THEWILL NEWSPAPER August 27, 2023

OnahNwachukwu Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN

I’ve heard the saying, ‘Your body tells you what it needs.’ Recently, I’ve been having sugar cravings. It got so bad that I would go looking for something sweet in the middle of work. I had started feeling guilty about indulging until I read the article on our food page, which discusses sugar’s different advantages. One of which is that it releases dopamine. So, could it be that I need some dopamine released into my system? Sugar can benefit your memory momentarily and cognitive performance. See page 14 for all the plus sides of a sugary treat.

The art of documenting your thoughts –journaling– is a habit I picked up as a teenager. Although I haven’t written a diary (that’s what we called it) in years, I still remember when my friend encouraged me to keep one. I came across one of my old diaries recently and was nostalgic from reading the things in it. The article on page 15, which discusses journaling, makes me want to keep a diary again. It has several benefits. I encourage you to read the article; perhaps it will inspire you to start journaling, too.

For about two weeks, I have seen an advert about face yoga on my Instagram timeline. I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet, but from the videos, it works magic in toning the face and giving it a youthful glow. We write about face yoga on our beauty page this week; you don’t want to miss it.

Our movie review page has an excellent selection of music, which you can download and listen to when you scan the QR codes on the page.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

Confusion Trails Palliatives Distribution

BY AMOS ESELE WITH SAM DIALA, UKANDI ODEY, GEORGE MARTINS, CHIBUEZW CHUKWUMA,

Many of the 133 million multidimensionally poor, hungry and angry Nigerians are trooping to palliative distribution centres in many states across the federation in search for a lifeline amid a debttrap economy wracked by high inflationary and forex pressures and returning home with unpalatable stories.

The hope for some form of improvement in the people’s harsh conditions, following the cost of living crisis occasioned by the sudden withdrawal of the subsidy on the pump price of petrol, 87 grinding days ago, is evaporating as many are realising that what looked as big remedies when they were announced by the Federal Government is turning out to be a mere drop in the ocean of their needs.

More complicated is the haunting feeling and uncertainty about another increase on pump price of fuel from its current average of N600 to either N700 or N750 as marketers rue the discouraging high exchange rate that will erode any profit gained from importing petrol, which may force government to adopt some form of subsidy to encourage import and help it to keep the promise to

maintain the price regime.

In one telling case, a community leader in Ilorin West, Kwara State drew harsh words and disapproval from his people who gathered to hear his story on his return from a palliative distribution centre. According to him, at the centre where they were told that the Federal Government allocated 1,200 bags of rice to the state, 18 bags will go to each local government. The man’s Ilorin West Senatorial District, comprising 12 wards, received eight bags, while three communities within it, including his own, shared half a bag of rice.

In a dramatic fashion, he lifted the quarter bag of rice and dropped it in the middle of the gathering. A babel went up with some drawing their phone cameras to take a shot of what they derided as a mockery of their poverty and began to share on social media.

“Acts like this will not establish who received what, thereby defeating the purpose of transparency and accountability,” the Acting Head of Open Government and Institutional Partnership, BudgIT, Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, said at the weekend. “What is worrisome is the absence of a detailed guideline on how state governments will distribute these resources. There are mixed reactions nationwide over the potential mismanagement or unequal distribution of these palliatives. Without a comprehensive

framework, the risk of these resources not reaching the most vulnerable of society is high.”

Explaining further, the Communication Associate of BudgIT, Nancy Odimegwu, told THEWILL on Friday that the organisation directed its state coordinators to monitor the exercise so as to see if transparency and accountability are upheld during the distribution of the palliatives.

“Given the COVID-19 experience when palliatives were hoarded in warehouses in many states, it is essential that the cash and materials meant for the people get them.”

The National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, is worried about the basic statistics applied in determining the amount of money allocated to each state of the federation and why every state should pick up equal amounts of cash, "Or is it the number of poor Nigerians that are equitably distributed to the 36 states and the FCT?"

Speaking to THEWILL on Friday, Onwubiko described the methodology as archaic, unworkable and at best, mere guesswork that "this administration has just done by unscientifically drawing a jaundiced conclusion that there are equal numbers of poor people in all the states of the federation, including the FCT.

BASSEY ANIEKAN, ABDULLAHI YUSUF, SEGUN AYINDE AND SAMPSON UHUEGBU

...Palliatives Distribution

He thinks that, like BudgIT in the absence of a clear, definable method of administration, the fund and materials the Federal Government gave to the states for palliatives would end up in the pockets of many state governors. "So, what has changed about these corrupt-minded governors, who would rather buy exotic multimillion-dollar worth official cars than pay their workers their due wages?

"It is, therefore, safe to conclude that the act of passing this huge cash through the governors is simply meant to placate some political friends of the President and the entire packages to these states are collectively a charade that will not in any way substantially serve as palliatives to the poor Nigerians suffering the crushing effects of the plan less and irrational withdrawal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria."

According to the Federal Government which a fortnight ago approved N5 billion each as palliatives to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to cushion the impact of the petrol subsidy removal, 52 per cent of the funds are given as grants to the state governments, while the remaining 48 per cent will be issued as loans.

In addition to the N5 billion relief fund, the Federal Government released five trucks of rice to each of the 36 state governors. The state governors are to complement this effort with 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize and fertilizers.

While some states have commenced the distribution of the palliatives as received, either in tranches or in full, many are yet to start at all, heightening anxiety and uncertainty among the expectant people.

A cross-section of residents in the Calabar Metropolis have faulted the modalities adopted for the distribution of palliatives in the state.

In a survey conducted by THEWILL, the residents said the modalities for the distribution are hazy and this can potentially place a large segment of the state in a disadvantaged position.

Other residents also stressed that rather than distribute palliatives, the funds should have been credited to the accounts of beneficiaries.

They maintained that adopting the same failed system of distribution used by the last administration was wrong and may contribute to killing the palliative project.

That is why, for instance, a trader like Nyong Effiom, would say he is unaware of the distribution of any palliative.

He said that he was hearing from the reporter for the first time that palliatives would be distributed.

“I heard that the federal government has released N5 billion naira to each state alongside foodstuffs.

“I am not aware of any distribution and no one either in our market union, church or neighbourhood has notified me.

“I am still waiting to hear when the palliative in the state will be distributed and please kindly inform me if you know, kindly inform me,” he said.

Also speaking, a student of the University of Calabar, Kerry Asuquo, said the palliative distribution has always been to the disadvantage of people.

He maintained that he has no knowledge of any palliative, particularly as it borders on the welfare of students.

“To me, I’m not aware of the distribution of any palliative. Students, particularly the off-campus ones are hardest hit by this subsidy removal and palliative should accommodate people in this segment,'' Asuquo said.

Also, a worker in the state, Atim Mbe, said the archaic method of distributing rice and toiletries to people should be discarded because it is corruption prone and has failed.

While flagging –off the distribution of palliatives, the state governor, Bassey Otu, said the distribution will move to the Central and Northern parts of the state but details about the distribution and the modalities are still sketchy.

UNICAL student, Asuquo, suggested that palliatives should target specific segments of the society that are largely impacted by the subsidy removal.

“For instance, the government can procure buses that will only take specific routes so as to reduce the high cost of transportation to schools,'' he said.

He said the government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria. had the Bank Verification Number of all its citizens and should deploy it for the distribution of benefits to its citizens.

He said anything short of this amounts to a disservice by the government to the citizens and will cast serious doubts on the integrity of government at both federal and state levels.

Olabanjo Adisa, an Ogun civil servant, suggested that for the palliative to get to the downtrodden, the local government councils must be involved because he thinks some of the governors are playing politics with distribution. Local government councils are closer to the grassroots so that the people can have the dividends of democracy and their own share of the palliatives.

A youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, Oyejide Sukanmi, said that what Nigerians, especially the people of Ogun State, need now is a kind of arrangement in the transportation and agriculture sectors, whereby food would be abundant at affordable prices.

Giving people N8,000 or N10,000 or a bag of rice for a community that has about 200,000 houses, Sunkanmi argued, is ridiculous.

“There is no reliable data base for the people in the state and the palliative of getting to the right set of people, those in the villages, the locals, the bankers and so on. Those in the rural areas have always been neglected and I know,” he said.

At a meeting with the Plateau Elders Forum during the week, Governor Caleb Mutfwang announced that the state is in receipt of N2 billion out of the N5 billion promised by the Federal Government. He said the state also has 100 bags of rice as part of the palliative package. Promising that the state government was to ensure transparency in the administration of the palliatives, Mutfwang said that not one Kobo or grain will be wasted or used for other purposes than the welfare of Plateau people.

He said the two billion naira at hand is to be used to engage as many local contractors as possible to purchase more locally produced rice and other grains from local farmers to boost the money in circulation.

However, a cross section of residents in the state are apprehensive, describing the palliatives regime as "so-

called", and a mere fluke or, at best a flash in the pan. With an estimated population of about 4.5 million people, many argue that there is no known formula that can get the palliatives to every affected household, noting that the entire package is too small to make the desired impact. Some others feel that the policy is doomed, and beset by fraud, that would have rather been channelled to repairs of the nation's moribund petroleum refineries and restoration of partial subsidy for petroleum products to retard the inflationary trend in the economy.

It is a preponderant opinion of the majority of people here that the palliative option cannot really address the pains and distortions already grinding the national economy. A cross-section of Benue residents have commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the release of N5 billion to cushion the effect of subsidy removal for people of the North central state.

However, a Makurdi -based businessman, Elder Joseph Mnenga, noted that the N5 billion had fallen short of expectations in a state like Benue with a population of over 6 million inhabitants.

According to him, even though the state government has already rolled out plans to distribute the palliatives, it would have been better if traditional rulers were involved to identify the less privileged in various communities in their domains to benefit from the gesture.

In her response, a retired schoolteacher, Mrs Akpa M.T, decried the amount, advising the Federal Government to consider the N5 billion as a first phase, noting that the suffering will stay with the people for a long period.

THEWILL recalls that Governor Hyacinth Alia has acknowledged the receipt of N2 billion out of the N5 billion approved for Benue State to cushion the effect of subsidy removal on the citizens.

He made the disclosure during the flag-off of the distribution of relief materials to victims of the 2022 flood in Makurdi last week, saying the balance of N3 billion is expected.

The governor disclosed that his government will use the funds to register students for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Education Council (NECO) examinations in all government approved secondary schools in the state for the 2023/2024 academic year.

He will further provide intensive computer and ICT training for 2,000 youths of the state to enable them acquire jobs within and outside the state.

According to him, the government will also provide grants to 5,000 women in the state based on revised social register of the women cooperatives as well as purchase one hundred new buses for the state-owned transport company - Benue Links to provide services to the people of the state at a subsidised rate.

Moreover, government will provide shuttle buses in the three major towns of Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo to ease movement within the towns, pay one month pension arrears to state and local government retirees and provide food items like rice in large quantity to each of the 23 Local Government Areas in the state.

Many of the states in the South-East geopolitical zone have virtually been under economic hostage by the sitat-home order by elements of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, to the tune of N4 trillion in two years, according to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Ben Kalu.

Governor of the state, Peter Mbah, has inaugurated a committee on palliatives. According to him, the question now is how to mitigate the shared pains that the people of the state are going to be exposed to.

Stressing that the administration is set to roll out palliatives to mitigate the harsh economic effects of the recent removal of fuel subsidy on residents of the state, Mbah, while inaugurating a committee for the procurement, storage and distribution of the relief items to the public, said that members of the committee, chaired by the Deputy Governor, Ifeanyi Ossai, would handle the palliatives with transparency and ensure the speedy distribution of the items to those in dire need of them.

He expressed hope that the palliatives would help to

The distribution of palliatives to vulnerable people to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on petrol is yet to commence in Kano State, more than a week after the kick-off of the project,THEWILL can confirm authoritatively.

Checks through the ancient city of Kano reveal that people are still waiting for the palliatives as poverty and hunger continue to bite harder among the people

...Palliatives Distribution

alleviate the economic hardship on the people of the state and urged the committee to ensure that the palliatives were sent to the “homes of those that need them the most in the state.”

“It is part of what we are doing to see how we can begin to cushion the effects of some of these pains. So, what we are doing now is to see how to fix the pains the people are going through and there are also plans for short and medium-term solutions. We are going to do that in due course,” he stated.

For the lawmaker representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Ngwu, Governor Mbah has risen to the occasion of the adverse effects of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, adding that the committee was capable of “carrying out their task which deals with procurement, storage and distribution of the relief items to the citizens.”

The distribution of palliatives to vulnerable people to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on petrol is yet to commence in Kano State, more than a week after the kick-off of the project,THEWILL can confirm authoritatively. Checks through the ancient city of Kano reveal that people are still waiting for the palliatives as poverty and hunger continue to bite harder among the people.

"I have heard the Federal Government announcement that they have released N5 billion and five trucks of rice to each of the 36 states of the federation for distribution to poor people like me as palliatives, but honestly, I am yet to receive the rice or any palliative, for that matter," said Isiyaku Nura, a retired civil servant.

Another resident of the state capital, a widow, Talatu Ibrahim, who also welcomed the announcement of the federal allocation to the state as a welcome relief, wants the state government to commence distribution of the palliatives.

"Let them begin distribution of the rice and any other palliatives, please, so that people like me can access them and have some relief from the poverty and hunger ravaging us," Ibrahim said.

But Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had last Wednesday said that modalities had been mapped out to ensure that the rice and other palliatives reached the vulnerable people in the state.

Yusuf, who gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen at the Government House, Kano, however appealed to the Federal Government to allocate more palliatives to Kano, being the state with the biggest population in the country, arguing that the allocation will not go far in bringing relief to many citizens there.

The governor said his administration was highly disturbed by the hardships being faced by the people of the state as a result of the removal of the fuel subsidy.

Yusuf disclosed that already his administration had spent about N1.6 billion on the purchase of millet, maize and rice for distribution to the people of the state.

He said this was in addition to the five trucks of rice donated by the Federal Government to the State.

He also announced that the state government was working out a plan to provide cows, sheep and goats to empower women, especially those in the rural areas for self -reliance and economic prosperity.

A civil servant in Ogun State, Tunde Opayemi, stated that he had not seen or received any palliative, whether in financial or material form, except the N10,000 the state government is giving to the state civil servants monthly.

According to Governor Dapo Abiodun, the monthly stipend will only last for three months.

“How will N10,000 palliative meet the expectations of the workers or people of the state in this present economic situation in which a bag of rice is above N50,000 now, something we used to buy for N23,000 before the subsidy removal?” Opayemi asked, adding, “I think the expectations of many Nigerians is that that palliative money should have been used to repair our oil refineries. What will N10,0000 added to a civil servant salary to a family of seven do? But with functional refineries these problems will come to the nearest minimum.”

Imo State governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, is yet to talk about palliative distribution though the citizens are aware

of the Federal Government plan on palliative measures to the state.

A civil servant, who gave her name as Louis Nwachukwu, said the money the Federal Government shared to the states in the name of palliatives should have been injected into the various refineries across the country.

"To me, N5 billion is too small to be given to a state by the Federal Government as palliatives. To do what? How far can that money go?” she asked.

A commercial bus driver, Chikanele Ogu, knocked the Federal Government for not being sensitive to the plight of Nigerians who are wallowing in poverty.

"The removal of the fuel subsidy is the cause of the hard times we are in today. Prices of goods and services had risen due to this development. We need a bigger intervention," Ogu said.

In Katsina State, the governor, Dikko Radda, has given assurances that the “poorest of the poor” in the state is the target of palliative distribution, saying to make that pledge come true, the distribution of the palliatives would be handled by political leaders at the state, local government council and ward levels.

Radda, who said the state was yet to get its allocation from the federal government disclosed that 34 local government councils would purchase 36,100 bags of maize each, using their monthly allocations from the Federation Account while the state government would also order extra consignments of rice, maize and fertiliser from the Federal Government for distribution to citizens and farmers.

Head of the Palliative Distribution Committee and Commissioner for Agriculture in Ekiti State, Ebenezer Boluwade, said the state government has distributed a total of 3,000 bags of rice it received from the Federal Government, particularly to vulnerable citizens on the list of beneficiaries agreed to by the committee.

According to him, “Each of the 177 wards of the state will get 10 bags of rice each. Parts of the criteria are that we must prioritise widows and women in the wards. What we are saying is that the rice going to the wards should be shared more with women and widows. We also specially allocated 100 bags for widows.

“All the artisans in the private sector shared 200 bags of rice, while the transport unions got 180 bags. All the

market women in Ekiti State were allocated 100 bags. Persons with disabilities got 150 bags.

“The elderly, that is pensioners, got 100 bags. Civil servants comprising the junior staff members got 100 bags,” he said.

