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Move to Impeach Buhari Suffers Setback

45 Years of Impactful Scheme

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Intervention Fund, created in 1977 to stimulate growth in key sectors of the economy, has proved a success story among the states … pages 20-21 and the FCT, as Oyo and Ondo (in South-West) showcase in this edition

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IS NOW WHOLLY DIGITAL I have always said, ‘don’t force me to accept your stance on anything, be it sex, religion or any other topic.’ And so don’t walk up to my child and try to coax him or her into being gay or tell them why being gay is the proper sexual orientation. Then, I will have a problem because you are planting a seed, and we know what happens with kids. In the same vein, don’t teach my child to hit or hate someone because they think differently, are not the same colour, or have the same sexual preference as you. Or, even worse, tell my son that it’s ok to marry and have sex with a 10-year-old girl when he comes of marriageable age. Now, that’s causing physical harm to young girls, and such people should be jaailed for child abuse.

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Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

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uring our TOC (Table of Content) meeting, my team member mentioned that the popular Netflix British teen series, Sex Education, visited Nigeria to shoot some episodes for their new season with the gay community and wanted to write about that. At that moment, I decided we would have that discussion as our cover story. The next step was trying to convince the publisher that I had no intention of taking sides; I simply wanted to report the findings and the fact that we can no longer ignore this community in Nigeria.

This community is living without causing harm to anyone, yet they get death threats.

Aren’t there more pressing issues in our country than the sexual preference of consenting adults? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying being gay is right. I’m saying gay people are God’s creation. Ultimately, every religion’s fundamental message is LOVE, and even if you want to correct an act that you think is wrong, it should be done from a place of love.

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Yes, the Bible speaks against homosexuality, but that New Testament verse also lists drunkards, adulterers, the greedy and idolaters. So, if, as Christians, we stand firmly by our faith and insist that it is a sin, Jesus himself said, “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Onah Nwachukwu Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN

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COVER

Move to Impeach Buhari Suffers Setback

BY AMOS ESELE

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he popular theory credited to the founder of Marxism, Karl Marx, that history repeats itself first as a tragedy and second as farce, is about to play out in the Nigerian political scene as some members of the National Assembly have threatened to serve an impeachment notice on President Muhammadu Buhari over the worsening insecurity in the country.

This is because for the second time in the chequered history of democracy in the country, an impeachment notice is being waved at the President by the senior lawmakers.

Like in 2002 when the Senate under the leadership of Anyim Pius Anyim tried unsuccessfully to impeach the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, “for influencing the removal of several presiding officers of the 4th Senate,” according to Anyim, the 9th Senate under Senator Ahmad Lawan had to wait for many months to focus attention on insecurity, which has ran riot all over the country until it landed smack on their doorsteps in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where they all live.

In the many months that it took terrorists to migrate from their enclave in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Yobe and particularly Borno, where Boko Haram and ISWAP held sway, to Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina States in the North-West geopolitical zone and Niger State in the North-Central, as well as parts of the South-West and South-East, only a few concerned voices like those of Senator Smart Adeyemi tried with negligible success to rally a united front in the Senate.

With countless number of lives lost, properties destroyed and many Nigerians suffering and dying for months in the terrorists’ den until ransoms were paid, it took the attacks in Abuja, first on the Kuje Correctional Centre and President THEWILLNIGERIA

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Buhari’s convoy, then the killing of some officers of the Presidential Guard Brigade and recent threats on the lives of Buhari and Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, as well as on the lives of the senior lawmakers, to move them to collective action.

by the development. For someone who recently suffered political setbacks, including the inability to secure a return ticket to the Senate after losing a presidential bid, Senator Lawan is said to be uneasy over this new threat to what is left of his political career.

“The question you ask about this impeachment move by the lawmakers is about timing. Why now?” Ayo Olukotun, professor of political scientist, media scholar and Head of the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State told THEWILL on Friday.

Compared to the Senator Anyim-led Senate, things are shaky under Senate President Lawan’s leadership, particularly as many aggrieved senators on the governing party’s platform are still threatening to defect over its failure to address their grievances to get return tickets.

While in 2002, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the only political party of reckoning in the country, controlled 85 out of 109 senators and 260 out of 360 representatives, the current National Assembly is currently under a simple majority held by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), with 64 Senators to PDP’s 40 and one apiece to Labour Party and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and two to the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

He said, “It is coming a little too late. It shows that many of the lawmakers do not go to their constituencies so they would know the magnitude of the problem posed by insecurity. I am not saying whether or not President Buhari can be impeached. I am saying that for too long he has been an absentee President, even when terrorists say they want to kidnap him, he did not know until Governor el-Rufai had to tell him!”

The tragedy of the matter is that lawmakers, who were elected to legislate for the general welfare of the people and to hold the executive accountable for neglecting its constitutional mandate to provide security for lives and property, had to wait until, “this frightening attack on Abuja is making life unsafe for everybody,” as Senate President Lawan put it while meeting with security Chiefs on Thursday at the National Assembly.

“That is why I think it is more of nuances. What is called symbolism in politics,” said Prof Olukotun.

Investigation by THEWILL shows that although the preimpeachment 9th Senate in 2022 is a far cry from the 4th Senate of 2002 when a similar impeachment made the headlines, the current Senate leadership is worried

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When the impeachment threat reared its head a fortnight ago, the leadership of the Senate tried to make it look like the threat was posed by the minority PDP senators, who made a big media show out of it by chanting, “Buhari Must go.” But when the story leaked that the majority of the senators in a bi-partisan move was rallying to the call to impeach Buhari after a close door session held at the National Assembly, Lawan swung into action.

The Senate broke for a seven- week recess. And then, he led the principal officers to a meeting with the security chiefs to map out strategies to tame the worsening insecurity, believing that by the time the Senators would convene from their recess on September 20, 2022, tempers would have cooled down.

To show how things were working according to Lawan’s game plan, one of the impeachment inclined senators who

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COVER

Move to Impeach Buhari Suffers Setback

chanted, “Buhari Must Go!” two Wednesdays ago, just before the National Assembly went on recess, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, told journalists in Abuja, “We resolved that if we come back on September 20 and discover that the situation is still the same, with no appreciable steps taken, we will impeach him.”

So far, things appear to be improving faster than expected.

Since the interface between the Senate leadership and the Chiefs of security, the Air Force and Army have regained their old devastating self, taking the battle to the terrorists with vengeance.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, approved the immediate appointment of and redeployment of new Air Officers Commanding, reminding the officers of the work in line with the reviewed NAF counter terrorism and counterinsurgency strategy. In their renewed strategy, the Nigerian Army took the battle to terrorists and kidnappers in Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau States.

CONDITIONS FOR IMPEACHMENT Constitutional lawyer, Mack Ogbamosa, told THEWILL that even though the threatening senators may claim to have grounds for their action, the two ways to remove the president may make the whole process cumbersome and a near impossibility.

He said, “The two ways to remove a president are either through impeachment as spelt out in Section 141 (2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9) of the 1999 Constitution and on grounds of incapacitation as spelt out in Section 144.

“From what we have seen so far in the country, impeachment is more of a political tool. Recall that in the second republic, Governor Balarabe Musa of Kaduna State was impeached by lawmakers in the state on political grounds.

“The governor was a member of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), while the majority of the lawmakers were members of the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN), who refused to grant the requests of the governor because of party differences.”

CONSTITUTIONAL GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT According to Ogbamosa, sections of the Section that deals with impeachment of the Nigerian President are S. 143(2), which provides that “whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National Assembly – (a) is presented to the President of the Senate; (b) stating that the holder of the office of the President or Vice President is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed particulars of which shall be specified, The President of the Senate shall within seven days of the receipt of the notice cause a copy thereof to be served on the holder of the office and on each member of the National Assembly and shall also cause any statement made in reply to the allegation by the holder of the office to be served on each member of the National Assembly.”

S. 143(3) which provides that “within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the President of the Senate (whether or not any statement was made by the holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) each House of the National Assembly shall resolve by motion without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.”

S. 143(4) then provides that “a motion of the National Assembly that the allegation be investigated shall not be declared as having been passed, unless it is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of all members of each house of the National Assembly.”

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S. 143(5) went further thus: “Within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions, the Chief Justice of Nigeria shall at the request of the President of the Senate appoint a Panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of unquestionable integrity, not being any members of any public service, legislative house or political party, to investigate the allegation as provided in this section.”

S.143 (6) provides that “the holder of an office whose conduct is being investigated under this section shall have the right to defend himself in person and be represented before the Panel by legal practitioners of his own choice.”

S.143 (7) goes ahead to provide that: “a Panel appointed under this section shall –(a) Have such powers and exercise its functions in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by the National Assembly; and (b) Within three months of its appointment report its findings to each House of the National Assembly.”

S.143(8): “where the Panel reports to each House of the National Assembly that the allegation has not been proved, no further proceedings shall be taken in respect of the matter.”

S. 143(9) provides thus: “Where the report of the panel is that the allegation against the holder of the office has been proved, then within fourteen days of the receipt of the report, each House of the National Assembly shall consider the report, and if by a resolution of each House of the National Assembly supported by not less than twothirds majority of all its members, the report of the Panel is adopted, then the holder of the office shall stand removed from office as from the date of the adoption of the report.”

Harping on the Constitutional provisions that make the process of impeachment of a Nigerian president cumbersome and a near impossibility, Professor Olukotun

“

It is coming a little too late.

It shows that many of the lawmakers do not go to their constituencies so they would know the magnitude of the problem posed by insecurity.

I am not saying whether or not President Buhari can be impeached. I am saying that for too long he has been an absentee President, even when terrorists say they want to kidnap him, he did not know until Governor el-Rufai had to tell him!

also listed some other factors that may make the process a mirage.

He asked, “Can the senators get the number? Next, consider the ripple effect of impeaching a Northern president with a Vice President from the South-West.

Then consider the timing. President Buhari has entered what the Americans call lame duck presidency. Now the National Assembly is in recess. By the time the members come from recess on September 20, the election season would have kicked off. They would not have the time to carry out the impeachment.

“Then the presidency has enormous powers that it can use to divide the protesting senators. Anyway, if they do it would that solve the problem?”

Called for the reaction of his party, the National Publicity of the APC, Felix Morka, said he was about to travel and asked that the questions be sent to his phone. As at the time of going to press 18 hours later, he had not replied our message.

Morka’s PDP counterpart, Deji Ologunagba, did not answer his phone.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Comrade Arambabi Abayomi, was more forthcoming. He told this newspaper that the LP’s position on the issue is one of studied observation.

“The move is okay, if the motive is about good governance. But, unfortunately, it is all about politics.

The APC, which has a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, is complicit in the mismanagement of the country with worsened insecurity, depreciation of the Naira, fallen education as epitomized by ASUU strike for the past five months. It is either they are up to some game or they are trying to frustrate the great change that is coming to this country in 2023 by wanting to instigate a crisis that may scuttle the elections. Unfortunately, they would not succeed. Nigerians want from the old ways and they would get it through the ballot in 2023, not impeachment.”

Attempts to reach the senators, mostly from security devastated parts of the country like Kaduna, Borno, Kogi and Niger States proved unsuccessful as Senator Uba Sani, representing Kaduna Central, did not reply to questions routed through his media aide, Emmanuel Ado, just as Senator Ali Ndume from Borno North did not pick his call. Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West, declined to comment on the development.

Senate spokesperson, Senator Bashir Ajibola, did not pick calls to his cell phone.

In their reactions to the development, media assistants to President Buhari, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, condemned the action of the opposition senators .

Adesina said, “I think the impeachment was just bravado and sadly, security is not something you subject to bravado. You don’t begin to issue flippant ultimatums in something that is a matter of life and death.”

Shehu said, “The performative and babyish antics of those senators staging a walkout notwithstanding, Senate President Ahmad Lawan’s refusal on Wednesday to entertain the ridiculous motion to impeach our President was quite appropriate and correct.”

The 2002 impeachment attempt failed because, according to former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, former heads of government and stakeholders intervened after weighing the impact the impeachment would have on the polity. A similar farce is about to be re-enacted this year, “because the whole thing is a muddle, with government hesitating to act until terrorists are about to take over Abuja,” said Prof Olukotun.

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NEWS Psychologists Partner NDLEA on Mental Health

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he Nigerian Psychological Association (NPA) FCT chapter has sought for partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to ensure access to mental health in the agency and community at large.

The outgoing Chairman, NPA, Mr Emmanuel Alhassan, made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to NDLEA on Friday in Abuja.

Alhassan said that the drug related issues in the FCT, particularly among the youths, was something the NDLEA had been doing an excellent work on.

He, however, commended NDLEA on the achievement and success recorded so far in fighting drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the country.

L-R: Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, with his former Primary three Teacher, Lady Dr. Angela Mebirim, during her courtesy visit to the Governor’s office in Awka, Anambra State on August 5, 2022.

LIRS Unveils Whistleblower Tip-off Channel

T

he Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) on Friday unveiled its whistle-blowing tip off channels to drive transparency, accountability and general public inclusivity in the affairs of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that whistle-blowing is the act of drawing public attention, or the attention of an authority figure, to perceived wrongdoing and unethical activity within public, private or third sector organisations.

NAN also reports that the whistle-blowing service provides multilingual, multiple reporting channels such as toll-free hotlines, web portal, email and a mobile application.

Mr Ayodele Subair, the Executive Chairman, LIRS, at the launch of the “Deloitte Tip-Off Anonymous for LIRS” on Friday in Lagos, said the LIRS was chosen for the pilot phase due to its multi-faceted interface with the general public.

The launch, Subair said, asides from seeking to enlighten and sensitise the taxpaying public on the initiative was hinged on the commitment of the agency and the government to ensuring high ethical standards in all its business processes.

He said the LIRS, with the state ministry of finance, having an oversight function, subscribed to the Deloitte Anonymous and Confidential Whistle-Blowing Facility.

Subair said that the facility would promote an enabling climate for employees and other relevant stakeholders to report wrongdoings, illegal actions or financial crimes noticed and or observed in the LIRS administrative and operational activities.

This, he said, would be done without fear of backlash as it would assist in evaluating and improving existing system and assess key practices necessary to create an effective speak-up culture.

Subair said Deloitte’s engagement as independent assessor was to ensure an objective and unbiased review of issues raised.

“This whistleblowing facility would involve the reporting of acts of commission or omission that border on unethical conduct of employees, management, and THEWILLNIGERIA

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other stakeholders by an employee or other interested person(s) through designated channels to appropriate authorities.

“The aim of this policy is to encourage employees and other stakeholders who have serious concerns about any aspect of the agency’s operations to come forward and voice those concerns.

“The facility is designed to ensure that concerns about wrongdoing or malpractice within the agency can be raised by any stakeholder without fear of victimisation, subsequent discrimination, disadvantage of dismissal.

“This facility does not only provide the avenue to report, but ensures credibility of reports through investigation, feedback to the whistle-blower and ensures protection for such whistle-blower from possible reprisals or victimisation for all disclosures made in good faith,” he said.

Subair added that all concerns would be treated in confidence with efforts toward concealing the identity of the whistle-blower with anonymous reports considered for seriousness, credibility and possibility of confirmation from other sources.

He, however, said anonymity would make it much more difficult to protect the position of the whistle-blower or to give feedback.

“The whistle blowing framework is a twoway affair aiming to expose LIRS staff involved with misconduct, employees of business entities who want to report employers who circumvent tax laws.

“It also helps members of the public who want to raise an alarm on persons or entities who willfully commit financial crimes leading to revenue loss for the state.

“It is noteworthy to mention that all reports must be made in good faith as allegations made frivolously, maliciously or for personal gain would attract appropriate sanctions.

“We are hopeful that all our stakeholders will join us on this journey of purposeful engagements toward achievement of high standards of ethical conduct in the public service space inclusive of dealings with and within LIRS,” he said.

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3,351 Vulnerable Persons in C’River Receive FG’s Grant FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

A

bout 3,351 vulnerable persons in Cross River State have been selected to receive the Federal Government ‘s Conditional Cash Transfer.

According to him, we have seen your work, all you do and are still doing, we are psychologists and we have decided to let you know that we are ready to partner with NDLEA. “It is good to have an association that is a reference point and particularly when you want to engage professionals and we are aware you have a call centre.

“One key area we tend to partner with you is volunteerism. We are happy to provide well trained psychologists to volunteer in providing counselling services in your agency or any services even at the call centre.

The cash transfer is under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

“We also have trained psychologists who need opportunities in terms of employment.

If there are opportunities in your state offices where you want psychologists to actually engage them fully, we will be very happy to partner with you.

The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, disclosed this in Calabar during the flag off of the programme on behalf of President Muhamadu Buhari.

“We will provide those we know are well trained, capable and ready to work and can go through your interview and employment processes,” he said.

Alhassan said that the association would also partner in terms of programmes such as outreaches in engaging the public and creating awareness on drug prevention.

“We are here on behalf of President Buhari to give support to some of the most poor and vulnerable citizens in the country and Cross River State, in particular.

He said that the agency and the association could jointly plan outreaches on psychoeducation in any part of the country.

“This is a one-off grant to women and youths valued at N20,000.

“3,351 persons in Cross River will be paid and they are expected to use the money for empowerment and their small businesses,” she said.

The minister explained that the present administration inherited a national poverty incidence level averaging 70 per cent.

As a result of this, she noted, the government had decided to address the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country, despite other economic challenges that it inherited.

She added that this informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a strategy for poverty reduction and enhancing social inclusion among the people, especially women in rural areas.

She acknowledged the contributions of the state government to the success of the programme, saying that many people in the state would be on their way out of poverty to prosperity.

“Yes, we are in the FCT and have a mandate to be able to interface with those we are close to here. And we will equally give feed back to the national body and so we are not speaking just on behalf of the FCT chapter, ” he said.

The Chairman elect, NPA, Mr Victor Adejoh, called on Psychologists working in the agency to ensure they enrolled with the association.

Adejoh said that the enrollment was needed and paramount to guarantee continuous capacity building and training for them.

He said: “When we have professionals out there who are not updating their skills and talents, that might pose a lot of concern for us as a community of professionals,” he said.

Adejoh also seek for partnership in the area of marking the year 2022 International Mental health day with NDLEA and World Health Organisation (WHO) for a drug rapid assessment in Nigeria.

He said that it would bring about a robust global event where issues of mental health would be tackled.

