and Jos DisCos had the lowest revenue pools: N4.2 billion, N7.6 billion and N8.6 billion respectively.

The DisCos’ estimated billing customer numbers rose to 5.93 million from 5.91 million in Q3 22. Ibadan had a total of 1.3 million, representing 22 percent of the entire estimated billing customers.

The DisCos had a total of N5.1 million metered customers in Q4 2022 as against 5.0 million in the preceding quarter, while 11.0 million customers were in their registers during the reporting period, compared to 10.9 million in Q3 2022.

"Electricity supply in Q3 2022 stood at 5,024 (Gwh) from 5,227 (Gwh) in the previous quarter. On a year-on-year basis,

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NCDMB, IOCs to Support Orbit Galvanizing Plant

In line with its mandate and continued efforts of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to support the development of in-country capacities that would serve the Nigerian oil and gas industry and allied sectors, the Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote on Wednesday led representatives of international operating oil and gas companies and their service

Continues on page 34

Why Incessant Strikes at Airports Worry Stakeholders

Continued from page 32

AVIATION/POWER

Estimated Billing Customers Hit 6m in Q4 2022 Amid Metering Racketeering

Continued from page 32

electricity supply declined by 8.53% compared to 5,493 (Gwh) reported in Q3 2021,” the NBS report stated.

Since the Federal Government introduced the metering system in 2018, it has maintained that electricity consumers face no hurdles in procuring meters. The government has on several occasions declared that it had millions of units of the prepaid meters for supply to the consumers. But that is contrary to what obtains in the industry where corruption and sabotage have been elevated to an art of priority.

Recreation Services Employees (AUPCCSTRSE)

In recent times, labour strikes and protests are becoming a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s aviation industry with passengers stranded and many businesses at various airports in the country recording losses on every occasion. Aviation business is a very sensitive one. Whenever workers go on strike, flight operations are disrupted and passengers stranded at different airports across the country.

A few weeks ago, there was a similar challenge at all the airports in the country because the labour unions embarked on a two-day warning strike in protest against the government’s unwillingness to implement an improved welfare package for the workers of aviation agencies.

The workers union had earlier announced that they would embark on strike from April 17 to 18, 2023 over the Federal Government’s plan to demolish the Lagos offices of aviation parastatals and the delay to review workers’ Condition of Service, (CoS) as negotiated between the unions and four aviation agencies seven years ago.

Other reasons given for the strike include the

non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019. In the notice of a two-day warning strike to workers of all aviation agencies and signed by the secretaries-general of the five unions, they insisted that if the warning strike failed, an indefinite strike would ensue.

The unions which signed the notice said they had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation on February 7, 2023, on the same matter.

According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their efforts.

”Recall that our unions issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals on February 7, 2023, over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income & Wages Commission, NSIWC and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF), to release the reviewed Condition of Service (CoS) of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years.

“The ultimatum has since expired and our efforts and that of the Ministry of Aviation have yielded nothing tangible. Furthermore, it has become evident that the Minister of Aviation remains adamant in carrying out his threat to demolish the headquarters of FAAN, NAMA, and NCAA in Lagos, despite all our entreaties towards caution.

“In view of the foregoing and unless the demands are met, NiMeT consequential adjustment is implemented and the arrears paid, the CoS for NAMA, NCAA, NCAT, and NiMeT is immediately released and the Minister’s demolition exercise is halted, all aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all services in the sector on April 17 and 18, 2023 as warning strike. Should the warning strike fail to achieve the desired results, an indefinite strike shall ensue. All workers should comply and all state councils and branch exco members shall enforce this directive without compromise,” the notice said.

Not pleased with the rate at which the unions

In reality, many Nigerians are yet to exit the estimated electricity billing fraud due to the high cost of meters, which the DisCos are supposed to release under the Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) programme. Besides the cost, the supply system is very slow and anxious consumers are subjected to extortion in the guise of processing fees. To crown it all, many of them have to endure long periods of inactivation of the meters for one technical reason or the other.

The affected consumers are charged for the transportation and other routine matters that ordinarily should be the responsibility of the DisCos. And the most ironic is that the meters are properties of the DisCos.

“In a country of highly unstable power supply, the prepaid meter is the only panacea to prevent undue exploitation of consumers from the estimated billing system of power distribution companies.

“The Federal Government ought to pay a greater attention to the frustrations being experienced by many Nigerians in the course of procuring prepaid electricity meters.

“But the racketeering is enriching the operators exceedingly; that is why they would stick to estimated billing,: said Mike Iheakor, a property developer.

According to the meter cost approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) since November 2021, a single-phase meter sells for N63,061.32 inclusive of a 7.5 per cent VAT, while a three-phase meter costs N117,910.69. Some consumers who paid and got the meters said the installers often demanded for more payment “to cover transport fare”, which should not be the case.

Although the NERC has reiterated an end to estimated billing with adequate meter supply, in reality, the country is far from reaching that target. The meters are hardly seen in the quantity being declared by the authorities.

In 2019 the House of Representatives passed a Bill prohibiting and criminalising the use of estimated electricity bills in all instances except where

a consumer’s meter cannot be accessed by the service provider.

Titled the ‘Electric Power Sector Reform Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018,’ the proposed legislation sought to address the concerns of many electricity consumers in Nigeria who believe that they are often overcharged under the estimated billing system.

Under the Bill, Electricity Distribution Companies must install pre-paid meters on the premises of a consumer within 30 days of receiving his/her application and payment or face penalties. Electricity distribution companies who fail to provide pre-paid meters within the stipulated time frame are prevented from refusing a consumer access to power supply, disconnecting him/ her (where connection has already been granted) or reverting to the estimation of bills. The National Electricity Regulatory Commission was given powers in clause 70 to ensure that licensed Distribution Companies comply with the Bill’s provisions. Regrettably, the proposed legislation eventually died a natural death.

The CBN in August 2020, introduced the N120 billion intervention fund to close the wide electricity metering gap in the country under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), a move commended by stakeholders. However, it did not change anything as the operators continued in their own ways.

The 11 electricity distribution companies had insisted that payment for meters by end-users remains justified despite the mass-metering programme of the government, which is premised on free meters.

The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body of the utility companies said that not all approved metering schemes, currently active in the country, come at no immediate expense to customers. But shortage of the meters has remained the consumers’ nightmare as electricity supply remain epileptic across the states.

The Ministry of Aviation and the various managements in the sector had been working harmoniously with the unions since the government came onboard in 2015 and wondered why some of the associations were embarking on strike at this time

The World Bank in November 2022 reiterated its call for urgent reforms to reset the Nigerian economy and address its myriad of economic challenges, saying the country is presently at a critical juncture

Continued from page 32

NCDMB, IOCs to Support Orbit Galvanizing Plant

counterparts to visit Orbit Galvanized Steel Industries Limited at Ikorodu, Lagos, a subsidiary of the African Industries Group (AIG).

One of the assets of the company is a state-of-the-art fabrication and hot dip galvanizing plant. The firm also has capacities to manufacture and supply substation structures, telecom/microwave towers, solar module mounting structures, and railway structures and is currently active in solar power, electric power, mining, and agriculture.

Speaking after inspecting the facility, the Executive Secretary observed that the galvanizing plant was conceived to serve other sectors of the economy, but the promoters realized that they could equally take advantage of the opportunities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, which prompted the invitation of NCDMB and other stakeholders to their facility. He commended the company for their investment, noting that having a diverse clientele would enable its sustainability and profitability.

He said the company had huge potential and needed to be supported to enable it to meet all the technical standards required by the oil and gas industry. He emphasized that the oil and gas industry operates with very strict standards and zero tolerance for compromise because any failure would have colossal consequences on human lives and economic resources.

Wabote urged Orbit Galvanized Steel to work assiduously on getting the relevant certifications and meeting the standards of the oil and gas industry, as well as registering with all the relevant regulatory agencies in the country.

He said the galvanizing facility might help address the challenge faced by the NLNG Train 7 project in finding the required operational galvanizing capacity in-country.

He charged Nigeria LNG Ltd and the

Fintech Will Boost Financial Inclusion – Yuguda

In an avowed drive to further deepen the capital market and attract more young people to the nation’s bourse, the need to embrace fintech has again been emphasised.

This was stated by the Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission,, Mr. Lamido Yuguda, during the Supernews Nigeria Fintech Conference held in Lagos Thursday.

Yuguda who was represented by Director, Registration Exchanges, Market Infrastructure and Innovation of the SEC, Mr. Abdulkadir Abbas stated that fintech is a game changer in deepening the capital market and enhancing financial inclusion. He said the theme 'Imperative of Fintech in Promoting Financial Inclusion in Nigeria, is very important to the capital market as transformation in the sector is incomplete without fintech.

consortium of service companies contracted on the Train 7 projectSaipem, Chiyoda, Daewoo - to work closely with Orbit Galvanized Steel to upgrade the galvanizing facility to the required standards so it can provide services for their project and other potential projects in the future.

He reiterated that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act mandates the Board to ensure that critical capacities developed in Nigeria are patronized by the oil and gas industry, to create employment opportunities and retain spend in the local economy.

He assured the company that NCDMB will support its progress and ensure that its proposed fabrication yard is patronized when completed.

He invited the management of the firm to the 4th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) which is a platform where all potential projects in the oil and gas are showcased so the industry players can prepare themselves to participate in them.

In his comments, the Group Executive Director of Orbit Galvanized Steel, Mr. Uche Iwuamadi asserted that the company is the only integrated tower manufacturing company in Nigeria. He hinted that “the entire end-to-end process, right from iron ore mining to the casting of billets, to fabrication and galvanizing is done in-house within Nigeria, and that creates employment opportunities for many Nigerians.”

Responding to inquiries from representatives of the oil and gas companies, Iwuamadi stated that the galvanizing facility has a production capacity of 3600 tonnes per annum and a maximum of 6 tonnes per batch.

He thanked NCDMB and the oil industry personnel for visiting their facility and assured them that the company’s growth will add immense value to the Nigerian economy.