Evidence from two Local Governments in Lagos State, Shomolu and Oshodi/Isolo, where palliative distribution has kicked-off shows chaotic scenes as a result of an overwhelming crowd.

Despite the personal involvement of the Chairman of Somolu Local Council, Abdul Hamed Salawu, in distribution of subsidy palliatives in the council last weekend, the crowd that gathered at the Agunbiade Primary School in Shomolu Local Council Area to receive subsidy palliatives, were uncontrollable as they scramble for the packaged rice, beans and garri.

A council staff member who pleaded anonymity said the LGA received 3,000 bags of assorted foodstuff which was insufficient for distribution.

In Oshodi/Isolo, beneficiaries who got a small package branded containing a small bottle of oil, 5 kilograms of rice and another of beans made a video mocking the content and duration of the palliative.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had earlier implemented some relief measures for civil servants in the state in form of wage increase across boards as well as healthcare incentives and waivers for maternal and child care services government hospitals across the state.

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, at a press briefing, said, “We are targeting about one million and fifty thousand poor and vulnerable citizens, representing 210,000 households. The Federal Government promised to give the state N5 billion, but as of today, N2billion has been given to Kaduna State and that is what we are using right now to ensure that we come up with something for the poor, underserved and vulnerable in our state who have been suffering the removal of the fuel subsidy.

The Deputy Governor, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, heads the committee on palliative distribution, comprising the labour unions, market women, people with disabilities represented.

“We have agreed and decided to buy 43,000 bags of 50kg rice. The N65 million balance will be used to support the logistics of People with Disabilities, the Widows and the IDPs that live in the Internally Displaced Camps in Kaduna,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, two governors have called for a reappraisal of the palliative scheme, though from different perspectives. They are Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state.

While Governor Bago, stated that the Federal Government’s palliative cannot address the hardship imposed on Nigerians by the removal of fuel subsidy and suggested massive investment in agriculture to address the food needs of millions of Nigerians on the verge of starvation, Governor Obaseki said the concept adopted by the federal government is wrong and would yield nothing Governor Bago, who commended President Tinubu for the palliative initiative during the flag-off of the distribution of farm inputs to wet season farmers from the 25 local government areas of the state, said, “But we must be honest with ourselves; the palliative scheme cannot be sustained, we have to go back to the farm to reinflate our economy. In Niger State, we are poised to make agriculture become the focus of our administration in addressing poverty and food security.”

Godwin Obaseki, whose state is yet to receive the N5 billion from the federal government as palliatives, said, among other things, that “Now the subsidy is gone; the exchange rate is being aligned. The era of free money has almost come to an end. The consequence is that the weakest and most vulnerable in our society, unfortunately, will carry a huge part of the burden of these policies.”

“I am shocked that people who campaigned around the country, saying they will remove subsidies, had no clear plans on what to do after subsidy removal. They don’t know what to do and how to support those who will be victims of subsidy removal.

Today, governors are getting more than what they were receiving before as statutory allocations, so they have to deploy the resources judiciously,” Adeyemi told THEWILL.

For the BudgIT group, the federal and state authorities should “provide and publicise" a comprehensive sharing formula and breakdown of how the palliatives will be shared among citizens to ensure equitable access and accountability

Task Before Tinubu's Cabinet

BY AYO ESAN

Last Monday, President Bola Tinubu officially swore in 45 out of the proposed 48 ministers. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, 84 days (about three months) after the President’s inauguration on May 29, 2023. It is important to note that the event was the seventh to be held in the country o be held in the country since 1999 and the third time that the All Progressives Congress (APC) have formed a government at the Federal level after its birth in 2014.

Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country have observed with dismay that despite the lean resources of the country, Tinubu's cabinet is the highest since the advent of the Fourth Republic.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed 36 ministers in his first term in office and in his first term, Buhari named 42 ministers. Former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 named 33 ministers in his cabinet, including nine from the Umaru Yar’Adua Administration. In 2007, Yar’Adua named a 39-member cabinet made up of 32 men and seven women. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo initially named 42 ministers in 1999, but he reviewed his cabinet to reduce the number of ministries and ministers to 27 and 40, respectively, before he left office.

THEWILL recalls that in 2011, the Steve Oronsanye Committee recommended that the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) of the Federal Government should be pruned to save the cost of governance. Unfortunately, this has not been implemented, 12 years after. Former President Buhari failed to keep his promise to implement the White Paper of the report.

As the ministers settle down to carry out their expected duties, one worrisome issue is how the additional new ministries, such as Ministries of Marine and Blue Economy; Youth; Art and Culture and Creative Economy; Tourism and Steel Development will have enough resources to carry out their duties, bearing in mind that the current budget did not envisage the

As the ministers settle down to carry out their expected duties, one worrisome issue is how the additional new ministries, such as Ministries of Marine and Blue Economy; Youth; Art and Culture and Creative Economy; Tourism and Steel Development will have enough resources to carry out their duties

creation of new ministries.

How to equip the ministers to perform their duties effectively and efficiently is a challenge that may stare President Tinubu in the face. Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country believe that the first thing the President should do and timely, too, is to organise a retreat for the new ministers as a way of guiding them on how to go about the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.

Some of the ministers are already behaving like drunken men who just emerged from a beer parlour in the manner of their utterances. They need to be guided before they destroy the goodwill currently

being enjoyed by Tinubu’s administration. This must be done on time and effectively too.

A public affairs analyst and commentator, Mr Jide Ojo said, “Each of the 45 ministers should have a proper job description, scope of work or terms of reference together with key performance indicators. This delineation of duties will help to properly guide each of the ministers, thereby avoiding friction. I also do hope that the former governors will not be throwing their weight around and bullying their colleagues in the cabinet the way some of them do to their commissioners.

“All the ministers should understand that they serve as lieutenants of the President. Indeed, they are just elevated presidential aides who can be dropped without prior notice. That’s why I don’t seem to understand someone leaving elective positions, such as the Senate and House of Representatives to become a minister that has no security of tenure. I’m sure someone will remind me that ministers control budgets and there might be more money to be made in the executive arm of government.

“Anyway, I implore the new ministers to shun personal aggrandizement and know that they are called to serve and not to corruptly enrich themselves. I do hope they will all be exemplary in the task of implementing the president’s Renewed Hope agenda. Nigerians are impatiently waiting for good governance”.

The task before Tinubu’s ministers is enormous because the country is currently on its knees and requires surgery on all its organs to bounce back to life.

Nigerians have looked forward to the constitution of the cabinet and they are praying that key areas, such as security/ defence, power, economy, infrastructural development, health and more, will be effectively handled. This was conveyed to the ministers during the swearing-in ceremony when President Tinubu informed them that they must meet the expectations of Nigerians.

Tinubu's Cabinet

The President noted that the ministers were selected, based on personal experience, to continue with the work of nation-building, stressing that the challenges before them could be “very daunting” but that the government was hell-bent on the push to introduce renewed hope.

He said, “It is all about a great team and I believe we have it here. Nigerians are highly expectant. They believe that you will serve with integrity and deliver. I will hold you to account,” the President added.

Tinubu acknowledged Nigeria’s “daunting” challenges and said that with his cabinet there is an opportunity to implement “long overdue reforms.”

“We must hold each other responsible; we have to do the job to meet the expectations of all Nigerians,” the president told the ministers. He urged the new ministers to note that their assignment begins immediately, even as he also urged them to restore faith in governance so that the governed could believe in government.

“I welcome you to the administration of Renewed Hope. We are in this boat (together); this is a vehicle and I am the driver. The entire nation is watching as we navigate this vehicle. We have to do the job to meet the expectations of all Nigerians,” he said.

Security should be the major task for the Bola Tinubu Administration. In 2015 when former President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, he made security one of the three main thrusts of his administration. Despite the emphasis Buhari claimed to have placed on Security and the funds he claimed to have expended in that sector, the security situation in the country still leaves much to be desired.

While the insurgency challenge in the North-East may have abated, there are still some pockets of banditry in the North-West and North-Central geo-political zones of the country.

Also of note are the activities of unknown gunmen and separatist agitators in the South-East, as well as kidnappings in other parts of the country. These have resulted in abductions, killings, and the disruption of economic and social activities in many parts of the country.

With the report that insecurity resulted in the death of up to 63, 000 persons in the last eight years, it is obvious that President Tinubu –led administration, must take decisive actions to tackle the challenge it poses to the country. Insecurity repels investors, creates fear among the people and causes a general sense of instability.

Speaking on the economy, Kayode Komolafe, an economist based in Abuja, said, “On the economy, Nigeria’s debt profile, as the Debt Management Office, DMO, reports, reached N46.25 trillion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. This constitutes a serious drag on the nation’s economic growth. Nigeria is groaning under the yoke of this debt burden. It is expected, therefore, that the new administration will seek debt forgiveness. One of the ways to achieve this is through the appointment of technocrats who understand the dynamics and politics of foreign debt, into the economic management team.

“There is also the need to cut down on wastage and reduce the cost of governance, which has become a serious burden to the growth of the economy”.

Komolafe commended Tinubu for removing the subsidy on fuel. “In the 2023 Appropriation Act, Nigeria set aside N3.36 trillion (about $7.5billion) for the payment of subsidies until the middle of the year. “This gives insight into the humongous amount of money Nigeria spends on subsidy every year, which many have said is unsustainable”, he said.

He counseled that the huge expenditure could be channeled to such sectors as education, health and human capital development that have direct impact

on the people.

“Tinubu’s withdrawal of subsidy shows his political will and courage. It also means that government must ensure that palliatives to cushion the effect of the policy

on Nigerians are put in place and get to them on time. “Rising inflation has continued to affect the standard of living of Nigerians and so something must be done urgently”, he said.

Speaking with THEWILL, Comrade Sola Olawale of the Campaign for Democracy said Nigeria is currently enjoying 24 years of uninterrupted democracy and the citizens have resolved to continue on this path for sustainable development.

He however warned that the sustenance of democracy can only be guaranteed by ensuring that institutions that support democracy stand and are strengthened. He mentioned the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) as the main institution that must be strengthened for democracy to stand firm.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission, ICPC, must be strengthened with a view to making them truly independent”, he said.

The health sector is another key sector that Nigerians are expecting so much from the new minister. Fortunately, all Nigerians agree that Muhammad Pate is a round peg in a round hole. He was certified by the American Board as a medical doctor in both internal medicine and infectious diseases, with an MBA (health sector concentration) from Duke University, USA. He also bagged a Master’s Certificate in Health System Management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the United Kingdom (UK).

On the global scene, Pate was in 2000 appointed by the World Bank as a young professional to work on contemporary issues of health, including HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria across many regions including Africa and East Asia.

So, in spite of his rich profile, the task ahead of Pate is huge because in Nigeria, public health sector investment is not among the best globally; maternal and infant mortality remain among the highest in the world while brain drain is surging.

Also health emergency preparedness remains low; HIV and AIDS remain of public health concern and Universal Health Coverage still low, the new minister already has the work cut out for him.

Nigerians eagerly await and expect the best from the new cabinet and the performance of the cabinet members in the next few months will bring hope or disillusionment to the citizenry.

Tinubu acknowledged Nigeria’s “daunting” challenges and said that with his cabinet there is an opportunity to implement “long overdue reforms

POLITICS

Labour Party Crisis Deepens

BY AYO ESAN

The Labour Party (LP) is currently enmeshed in a leadership crisis, with two persons claiming and being confirmed as the party’s National Chairman by a court of the same competent jurisdiction, Court of Appeal, Benin City and Court of Appeal, Owerri.

The confusion over the leadership of the party continued last Thursday as the Court of Appeal in Owerri, co-sitting in Abuja, removed Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman. The court, consequently, recognised Lamidi Apapa as national chairman and the one Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should deal with, in terms of candidates of the party for the coming Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

The court also ordered INEC to immediately recognise and publish the names of candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi States for the governorship elections coming up in November.

The court further annulled the candidature of Senator Athan Achonu for the governorship of Imo State and others produced for other states by the Abure-led faction. In April, Apapa had said his suspension as a member of the party was invalid and that he remained the ‘legitimate acting chairman.’

THEWILL recalls that there was also a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Benin City on August 14, which affirmed Abure as national chairman.

In the case of Mr. Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), Justice Theresa Ngolika OrjiAbadua JCA, Fatima Omoro Akinbami JCA and Justice Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi JCA in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the appellant.

One Lucky Shauibu who claimed to be a member of the Labour Party in Ward 3 Executive in Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State suspended the chairman of the Labour Party.

In her lead judgment, Justice Orji-Abadua JCA, affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man cannot suspend the national chairman of Labour Party in line with Article 13 and 17 of the Constitution of the Party and the extant Electoral Act of 2022, particularly when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown.

The court unanimously nullified the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Comrade Julius Abure and the party arising from the purported suspension.

In a swift reaction to the judgment, Comrade Julius Abure praised the judgment and the team of judges who refused to close their eyes to the justice of the case. He also thanked the team of selfless lawyers led by GC Igbokwe, SAN.

Also, the State High Court in Edo had dismissed the notice of suspension of Abure by some LP members at his ward in Edo State.

However, while reacting to these judgements, the Lamidi Apapa faction maintained that the ruling on the Imo governorship primary invalidated all off-season governorship primary elections conducted by the Abure faction.

Apapa insisted that the Federal High Court order restraining Abure from parading himself as LP chairman is yet to be vacated.

He said the Court of Appeal judgment in Benin City, which affirmed Abure as national chairman, was a civil matter.

Apapa said: “The Edo state issue, more or less, has to do with civil matters. The exco in the state suspended him and they went to court because of that. They don’t have the right to suspend him. I’m talking about ward level.

“But the FCT restraining order has to do with criminal matters. It is between the state and Abure. Nobody is above the law. That’s the difference between a civil matter and a criminal matter.

“The order of the FCT has not been vacated and that is

why on the basis of that, the Appeal Court reaffirmed that by the time he conducted his primary, a restraining order was in place. Up till today, the order is still in force. That’s the difference between the two.”

Apapa said he was ready for reconciliation, saying that the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election,

Peter Obi, acted against the judgment of the court during the party’s mega rally in Edo State.

He said: “From the look of things, you will also agree with me that the day before yesterday, our principal and Abure went to Owerri, despite the court order against them, that Ikenga was the right person for Imo State.

“He went ahead and raised somebody’s hands; somebody that had been asked not to go ahead by the judgment of Imo State. Today, it has also been reaffirmed by the Appeal Court. I don’t know what he will do again, whether he will reaffirm that again.

“What I want everybody to know is that nobody is above the law. Anybody who is above the law should not be in politics because it is a creation of law. A situation where you are disobeying the law that provides you the authority, then you are not supposed to lead the people. So, like I said, we are ready for reconciliation but not at our expense.”

But the Abure-led faction of Labour Party made a different interpretation of the Thursday judgement through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh who said the Court of Appeal Co sitting in Abuja Thursday, August 24, 2023 dismissed the appeal filed by one Mr. Basil Maduka, who is contending for the Labour Party governorship candidate in Imo state.

“The court further held that the appeal by the Labour Party was not necessary as the decision of the trial court was in its favour and that mere comment of the trial judge in the matter was not a Judgement and should be discountenanced.

“Labour Party had asked the Court of Appeal to quash the comments of the trial court in the Federal High Court Owerri. The Labour party also told the court that Senator Athan Achonu won the party’s primary.

“The attention seeking camp of Lamidi Apapa had earlier today as usual misinformed the public by twisting the clear judgement of the appellate court.

“It is therefore important to state that neither the Federal High Court Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja today made any orders in the matter other than for lack of locus standi against the plaintiff (Basil Maduka).

“Consequently, the status quo remains with Senator Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of Labour Party for 2023 Imo governorship election.

“With this Court of Appeal judgment and the endorsement of Senator Achonu by our national leader, Peter Obi, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members, the dust has settled on the governorship ticket issue.

“Achonu has received the governorship flag of the party and has since flagged off his campaign with a well attended ceremony in Owerri on Tuesday.

“Recall that similarly, the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City recently affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

“In the case of Mr. Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), His Lordships Justice OrjiAbadua, Fatima Omoro Akinbami and Hon. Justice Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the Appellant.

“In her lead judgment, Justice Orji-Abadua, while nullifying the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Abure and the party arising from the purported suspension, affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man cannot suspend the national chairman of Labour Party in line with Article 13 and 17 of the Constitution of the Party and the extant Electoral Act of 2022 particularly when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown.

“We are therefore calling on the Labour Party members, Obidient faithfuls and the general public to distance themselves from these falling and compromised members of the party who have since been shoved out of the party.”

THEWILL recalls that there was also a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Benin City on August 14, which affirmed Abure as national chairman

Plateau Killings: Getting The Perspective Right

For Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, it has been another tale of a troubled inheritance, since he was sworn in as governor of Plateau State on May 29, 2023.