“It will be a great exploit to have partnership with you. This will also be an avenue to also understand where the burden of drug abuse and substances lies in the country.

“And as a professional body, we’ll see where needs are necessary. We believe this relationship will go a long way,” he said.

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POLITICS

2023: PDP Moves to Resolve Differences With Wike

BY AYO ESAN

T

he leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has started making efforts to end the current crisis within the party, which was caused by a last minute decision not to pick Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as the party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.

For the first time since the beginning of the crisis, two opposing groups led by the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Governor Wike met last Thursday evening in Abuja.

The development, which came a day after the PDP’s Board of Trustees appointed a committee to reconcile both men, gave a breath of fresh air into the major opposition party as its members and leaders heaved a sigh of relief.

At the end of the BoT meeting, which lasted about four hours last Wednesday in Abuja, Senator Abdul Ningi had said that the committee was expected to interface with the warring camps.

He said, “We have set up a committee to interface with the warring factions, with regard to the acrimony between the presidential candidate and Governor Wike.”

The meeting with Atiku and Wike and their supporters held behind closed doors at the private residence of Prof Jerry Gana, a member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees. During the meeting, the warring parties promised to resolve their differences within seven days.

It was gathered that the meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere with both men exchanging banters before formal discussion commenced.

Atiku and Wike were said to have both agreed to set up a joint consultation committee made up of equal number of persons (from both sides) to thrash out the issues.

The reconciliation, according to a source at the meeting, would take place within seven days, after which they are expected to brief the various organs of the party.

The meeting is the first step towards the appointment of the PDP’s Presidential Campaign Council. Leaders of the party are optimistic that soon all the challenges facing it will be put to rest.

It would be recalled that Wike and his supporters were unhappy about the internal scheming that preceded Wike’s loss at the PDP presidential primary where he ended in the second position behind Atiku. Secondly they were angered

by Atiku’s decision to ignore the Rivers State governor in his choice of a running mate.

Atiku picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate from a list of three persons nominated by a Special Committee that he set up to assist him in his search for a vice presidential candidate.

The Chairman of the committee, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, had in an interview revealed that the panel voted 14 to three in favour of Wike as the preferred choice, but they were surprised to see Atiku choose Okowa.

While responding, Atiku said the panel did not undertake a voting process.

He said that although the committee recommended three names, which included Wike and Okowa, the panel did not vote at any time.

He said he picked Okowa as it was his prerogative, noting

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“

The Chairman of the committee, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, had in an interview revealed that the panel voted 14 to three in favour of Wike as the preferred choice, but they were surprised to see Atiku choose Okowa

that he felt Okowa, who has both legislative and executive experience, would best compliment him as President Wike has the backing of some PDP governors, including the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; the Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, among other stakeholders.

Wike Group’s Demands Governor Nyesom Wike and his group have called for the restructuring of the PDP leadership to accommodate more southerners, describing the party, in its current state, as proNorth.

The group complained that the structure of the party was skewed in favour of the North, stressing that any proposed reconciliation between Atiku Abubakar and Wike must address this contentious issue.

Wike

The committee is regarded as committee of the whole, meaning that every other BoT member is a member of the committee, but no one knows the deadline for the committee to complete its assignment.

Atiku

Ningi said the committee is also expected to resolve other existing conflicts within the party across the country.

to ensure peace, just as it resolved not to defect to any other political party.

The group also argued that to lay the foundation for peace in the PDP, there must be harmony, respect and understanding “We are watching from the sidelines, at least to see what will transpire. The BoT has set up a committee to look into the matter. We understand that they want to start with the standard-bearer, we are waiting. As the standard-bearer, he is the shepherd. It is his responsibility to gather the flock.

“So, if Atiku is sincere and wants unity within the party, peace will return. If he believes he has all it takes to go it alone, if he believes that those who are genuinely aggrieved should be left by the wayside, then we will sit by and watch the masquerade play,” a member of the group said.

He added, “We cannot have the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum in the North, the Chairman of the BoT in the North, the Acting Secretary of the BoT in the North, the chairman of the party in the North and the presidential candidate of the party in the North. Where is the fairness in this? Where is the justice in this? Where is the balance in this?

“My leader has said quite clearly that we are moving nowhere.

This is maturity in action despite the fact there could be options to choose at this time. Wike has spoken the truth and all supporters agree with this posture.’

“I tell you, he is in a better position to handle the issues to the extent that anything that will satisfy him means that yes indeed, he has been so reached and spoken to. For us who are his supporters, the moment he is satisfied, we will join him.”

Another member of the group said, “To ensure genuine reconciliation, the PDP must change its leadership structure.

It must show that it cares for the South.

Wike’s group also expressed the opinion that the North cannot occupy the positions of BoT Chairman, National Chairman and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, as well as presidential candidate.

If Atiku is serious about reconciliation, the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, must step down and Governor Aminu Tambuwal cannot continue to be the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum.”

It said the only major position occupied by a southerner is that of vice presidential candidate.

Political analysts have said that it will be too early to say the crisis has ended, but they believe the peace process is on course and they are optimistic that at the end of the day, peace will reign in the PDP.

The group said it support any genuine decision by the party

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POLITICS NEWS Every Country is in Distress, Not Just Nigeria – Group

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he National Coordinator, No Alternative to Tinubu 2023, Vincent Uba, has advised Nigerians to take into cognisance global happenings while reacting to issues and problems confronting Nigeria.

Uba gave the advice in his “Open Letter to Nigerian Youths’’ made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja .

He urged the youth not to restrict their judgement or carelessly act by what they hear, but what they see in a rational and wise manner.

Uba said that he was concerned about the current situations in the country, regarding economic and security challenges, as a businessman, who is also negatively affected.

L-R: Princess Aderemi Adebowale (Office of Civic Engagement); Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka (Housing); Dr. Olajide Babatunde (E-GIS and Planning Matters); Hon. Sola Giwa (Transportation); Engr. Okanlawon Olowu (Commerce and Industries); Barr. Femi Martins (Tourism, Arts and Culture) and Mr. Robert Bolaji (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs) taking their Oath of Office as Special Advisers in the State Executive Council, presided by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, on August 4, 2022.

187 Candidates Contest 25 Assembly Seats in C’River

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total of 187 candidates from 12 political parties are contesting for the 25 available seats in the Cross River State House of Assembly for the 2023 general elections.

This was disclosed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the state, Dr Cyril Omorogbe, at a press conference held in Calabar.

Omorogbe also said that 11 political parties fielded 69 and 28 candidates for the eight House of Representatives seats and the three Senatorial seats respectively.

He said 11 political parties would fight for the governorship positions adding that Cross River had 322,351 new registrants in the just concluded voters registration.

“The total completed registration recorded in the State at the close of Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) is 322,351 as well as 58,305 voter transfers and 20,822 PVC replacements.

“A total of 73 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Voter Enrolment Device (VED) were deployed to the 19 Registration centres in Cross River State (i.e. the 18 LGA offices and the State office) during the exercise,” he stated.

On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection, Omorogbe said collection would continue in all the Local Government Area (LGAs) offices of the State, while 69,016 PVCs remained uncollected from 2011 to date.

He expressed regret that the collection rate of the PVCs was low, considering that it was just six months to the general THEWILLNIGERIA

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elections.

He said, “PVC collection will continue in all the Local Government Area offices, saying PVCs collection by owners was one of the services carried out by our staff alongside the CVR. “A total of 27,158 new PVCs were received by the State Commission in April for distribution to their owners but at the close of registration, only 3,897 were so far collected by voters, leaving an outstanding balance of 23,261 “This set of PVCs is for people that registered from June to December 2021.

“From the old PVCs that are left over from 2011 to 2018; we have on record 57,310 PVCs but only 11,555 have been collected by their owners during this period under review with an outstanding 45,755 which is still not collected.”

While appealing for support from the political parties and their candidates ahead of elections, he urged the people to collect their PVCs. “I pledge that we will continue to work hard to deliver free, fair and credible elections come 2023,” he stated.

INEC had fixed February 25, 2023 for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections and March 11 2023 for Governorship and Assembly elections.

According to the schedule of activities for the general elections released by the commission, campaign is expected to commence on Sept. 28 and Oct. 12 for the Presidential/NASS and Governorship/ state Assembly elections respectively.(NAN) THEWILLNIGERIA

APC Reconciling Aggrieved Members Ahead of 2023 – Wase

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he Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is bridging the gaps created by its primaries by reconciling aggrieved members toward victory in the 2023 general election.

Wase said this when he visited Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State in Abuja .

He said that the APC was working to ensure victory at the 2023 General Elections by reconciling all aggrieved members.

“We are working hard to ensure we bridge all gaps and win with all margins,” he said.

Wase also faulted the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s propaganda, saying that the APC was unperturbed by the party’s noise.

“They are only making a mountain out of a molehill so that they could sell their party. There is nothing to worry about,” he said.

Speaking, Uzodinma expressed concern over the security challenges across the country, assuring that the government would not rest on its oars until the challenges were over.

“Every stakeholder is concerned. The insecurity in Nigeria is not peculiar to the country. It is global. But we are taking particular interest in Nigeria because we are directly involved. Part of it is national and it is also political, because the opposition has not seen any other thing to blame our government for,” he said.

The governor said that the Federal Government was doing well in many sectors. ”What the PDP think they can do now is to destabilise the polity. We are doing our best because they have nothing at stake.

“We are interested in the welfare and the development of the country. ”We are interested in how our citizens are protected, we are also interested in ensuring that relative security is guaranteed in the country. We will do our

He, however, said that he had followed the trend in Nigeria since 1979 till date, adding that he was yet to see a government, be it military or civilian, that had not been rightly condemned by Nigerians.

He said there had always been complaints of one national problem or the other, ranging from economic, security, religious, corruption and the like.

“We have also been witnessing the same lamentations and in each case, there have been clamour for change of government.

“Much as I agree that some of the administrations mentioned above performed below expectations, some were erroneously and unfairly condemned.

“As a troubled and concerned citizen, I have been under serious thought as to why this has always been the case.

“In my reasoning, I identified key factors responsible for these consistent condemnations, which I have categorised into four.

“They are the mindset of Nigerians, illiteracy, restriction of viewpoints to the Nigerian shores and disobedience to God’s commandments, with respect to responsibilities to our leaders,’’ Uba said.

Uba decried a situation where some Nigerians had the wrong mindset or followed a bandwagon in analysing what was happening around them.

“We have witnessed incessant condemnation and complaints against President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the extent that there is the usual clamour for change of government, with some people surprisingly and ironically asking for the return of PDP government.

“Why condemn a government that not only inherited an impoverished economy, but under which the unfortunate oil glut occurred?’’

Uba also wondered why blame a government managing the country and trying to steer it out of COVID-19 pandemic and its effects, even as the Russian/Ukraine war erupted with negative effects on the world economy.

These according to him, was also affecting the United States of America and European economy directly and other countries’ economy.

“There is no country in the world that is not currently in distress as Nigeria is, courtesy of these three global crisis of oil glut of 2015, COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine war.

“The almighty United States of America and most European countries are currently in recession. The citizens of these countries rather than blame or condemn their governments, support and rally round them at this hard time.’’

He wondered about Nigerians reaction to Buhari, who he described as a corrupt free man.

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POLITICS

Muslim–Muslim Ticket: How Far Can

BY AYO ESAN

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t seems that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not ready to do away with the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which it has adopted as a strategy for the 2023 presidential election, anytime soon. In fact, it may become a recurring campaign issue till the general election in February 2023.

Two major voices within the party that are vociferous against the Muslim – Muslim ticket belong to a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.

It would be recalled that Dogara and Lawal, as well as the current Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, all of them Christians from the North, were being mentioned by political analysts as the choices available to Tinubu to pick as vice presidential candidate. But the APC presidential candidate decided to pick former Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as his running mate.

In fact, both Lawal and Dogara played a key role in the emergence of Tinubu as the party’s standard bearer in the forthcoming presidential election. Their closeness to Tinubu during the campaign leading to the presidential primary was very glaring.

Perhaps, the two were very disappointed and might have vowed to work against the Tinubu/Shettima ticket, which, unfortunately, is their party’s ticket for the 2023 presidential election.

Penultimate Sunday in Abuja both Dogara and Lawal held a meeting with northern Christian leaders in the APC, where they made a decision to vote against the party’s candidates in the presidential election, Tinubu and Shetima, for having the effrontery to shun a Muslim-Christian ticket.

At the meeting, Lawal said, “The Permanent Voter Card and our prayers will be our weapons. We shall massively deploy them in 2023.”

On his part, Dogara noted that Tinubu and the APC made an error of judgment on Muslim-Muslim ticket.

At the meeting it was resolved that Christians should vote against the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling party in the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking at the forum tagged, ‘APC Northern Christians Political Summit, Abuja 2022,’with the theme, ‘Righteousness Exalts a Nation, But Sin is a Reproach to Any People,’ Babachir alleged that there was an agenda to politically, religiously and economically suppress and oppress northern Christians, but he told the gathering that such agenda would be resisted.

He said that northern Christians were ready to battle the politics of exclusion and oppression, but remain open to discussions with anyone who wants to engage with them in good faith.

Lawal stressed that northern Christians’ opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket was based on historical evidence, adding that there were times in the past when Christians produced deputy governors in Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna States, “Now it is wholly Muslim-Muslim tickets in most places,” he added.

The former SGF said it was worth noting that this was happening in APC-controlled states.

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Penultimate Sunday in Abuja both Dogara and Lawal held a meeting with northern Christian leaders in the APC, where they made a decision to vote against the party’s candidates in the presidential election, Tinubu and Shetima, for having the effrontery to shun a Muslim-Christian ticket

He said that proof of the APC anti-Christian agenda was the fact that it had completely excluded northern Christians from the composition of its National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Council (NEC), just as their protests as party members have been completely ignored by the party’s leadership.

He noted that as members of the APC, northern Christians have the right to continue to express their indignation at some of the things happening in the party and they will not give up until they secure the justice that is due them.

Lawal said, “The purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision.

Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP is balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.

“One might ask: why is the APC itself mute about our rejection of this Muslim-Muslim ticket? And why has none of the other perpetrators of this crisis reached out to Christians

Shetima

On the day of the presidential primary election, Dogara was seen accompanying Tinubu to greet President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the APC after the counting of votes and Tinubu’s declaration as winner of the election.

Tinubu

Lawal for instance was the leader of the group that went to submit Tinubu’s Expression of Intent and Nomination forms to the APC National Working Committee after they were filled.

for a dialogue? Why are they instead hiring fake Bishops and taking church groups to further embarrass the Church? Why are they embarking on a vicious media war against CAN and the Church instead of seeking reconciliation? Truly, things are not adding up.

“So why are Christians, northern Nigerian Christians in particular, against the Muslim-Muslim ticket? I will try to enumerate just a few more reasons, in addition to the ones I have already mentioned.”

Lawal stated categorically that the Muslim-Muslim ticket is viewed as assent to the educational, economic and political marginalisation of northern Christians.

According to him, Christians all over the country see the Muslim-Muslim ticket as a deliberate and premeditated attempt to introduce and firmly entrench religion into the politics of this country.

The APC chieftain noted that this would further lead to disharmony and disruption of the peace, which would in turn affect the social and economic development of the country.

He said, “Implied in this ticket is the insinuation that northern Muslims are not willing to vote for a ticket that has a Christian name on it and on which they are not represented.

It is our belief that northern Muslims would have seen the justice in a Muslim-Christian ticket and would have given it their overwhelming support, had the party been inclined to do so.

“A corollary to this mindset is that Christians should also not vote for a ticket in which they are not accommodated.

Unfortunately, this is the message we get loud and clear from this Muslim-Muslim ticket. This is truly a wakeup call for all Nigerian Christians. We didn’t start this religious politics.

APC and its candidates did. So, all of us should take note and act as appropriate.

“So, our dear APC colleagues spare us these sanctimonious lectures on competence and the cliché, ‘religion of the candidates does not matter.’ The truth is that the 2023 presidential election will be all about religion and sadly, you started it. Religion does matter in this context. So be ready for the consequences.

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POLITICS

APC Northern Christians go?

Osibanjo and Deputy Senate President Omo-Agege at that level in a country whose population is fairly split between Muslims and Christians.

“Given this scenario, can any God-fearing Muslim or Christian, nay even the amoral and the atheist says this is fair, just and righteous? Does this represent the act of a just God? This is the real context of objections from the Christian community, not just the presidential ticket and the VP slot.

“Let us go out from this summit with the resolve to seek out our Muslim brothers and sisters who believe in unifying our people in order to usher in the much-needed peace and advancement for Nigeria to unleash her true potentials.

“I am sure we will jointly agree on a platform that would advance our collective search for unity, peace and development.”

Elisha Abbo, a serving senator from Adamawa State and Solomon Dalung, a former Minister of Youths and Sports, were present at the event.

Some are of the opinion that they cannot mobilise many people as they are not in control of Christians’ in the north and so, Tinubu has nothing to fear with the gang up.

Lawal

Dogara

The question on the lips of political analysts and watchers of political development in the country is whether the duo of Dogara and Lawal, as well as other Christian leaders in the APC will dump the party before the 2023 presidential election or they will stay in the party and work against its chances of winning the election. How far can they mobilise against the Tinubu/ Shettima candidature in the North?

“It is important to reiterate that we Nigerian Christians want to live in peace and harmony with all practitioners of other religions. We want to enjoy social and economic development like other parts of the world, but without peace, justice and religious harmony, this is not possible.

“

“How do they expect us to remain silent when another northern state governor went to Osun State and urgesdthem to vote for someone just because he is a Muslim? Was he there for the election campaign or ‘dawah’? What can be a better example of religion in politics than demonstrated by these governors?

Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously, and economically suppress and oppress the northern Christian.

But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023

“Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously, and economically suppress and oppress the northern Christian.

But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.”

President because he has sacrificed so much for our party, the APC and for what he represents to many people. So our position cannot be against Muslims or Islam. That fact cannot be denied in any way.”

“On our part, we neither seek to oppress nor dominate anyone or any religion. But we will also resist any one trying to discriminate against us and our religion. We are not the ones that started this fight. The APC started it and must be ready to carry the cross it has created.

“For how do they expect Christians to remain silent when a northern state governor publicly stated that they pressured Tinubu to get a northern Muslim VP because they did not believe him to be a good Muslim? Is the VP going to be the national deputy Imam?