Equities Market Cap Climbs

2.04% to N28.5trn

The NGX All-Share Index and Market Capitalization appreciated by 2.04% to close last week at 52,403.51 and N28.534 trillion respectively.

The Market opened for four trading days week as the Federal Government declared Friday 21st April, 2023 and Monday 24th April, 2023 as Public Holidays to mark the Eid el-Fitr celebration.

A total turnover of 14.029 billion shares worth N59.007 billion in 24,048 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 3.920 billion shares valued at N15.620 billion that exchanged hands last week in 16,856 deals.

The Conglomerates Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 11.399 billion shares valued at N30.990 billion traded in 2,310 deals; thus contributing 81.25% and 52.52% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Financial Services Industry followed with 2.185 billion shares worth N22.225 billion in 11,946 deals. The third place was the Oil and Gas Industry, with a turnover of 117.097 million shares worth N648.971 million in 1,500 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Transnational Corporation Plc, Access Holdings Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc, (measured by volume) accounted for 13.116 billion shares worth N47.928 billion in 6,614 deals, contributing 93.49% and 81.22% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively

Abbas said "We can see a kind of game changer and rapid transformation in the financial sector due to fintech. It is a building block for enhancing financial inclusion.

"Traditional means can no longer work, the average age of investors in the capital market is 45-50 years and we are currently trying to attract the millennials to the market and this can be achieved with the aid of fintech.

"We are exploring ways to leverage on fintech to bring on the young people to the market. The capital market sees fintech as an opportunity and that is one of the ways we intend to change the dynamics of the capital market.

Abbas stated that it was in view of the importance of fintech that the capital market initiated the fintech roadmap which enabled the SEC to come up with innovations and rules to support the initiative.

According to him, "We need innovation to deepen and broaden the market and we had to come up with rules to support it like the rules on crowdfunding among others. "We all saw the success achieved with the electronic offering by MTN, a lot of Nigerians were able to subscribe with their phones and other gadgets conveniently. We realised that one of the ways to unlock investment opportunities is through fintech and we are stepping up such strategies to deepen the market".

He however expressed the need to strike a balance between investor protection and innovation adding that financial inclusion cannot be achieved with it a good strategy for financial literacy.

Abbas expressed the readiness of the SEC to collaborate with other regulators and stakeholders in the quest to attract more investors to the capital market and grow the economy.

In her remarks, Publisher/CEO of Supernews Nigeria, Mrs Ngozi Onyeakusi said the conference centres on Fintech and Financial Inclusion which holds a great potential for the Nigerian economy and for the financial stability of the country.

She said the emergence of Covid-19 no doubt projected the need for adoption of fintech in daily activities and businesses but not without its attendant challenges.

Onyeakusi said the choice of the theme was aimed at contributing its quota to the financial inclusion target of the federal governme

L-R: Company Secretary, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Madibinet Cisse; Head, Group Corporate Bank, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Bunmi Bajomo; Chief Executive Advisor to the GCEO, ETI, Cecilia Akintomide; Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal; Group Chief Executive Officer, ETI, Jeremy Awori; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Temi Popoola; Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria, Bola Adesola; Carol Oyedeji, Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria; Ayo Adepoju, Group Chief Financial Officer, ETI; Head, Primary Market, NGX, Tony Ibeziako; Divisional Head, Business Support Services, NGX, Irene Robinson-Ayanwale, and Chief Digital Officer, NGX, Dr. Olufefemi Oyenuga, during the closing gong ceremony of ETI, introducing the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) to the capital market community at the Exchange in Lagos on April 25, 2023.

Dronetecx 2023 to Examine Effects of Unmanned Drones

Over 15 industry leaders will be speaking at the Dronetecx 2023 while 250 delegates and 1000 daily visitors are expected to participate to chart way forward for the development of the drone services in the country's airspace.

The programmes have been structured into, Open Speaker's Sessions, End User's Workshop, Youth Seminar, Paper Competition and Drone for Humanitarian Award, as well as an exposition of drone related products and services.

According to Mr Fortune Idu, chairman organising committee, industry players will be gathering from 10-12 May 2023 at the NIGAV Centre Lagos for the renowned Drone Technology Development Conference and Expo.

According to Idu, one of the greatest impact and undoubtedly a redefining milestone in the future of Nigeria aviation which must be credited to the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika is the push for the review and amendment of Nigeria Civil Aviation act and by extension the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulation Part 21 which provides the regulatory guidance for RPAS operations and development in Nigeria.

According to Idu, this milestone achievement unveils the next generation in aviation and the potentials of civil Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and commercial drone activities.

Idu said the proposed Nig. CARs Part 21 Regulations provides for the implementation of a comprehensive monitoring framework for full regulation of

20,000 Aba Landlords

Mobilise Against TCN Over Blackout

Over 20,000 members of the Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association (ALPDA) will mobilise to the Alaoji power plant in Abia State and occupy it if within the next 24 hours the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) fails to rescind its order which has since last Friday thrown the state into darkness over N896m owed Federal Government agencies in the power sector by Aba Power.

Speaking at a press conference in Aba on Friday, the ALPDA president general, Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, flanked by executive members of the association, said the disconnection of Aba Power from the sole transmission network violated the Electricity Industry Market Rules (EIMR) of 2010 on two grounds.

RPAS in Nigeria and to prepare the industry for a promising future.

"The multi-sector conference is aimed at promoting the understanding of the relevance of the new act and sharing information that will promote safe and secured operations in the face of commercialization of UAVs.

At the forthcoming Dronetecx 2023 panellists will discuss on how to create a healthy business environment for safe and secured UAS development as UAV and autonomous vehicle commerce is now set to experience exponential growth now that the door is open".

Dronetecx is Nigeria’s foremost Drone Conference and Exhibition aimed at promoting Drone, UAV and autonomous technology development in Africa.

According to Idu, Dronetecx 2023 will offer the platform to explore all opportunities within this emerging sector and create a meeting point for operators, dealers, manufacturers and buyers.

The event which is supported and endorsed by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria Unmanned Systems & Robotics Association (NUSA) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation is the Nigeria foremost UAV development promotion and marketing platform for Africa region.

Attendance is expected to cover agencies and players in the aviation industry and the emerging players in the unmanned aircraft sector and organisation where drone application in their field among which are Ministry of Agriculture, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Real Estate, Oil and Gas Companies, Mining and Safety and Rescue Organisations.

Environmental Group Reacts to Total Energies Pipeline Project

New York-based climate security campaigner, 350.org, has implored financiers to hold back support for the construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443km-project spanning Tanzania and Uganda and led by TotalEnergies.

The group, in an email to PREMIUM TIMES, accused the oil company of profiteering from the African continent, exploiting its labour force and neglecting host communities.

“Scores of project-affected persons and frontline activists have been made to endure violence, intimidation, forced removals, unfair compensatory processes, the desecration of cultural sites, and the loss of land and other income generating streams,” the activist group said, quoting Zaki Mamdoo Coordinator of the movement, ‘Stop EACOP’.

350.org centred its grouse on the claim that TotalEnergies, fresh from declaring a 70 per cent jump in profit to $5.6 billion for the first quarter compared to Q4 2022, is set to plough record profits into carbon-high energy projects, aggravating global warming.

Oil pumped through the EACOP pipeline is projected to emit about 34.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air every year, says Just Share, a South African shareholder union.

That equals almost seven times the size of carbon emissions by Uganda and Tanzania put together.

TotalEnergies has not responded to a PREMIUM TIMES’ email seeking clarification as of the time of filing this report.

“Research from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has shown that the pipeline would also endanger population centres, wetland sites, rivers and lakes,” Africa Report said in a publication dated 9 February, 2022. Myriads of lenders including South African and French big banks, even underwriting powerhouse Axa, have kept off the heated oil pipeline project, the largest of its kind in the world.

Last February, Africa’s biggest lender Standard Bank put the funding decision on hold to undertake a full diligence report after local rivals Nedbank, ABSA and Investec backed off.

Chief Udeigbo observed that the TCN wrote a letter to Aba Power on April 19, 2023, asking it to pay its debt within one month and on the same date directed the market operator, a unit in the transmission company, to remove Aba Power completely within a few hours.

“This amounts to a profound and deliberate contradiction in a very sensitive sector”, declared the ALPDA leader.

“It is a flagrant violation of market rules”. The second breach of the market rules in the power sector, according to Chief Udeigbo, is that Aba Power was not notified of the TCN’s order to the market operator to disconnect it from the nation’s sole transmission network.

“Both the market rules and natural justice demand the other party must be put on notice”, he stated.

At the news conference, Udeigbo read out a letter written to the Market Operator, Dr Edmund Aje, signed by the ALPDA Board of Trustees chairman, Chief Leo Ike Okoye, and the BOT secretary, Sir B. Okoro , as well as the ALPDA deputy president, Engr Leo Onyemesiri, the secretary, Comrade Benson Imo, and the legal adviser, Barrister Ejike Obi

The letter reads, among other things:

“We, on behalf of ourselves and on behalf of electricity consumers within Aba and environs, hereby demand you lift the said Disconnection Notice MO-DO/ TCN/002/2023 within 24 hours from the date of the receipt of this demand letter having failed to comply with the market rules as well as the content of own Suspension Notice.

“Take note that in the event of your refusal to lift the order within the stipulated period, we, the electricity consumers who are now being made to suffer the consequences of your action by throwing us into darkness since over a week now shall have no option to embark on a peaceful protest to your office at Alaoji Aba”.

If the Alaoji power plant is shut down it will affect power supply to not just the Southeast but also the South-south, up to Edo State, according to Cliff Eneh, an energy consultant and a former senior engineer with both the Power Holding Company Lagos and the Texas Power and Light Company in the United States.

“The TCN, from the evidence before me, has acted unprofessionally and arbitrarily against Aba Power”, Engineer Eneh told journalists on the phone.

Branch Controller, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Port Harcourt, Mr. Maxwell Okafor (2nd left), presenting a souvenir to the representative of the Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Provost College of Health Sciences, Prof. Angela Ine Frank-Briggs, during a 2-day e-Naira sensitization on the Road Map to e-Naira adoption, in Port Harcourt on April 26, 2023.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

If living and business operations continue as usual in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, available resources will be overstretched, which may pose enormous economic, environmental and social challenges. The continent's biggest environmental challenges are water pollution, air pollution and deficits of all types directly impacting the populace's health and living.