Literally speaking, he was handed over a state with a knocked engine: a 307 billion naira debt overhang, a demoralised civil service in limbo and tools down, a state economy in comatose and in need of life support, a tertiary educational subsector gone blank and in a state of inactivity, government offices looted and crippled, and a weary citizenry threatened by food insecurity and extinction because of the bestiality of aggressor predators invading the State from its seams and killing the citizens in horrendous numbers.

From Mangu to Barkin Ladi, Ryom, and Bokkos in Plateau Central, the atmosphere was aggressor-suffused, with danger apparently gone beyond looming to lurking, the rural population scampering and veritably on the run, with camps of internally displaced persons springing with swelling bowels as displaced and distressed citizens turned- in in droves and quantum to signify an inevitable emergency and urgency.

Lucky with an unambiguous physique and a corresponding intellect, Mutfwang rose stoutly to the occasion to reverse the bad advertisement that daily reports of killings in different locations were causing the State and its political leadership. First, he shunned the distractions of a ruing opposition that was working hard to discredit its probe, and divert the searchlight of the assets tracking and recovery committee from its thieving elites who were running away with stolen Government property.

At some point, it was thought in some places that the sustained unprovoked nocturnal terrorist attacks on Mangu and the environs were a product of political frustration by a political opposition smarting from electoral rejection and humiliation, determined to intimidate and harass Governor Mutfwang out of focus and push him towards a post-electoral capitulation. For days, the organised and wellarmed attacks repeated, with a casualty figure in the hundreds in about a week. The ferocity of attacks and the comprehensive damage that was their toll sparked a paroxysm of fear as much as it attracted national sympathy and international concern.

The Governor’s visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and later the Service Chiefs, produced urgent deployment of troops to Mangu, which enervation was boosted not only by the Army Chief’s visit to address and boost the operational morale of the troops, but also by the physical relocation of the operational base of the GOC 3 Div, Jos, to Mangu, where he led the counter terrorism operations himself. That calm has returned to Mangu and the environs owes to the governor’s focus and consistent line action of appealing to the military high command, and the President’s prompt response, and the professional despatch displayed by the Military echelons.

Thus, in a retreat held for Plateau State government appointees, permanent secretaries, and heads of agencies at the National Institute of Policy Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Kuru, a fortnight ago, sustenance of peace and security were a prominent feature of the curriculum of issues addressed by discussants, and participants were urged to develop the right mindset and attitude towards work generally, as it is believed that this will translate into good governance which in turn will generate citizen satisfaction, sense of justice, and inclusiveness.

Part of the communiqué of resolutions from the Retreat urges those in the service of the Government to “rise above the years of socio-economic, political, and security struggles, and work towards an enduring Plateau heritage”, and “practice sound lifestyles that will birth productivity and effectiveness in both workplace and private lives”.

The search for enduring security continued last week not only with the announcement that the stateowned Operation Rainbow has been resuscitated and will launch into renewed operations soon, but the reconstitution of the Plateau Elders’ Forum, an assemblage of retired professionals and technocrats, to serve as a repository for Government on state matters.

During a meeting with the Elders’ Forum last Monday, it was a moment of sobriety and hard truth for Governor Mutfwang who corrected what appears to be a deliberately – even maliciously – twisted perspective in the course of reporting, debating, discussing, and commenting on the recurrent Plateau crisis.

According to Mutfwang, the attacks and aggression in Plateau are perpetrated and sustained by external

invaders on a self-serving mission, insisting that what is referred to as "farmers-herders clash" does not take place in Plateau, and that that position is deceptive, misleading, and begs the truth and the fact. Many journalists and civil society workers agree with the Governor that the phrase "farmers-herders clash" is a false and misleading picture of the sustained savage and bloody operations of non-state actors in Plateau over the years.

After the September 2001 sectarian crisis that redefined the sociology and communal bonds of Jos and, indeed, Plateau State, what has persisted as "Plateau killings" shifted field from urban fracas to rural ambush, invasion, and mass massacre. From Yelewa-Shendam in Plateau South to Dogon Nahawa and Irigwe land in Bassa in the State's north axis, the attacks and killings have maintained and sustained a nocturnal character as the invaders always arrive in the night, take their victims by surprise with the conniving perfect uncertainty of nightfall and the darkness it bears, kill massively - women, children, and all, set houses ablaze, destroy farms, and depart in the darkness of the same night.

Journalists and civil society workers also argue that "clash" presupposes a situation where both sides are approach each other with provocation and emotional preparedness. But the trend has consistently revealed that the aggressor invader is armed, rehearsed, prepared, systematic, and takes on the victims in their subconscious and inactive state.

To further deflate the “farmers-herders clash" narrative, a phraseology apparently promoted by some elite collaborators of the predatory agenda to supplant Plateau natives and their heritage, questions are bandied as to why mere "clashes" should culminate in land grabbing, displacement of the natives, and forceful takeover of their homestead, and rendering them refugees, wandering and groping for their deserved heritage.

Land grabbing has led to forceful occupation of hundreds of villages in Riyom, Barking Ladi, and Bokkos local government areas, with Mahanga in Barkin Ladi, allegedly renamed "Palestine", a notorious base from where attacks are conceived, planned, rehearsed, and launched.

Again, the questions are asked: do herders carry weapons? Are they supposed to be armed? By whose authority do they carry arms, if they do? Is herding a night business? Why are the cattle not always seen with the attackers? Are "farmers" farming in their homes in the night? What of women and childrenare children farmers?

Governor Caleb Mutfwang lamented during last Monday's meeting with the Plateau Elders Forum that his administration inherited a "reign of terror".

According to him, "what happened in Plateau, particularly Mangu, was insurgency. Plateau people are not fighting themselves or anybody. It was a complete invasion and insurgency bearing terrorism. We must rise together as Plateau people and confront the challenge that insecurity and insurgency have put before us. There is nothing like farmers-herders clash! The couple that was killed about two weeks ago at the BECO High School, Kwi, in Ryom, was not fighting anybody. They were killed at their duty post while in active service in their fatherland.".

Plateau killings: getting the perspective right is to disambiguate the prognosis, towards a clinical diagnosis, for an enduring therapy.

The Governor’s visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and later the Service Chiefs, produced urgent deployment of troops to Mangu

EDITOR:

Nigerian Governors And Lessons From Kigali

Governors of the 36 States in Nigeria on Friday converged on Kigali, the Rwandan capital, as the inaugural session of the Executive Leadership Retreat, a strategic collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) kicked off in earnest.

The retreat is an orientation cum refresher programme of a sort for the governors, especially the newly-elected ones and first timers, on the essentials of leadership and good governance. The timing of the programme by the UNDP and NGF is also good. While some of the governors are just starting out as 'freshers' and ‘rookies' in their various states, others are kicking-off their second terms, following their reelection in the last general election. President Bola Tinubu had earlier met with the governors in Abuja immediately after his inauguration on May 29. The choice of Kigali for the Executive Leadership Retreat is not only deliberate but also strategic, since Rwanda has become a model state for good governance across the globe as its President, Paul Kagame, is, arguably, Africa's poster boy for pragmatic leadership and good governance. The transformation of Rwanda in every aspect of life under the leadership and direction of President Kagame, despite the country's unenviable past history, has been acclaimed globally.

We commend the UNDP and NGF

for this initiative. We believe that the exposure and experience from the retreat would be helpful to the governors in facing the enormous challenges before them in their various states, especially now that Nigeria as a country is undergoing one of the most trying times in its chequered political history, with majority of the people facing intense economic and social hardship.

We are quite excited at the Kigali option for this retreat as Nigerian leaders had always turned such programmes into another jamboree with Dubai, in most cases, as the preferred destination of choice, until recently, to enable them launder stolen funds with their cronies and acolytes in tow at the expense of the tax payers in their states.

The lacklustre leadership across all strata in the various states of the country, as well as the misgovernance that was experienced over the years could be attributed to the unpreparedness of most of our so-called leaders for the challenges and expectations of the positions they aspire to occupy. From the local level through the states and to the Federal Government, the leadership that has been foisted on the Nigerian people in the recent past has been very disappointing.

The corruption and rot being experienced in the country are the results of the faulty leadership preparation and selection process whereby positions are given to the highest bidders instead of the most appropriate and well-suited candidates. It is therefore not surprising to find the

so-called leaders scheming on methods to loot their states dry immediately they get to office.

We therefore urge the governors to open their eyes wide and learn from what made Rwanda great within such a short period after the deadly war that tore the country into shreds. The recovery of Rwanda and its ability to stand tall in the comity of nations should be exciting and interesting to our governors and they should resolve to translate and replicate the good developments in Rwanda back at home upon their return.

It is however sad that Nigerian leaders travel abroad very often and see how things work out there but fail to try the methods back at home upon their return. Leadership should therefore not be foisted on the people but must be earned through a careful selection process which must include adequate preparation over time, proper grooming and solid mentoring for potential leaders.

Only a few of the present crop of leaders in the country now can in fact deliver on their mandate and the promises made to their people as most of them not only lack the essential qualities of good leadership but emerge through a faulty process that cannot produce the type of leadership required to move Nigeria to the next level. The Kigali experience should therefore be a turning point for our governors to do the needful to move the country forward as the experience would have been wasted if they return to Nigeria and continue doing business as usual.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

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

Guest Art Director – Sunny Hughes

Only a few of the present crop of leaders in the country now can in fact deliver on their mandate and the promises made to their people as most of them not only lack the essential qualities of good leadership but emerge through a faulty process that cannot produce the type of leadership required to move Nigeria to the next level

Now That Our Political Messiahs Have Emerged

BY PATRICK OGBE

As it is, President Bola Tinubu has finally constituted his cabinet. Nigeria’s 16th democratically constituted administration has kicked off earnestly. Pending issues before the President include the appointment of ambassadors, director-generals,chief executive officers, managing directors and general managers of Federal Governments parastatals, agencies and departments.

As pending and outstanding political appointments (courtesy of President Tinubu) begin to unfold, political appointees and office holders should come to terms with the fact that they are the peoples’ representatives. Every Nigerian citizen cannot be a director-general, chief executive officer or managing director of a government agency or parastatal or department. It is not every Nigerian that will be privileged to become a minister of the Federal Republic. This is the irrefutable truth.

WHETHER WE WANT TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT OR NOT, THE TRUTH REMAINS THAT MINISTERS AND APPOINTED AIDES OR ASSISTANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPENDING A HUGE QUANTUM OF EVERY NATION’S WEALTH AND MONEY, AS WELL AS FINANCIAL ALLOCATIONS, AS REFLECTED IN EACH NATION’S ANNUAL BUDGET

The few privileged politicians appointed into political offices should begin to see themselves as the ‘political physicians’ of the Nigerian people. Political office holders should see themselves as responsible for the healing of the people and act commensurately.

Politics or the business of secular governance is essentially representative. A few privileged persons are chosen to represent the interests of many citizens. Now, the nottoo-pleasant aspect about representative politics is that the privileged few can determine the well-being of the citizenry to some extent, either for good or for bad, based on the policies and programmes that they initiate at any given point in time.

This being the truth, the nominations and subsequent appointment of ministers (at least one from each state of the federation), buttresses the fact that not all of us can be privileged to become politicians or political appointees. The few that are called to serve their fatherland should therefore use the rare opportunity to serve the peoples and not themselves.

Politicians and political appointees are ‘pseudo-political messiahs’ of the masses. Members of the National Assembly, usually in assuming the roles of ‘political messiahs’ initiate bills, pass such bills at plenaries, They also pass annual budgets and attend to administrative assignments, such as ministerial screenings, ambassadorial screenings and screening of

political appointees, et cetera.

Whenever the lawmakers embark on developmental projects and programmes, they are usually implemented or carried out at the law maker’s individual constituencies of origin. What I am really saying, at this point, is that while other political office holders are “constrained” in rendering service to their fatherland or carrying out the responsibilities of their political offices, it is only appointed ministers, after their formal inauguration by an incumbent president, that are ‘Federal’ and national in their onus as political office holders in spreading Federal Government’s wealth, and incumbent governments’ financial generosities, through the nooks and crannies of the country. Appointed, and serving ministers, are mandated to spread the government’s developmental agenda across the nation.

So to say, ministers are the salient point in the dispensation of the Federal Government’s monetary gifts to the citizens of the country. Ministers are expected to spread the government’s ameliorative palliatives and humanitarian welfare packages to the citizenry at every given point in time. If a politician or technocrat becomes lucky or privileged to be appointed as minister, he must work hard to provide facilities and amenities to citizens and residents in the country.

Ministers are very important in the economic structure of any administration or government. Whether we want to come to terms with the fact or not, the truth remains that ministers and appointed aides or assistants are responsible for spending a huge quantum of every nation’s wealth and money, as well as financial allocations, as reflected in each nation’s annual budget. In this sense, the newly sworn in ministers must realise that, to some extent and magnitude, the economic buoyancy of our country and the welfare of our citizens depend on them. The infrastructural development of our nation depends on their performance during their tenure in office.

President Tinubu has fulfilled his own responsibility, as required by the constitution, by appointing ministers from each state of the federation and subsequently, giving them ministries to head. What Nigerians expect from the newly appointed ministers-in the months ahead is performance.

Money spent by the newly sworn in ministers should be with a view to ameliorate the suffering of the masses. Money accruing from annual budgetary allocations to each ministry should be with the primary objective of providing amenities and modern facilities that will make the country attractive to all to live and work in.

In this vein, the new ministers should not be ‘wasteful’ in spending the wealth of the nation while providing modern facilities and infrastructures and amenities for the citizenry. They should realise that they are the ‘Political Messiahs’ that we have been waiting for. In the history of mankind, messiahs have peculiar characteristics, such as self-sacrifice, honesty and altruism. One of their likeable characteristics is the virtue of aversion to personal aggrandisement. Over the ages, human messiahs that ambled through this life all had the opportunity to amass wealth for themselves. The array of human messiahs that this world can boast of, however, did not succumb to the temptation to indulge in monetary aggrandisement.

Improving Access to Affordable Housing

BY DANIEL IGHAKPE

Shelter is one of the basic needs of man, and the idea of affordable housing to cater to this need is both practical and viable. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat), 30 per cent of the world’s urban population resides in slums, with deplorable conditions, where people suffer from several deficiencies, including lack of access to improved water, absence of sewage facilities, living in overcrowded conditions, and in buildings that are structurally unsound. There are conflicting figures about Nigeria’s housing deficit, but experts often quote between 17 and 21 million.

Affordable housing refers to housing that addresses the needs of low-income earners in society. This is the section of the society whose income is below the medium household earnings, and the majority of masses of Nigeria belong to this category.

With over 170 million people, Nigeria, the most populous country in black Africa, has a population of over 70 million low-income people. Currently the minimum wage for the Nigerian worker is N30,000, while the disposable income of majority of the fresh graduates is less than N60,000 per month.

Affordable housing has remained elusive to the average Nigerian, in spite of numerous programmes to tackle affordable housing challenges in the country. Low and middle income earners are the most affected. Due to affordability, they live in densely populated or informal ‘slum’ areas. High income earners, one per cent of the population, occupy a small percentage of the housing stock. Therefore, the majority of newly built homes in city centres are left unoccupied. Thus, the problem of affordable housing remains a critical issue in the socioeconomic wellbeing of Nigeria. For example, in Lagos State, the price tags placed on the units of the Lagos HOMS Project cannot be classified as being for low-income earners, like those who earn the minimum wage of N30,000 monthly, especially when considered from the United Nations standpoint, where an adult is not expected to spend more than 30 per cent of his/her income on housing (by international standards a house should not cost more than three times the occupiers’ annual income).

Let us even take for example someone who is earning N150, 000 per month. When he subtracts 30 per cent of his present accommodation need, subtracts expenses on other needs, including school fees and feeding, what would be left that would serve as disposable income that he can put into a housing programme?

So, first and foremost, he cannot even afford a 30 per cent down payment from his salary. Thus It becomes a burden and one begins to wonder how long it would take to own a house in Lagos.

In view of the above, some steps to alleviating the problems of affordable housing delivery

include concentrating on ways to provide the enabling environment for mass housing production. Basic building materials should be given tax and duty relief and government could develop incentives to encourage both the public and private sectors to use indigenous building materials. Other strategies may include granting tax holidays to developers and providing free land to them to reduce the cost of producing houses.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS REMAINED ELUSIVE TO THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN, IN SPITE OF NUMEROUS PROGRAMMES TO TACKLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CHALLENGES IN THE COUNTRY. LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME EARNERS ARE THE MOST AFFECTED

Sites and service plots could be provided to private sectors, housing cooperatives, the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and individuals. Plots could be allocated at different rates per square metre for different uses. The lowincome earners should have the lowest rate with the size of each plot not more than 150 square metres. The basis of allocation should strictly be one man one plot, members of (REDAN) should be encouraged and motivated with tax incentives, subsidised building materials and discounted rate per square metre. Plots of land allocated for affordable housing schemes must not be fraudulently used for medium or high income housing projects. There should be sanctions and strict penalties for violation of terms and conditions stipulated on the letter of allocation.