Also speaking, Dogara said the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by APC was capable of leading Nigeria to disintegration like Yugoslavia.

He said that the northern Christians’ opposition to a MuslimMuslim ticket should not be understood to be objecting to Muslims or that they don’t want Tinubu to be President.

He said, “It is not about Senator Kashim Shettima. It is about what is right and what is wrong; it is about justice, fairness and equity. It is about Nigeria, its diversity and how it can be harnessed in an inclusive manner for the greater good of all of us.

“Be that as it may, some of us really wanted Asiwaju to be THEWILLNIGERIA

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Dogara recalled that he could not have been the Speaker of the 8th House without the support of his Muslim colleagues who believed that the nation’s diversity must be reflected in national positions for the unity, peace and advancement of our dear country.

“In 2015, when we were called “janjaweed party,” my response was usually very simple. I could then say that His Excellency, John Oyegun, was the Chairman of my party and the VP was Pastor Yemi Osinbajo. We don’t enjoy that luxury anymore as the President, Senate President, Speaker and his deputy; Senate and House of Reps leaders; National Chairman and the Deputy National Chairman of the party; the presidential and the vice presidential candidates are all Muslims, leaving the Christians with just the position of VP

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But if one takes into cognizance the fact that Christian population in the north is substantial especially in the north Central states of Plateau, Benue and Taraba, it will be foolhardy to dismiss the threat of the northern APC Christian leaders.

One should also ask what the leadership of the APC is doing to placate the Christians in the North and encourage them to vote for the party in the general election. The population of Christians in the North-Central should be up to between 50 per cent, at least.

While some people have said that Dogara cannot even boast of winning in his home state and should be ignored by Tinubu and the APC, others believe that a divided house cannot win the general election.

Speaking with THEWILL, a public affairs commentator, Bassey David, said a house divided against itself cannot stand.

He cited the just concluded governorship election in Osun State, saying the party leadership later agreed that what cost them the governorship election was the division within the party.

“Let me warn Tinubu and by extension, the APC that what they had done may boomerang and they should find a way to appease Christians, especially northern Christians,” David said.

However, a former Governor of Edo State and a chieftain of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said both Dogara and Lawal were doing all they were doing because they had expectations that they were going to be picked as vice presidential candidates, but their hopes were dashed.

“You do not expect the people, who had expectations when they suddenly found out that they are dashed to celebrate, in terms of personal interest. If those leading the campaign were such believers in Christianity, they had the opportunity to vote and canvas for one of the Christian aspirants and they were quite a few. But they were on record as having led the campaign on the side of Asiwaju Tinubu, knowing very well that he is a Muslim. I think Nigeria’s challenges are beyond religion,“Oshiomhole said.

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EDITORIAL

Nigeria’s Troubled Aviation Industry And Matters Arising

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igeria’s aviation sector is in dire straits; perhaps, the worst it has experienced over a long time. The frightening situation portends grave danger for an economy seen to be tumbling towards a precipice.

Stakeholders are lamenting the unbearably high cost of operations, especially aviation fuel, decrepit facilities, poor services and threats of insecurity.

International carriers are cutting down on their flights to the country while some domestic airlines are going out of business.

At the centre of the sector’s current crisis is the high exchange rate and exorbitant cost of aviation fuel, known as Jet A1, which increased by over 200 percent from N300 per litre in February 2022 to about N1,000 per litre in July. Consequently, the cost of flight tickets has skyrocketed. Domestic airlines have increased domestic fares by over 100 percent. An hour’s flight on economy class has risen up to N125,000 from the N50,000 it sold earlier in the year depending on the time of the day.

The aviation industry is capital intensive. About 80 percent of its operations are in foreign currency. Sourcing for the dollar to meet these obligations has become a herculean task in an economy that battles with an unending foreign exchange crisis. The negative impact on the industry has led to low revenue and decrease in passenger patronage amid the non-repatriation of international carriers’ ticket sales proceeds.

The International Air Transport

Association (IATA) had expressed concern over the decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to block foreign airlines from repatriating ticket sales revenue running to $450m (N188.6 billion) into their respective countries.

Last July, Emirates Airlines notified the Nigerian authorities of its plans to cut the number of flights from Dubai to Lagos from 11 to 7 per week by mid-August due to the backlog of ticket sales they could not repatriate.

Back home, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on July 20, 2022 suspended Dana Air flight operations indefinitely over the airline’s inability to conduct safe flights. The incident occurred two days after one of Nigeria’s oldest indigenous airlines, Aero Contractors, had on July 18 announced the suspension of its operations, citing the impact of the challenging operating environment on its daily operations.

Industry operators reveal that many airlines’ aircraft are either grounded or ‘trapped’ abroad where they had been taken for maintenance, but could not be retrieved due to shortage of foreign exchange to settle the bills.

Aviation Round Table, which is a body of professionals in the sector, has warned that more airlines might be forced to halt operations because of the prevailing economic headwinds. Today, many people are no longer travelling by air due to the hike in the price of tickets, which poses a great danger to the survival of airlines and the aviation industry.

Given the fact that the key to the success of airline business is affordability, passenger patronage will invariably drop if fares are unaffordable, leading to empty

flights which becomes a double whammy.

This has implications for the government revenue, business survival and jobs. A total of 15,225,627 travellers passed through Nigeria’s airports in 2021, according to National Bureau of Statistics, this was an increase of 101.02 percent in domestic and international travel when compared to 2020.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), proposed a revenue budget of N188 billion for the current year – 2022, as against N125.4 billion approved for the year 2021, which represented an increase of 50.4 percent. According to IATA, the aviation industry provides jobs for over 20,000

Nigeria has lost no fewer than 50 airlines in the last five decades. These airlines, most of which go under, usually close shop within a spate of 10 years after commencing operations

Nigerians in various sub-sectors.

What is happening to the aviation sector is a reflection of the challenges of the wider economy, which has been poorly managed over the years. Aviation is a critical sector. There is imminent danger in the entire industry which is bound to spiral out of control if something is not done urgently.

The government may consider a temporary suspension or significant downward review of the port charges and taxes on aviation fuel, pending when normalcy returns.

The aviation sector is responsible for the creation of thousands of jobs, it is wrong for the Nigerian government to deny carriers the opportunity to repatriate their revenue. The Central Bank of Nigeria should therefore work out urgent and practical strategies to enable the international airlines to repatriate their blocked ticket revenue domiciled in naira.

The government should consider an extensive modernisation of the airport terminals with shopping malls and alternative power supply, like renewable energy, to keep the airports functioning and to reduce the cost of operations. This will also help to turn the fortunes of the nation’s 18 unviable airports to boost government revenue and reduce excess tax on the airlines and passengers.

According to reports, Nigeria has lost no fewer than 50 airlines in the last five decades. These airlines, most of which go under, usually close shop within a spate of 10 years after commencing operations. This is not a good report for an emerging economy that aims to play in the league of top performing global economies.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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OPI N ION

Sam Omatseye & His Obiphobia

BY TONY EKATA

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am Omatseye is a highly intelligent man, no doubt. But intelligence does not start and end with the mastery of a language; in this case, the English language. What Omatseye did in his August 1, 2022 article published in The Nation newspaper, morbidly captioned ‘Obi-tuary’, was to intelligently unveil his abysmal lack of emotional intelligence. Nothing testifies to this more than his reducing the Obidient Movement, in the face of the huge support the movement is garnering across all demographics and all regions of the country, to a Biafran enterprise and “a caterwauling group trying to seduce, without much success, those outside its ethno-religious tent.”

For Omatseye to spit on the graves of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Zik of Africa, and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, both revered by millions of Nigerians, despite their personal shortcomings, by diminishing them to a “flair” and a “flare”, suggests that he is in urgent need of psychiatric assistance because, as Emmanuel Ogbeche says in his rejoinder captioned ‘Inside Omatseye’s Heathen Heart’, this is nothing short of “a descent into madness”.

Meanwhile, he has unwittingly disclosed another ailment haunting him – Obiphobia – the fear of Peter Obi’s rising popularity and ‘universal’ acceptance, and what that portends for his dream of living in one of the boys’ quarters of Aso Rock.

The less said about Omatseye’s vacuous attempt to paint Peter Obi’s church attendance in political colours, the better. It is obvious from his vituperations and the obscene hue of his

lexicon that he has neither appreciation for, nor comprehension of, things of the spirit. Anyone who watched the reception Obi got at Dunamis Church should know that, truly Vox Populi, Vox Dei. Omatseye joins Obi’s traducers to peddle unfounded allegations. He claims that Peter Obi is the new master of the IPOB Movement. According to him, “Obi has turned out to be an excuse for even closet Biafrans to betray open emotions about Biafra without being accused of it.” And that “Obi has become a shelter for both miscreants and activists of the crowd.”

Omatseye believes that Obi, as Anambra State Governor, spent N1.5 billion on himself and his family on tours and that he did not follow due process when he placed Anambra money in his family account. He also claims that Obi saved money for the state “while pensioners were looking desperately at their graves”, despite public attestations that the former governor removed billions of naira unpaid pensions yoke from the necks of Anambra State pensioners.

One would have expected Sam Omatseye to deploy his donkey years of award-winning journalism practice to interrogate those allegations with evidence, on a formal platform, or prepare his master to confront his opponent with the allegations at the envisaged presidential debate, assuming he will pitch.

Talking about his master, Tinubu’s loud silence on his publicity errand boy’s monumental indiscretion is akin to what may happen if animals

make a bat that is neither a rat nor a bird Emperor of the Animal Kingdom. Now, Omatseye is crying for protection from ferocious bees after stirring the hornet’s nest. Unfortunately, the puppet master that could have saved him is on an indifferent vacation.

This is not the first time Omatseye is displaying this loony tendency. He obviously hasn’t learnt his lesson. In June 2011, this same Sam Omatseye insulted the Matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo in The Nation’s newspaper article, compelling the publisher, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to send a personal apology to Mama. Tinubu said then: “I wish to assure Mama that I cannot disparage the Awo family without disparaging the legacy that all of us proudly embrace and are trying to sustain.”

He absolved himself of blame citing editorial policy: “Anybody with knowledge of how newspapers work knows that every newspaper has its editorial policy, most times independent of even the publisher… So, how can I possibly be behind the opinion of a columnist, simply because he writes for a newspaper, which I am associated with?”

Tinubu should know that the stakes are higher now. He was not a presidential candidate then.

There is a big lesson in all this for members of the media fraternity, especially those who might find themselves in the same position occupied by Omatseye: It may be suicidal for a puppet to dance faster than the pull on the puppeteer’s string.

Ordeal of Road Users on Anara-Amauro Road T

BY SAMPSON UHUEGBU

he insecurity on the busy Anara-Okigwe Expressway in Imo State has often subjected motorists and other road users to a nightmare.

About 15 passengers were already in the 8-seater Nissan bus before I entered and sat down. They were all well-dressed, men and women.

Governor Hope Uzodimma should not hesitate to put pressure on the contractors handling the rehabilitation of the road to expedite action towards its completion.

After about 30 minutes, the vehicle moved on. The driver, a middle-aged man, started moving faster, even as the road was clearly bad and almost unmotorable.

There have been robbery attacks on this road.

Travellers have been robbed of their hard-earned property by armed robbers who take advantage of its bad condition. Riddled with potholes as it is, the road has also become a strategic point for gangs of kidnappers, killer herdsmen and other dangerous criminals who have formed the habit of striking at will in the area.

There have been many cases of abductions, especially in the Okigwe Local Government Area, Onuimo areas and some parts of neighbouring Abia State, allegedly perpetrated, if the accounts given by escaped victims are anything to go by, by killer Fulani herdsmen.

The present state of the Anara-Okigwe Expressway has become a serious concern to the people of Onuimo, Okigwe, Isiala Mbano and neighbouring villages, especially during the rainy season.

Passengers traveling from Owerri to Okigwe, Enugu, Benue and other states that link Okigwe now move through Umuahia, in a rather unnecessary roundabout manner, to get to their destinations.

Recently, my ordeal on that road was a horrible one. I am yet to recover from the shock. I travelled to Okigwe on the July 27, 2022. On my way back to Owerri the following day, I boarded a commercial bus (not at the motor park) but along the Owerri- Okigwe Road.

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Surprisingly, no passenger supported me when I began to scold the driver. They all kept quiet. After a while, the driver received a phone call. He cut the speed and slowed down.

As we got to the river at Umunna in Onuimo LGA, the bus stopped. The driver tried to start the engine again, but in vain. We heard him say that the vehicle had developed a fault. I became apprehensive. All the other passengers got down from the bus, but, surprisingly, everyone appeared to be unperturbed.

To cut short a long story, it took a whole hour before I was able to board another commercial bus on the same road. Perhaps, I was the only passenger that was travelling to Owerri.

When Governor Uzodimma assumed office in 2020 and announced that his administration’s focus would be on Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, expectations were high. The people believed him when he said that he would prioritise road construction and rehabilitation in the state.

Before then the people of Imo had prayed for a government that would fix the bad roads as quickly as possible. The poor condition of that expressway and many others indirectly affected the life of every Imolite living within or outside the state.

Also, it would amount to a misjudgement for anybody

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to blame the condition of the road on anyone, whether for political reasons or other gains. What matters now is ensuring that it is fixed in order to safeguard the lives and property of road users.

It is also becoming most worrisome that security operatives have deserted the road and hoodlums appear to have taken over. Why have the police, civil defence and military, as well as the local vigilante abandoned the road?

The challenge posed by insecurity has exposed the abandoned Okigwe Grammar School compound, which is now overgrown with weeds.

It would be recalled that the Imo State Government (former administration) rebuilt the compound and upgraded the school to School of Engineering, an extension of the Imo State University, Owerri.

If that institution had been on session, that would have forced the government to rehabilitate the road.

Among all the roads in Imo, the Anara-Okigwe Expressway is the busiest and most plied, particularly by articulated vehicles that conveying stones and other related building materials to Owerri and other parts of the state. It therefore needs to be urgently rehabilitated.

The leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Okigwe chapter, should keep an eye on the activities of its members and fish out the bad eggs among them who have been contributing to the pain suffered by road users.

Also, the leaders of the Hausa/Fulani Community in the state should try as much as possible to monitor the activities of their people and call errant herdsmen to order.

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w w w.t hew illni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.3 2

Emefiele

AUGUST 07 - AUGUST 13, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

Emefiele: Battling Forex Crisis of Non-producing Economy

BY SAM DIALA

Nigeria Seeks N1.5trn to Fix Airport Infrastructure Gap

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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he Federal Government needs more than N1.5 trillion (about $5 billion) to fix airport infrastructure gap in the country. The above sum is contained in recent statistics provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Over

the

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years,

inadequate

finances and paucity of infrastructure have been identified as some of the major challenges facing night operations at Nigerian airports.

Corroborating the AfDB data, the Director-General of the Nigerian Continues on page 17

The Senate, in the resolution on a motion on ‘the state of CBN Intervention funds and the free fall of the naira’, directed the Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions to investigate the effect of CBN intervention funds to support critical sectors of the economy. Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi sponsoring the motion expressed the need for extraordinary measures to address the crisis of the Nigerian economy.

Another ‘patriotic’ move came from the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) which blamed the Governor of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for the rapid depreciation of the Naira. The group in a statement on Sunday July 31, 2022 signed by its President, Comrade Solomon Adodo, attributed the recent free-fall of the Naira to Emefiele’s poor leadership and the apex regulatory bank’s wrong economic management policies which it said the CBN governor spear-headed.

According to Adodo, with inflation at about 19 percent and the exchange rate nearing N800 to a dollar, the CBN governor should be held responsible for “deepening poverty in the country as he continues to work at cross-purposes” with President Buhari’s objectives of reducing poverty and growing the economy.

The same weekend, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided the Wuse Zone 4 Bureau De Change (BDC) hub of Abuja “over the falling naira”, apparently looking for sacks of dollars dumped in the closets of the BDC operators within the premises.

Beside these ‘patriotic’ angry Nigerians, there are also the ebullient intellectual class which believes that “Emefiele is not doing enough

MORE INSIDE Nigerian Exchange Group Posts 138.3% Growth in Gross Earnings to N4.2bn

Continues on page 17

UBA Appoints Alawuba GMD, Others

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o position the UBA Group for its next phase of growth and to continue to deliver that strategic intent, Mr Oliver Alawuba has been appointed as Group Managing Director.

Alawuba joined UBA in 1997 and has held a series of senior positions, such as the CEO of UBA Ghana, the CEO of UBA, Africa and most recently, as Group Deputy Managing Dir

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NAHCO Pledges Better Services Despite Challenges PAGE 19

Alawuba

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he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has been in the eye of the storm over the worsening depreciation of the naira. The local currency, which has been on a tumbling steep over time, recently crashed to an all-time low of over N700/US$1 in the parallel market. It plunged to N420/US$1 in the I&E window. This reflects a 288 percent and 154.5 percent depreciation compared to the exchange rate of N180/US$1 and N165/US$ in the respective windows before the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2015.

The crash in naira has its fallouts. It triggers a rise in inflation rate (now 18.6 percent in June 2022 against 8.06 percent in 2014), job losses and closure of businesses, high unemployment rate (now 33.3 percent from 4.56 percent in 2014) and generally low standard of living (misery index point of 11 in 2014 compared to 27.5 in 2014).

It also calls for increase in taxes, challenges in accessing social services and more pressure on the local currency.

This does not constitute a soothing balm on the citizens who bear the pains. Instead, it has triggered fiery darts against Emefiele from many quarters. Those who believe that the CBN governor bears the blame for the failing Naira and for not producing or supplying the dollar in abundance continue to bicker. Among them are the Nigerian lawmakers.

The Senate of the National Assembly on July 28 passed a resolution to invite the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to account for the unrestrained depreciation of the Naira to the dollar in the foreign exchange market. The Naira had that morning exchanged for over N700 to a dollar in the parallel markets – a trend that began earlier in the week.

Also Mr Muyiwa Akinyemi has been appointed as Group Deputy Managing Director and he will oversee UBA’s entire business in southern Nigeria and continue to provide GAM leadership groupwide.

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AVIATION/FINANCE Nigeria Seeks N1.5trn to Fix Airport Infrastructure Gap

Emefiele: Battling Forex Crisis of Non-producing Economy

Continued from page 16

Continued from page 16

to stem the fall of the Naira”.