For instance, a child born in Africa today risks not receiving proper education or adequate healthcare due to a lack of adequate resources. An estimated 340 million Africans have no access to safe drinking water. In addition, more than 672 million live in poverty, which is significant compared to other continents, and these numbers continue to increase yearly.

According to records, about 65 per cent of Africa’s arable land cannot sustain viable food production due to damage. Therefore it is time to develop sustainable strategies to restore, preserve, and manage African resources and living for the benefit of humanity.

Sustainability is not just a buzzword; a sustainable society is one in which development and human actions meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This applies to virtually everything, public life, education, housing, agriculture, sanitation and energy needs, including the environment and planet Earth.

There has been a rise in unsustainable actions. Chronic diseases are linked to these actions, including reduced water, poor air quality, climate change, global warming, plastic waste mismanagement and pollution.

The average daily temperature continues to increase, even carbon emissions from power-generating sets, production companies, cars and commercial vehicles continue to exacerbate without adequate checks, thereby posing an increase in unsustainable actions.

Sustainability is now a business imperative.

Environmental and social crises confront the world, and consumer demand continues to change in that light.

To remain competitive and relevant, businesses must commit to sustainability, assume clear responsibility and act in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) but Africa is yet to tap into this significantly. As it stands, African regions are unlikely to meet the SDGs set for 2030 because the continent has decelerated in recent years, and SDGs seem more like a mystery, despite the widespread adoption worldwide.

But not surprisingly, in Africa, many professionals and citizens are unaware of the need to adopt sustainability practices, and many do not know about the United Nations (UN's) seventeen (17) sustainable development goals. Most African countries have zero or few regulations for sustainable development goals (SDGs).

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the world’s extreme poverty is concentrated, their SDG ranking and scoring are extremely low.

Regarding corporates and small businesses, only a fraction of organisations has sustainability strategies, which is worrisome considering the negative impact on the planet and environment. A sustainable business engages in green or environmentally friendly practices to ensure that all processes, products, and production activities adequately resolve the environmental concerns of the present while remaining profitable.

For sustainable development to occur, environmental, social, and economic factors must be taken into consideration.

In Africa, companies, particularly small businesses, largely prioritise short-term gains over long-term planning and innovation because they are often pressured to maximise profits and satisfy shareholder demands. As a result, sustainability actions are disregarded, including the suppression of creativity and eco-innovative products, services, and technologies that could fuel long-term growth and success.

Business practices and operations have adversely affected the immediate business environment and the planet. Recall small businesses play a crucial role in boosting the economy and creating employment, also significantly, these small businesses contribute largely to the unsustainable practices on the continent due to the less regulations that exist, yet attention has not been given to this/

Tackling Factors of Unsustainability in Africa: Actions by Government And Businesses

BY TIMI OLUBIYI

High population densities, poor waste management, absence of large-scale recycling and reuse mechanisms, carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions, consumption in an unsustainable manner, complicated and unregulated transport networks, and dense commercial and industrial areas are some of the reasons unsustainability practices are on the increase in Africa. The continent accounts for a high percentage of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, and the biggest contributors are South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Nigeria.

While much has been said about the damage to weather patterns, increased heatwaves, increasing temperatures, flash floods with other natural disasters, pollution, noise, soil contamination, and unsteady crop yields are some of the outcomes of unsustainability. In actual fact, the climate crisis is the greatest health crisis of our time, surpassing even the recent COVID-19.

The effect of a warmer or hotter world on our health is less well understood in Africa. Yet, many remain unperturbed about the level of unsustainable practices within the continent. The consequence of public health

concerns is rising. In summary, unchecked human activities and businesses' unsatiable need for profit and dependence on fossil fuels are Africa's primary causes of unsustainability and climate change.

The continent's environmental problems threaten its public health, economy, and social fabric. To combat these dangers, Africa's leaders should assess various policy options. Sustainability-focused leadership is key in Africa, and businesses should be made to consider environmental values at the core of their strategic route. There are several methods for businesses to be sustainable.

Reducing waste, preventing pollution, adopting clean energy, conserving water, utilising energy-efficient materials, adopting sustainable business travel policies, caring for employees, collaborating with local suppliers and services, recycling and reusing products are some of the most important actions to become sustainable. Businesses need to make a huge investment in energy efficiency and waste management projects. This will reduce business costs significantly over time. The direction for the future should be for strong coordination amongst legislation, governance, companies, and academia to get involved and change the personal behaviours and mindsets of the populace. I believe education and awareness should drive increased participation and sustainability-oriented culture in Africa.

More so, businesses should consider integrating sustainable action plans into their business strategies. The government can make at least structured companies to generate sustainability performance reports that can help track, measure, and monitor the environmental impacts of the companies, demonstrating transparency and accountability, which often leads to better compliance. Good luck.

How may you obtain advice or further information on the article?

•Olubiyi is an Entrepreneurship & Business Management expert.

As it stands, African regions are unlikely to meet the SDGs set for 2030 because the continent has decelerated in recent years, and SDGs seem more like a mystery, despite the widespread adoption worldwide

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo

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L-R: Past President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Deacon Henry Olayemi; 1st Vice President, Oluropo Dada; President, Oluwole Adeosun; Registrar and Chief Executive, Josiah Akerewusi; Past President, Oluwaseyi Abe; 2nd Vice President, Fiona Ahimie and Past President, Mike Itegboje during the 28th (AGM) of CIS in Lagos,on April 26,2023

Publisher of THEWILL NEWSPAPER, Prince Austyn Ogannah [3rd right] with other members of the Oganah family at the funeral of their matriarch, Ezinne Princess Roseline Obiajulu Oganah, in Onicha-Ugbo, Aniocha North, Delta State on Friday, April 28, 2023.

L-R: Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Malam Isa Pantami during the FEC Meeting in Abuja on April 26, 2023.

L-R: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha and Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, during the opening ceremony of the Edo Education Week 2023 in Benin City, Edo State on April 22, 2023.

L-R: Deputy Governor-Elect of Plateau, Josephine Piyo; Governor-Elect, Caleb Mutfwang and Plateau State Chairman of PDP, Hassan Chris, during the inauguration of Transition Committee, in Jos

Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

Yemisi Wada is a woman of many parts. She is not only a lawyer, an advocate for street children, but also a movie producer, among other things. In this interview with IVORY UKONU, she talks about some of the movies she has produced, her passion for film-making and what she is currently working on. Excerpts:

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING MOVIES – YEMISI WADA

Notmany people know that you are a full-time movie producer. What movie are you working on?

It is titled 'Lasgidi Cop.' We did the first part in 2016 and licensed it to DSTV for three years and then it went round all the other stations like Africa Independent Television, AIT etc. I felt happy with it because it was my second outing at movie production after 'Oluranlowomi,' a documentary on Street Kids. 'Lasgidi Cops' is a crime series and the first of its kind at that time. It was fully funded by me. It had a good run while it lasted. Ever since then, I have been trying to do a season two of it but the cost of production has gone up. We have been through a recession, our currency has gone down and I needed funding to get it done. I didn't make any profit from the first one I did. I was very sceptical about Bank of Industry funding because I didn't quite understand how it works and so I stayed off borrowing as I didn't want to get involved in anything I couldn't guarantee its profit.

Luckily, not too long ago, I attended a summit in Paris, France where I was made to speak about my experience producing 'Lasgidi Cop.' It was more like a pitch. I came back to Nigeria and a few months later, I was told a French production company was interested in the series. Later that year, I met up with the production company in London and they said they liked what I had done using my own money and saw the potentials of it being funded with them as partners. So we had a development agreement where we both co produce. I produce for them and they fund and distribute it. Just after that, COVID-19 happened. Although we had signed the agreement, the production didn't happen. But post COVID-19, we started again. We have just finished writing the script and editing it so now we are looking at a good time for actual production to start. Luckily, all the stars that featured in the first installment are coming back but this time we are producing it as an original rather than a season two, meaning we are starting all over again.

Will

it have the same story line?

Well, it is a crime series. So yes, it will have the same theme. It is about crime happening in a metropolitan city like Lagos. But this time, it won't be solely based on the Police system as we operate a federal style of policing here. It will be called, 'Lasgidi Cop - Special Crime Series.' There is an imaginary special crime unit that has been formed to deal with serious crimes in Lagos while also interfacing with Special Crime Units in other states. So, we are broadening the scope but it is mainly about solving crime in the metropolitan city of Lagos.

You are a trained lawyer. Why the interest in a crime series?

My productions are all tied around advocacy. Like my first production, 'Oluranlowomi' which means, 'My Benefactor,' it addresses the plight of street children to create awareness for the cause. It was a true-life story about four young boys, how fortunate they were and how the tables turned around for them. It showed how their lives could turn out depending on what help they get, good or bad.

It was borne out of the work I do with my foundation, Haven for the Nigerian Child foundation, which I set up in 2008 to provide succour to children who have taken to the streets for one reason or the other. The focus of the NGO is ‘A street is not a home’, hence we form a relationship with these street children, take them back home and with help, try to fix the problem that led to their taking to the streets, which are very often financial. We take over the welfare of that child with the help of our various sponsors.

'Lasgidi Cop' was triggered by an incident. One of my daughters lost her phone in the United Kingdom. It was a contract line and because

it was insured. She needed a police report to replace the SIM and all what not. But I was sceptical about going to a police station in Nigeria for the report because we all know what police stations are like here. But we did go and what shocked me was that there are different people doing different things, just like any normal office. There are departments for different kinds of issues and it just occurred to me that there are people in Nigeria who will never know the proper function of a police station. We run away from police stations because they are filthy, they are not welcoming, there is so much corruption. You can go in to report a crime and you end up being the accused. But after that visit, I yearned for people to know the actual function of a crime officer and I tried to project that in the movie, in a way that I am not stoking a controversy or calling for state police. I also have another drama series on Youtube. It is a web series titled 'The Witches' and it is about a group of female friends living the cosmopolitan lifestyle in a city like Lagos. I have younger friends in their 30s, 20s and things are fast changing. When I was their age and even when I got separated from my first marriage, I couldn't just rent an apartment all by myself. I had to move back in with my parents so as not to be seen in a certain type of way. But these days, 20, 30-year-olds live alone. It has become common place nowadays, unlike the past. The series is comic and it addresses issues on women who suffer from Pre-Menstrual Syndrome, PMS, the idea of kept women, mistresses, etc. So there is advocacy in everything that I produce, deliberately or inadvertently.