For successful implementation of this scheme, it is imperative to study and assess the actual housing needs of the low income earners. It should be known that before low-income earners can afford to buy or rent houses the price or rent must be low or subsidised by the government.

It is when housing units that artisans can afford are provided that the people can say that there is affordable housing for the common man! If that can be achieved, then low-income earners will be happy that they have some housing units targeted at them.

•Ighakpe writes from FESTAC Town, Lagos

MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN DILEMMA AS ECONOMIC WOES DEEPEN

EDITOR Sam Diala

N190bn

Unclaimed Dividend Hits N190bn

$83.88

Oil Prices Set For a Second Consecutive Weekly Drop

Experts Fault NBS Revised Labour Data

–Say 4.1% Unemployment in Q1 ’23 Eclipses Reality

The 2023 interim half-year financial results of Nigeria’s manufacturing companies revealed that they are battling for breath as they struggled to lift margins. Their profit and revenue haul were severely impacted, while the key six cost/expenses indices revealed an average 92 percent increase. The selected key cost areas include Tax Expenses, Cost of Sales, Administrative Cost, Sales/Marketing Distribution, Raw Materials/ Inventory and Employee Expenses/ Entitlements.

The firms are confronted with a difficult environment that is not likely to improve any time soon. With growing evidence of worsening economic uncertainties as the firms groan under chock of thistles from multidimensional challenges.

These include multiple taxes, high operating costs, rising inflation, low consumer demand, decrepit infrastructure, volatile exchange market, forex scarcity, policy summersault and insecurity among others. The most outstanding impact came from the devaluation of the naira.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had on June 14, 2023, announced the unification of the multiple exchange windows of the forex market. This resulted in significant depreciation of the naira by 67 percent to the average of N777/$ (as of August 2023) against N465/$ prior to the announcement. Also, the naira traded N800/$ at the parallel market compared to N765/$ before the abolition of multiple exchange rates. This development impacted negatively on the operations of firms in the manufacturing sector. The 2023 half-year financial results of these firms proved they are working a tight rope, and literally trudging the valley of shadow of death. It is obvious that some of them might shut down or drastically downsize soon.

Findings from 10 sampled major manufacturing firms, mainly in the consumer goods group, showed they reported a total of N517.1 billion in non-recovery, net foreign exchange losses in the first half of the year (HY 2023), occasioned by the devaluation of the naira.

Nestle Nigeria Plc and Dangote Cement Plc were the worst hit with non-recovery net forex losses of N123.7 billion and N113.6 billion

BY SAM DIALA

Labour and human resource experts have knocked the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for the Labour Force report it published on Thursday, August 25, 2023, under its revised survey methodology.

The report entitled ‘Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS)’ showed the country’s unemployment rate crashed from 33 percent in Q4 2020 to 5.3 percent and 4.1 percent in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 respectively.

The NBS stressed that the figures emanated from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) “global standard” which it adopted against the “old methodology” it had put aside.

“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has enhanced its methodology of collecting labour market data through the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines.

“The data collection for the revised NLFS is based on a sample of 35,520 households nationwide.

“It is conducted continuously throughout the year, with national-level results produced quarterly and statelevel results at the end of a full year,” the NBS said.

The statistical bureau further stated, “The last labour force report published was amidst COVID-19 pandemic for the period of Q4 2020, which reported a headline unemployment rate of 33.3% and an underemployment rate of 22.8%.

“As part of its routine methodological review and enhancement processes, NBS commenced work in 2021 with the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to update the methodology and

processes for conducting the NLFS, which culminated in the results being presented in this report”

The highlights of the new methodology include the adoption of the working age population of persons aged 15 – 64 years under the old methodology; now changed to persons aged 15 years and above.

Under the old methodology, Employment covered “All those of working age population who were engaged in any activity that produce goods or provide services for a minimum of 20 hours in the reference period.”

This has been revised to mean “All those of working age population who during the reference period were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit.”

The old methodology classified ‘Underemployed’ as a person that Worked between 20 and 39 hours in a week. Under the new procedure, this refers to those who “Worked less than 40 hours in a week but willing and available for more hours of work.”

One of the key concepts discussed in the report is “Employed, at work”, which refers to “Individuals who are working for pay or profit and who worked for at least one hour in the last 7 days.”

The report further stated, “Nigeria’s unemployment rate is comparable to other countries in the West African region. Applying the definition of Unemployment outlined above, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent in Q4 2022 and 4.1 per cent in Q1 2023.

“This is in line with methodology of other countries

*NIGERIA GDP GROWTH Q4 2016-Q3 2022 (%)

BUSINESS WEEKLY

...Fault NBS Revised Labour Data

in the region; the average modelled ILO unemployment rate estimate for the Western and Central Africa region for 2022 was 4.7 per cent.”

It continued, “To count as employed, an individual must have worked for at least one hour in the previous seven days – making them employed at work – or they must typically work for pay or profit, even if they did not do so in the previous seven days – making them employed, but temporarily absent. This approach follows the ILO standard.”

Reacting to the report, the CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, Dr Muda Yusuf, said the report cannot be adopted in our situation.

“It is difficult to accept the recently released unemployment report by NBS. The methodology needs to be reviewed to reflect our realities. Four percent unemployment rate in this part of the world is as good as full employment.” Yusuf said.

An economist and sustainability expert, Marcel Okeke, described the report as a deceit, adding that the data amounts to a falsehood.

A human resource expert, Chuks Ibe, urged the NBS to revisit the report by adopting a “realistic” methodology that will reflect the reality on ground and save policy makers the trouble of groping in the dark. “We are all in this country. What sectors produced the employment opportunities that led to the 87.7 percent improvement in the unemployment situation between 2022 and now?” he asked.

An entrepreneurship expert, Prof. Charles Ogbulogo said, “We appear to toy with many things, including those that operate on empirical parameters. “We would expect a deep analytical framework to come up with even baseline data. Without a clear-cut procedure, it will be difficult to separate politics from fundamental economic realities.”

Speaking on a national television programme, Prof Okey Ikechukwu, Senior Fellow, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, advised the NBS to revisit the new methodology and find a problem-solving system that would make their job meaningful, adding that the “exercise is work in progress.”

...Firms in Dilemma as Economic Woes Deepen

respectively. They are followed by Nigerian Breweries Plc N85.26 billion, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc N83.09 billion and Guinness Nigeria Plc N41.9 billion.

Others are International Breweries Plc with N40.66 billion, Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Plc N22.82 billion, Unilever Plc N2.93 billion and Cadbury Nigeria Plc N1.03 billion. The eroding wave of depreciation resulted in total post-tax loss of N370.57 billion by the 10 firms, compared to N175.9 post-tax profit they posted in the equivalent period of the preceding year. The development impacted severely on the balance sheets of Nigerian businesses as they had to source extra funds in local currency to meet their dollar-denominated obligations.

The 10 selected firms suffered huge forex losses which impacted severely on their earnings and drained their bottom lines as inflation rises. This resulted in a total pre-tax loss of N695.03 billion in HY 2023 against pre-tax profit of N637.61 in the corresponding period of 2022.

“It is a bad omen.” said Barnabas Ikuru, an investment and financial analyst. “Their balance sheets have been significantly eroded, their earning power vitiated, and their expansion capacity weakened. Top among the victims are the employees who may be laid off, downgraded or suffer a salary cut. Some companies will have to increase the price of their products and that would impact their sales revenue because of declining consumer power,” Ikuru added.

An earlier report by THEWILL revealed that the challenge had started before now. Data from the firms’ interim reports showed a significant increase in their operating costs which could lead to downscaling in the firms’ operations to remain in business. Six major FMCG firms surveyed include Nigerian Breweries Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. They had a combined market capitalisation of N2.3 trillion and constituted over 60 percent of total market capitalisation of the Consumer Goods Sector amounting to N3.36 trillion as of Friday May 13, 2022.

The highest expenses window recorded by the six surveyed firms was in cost of sales (COS) which jumped from N216.3 billion in Q1 2021 to N269.9 billion in Q1 2022, representing a 24.8 percent increase. The COS is the accumulated total of all costs used to create a product or service which has been sold.

The companies’ raw/packaging materials inventories showed a total of N161.4 billion during the three months of that year, a 20 percent rise from N134.7 billion spent in the corresponding period in 2021. Nigerian Breweries report showed N54.7 billion worth of raw/packaging materials inventory during the period. Others are Dangote Sugar and Nestle with N48.2 billion and N32.3 billion respectively.

Employee expenses/entitlements during the period grew by 23 percent to N63.6 billion from N51.8 billion posted in Q1 2021, with Unilever recording the highest employee/personnel expenses/entitlements of N37.9 billion followed by Nigerian Breweries with N13.6 billion. The other higher number was that of Nestle which recorded N8.4 billion.

Sales/Marketing/Distribution expenses by the six firms totaled N57.9 billion against N40.5 billion in the corresponding period, which reflects a 43.3 percent increase. Nigerian Breweries recorded N32.2 billion during the period, followed by Nestle and Guinness with N14.3 billion and 8.3 billion respectively.

Tax expenses by the surveyed firms rose by 66.5 percent to N26 billion from N15.6 billion in Q1 2022 with Nestle, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar posting the highest: N9.9 billion, N7.2 billion and N4.8 billion respectively. Two companies recorded net losses on foreign exchange transactions: Nigerian Breweries N1.9 billion and Guinness N286 million.

Stakeholders and industry experts urged the firms to take drastic measures to avoid sinking in the miry clay of high operating expenses and go out of business as inflation rate surges.

P/Harcourt Refinery to be Back on Stream December, Warri Q1 2024 – Lokpobiri

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to end petroleum product importatiooon, as efforts are being redoubled to restore the nation’s local refining capacity.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, made this known during an inspection of the rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC) plant, on Friday.

The Minister was in company of his counterpart, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Gabriel Aduda, and the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd., Mr Mele Kyari. Lokpobiri, according to a statement by Garba Deen Muhammad, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd., said considering the level of progress recorded in the PHRC rehabilitation project, the plant would come back on stream by Dec. 2023.

“Our reason for coming here today is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation.

“From what we have seen here today, Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board by the end of the year, Warri will come on stream by the first quarter of 2024, and Kaduna will also come on board towards the end of 2024.

“If you add those to the Dangote Refinery, we will be able to stop fuel importation, and Nigerians will enjoy the full benefits of deregulation,” the Minister assured. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister also expressed satisfaction with the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt refinery, stating that once all the refineries are back on stream, Nigerians would enjoy a better supply of petroleum products.

According to him, foreign exchange will also be domesticated, leading to an improved economy. Earlier in his remarks, Kyari, said bringing back the refineries to their optimal levels was a national aspiration, adding that the NNPC Ltd remained focused on delivering that.

“We are aware of our nation’s challenges in terms of fuel supply. But we are not here to give excuses.

“We are focused on delivering this rehabilitation project, our two other refineries, and all other investments towards revamping the nation’s refining capacity.

“We are hopeful that in 2024, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products,” Kyari stated.

Also speaking, Ekpo expressed readiness of the ministry to go into the field to resolve challenges facing the sector.

“We are here to go into the field. Yesterday was the era of subsidies. Today, we don’t have subsidies.

“Today, people are in a desperate situation to heave a sigh of relief; and see how to live. You all know that petrol is very vital to our economy. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the refineries are working,” the Minister stated.

During the visit, the two Ministers also participated in the Refineries’ Rehabilitation Steering Committee meeting where they held discussions with the refinery’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractors.

To count as employed, an individual must have worked for at least one hour in the previous seven days – making them employed at work – or they must typically work for pay or profit, even if they did not do so in the previous seven days

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

NCDMB CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: NIGERIA CONTENT TOWER OX-BOW LAKE SWALI YENAGOA BAYELSA STATE

The
Nigerian
Content
De elopment
and
Monitoring
Board
(NCDMB),
 ith
headq arters
in
 Yenagoa,
Ba elsa
State
is
mandated
b 
la 
to
s per ise,
coordinate,
administer monitor and
 manage
the
de elopment
of
Nigerian
Content
in
the
Nigerian
Oil
and
Gas
ind str The
Board,
 hereb in ites
 interested
 rep table
 Companies/Cons ltants
 ith
 good
 track
 record
 of
 performance
and
e perience,
to
bid
for
the
follo ing
projects:

C Serial
No
307

C

C

C C

Engagement
of
Health
Maintenance
Organi a ons
 (HMOs)
to
pro ide
Health
Care
Ser ices.

Engagement
of
an
Ins rance
Compan 
to
Pro ide
 Gro p
Life
Ins rance
Co er
for
the
Board

Engagement
of
Ins rance
Brokers
for
Management
of
 Ins rance
Companies
Pro iding
Gro p
Life
Ins rance
 Co er
for
the
Board

Engagement
of
a
Cons ltant
for
Ad isor 
Ser ices
for
 Emplo ee
End
of
Ser ice
Grat it 
Administra on Engagement
of
a
Cons ltant
to
pro ide
HR
Ser ices
 (Job
Descrip on
De elopment)

C Engagement
of
a
Cons ltant
to
Cond ct
Baseline
Capacit 
 Assessment
St d 
of
the
Oil
and
Gas
Sector
in
Africa
 nder
 the
African
Con nental
Free
Trade
Agreement
(AfCTA)

Serial
No
306

Serial
No
306

Serial
No
308

Serial
No
226

Serial
No
015

Further details of the scope shall be contained in the Request for Proposals (RFP).

2. CONDITIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY

Interested
firms
sho ld
s bmit
the
follo ing
doc ments
in
their
EOIs:

I.
 E idence of compan registra on ith the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and
 s ppor ng
 doc ments
 (Forms
 CAC 
 and
 CAC ).
 B siness
 Name
 ith
 Form
 BN 
 is
 also
 acceptable.

ii.
 E idence
of
Compan 's
Income
Ta 
Clearance
Cer ficate
(or
Personal
Income
Ta 
Clearance
 Cer ficates
of
all
the
Partners
in
case
of
B siness
Name)
for
the
last
three
( )
 ears
( ,
 st ,
 )
 alid
 ll
 December
 . t

iii.
 E idence
of
Pension
Clearance
Cer ficate
 alid
 ll
 December,
 
(this
req irement
is
 onl 
applicable
to
bidders
 hose
n mber
of
staff
is
 
and
abo e).

i E idence
of
Ind strial
Training
F nd
(ITF)
Compliance
Cer ficate
 alid
 ll
 st
December,
 
 (this
req irement
is
onl 
applicable
to
bidders
 hose
n mber
of
staff
is
 
and
abo e
or
the
 bidder's
ann al
t rno er
is
N m
and
abo e).

.
 E idence
of
Nigeria
Social
Ins rance
Tr st
F nd
(NSITF)
Clearance
Cer ficate
 alid
 ll
 st
 December,
 .

i.
 E idence
of
Registra on
on
the
Na onal
Database
of
Federal
Contractors,
Cons ltants
and
 Ser ice
Pro iders
b 
s bmission
of
Interim
Registra on
Report
(IRR)
e piring
on
 / / 
 or
 alid
Cer ficate
iss ed
b 
BPP

ii.
 S orn
Affida it:

‑

 disclosing
 hether
or
not
an 
officer
of
the
rele ant
commi ees
of
the
Nigerian
Content
 De elopment
and
Monitoring
Board
or
the
B rea 
of
P blic
Proc rement
is
a
former
or
 present
director shareholder
or
has
an 
pec niar 
interest
in
the
bidder
and
to
confirm
 that
all
informa on
presented
in
its
bid
are
tr e
and
correct
in
all
par c lars;

‑
 that
no
director
has
been
con icted
in
an 
co ntr 
for
an 
criminal
offence
rela ng
to
 fra d
or
financial
impropriet or
criminal
misrepresenta on
or
falsifica on
of
facts
 rela ng
to
an 
ma er;

is
not
in
recei ership,
the
s bject
of
an 
form
of
insol enc 
or
 bankr ptc 
proceedings
or
the
s bject
of
an 
form
of
 inding
 p
pe on
 or

proceedings.

iii.
 E idence
of
rele ant
DPR/NUPRC/NMDPRA
Permit
 alid
 ll
 st
December .

i .
 Compan 's
A dited
Acco nts
for
the
last
three
 ears
( ,
 ,
 ).