Punching with fists of fury, the pundits would advance numerous economic theories that the apex bank boss ought to consider to stem the slide of the Naira. Like the others groups, these egg heads firmly agree that Emefiele is responsible for Nigeria’s forex crisis and the attendant depreciation of the local currency. He must “do something” about it.

Ancient Landmark

Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, said any airport that decides to expand its operations beyond dusk requires large financial status and compliance with other important conditions.

Speaking at the 26th Annual Conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) held recently in Lagos with the theme: ‘Sunset Airports: Economic and Safety Implications,’ Nuhu said that any airport, which decides to expand its operations beyond dusk required large financial and compliance with other important conditions.

According to him, some of the conditions included adequate number of competent personnel, adequate power supply and availability of ancillary service providers, among others.

Nuhu, who was represented at the occasion by Mr. Tayib Odunowo, Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards (DAAS), NCAA, also mentioned inadequate infrastructure as the other major challenge confronting such a project in Nigeria.

“There are issues involving fire cover, primary and secondary power sources, provision of communication, navigation and surveillance aids, automatic weather stations and now-casting equipment among others”, he said.

Due to the inadequacy of infrastructure, Nigerian airlines are said to have lost at least N4.3 billion annually due to their restriction to operate 24 hours flight daily to the airports of their choice.

It has been estimated that the country’s carriers are losing an average of N4 million per flight, N12 million in every flight, N360 million in 90 flights and N4.3 billion annually on every flight lost to sunset airport operations.

According to the COO of Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi, this restriction has led to a huge

“

Due to this inadequacy of infrastructure, Nigerian airlines are said to have lost at least N4.3 billion annually due to their restriction to operate 24 hours flight daily to the airports of their choice THEWILLNIGERIA

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underutilisation of aircraft fleets by the Nigerian airlines as against the global industry standards.

He added, “This is due partly because of too many impediments in the operating environment that limit airline productivity.

These include limited runway availability across the domestic network, multiple operational infrastructure deficiencies, poor organisation and many others.”

In a bid to solve the challenge, Uriesi appealed to the government to prioritise airfield infrastructure and provide the necessary Instrument Landing System (ILS) and accompanying accessories for every airport, while also keeping the aerodromes open to meet the needs of airlines and other users.

Besides, he advised that the government should make current, approved master plans a regulatory requirement for every airport and illegalize non-adherence to the master plans by any organisation.

“Establishing a local aircraft lessor /financing vehicle that would allow for the domiciling of aircraft payments in local currency would make a huge difference to the air transport sector in Nigeria,” he added.

Also speaking, the Centre Director at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), Prof. Anthony Kila, urged NCAA to encourage the airlines to succeed without the relegation of safety.

He said the aviation industry was bedeviled with a myriad of crises, stressing that the high cost of flights and shut down of airlines in a country signified a bad omen for the country.

Kila called for a total rehabilitation of the aviation industry by all the players in the sector. He also canvassed the establishment of the Bank of Aviation, which would make it easier for airlines to access foreign exchange.

“We need to act swiftly and decisively to deal with this situation so that it does not turn into an unmanageable disaster. Decisive actions in this case will require a total rethink and resetting of the way we conceive and manage our aviation manners.

“There is a prevailing idea in the general public and among too many leaders of thought, opinion molders and indeed, policy makers that aviation is a sector that services the elites or the privileged, this is however an anachronistic misconception that needs to be deliberately and assertively corrected.

“Those who know and can need to find the clarity of mind and courage of voice to explain to the rest of the society that in the times we live in and with the size and structure of Nigeria, aviation has become and will remain a basic and essential infrastructure. With such conception in mind, the role of regulators in the sector will be radically modified.”

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Irrespective of Emefiele’s perceived faults, negative body language and failing to “focus on his job”, the fundamental truth is that foreign exchange, as a commodity, is earned. It is the result of hard work, innovation, creativity and diligence that create wealth. Foreign exchange is wealth that comes from doing something – adding value. In simple terms, you must have the capacity to produce goods and services that can be exported.

Foreign exchange comes from exports. It also comes from the sale of bonds, treasury bills and other governmental securities whose proceeds flow into the country’s reserves if the investors have confidence in the beneficiary country.

Foreign exchange reserves are also built from the proceeds of foreign investments as well as diaspora citizens’ home remittances. Whatever the source, the fundamental principle is that foreign exchange is a function of domestic wealth-creation.

It is linked to the health of the foreign reserves. This is an ancient landmark that cannot be adjusted.

Emefiele’s Nigeria Instead, Nigeria is a chronic importdependent and consumption nation. It consumes far more than it earns and its domestic capacity to produce is hampered by decrepit infrastructure, lack of electricity supply, high cost of energy, poor road network, insecurity, high production cost and multiple taxes.

Nigeria is akin to a farmer who plants sparingly but aims to reap bountifully. Wealthy nations are export-oriented economies like the G-7 nations.

Most advanced economies have foreign exchange reserves in excess of $500 billion and GDP in excess of $3 trillion. They have low inflation rates in the lowest singledigit numbers. Their policy rates average 1 percent; some record 0.00 percent. Nigeria’s foreign reserves is about $36 billion, GDP growth is 3.11 percent with real value of $445 billion. Japan, for instance, is a wealth-creating nation. Its reserved assets totaled $1.38 trillion as of February 28, 2022.

South Africa’s foreign reserves is over $60 billion; its real GDP value is over N300 billion. It generates over 50,000 megawatts of electricity for its 60 million population. Nigeria generates less than 5,000 megawatts of electricity for its over 200 million people. It lacks industrial base and exports virtually nothing except crude oil. Oil revenue accounts for over 95 percent of its foreign exchange earnings and about 80 percent of its budget. Incidentally, it has no control over the price of the commodity in the international markets.

“

Whatever the source, the fundamental principle is that foreign exchange is a function of domestic wealth-creation

Fiscal policy imbroglio A simple way to understand what has triggered the current foreign exchange crisis, is by looking at what has happened to Nigeria’s critical source of revenue since the beginning of the year. For five consecutive months, the ‘old’ NNPC made zero remittance to FAAC as at May 2022.

This anomaly was as a result of the huge sum of money spent in the payment of petrol subsidy.

According to NNPC which is struggling to generate enough revenue to cover the soaring cost of subsidising the product, the nation has incurred an estimated petrol subsidy of N2.1 trillion in the first six months of this year. This explains the paradox of a failure to benefit from the spike in global oil prices amid supply shortages. It also points to clearly difficult times for a hemorrhaging economy in the grips of stifling fiscal policies.

For instance, the Federal Government which had initially budgeted to spend N443 billion on petrol subsidy between January and June, got the approval of the National Assembly in April to raise the subsidy amount to N4 trillion for the year. The World Bank had in its latest Nigeria Development Update reported that “due to the petrol subsidy and low oil production, Nigeria faces a potential fiscal time bomb.”

This may escalate the 2022 fiscal deficit beyond N10 trillion. With the nation’s debt stock hitting N41.6 trillion as at Q1 2022, there were fears that the nation might be using about 100 percent of its revenue to service debts.

Where we are Speaking in Abuja at the public consultation to the draft 2023-2025 Medium-Term Fiscal Expenditure/ Fiscal Strategy Paper, which officially commenced preparation for the 2023 budget, minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, said on Thursday, July 21, that the economy was heading for the worst level.

Ahmed revealed that between January and April 2022, Nigeria’s oil and gas revenue slumped 51 percent to N1.23 trillion compared to budget estimates, as expected benefits from rallying oil prices continues to elude the country due to significant oil production shortfall and petrol subsidy burden.

According to Ahmed, for the full-year 2022, oil revenues were projected at N9.37 trillion, but just 39 percent of the projected N3.12 trillion for AprilJanuary was realised.

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BUSINESS NEWS NAHCO Pledges Better Services Despite Challenges

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale; Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics & Research, University of Lagos, Prof. Bola Oboh; Board Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande; Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC, Ms. Josephine Amuwa; Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Adenike Oladeji; Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt Prof. Owunari Gengewill and Director, Research, Covenant University, Prof. Kolawole Ajanaku during a two-day Regional Roundtable with the Academia, Industry and other Stakeholders by the NCC in Lagos on August 3, 2022.

Continued from page 16

UBA Appoints Alawuba GMD, Others Muyiwa joined UBA in 1998 as a Senior Banking Officer in UBA’s Energy Bank.

He has served the Group in Nigeria and our broader Africa network for 24 years.

Emem Usoro is now UBA’s Executive Director, Nigeria North. Emem joined the Group in 2011 and has served in a series of senior regional appointments across Nigeria, covering the retail, corporate and public sectors.

In the same vein, Sola Yomi-Ajayi has been made Executive Director, Treasury and International Banking.

Sola has been with the Group since 2004 and he has considerable international experience, culminating in her appointment as CEO of UBA America.

Alex Alozie is now, Executive Director/ Group Chief Operating Officer.

Alex joined the Group in 2019 as a Deputy General Manager, and has driven the its digital transformation and operational efficiencies.

Others are Ugochukwu Nwaghodoh as Executive Director, Risk and Finance; Sampson Aneke – Group General Manager – Retail, Digital and Transaction Banking.

Sampson joined the Group in 2019.

He was responsible for SME banking across the Group’s African network. Most recently, he was in charge of the Group’s business in Lagos and southern Nigeria.

Sanusi Mudasiru was equally appointed as Chief Compliance Officer (Audit and Compliance).

According to the management, the appointment for the Executive Director, UBA Africa will be announced on January 1, 2023.

“In the meantime, the following will continue to provide leadership for some regions, including: Abiola Bawuah – Regional CEO, West Africa; Amie Sow – Regional CEO, CEMAC; Ebele Ogbue – Regional CEO, East and Southern Africa “All appointments are with effect from August 01, 2022 and subject to regulatory approvals”, the bank stated.

Subject to regulatory approval, UBA will be implementing a separate holdco management structure, charged with implementing the bank’s financial services group strategy.

These senior executives that will be introduced into the holdco structure, include Kennedy Uzoka – Outgoing Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer; Chiugo Ndubisi – Outgoing Executive Director, Treasury & Financial Services; Uche Ike – Outgoing Executive Director/Group Chief Risk Officer; Chukwuma Nweke – Outgoing Executive Director/Group Chief Operating Officer and Ibrahim Puri – Outgoing Executive Director, North Bank.

PrimeTech Commissions Office Building in Abuja

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

J

ulius Berger’s subsidiary, PrimeTech Design and Engineering Nigeria Limited, has commissioned its newly completed office extension building at its business complex in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The firm also used the occasion to honour its long-serving staff.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Primetech and Board member of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Engr Jafaru Damulak, traced the history of Primetech and commended its management for having committedly and productively grown the company’s business from being a mere service unit to Julius Berger’s needs to its current status.

The Primetech chairman enjoined the

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management and staff of the company to be positive and remain committed to the future growth of the company’s business.

Mr Christian Hausemann, the Financial Director of Primetech’s parent company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, represented Julius Berger’s executive management and led a delegation from head office to the well-attended event, which was held at the iconic Primetech business complex located at Idu Industrial Area in Abuja.

On his part, the General Manager of PrimeTech, Christian Mössmer, thanked the long-serving personnel of the company for their productive loyalty and faithful commitment to the founding vision of Primetech.

Nigerian Exchange Group Posts 138.3% Growth in Gross Earnings to N4.2bn

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he Nigerian Exchange Group Plc has released its unaudited results for the half year ended 30 June 2022 Gross earnings recorded a significant growth of 138.3 per cent to N4.22 billion from N1.77 billion as of June 2021 benefitting primarily from a 140.4 per cent growth in revenue (91 per cent of gross earnings), and 119.6 per cent growth in other income (9 per cent of gross earnings).

For instance, revenue growth of 140.4 per cent (N2.23 billion) to N3.82 billion in June 2022 from N1.58 billion recorded in June 2021 was driven by: 165.1 per cent growth in treasury investment income (26.6 per cent of revenue) to N1,017.4 million in June 2022 relative to N383.7 million in the comparative period in 2021 driven largely by relatively higher yields on the Group’s treasury bills, bonds and fixed deposit investments. Commenting, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema OON, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, said: “In 2021, we took strategic steps to reorganise our business by laying the foundation for the rebirth of our franchise as we became a fully-fledged for-profit making company with a clear focus on maximizing resources and improving stakeholder returns. Our performance in the first half of 2022 is a testament to our ability to deliver long-term value.

“We recorded impressive growth in our top line to deliver a profit before tax of N1.22 billion despite the peculiar challenges inherent in our operating environment.

Our goal remains to sustain our position as a leading integrated market infrastructure group in Africa, by diversifying our revenue streams, and identifying and investing in new businesses. We remain focused on building formidable businesses through broader and deeper involvement in every sphere of the capital market value chain through informed investments in profitable verticals and enhanced risk management practices, without losing sight of emerging opportunities in unrelated businesses within the Sub-Saharan African region.

he Chairman of theNigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc Dr. Seinde Fadeni, has said that despite the many challenges facing the aviation industry, the ground handler would continue to deliver quality and excellent services to its clients.

According to Fadeni, the consistent support and trust in the professionalism of NAHCO Plc by its clients are the major reasons why the company has grown over the years despite the myriads of challenges in the aviation sector.

Speaking recently at a dinner organised for its clients and partners, which cuts across clearing agents, airlines, Nigeria police, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria among others, Fadeni agreed that there are numerous challenges limiting the growth of handling business in Nigeria, but assured that as a leading handling company in the country, NAHCO would continue to deliver quality and excellent services to its clients.

The Chairman explained that some of the challenges facing airlines and clearing agents were beyond the company, but he assured that NAHCO would collaborate with FAAN and other major stakeholders to address the bottlenecks in the sub-sector.

He also observed that some of the ground support equipment were ageing and that the current Board of Directors had approved for the management the sum of N4 billion for an equipment upgrade which will be delivered to the company soon.

He said, “We are trying as much as possible to aggressively improve on the equipment, which we have now. Some of our equipment are as old as 20 years and above. We are working hard to ensure that we serve our clients better.

“However, we know that we can’t have it all 100 percent, but we are consistently working to ensure we satisfy our customers. Today is the night of our customers. We know they are kings, and we must treat them as such.”

In his speech, NAHCO’s Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr Indranil Gupta, told the gathering that the handling company had performed the foundation stone laying of its export processing centre at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

Gupta said construction work would soon start on the structure, which is being conceptualised as a two- storey building, adding that all the facilities at the centre would be automated for seamless transaction.

Earlier, some of the clients had commended NAHCO for making them top priority and assured the management that they would continue to work with the company.

Mr. Segun Musa, a leading Clearing Agent, and an executive of the association, lauded the company for fostering a good relationship with its customers, promising that it would continue to be a ‘’partnership in progress.” and appealed to the management to improve on its equipment, especially those at its export warehouse.

Also, Managing Director, Everspeed Nigeria Limited, Murphy Thomas, lauded NAHCO for addressing the complaints of clients regularly, while Kingsley Nwokoma, the Managing Director of Cargolux, observed that the ease-of-doing business scheme of the Federal Government was still being confronted with some challenges in the subsector.

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CAPITAL MARKET

Lagos as Metaphor For Commodities Ecosystem traded and priced within Nigeria. 400,000bbls of arbitrage can be traded on the LCFE.

BY SOLA ONI

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he Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, at the weekend, demonstrated a clear understanding of the pivotal role of a commodities exchange towards accelerated economic growth and development. He strongly believes that Lagos is a commercial hub Nigeria and should take a lead position in leveraging commodities ecosystem to grow the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through trading of agricultural and mineral products in a transparent and well-regulated exchange.

“Whenever prices drop, we can plan for our trades in the future. This will boost the balance sheet, enhance liquidity and shore up the value of the Naira; External reserves will become both external and internal reserves. The Exchange is currently setting up frameworks and structures to achieve this and more details will unfold in due time,” says Akeredolu-Ale” Sanwo-Olu explains Eko Gold Coins “The benefits of launching this tradeable gold coin here on the floor of the LCFE are immense.

The Nigerian Diaspora and foreign individual and institutional investors now have an opportunity to invest in and trade Nigerian gold, in a fully regulated and credible marketplace. Lagos as a State, will also benefit from the payment of royalties and taxes, associated with the trade in precious metals.

Sanwo-Olu understands that the emergence of Lagos Commodities and Features Exchange (LCFE) has brought into fore, the issue of performance indicators of a commodity exchange. At the basic level, the specialized market is about electronic trading of receipts of commodities products as against trading the products directly.

“Today, ladies and gentlemen, history is being made with the formal commissioning of this Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-regulated marketplace- Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE), dedicated to the electronic trading of Nigerian agricultural commodities, solid minerals, oil and gas, and to globalising this trade, through partnerships with other Commodity Exchanges around the world.

“My task here today is to unveil and launch these new Gold products: the Gold Spot Contract Series, and the Eko Gold Coin, the first of many gold and gold- backed products that will feature on the trading floor of the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange. Those gold coins will be known as the “EKO GOLD COIN”, and this first tranche -- designed as a proof- of-concept -- will comprise 58 units of the coin, valued at over N100 million.”

With the above pronouncement by Governor SanwoOlu on the first floor of the famous UAC building at Odunlami Street, Lagos at the weekend, LCFE was inaugurated and The Eko Gold Coins, launched by His Excellency, thus marking the commencement of real time trading on the pan African Exchange.

Despite his tight schedule, Sanwo-Olu stayed till the end of the programme. The High Priest of Alausa strongly believes that Lagos is the Nigerian center of commerce and the gateway to the global market, hence it must play on the front lane of the new commodities market.

About 24 hours to the inauguration and launch of Eko Gold Coins, the LCFE’s Managing Director, Akeredolu-Ale, confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg that the bourse had started trading gold with the specification of the London Bullion Market Association’s 99.9 per cent purity, targeting globally THEWILLNIGERIA

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“I am also confident that we will see a deepening of our emerging commodities trading ecosystem, as well as increased investment in agriculture, mining, and oil and gas exploration in Nigeria, to take advantage of the numerous opportunities offered by the existence of the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE).

Sanwo-Olu

Such an exchange must have a proper structure, including Dealing member firms, Commodity Brokers, Issuing Houses, solicitors, Insurance Companies, Trustees, Settlement Banks, aggregators, assayers and other market operators. As countries, battle with rising inflation globally, commodities trading, especially through commodities exchanges is fast becoming the last option to revive the economy.