Why did you quit your legal practice for movie production?

I had been out of the legal profession for a while because I was married and bringing up children. So my mates at the bar had pretty moved up their career ladder ahead of me. Then I became a single mum and it was very difficult to raise three children on a litigation salary. It was poor. However, it is not all totally goodbye to law because the beauty about law is that you are a lawyer every day. It doesn't ever leave you because you are applying it in every aspect of your life. The only difference is that I am not practicing it professionally. Do you regret not practising law?

In Nigeria? Hell no. I have had a terrible experience with the judiciary. So I do not regret it at all.

Didn't your famous dad have a chamber where you could have worked?

No he didn't. He was a judge employed by the government and worked with the ministry of justice. By the time I returned after my

studies in England, he was already a judge. So back to my narration, I set up a law firm, Summit Chambers, but I found it too tedious and it was difficult to make ends meet. So I went into business. I was a jack-of-all-trade, I did everything and anything to survive. It was after I remarried that I started my NGO and did the documentary on street kids because I was trying to raise public awareness about the kids. I would say the bug bit. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of movie production and I liked the impact the documentary made. And now, I find that at my old age, is where I found what the Bible says about making money doing what you enjoy doing. I am passionate about movie production. It is my escape and I even edit scripts free for people who reach out to me for their honest opinion.

Are you thinking of producing a feature movie?

I have one that I am really passionate about. It is a Yoruba epic series and it is being written at the moment. I just came back from America where I got funding for it. I am very excited about it, but it turns out that the story is long it can't be a feature movie but a series. But I do plan to do a feature film, perhaps after these projects I am working on.

What are those things that you believe mitigate against the growth of the movie industry?

A lot of things do, but most important, we do not have enough support from government. In every other part of the world like in the United Kingdom, if you have an idea, there is a government body you pitch it to and they support you. With that support, you are not desperate to just churn out anything in the name of making movies. I will give you an example.

An old school mate of a young brother of mine produced a movie, 'The Milkmaid,' which dwelled on the insurgency up North, did so well that it was Nigeria's nomination to the Oscars. The movie got to the second to the last stage of the whole Oscar process, but there was no

Wada

Wada

government support. They were looking for funding because when you are putting your film up for the Oscars, you need to lobby, show them the film, engage them, it is all money and they needed that extra funding. It was a wonderful film. Now let me shock you further. During the premiere, which was done online because of COVID-19, the Minister of Information didn't even show up for the zoom premiere. He was invited and for a film that was nominated for the Oscars, the man whose responsibility it is to help project Nigeria positively, did not show up. The year after, Korea had a film in the Oscars and Korea was in Los Angeles lobbying for that movie. The movie producers had the support of their country because it was a national thing. Apart from winning in the Best Foreign Film category, it won in the Best Film Picture category.

We do not get the support that we need. We also do not have enough cinemas. All these box office touting N300 million, N500 million sold out, I am thinking from where? It doesn't make any sense because we do not even have enough cinema houses and how many Nigerians actually go to the cinema?

The most expensive cinema tickets is N5000. Even the cinemas available, the foreign films get more showings in them than the indigenous ones. So where is the N100 of millions coming from? So this makes me a bit sceptical because we really need to know the true numbers we are dealing with to be able to get adequate funding for movie production.

What are your thoughts on Nollywood becoming an allcomers affair?

I feel that again, in anything that you do, you want to make your money back. If you are not going to get any support and you are going to use other people's money, then you need to find means to get the most return on the money. That being said, we are creatures of habit. I think we are just generally a lazy nation, we celebrate mediocrity a lot and in anything we do. If you criticise or air a contrary opinion, people assume there must be something wrong with one. But I believe that with time, it will get better.

Now we have streamers tapping into our movie industry, our movies are going international, people are looking at getting international recognition via awards like the Oscars. So, when you want to compete internationally, you need to apply international standards. You can tell with the quality of our films that we are getting more adventurous. So sooner or later, it will get better, and the wheat will be separated from the chaff.

With your sights focused on movie production, what happens to your NGO?

It is still active. To maintain its capacity, we have not put in more children but what we do is to maintain the care we give to the ones we have taken off the street. By extension, we are also looking after parents that are in charge of the children under us. A lot of them are grown now and working. There are younger ones who are still in school. Unlike when we started and we would visit the Kuramo beach to get these kids off the street, now we have referrals, that is, children being brought from outside Nigeria or from northern Nigeria.

Do you have a home where you keep them?

No, we always take them back to their home because I still believe that the home is the best place to train up a child. Luckily, most of these children we take off the street are opportunistic children. So they are keen to make a living. I am also glad that because of the Child Right Act of Lagos State, it is not commonplace to find as many children on the streets as before. So the law is actually helping us tackle that aspect.

Can you recount one success story with these street children you salvaged?

I will tell you about six success stories. When the boys complete their schooling, we send them to a technical training institute in Lagos. One of them did a course in computer science. Another one, Idris Modupe took some professional exams, passed in flying colours. He currently works in Eko Hotel in charge of lighting. Then another did something in communication while the fourth took an exam on web design. He takes care of our online presence and things like that. He is doing so well. He has built a house for himself in Ikorodu, financed his sister and they both co-own a clothing line. Then there is Musiliu who works with MTN Nigeria and in the department that handles the construction of their communication mast. He is married and is a father now. Then there is Isaac who trained on how to fix aluminium stuffs. He is a boxer and now he has a show on GOTV.

Do you help them to get these jobs?

Yes, we do sometimes, but what is funny is that these kids have gainful employment, while I have relatives with many university degrees, yet can't get jobs. One thing I have learnt from this is that university education is not for everybody. It is more important to learn a trade that you are good at and have the qualifications and experience. And the jobs are there. Companies like Nestle, Guinness, Nigerian Breweries go to this instituter to poach them.

You have been married for 21 years. What has kept the marriage going for so long?

We are each other's friends. Like every couple, we go through swing periods. Today it's high up there, tomorrow, it's low, but I think that at the end of the day we have each other's back, whether we are together or not because of where we are coming from. Again, I know who he is and I have a very good idea of who I am in his eyes and vice versa. We are completely different in many ways. I am a Lagosian, a socialite and I love to party, but he hates parties. When I am getting dressed up for a party, he will do everything possible to make sure I get ready and at the end, he will say thank you. The thank you is for not asking him to come with me to the party. To another couple, that could be different and misconstrued, but I know that, that is not him and I do not need to put him through that to announce to the world that we are together.

How did you meet him?

I met him in London through some friends. It is funny because I thought he was someone else. It was a comment I made and a reply to that comment and we picked it up from there.

In this age and time where marriages end, even before they are contracted, what advice would you give to young couples hoping to stay married?

I have heard young people say my generation has scared them off marriage. They say what we do to stay married is akin to slavery but I say to them that marriage is like a membership club where to retain your membership, the man and the woman must be ready to love each other in sickness and in health, the woman must be submissive to the man and the man must be able to look after the woman. That is the premise of the 'membership'. If you do not believe in those membership rules, then do not join the club. But if you must join the club and you start adjusting or shifting the rules, then there would be problem. Again, it is not love that keeps a marriage. It takes a dogged determination to be together because you both want to be together. So there should be respect, deep affection, patience and endurance. And you can't do it by taking each other for granted.

You are a grandmother of two. What is the secret of your good looks?

I am lucky that I got good genes from both sides of my parents. But more importantly, I am at peace with myself. I dance to my own tune, I follow what I believe in, I am not looking to please anyone but God. As I get older, I have a beautiful relationship with God that I did not know was possible. Above all, I have five children who are millennials and what you would refer to as Gen Z, so go figure. But I thank God.

Wada

Wada

If you are not going to get any support from the government to produce a movie, and you are going to use other people's money, then you need to find means to get the most return on the money. That being said, we are creatures of habit, I think we are just generally a lazy nation, we celebrate mediocrity a lot and in anything we do. If you criticize or air a contrary opinion, people assume there must be something wrong with one. But I believe that with time, it will get better

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

TUNDE AYENI SHUTS DOWN RUMOUR OF MARITAL CRISIS

About two weeks ago, when Ayodeji Okoya Thomas, son of late industrialist, Molade Okoya-Thomas and socialite, Lola Otegbeye gave out their daughter in marriage in a lavish traditional wedding party, one of the invited guests was businessman and former chairman of defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni. The chairman of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company who has kept himself busy issuing rejoinders bothering on his personal and business life, made sure to attend the party, which had the who is who in the political, business and social circuit in attendance, with his long-suffering wife, Bola. His reason for attending the shindig with his wife to the party was not lost on guests and society watchers. In an attempt to project himself blemish free, devoid of any sandal,

the former business partner of late Captain Hosa Okunbo, has been making concerted effort to debunk the viral news of being in an amorous relationship with an Abuja based lady, Adaobi Alagwu, which resulted into him allegedly fathering a child with her which he allegedly abandoned. While he admits that he indeed had a relationship with Adaobi in the past, a mistake he claims caused his family much pain and one which he regrets, he however insists that the result of the relationship which became a paternity issue between him and the said lady, is one that is being resolved. Ayeni therefore hopes that Adaobi will end up not being

Adaobi Nwakuche Quits HEIRS Insurance

Barely three years after she was appointed as the MD/ CEO of Heirs Insurance Limited, Adaobi Nwakuche has thrown in the towel. While inside sources claim she was a victim of boardroom politics and allegedly forced out by forces who couldn't stomach her approach and work ethics, others expressed the opinion that she has gained a higher ground which will unfold

his albatross as he claims to have resolved to remain the loving and committed man his wife married decades ago. This explains why she was his companion at the party. Ayeni in a subtle way was out to prove to naysayers that his marriage is still intact despite his several indiscretions and that his wife has again chosen to look the other way and stick with him like the proverbial rock of gibraltar.