.
 Reference
Le er
from
a
rep table
commercial
bank
in
Nigeria,
incl ding
a
 illingness
to
 pro ide
credit
facilit 
for
the
e ec on
of
the
project
 here
necessar

i.
 Compan 's
Profile
 ith
a
list
of
ke 
technical
personnel
of
the
compan the
C rric l m
Vitae
 of
ke 
staff
to
be
deplo ed
for
the
project,
incl ding
copies
of
their
academic
q alifica ons
and
 rele ant
professional
cer fica on.

ii.
 Verifiable
doc mentar 
e idence
of
at
least
three
( )
 similar
jobs
e ec ted
in
the
last
fi e
( )
 ears,
incl ding
le ers
of
A ards,
Val a on
Cer ficates,
Job
Comple on
Cer ficates.

iii.
 E idence
of
firm's
c rrent
registra on
 ith
the
rele ant
reg lator 
professional
bod (ies).

i Ins rance
Brokers:

‑
 Valid
Opera onal
Licence
 Cer ficate
iss ed
b 
NAICOM;‑
Cer fied
Tr e
Cop 
of
 A dited
Acco nts
( ,
 ,
 )
appro ed
b 
NAICOM;

‑
 Valid
and
c rrent
professional
indemnit 
polic 
 ith
limit
of
indemnit 
not
less
than

₦ 
million
for
protec on
against
 rong
ad ice. Ins rance
Under riters: ‑

































Cer fied
Tr e
Cop 
of
A dited
Acco nts
( ,
 ,
 )
appro ed
b 
NAICOM; ‑
 A
signed
declara on
b 
the
Chief
E ec e
Officer
that
the
compan 
se les
and
 ill
 con n e
to
se le
all
gen ine
claims
promptl

i.
 For
Joint
Vent re/Partnership,
Memorand m
of
Understanding
(MoU)
sho ld
be
 pro ided (CAC, Ta Clearance Cer ficate, Pension Clearance Cer ficate, ITF
 Compliance
 Cer ficate,
 NSITF
 Clearance
 Cer ficate,
 IRR
 &
 S orn
 Affida it
 are
 comp lsor 
for
each
JV
partner).

Note:
All
doc ments
for
s bmission
m st
be
transmi ed
 ith
a
Co ering/For arding
le er
 nder
 the
 Compan /Firm's
 Le er
 Head
 Paper
 bearing,
 amongst
 others,
 the
 Registra on
 N mber
 (RC)
 as
 iss ed
 b 
 the
 Corporate
 Affairs
 Commission
 (CAC),
 Contact
 Address,
 Telephone
N mber
(preferabl 
GSM
No.),
and
e‑mail
address.
The
Le erhead
Paper
m st
 bear
the
Names
and
Na onali es
of
the
Directors
of
the
Compan 
at
the
bo om
of
the
page,
 d l 
signed
b 
the
a thorised
officer
of
the
firm.

3. SUBMISSION OF EOI Interested
Firms
in
ser ices
are
to
s bmit
the
E pression
of
Interest
(EOI)
for
each
of
the
lot
 desired
 in
 three
 ( )
 hard
 copies
 each
 (One
 original
 and
 t o
 copies)
 packed
 in
 sealed
 en elopes,
clearl 
marked
 ith
the
cons ltanc 
 tle
and
the
lot
n mber The
re erse
of
each
 en elope
sho ld
bear
the
name
and
address
of
the
bidder The
EOI
sho ld
be
addressed
as
 th indicated
belo 
and
s bmi ed
not
later
than
12:00
noon,
Tuesday
19 September,
2023.

TheManager, ProcurementDepartment,

NigerianContentDevelopmentandMonitoringBoard, NigerianContentTower, Ox‐BowLake,Swali,Yenagoa,

BayelsaState,Nigeria.

4. OPENING OF EOI

‑

 Opera onal
Licence
iss ed
b 
NAICOM;‑
Valid
and
adeq ate
re‑ins rance
Treat 
 arrangement; th

All
s bmission
sho ld
reach
the
address
on
or
before
12
noon
on
Tuesday,
19 September
 2023.

All
recei ed
EOI
doc ments
 ill
be
opened
immediatel 
a�er
the
close
of
s bmission
at
the
 thConference
Room,
12 floor,
Nigerian
Content
Tower,
Ox‑Bow
Lake,
Swali‑Yenagoa in
the
 presence
of
bidders
or
their
representa es.
(Preq alified
firms
 ill
be
in ited
to
collect
 RFPs).

Please
ens re
that
 o 
sign
the
Bid
S bmission
Register
at
the
Proc rement
Department,
 Nigerian
Content
To er S ali,
Yenagoa,
Ba elsa
State
as
NCDMB
 ill
not
be
held
liable
for
 misplaced
or
 rongl 
s bmi ed
EOI
doc ments.

5. GENERAL INFORMATION

a)
 EOIs
m st
be
in
English
and
signed
b 
an
official
a thori ed
b 
the
bidder

b)
 EOIs
s bmi ed
a�er
the
deadline
for
s bmission
 o ld
be
ret rned
 n‑opened.

c)
 All
costs
 ill
be
borne
b 
the
bidder

d)
 Onl 
shortlisted
Cons ltants
at
EOI's
e al a on
 ill
be
in ited
at
a
later
date
for
 collec on
of
Req est
for
Proposals.

e)
 A
compan 
cannot
bid
for
more
than
t o
( )
Lots.

f)
 The
NCDMB
is
not
bo nd
to
shortlist
an 
bidder
and
reser es
the
right
to
ann l
the
 proc rement
process
at
an 
 me
 itho t
inc rring
an 
liabili es,
in
accordance
 ith
 Sec on
 
of
the
P blic
Proc rement
Act,
 .

Signed

Manager, Procurement Department, Nigerian Content Development and

Monitoring Board ﴾NCDMB﴿

1.

Nigeria Needs Secondary Market For Businesses

BY ‘TOPE FASUA

In the twilight of the Buhari administration, the super minister – Sheikh Pantami, got a few bills signed pertaining to his huge portfolio. One of such successful bills which became an Act, is the Nigerian Startup Act 2022. Part I of the Act states its objectives as to:

(a) provide a legal and institutional framework for the development of startups in Nigeria;

(b) provide an enabling environment for the establishment, development and operation of startups in Nigeria ;

(c) provide for the development and growth of technology-related talents ; and

(d) position Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, as the leading digital technology centre in Africa, having excellent innovators with cutting edge skills and exportable capacity.

According to Part IV of the Act, a ‘startup’ shall be so labeled (issued a certificate by government to that effect) if:

(a) it is registered as a limited liability company under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, and has been in existence for a period not more than 10 years from the date of incorporation;

(b) its objects are innovation, development, production, improvement, and commercialisation of a digital technology innovative product or process;

(c) it is a holder or repository of a product or process of digital technology, or the owner or author of a registered software;

(d) it has at least one-third local shareholding held by one or more Nigerians as founder or co-founder of the startup; and

(e) in the case of a sole proprietorship or partnership, it satisfies the conditions set out in in paragraphs (b), (c) and (d).

In Part V of the Act, the core incentives are mapped out viz:

(1) There is established the Startup Investment Seed Fund (in this Act referred to as “the Fund”) to be managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (in this Act referred to as “the Fund Manager”).

(2) There shall be paid into the Fund on an annual basis, a sum not less than N10,000,000,000 from sources to be approved by the Council —

(3) The Fund shall be applied to —

(a) provide a labelled startup with finance;

(b) provide early-stage finance for labelled startups on the recommendation of the Fund Manager subject to the approval of the Council ; and

(c) provide relief to technology laboratories, accelerators, incubators and hubs.

Now, since the signing into law of the Act, I have had my concerns. I had challenged a few friends on the necessity of the Act – the Startup Act. I don’t know whether that is how it is done elsewhere or whether we are being exceptionally innovative here. Startups by their very nature are meant to be very independent of government.

They are companies set up by independent-minded young people with out-of-the-box ideas and are called STARTUPs in the USA where the idea is very common, because these young bloods start companies, grow them to certain levels, and then sell them off. They start up the company and sell. Someone with a bigger vision, finance and wherewithal can then take the company to another level.

So, as things stand I don’t know if the Startup Act is gaining traction already. If it hasn’t, let this article call attention to the well-intended Act so that our young innovators rush for it. But I hope the focus and attraction is not about the N10 billion fund with which

startup ideas will be funded, or some of the tax incentives that have been planned. If that is the idea, then those startup companies that will qualify, intend to remain startups forever. Imagine that you are trying to start your car in the morning and the engine just keeps rolling until the battery runs down!

The allure of cheap or free money, or some badge issued by the government should not blindside our young and bright citizens from understanding that they should have bigger ambitions to grow their ideas and take on the world. We cannot be sitting on our hands here, waiting for the best ideas from foreign countries. We need to redefine entrepreneurship here, away from small companies to be able to grow our own large companies that can take on the world. And indeed, startups do not have to be necessarily in the tech space.

But I have what I think is a more urgent idea which we will do well to work on in Nigeria. And that is a secondary market for small and mid-sized businesses. There are millions of businesses in Nigeria – formal and informal – that will die the moment the owner becomes incapacitated. Many have gone this way already. Most of our children are not interested in the businesses we do.

Many have chosen different careers and must be allowed to find their own destinies. In the few instances where children have inherited the batons from their parents, they have been forced to. And on many occasions too, these children simply wreck the businesses because they neither have the flair nor interest.

In the United States – where the idea of startup came from – advertising businesses for sale in local newspapers is as common as taking out a name change for people who get married. When those running small companies are getting tired, or even before, they project into the future and seek to get those who are on the lookout for opportunities to take over their business together with good will and lock, stock, barrel.

That way, they can cash out moderately, take life easy and sort out other challenges. Businesses are meant to be continued this way. The names of the businesses may be retained or not – depending on the agreement. But here, we have not thought about this idea and so

people die with their companies. Big, medium, and small companies have expired in this fashion.

What can we do to develop this format? We all don’t have to build our businesses from scratch – just as we like to build our houses. Whether it was for residential housing or businesses, our current model is inefficient, wasteful, unsustainable, and even selfish. We need to think collectively. The world is moving on without us.

I think the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) and other groups should encourage this idea and propagate it among the 41 million MSMEs in their records. It will be a tough call, but if we can rescue 10% or 20% of those MSMEs from extinction, we would have achieved something. And if in many years to come, the idea takes root, we would have avoided so much waste and dead capital (in dead businesses, wasted good will and wasted inventory everywhere).

The Nigerian economy and society will be better for it. Perhaps we oughtn’t have opened 41 million MSMEs if this idea had been implemented. Life is not all about the ego of opening one’s business, building one’s house from scratch. We need a new paradigm. This, to me, is better than the idea of establishing and encouraging permanent startups.

Our startups must understand that at some point they need to grow up. They must never get addicted to the grants being proposed under the Startup Act. More importantly, ageing people who need to move on should be able to sell their businesses – mom and pop stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, welding shops and so on.

•Fasua is an economist, author, blogger and entrepreneur

There are millions of businesses in Nigeria – formal and informal – that will die the moment the owner becomes incapacitated

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, taking over the ministry's hand over note from the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, during the AGF's assumption of office in Abuja on August 21, 2023.

L-R: Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar and Minister of State, Dr Bello Mohammed, receiving a handover note from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana, during the assumption of duties by the ministers in Abuja on August 21, 2023.

L-R: Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye; Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji and his wife, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, at a Special Stakeholders Engagement programme commemorating the 300 days in office of the Oyebanji administration in Omuo-Ekiti on August 21, 2023.

L-R: Guest speaker, Faculty of Social Services, University of Jos, Associate Professor, Janet Plang; Convener, Girls Talk/CEO, Psychosocial Household of Succor Initiative, Rhoda Dauji and Representative of Women International, Talatu Salihu, during the sensitisation on the promotion of mental health of the Girl Child in Jos on August 24, 2023.

L-R: President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Chartered Institute of Management, Mrs. Christianah Atako; fellow awardee and Deputy General Manager, Mr. Cyprian Ojum and his wife Grace Ojum, at  NIM 2023 awards, fellows & spouses' day luncheon, held in Lagos on August 23, 2023.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji (R) receiving handover note from the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST), Mr James Sule, during the minister’s assumption of duty at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on August 23, 2023.

How Power Play Truncated Barakat Bakare-Akande's Political Ascension

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

EDITOR Ivory Ukonu

She may be relatively unknown to most people but in Lagos State and in Surulere area of the state in particular, Barakat Bakare-Akande is quite popular. She has also been able to endear herself to many on account of how well she has been able to discharge her duties over the years in the local government council. So, when she made known her intention to represent members of the Surulere constituency in the

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PRINCESS OLADUNI ODU EYES ONDO GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Princess Oladuni Odu, the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Ondo State has her eyes set on occupying the Ondo State government house when the tenure of Rotimi Akeredolu expires next year. She believes that the state is long overdue for a woman to govern it and has thus thrown her hat into the ring. While declaring her ambition, she urged political parties to choose women as the governorship candidates for the 2024 gubernatorial election. Princess Odu believes she is most qualified to succeed Akeredolu in office, having made history as the first SSG in the state not also forgetting her unflinching

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Bakare-Akande

•Onyejeocha

•Uzoka-Anite

•Edu

•Musawa

•Verheijen

•Ohanenye

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Meet Female Ministers Who Will Drive Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda

Women have often clamoured for a fair representation in leadership positions in government, especially in Nigeria, and while President Bola Tinubu didn't surpass expectations, he tried to up the game with his appointment of eight women as ministers in his cabinet and three as Special Advisers.

The eight female ministers represent 25 percent of the ministerial nominees as currently constituted. Beyond just nominating these women to meet yearnings, IVORY UKONU examines the profile of these women to determine if they are well equipped for the job and if they are indeed, square pegs in square holes.

The Ministers

The erstwhile national women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the youngest of all the ministers in President Tinubu's government at only 36. An indigene of Cross River State, She is a former commissioner of health in Cross River state, the youngest ever to occupy that position and the youngest to be elected national vice chairman of the Nigerian Health Commissioners’ Forum, as well as South-South chairman/coordinator of the Forum.

In 2020, Edu became the chairman of the Cross River State COVID-19 Taskforce and in August 2022, she was appointed National Chairman of the Nigeria Health Commissioners’ Forum.

Edu obtained a first degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Calabar, Cross River state. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health for Developing Countries from London School Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, a master’s degree in public health in Developing Countries from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Doctor of Public Health from Texila American University.

Edu is a Fellow of the Royal School of Public Health in and the African Institute of Public Health Professionals. Despite being shrouded in controversies, being given a vote of no confidence by the Cross River state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA for alleged professional misconduct in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was selected to join Tinubu's government as a minister. She is the new Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the second person to occupy that position after Sadiya Umar Farouq.

Edu seems to understand what her job entails as she has already hit the ground running by pledging to lift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty, create a trust fund for humanitarian and emergency response across Nigeria, create protocols for this response and to set up a situation room with United Nations International Children's Emergency Funds, UNICEF, so that they can monitor, prevent, mitigate and re-integrate people when they have humanitarian crisis back into the society after handling them appropriately. Hopefully, she walks her talk and doesn't go the way of her predecessor, who only paid lip service to lifting 100 million Nigerians or more out of poverty every quarter.

An Abuja based philanthropist and property magnate, she was the sole female presidential candidate in the June 2022 presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC but had to step down for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who emerged the presidential candidate. A graduate of law from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra State, she would later leave the law practice after distinguishing herself in the legal profession to embrace her entrepreneurial spirit. At the age of 13, was already a publisher, publishing many editions of the magazine called 'Akata' magazine and 'Wahala' magazine – both centered on courts and legal education in a comic genre. She is also an author, having published a book called ‘Eze Chidi and His 7 Wives’ which was later translated into Hebrew and sold in Israel. Via her Kenuj Investment Limited she ventured into the real estate business with tens of high-end housing estates in the US, Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and other cities. She is the proprietress of Kenuj Angels School, Abuja; MD/ CEO of Kenuj O2 Malls in Abuja and Owerri and the Executive Producer of the Kenuj Love Drops TV Show. The philanthropist dispenses her milk of human kindness through her foundation, Kenuj Shower of Love Foundation which has a net worth of over $50 million. Via her foundation, she has championed the cause of women empowerment programmes that provide women with the requisite skills to upgrade their economic status. Her humanitarian deeds also focus on the grassroots level particularly to the indigent, youths and even the rehabilitation of beggars in most metropolitan cities. From Anambra State, Uju's appointment as the Minister for Women’s Affairs can rightly be considered as putting a round peg in a round hole, her antecedents no doubt earned her the position, and it would be interesting to see her replicate her feats at the grassroots level on the national stage. She has wasted no time setting a target for herself within the first 100 days in office; empowering women, teaching them skills and to train the trainees in the six geopolitical zones on the condition they each train 10 people who will be empowered by her ministry.