“

Sanwo-Olu understands that the emergence of Lagos Commodities and Features Exchange (LCFE) has brought into fore the issue of performance indicators of a commodity exchange

acceptable pricing and quality. This is the first of its type in Nigeria.

Motivation for setting up LCFE Akeredolu-Ale underscored the substance and essence of what led to the setting up of LCFE saying: “The Exchange, having identified that Nigeria’s crude oil has been traded extensively outside the country in Switzerland and other areas by large scale trading companies.

“Nigeria produces only high value, low sulphur content, light crude oils - Antan Blend, Bonny Light, Bonny Medium, Brass Blend, Escravos Light, Forcados Blend, IMA, Odudu Blend, Pennington Light, Qua-Iboe Light and Ukpokiti This makes Nigeria’s crude very desirable. By way of sovereignty, our oil and gas products should be

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“After this proof-of-concept launch, the listing of the EkoGold Coin will take place in tranches of 10 million Pounds Sterling. This is no doubt the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for the investment community in Nigeria and even abroad. We are seeing a maturing of the investment marketplace, and welcome expansion of the opportunities available for those who want to invest their money.

“Against the backdrop of increasingly volatile economic conditions around the world, it is obvious that gold and other precious metals are enjoying renewed attention, on account of their relative stability, and their ability to serve as a hedge against inflation.”

Symbolism of the Eko Gold Coins “This “EKO COIN” is a representation of Lagos, our spirit, our culture, our infrastructure, our heritage.

The symbol of the Lekki- Ikoyi Link bridge on one side of the coin represents the modern megacity that this great State is, while also symbolizing the bridge that unites all the residents of Lagos, from all walks of life, across ethnic, religious, partisan and class divides.

“The symbol of the three Wise Men on the other side of the Coin represents the deep-rooted cultural and value systems upon which Lagos State was founded, and is a reminder of where we are coming from, and how important those values remain, even in a rapidly changing and modernizing world.The “EKO COIN” therefore represents Culture, Values, Inclusivity, Modernization. It will further position Lagos State as a Center of financial innovation and excellence, as well as a gold- trading hub that can rival any other across the world,” he said.

•Oni is the Chief Executive Officer, Sofunix Investment and Communications.

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45 YEARS OF CBN INTERVENTION CBN INTERVENTIONS IN OYO AND ONDO STATES

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he real sector support Facility- Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirement (RSSF-DCRR) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was introduced to stimulate and sustain growth in key sectors of the economy. The objectives of the real sector development initiatives include reviving moribund sectors of the economy, empowering the youth population, exploring the untapped potential in various economic landscapes, and enhancing foreign exchange inflow.

In recognition that access to finance is a key limiting factor to innovation and development of the global economy in Nigeria, the CBN’s key development finance interventions are targeted at priority sectors/segments which include: • Agriculture

• Manufacturing • Infrastructure • HealthCare • Youth and Entrepreneurship Development • Export • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s)

These interventions have significantly contributed to the overall growth of the Nigerian economy. The CBN has financed about 19,097 and 16,479 projects, In Oyo and Ondo states, respectively. Some projects that benefited from the Bank’s interventions in the two states are highlighted below:

OYO STATE

Real Sector Support Facility-Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirment (RSSF-DCRR)

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ame: Skretting Nigeria Limited Intervention: RSSF-DCRR Sector: Agriculture Location: Oyo Skretting Nigeria Ltd is a subsidiary of Nutreco Netherlands (A Global Leader in Animal Nutrition & Aquafeed), which was incorporated in 2018. The Company produces feeds for catfish & tilapia breeding in Nigeria.

The company accessed the Real Sector Support Facility-Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirement to construct an additional fish feed production plant, which contributed to the increase in production capacity of 10,000 MT to 75,000 MT. The expansion has also resulted in an increase of about 100 new direct jobs and over 400 indirect Jobs.

The increase in production capacity of the company has helped to close the supply gap of the fish feed in the country, it also has positive impacts on foreign exchange accretion as the country now relies less on imports for animal fish feed.

The Central Bank of Nigeria will continue to support the economy through its interventions designed to increase access to finance and flow of credit to focal sectors of the economy with enormous potential to generate employment and diversify the economy.

A production plant in Skretting Nigeria Limited

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ame: Sayed Farms Intervention: RSSF-DCRR Sector: Agriculture Location: Oyo

Sayed Farms Limited is a commercial poultry farm located in Ibadan, Oyo State. It was partly financed by the Central Bank of Nigeria under the RSSF-DCRR for construction and installation of new poultry equipment.

The funding provided liquidity to the company to accommodate additional 40,000 breeders and increased the company’s production by approximately 3.5 million broilers day-old-chick per year. This brought the company’s total production capacity to approximately 12 million broilers dayold-chick annually.

xx Skretting Nigeria Limited

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ame: Breedwell Feeds Ltd Intervention: RSSF-DCRR Sector: Agriculture Location: Oyo

Breedwell Feeds Ltd is one of the major producers of animal feeds (Poultry and fish feeds) in the Nigerian market. The company accessed RSSF-DCRR to part finance the expansion of its existing feed mill along Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode Road, Alomajo Area, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The expansion project involved the establishment of two additional chicken feed production plants with a 15tons/Hour capacity for each, and a new fish feed production line with 10tons/Hour capacity.

Breedwell Feeds Ltd, alongside other projects funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria, has continued to impact on job creation, food security and conservation of foreign exchange in the country.

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By this intervention, Sayed Farms increased its manpower by 209 direct and 400 indirect jobs to the 306 people already employed by the company.

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45 YEARS OF CBN INTERVENTION ONDO STATE

Targeted Credit Facility (TCF)

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n response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of Nigeria granted loans to households and small businesses to cushion the effects of the pandemic across the country. The Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) supports households and small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the beneficiaries of this facility in Ondo State is Mr. Oyetegbe Babarinde Name: Oyetegbe Babarinde Intervention: TCF Sector: MSMEs Location: Ondo Mr. Oyetegbe Babarinde is into furniture making and his shop is loacted at 16, Shoping Complex opp. Adeyemi College of eduction, Ondo State. Mr. Oyetegbe’s business suffered setback as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and was struggling to survive. When Central Bank of Nigeria introduced the Targeted Credit Facility, he applied for the intervention and got approval for the sum of 500,000.

The intervention helped him to recover from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business, and return to production and his lively income.

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ame: Adejoke Noah Roselyne Intervention: TCF Sector: MSMEs Location: Ondo

Adejoke Noah Roselyne is the Creative Director of Jokeroyale Couture, a clothing brand that specializes in fashion design for women. She heard about the TCF on social media and took advantage of the intervention. The loan enabled Adejoke to equip her business with new machines as well as expand her production and services to include making ready-made women wears. As the business grew, and production increased, Adejoke had to employ more staff to run the business.

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ame: Mr. Hamis Saidu Balogun Intervention: TCF Sector: MSMEs Location: Ondo

Mr. Hamis Balogun is a proprietor of G. B. B. Yoghurt and Juices Ventures located at shop L. M. 6-11, Industrial Park, Akure, Ondo State. The enterprise produces Ice Cream, Yogurt, and Juices of different flavors. Mr. Balogun got to know about TCF from his frined and applied on the TCF portal.

According to Mr. Balogun, his application was considered and he got the approval of 1.8 Million Naira only, without knowing any one in the system. He used the loan facility to procure more processing equipment and increased production. The expansion enabled the business to increase its staff strength from three to seven.

Mr. Balogun expressed his gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emiefele for introducing the TCF. He encouraged youths to be creative and take advantage of CBN’s interventions.

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Happy 61st Birthday

to the passionate and selfless Central Bank Governor, who never stops working...

Dr. Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, CON Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria

We wish you many more happy years ahead in good health and God's abundant grace.

The Austyn Ogannah family PAGE 22

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Comic With Touch Of Religion

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Content creator, Joshua Alfred, also known as Josh2funny, speaks with SHADE WESLEY- METIBOGUN about his acting career, fatherhood and other issues. Excerpts:

I MET MY WIFE IN A TOILET – JOSH2FUNNY Y

ou started out as a stand-up comedian. Are you planning to go back to it anytime soon?

It is true that I started out as a stand-up comedian, but I never left that aspect of my career. I still perform at shows. It has always been there.

One of your earliest characters was Mama Felicia, but the character has evolved over time. Will you take that role again?

I have created a lot of characters over the years. I create each character to fit a particular event. I take on characters to fit what is happening in the industry, what people are enjoying at this period and sometimes to fulfill the will of my fans as well.

It is still part of my character, but it is not yet in demand right now. You will be seeing it soon.

Which character is your favourite?

My favourite is brother Zacchaeus, I love the fact that he embodies everything. I love the music that goes with it. It was well accepted when I introduced it. It also comes with a good fashion sense. People copied it and they tag me on social media anytime they rock it. Seeing that people enjoy your creativity and give positive reviews about it is very fulfilling to me.

Would you say that your religious background has influenced the kind of skit you make?

Yes, that is true. My background has played a big part in shaping me that way. I grew up to know that you have to be sensitive to certain things because things they would become a form of identity for you. I am trying to direct people and preach a message that you don’t really have to involve halfnaked people in your video before you can be successful. A lot of people believe that sex sells, I am just trying to disabuse them of it. Good contents and talents can still sell. It mustn’t all be vulgar. No, it’s not always about the vulgar. I can assure you that decency also sells.

Did your parents oppose your choice of career?

No, they didn’t. There was nothing like that. They encouraged me to go ahead with my dream. They already knew what I wanted to do because I had always been a funny person. They were already prepared and they encouraged me to do it. I know that most African parents will not do such a thing. I can say that I am one of the lucky ones.

How long was it before your creative contents were accepted?

It took a while because people have not seen the female character kind of skits before. It was quite new when I started out. I think I was one of the people that made other skit makers imitate female characters in their skits. It took a while before it was accepted.

At one point, a popular person told me to stop playing female characters so that my brand would be accepted by corporate organisations. That was a challenge for me and funny enough, I got to work with Coke Studio after that. I really appreciate the fact that my content then did not limit the extent to which my brand could go. But it was a while before I could break the barrier. Nowadays, it is common among content creators.

Is there something you don’t like about content creation?

I don’t think there is anything that I don’t like about it. It

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is a life saver for youths all over Africa. It has created jobs and a lifestyle for many Alfred youths out there. Everything that has advantages also has disadvantages. Some people are using it to abuse the female gender. They objectify ladies. Based on what I preach, I don’t support that. Over the years, we have called out the people who are doing it. We called out two of my colleagues who were caught doing such a thing. I also like the fact that the society is also alert. Nobody encourages the fact that some people use their platform to abuse ladies. That is the only thing I can say that I don’t appreciate in content creation.

A lot of people venture into content creation or skit making because they think it is a million dollar business, but most of them are really not funny. What do you think?

Such people can create contents from other things, such as food. They can create contents from anything. There is a guy that creates content from cars. He just reviews different types of cars to show his love for cars and he is doing fine in that aspect of content creation. If he sees a beautiful car on the street, he will appreciate it. That goes beyond just being funny. Content creation is way beyond being funny, just know the platform you love to use. You have to discover yourself, it must not be comedy.

You can just create something that catches your fancy.

Alfred

You had surgery a few months ago. What actually happened?

I had been having pain in my body for some years and I decided to take the thing that was causing the pain out. That is it. I don’t want to talk about it further.

A few skit makers have been accused of either being gay or requesting sex in exchange for roles. What do you have to say about that?

I don’t know what other people do in private. I can only talk about myself. I don’t know what they do and I don’t know why they do it. There are so many other good people that are doing good things out there. If you have to get something in return to give people roles, then it is very bad. It is only killing the industry and giving us a bad name. I know people do it and I want those people doing it to turn on a new leaf. I don’t think it is something they should be proud of. If you are a content creator, a comedian or whatever, you should help people and if you cannot help them, it is better to leave them.

How are you enjoying fatherhood?

It is good. What else is fatherhood if it is not about changing diapers, having sleepless nights because you have to help your wife out so that she too can sleep or rest? I have been doing all that. It feels so nice that you cannot complain.

Has anything changed about you since you had your own baby?

Somebody else has asked me this question and I have been looking for what will change about me since then. I have

always been like my father. He is a good man and I took after him. I am the type of guy that takes care of people, you know how family men behave. I have people who actually call me father, even before I had my first child and I have always been like that. I can say that fatherhood came to me early in life when I started having a lot of responsibilities. Very early in life, I have always felt indebted to helping a lot of people, like I need to help the younger generation, maybe because I am Igbo. In our culture, we try to carry everybody along. So when I had my child, it wasn’t a strange thing to me. I already have that fatherhood vibe.

What is the best thing about being a father?

I think the best thing is the fact that you now have somebody to shape the way you are like. Just like deciding the way you want the person to go. All the things I don’t like in the world, I can now say that I can shape this person not to be like that.

Like my parents shaped me.

Would you want your child to take after you career wise?

I don’t know, if he happens to follow that path in life, it’s all good. I wouldn’t decide for him. My parents wanted me to be that serious minded person with a white collar job, but when they discovered that I was not going that way, they didn’t discourage me. They encouraged me because they knew I could do what I had in mind. They understood that I was not the kind of person they thought I was. Once my son exhibits any trait I feel he is interested in, I will encourage him.

Tell us about your wife and how you met?

We met in a toilet and here we are. I don’t want to go further than that for now.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Meet Man Who Donated $1m to UI College of Medicine D

FAMILY BATTLES OBA LATEEF ADAMS OVER ALLEN AVENUE PROPERTY T

he family of Theophilus Mabayoje Banjo has dragged the Onikate of Ikate, Oba Lateef Adams, who is the founder of Latris Fashion, to Lagos State House of Assembly over his refusal to vacate their property which houses his fashion house on Allen Avenue, Ikeja.

The family was forced to approach the Assembly to intervene in the matter after the traditional ruler refused to budge, despite a court judgement that ordered him to quit the premises.

The Oba’s fashion house occupies the ground floor and first floor.

About four years ago, Oba Adams sued his landlord when he refused to stop increasing the rent of the property. He wanted the court to order him to stop further increase in the rent as he could not pay higher rent than the amount he was paying before.

Apparently, before he instituted the court case, Oba Adams was no longer paying rent on the property.

This prompted the court to pass a judgment that since he had not been paying his rent, he did not have a case.

Following the court judgement, the family approached the court in a bid to recover the property from

xx

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Danjuma THEWILLNIGERIA

the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for his Paediatrics internship and proceeded to the University of Southern California School of Medicine for his postdoctoral fellowship. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Montefiore Einstein Medicine, the umbrella association for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore health systems.

He served at various times as the Professor and University Chairman of Paediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. With his position, he expanded access to underserved communities, under his leadership, Montefiore health systems specialties have run top 100 per cent of the

nation’s hospitals. He receives more than 200 million dollars in annual research awards from the NIH and he leads an organisation that is owed to 800 MD students, 190 PhD students, 120 students in the combined MD PhD programme and 200 post-doctoral research fellows.

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line-up of monarchs, was the King of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu.

One would have thought that after they both sheathed their warring swords following a protracted and bitter tiff, the monarch would honour her with his presence at her auspicious event. But he was a no show. The tiff which started at the beginning of Oba Akiolu’s reign allegedly dates as far back as the reign of Oba Akiolu’s predecessor, the late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan. The Erelu was quite close to the late king, perhaps because he was her uncle.

Also, the late king had bestowed upon her the royal title of the Erelu Kuti of Lagos when she was only 26 years old. In addition, she always sat very close to his throne, an action that many didn’t quite find funny, particularly some of her fellow chiefs but the late king saw nothing wrong about her decision to place her seat very close to the throne. But when Oba Akiolu succeeded him following his demise, he refused to allow her retain her seat very close to the throne. This infuriated the Erelu who felt ridiculed by his decision to keep her at a distance and assert his traditional superiority over her. A bitter conflict ensued and dragged on for years but for the intervention of prominent Lagosians, who insisted they end their rift. One of those who played a prominent role to end the rift was the Asoju Oba of Lagos, the late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas. But it would appear as if both parties are still allegedly nursing some grudges as he didn’t appear at her party which had the following people in attendance - former president Olusegun Obasanjo; former Minister of industries, Chief Mrs Nike Akande; first ladies of Ekiti, Kwara States, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and Folake Abdulrazaq;

River State all Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate and cofounder Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole; former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; General Overseer of Covenant Harvest Church, Pastor Dotun Ojelabi; CEO of House of Oduduwa Foundation and Senior Special Adviser Economic Council of The Ooni of Ife, Jide Fadairo etc. As the Yeye Oba Odua, Erelu Dosunmu has now stepped into the shoes of late Chief Mrs Hannah Dideolu Awolowo, the late Yeye Oba of Ife and wife of the first Premier of the defunct Western Region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

The Erelu also holds other traditional titles and honorary titles. She holds a national honor of the Royal Kingdom in Belgium and she is also an Erelu of Egbaland, a title she earned as a result of her maternal grandmother being an Iyalode of the Owu Egba. This perhaps explains why Obasanjo was a special guest of honour at the ceremony. The Erelu was married to Major Adekunle Elegbede. He passed on in the early 70s, prompting her to marry the late billionaire, Chief Antonio Deinde Fernandez. The marriage lasted for 15 years before it collapsed.

The late billionaire accused her of alleged infidelity with the late Oba Okunade Sijuade, his bosom friend and for that reason, the fruit of their marriage, Antoinette Oyinkansola Fernandez, a London-based writer and filmmaker was estranged from her for many years. Years after the marriage ended, Fernandez denied he was ever married to the Erelu despite the fact that they held a well publicised wedding at the palace of the late Oba Oyekan. The duo engaged in a public spat with Fernandez formally ordering her to stop using his surname.

him. The case dragged on all through the Covid19 era and couldn’t be deliberated on as judges were also on strike. Eventually, providence smiled on them and a judgement was given for Oba Adams to vacate the property. He was given four weeks’ notice which he did not comply with, prompting the lawyer to the Banjo family to report the matter to the State House of Assembly. The House leadership then mandated the chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions & Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), to handle the matter.

The lawyers representing both parties, including the Director, Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs and Coordinator of Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, joined in the deliberations which concluded with an agreement that Oba Adams should be given till June 2022 to vacate the building and commence gradual payment of the outstanding debts on the property. But to their surprise, the monarch refused to honour the House’s order despite the fact that it was an order agreed on by both the lawyer to the landlord of the

property and that of Oba Adams.