Meet Ire, Oye Hassan-Odukale's Son

Who Prefers to Cook up a Storm

He comes from a family of professionals in the corporate world. His grandfather, Sir Olusola Hassan Odukale, founded Leadway Assurance Company Limited and incorporated it in 1970 to fill the gap of an indigenous insurance company that would compete favourably with the foreign

companies at the time. He built Leadway on a solid reputation of integrity and excellence and passed on the mantle of leadership of the company to his famous first son, and Ire's father, Oye.

Oye who is considered the wizkid of Nigeria's insurance industry, having nurtured Leadway Assurance Company Limited and taking it to an enviable height for over 30 decades before bowing out about three years ago.

He appointed his brother, Tunde Hassan-Odukale, the company’s executive director, financial services and systems to take over from him as the MD/ CEO. Tunde is a director in several blue-chip companies including First Bank Nigeria Limited.

A few years from now, Tunde will need to look inwards for who to hand over the baton to when it is time for him to bow out. Expectedly, the baton should land on Ire being a non-executive director in the company but his passion lies in things other than insurance.

Ire prefers to cook up a storm in the kitchen and he finds an outlet for this passion via his upscale restaurant situated in London called Ikoyi. He is the managing director and a co-founder of the restaurant which he set up in 2020.

A graduate of London School of Economics and Political Science, Ire had previously spent time attempting to learn the intricacies of insurance. He started out being an Insurance Broker with London based Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited and thereafter moved to American International Group, AIG, as an underwriter. In both places, he spent a total of six years and decided he couldn't continue to ignore his passion. Thus in 2017, he set up Ikoyi with his partner and childhood friend, Jeremy Chan. So well did he do with the restaurant, churning out mouthwatering cuisine that barely five years after it opened its doors to clients, the restaurant became the first in the United Kingdom to bag the ‘One To Watch Award’ by the World 50 Best Restaurants, an award ceremony that recognises a restaurant considered to be a rising star on the global dining scene. Obviously, with this landmark achievement, there is no looking back for Ire.

in due course. A cursory look at the company's website shows that her photograph has already been yanked off. Not a few people within the hallowed halls of the insurance company can attest to the sharp business acumen of Adaobi who is fondly referred to as the first lady of Nigeria's insurance industry. Adaobi rose to become Managing Director in 2020 after five years as the company’s Executive Director, Business Development due to her far-reaching prominence in that sector. Her popularity also

extends to the social circles, where she is one of the hottest and most eligible divorcees. A graduate of Government and Public Administration from the Abia State University with a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology and a PhD in Insurance, Risk Management and Corporate Governance, she has held sway both in the insurance industry and on the social scene for the past 20 years without her popularity waning one bit. From her rookie days at Standard Alliance, she rose through the ladder of success plying her trade at Standard Assurance Company of Nigeria before moving on to Equity Assurance before berthing at HEIRS Insurance.

Ladoja’s Rosy Relationship With Founders of Nordica Fertility Centre

Recently, Nordica Fertility Centre, one of the top In Vitro Fertilisation, IVF clinics in Nigeria, celebrated its 20th anniversary and rolled out the red carpets in celebration. One special guest of honour at the celebration was former Oyo State governor and an Ibadan high chief, Rashidi Ladoja. Many of the guests assumed he was only a special guest by merely knowing the founder of the fertility clinic. What they didn't know was that the businessman was instrumental to the takeoff of the fertility clinic. Back in 2003 when the clinic started, the former governor magnanimously gave one of his houses located in Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lagos State to the founder as its first operational base

before it moved to its personal property in Ikoyi, Lagos and began to expand across the country.

Established by Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, in association with Nordica International, Denmark, Nordica provides the latest and most

advanced assisted reproductive services for treatment of male and female infertility and related issues. Dr Abayomi runs the fertility clinic with his wife, Olori Ranti Tola Ajayi as a sex therapist and a relationship coach.

Uniben to Honour Julian Osula, Others

Julian Osamede Osula is set to be recognised for his giant stride in Nigeria's luxury market. The University of Benin (UNIBEN) is preparing to honour him at the 2023 edition of its annual lecture series. Although he was born in Enugu State, Osula, who is the founder of Julian

Luxury, is a member of the Osula Royal family in Edo State and. He bagged a Bachelor degree in Law from UNIBEN, but veered into the banking industry after graduation. A few years after, he dumped banking and set up his own company, Manla Enterprises which was into printing and supplies of gift items. His clientele was the wealthy. In 2011, he expanded his printing and gift item business to include the sale of luxury goods and renamed it Julian’s Luxury from its former name, Staple Gate. Some others who will be

honoured for making giant strides in their various fields of endeavor during the lecture series are Kingsley Obiora, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Center; Philip Edigin, the MD of Phil HallMark; Ayuba Ibrahim Abba, the General Manager of the National Petroleum Investment Management Service (NPIMS); Henry Oroh, the Executive Director of Zenith Bank; Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome (SAN) of Mike Ozekhome Chambers; Sharon Ikeazor, the Honourable Minister of State for the Federal Ministry of Environment etc.

THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA

Nwakuche and Elumelu

The Ajayis and The Ladojas

Hassan-Odukale

Osula

Ayeni

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

COURT SACKS TRADITIONAL RULER, ENDS SIX-YEAR KINGSHIP TUSSLE IN ONDO COMMUNITY

a series of litigations before Oba Oluwole was chosen amidst a lawsuit to rule the community. However, after his coronation, the OdoEleyowo Ruling House, which had been lying claim to the throne, even when Oba Oluwole's predecessor was alive, rose again and went to court to claim that their candidate, Babatunde Fasogbon was the rightful candidate to the throne.

Wife to Mark Anniversary of Orlando Julius’ Death With Concert

member of the ruling house whose turn was to fill the then-vacant stool of the town.

The kingship tussle rocking Oke-Igbo in Ile -Oluji/Oke -Igbo local Government area of Ondo State has come to an end after the Ondo State High Court, sitting in Ondo town, ordered the deposition of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo, Oba Babajide Oluwole. The royal stool became vacant in 2007 after the death of Oba Timothy Fasawe. The stool remained unoccupied for more than a decade as a result of

The Odo-Eleyowo also fought for the preservation of the right of their ruling house to the throne. However, a High Court in Ondo ruled in favour of the Aare Ruling House who got the nod to produce their candidates who were thoroughly screened. Two of the contestants made it to the final list, Oba Lawrence Oluwole, from Bamigbala Alapinni indigenous family and Prince Israel Adebowale Odefadehan from Kugbayigbe indigenous family. While Oluwole was chosen.

After six years of occupying the throne, the court nullified the appointment of Oluwole last week. It admitted that Oluwole, is not a

Two princes from the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House, Rufus Adekanye and Temitope Adeoye, Head and Secretary of the House respectively, had approached the court to challenge the enthronement of Oba Oluwole by the state government. According to the suit filed by their lawyer, Mr Sola Ebiseni, the claimants claimed that the defendant is not a member of the Aare Kugbaigbe Ruling House whose turn was to produce a candidate to the throne. In a judgment delivered by Justice Ademola Enikuemehin, the court admitted that Oluwole was not a member of the ruling house to produce the king and also not qualified to be presented as the kingship candidate. The judge ordered that the eligibility to the throne should be restricted to the descendants of Odo Eleyowo, Aare Kugbaigbe, Kuole Oloje, Aderin Ologbenla and Ajibike Adedimeji of the male lineage who are the five ruling houses. The court also gave an injunction restraining Oba Oluwole from parading himself or allowing himself to be paraded as the king and the rights and privileges pertaining to the person, title and office of the Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo were taken from him.

Aribisala, Omisore Inducted Into Nigerian Academy of Engineering

The duo of professor, Gbenga Aribisala, the former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University and the National Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, have been inducted as Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of

Engineering. Aribisala and Omisore were inducted into the body for demonstrating high professional and ethical Integrity, as well as for placing their enormous wealth of experience at the nation's disposal.

The Council of Engineers had held

MICHAEL JOHNNY BAGS CHIEFTAINCY TITLE

a meeting a few weeks ago where the decision to elevate the two was made.

Professor Aribisala was elevated as a Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE nineteen years ago before he was moved to the highest-ranking body of the association. He had made tremendous contributions to the practice and teaching of engineering in Nigeria and abroad, most especially in the area of Water Resources and Construction. Despite being actively involved in politics, Omisore has also contributed immensely to the development of the engineering profession in Nigeria. He supervised the construction of laudable projects in Nigeria, such as the Makurdi Air Force Base, Sokoto University Teaching Hospital, Onitsha Flour Mills, Bank of The North, now Unity Bank building, World Bank Assisted Health Projects for Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa States and the Imiringi Rural Electrification project in Bayelsa State.

Latoya Ekemode, widow of late Highlife musician, Orlando Julius Ekemode, is planning a memorable concert, tagged ‘Orlando Julius Afrohouse of Highlife Festival’, OJAHH Festival, in September in commemoration of her husband’s one year death anniversary.

Orlando Julius died in his sleep in April 2022 at the age of 79. He was buried in Ijebu Ijesha in May 2022.

Although the family of the deceased had a virtual concert last week tagged ‘Afroblackish Live Stage’, the memorial concert reflected on the impact and legacies of the legendary saxophonist. And it was held on different social media platforms. After the tribute concert, the singer's widow, who took a break late last year to rest and mourn her husband in the United States where she met him, revealed that the festival

will celebrate the legend while an artiste development center and arena with ultra-modern studio where young talents can hone their skills and record will be set up.

Latoya, who is an accomplished dancer and musician, promised to continue to celebrate the late musician as long as she is alive. Orlando Julius, whose music like 'Asiko', 'Ololufe', 'Love Peace and Happiness', 'Dance Afrobeat' still resonates with many had a short fling with acting while he was in the United States, he acted a role in ‘Roots: The Second Generation’ in 1978.