She was a special adviser on culture and entertainment economy to President Tinubu before her elevation as Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. She served as a deputy spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council. An indigene of Katsina State, 43-year-old Hannatu, who is a lawyer, politician and author, is the daughter of the late veteran Katsina politician, Musa Musawa. She studied Law at the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom; holds a Master’s degree in the Legal Aspects of Marine Affairs from the University of Cardiff, Wales; and a degree in Oil and Gas Law from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Musawa is also a qualified solicitor in England and Wales; and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is currently completing a doctorate, which she has been doing part-time. Both her nomination and appointment as minister has courted some measure of controversy, especially as it concerns her National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate.

The Senate has been flayed for allowing her to take a bow during her screening despite knowing fully well how serious the country takes the issue of NYSC certificate. Section 13 of the National Youths Service Corps Act stipulates that any Nigerian graduate below 30 who refuses to make himself/herself available for the compulsory one-year service has committed an offence and liable on conviction to pay a fine of N4,000 or face imprisonment for a term of two years or both. But the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate did not ask Musawa anything about her academic qualifications, including the controversy surrounding her NYSC Certificate. She did not complete her NYSC even before she was appointed first as a special adviser and later as a minister. Shockingly she is alleged to be currently serving as a youth corps member, with posting No. FC/23A/505, at Onyilokwu Onyilowa and Company located at the old Banex [Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Musawa’s ministerial appointment is avoidably mired in controversy, no doubt. For someone who knows little or nothing about the arts, culture and entertainment, it remains to be seen how she will effectively run the ministry and position it to meet the challenges of a global entertainment industry in the 21st century. Clearly she is a square peg in a round hole.

Betta Edu

Uju Kennedy Ohanenye

Hannatu Musawa

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Doris Uzoka-Anite

Despite studying medicine and surgery at the University of Benin, Doris UzokaAnite veered into banking in 2002 and has since built a formidable career with over 20 years' experience at Zenith Bank Plc where she rose to become a general manager and was responsible for the bank’s investment strategy, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and managing risks. She has certifications in Fintech, Algorithmic Trading and Advanced Risk and Portfolio Management from the University of Oxford. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom. This is in addition to having certifications from New York University Stern School of Business, United States of America; and training programmes at Goldman Sachs, USA, Citibank London and the London Academy of Trading, building her capacity in Advanced Financial Engineering and Data Science for Finance.

A former commissioner for finance and coordinating economy in Imo State, UzokaAnite was also a member of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council (National Economy) to President Bola Tinubu prior to his being sworn in as president. As the newly appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, she is bringing a wealth of experience to the ministry as a chartered financial analyst, specializing in financial risk and portfolio management. She is expected to bring her ideas into play in attracting foreign direct investment and creating bilateral relationship between Nigeria and other countries, to deepen the ease of doing business in Nigeria where the investor and investment are given protection to ensure a thriving economy which will boost productivity and also strengthen the trade and commerce of Nigeria in line with the projection of the President. To a very large extent, Doris is a square peg in a square hole.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha

The Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Productivity is not a neophyte in the political terrain as she cut her teeth in politics when she was appointed the Executive Transition Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia state in 2002. In 2003, she served under former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu as commissioner for resource management and manpower development. In 2007, she got elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), then Nigeria’s ruling party, into the House of Representatives, to represent the people of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in Abia State. She would later defect to the All Progressives Congress in 2018 after coming under intense pressure from her former party leaders to drop her ambition for a return ticket to the house.

In 2019, Onyejocha contested for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives after winning the return ticket to the house for a fourth term. She was the only female candidate in the race. But less than 24 hours to the election, she stepped down for her main challenger, Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The 53-year-old former lawmaker served four terms in the House, making her one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the National Assembly. A graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a diploma in Social Work/ Community Development, a Bachelor of Art Degree, BA from the same university, a Master's degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Imo State University as well as a Master's degree in Shipping from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Oyo State. Having sponsored a few humane bills during her time in the lower chamber, bills such as the Local Government Financial Autonomy Bill; the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017; Anti-torture Act 2017; National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018 to ameliorate the sufferings of aged people, particularly the difficulty in getting their entitlements, after years of service to the nation and coupled with the role she played, propelling her husband's business to international standards, one may not be wrong to assume that she just might make a difference in the ministry she has been assigned to.

Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim

An indigene of Nasarawa State, 43-yearold Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim, until her appointment as the Minister of State for Police Affairs, the first woman to occupy the position, was the federal commissioner of the National Commission For Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons where she played a tangible role in giving support and relief to internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants. She also served as the director-general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) from December 1, 2020, till May 27, 2021 and was a special adviser on strategic communication to the immediate past minister of state for education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. In 2019, she was appointed a member of the Nasarawa State economic advisory council in 2019 by the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule. SulaimanIbrahim started her career working at Abuja Geographic Information Systems, AGIS, before moving to the United Kingdom where she worked in human resource, business and management before becoming a certified human resource management consultant. She joined Mary Kay, a cosmetic brand and later became a senior sales director.

A graduate of Sociology from the University of Abuja with a Master’s degree in Business Administration and an MA from Webster University, USA, Sulaiman-Ibrahim's contributions to nation building coupled with her wealth of knowledge may have endeared her to President Tinubu for a ministerial position. But does she fit in? Is she capable of making significant marks in the ministry? It is one thing for her boss, the senior minister, to give her a chance to prove her mettle and another for her to actually impress Nigerians with her strides.

Mariya Mairiga Mahmoud

Amedical doctor trained at Bayero University, Kano, Mariya

Mamoud tarted her career as a public servant and later became a consultant in family medicine at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. With over 20 years' experience in the medical field, she is a member of the National Postgraduate Medical College and the West African College of Physicians. Her works include advocacy for women empowerment and girl-child education. Mamoud was a member of the Kano State Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council in the last general elections. She was also the chairperson of the Welfare Sub Committee, Women’s Wing. She is a member of the high-powered implementation committee for the establishment of the College of Health Sciences at Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology Wudil. Member Kano State Steering committee on Education; Member, Governing council, Maryam Abacha University Kano and a member of the Kano State Committee on Prevention of Drug Abuse among Youth. She is also a member of the Society for Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON). Until her appointment as the Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, she was the commissioner for higher education in Kano State under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. With a very laid-back personality and with much of her life and career revolving around Kano, there is nothing much to suggest that she has the kind of experience required to run a ministry such as the FCT. Besides with a formidable boss like Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, it will be a miracle if her voice ever gets heard among the cacophony of Wike's garrulousness.

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Lola Ade-John

Anative of Lagos State, she has a laudable track record and a career spanning 30 years in the banking and technology sectors. A graduate of Computer Science from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Lola Ade-John worked as a System Analyst at the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and thereafter, joined Magnum Trust Bank Ltd (now part of Sterling Bank Nigeria Plc) where she played a key role in establishing the Information Technology, Administration, Personnel and Training, and Business Development departments.

She pioneered the use of structured cabling in the Nigerian banking industry and successfully implemented new technology platforms for the bank, ensuring its competitiveness and growth. She would later move on to Access Bank Plc as the Group Head of Support Services and Technology.

Over a period of 13 years and 1 month, Ade-John led transformative projects, including the construction of a new Head Office building and data center with an investment of $3 million in technology. Her innovative approach, such as implementing a paperless office environment, set new standards for efficiency and sustainability. Her next career sojourn, also in the banking sector, was at United Bank for Africa, UBA where she served as the Head of Applications, leading a project team to migrate customer and bank data to a centralised core banking platform and driving the bank’s growth and

modernisation. She would later move to Ecobank Nigeria, where she held different senior managerial roles, solidifying her reputation as a top technology expert. In 2014, she founded Novateur Business Technology Consultants, a firm which majors in providing technical management and consulting services to both private and public sector clients.

The only thing that may prevent Ade-John from sticking out as a sore thumb as the Minister for Tourism, is if she leverages her wealth of knowledge in IT to better position the tourism industry to compete favourably with other exotic tourist destinations of the world.

Hadiza Bala-Usman

Aformer managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority who was unceremoniously sent packing by former President Muhammadu Buhari on the recommendations of her supervising minister, Rotimi Amaechi, a former Minister of Transport, Hadiza Bala-Usman is currently the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Coordination. Her career trajectory began in 1999 when she spent a year at the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training in Zaria as a research assistant. Thereafter, she worked at the Bureau of Public Enterprises as an enterprise officer and later, the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, for the Federal Capital Territory Administration as a special assistant on project implementation to Nasir El Rufai who was then the FCT minister.

In 2011, she contested in the National Assembly election in Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency as a candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change. She later joined the Good Governance Group in Nigeria, a nongovernmental organisation, as the country director of strategy.

In 2014, following the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram, Bala-Usman co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls campaign group to advocate the rescue of the abducted schoolgirls and helped coordinate meetings with the parents of the kidnapped girls and members of the Nigerian government.

Following Nasir El Rufai's election as Governor of Kaduna State, she became his Chief of Staff and from there, she bagged the NPA job. Her appointment generated a lot of controversy as many saw her nomination as ethnically based and questioned her qualification for the role.

Bala-Usman has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State and a master's degree in development studies from the University of Leeds, UK.

The Special Advisers

Olubukola Arowolo Verhejien’s appointment as Special Adviser to the President on Energy is a recognition of her expertise and experience in the African energy sector. With an impressive career spanning nearly two decades, Verheijen brings a remarkable wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role. Her extensive experience encompasses a deep understanding of the oil, gas, power, and renewable energy sectors within the sub-Saharan African region. She was well involved in the formulation of the Nigerian Gas Master Plan policy framework. She is the Founder and Managing Director at Latimer Energy, a leading commercial advisory firm that provides a range of services to the energy sector, including commercial negotiations, portfolio value optimization, and opportunity screening. The firm has a strong track record of success, having advised on a number of high-profile transactions in the African energy market. She has held senior positions at a number of leading energy companies, including Shell and Persistent. In these roles, she has advised on a wide range of transactions, including gas commercialization, M&A, and project finance. She serves as an Advisory Council Member of the US Millennium Challenge Corporation and an Entrepreneur-inResidence at the Energy for Growth Hub. Before Shell, she had been a Senior Public Finance Associate at Moody's Investors Service. She was also a Non-Executive Director at Daystar Power Group, a leading provider of hybrid power solutions in West Africa. Her work resume is staggering, to say the least. Harvard Kennedy School, Long Island University, just to mention a few.

She is the Special Adviser on Health to President Bola Tinubu. A highly experienced health professional with a remarkable track record in Health Sector Development spanning over 25 years, Salma Anas-Kolo’s expertise lies in health sector policy formulation, strategic development, resource mobilisation, and implementation of various health programs at international, regional, and national levels.

Anas-Kolo holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from the University of Maiduguri. She has held significant positions in various national and international organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Nigeria Maternal Newborn and Child Health program. Driven by a passion to enhance access to quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Adolescent, and Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) services, including Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Gender-Based Violence, her technical skills encompass Health Systems Strengthening, particularly in Primary Healthcare and Health System Strengthening.

With extensive experience in both public and private sectors, she currently holds the position of Director of Family Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), overseeing critical divisions such as Reproductive Health, Child Health and Gender, Adolescent, School Health and Elderly Care (GASHE), Nutrition, and Health Promotion. A former health commissioner in Borno State, her father, Ibrahim Anas, served as the deputy governor of Borno State and was actively involved in politics and governance until his passing in 2008. Similarly, she made an attempt to make history as the first female representative for Southern Borno in the Senate. Driven by her commitment to community development, Salma Anas-Kolo declared her candidacy for a Senate seat in Southern Borno but she was unsuccessful with her bid having faced challenging competition from seasoned politicians like Sanda Garba, Musa Balla, and the incumbent Senator Ali Ndume.

Salma Anas-Kolo

Olubukola Arowolo Verheijen

Listed below are the ladies selected to advise President Bola Tinubu on the required ideas to help him achieve 'the renewed hope agenda' of his administration.

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

ADEMOLA ELETU-ODIBO THROWS

LAVISH 1ST YEAR CORONATION ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Businessman and popular socialite, Ademola Eletu-Odibo, now Oba Ademola EletuAshorota, the Onitele of Itele in Ogun state, penultimate week, celebrated his first anniversary on the throne in a lavish manner. The real estate mogul became the new king many years after the death of Oba Jimoh Arowolo, the former king who died about 18 years ago.

Since the demise of Oba Arowolo, the Onitele stool has been enmeshed in one controversy or the other which resulted into a legal matter and had to be resolved by an appeal court ruling that pronounced Oba Ademola the rightful king and ratified by the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abidoun. Oba Ademola was presented with a staff of office while the coronation ceremony was slated for a later date. It didn't happen. But when he clocked one year on the throne, Oba Ademola decided to go all out with a 2 in 1 celebration which spanned 10 days.

The traditional ruler hosted A-list royalties which included some of his colleagues such as His Royal Majesty, Oba Alayeluwa Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III, the Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom; the Abisogun II, His Highness, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, the Oniru of Iruland; Oba Babatunde Saliu, the Oloworo of Oworo etc. Other dignitaries included political and religious leaders, as well as notable socialites, some of who flew in from the United States.

Continued from page 38

On the bandstand to serenade guests was Fuji music czar, K1 De ultimate, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal. One cannot forget the resourcefulness of his queen, Olori Abimbola Eletu-Ashorota, who stood like the rock of Gibraltar by her husband all through the ceremonies. Abimbola, a skincare entrepreneur and a niece to late Senator Buruji Kashamu, used to be married to Yomi Folawiyo, one of the sons of businessman and philanthropist, late Chief Abdulwahab Iyanda Folawiyo. The duo's shortlived marriage was characterised with a lot of drama bordering on infidelity, distrust, inability of Yomi to fulfill his obligation as a father and husband and several other issues. Three years after parting ways with Yomi, she met and began a relationship with Oba Ademola, then a Prince of Itele kingdom. As his relationship with Bimbo progressed, so did the love he shared with his wife, Olabisi continued to dwindle, so much so that he allegedly sent her packing from their matrimonial home. She was forced to move to the United States with their children. Soon, his relationship with Bimbo assumed a new dimension as they both began to step out more often together and he eventually married her.

How Power Play Truncated Barakat Bakare-Akande's Political Ascension

state house of assembly, many of her colleagues and supporters encouraged her. But it meant that she would be going up against actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot who is the current occupant of the seat. Scared of losing his seat, knowing his reelection hung in the balance following his unguarded utterances during the END Sars saga, Desmond ran to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu to intervene. Gbajabiamila, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representative, had represented Surulere constituency for five terms. If he was not made the Chief of Staff, he would have joined the 10th National Assembly for his sixth term as he won his re-election. By virtue of this, he automatically assumed the position of the Lord of the Manor, who all politicians, veterans and aspiring, must pay homage to. He decides what position goes to who within that constituency. He prevailed on Barakat to step down her ambition and allow Desmond his third attempt, perhaps his last. He promised her a place in governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's cabinet as a commissioner and that further gladdened the hearts of her supporters particularly when she made the list. Unfortunately, her joy was cut short. The powers that be played a smart one on Gbajabiamila by throwing up a cacophony of protests and got Tinubu to intervene. That singular act earned her and 16 others, rejections from the state assembly. Not only did she lose out on getting a seat in the state assembly, she lost out on getting a place in Sanwo-Olu's cabinet. Also, going back to take her place in the local government council seems like

a dicey situation, having relinquished all for a higher calling. Clearly, she lost out on all fronts or so it may seem except Gbajabiamila who asked her not to run, comes up with an alternative for her. If she had not been prevailed upon, to not slug it out with Elliot, perhaps, she may have edged him out in the general elections. Besides the influence of Gbajabiamila, Barakat is considered a deeply rooted grassroots politician who enjoys not only the huge support of the female folks but also the men in Surulere since her sojourn into politics. She began active politics in 2017 when she was elected to represent Ward E1 in Surulere Local Government and she has since grown in leaps and bounds. Her leadership qualities were never in doubt which prompted her election as the Leader of the Surulere Local Government Legislative Arm. She was re-elected councilor to represent the same Ward in 2021 and again re-elected to lead the council’s Legislative Arm, an act many say is unprecedented in the history of the Local Government. She was also elected the Chairperson of Forum of Leaders of Legislative Arms in Lagos State and she delivered her assignments diligently. Unprecedentedly, as the leader of the Surulere Local Government Legislative Arm, Barakat has overseen the promulgation of about 27 bye laws, making the Surulere Local Government Legislative Arm arguably the most active in the state. A royal blood, Barakat has a Law degree from the University of Bedfordshire and a master’s degree in law from the same university. She’s a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

OLU OF WARRI CONFERS CHIEFTAINCY TITLE ON EYIMOFE ATAKE

Eyimofe Doyle Atake SAN, one of Nigeria's legal luminaries and style aficionados, during the week, was honoured with a traditional title by his royal majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, Olu of Warri as an 'Ojoye Iwere' a Chief (English Lord or Earl) in the Warri Kingdom. He was honoured with the title, Tolugbogwa of Warri Kingdom. Not only was he found worthy of such honour but it is a continuation of a generational rite as his late father, the Honourable Justice Franklin Oritse-Mueyiwa Atake was also a Chief of the Warri Kingdom and held the title of Aboludero of Warri Kingdom. He had been conferred with that title by His Majesty Erejuwa II in 1983 and held that title until he passed away in 2003. That Eyimofe, a man of uncommon brilliance deserved the honour he was bestowed with, would be simply stating it mildly. The 65-year-old became a SAN, an equivalent of a QC in 1999 at the age of 41, was one of the youngest ever lawyers at that time, to be bestowed with the silk, 16 years after his call to the bar. He holds a doctoral degree in law, with specialization in ligation, arbitration, maritime, admiralty, international trade, oil, and gas laws. Over the years, this former president of the Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria has been growing from strength to strength, with his agitation in challenging Nigeria’s judicial system, the Niger Delta matters, and sundry issues that relate to humanity. Indeed, Eyimofe is a chip off the old block, as he has not only been adding more verve to the legal profession with a new dimension, but he is also working towards replicating at least half of the feat his late father achieved for the Itsekiri kingdom.