They described the traditional ruler’s refusal to honour the state’s directive as an abuse of office and blatant disrespect. To make matters worse, when Oba Adams was contacted on the matter to explain why he refused to honour their agreement, he expressed displeasure over the manner he was being treated by the Assembly members. He lamented that they disrespected his office as the House Committee chairman spoke to him rudely, despite his standing in the society. He added that not only is the House not a court of law, but that the House was being biased with the handling of the case by supporting the landlord. He concluded by saying, he knows exactly what to do and is very much aware of his rights.

Oba Adams started out importing exotic wears, but he would later divest and set up his fashion outfit, Latris Fashion after getting formal training in the United Kingdom. His fashion outfit became the hub of tailored natives and Safari suits among the upper class within a short time.

Years later, he was appointed the Onikate Of Ikate and a staff of office presented to him by the Lagos State government.

and colleagues in a spectacular way to mark the milestone age.

Born Daisy Ukpomwan Ehanire, she was formerly married to Henry Ibhade Kwame Omenai, a staff of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation for about 10 years. The marriage which however ended in the early 1990s, was blessed with children.

Omenai would later die 20 years after being incapacitated in an unfortunate air plane crash. Daisy had however moved on with Danjuma who she met during one of her trips to London and the marriage has produced a daughter.

That she has lived a good life through her first and second marriages is not in doubt. Her love for choice jewellery is second to none as she owns some of the choicest jewellery on this side of the divide. When it comes to relaxation and treating herself to some pamperings, exotic European destinations high, end spas and beauty

clinics are her choice places to visit.

An accomplished businesswoman and politician, Daisy attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, where she bagged a degree in Law. She started out as an executive assistant at NAL Merchant Bank and later Nigerian Television Authority as the Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser. She joined politics and represented Edo South Senatorial District in the Senate between 2003 and 2007 her second term bid in 2011 did not however see the light of day. Currently the Chairman of May and Baker Nigeria Plc, Daisy has also served on the board of several companies. She was the Chairman of South Atlantic Petroleum Limited.

She is a trustee of the H I D Awolowo Foundation, as well as the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership. She is also a member of the International Bar Association, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the International Federation of Women Lawyers. In 2021, she was named the ‘Woman of the Year’ at the tenth edition of the Edo Festival and Award Ceremony held in London, United Kingdom.

Dosunmu

Daisy Danjuma Waltzes Into 70

f there is one person whose name rings a loud bell in social circles, that person would be Daisy Danjuma, the second and very visible wife of former Minister of Defense, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd.). The ageless society matriarch, who has dominated the social scene for over three decades, clocked 70 years old yesterday and she feted family members, friends

uring the week, a very unassuming man by name, Philip Ozuah donated the sum of $1 million to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

When converted, depending on which conversion rate is used, owing to the fluctuating state of the dollar, the fund is between N417 million and N645 million.

An alumnus of the University of Ibadan, Ozuah single-handedly donated the fund for the building of a student hostel on the campus.

The hostel project is an initiative of the management of the college of medicine in partnership with the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association Worldwide (ICOMAA-WW).

In July, the provost of the college, who is a classmate of Ozuah, made a call to the college’s alumni and other members of the college to support the building of the hostel and other structures.

Although other alumni of the college donated generously towards lifting the academic institution during the event, Ozuah’s contribution was the lion’s share. A holder of a 1985 Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from the college, Ozuah also attended

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Ozuah

Oba Akiolu Shuns Coronation of Erelu Abiola Dosunmu week ago, businesswoman, socialite and aristocrat, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, the Erelu IV of Lagos, played host to the creme of society to a grand 2-in-1 celebration - her 75th birthday party as well as her coronation as the Yeye Oba Odua, that is, the Queen Mother of the House of Oduduwa.

The title was conferred on her by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II for proving herself to be an outstanding woman of integrity and far-reaching influence.

Over 30 monarchs, regents and blue bloods left their domains to celebrate with Erelu Dosunmu in Lagos. Some of the traditional rulers in attendance were the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the king of Ikate Elegushi Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Alayeluwa Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III among several others. However, conspicuously missing from the

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Bolaji Kuku’s Duport Midstream Company Completes 10,000bpd Refinery

BOLA TINUBU COMPLETES ANOTHER MULTI BILLION NAIRA IKOYI MANSION T

Tinubu

he presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress Party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has increased the number of his property portfolio by one. The former Lagos State governor who is fondly referred to as the ‘Lion of Bourdillon’ on account of his palatial mansion located on Bourdillon road, Ikoyi and the human, vehicular traffic that throng the street to pay homage to him as the APC leader, has just completed another palatial mansion in Ikoyi.

The new one is not too far from where the present one is located.

But the catch is that this new one is bigger by miles. So big and sprawling is it that it has two entrances; one on Bourdillon

road and the other on Queens Drive. With the land on which the mansion stands costing about $80 million, there is no gainsaying that the exterior and interior decor of the house would be breathtaking. From the design to the landscaping, nothing was left to chance. The best experts were hired to make it a befitting mansion that may perhaps rival that of late Alhaji Mai Deribe, the wealthy northerner who built a mansion made from a mixture of liquid gold. There is no doubt that the Asiwaju envisioned the new mansion to be his new abode befitting a president if he eventually succeeds in his aspiration to the Aso Rock Villa, the seat of power.

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hile a few children sired by late Chief Mosood Kashimawo Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 election, are popular faces CHAGOURY having dominated the public space for a number of years, the same cannot be said of Bolaji Kuku, one of the five children born to the late politician and business mogul by his first wife, Simbiat. She hardly dominates public discourse and prefers to lie low while facing the business that pays her which is being a big fish in the corporate sector. Bolaji, who is considered to be one of the most successful among Abiola’s children, is the chairman of Duport Midstream Company Limited. And only recently, the company which is a t a time the Eko Atlantic City project leading energy company and one is gaining traction, with banks that developed the first energy and top companies, international park in Nigeria, has just completed organisations as well as foreign a 10,000 barrel per day modular governments, including the United refinery. The project is being States Consulate in Lagos are acquiring developed with equity contribution parcels of land in the place, a legal tussle from the Nigerian Content between a real estate development firm Development and Monitoring, and South Energyx, promoters of the Eko NCDMB in line with the Federal Atlantic City project, is threatening to mar Government’s policy of catalysing the billion dollar project. South Energyx modular refining, which is geared is owned by Lebanese born billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, owner of Eko Hotel and towards increasing in-country Suites, HITECH Construction Company, ITB refining of petroleum products, adding value to crude oil resources, Construction Ltd among several others. and creating jobs from oil and gas The Managing Director of Sea Global operations.

Energy Company Limited, Adewunmi The company is about to begin Osagie, is accusing South Energyx of encroaching on the geographic confines of operations with 2,500 bpd and land allocated by the Federal Government eventually scale to it’s goal of 10,000 bpd. Besides the modular for the development of its Ocean City Lagos Project. Osagie revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had on May 26, 2003, given the company (Sea Global Energy Company Limited) the right to reclaim up to 350 hectares of land from the Atlantic Ocean through an extension of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, by 7km, from the junction of Adetokunbo Ademola Street towards Epe. This followed an application which was made through the then Minister at the Federal Ministry of Works & Housing, Madaki Alli, to the ocialite cum politician, Titi Federal Government for an allocation.

Oseni-Gomez, has dumped The allocation, given to the company, was politics and seems to be more for the development of The Palladium comfortable with her new role as a Project (now known as the Ocean City kingmaker of sorts. Unlike many of Lagos Project), a coastal city that would be her ilk who have been scrambling characterised by five districts, cutting-edge to grab one political appointment infrastructure and technology such as or position, Titi has maintained a found in model cities in Asia, the UAE and distance from politics, either at the certain parts of Europe. Following the state or national level since her approval, the government of Lagos State tenure as a former speaker of the was notified. Osagie claims that South Ogun State House Assembly under Energyx, in the course of delivering its Eko the leadership of former governor Atlantic City project, with the backing of Gbenga Daniels, ended. She is the state government, encroached upon however content with pushing 44.348 hectares of land initially allocated young female aspirants for political by the Federal Government in 2003 and positions. all efforts to resolve the matter equitably and peacefully as been futile. Osagie also stated that after several attempts to get the attention of critical stakeholders to resolve the conflict, Sea Global Energy lodged an action at the state high court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square before Justice Grace Modupe Onyeabor.

She believes the company is seeking to use the court to outsmart her company.

Standing on 10 million square metres of land reclaimed from the ocean and protected by an 8.5-kilometre-long sea wall, Eko Atlantic City is projected to be the size of Manhattan’s skyscraper district.

Self-sufficient and sustainable, it includes state-of-the-art urban design, its own power generation, clean water, advanced telecommunications, spacious roads, and tree-lined streets.

Oseni-Gomez

LEGALTUSSLE THREATENS BILLION DOLLAR EKO ATLANTIC CITY

A Meet Oluchi Enebeli, Nigeria’s First Female-Blockchain Engineer

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lthough the tech industry is a desirable place to forge a career, with many seeing it as the new oil and where the money flows, but beyond the glitz and glamour of social media, there is a special breed of techies who have fought tooth and nail to become exceptional in their fields, and Oluchi Enebeli is one of such people.

From earning a measly N35,000, Dubai-based Oluchi has grown to become Nigeria’s first female blockchain engineer. At one point in her life, Oluchi worried about where to lay her head for the night.

The second of seven children from Delta State, her being constantly moved around because of her father’s military background, affected her studies and she ended up being home schooled by her father who mostly taught her maths because he felt that knowing maths means you know everything else. Unsurprisingly, Enebeli’s love for maths grew so much that she applied to study mathematics at the University of Benin. She had hoped to make a first class but she didn’t and that made her have suicidal thoughts as her brother, who graduated with a first-class, won a N5 million scholarship, which was great for the family. That was supposed to be her story too, but it wasn’t. The shame of going home without a First class was too much for her to bear.

So she decided to stay in school. It turned out to be the best decision she’d ever made as she could see things from a different perspective.

Oluchi soon discovered tech and knew she’d like to be in that space someday. She also realised there was more to tech than desktop publishing and graphic design. She soon began networking classes to get the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. At this point, she knew where her life was headed and could go home and finally drop the bomb on her family. But her dad had plans that didn’t involve getting IT certifications. She had already broken his heart by not getting a first class and was about to do it again by not doing what he wanted. He’d planned for her to run his electronics store during her National Youth Service

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Corps (NYSC), so he could leverage his connections to get her a job in an oil company. Oluchi was sure that tech was the right path for her, and not even her father could change her mind. She was prepared to pursue it with every fibre of her being, even if nobody was willing to help. And so, about six years ago, she left Warri for Lagos, ‘Nigeria’s Silicon Valley’, to pursue her tech dreams alone. The plan was to get an internship as soon as she arrived, save enough money to take her CCNA exams, and be on her way to tech stardom. Unfortunately, internships weren’t easy to come by and requesting financial support from home was not an option, mainly because she left without her father’s blessing and the family needed financial support. The longer she stayed without an internship, the harder it was. But she persevered.

When no one would take a chance on her, she decided to learn about WordPress at a fellowship she’d been attending in hope that it would get her the internship she desperately needed. And she finally got one.

Besides getting money that made survival easier, getting that internship reassured her that she was doing the right thing. It was an incredible learning experience that led to her discovery of blockchain technology. During her internship, she participated in a hackathon (is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and other interested people together to improve upon or build a new software program), which introduced her to another tech side called the blockchain. While she liked it, she found it overwhelming because she was still trying to figure the whole tech thing out.

However, her curiosity was piqued. Its decentralised nature and the concept of cryptography appealed to her. And just like that, her applied mathematics degree became useful. Blockchain was still new, and very few people knew about it. She figured that getting into the space early before it got saturated would increase her chances of success. She started learning a lot about blockchain and went for more hackathons, one for which she travelled to Manhattan, USA, where she met Eromosele Omomhenle, the then Principal Technology Strategist at Microsoft. Through this connection, she landed a blockchain engineer role at Sterling Bank, and she only went up from there. She has worked with some of the biggest blockchain companies in the world, including Binance, Crypto.com, Bundle, and recently launched Nestcoin. Oluchi within a short time went from an intern earning N35,000 per month to commanding a seven-figure salary.

She is currently the Co-founder of Crevatal, a Web3 design agency, and Web3 Ladies, a community she created to bring more women into the space.

Enebeli

refinery, the company through its energy park which is located in Edo State has a 60million scf gas processing plant, 10million scf compressed natural gas plant, 30,000 MT refined product terminal and a 20MW embedded power plant. A renowned entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in several industries, including agro-allied, retail and Fast Moving Consumer Goods and education sectors. Bolaji holds a Law degree from Leicester University in the UK and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992. She started her law career in Nigeria, working at Chris Ogunbanjo & Co. She currently serves as Non-Executive Director to Management Transformation Limited and is the Chairman and owner of Oceandrive Foods Limited.

Bolaji is married to Femi Kuku, the first son of the late Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, Chief Adebayo Kuku, a onetime Vice Chairman of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and the President of Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Kuku

On Titi Oseni-Gomez’s New Found Role as Upcoming Kingmaker

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One aspirant who readily comes to mind is Princess Olatorera Majekodunmi-Oniru. Olatorera has her eyes set on occupying the Senatorial seat for Ogun Central under the All Progressives Congress (APC) ) party in 2023 and Titi has publicly assured her of her support.

While commending Olatorera of her boldness to take on political gladiators, Oseni told her she was solidly behind her, while hoping the young lady achieves victory at the polls. Beyond being an upcoming kingmaker, Titi prefers to expend her energy into her business endeavours and nurturing a private life. The 58-year-old is a big player in the oil and gas sector, with investments in Oylex Petroleum Ltd, Quants Capital Ltd and Howell Campbell & Associates.

She is also the first female chairman board of directors, Nigerite Limited.

She was appointed by Governor Dapo Abiodun in November 2020 as a member of the board to represent Ogun State. And at the Annual General Meeting of the company in May, she emerged the Chairman of the board of the vibrant company. Formerly married to Kunle Oseni, their union however ran into troubled waters before they parted ways. She has remarried now to city lawyer, Frank Wale Gomez.

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American Varsity Appoints Ezeife, Madubuike as Professors F

ADEMOLA ELETU-ODIBO OFFICIALLY BECOMES ONITELE OF ITELE

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ealthy businessman and socialite, Ademola EletuOdibo has been crowned Onitele of Iteleland in Ado-odo Local Government Area of Ogun State. He succeeded late Oba Jimoh Arowolo, the former traditional ruler who died about 17 years ago.

Since the demise of Oba Arowolo, the Itele crown has been mired in one controversy or the other till Governor Dapo Abidoun of Ogun State approved the coronation of Eletu-Odibo. The latter was presented with a staff of office last week by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kolawole Fagbohun, who represented the governor. The general coronation ceremony will take place much later.

Before Eletu-Odibo was crowned, crises had rocked the kingship stool for many years. As a result, the Ogun State Government was unable to commission a new traditional ruler. A part of the problem was the rejection of Omolaja Sunday Jacob, one of those nominated to fill the vacuum created by Oba Arowolo’s

exit. It was alleged that Jacob was not being a biological son of the late Oba. He was was sued and the case dragged on for more than a decade.

In the end, the court ruled in favour of the community. Almost immediately after the matter was resolved, another crisis reared its ugly head. The Adogun Atele family laid claim to the throne and allegedly made an attempt to impose their son on the community.

Another litigation case was instituted and there was another back and forth movement in court. While the court case was ongoing, Eletu-Odibo was chosen as the Oba-elect, but his candidacy was also opposed by the Akogun family who insisted that the ruling house only comprised the Imidawo, Oosa, Ogunrounbi and Alagbeji families. And they are the only ones who can lay claims to the Onitele stool.

Eletu-Odibo was also accused of not belonging to any of the ruling houses. He was labeled a non-

Eletu-Odibo indigene in the community and the case was taken to court. The court ruled in favour of the Adogun Atele family and another tussle began. By then, about 50 cases were already in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal over the Itele stool. Members of the community protested. They alleged that there were seven towns in Itele, namely IIiwo, Ilekemo, Ilegbede, Osa, Onifade, Lafenwa and Aiyetoro, but the Akogun Itele family were not indigenes of any of the towns.

The people of Itele then appealed the Supreme Court case and went to the Director of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adesubomi Adesoji, who informed them that they were seeking advice from the judiciary since the case was under litigation. It was after the Appeal Court ruled in favour of Eletu-Odibo that he was crowned as Ilufemiloye 1, the Onitele of itele.

Adeola Solomon, Adekunle Akinlade in War of Words

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political rivalry has started between two political bigwigs in Ogun State. The rivalry is between Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, otherwise known as Yayi, who is the lawmaker representing Lagos West in the Federal House of Representatives and who has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to run for the Ogun West Senatorial District seat in the 2023 general election and Adekunle Akinlade, a

deputy governorship candidate in Ogun State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). It all started after Akinlade stated that he would do anything within the ambit of the law to stop the election of Adeola as a senator in the state.

Akinlade described as insulting and a slap on the face, the fact that APC handed the Ogun West senatorial ticket to Adeola at a time he was representing Lagos West Senatorial

Solomon

Akinlade

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District. He advised the lawmaker to drop his ambition before it is too late and look for something else to do, adding that one of the reasons why he decided to contest for the post of deputy governor was to stop Adeola from stealing what rightfully belongs to the real indigenes of Ogun West in Ogun State.

In response, Yayi claimed that Akinlade had a criminal record in the United Kingdom. According to him, Akinlade cannot visit that country again for fear of being arrested. He also said that Akinlade had to change his name from Taju to Abdulkabir to evade arrest in the UK. Akinlade, who felt insulted, declared himself a citizen of the United Kingdom. He revealed that he visited the UK in March 2023 and he was with the Nigeria High Commissioner, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Isola in his home.

He also shared photographs taken during his visit. He made it known that he exercised his constitutional right by changing his name and it was published in the major newspapers because he had nothing to hide. He accused Adeola of buying his way to Yewa lineage despite being an indigene of Ekiti State.

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ormer Anambra State governor, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and two time minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Ihechukwu Madubuike have both received professorial appointments with the prestigious Higher Institute for Professional Development and Training, HIPDET University, Newark, New Jersey.

The two elder statesmen became research professors of the university in social inclusion, democracy and good governance.