Patrick Akinwuntan Joins Lagos Business School

Chief Michael Johnny, former Chairman of Chevronsponsored Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation and the Ijaw leader of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Delta State, has been conferred with a chieftaincy title by the traditional ruler of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State, His Royal Majesty, OboroGbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba. Johnnny was installed as the Agadiwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom last week at Oporoza, headquarters of the kingdom. The event was part of the activities marking the King of Gbaramatu’s 7th coronation anniversary and grand finale of the 2023 Amaseikumor Festival. Johnny was conferred with the title for his selfless high-networking spirit and his immense contribution to the struggle for a better Ijawland and the Niger Delta in general. He is also a foundational leader of APC in Delta State. During the recently concluded election, he worked assiduously towards the success of his political party in the state and its environs.

Patrick Akinwuntan, the immediate past Managing Director and Regional Executive of Ecobank Nigeria, has joined the Lagos Business School as an adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty is a part time faculty member hired to

teach specific courses, supervise practicums on contract basis. As an adjunct instructor, the retired banker lectures students of the institution on a part-time and contractual basis. He is taking them on his area of expertise, which is finance. Akinwuntan retired from an active banking career in 2022. He had a 26-year banking career at Ecobank and has extensive board-level experience, including non-executive director positions. He is currently a co-chair of the Advisory Board of the Retail Banking Council for Africa and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fintech Association of Nigeria. The Chartered Accountant is also a Pan African Banker, and fintech expert who is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and innovation in financial services.

Johnny

Oluwole

The Orlando- Julius

Aribisala Omisore Akinwuntan

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

DEJI ADENUGA MARKS 60TH BIRTHDAY IN DUBLIN

Seasoned actor, Deji Adenuga recently joined the diamond Jubilee club in style. To celebrate this, he threw a party in Dublin, Ireland. There were more than 200 guests at the party. Some of them were his friends who flew all the way from Nigeria to celebrate with him. Ahead of the event, customised invites and gift items were sent to all those who attended the event. Each invitation card had the names of the guests and their sitting positions inscribed carefully on it. Perfumes, earbuds, body spray, wines and snack boxes were some of the luxury items in the box of invite sent to guests. Blue lace aso ebi also circulated round those who signified interest to attend the party. Those who could not buy the aso ebi however turned up for the birthday

bash garbed in blue and gold color attires which was the colour of the day. Dr Tosin Dokpesi, one of the guests who came from Nigeria for the birthday party, anchored the cutting of the cake. Friends paid glowing tributes to the celebrant, stating how much impact he has made in their lives. With over three decades of experience as an actor, Adenuga relocated abroad a few years ago and ventured into events and festival organisation. He created the Nigeria carnival Ireland. He also took part in the popular Irish reality show, 'Gogglebox Ireland’, before stepping down when his wife became the

Ruling House Sues Ondo Government Over Imposition of Candidate

One of the ruling houses in Ondo State, the Akinboro Royal House of AladeIdanre Community in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State is not happy about the imposition of a candidate to the stool of the community by the state government. The ruling house has sued the state government at the High Court in Ondo State for imposing an

unknown candidate on the stool. The stool became vacant after the demise of Oba Olusegun Akinbola in 2020. Alexander Akinnadeju was chosen by the kingmakers and his name was sent to the state government. However, the Akinboro Ruling House faulted the process, saying it was contrary to the native law and custom of Alade Idanre. They alleged that Akinnadeju was not from the ruling houses in Alade Idanre and by the extant registered Chieftaincy Declaration, the family is not entitled and eligible to nominate, be nominated, presented and appreciated to fill the stool of Aladeokun Alade Idanre.

The royal family claimed that Akinnadeju and his relatives were not members of the Lagokun ruling house and are not entitled to participate in the nomination exercise of the Aladeokun stool, let alone singled out as a candidate for the stool.

The Akinboro asked the court to set aside the nomination, presentation or appointment of any member of the Akinnadeju family who is not a member of the Akinbola or Akinboro families who are the ones

Damilola Olawuyi is new President of International Law Association

Professor Damilola Olawuyi, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD and Vice-Chair, United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, has been made the President of the International Law Association, ILA of the Nigeria branch. The International Law Association (ILA) was founded many years ago. The body studies, clarifies and develops public and private international law and the furtherance of international understanding and respect for international law. It has consultative status with a number of the United Nations specialised agencies. Olawuyi, an energy and environmental law expert, took over from the

immediate past president, Professor Fidelis Oditah. He was appointed for his pivotal role to the success of the association while he was the vice president of the association. The energy expert, expressed gratitude to members of the association for their confidence in him, adding that he looked forward to working with them to advance ILA’s important work of deepening international rule of law in Nigeria and across the world. A prolific and highly regarded scholar, Professor Olawuyi has practiced and taught law in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He has published close to 100 articles, book chapters, and books on petroleum law, energy, and international environmental law.

Yetunde Asika

as African Leadership Council’s Chief Operation Officer

to present king elect. According to the applicants, Akinbola and Akinboro are the only families recognized as constituting the Lagokun Ruling House that can nominate and present candidates for appointment to the stool of Aladeokun of Alade Idanre. They added that the nomination of Akinnadeju or any member of the Akinnadeju family for appointment by the state government as Aladeokun is a violation of the provision of the Chiefs Law,

Yetunde Asika, wife of creative entrepreneur and founder of Storm 360, Obi Asika, has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of African Leadership Council. The African Leadership Council is an exclusive platform for political and business leaders, policy titans, opinion leaders, entrepreneurs

and executives who are committed to the greatness of Africa, and lifetime relationship and partnership across the continent and eradicating poverty in Africa. Asika, who is an emerging game changer for development in Africa was chosen because of her thoughtfulness in various capacities of leadership. Her love for Africa and yearning to see its development which will help achieve the goals of the African Leadership Council by making a

Ozinna Marks Three Year Death Anniversary of Father

Celebrity stylist and communication expert, Ozinna Anumudu, has marked the third death anniversary of her late father, Sir Willie Anumudu. The late billionaire chairman of Globe Motors Limited, died in April 2020 at the age of 68. He had suffered some health challenges a few days before his death and was tested for Coronavirus, which turned out to be negative.

The Imo State-born business mogul was to be flown to Germany for further medical attention but unfortunately

died before his family could airlift him outside Nigeria. His daughter took to social media to celebrate the late automobile magnate's three years' demise on his death anniversary. She shared four family pictures taken when Sir Anumudu was alive, which were accompanied with emotional note of how she missed him and how the family has been faring after his departure. According to Ozinna, late Anumudu indulged her when he was alive with her numerous requests, one of which was the

photo-shoot taken in 2014. She added that she told her dad to wear a navy blue suit like his sons but he went to his room and reappeared with a gold silk shirt and jeans. She jokingly stated that her father did not take instructions. The style icon also revealed that the family has been striving and keeping the flag flying like he would want them to do. Sir Anumudu, was a jolly good fellow and friend to everyone while he was alive. His marriage to his wife, Nkiru, who is also a style icon and society lady produced four children.

positive impact on the continent. The UK-trained lawyer is an international human rights lawyer. She has been in the forefront of civil society work globally. She was a former International Criminal Tribunal Legal Practitioner for the United Nations and a former member of the U40Y Advisory Panel to the UK Home Secretary providing strategic recommendations to members of the Parliament on government and law. She sits atop several boards and she is also a trustee for several NGOs.

first black elected female public representative in Ireland and the first migrant counselor on the Meath County Council.

Adenuga

Olawuyi

Asika

takes over

Akeredolu The Anumudus

A Season of Executive Begging FEATURES

In mid-April during a Ramadan Tafseer in a Kano mosque, Governor Umar Ganduje of the state begged for forgiveness from those he might have offended in the course of carrying out his duties as the state’s number one citizen for eight years. Days later, at a send-forth ceremony in Banquet Hall Aso Villa, President Muhammadu Buhari asked for pardon from those he may have hurt while in office. Then just last week, Ganduje’s counterpart in Taraba state, Darius Ishaku made his own plea in a church to the people of Taraba. His apology was more dramatic: on his knees, left hand raised to the heavens as if cementing a covenant with his own people with God as his witness. Except before and during elections, politicians are not known to go on their knees to the electorate to ask for forgiveness. They are even less inclined to do so once they’ve completed their terms in office for the very reason that they won’t be answerable to voters anymore. So, what is the reason behind this season of executive begging? THEWILL asks. Michael Jimoh reports…

Chief executives seldom say they are sorry to subordinates in the workplace let alone beg for forgiveness. As the boss, admitting to your subordinates that you were wrong in some of your decisions might be interpreted as a sign of weakness or fecklessness. Begging them to forgive you for the same mistakes is even worse because, by virtue of your position, you ought to have avoided those mistakes in the first place. In other words, you can avoid saying sorry by simply doing the right thing.

So, what is one to make of the recent plea for forgiveness by the chief executive officers of two states in Nigeria and by the number one citizen of the country itself?

Of course, politicians are not above stooping low to conquer. Pounding the pavement in pinstripe suits on the streets of London or New York, in Gallabias glad-handing voters in Kasbahs in Morocco, smiling affectionately under huge Sikh turbans to waving supporters in Punjab, giving the V-sign in agbada or baban riga at campaign stopovers in Abuja or Aba, Benin or Bauchi, politicians are just about the same everywhere – they beg, usually before elections and not after.

But it does seem that some politicians in Nigeria have taken executive begging to another level. In a crowded mosque in central Kano on April 14 during the Ramadan Tafseer presided over by Sheikh Nasidi Abubakar Gorondutse, the governor of the state did what none of his predecessors had done before while in office. He made a public plea for forgiveness from those he may have wronged in the course of performing his duties as governor.

Appropriately enough, Sheikh Gorondutse’s sermon for the day was on forgiveness, as if preparing the

congregants for what is to come. Ganduje wasted no time in taking matters up from there.