Princess Oladuni Odu Eyes Ondo Government House

loyalty to the governor right from the inception of his administration in 2016. She was a former Commissioner for Education in the state between 1995 and 1999, and later Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, she is also the pioneer Chairman

of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). She prides herself as being around the seat of power for 27 years and makes bold to say that of all the people who have come out to be aspirants, none of them is as exposed to governance as herself.

Patricia Etteh Clocks 70 Without Fanfare

Wabara, Pius Anyim, Ken Nnamani, Bukola Saraki, David Mark and Ahmad Lawan. Also, former Speakers Femi Gbajabiamila, Ghali Na’Abba, Aminu Masari, Oladimeji Bankole, Aminu Tambuwal, and Yakubu Dogara - all of whom put up a paid advertisement celebrating her and recognising her milestone achievement.

During the week, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the first female Speaker of the House of Representative, reached a milestone. She clocked 70 years. There was no fanfare to herald the auspicious day neither are there plans to eventually throw the mother of all parties. Besides former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Abbas Tajudeen, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a few others who deemed it fit to celebrate her were former presiding officers of the National Assembly like Iyorchia Ayu, Adolphus

Etteh represented Ayedaade/ Isokan/Irewole Federal Constituency in Osun State between 1999 and 2011, during which she served as Speaker for about five months in 2007. She resigned her position after she was reportedly accused of awarding a contract of about $5 million for the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy as well as the purchase of 10 cars. A beauty entrepreneur, Etteh who was trolled endlessly for not having a degree, eventually bagged one in Law from the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2016.

The Atakes

Etteh

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

VICTOR MARK EXPANDS BUSINESS EMPIRE

Embattled real estate mogul and Chief Executive Officer of Ojulowo Omoluabi Empire Holdings Limited, Eniola Victor Mark, also known as Omoluabi, has expanded his business empire and veered into manufacturing of herbal liquor, Omoluabi Bitters. Nollywood actress, Nkechi Sunday, who is a brand ambassador to Mark's real estate film, Ojulowo Omoluabi Empire Holdings, has also been promoting Omoluabi Bitters among her colleagues and fans.

The new business venture is coming a few months after the businessman was called out by socialite Rotimi Makinde for collecting an unspecified amount of money worth millions of naira to construct a radio station at the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State. Omoluabi allegedly absconded with the money without executing the project. Makinde threatened to bring him to book and warned that his lawyers had already been briefed as he would ensure that the businessman does not go scot-free.

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Olowu Confers Chieftaincy Titles on Tony Attah, Wife

Aformer Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas Company, NLNG, Tony Attah and his wife, Omataikpo, have been honoured with chieftaincy titles in Ogun State. The oil and gas executive was named as Aare Gbobaniyi of Owu land and his wife, Yeye Aare Gbobaniyi by the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola. The chieftaincy titles were given during the first coronation anniversary of the traditional ruler in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Traditional rites were observed in the presence of guests, friends, family and indigenes who went to celebrate the coronation anniversary of the royal father.

A staff of office, traditional beads and chieftaincy caps were presented to the newly crowned chiefs as guests cheered and praise singers, drummers sang the praises of the newly conferred chiefs to high heavens. The Attahs were honoured because of Tony's dedication, wisdom, leadership and the profound impact on those who had met him, as well as his contribution to the development of Ogun State and the nation in general Oba Matemilola revealed that the Attahs chieftaincy title is a testament to Tony's personal accomplishments and the trust and belief his community have in him.

SENATOR ASHAFA FETES DIGNITARIES AT SON'S WEDDING

Olunloyo, Irabor Inducted Into NSE

Former Governor of Oyo State, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo and the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, Lt-Gen Lucky Irabor (retd.), have been inducted into the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE). They were admitted to the Society recently during its quarterly dinner and conferment of Fellowship, having met the requirements for membership.

To qualify for induction as Fellows of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, members must have a post-15 years’ experience in engineering and they must have been members of the body for a decade. They must also be financially committed to the NSE.

As new members of FNSE, the new inductees have the responsibility of carrying themselves with the dignity that the fellowship status bestows, doubling their efforts at participating in NSE

activities and making contributions to the growth of the society. They also have the responsibility of being NSE’s ambassadors by delivering valuable services to the development of the nation and must be role models to younger engineers and to those who need their inspiration to join the engineering profession. The two inductees thanked the association for the honour and pledged to fulfill their responsibilities and task of being new members of the association.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority, as well as former senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, hosted a lavish wedding ceremony for

his son, Tobi and his lover of many years, Yinka Belo last week. The colourful ceremony started with a traditional engagement which took place at the bride's residence. It was followed by an engagement reception at Harbour Point, Victoria Island.

The guests turned up dressed in baby pink which was the colour of the day. Traditional rulers, politicians and business moguls attended the event. Yewande Zaccheaus' events company, Eventful, did the planning and execution, while celebrity photographer, Korede Olabanji, also known as photonimi captured exciting moments in pictures and videos.

The groom is a graduate of George Washington University, USA, where he bagged a law degree. He also has a master’s degree with special concentration on counter-terrorism.

Dolapo Badmos Marks 21 Years In Nigeria Police Force

Chief Superintendent of Police, Dolapo Badmos, has celebrated 21 years of active service in the Nigeria Police Force. Excited, Badmos, who started her journey in the force in August 2002, recounted how her journey began on social media. She narrated how diligence, hard work and persistence sustained her in the last 21 years.

According to her, the journey started at the Police Academy Wudil, Kano State, where she

was met by fierce looking officers who shouted at her for stepping on a sentry when she got admitted to the college. She pledged to continue to do her best to protect the Nigerian Constitution and her laws as long as she remains in the service of her fatherland. Badmos joined the Nigeria Police Force as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in 2002. She has served as Aide-de-Camp, Divisional Traffic Officer, Divisional Police Officer, Police Public Relations officer and now as the Provost of the Nigeria Police Force. Badmos

The Ashafas

Olunloyo Irabor

Predatory Professors

An erect penis, so the saying goes, has no conscience. In the wild, rival males of several species sometimes fight to the death for mating rights to females. Fortunately, men do not kill themselves (at least in the open though some may secretly wish spouses of more fetching partners dead so as to take possession) for such sexual privileges because there is an existing code of behaviour (code of honour if you like) when it comes to mating with the opposite sex. Even so, they sometimes lose it once the urge to mate overwhelms them thus throwing up their baser nature. Last week, female law undergraduates of University of Calabar protested over a professor’s proclivity for blowjobs, buttpalming, boob-fondling and even non-consensual sex. “Enough is enough,” they declared with placards in the first-ever recorded public demo over sexual harassment by university students in Nigeria. THEWILL considers some celebrated cases of lecturers caught pants down. Michael Jimoh reports…

Sometime in 2005, a team of sleuths from Lagos State University Ojo laid out a sting operation in a hotel room in Ketu Lagos. The target was a lecturer in the Department of English, Mr. Stanley Adebodun Oriola. The teacher had set his eyes on a 200-level student in his class, pestering her for sex. She always politely brushed off his requests. Next, he invited her to his office and tried to rape her in June of that year. He failed.

Without fail, the subject of Oriola’s amorous advances told her fiancée of her teacher’s unwarranted attention. The husband-to-be reported the matter to the school authorities. So, when the lecturer invited her to the hotel in Ketu for a tryst, she also alerted her man and the school. Briefed, Vice chancellor Professor Abisogun Leigh approved a plan for the young woman to play along. He also instructed the school’s security team to follow her to the rendezvous.

Oriola’s book-lined office at LASU main campus Ojo where he made the first attempt is 34km to the hotel in Ketu. The assumption is that far from the school premises, he might just breach the female student’s defence at last. Having failed initially, Oriola threatened to fail the student if she did not cooperate. To make his threat real, he went along with examination script s for two courses ENG 122 and ENG 125 which the student was to rewrite right there in the hotel.

The lecturer’s game plan failed but it was a scoop for a tabloid newspaper at that time. Founded by the pair of Michael Awoyinfa and now deceased Dimgba Igwe, The Sun newspaper did not pretend to be like mainstream publications of that era. It had a peculiar nose for sensational stuff. Woven around sex-formarks, the story not only literally fell on the tabloid’s laps, it was just the kind of lewd report they knew readers would gobble up.

Giving a blow-by-blow account of the scandal after it blew, the newspaper’s Education Correspondent Gabriel Dike delighted readers with salacious details of Oriola’s misadventure with the unnamed and unidentified female student. In a publication of July 8 2005 headlined “LASU Fires Oriola, sex-for-marks lecturer,” Dike wrote that because of the lecturer’s

incessant pressure for sex, the student “cried to her fiancée who in turn reported the matter to the office of the Vice Chancellor on June 6, 2005.

“Before then, Oriola had given the girl a date at a rendezvous in Ketu…mobilised her with transport fare to go wait for him. Disturbed by the development, which also challenged the authorities on their anti-harassment crusade, the VC sent security personnel to accompany the girl to Oriola's love nest. There, he was caught on June 7 in his underpants...Part of the exhibits recovered from him in the hotel room were two examination scripts of ENG 122 and ENG 125.”

Rather than satisfy his lust in the hotel, Oriola became a subject of public ridicule from that moment on, like a man watching himself incredulously starring in a surreal film of which he was playing an unwilling villain

Rather than satisfy his lust in the hotel, Oriola became a subject of public ridicule from that moment on, like a man watching himself incredulously starring in a surreal film of which he was playing an unwilling villain. In his undershorts, the mortified lecturer was brought to the main campus where, according to Dike, “Oriola had made spirited attempts to escape but was given a hot chase by the security personnel who re-arrested him. He was brought to the main campus where the VC, staff and students came to watch him.”

It was just the beginning of Oriola’s ordeal. The VC wasted no time in setting up a Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee. They found the lecturer guilty resulting in his dismissal, with the VC insisting that Oriola was dismissed “over examination malpractice.”

"It is a clear case of sexual harassment but the senate committee felt otherwise,” Leigh told Dike. “Even some of his colleagues are saying it was not sexual harassment and that it was a set up." Leigh also pointedly noted that he “would not be deterred in implementing the senate

declaration on sexual harassment and to rid the system of the rot that had been giving the institution a bad image outside.”

The bad image VC Leigh feared would sully LASU’s reputation enveloped it once again. By then Leigh had completed his tenure as VC. It was in 2018 and Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun was then the executive head of administration in the school. The obnoxious acts came via three lecturers of the institution facing the same charge as Oriola years before: Sex-for-marks for female students.

The teachers in question were two associate professors Ayoola Sunkanmi Odubunmi of the Department of Economics and Isiaka Ajani Ogunwande of the Department of Chemistry respectively. The third don was Dr. Emmanuel Orilade Gbeleyi Lecturer II at the Department of Anatomy, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM)).

Odubunmi’s case was as humiliating as Oriola’s unmasking. The unnamed female student had reported him to the school authorities and an NGO. Instead of the privacy of a hotel room, the Economics teacher chose his office. The student was not only instructed to play along but also wired with a device connected to a laptop where some of the school’s security officials and representatives of the NGO watched “to help track the lecturer so as to have genuine evidence against him… to monitor what would happen between the lecturer and the student.”

Like Oriola, Odubunmi fell for the trap. Once the student got to his office and without much ado, Odubunmi “removed his shirt and started cuddling

Predatory Professors

the student from behind after giving her papers to rewrite the exam he invited her for. He was in the act when the university security officials and the NGO representatives moved in and effected his arrest.” It was game over.

So it was for two of his colleagues Ogunwade and Gbeleyi after investigations by the school authorities. Spokesman for the institution then, Mr. Ademola Adekoya said the lecturers were dismissed “following due investigations into the allegation of sexual misconduct levelled against them as well as testimonies of their respective accusers.”

The Governing Board of LASU approved the lecturers’ sack.

Also recommended for dismissal over sexual harassment of a female student was another professor but this time in faraway Edo state in an institution named after Professor Ambrose Alli former civilian governor of Bendel state. If anything has distinguished Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma from other state or federal institutions in Nigeria from inception till date, it is the student’s predilection for cult activities with warring factions redefining the word savagery.

Where rival cults in other institutions threw punches and, at worst, cracked open some skulls with bottles, those in Ekpoma took savagery to another level. In one infamous incident, a student plunged a Mathematical Set compass into the eyeballs of another; acid bathes were frequent not to mention the direct shootings in the face of opponents. Till date, AAU has the highest number of rusticated and expelled students because of cult-related activities. No wonder it has since earned the moniker – War College.

And to that Dr. Peter Otubu contributed passages in a story aptly called a school for scandal, specifically sexfor-marks. In his own case with a certain female student Judith Ivie Okosun of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Faculty of Engineering, Otubu plainly stepped into a trap set not by the school authorities but by the very woman he was so besotted with. With the promise of a ‘good time,’ Otubu bee-lined it to the girl’s room in a female hostel outside the school premises. But his hope for some dalliance evaporated like a puff of smoke right before his eyes. What subsequently transpired between the prof, his student and some of her accomplices was nothing short of a primitive exercise in humiliation.

A clear set up, Otubu was emasculated bit by painful bit both as a teacher and as a human being. He was in the buff for most of the interrogation, blubber jiggling from his upper arms and midriff and a shriveled penis which Judith made fun of. A sorry picture of remorse, the randy professor, as Otubu came to be known in social media, saw himself like Oriola, his counterpart in LASU taking a leading role in a bizarre drama he wouldn’t have wished for his enemies. Worse still, Otubu was compelled to sign over a cheque of N100, 000 for his troubles.

It was not until eight years after that Otubu was vindicated, that the student in question had been less than saintly in her actions. The girl and her sister, Juliet Obehi Okosun were both sanctioned by a court in Ekpoma and the professor cleared of all accusations. By then it was too late because, as they say, the deed had already been done.

With cases of philandering lecturers caught out in an effort to bed their students in exchange for marks or whatever available inducements, anyone would reasonably assume that some of them would have learnt from the awful experiences of their colleagues, of becoming more circumspect with female students or never making propositions that would get them in trouble. Wrong!

“An erect penis has no conscience.” It was exactly so for another don whose libido seemed to count for more and higher than self-restraint. In early August and on their urgings, female law undergraduates of University of Calabar took to the streets in protest against the

Dean of Faculty of Law Professor Cyril Osim Ndifon. What was their grouse?

The don had for long requested various acts of sexual gratification from his students using the same stratagems as his counterparts in LASU: threatening to fail the students during exams if they fail to cooperate.

Some actually did – a blowjob here, a private rubdown there and even sex which some of them did not consent to. But the lecturer always asked for more and more frequently, too. Soon, the female students got tired of it all, which was why they went public.

Before this time, according to knowledgeable sources, Prof Ndifon had jumped a female student in his office in 2015. The victim is the daughter of Professor Sinem Abasi Ekong of University of Uyo who narrated how Prof. Ndifon allegedly raped her 20-year-old child in his office. In her words, Ndifon tore her daughter’s examination script and then ordered that she rewrite the same exam in his office privately. While at it, Ndifo jumped the poor student from behind, “tore her clothes and then raped her twice.”