They were conferred with the honour last week in a ceremony that took place at the Federal Capital Territory.

The event was attended by several dignitaries in Abuja and its environ. Ezeife and Madubuike were given the appointment because of their consistency in promoting academic excellence, good governance and their efforts at supporting national unity and development.

Madubuike was the Minister of Education between 1979 and

1981. He was the Minister of Health between 1995 and 1997.

Between 1981 and 1983, he was appointed as the Commissioner for Economic Planning in Imo State. The renowned scholar has been very vocal about issues affecting the country. Prof Ezeife was elected as Governor of Anambra State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party

Ezeife

Madubuike

Ken Okolugbo Clocks 50, Fetes Society Bigwigs

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Okolugbo

(SDP) between January 1992 and November 1993. During the Nigeria Fourth Republic, he was appointed member of the Centre for Development and Empowerment of Commercial Motorcyclists. He joined thousands of Nigerians to demonstrate in 2010, calling for a credible and violence- free election in Anambra State.

enny Ekenechukwu Okolugbo, the former boss of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, clocked 50 years last week and rolled out the drums in celebration.

The event, which took place in Lagos, was attended by society bigwigs, real estate moguls, friends and family of the celebrant. Former Cross River South Senatorial lawmaker, Florence Ita- Giwa, also known as Mama Bakassi was one of the dignitaries hosted by the celebrant and his amiable wife,

Uzoamaka at the event.

Okolugbo is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ken-Kol Nigeria Limited, a leading property company. He recently declared his intention to run for the House of Representative in Ndokwa/Ukwani Constituency of Delta State under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, He is also Knight of the Saint Christopher in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. His beautiful wife, Uzoamaka is a fashion entrepreneur and the creative director of a fashion label, Trendy

by Ama.

Tayo Ayinde Exonerate Self From Land Grabbing Mess

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he Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Tayo Ayinde, has exonerated himself from a messy land grabbing allegation.

Ayinde was accused of using the General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA), Gbolahan Oki, to forcefully stop the construction of a hotel and obtain a parcel of land worth N500 million from its owners, Chief Adetunji Omisore and Tajudeen Mohammed, with the aid of some security personnel.

The property, located at Ladoke Akintola Street, Ikeja, including a six bedroom bungalow, penthouse and reception, would have been reduced to rubble until the intervention of the Presidential Committee on Lease in Abuja, which stopped its further destruction.

The owners of the property were at first given a seven-day ultimatum

to vacate the premises. However, part of the building was eventually demolished before the expiry date of the ultimatum and the owners were not given the opportunity to present documents to prove that the land was lawfully given to them by the government.

After the demolition, part of the land was allocated for the construction of a site office by the Lagos State Government. In an attempt to clear his name from the accusation, Ayinde described the allegations against him as false and an attempt to tarnish and blackmail his name.

It was gathered that the property in question belongs to the Lagos State Government. It was transferred to the state in 1967 after it was created.

There are documents that confirm the land was transferred to the state government. The two occupants, Omisore and Mohammed, were accused of building on state owned

land without necessary approvals from the government.

The move by the state government was to retrieve what was rightfully theirs. All documents about the land have Lagos State written on it and Ayinde cannot be linked to any of the documents of the properties.

Ayinde

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Olubadan Allegedly Battles Ill-Health

OONI OF IFE SET TO UNVEIL 4TH OLORI

Adeyeye

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he Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, is set to take another wife.

It was gathered that the next Olori in waiting, Mariam Anako, is an indigene of Kogi State, though she grew up in Kwara State. She is a big shot at Nest Oil and a sibling of the Yeye Oge of Ibogun Olaoparun Kingdom, Dr Railiat Anako Abdulsalam, a politician and rich businessman.

Abdulsalam is a friend to two of Ooni of Ife’s sisters, Folashade Ogunwusi Fadiro and Shola Ogunwusi. It was alleged that an introduction ceremony has taken place and it remains for the beautiful lady to be officially ushered into the royal palace.

Preparation is said to be in top gear as the queen’s quarter has been renovated in readiness for her arrival, which is said to be very soon.

This development is coming few months after the last Olori, Queen Naomi Silekunola quit her marriage to the Ooni and moved out of the palace.

His Royal Majesty, Oba Ogunwusi has not been lucky when it comes to matters of the heart, most especially romantic affairs but he has never been alien to separation and divorce.

He has been married three times and all his three wives left him under circumstances

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not befitting a royal father. They all moved out of his life and home without provocation or an incident.

While still a vibrant young man, Oba Ogunwusi had an affair with a lady, Omolara Olatubosun. The relationship led to the birth of his first daughter, Adeola Aanuoluwapo Ogunwusi, but he did not marry the woman. His first wife, Adebukola Bombota, got married to him in 2008, but the marriage did not last. They both went their separate ways afterwards, though reasons were not stated for their separation.

After his first divorce, he did not remarry until he became the Ooni in 2015. In 2016, he married Wuraola Zaynab Otiti, a Bini lady. Less than two years after, the marriage crumbled.

Infidelity and infertility on the part of the queen were cited as the reason for the collapse of the union. Although Zaynab denied the allegations, she failed to explain why she decided to quit the marriage.

Later, Ooni’s sisters were rumoured to have contributed to the breakup of the marriage with their overbearing and nosey attitudes toward the queen in her matrimonial home. The king also contributed to his own marital woes, he

abandoned his wife while paying attention to the series of concubines in his palace. Zaynab did not bear a child for the king before their marriage collapsed.

About a year after Olori Zaynab’s exit, Oba Ogunwusi fell in love with another beautiful lady, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola. They got married in 2018.

Unfortunately, the marriage also crashed in December 2021 due to the attitudes of the queen’s mother and brother who were quite demanding and abused the fact that they were the king’s in-laws.

Olori Naomi’s mother, it was said, was domineering and unruly, particularly to the palace staff, and she constantly demanded money from the king. The queen’s elder brother, Gbenro misappropriated funds given to him by the king to execute some project. Even when the matter was reported to the queen, she took sides with her family and fought with her husband.

On his part, the king was said to have given less attention to his queen, but preferred the company of his numerous mistresses in the palace. Naomi quit her marriage after giving birth to a son, Tadenikawo.

After the collapse of Oba Ogunwusi’s third marriage, one would think he would pick the next Olori from his harem to occupy the vacant position.

The founder of African Fashion Week London and Nigeria, Ronke Ademiluyi’s name easily comes to mind as a perfect replacement. She has been close to the Ooni long before he became king.

Also, there is Tope Adesegun, the convener of Hope Alive Initiative, she was rumoured to be the replacement of the first estranged Olori Wuraola, who packed out of the palace many years ago. Afolashade Ashley, the founder of Ashley Adegoke foundation is another lady that has warmed Oba Ogunwusi’s bed before. She once paraded herself as the first woman in his life. They both started dating long before he married Wuraola.

Adegoke is a single mother, which disqualifies her for the position as tradition forbids the king from marrying a woman who has had a child for another man.

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Emelonye

KNOCKS FOR OBI EMELONYE’S MOVIE, MONEY MISS ROAD

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oney Miss Road, a movie directed from the stables of ace movie maker, Obi Emelonye, has been severely criticised by fans who expected nothing less than an excellent work from the talented and award-winning film maker.

Emelonye had in the past directed and co-produced movies, such as Mirror Boy, Last Flight to Abuja and Echoes of War which all received accolades and won several awards after they were released. The movie Money Miss Road is an action-comedy that revolves around the lives of two friends whose accidental encounter with a criminal warlord changes their fortune.

The movie was rated low in terms of humour, despite the fact that it is an action- comedy. Although it features Joshua Alfred, one of the most successful stand-up comedians and skit maker in the country, movie fans are unimpressed. They say that the content creator only managed to display the humorous side of his character.

Some of the jokes were also dry and the scene designed to be humorous fell flat and could elicit the anticipated response from viewers. The plot was also censored and judged not the best because the movie didn’t get to the climax, it was on the same level from the beginning to the end. It also ended in an abrupt way as if the producer and director were in a hurry to get over with the project. The background soundtrack also failed to align with events in the scene and it became a distraction as the plot developed. Contrary to the fact that the movie is an action one, it wasn’t packed with enough thrilling experience that could make it qualify as an action movie.

here is a serious concern over the health of his Royal Majesty, Oba Lekan Balogun, the Olubadan of Ibadan in Oyo State. It was gathered that the traditional ruler has allegedly been battling ill health and has been a constant visitor to the hospital in recent times.

The royal father, who was crowned at the age of 79, has allegedly been battling old age related ailments. His condition has left his subjects anxious for his recovery. This perhaps explains why he did not show up for his daughter’s wedding in London last month. Also this development is coming a few months after the Oba battled people who antagonized him

after he was chosen to take over the traditional stool of Ibadan when the former king, Oba Saliu Adetunji died in January 2022.

One of the reasons he was opposed was because of his health status. Being a 79 year old man, the former research fellow at the Ahmadu Bello University was said to be battling old age related ailment and his accusers considered him unfit to run the daily kingly activities of the third largest populated city in Nigeria.

However, a spokesperson of the traditional ruler, Oladele Ogunsola revealed that the Alli Okunmade II is still hale as a fiddle. He added that the king’s health does not call for any form of concern.

Balogun

Turkur Buratai Gives Out Daughter’s Hand in Marriage

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ne of the daughters of a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Turkur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), Fatima, recently got married to Alhaji Ismaila Usman in a colourful ceremony which took place in Gora Village, Keffi, Nasarawa State. The event was witnessed by captains of industries, members of the diplomatic corps, ministers, judicial officers, legislators and traditional rulers who came to honour the retired general, now the Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of

Benin and recently turbaned Garkuwan keffi of Keffi.

Being a former military leader, the wedding fatiha had some top ranking military officers, including a former Chief of Defence Staff and the current Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya, in attendance. The event, which turned out to be a carnival of sorts, had a friendly football match and cultural entertainment from traditional dancers from the Keffi, Nasarawa State.

The Usmans

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Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole: Face of a Liar AINA OJONUGA

The core of the investigative report hinted at the hypocrisy of a selfprofessed proletariat who had become obscenely ostentatious in just a few years. What was the source of the money Oshiomhole lavished on such projects? That was the major thrust of the story. The reporter found answers from those closer to the union head.

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I am a politician, and as a politician I have the prerogative to lie whenever I want,” so wrote Charlie Peacock, an American artiste. Nothing is truer of this than a recent interview Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole granted to Arise TV last Wednesday, August 3, 2022.

“Defending the project,” the newspaper commented at the time, “some of his friends and confidants told THEWILL that he made a lot of money from secret payments approved for him through proxies by some state governors and ministers during his labour years.”

Fast rivalling and possibly surpassing Channels TV, Arise has a knack for inviting prominent politicians, famous academics and businessmen to The Morning Show, a programme professionally anchored by equally professional journalists.

Of course, the rumour had made the round years back, back to the OBJ presidency, that the labour leader was not only a frequent visitor to Aso Villa but was also on the take. One of those who was a go-between in those paralyzing days of striking government workers is no more – Remi Oyo, SA Media to OBJ.

On that day, Reuben Abati was on air, along with Rufai Oseni and Tudun Abiola. Their guest was no less an individual than the combative former labour leader, onetime governor of Edo state and onetime chairman of APC. Since his ouster as APC chair in 2020, the abrasive union boss who became leader of a political party has been quite jobless. He recently reincarnated as the Deputy Director General of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, flag bearer of the same party Oshiomhole was once chair.

Though Oshiomhole denied owning the mansions. Years later, the physical structure stand solid in Iyamho as evidence of THEWILL’s investigative report. The newspaper even revealed the architect who designed the projects, a South African called Verissimo Taveres.

He it was, according to the newspaper, who also “constructed the controversial multi-million naira Abuja and Benin mansions of Chief Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo who was convicted of looting the state’s treasury during his eight year tenure.”

It was, perhaps, in that designation producers of The Morning Show invited him as their guest that morning, to hear him out about his party’s preparation for the forthcoming general election next February.

The interview proper got off to a healthy start after the intro. The very first question Abati asked was whether Oshiomhole was not concerned about the Muslim/ Muslim ticket presented by his party in angling for Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential candidate and running mate respectively.

Of course, the former party chair saw nothing wrong in that, claiming that some past governments in Nigeria did produce presidents or heads of state and deputies with the same religious persuasion. He then mentioned a respected Bishop (though unnamed) who he said didn’t see anything wrong in same religion ticket presented by his party. Of course, the interviewers saw through his fibbing since he didn’t mention the cleric’s name.

Scenting an opening for a good laugh at the politician’s expense, Abati pointedly asked Oshiomhole if the said Bishop was one of those who was at the ceremony where Tinubu named Shetima as his running mate. To the surprise of viewers, Oshiomhole said he didn’t know there were bishops at the event, thus making him the only Nigerian politico yet to see or had not seen the viral video and photo of the supposed men of God there. It was, of course, a lie.

Continuing however, Oshiomhole reminded the interviewers of another viral video wherein another respected evangelist, Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, spoke on the matter. Adeboye, Oshiomhole said, insisted he never instructed any of his parishioners to vote or not for any particular political party or candidate. The preacher himself has said, Oshiomhole went on, that he will not even vote because he doesn’t want to be seen to vote for one of his children against another. He sees himself as a father.

It was at that point one of the anchors, Oseni, produced some evidence countering the former union leader’s claim. He proceeded to read from a publication by THEWILL newspaper of July 19, 2022 which was handy, thus lending credence to the team’s professionalism.

When reporters prepare for their interviews, they research their subjects thoroughly, anticipating responses from guests and follow-up questions later. It was so on that day.

Apparently, Oshiomhole never knew some printed account of what Adeboye actually said concerning the Muslim/ Muslim ticket would be shown to him, much like a prosecutor presenting infallible proof in a court of law.

“You made a lot of claims about Muslim/ Muslim ticket,” Oseni began by telling his guest. “All those claims have counterpoints.

The one you said about Pastor Adeboye. THEWILL newspaper on the 19th of July 2022 said Adeboye backs CAN and PFN position on Muslim/ Muslim ticket. That means he is against it. There is also a story here how RCCG denies Adeboye and Tinubu meeting over Muslim/ Muslim ticket. There are other stories that Adeboye aligns himself with CAN and PFN.” Caught out, Oshiomhole decided not to answer the question directly but demonstrated his flair for evasiveness as do many politicians in that dilemma. For all his claims about Adeboye not endorsing any candidate or not, here was proof showing the clergyman was, indeed, on his fellow Christians side, read to the former governor, as e dey hot, to borrow a street lingo.

Oshiomhole’s response will befuddle any adult rational mind. “The newspaper you referred to, I thought it will be a credible newspaper that most Nigerians can readily relate to,” he said lamely to which Oseni gamely told him that “THEWILL is a credible newspaper.”

Rather than accept defeat, Oshiomhole persisted in his vapid campaign against a newspaper that, in April 2012, wrote about his profligacy as governor of Edo state. We will get to that shortly. But first, Oshiomhole’s response to Oseni.

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Igbinedion was governor from 1999.

“

Oshiomhole never knew some printed account of what Adeboye actually said concerning the Muslim/ Muslim ticket would be shown to him, much like a prosecutor presenting infallible proof in a court of law

“Ok,” he said, sort of admitting that THEWILL, indeed, “is a credible newspaper.” But because Oshiomhole does not know it, that makes it not credible. Hear him: “I don’t know it. I know THISDAY, I know Vanguard, I know, er, er,” and rolling his eyes like a tyke trying to remember something that wouldn’t readily come to mind, “Punch.

These are newspapers I consider very, very credible.”

Recognising his on-air blunder and the sophist that many take him for, the former governor of Edo state tried to correct himself: “One man’s credible newspaper may be another man’s…there are lots of fake news all over.”

From working in a garment factory back in time to becoming a union head and then governor, party chair and lately DDG of TCO, Oshiomhole has suddenly become the judge/ assessor, evaluator of newspapers, the credible ones he knows and the ones he doesn’t know.

And since he doesn’t know THEWILL, it is not a credible newspaper as decreed by the almighty Adams Oshiomhole. In this, we at THEWILL can authoritatively say that Oshiomhole had been written about in the publication he claims not to know and had formally reacted to at that time.

Published on April 16 2012, the newspaper ran a headline of the former governor’s profligacy thusly: “Oshiomhole’s Implicating Multi Billion Naira Mansion Unearthed.”

“In the coming days, Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, renowned for professing his association with the lowly and his disdain for ostentatious living, will have quite some explaining to do,” the newspaper wrote at the time. The explanation had to do with mansions he was said to be building secretly in his hometown of Iyamho in Etsako West local government council. And because of the secrecy, there was round the clock security of “armed vigilantes and mobile policemen to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the property.”

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Oshiomhole, according to the report, also has a mansion in prime Maitama-Abuja and Kaduna. Comparing the state’s dire financial state to the governor’s obscene display of wealth, THEWILL stated that “Edo State has borrowed over N30 billion naira under Oshiomhole and just a few days ago took another credit of $75 million USD from the World Bank.”

With these revelations about his cageyness, about Oshiomhole’s misuse of public funds and diverting same for personal use, there is no way the man himself will speak well of the very newspaper who opened the can of worms for all to see.

Two days later, On April 18, THEWILL followed up with another story published as “Oshiomhole’s Multi-Billion Naira Mansion: We Stand On Our Story.” What prompted it was a rebuttal by Oshimhole’s media team led by Tony Iyare and Peter Okhiria - special adviser (media affairs) and chief press secretary respectively.

“As news of the stately mansion is certain to spread in the weeks ahead,” THEWILL had written in the first publication, “Governor Oshiomhole will be faced with the uphill task of convincing his hordes of followers that the project has been funded with money other than public, and that he, being only a civil servant for many years until he became governor of Edo in 2008, has incorruptibly accumulated enough wealth to own such imposing edifice.”

The response from Iyare and Okhiria was acerbic. “A statement of clarification was the ideal but the team chose to launch abuses at a media agency’s innocuous pursuit of an incorruptible society. If anything, the statement has further served to implicate Oshiomhole.”

For objectivity, we publish Iyare and Okhiria’s response to our publication eight years ago. “Our attention has been drawn to this fairy tale about a purported multi-billion naira mansion being built by Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in his native Iyamho, concocted by an online publication, The Will, and parroted by Nigerian Compass of Monday, April 16, 2012. We are aware that the promoters of this laughable falsehood had gone round many media houses in Lagos with sack-loads of blood money to induce its publication, but were turned down outright on the basis of the amateurish job done, until the cheap bait finally caught these unconscionable hacks in the periphery of yellow journalism.”