“With this,” the governor began, “I can say the end of my tenure has come as governor of Kano state. I am bidding you farewell and I am wishing you all the best in life. For those whom we have offended, already our Imam has preached about forgiveness. From my own side, I have forgiven you all. Whatever someone said about me, I forgive him. I also beg you to forgive me. Thank you.”

Not done, Ganduje proclaimed again that “I spent six years as commissioner in Kano, eight years as governor of Kano state. So, I must thank God Almighty for this blessings. But for this long period, there must be some places where I did right where I did wrong. Sometimes someone will commit an offence on your behalf. For whatever wrong I did, please I seek your forgiveness.”

Considered an act of contrition, forgiveness is central to many religions of the world. It is the basis of the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible. Likewise in the Quran, forgiveness is one of the most important teachings in Islam. It is hard to imagine anyone of the congregants in the temple of Allah not forgiving the governor right there and then. As anyone might imagine, it has also elicited responses from social media.

“We have forgiven you your Excellency,” Mas’ud Abdullamid twitted. “May Almighty God forgive us all,” a point echoed by Mustapha Idris Abdullahi who wrote that “we forgive you Baba. May God increase you in health.”

Reedwan Shagari was somewhat nostalgic. “Kano people will miss a good and kind-hearted governor. Ganduje is kind despite all the sabotage people are

doing to him, but he don’t (doesn't) care.”

But for Yakubu Magaji Mani, Ganduje asking for forgiveness is all hogwash. “Where is our cleric Abduljabbar? Release him if you want us to forgive you.” Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Bakara is the Muslim cleric sentenced to death by hanging by a Sharia Court in Kano last December for blasphemy. Bakara is in detention awaiting the hangman’s noose.

On his knees at some point and alluding to forgiveness as stated in the Bible, Ishaku said: “We are taught to forgive those who offend us. In this case, I am asking those I have offended to forgive me. I did in the house of God and if they do not forgive me, it is between them and God

Ganduje

Executive Begging FEATURES

It is not clear yet whether, as an act of clemency, Ganduje might commute Bakara’s sentence on or before May 29 when he leaves office as Kano state governor.

Compared to the responses generated by PMB’s mea culpa, Ganduje’s is child’s play. At a send-forth organised by Minister of FCT, Mhammed Bello for the outgoing president at the Banquet Hall in the Presidential Villa, PMB also asked for forgiveness from those he may have offended while in office from 2015 to now.

“Those that think that I have hurt them so much, please pardon me,” PMB told select guests at the Presidential Villa during the final Sallah prayers. “I think this is a very good coincidence for me to say goodbye to you and thank you for tolerating me for more than seven and half years. I honestly consider myself very lucky. I was made a governor, minister of petroleum, head of state in uniform, then after three attempts, God, through technology and PVC, I became president. I think God has given me an incredible opportunity to serve as your president. And I thank God for that. So, please whoever feels I have done wrong to them, we are all humans. There is no doubt that I hurt some people and I wish you will pardon me.”

The call for forgiveness was hardly out of the presidential lips when Nigerians took to social media to call him out. Singer and former president of PMAN, Charley Boy, panned the plea for forgiveness by PMB for “deliberately mismanaging” the country for eight years. Unsurprisingly, Omoyole Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, harrumphed via a tweet that Buhari “destroyed businesses, you took innocent lives, you destroyed the educational sector, you deprived the sick and infirm of an opportunity to be nursed to health. You unjustly detained and imprisoned many.”

Less surprising also was the response of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) to PMB’s public apology. Dr. Bitrus Pogu, MBF’s national president said: “If he wants us to forgive him, let him right the wrongs done by INEC so that we can have the right people in office and have the kind of Nigeria that we are looking for. He should not hand over to crooks but let him ensure that the right person comes into office.”

For elder statesman Tanko Yakassai, what Nigerians wish is for Buhari to go “so that the myriads of problems facing the country could be addressed.”

There were those who opined that PMB couldn’t have done otherwise as president for that length of time. Convener of Concerned All Progressives Congress, Okpokwu Ogenyi, thinks that PMB asking for forgiveness is right on track.

”It is a welcome development that the President is seeking forgiveness from those he might have offended in the cause of delivering his duty as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

”It is not possible for you to govern without stepping on toes and, of course, President Muhammadu Burahi has stepped on toes in his quest to bring good governance to the country. The President, through his monetary policy, electoral reform, through many other aspects of development, has stepped on toes, which of course, he has genuinely asked for forgiveness.

”I urge Nigerians to see that in a good light. The President did not mean any harm or did not intentionally mean any harm to any individual or group of persons. The President, in his attempt to restore security to the country, has also stepped on toes. The President, in his own way to bring development, also stepped on toes. It is not possible for you to provide quality governance

without stepping on toes. So the President has not erred by saying that. The people that are portraying the apology in a bad light are being mischievous because even in the family, it is not possible for you to provide leadership without stepping on toes.

“Some certain things that we call stepping on toes or offending people do not really mean offending the people. You may have taken a very good decision that will affect somebody’s life positively; one could be hurt as a result of that decision.”

Of the three chief executives pleading for forgiveness, Governor Ishaku of Taraba state seems to have made a safe landing. His plea was also more dramatic. Venue was the Anglican Church Mayo Dasa, Jalingo and it was organised by no less a distinguished body as the Taraba chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Facing the congregation from the lectern, Ishaku spoke at length on his eight years as governor. “As a leader who had led the state for almost eight years,” the governor said, “it was likely that I might have offended so many people either knowingly or unknowingly in the cause (sic) of discharging my duties as the Executive Governor.”

On his knees at some point and alluding to forgiveness as stated in the Bible, Ishaku said: “We are taught to forgive those who offend us. In this case, I am asking those I have offended to forgive me. I did in the house of God and if they do not forgive me, it is between them and God.”

Governor’s Ishaku’s sermon at Jalingo was not all about himself though. He also exhorted the people of Taraba to live by the mantra of leadership he brought to governance. “Give me peace and I will give you development,” he said, advising them to continue to embrace the spirit of that peace and love. “Let the spirit of peace, love and forgiveness guide their attitudes, actions and relations with their fellow people.”

With this mea culpa from the outgoing governors and president, you could say that politicians have now set a precedent – of begging those they have governed to forgive whatever misdeed they may have done in office. Even so, saying sorry isn’t such a novel thing in Nigeria.

On the streets, at home, at work or just about anywhere, it has almost become a refrain. To wit, abeg, make you no vex.

With this mea culpa from the outgoing governors and president, you could say that politicians have now set a precedent – of begging those they have governed to forgive whatever misdeed they may have done in office. Even so, saying sorry isn’t such a novel thing in Nigeria

Buhari Ishaku

National Stadium: Maintenance of Sports Infrastructure at Lowest Ebb

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

Sport is an essential part of any society and it can have significant impact on social and economic development. For Nigeria, sport has been a vital tool for promoting national unity and identity, as well as providing avenues for youths to showcase their talents and develop their skills. As a result, the government and private entities have invested in the relevant infrastructure for hosting local and international sporting events.

However, despite substantial investments, most sports facilities have deteriorated due to poor maintenance. The general state of sports infrastructure in Nigeria has given cause for concern, with many facilities in disrepair and unable to meet the needs of athletes and fans.

The need for Nigeria to pay attention to sports infrastructure maintenance is no more crucial today as is has been from the early days of the country's dominance in sports on the continent. The National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, is a prime example of the state of sports infrastructure in Nigeria.

The stadium, commissioned in 1972, holds a significant place in the country's history and serves as a testament to Nigeria's past greatness in the sports sector. The stadium has played a crucial role in promoting sport in Nigeria, hosting numerous national and international tournaments

that have put Nigeria on the global sports map. It was once the pride of the nation and the best in West Africa. One of the most significant events held at the National Stadium was the 1973 All African Cup, for which the stadium was renovated to meet the standard requirements. This event was a turning point in Nigeria's football history, as the national team won the tournament, defeating Guinea 2-0 in the final. In 1980, the National Stadium hosted the African Cup of Nations, which brought global attention to the stadium's facilities and its beautiful architecture. The Super Eagles defeated Algeria 3-0 to lift their first African trophy. The stadium's capacity was expanded to accommodate more spectators, and the facilities were upgraded to meet international standards. The tournament was a success, and the stadium received praise for its exceptional facilities.

The National Stadium has also played a crucial role in promoting youth sports in Nigeria. In 1999, it served as the host stadium for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which showcased the country's young football talent to the world. It hosted other major sporting events, including the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations. However, over the years, successive administrations have left the stadium to deteriorate. It became a venue for social gatherings, religious crusades, and housing for street urchins, squatters, hawkers, bar

operators, and commercial sex workers. This sorry state of affairs made the news again when the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, ordered the temporary closure of the Stadium after one of the giant floodlights at the arena collapsed due to a windstorm. The floodlights pillar caved in from the middle, bringing down the ramshackle floodlights.

Dare, upon personal inspection of the facilities, stated that a large percentage of the stands were in a precarious state and could crumble as well. The remaining three floodlights had also been affected by “age and

It was once the pride of the nation and the best in West Africa

...Maintenance of Sports Infrastructure at Lowest Ebb

weather elements.” This is only natural for a stadium that was left in a state of disrepair for 17 years.

The Minister, quoting an expert report that checked the stands and their integrity, remarked that 40 per cent of the stands had cracked and that they would have to be knocked down completely because they are dangerous. He was mindful of the fact that other repair work on the stadium made it frightfully dangerous for people in and around the stadium.

While work on new chairs were going on, Dare noted that should people sit on them, and the aged stands collapsed, there could be casualties recorded.

He hinted during his penultimate inspection that the floodlights were in bad shape, adding that the Federal Government would need at least N10bn to fix these and other parts of the stadium infrastructure in need of fixing.

THEWILL recalls that in 2019, the founder of Premier Lotto, Sir Kessington Adebutu, pledged to renovate the National Stadium, during the Dare-led launch of the Adoption Campaign at the Civic Centre.

Africa's leading billionaire Aliko Dangote had earlier promised to renovate Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, following a meeting with the minister.