Of course, Professor Ekong duly wrote to University of Calabar authorities. They did nothing. A civil society organisation Sacred Hearts Gender Protective Initiative followed up the protest against Ndifon last December by questioning his reinstatement and promotion to deanship.

Executive Director of SHGPI Rosemary Nwafor wrote inter alia: “On behalf of the above-named Civil Society Organization, I write to bring to your attention a hidden injustice, which your academic institution has refused to take action on…Madam Vice Chancellor, you will recall that on August 29, 2015, one Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon, (who is currently the Dean of your Law Faculty) was accused of raping, in his office, a female law student of your university. After a preliminary investigation by the University Management, the said Ndifon was indicted and suspended as staff of the university. An attempt by Ndifon to set aside his suspension by the university was dismissed by a well-delivered judgment by the National Industrial Court on the 21st of September 2016 (vide suit NICN/CAI01/2016). Apart from the foregoing, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) took over the investigation of the criminal part of the sexual harassment case against Ndifon.”

Prof Ndifon, Nwafor stated in the letter, did all he could to prevent ICPC from investigating and prosecuting him for the allegations but the case was struck out and dismissed by Justice I.E Ekwo of Federal High Court Calabar on March 2 2007. Somehow, while under investigation, Ndifon got reinstated in the university. It is just very possible all would have been quiet on the campus front of the university in the South-south if the randy prof had controlled his apparently high libido which may now be his undoing. Where his colleagues in other institutions made attempts and got punished, Ndifon seemed to have always gotten away with his indulgences. Yes, there have been no recorded evidence – audio or video – against him so far. But a number of female students young enough to be his granddaughters holding aloft banners with these damning inscriptions “We are tired of sucking big **”, “Professor Ndifon, let the girls with big breasts breathe. Stop suffocating us,” and “Enough of law school list manipulation” is enough grounds for investigation.

With the backing of Vice Chancellor Professor Florence Obi, University of Calabar has just done that. Ndifon has also been suspended. An investigation is on. In a suspension letter dated August 17, Registrar of the school Gabriel Egbe communicated the same to the beleaguered former dean.

“The Vice-Chancellor has gone through your written representations and is not satisfied with your explanations,” Egbe wrote Ndifon. “She has therefore directed that you should be relieved of your position as Dean, Faculty of Law and placed on suspension while the matter is referred to a panel that will be set-up to investigate these allegations.”

What the panel of investigation will come up with against Ndifon is hard to say for now. But what is more than certain is that in no distant time, Nigerians will read once again about a failed assignation in a hotel room of a lecturer with his female student – especially now with the limitless possibilities of social media.

It is just very possible all would have been quiet on the campus front of the university in the South-south if the randy prof had controlled his apparently high libido which may now be his undoing.

Where his colleagues in other institutions made attempts and got punished, Ndifon seemed to have always gotten away with his indulgences

Revolutionising Nigeria Premier League: AI Cameras Usher in New Era of Live

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

In a bold stride toward revolutionising sports broadcasting, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has embarked on an innovative journey to elevate the status of the domestic League within the continent and beyond. For this, the League is collaborating with GTI Asset Management and Propel Sports Africa—a Manchester-based company specialising in sports streaming and broadcasting solutions. This visionary partnership, fueled by a N5 million deal, promises to reshape the way football enthusiasts experience the NPL, introducing a revolutionary live viewing experience powered by state-of-the-art AI cameras.

The marriage between Propel Sports Africa and the NPL is emblematic of a new era in sports entertainment, signifying a departure from conventional broadcasting methods and embracing cutting-edge technology. At the heart of this transformation are AI cameras that have been strategically installed across stadiums nationwide, poised to deliver an immersive and dynamic viewing experience to fans across the globe. This transition is made possible by the emergence of affordable,

high-production cameras, equipped with the power of artificial intelligence, enabling automatic tracking of players, the ball, and other key elements on the field.

The portability of these AI cameras is a testament to their versatility. Swiftly manoeuvred from one location to another, they present a flexible solution to capturing the action from different locations. Moreover, Propel Sports Africa's dedication to comprehensive training has been at the heart of equipping a team of 40 skilled technicians to manage the complex intricacies of camera content production and broadcasting, ensuring the smoothest possible viewing experience for fans.

Central to this transformative shift is the NPL Live platform—an app and website jointly developed by Propel Sports Africa and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Previously set to launch on August 16, but now pushed back due to technical delays, this platform will facilitate live streaming of eight out of 10 weekend matches directly to fans' mobile devices and laptops, regardless of their geographical location. This technological marvel redefines fan engagement, cementing the bond between supporters and their cherished teams.

The capabilities of these AI cameras extend far beyond traditional match coverage. With the ability to capture multiple angles, dynamically zoom in and out, and provide instant replays and highlights, they promise to plunge viewers into the thick of

The incorporation of AI cameras into NPL matches yields a plethora of benefits poised to captivate fans' hearts and minds

...AI Cameras Usher in New Era of Live

the action. Additionally, the AI cameras will serve as invaluable tools for generating data and statistics on team and player performance, deepening fans' understanding of the game.

Currently, 10 select stadiums have been earmarked for the initial integration of AI cameras, each playing a pivotal role in the unfolding narrative of technological advancement. These venues and their current sitting capacities include Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina (35,000), Godswill Akpabio Int'l Stadium, Uyo (30,000), Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin (18,000), Enyimba Int'l Stadium, Aba (16,000) and the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano (16,000). Others are the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos (15,000), Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City (12,000), Pantami Stadium, Gombe (12,000), Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan (10,000), Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos (5,000). This strategic selection ensures that fans across Nigeria will benefit from the enhanced coverage, with plans to expand the AI camera network as the initiative gathers momentum.

The promise of an expanded match portfolio available for streaming further bolsters the appeal of AI cameras. With the live streaming of at least eight NPL games per week, fans are afforded an abundance of options, ensuring they do not miss any electrifying moments. Moreover, the AI-powered analysis provides realtime insights that enrich fans' understanding of gameplay dynamics.

Propel Sports Africa's collaboration with the NPL represents a marked departure from the previous status quo. Prior to this groundbreaking deal, after individual clubs were tasked with their own live broadcasts, often resulting in suboptimal quality and limited coverage, Supersport broadcast some of the matches from the abridged 2022/2023 season. The advent of AI cameras marks a paradigm shift, promising an unparalleled standard of excellence in match coverage.

In anticipating the forthcoming season, the Nigeria Football Federation has proactively partnered with Propel Sports Africa and other stakeholders, setting the stage for a seamless execution. A technical committee, led by former Super Eagles star Daniel Amokachi, has been established to curate the NPL Team of the Month, an initiative designed to elevate the aspirational value of players and coaches. The selected team will have 11 players, a coach and reserves totalling an 18-man squad. Other committee members include journalists Mitchel Obi, Segun Agbede and Deji Omotoyinbo. NFF Technical Director Austin Eguavoen, coaches Manu Garba and Godwin Uwuah, Harrison Jalla and Davidson Adejuwon were also included in the committee. This commitment to nurturing talent underscores the NFF's dedication to elevating the quality of football in Nigeria. Stakeholders are hopeful the innovations will uplift the league as it kicks off next month.

The NPL continues to make strides towards becoming ever more competitive domestically and on the continent, both on the field and in its operations. Last season's champions Enyimba International will compete against the best on the continent in the Champions League. Their triumph in the 2022/2023 NPL season adds an extra layer of significance to this transformative period. While last season's abridged format was a necessary measure to conclude the season promptly, the upcoming 2023/2024 season promises an exhilarating return to the pitch.

A fresh season was billed to take off on August 26 to be in line with intentional football scheduling only for the organisers, the Interim Management Committee, to shift the commencement of the new season to next month. This shift triggered speculations about why and initial reactions pointed to issues related to setting up and operating

for September 9, has been alleged to be necessary for teams to sort out licensing and no official confirmation ties the delay to the training of AI camera operators. However, there are sources that claim that the postponement is believed to afford organisers enough opportunity to facilitate the optimal installation of livestream equipment at designated venues, with the league draw scheduled for August 28.

This is because Propel Sports Africa's comprehensive training programme for 40 Nigerian operators is central to this revolutionary era in the NPL. The training encompasses the intricacies of AI camera handling and broadcasting, equipping these individuals to seamlessly manage the upcoming season's live streaming. The training initiative holds the potential to usher in a new era of employment opportunities for these individuals, positioning them as integral players in the technological revolution shaping the NPL.

The incorporation of AI cameras into NPL matches yields a plethora of benefits poised to captivate fans' hearts and minds. Notably, the heightened viewing experience delivered by these cameras, with their superior camera angles and precise ball tracking, promises to immerse fans deeper into the heart of the game. Furthermore, their capacity to generate

high-quality video ensures that every nuance of the action is conveyed with stunning clarity.

The financial accessibility of AI cameras represents a key breakthrough for fans. With the projected cost per match ranging between N120 to N200, and a basic monthly subscription of N1,500, the NPL.TV app offers fans a cost-effective means of engaging with the sport they love. This democratisation of access underscores the league's commitment to fostering widespread fan engagement. These affordable payment options will be attractive for fans of the domestic League and may lead to an increase of viewership across the country, the continent and beyond. Whether these initial pricings will remain so when the app goes live and when the season commences remains to be seen.

As the NPL gears up for the upcoming season, the integration of AI cameras emerges as a transformative catalyst. This fusion of cutting-edge technology, visionary partnership, and fan-centric approach positions the NPL on an exhilarating trajectory, promising to redefine how football is experienced and shared.

The Nigeria Premier League's embrace of AI cameras truly represents a paradigm shift in sports broadcasting. This landmark partnership between Propel Sports Africa and the NPL, including their partner, GTI Asset Management, signifies a bold leap forward, one that promises a new dimension of engagement, accessibility, and coverage for fans. The countdown to September 9, not only marks the commencement of a new season but also heralds the dawn of a new era in Nigerian football.

While there is an abundant number of positives to be garnered from this new era, concerns still loom in the background and a balanced perspective necessitates acknowledging both the remarkable opportunities and the valid concerns that accompany this technological leap. Firstly, while the convenience of live streaming directly to mobile devices and laptops is undeniable, there's the potential for undue pressure on players and coaches to perform under the intensified scrutiny of AIpowered cameras. The cameras' ability to generate real-time data and statistics on performance may inadvertently contribute to heightened expectations and criticism.

Again, in the backdrop of the NPL's partnership with Propel Sports Africa, there's the question of financial implications for both the league and the fans. While the projected cost per match is aimed at affordability, questions arise about the sustainability of this pricing model. The transition to AI-powered broadcasting undoubtedly comes with associated costs, and there is an underlying concern about how these costs might translate in the long run, potentially affecting the league's financial stability. In a league striving toward excellence, the integration of AI cameras is a commendable step towards modernising football broadcasting. However, As the NPL and Propel Sports Africa navigate these uncharted waters, their ability to address and mitigate these concerns will be pivotal in ensuring a harmonious and successful transition.

Restoring Abuja to Its Past Glory: The Real Task Before Nyesom Wike

In the heart of Nigeria's political and administrative matrix lies Abuja, a city once revered for its grandeur and meticulously planned architecture. Decades ago, this capital city was a testament to Nigeria's aspirations and potential, a symbol of unity and progress. However, over the years, the once-glistening vision has dulled, with Abuja struggling under the weight of infrastructural decay, chaos and lawlessness. The streets that once bustled with promise now whisper stories of neglect, while the master plan that shaped the city's elegance has been eroded by challenges that have taken root.

Those who recall the splendour of Abuja's past do so with sombre nostalgia of glorious times past. Attempts made by passionate leaders to restore its former glory have waxed and waned at different times. Now, another opportunity beckons.

At the heart of this new shot is Nyesom Wike, a politician known for his unwavering commitment to change. As Wike takes the reins as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), I consider this his opportunity to rejuvenate Abuja and turn it once again into a shining example of Nigeria's potential. But, more than that, it is a chance for him to prove himself all over again in a diverse, cosmopolitan region as different from the metropolis of Rivers State.

During his tenure as governor of Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, Wike carved a path of ambitious infrastructural development and transformative reforms. His tenure was characterised by a myriad of achievements that left a lasting impact on the state's landscape.

Wike's commitment to progress was evident in the initiation and completion of numerous road projects, flyovers, bridges, hospitals, schools, markets and public facilities that now form an essential part of Rivers State's infrastructure. Notably, his administration proudly touted the completion of over a thousand projects within a span of seven years, an accomplishment that reshaped the state's urban fabric.

Furthermore, Wike's vision extended beyond physical structures. He undertook significant judicial and security reforms that bolstered the state's legal system and contributed to improved law enforcement. Establishing new courts, appointing judges, constructing police stations and providing essential equipment to security agencies, his efforts aimed to create a safer and saner environment for the people of Rivers State.

Wike’s response to the EndSARS protests by setting up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate human rights violations demonstrated his commitment to addressing pressing societal issues. However, these achievements were not without their share of challenges and criticisms. His leadership style drew critique from various quarters, with accusations of being dictatorial, wasteful, corrupt, and vindictive. Some pointed to instances of alleged overpricing and substandard work in certain projects, casting a shadow over the otherwise ambitious development agenda. These challenges highlighted the complexities and nuances of gover-

nance in a dynamic state like Rivers.

In reflecting on his legacy as governor of Rivers State, Wike's impact is undeniable. His vision for infrastructural transformation and commitment to improving the lives of the people led to significant achievements, altering the trajectory of the state's development. Yet, the recognition of challenges and

ty, irrespective of their ownership. His actions were met with mixed reactions - some applauded his determination to restore the city's order, while others lamented the loss of structures that had become a part of the city's fabric, without recourse to the original intent of the designers.

El-Rufai's tenure was not without controversy, as critics voiced concerns about the displacement of communities and the socio-economic impact of his actions. However, his unwavering commitment to the master plan represented a critical effort to safeguard Abuja's vision and legacy. His dedication left an indelible mark, laying the foundation for a restored capital city.

Yet, the pursuit of restoring Abuja's glory faded in the wake of El-Rufai's departure. The subsequent FCT ministers, including Aliyu Modibo (2007–2008), Adamu Aliero (2008–2010), Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (2010–2015) and Mohammed Bello (2015–2023), encountered challenges in maintaining the momentum of revitalisation. The shadow of Abuja's former brilliance seemed to lengthen as the subsequent leaders struggled to sustain the vision that El-Rufai had ignited and instead superintended over the decay and chaos that Abuja is today.

The path to renewal had encountered obstacles, yet the story of Abuja's past efforts to regain its splendour remains a testament to the power of visionary leadership. El-Rufai's tenure showcased the potential for transformative change, while the subsequent challenges underscored the complexities of sustaining such change in the face of shifting leadership dynamics.

As a new chapter unfolds under Wike's leadership, the tale of Abuja's rejuvenation serves as both a cautionary tale and an inspiring narrative of the possibilities that lie ahead.

criticisms serves as a reminder that leadership is a multifaceted endeavour shaped by both triumphs and trials.

As Wike takes on the mantle of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the lessons learned from his time in Rivers State provide valuable insights into his approach to addressing the challenges that lie ahead in his new role.

The work of restoring Abuja truly began under former Minister Nasir el-Rufai, a controversial figure with a fervent commitment to breathing new life into the city's master plan. Serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 2003 to 2007, el-Rufai embarked on a journey to reinvigorate Abuja along its original master plan.

El-Rufai's tenure marked a pivotal moment in Abuja's history, as he dismantled the encroachments that had marred the city's aesthetics. Armed with the master plan as his guide, he undertook a series of bold measures to reclaim Abuja's original design. His resolute enforcement of the plan led to the demolition of structures that violated its integri-

As Wike steps into his role as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his mission is clear: to resurrect Abuja's faded splendour. So far, he appears to be making the right calls. He has vowed to reverse the degradation of the city. He has restarted the abandoned light rail project and announced plans to demolish structures which are distorting the city’s original master plan. As he reimagines Abuja, his legacy expectedly will be one of transformation, breathing life into a city that was once Nigeria's beacon.

This journey is not just about rebuilding structures; it is about reigniting dreams and shaping a brighter future. He will require the cooperation of all stakeholders if progress is going to be made. This will demand leadership and communicative skills from him, but it will be richly rewarding as they will all be on the same page in the developmental demands of this objective. This task will be a litmus test for Wike, who will now have another opportunity, after what he accomplished in Rivers State, to prove he has the capacity to deliver a mandate and he will do the same whenever he has a higher calling, like to become president of Nigeria.

As Wike steps into his role as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his mission is clear: to resurrect Abuja's faded splendour. So far, he appears to be making the right calls. He has vowed to reverse the degradation of the city. He has restarted the abandoned light rail project and announced plans to demolish structures which are distorting the city’s original master plan