One of the ironies of journalism in Nigeria is that kind of response by journalists considered to be watchdogs of society. The truth is that once they take up appointment with politicians, they then become intelligent interpreters of their masters every wish, they become worshipful of their masters even when they purloin public funds.

Against this background, anyone listening to and viewing that programme on Wednesday can understand Oshimhole’s dismissive wave, his undermining the newspaper that spoke truth to authority.

For him, it was payback time, to publicly put down a fast-growing newspaper because of an ancient slight, in his reckoning.

What is immediately obvious from the interview is that, first, politicians lie. Second, some of them are vindictive as well. Oshiomhole proved it that day with his casual dismissal of an existing and thriving media house.

“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about,” the great Oscar Wilde once said, “and that is not being talked about.”

We thank Oshiomhole for talking about us, for giving us unsolicited publicity on prime time television. We also have a message for him: We, as a media house, do not care for Oshiomhole’s recognition or acceptance. But we do have our teeming readers and admirers, who know that “THEWILL is a credible newspaper.” One of them told him so to his face just last week at a public forum.

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AUGUST 07 - AUGUST 13, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

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

L–R: Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN; President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Oluwole Adeosun and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Mr. Temi Popoola, during a courtesy visit by Nigerian Exchange Limited to Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS in Lagos on August 2, 2022.

L-R: Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jianchun; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Chairman, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Prof. Yusuf Ahmad and Secretary to the State Government of Ekiti State, Mr. Foluso Daramola, during the working visit of the Ambassador to the Governor’s Office, Ado Ekiti on July 26, 2022.

L-R: President, Federal Government College, Kaduna Old Students Association, Mr. Seyi Gambo; Winner, Logo Designer, Mr. Gerald Ewela Momodu; Chairman, (FGCKOSA), 50th Anniversary, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede and Chairman, 50th Anniversary Steering Committee, Federal Government College, Kaduna Old Students Association, Mr. Abolore Solebo during the unveiling of Federal Government College, Kaduna Old Students Association, 50th anniversary logo in Lagos on August 1, 2022.

L-R: Human Resource Manager, CADAM, Dupe Oroyemi; Director, Finance & Corporate Services, CADAM, Sola Odewabi; CSR Lead, Airtel Nigeria, Chioma Okolie; Director-General, CADAM, Dr. Dokun Adedeji; Director, Supply Chain Management, Airtel Nigeria, Raghvendra Gupta; Director of Programs, CADAM, Funke Salako and Field Operations Manager, CADAM, Seun Olorunkoya during the Airtel Touching Lives Season 6 prize presentation in Lagos on July 27, 2022.

L-R: Alagbara of Agbara, HRM, Oba (Barr.) Lukman Jayeola Agunbiade, Olute III; A recipient of the Nestlé Scholarship Scheme, Miss. Yetunde Juliet Agunbiekun; Country Human Resources Manager, Nestlé, Shakiru Lawal and Nestlé Agbara Factory Manager, Ibukun-Olu Ipinmoye, during the launch of Nestlé Scholarship Scheme in Agbara on July 26, 2022.

R-L: Managing Director, Rite Foods/ out going chairman of MAN, Ogun State, Mr. Seleem Adegunwa; presenting a plaque of honour to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and MD/CEO, Coleman Wires and Cables/ the new Chairman, Ogun State Chapter of MAN, Mr. George Onafowokan, during the handover ceremony in Abeokuta, Ogun State on July 28, 2022.

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AUGUST 07 - AUGUST 13, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SportsLive

Ofili

Amusan

Sports Administrators And Challenge of Kitting Athletes

track suits, house wears, sneakers, face caps, back packs, trolley bags, shorts, and ceremonial wears. Team Nigeria athletes have since been donning them in Birmingham as was evident at Thursday night’s opening ceremony and other team functions. However, the competition kits for each federation differ. Each federation produces specific competition kits for its athletes. The ministry is aware that federations have their own arrangements with different manufacturers with different delivery times and expectations which is being monitored very closely. We hope this clarification helps to put the matter in perspective so that all distractions to Team Nigeria athletes and officials are avoided.”

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

T

he pride felt by the entire country when Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan cruised to a world record run at the semifinals of the women’s 100m metres relay event at the recently concluded 18th World Athletics Championships at Oregon, USA, was in stark contrast with the pain, agony and suffering that has been the plight of the average Nigerian in recent time.

The shrinking value of the naira, the nosediving economy and rising inflation had contributed so much to the suffering of the average Nigerian that Amusan’s record-setting victory ushered in a moment of soothing relief and a sense of pride. The country’s name was in the media in a positive light, a rarity these days. It was an occasion to relish and an accomplishment to bask in. Away from the embarrassing negative baggage associated with the green-whitegreen identity of Nigeria, the national anthem played out as Amusan stood proudly on the podium with her gold medal around her neck and tears of pride streaked down her cheeks.

At this level and in this age of interconnectivity, a lack of synergy is hardly an acceptable excuse for one embarrassing kit problem after another at international competitions where the country’s athletes are putting in their extreme best to bring honour and glory to the country’s name. The feeble attempt at a defense by the ministry reeks of mediocrity and irresponsibility as oversight functions and supervisory roles behoves the ministry to ensure that there are no repeats of such embarrassing situations at every international competition.

It was from this height of pride that Team Nigeria went into the competition for honours at the Commonwealth Games in the English Midlands city of Birmingham. The athletes were full of enthusiasm, they were riding on a wave of positive zeal as they were joined by Amusan, fresh off her world record exploits and Ese Brume, who clinched the silver medal in the Women’s Long jump event with a leap of 7.02 metres, an improvement on her bronze medal finish in the previous championships.

At the just-concluded World Championships in Oregon, on the kit that sprinter Favour Ofili wore during the 4x100m relay event, the letter ‘i’ was missing from the spelling of Nigeria, such that it was spelled N-I-G-E-R-A. In their defence, Prince Adeniyi Adisa Beyioku, the AFN Secretary General, turned on the Nigerians, who were unimpressed by the error and while calling those who reacted an “idle few” explained that the misspelling was “a factory error made by giant sportswear and equipment company, Nike, and which affected just the vest Ofili wore at the championships.”

The positive energy and high spirits nearly were undone by administrative letdown once again. In a very clear sign that sports administrators in the country learnt nothing from the kitting fiasco that turned into a national embarrassment for Nigeria at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the misspelling of the country’s name in sportswear donned by the country’s athletes at the World Championships in Oregon, there was a last minute scramble to find kits for the country’s contingent at Birmingham on the eve of the opening ceremony.

Given the short notice, it took everything they had to round up the order and deliver just in time for the 93-man strong contingent to wear and represent Nigeria at the different events for which they had toiled dedicatedly to compete in. Yet, how different it could all have been if something went wrong along the line. The very strict rules on kits for identification and cohesion that the organisers of the Games stand by are non-negotiable. Unfortunately, Nigeria has a long history of failing to do things right. As far back as 2014, at THEWILLNIGERIA

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Enekwechi

The international disgrace that could have followed was averted by a UK-based sportswear company, whose manager initially thought that requests sent to his company to make kits to be used at the Commonwealth Games was a prank. That was how incredulous it was and it gave an inkling of the shambolic preparation that those responsible for making these kits available for our hard-working athletes were involved in. These kits for the athletes to wear on Friday did not arrive and by Tuesday, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria switched to panic mode and started scrambling for a fix.

Therefore, a normal work day for the Kidderminster-based company MG Sportswear and its 14 staff turned into a maddening rush to produce enough kits to suit the athletes. The manager Gino Ruffinato admitted that as soon as they were convinced it was a real emergency, they got the fabric, the print and the designs to work with and it was “panic stations” immediately. They had to put in long hours to fulfil the order of 200 pieces of kit with 400 Nigerian badges on them, including running vests and shorts and staff tracksuits, as well.

The point is why does it keep happening in Nigeria, if not that there is an apparent lack of professionalism and attention to details on all aspects of the participation of Nigerian athletes in these competitions?

the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Nigerian athletes were using masking tape to cover the sponsor’s name on the different kits they had on for their events, as it differed from official sponsors of Team Nigeria. When these masking tapes fell off during the competitions, it became an embarrassment that the Commonwealth Games Federation, CGF, had to officially query the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, over the kit inconsistency of the Nigerian athletes at the Games. It is incredibly upsetting and disheartening that eight years after, sports adminstrators cannot get simple kit organisation right.

The excuse for the Birmingham near mishap came from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, which tried to exonerate itself from the embarrassment. Toyin Ibitoye, the Special Assistant to the Sports Minister on Media, who provided the Ministry’s explanation of the kit issue said: “About 300 Team Nigeria Kits were delivered over two weeks ago and have since be issued to almost all the athletes. These kits, which are the general kits procured by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as is the practice, have since been issued to the athletes. These include

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If sports administrators can dedicate a fraction of the commitment that Nigerian athletes devote to their preparedness for these competitions that are often botched by an inept sports administration, the difference will be obvious for all to see.

THEWILL recalls that during the Olympics a year ago, a viral video posted via the account of Nigeria’s Olympics shot put finalist, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, via TikTok quickly became the cause of several harsh criticisms of the government over the welfare of the country’s contingent before the video was deleted. Nigerians decried the treatment of the athletes representing the country typified by Enekwechi washing his jersey in preparation for the August 5 final of the shot put event for which he qualified. Yet, instead of using every available time to prepare, he was caught up in laundry duties because as he captioned the video, he had no choice: “When you made the Olympic Finals, but you only have one jersey.”

Many critics recalled the embarrassing disqualification of no fewer than 10 Nigerian athletes because they failed to meet the standard test requirements due to “officials’ negligence” from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) where infighting at the top has rendered athletics governance null and void. It is the same incompetence that continues to bring embarrassments to the country even as dedicated athletes, even the para powerlifting athletes, continue to shine the light of victory on the country to make Nigerians proud of the green-white-green and the anthem that calls all of us to “Arise, oh compatriots...”

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www.thewillnigeria.com •August 07 - August 13, 2022

Salute to Nigerians Providing Silver Linings in Dark Clouds N ation building entails fostering national pride among the populace and improving a country’s standing among other nations, which is obviously a key strategy to entrenching national cohesion and pride at home.

People love to believe they are from a nation that is admired and respected by others. Developing a sense of nationalism is crucial to making a country great and resilient. A nation’s citizens need to feel proud to be citizens of their country.

Recently the accomplishments of several Nigerians who, in their individual capacities are striving for excellence in their chosen spheres of influence and professional careers, have evoked on the country a deep and true sense of pride and patriotism.

As a part of our duty in the expansion of the national conversation on the subject of national cohesion, I believe it is apt to take some time from the negativity that threatens to cloud our grasp of what it means to be Nigerians to turn our gaze to the silver linings of positivity, which these citizens have brought the country in a bid to demonstrate that not only are there inspirational influences to draw from them, but also to give evidence to the fact that it will take every Nigerian doing his or her best in their own area to bring about the type of country we want Nigeria to be.

One recent example of this redeeming sense of pride that the image of the country has enjoyed is tied to the distinguished performance of Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan at the 18th World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA. As a result of her feat, the month of July 2022 would be remembered as one of the most genuinely unforgettable periods in the history of Nigeria’s involvement in sporting events, both continental and international.

Amusan gave the unquestionably best-ever performance by a Nigerian in a single competition when she set a semi-final World Record time of 12.12 seconds in the 100-metre hurdle event at the recently held event.

Oluwatobiloba overcame previous enormous setbacks to immortalise her name in gold and bathe her nation in glory. Once again, the uniting power of sports streaked through the country like a tidal wave of immense proportions.

The 25-year-old Oluwatobiloba became an emblem of the indomitable Nigerian spirit as she finished off her record-breaking performance with a breath-taking 12.06-second wind-assisted finish in the final to leave the competition in the dust and earn Nigeria’s first-ever gold medal in the Women’s 100m hurdle event at the Championships.

As she shed tears of joy, standing on the top podium with her gold medal shining in the light and the Nigerian national anthem playing in her honour, there was nary a dry Nigerian eye across the world of all those watching and taking in the very essence of what it means to the athlete, to her compatriots and to the glory of the country at large.

There was no more perfect way to capture, in its entirety, the pride of the occasion. Many Nigerians stood a little more proudly as they took to social media to join in the celebration of Oluwatobiloba ‘s achievement. There were no questions about which tribe she belonged to or debates around the religion of the athlete. It was no time for any divisive queries. She had brought pride to all of Nigeria and every Nigerian felt part of the honour in their own way.

Yet, as exciting as Amusan’s accomplishment seemed to be, she was not alone in the limelight of glorious displays that united Nigerians in a sense of patriotic togetherness.

In a time of sporting excellence, especially frontlined by women, Ese Brume also finished the Championships on the podium with a silver medal in the Women’s Long jump event. It was a literal improvement from her bronze finish the last time in the Championships and the Olympian bronze she took home from the delayed XXXII Olympiad that took place in Tokyo, Japan last year.

Brume achieved the second-place finish with a leap of 7.02m to get ahead of Leticia Oro Melo of Brazil, who finished third with a 6.89m jump. She continues to improve in her event because at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March this year, Brume’s third leap of 6.85m earned her the silver medal behind Serbia’s Ivana Vuleta, who won gold with a 7.06m leap.

Lorraine Ugen of the United Kingdom won bronze with a leap of 6.78m. These are the types of proud accomplishments that place Nigeria in the ranks of some of the best achieving countries out there.

Before the month of July dovetailed into August, another female sportswoman was making the country proud.

She set a new African football record by winning her fifth Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s Player of the Year honour at the 2022 ceremony on Thursday, July 21, thereby surpassing her fellow countrywoman and former Super Falcons great Perpetua Nkwocha to become the first person to win the African Player of the Year award five times.

It was a recognition of her consistence since she came into the limelight at the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup where she was named best player of the tournament. Her focused dedication to honing her skill to the maximum is evidenced in the string of awards and accolades that have trailed her progress from some of the best football clubs in Europe and Asia to the continent of Africa. She was awarded Member of the Order of the Niger by President Goodluck Jonathan in September 2014 and was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 and last season, she won the Pichichi Award at La Liga for the highest goals scored in the 2022/2023 season.

In the ongoing Commonwealth Games, the 23-year-old Goodness Nwachukwu secured Nigeria’s fourth gold medal after breaking the world record twice in the Women’s Discus Throw F42-44/61-64 event for a historic victory. Reigning African champion, Chioma Onyekwere, led the way in the discus event as she won the gold in the event with a season’s best throw of 61.70m. Behind her in third place was another Nigerian, Obiageri Amaechi, who is the current national champion.

Adijat Adenike Olarinoye started the gold-winning streak on Saturday, July 30, when she lifted a combined 203kg in the women’s 55kg weightlifting category to add to the two gold medals she won at the Morocco-hosted African Games of 2019. She was also on a record-breaking mode, wrecking two records in 10 minutes as she hoisted 90kg and 92kg. There are also mixed martial arts champions, Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya, who have defended their titles against some of the very best without loss and who proudly point to their Nigerian origins. There is also Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, OBE, a two-time former unified heavyweight boxing champion, who could regain the titles he lost to Oleksandr Usyk in their upcoming fight on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.

These shining stars bringing slivers of light to the dark times Nigerians are enduring are not limited to the world of sports. Tems, a rising star in the music industry, became the first female Nigerian musician to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier in May, making history for the country’s music industry. A few weeks later, in June, she received the Best International

Act honour at the 2022 BET Awards, making history once more by becoming the first female recording artist from Nigeria and Africa to do so. When the trailer for the follow-up to Marvel Studios’ popular Wakanda film, which had an African theme, was released, her electrifying voice transported audiences to the fantastical environment. Also, when the trailer for the sequel to Marvel Studios hit Africa-themed Wakanda movie was released, her scintillating voice opened viewers to the surreal setting.

There is also Burna Boy to reckon with, his eccentricities aside. Not contented with winning the coveted Grammys and three BET Music Awards in a row, Burna Boy took his historic accomplishments to new heights in April when he sold out the storied Madison Square Gardens in New York, becoming the first Nigerian singer to headline the illustrious venue and providing the audience with a one-time, unmatched musical experience.

Nearly 100,000 viewers connected to the online feed via YouTube to join the 20,000 spectators in the arena as the globe watched one of Nigeria’s most famous musicians create history. Likewise, Wizkid’s hugely popular music album “Made In Lagos” was officially named the longest-charting African album and he was named the longest-charting African artist on the Billboard World Album rankings earlier this year, adding more achievements to his already impressive resume. More recently, “Essence”, which included Tems and Justin Bieber, won him Best Collaboration at the BET Awards. Artists like Davido, Tiwa Savage, Omah Lay, Buju, Asa, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Joeboy have also been good brand ambassadors for Nigeria.

While this list is by no means exhaustive nor does it claim that all those making Nigeria proud are only in the sports and entertainment sectors, the underlying fact is that these are some positives in a rapidly darkening climate of insecurity, economic decline, inflationary crises and political brigandage.

The angle I have taken is to show that there are examples of Nigerians providing another view of the Nigerian spirit and shedding light on the dark patches of our lived realities. I believe they ought to be celebrated at the local, state and federal levels. Rather than the common practice of seeking political patronage or repaying clandestine favours using national honours as leverage, I recommend that these individuals, who have passed through the crucible to the point of elevating the name of the country be the recipients of national honours to, on the one hand, give them a sense of acknowledgment and recognition and, on the other hand, inspire a new generation of Nigerians, who will aim higher for the country’s sake and theirs.

Finally, it is worth recognising the fact that, for the most part, they took the challenge to make a name for themselves and did not relent until their efforts yielded fruits. Most of them did not wait for the government to act before they began to move in the directions of their current fame and fortune.

While I continuously urge governments at all levels to live up to their responsibilities to the citizens and the country, it is up to each of us, as private individuals, to begin to make the efforts towards our own goals.

Private institutions are also urged to contribute, in every way they can, such as through Corporate Social Responsibility avenues, to improve the ways by which more and more Nigerians can get access to opportunities to excel in their chosen future paths. And, we can, as a country, reap the benefits of their excellence down the line, in the same way we are doing today or even more.

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