The need for these private-involved investments in infrastructure resuscitation, upgrading and maintenance was due to the fact that the Nigerian government had only allocated N2bn in the budget for the preparation of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, while N14bn was the amount the Ministry required. The sum covered getting the athlete ready and bringing the facilities where they will train up to the standards required. The shortfall meant the Ministry had to be proactive in searching for private investments and that was the initial prompting that led to the call for corporate bodies to support the initiative.

Since assuming office, Dare had been faced with the renovations of the country's stadiums and in the lead-up to the Olympics, the budgetary deficiency evoked the Adopt-A-Stadium initiative of 2019. Kessington, a philanthropist and lover of sports, was announced to be taking over the renovation of the main bowl of the National Stadium in Surulere Lagos.

The eminent sports backer chose to assist with several items requiring fixing including the tartan track, and scoreboard of the stadium. In September 2020, illegal shops that had taken advantage of the dilapidated nature of the ground were demolished and their owners sent packing in preparation for the renovations. However, despite assurances that the renovations would be completed in May 2021, visits to the stadium revealed that the main bowl was still undergoing renovations as at April 2023.

In delineating the costs of overall revamping of the Stadium, the Minister revealed that the process will require a total of N21 billion. The government therefore approached funders for assistance. These funders, of which Dangote and Kessington were among, asked the government to prioritise the projects. The Sports Ministry listed eight priority projects, and these funders agreed to refurbish the football pitch, tracks, and digital scoreboard. Adebutu, the chairperson of Premier Lotto, agreed to fund the refurbishment of Lagos facilities with N400 million, which is about 4% of the required amount. According to Dare, Adebutu's funds have been used to renovate the football pitch, tracks, and digital scoreboard. Almost 80% of the job for these three items was almost done in

the Lagos Stadium while Dangote had concluded work in Abuja.

However, the Minister highlighted the fact that the Lagos stadium had a huge debt profile, with electricity and water bills amounting to at least N600 million and N150 million, respectively. Due to limited funds, the government had to make choices between paying off the stadium's debt and refurbishing the football pitch and tracks. They opted for the latter, as it was a priority project that needed urgent attention.

Not long after the Minister's comments, critics harped on Dare's claim of needing N21bn as a desperate cash-grab especially with his term nearing its end with the outgoing Buhari administration. To quickly eliminate any such allegations, the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Mohammed Manga, put out a statement that categorically denied the allegations and clarified that no such request had been made or received. Manga emphasised that the ministry had only mentioned the figure of N21bn as an estimated cost for the complete rehabilitation and upgrade of the stadium based on submissions made by different companies and contractors. The ministry was currently reviewing the proposals, and no request or approval has been made yet.

On the bright side, Dare announced that there will be change in the maintenance culture. This comes with the latest news that the Nigerian government has now reclassified sports as a business and is in the process of enacting policies that will prioritise sports infrastructure maintenance. The Sports Industry Policy, this new reclassification step, is aimed at ensuring that Nigeria's sporting infrastructure is never neglected again, and the Federal Executive Council has approved incentives that leverage private sector financing to renovate stadiums and other infrastructure.

However, the critics of the N21bn required to revamp the stadium have a point as there is evidence to show that the work can be done at much less.

Ebi Egbe, the CEO of Monimichelle Group, has expressed his willingness to repair both the Abuja and Lagos National Stadiums in eight months if given the opportunity. Egbe stated that his company could fix the playing turf, tartan tracks, seats, scoreboards, public address system, and all other auxiliary works that meet FIFA and CAF standards for high-profile games in both stadiums in eight months at a less cost than stated. Unfortunately, Monimichelle's expertise is not being fully utilised in the country, according to Egbe, and it is regrettable because the state of the national stadiums in Abuja and Lagos

Private and public efforts to improve sports infrastructure in Nigeria are commendable, but more needs to be done to ensure that stadiums and other facilities are adequately maintained. The involvement of private investors and the enactment of policies that prioritize sports infrastructure maintenance are essential steps in the right direction.

Indeed, Egbe's willingness to repair both the Abuja and Lagos National Stadiums in eight months is a positive development, and the Nigerian government should consider working with Monimichelle Group to renovate other sporting facilities in the country.

With the right investments and policies, Nigeria can have world-class sporting infrastructure that benefits Nigerians, tells of the country's sporting pedigree and provide the youth with facilities that are of international standards.

However, the critics of the N21bn required to revamp the stadium have a point as there is evidence to show that the work can be done at much less

Tribute to Mummy, Ezinne Princess Roseline Obiajulu Oganah (JP)

Ogbuefi Nneoma…. Ije Awele!

‘Mummy Ogbuefi’ was how I always greeted you when we talked on the phone or when I saw you. I have been accustomed to this all my life. You taught me all you could about our customs and traditions. You helped me understand the world as a child growing up under the care of a single parent, how it worked and how I could fit in and become whatever I wanted to be. You taught me that I could achieve all my goals so long as I studied well, sacrificed and worked hard. You taught me to keep good and responsible friends as one of the best ways to stay out of trouble and achieve success. You taught me how to pray, too. You also taught me to be kind to other people. My mummy, my provider, my caregiver, you were a survivor and an extremely caring and compassionate person. You made sure that as children in the 1980s we did not lack the basics. From your salary as a secondary school teacher, with loans from moneylenders and extra income from your side hustle [baking and cooking], you sustained us and bankrolled our education. Three of my older siblings were in tertiary institutions at the same time, but you were undaunted.

I was in primary school and my older sibling was in secondary school. I knew you were under a lot of stress, but you never showed it. You just kept grinding and always told me we would be alright. "Just read your books and be a good student. Everything will be okay by the grace of God." You always assured me. I was your last child and always scared for you at that time. I knew the burden on you was very heavy. You took it all in your stride and even encouraged our relatives to send their children to be enrolled in school under your tutelage. For you, good education is the best legacy every parent should bequeath to their children.

You were one hell of a fighter, a warrior and my all-time heroine, my G.O.A.T. Thankfully, your sacrifices and bet on us paid off. You produced three successful generations of our family – 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren during your life on earth. We all miss you. You lived to witness your grandchildren earn a PhD and multiple post-graduate degrees, just like your children did you proud with similar feats in Law, Medicine and the Humanities. The values you imbibed in us then remain the cornerstone of our journey on earth.

Your grandchildren, Chidera and Udochukwu, as you fondly named them when they were born and your favourite son, myself and Mayen, my wife and your daughter, have struggled to accept that you are no longer with us. Your fond memories, however, will dwell in our minds and hearts forever. Thank you for loving me the way you did and I am thankful that I made you proud.

Mummy, I have so many sweet and fond memories of you. Since you passed on, several that were buried in my mind that I had not remembered in decades have surfaced. These memories of my childhood with you,

I shall cherish forever. I recall how you used to walk my older sibling and I to morning mass and sometimes evening mass in the 1980s. I recall how you used to give us money for offering during the offertory and asked us to pray first before putting it in the offering box. I am tearing up again! Wow…. I recall you would

stress us or even be in lasting pain yourself. I smiled and murmured ‘vintage mummy’ as I held your hand and kissed it and your forehead.

I will never forget February 20, 2023, that was the day I got that call everyone dreads. It was around 4.30pm. I was in my Lagos office for work, but I was struggling to stay awake. So I decided to nap a bit on the couch. It was awkward because I had a very good sleep the night before. My sister’s call woke me up about an hour into my sleep to break the news of your passing!

Mummy Rose, sadly, I will never hear you say 'AU nwam, ndo' again. I will never hear you call me 'AU Bobo' again. I will never see you again. I am tearing up again. My eyes, my cheeks are watery, draining tears. Every time I think of you, I cry. I shed tears because those times I shared with you are priceless. They are the only things that I can hold on to now. I will never see you again until I get to heaven where I am certain you have your eternal home with an altar to worship our creator and adore Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.

My mummy beat the odds! A true matriarch she was. My darling mummy, the peaceful, gentle but strict woman that raised me, thank you for everything, for all the sacrifices you made for me and my siblings. You gave me a chance to fight for a good life and future as a kid when life suddenly threw us lemons. You made lemonade out of it and taught us how to do the same. I am eternally grateful for all the good times you sacrificed so I could get a fair chance as an aspiring child to compete fairly with my contemporaries who had the gift of complete parents in their lives. It made a lot of difference to me.

always take me to school with you whenever I was not feeling too well so you could keep an eye on me. You also taught me how to cook and bake so well that I used to bake and ice my birthday cakes myself. I could make chin-chin, buns, doughnuts, meat pie, bread, etc. I was proud of these and my friends used to tease me as the true son of a Home Economics teacher. Roseline Obiajulu Oganah, my mummy, my moral instructor, teacher and cheerleader. Ogbuefi!

My ideal tribute to you should span hundreds of pages, but words fail me. My emotions have been everywhere since that afternoon when you slept and never woke up. I knew you were tiring because of age and the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown which drastically changed your daily routine. In October last year, a few months before you departed earth, as you started to struggle with your strength, you told me not to worry that you had asked God to call you home if your body continued to struggle. You said you did not want to

You led me into the Catholic faith at age 7+ when I knew nothing. You encouraged me to become an altar boy when you noticed I was developing a keen interest in the Catholic faith. I confided in you my love for priesthood, but you wanted me to finish secondary school first before proceeding to the senior seminary in Bodija, Ibadan for my journey to priesthood. Well, as providence would have it, my career path changed as I got older while in secondary school. You were my moral counselor throughout my university days and even until death. I am happy and fulfilled that you lived your full cycle and enjoyed your last years on earth to the fullest. Your story is an inspiration to all single mothers reading this.

Thank you for the priceless memories and times we shared together. Your legacies and memories are here with us all forever.

I will forever love you.

Your darling 'AU bobo', Austyn Ogannah

EDITOR's NOTE

•Ezinne Princess Roseline Obiajulu Oganah (March 27, 1939 - February 20, 2023). Interred on April 28, 2023 in Onicha-Ugbo, Aniocha North, Delta State.

"I am eternally grateful for all the good times you sacrificed so I could get a fair chance as an aspiring child to compete fairly with my contemporaries who had the gift of complete parents in their lives. It made a lot of difference to me."