THEWILL NEWSPAPER June 11, 2023

About a week ago, I had a conversation with an older friend, and we got to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and just how far it can go. He went on to tell me how he had a speech written for him using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbox. That was one of the pros of artificial intelligence; the con to this one is its ability to cut off speechwriters. We also spoke about how it can go as far as art, asking it to paint the sunset, drawing inspiration from an old novel and then have the finishing like any artist of your choice. It begs the question: Are robots finally ready to take over the world?

This week our cover story is about the endless possibilities of artificial intelligence; it makes for an exciting read.

Our fashion pages pay tribute to African fashion trends. From the Ghanaian Kente print to Bogolanfini of Mali, we spotlight different trends from several African countries.

We give ideas on incorporating bohemian style in your home, tricks to having the perfect garden and tips for organizing the perfect picnic this time of the year.

Downtown Confidential advises getting comfortable from the first date to when the couple feels ready to go to the bedroom.

For those who swear by crystals, our beauty pages showcase the healing power of gemstones when incorporated into your skincare products and routine.

If you want to stay calm and peaceful, our wellness page is right for you. We discuss meditation and why you should try it.

Don’t forget to scan the QR codes on page 16.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

NASS Leadership:

Who'll Emerge Winners?

BY AMOS ESELE

The battle for the leadership of the incoming 10th National Assembly is getting hotter by the day as a growing number of senior lawmakers appear to be in opposition to President Bola Tinubu's open and flagrant support for the choice of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, a few days before his inauguration.

But the fight for the independence of the legislature as an interdependent arm of government, vis-a vis the executive and judiciary, is slipping away from the gladiators as the President beat a hasty and tactical retreat from his pre-inauguration stand during the week and rallied party loyalists, consolidated interparty alliances and intensified consultation.

According to Section 50 of the Constitution, sub-section a and b, the President and a Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker and Deputy Speaker shall be elected by the members of that National Assembly from among themselves.

The lawmakers would in all likelihood observe this constitutional mandate in the breach as THEWILL found out deep into the weekend, following the horse-trading going on among the contending aspirants and their principals.

Given its majority in the National Assembly, NASS, the governing APC on May 9, 2023 with the fiat of President Bola Tinubu, announced the

party's preferred candidates and zones to fill the four major slots for the 10th National Assembly. For Senate President, which the party zoned to the South-South geopolitical zone, Senator Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom State was named for the position, while the choice of Deputy Senate President was zoned to the NorthWest with Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano as the candidate.

The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives was given to the North-West, with Abbas Tajudeen from Kaduna as the candidate, while the position of Deputy Speaker went to the South East and Ben Kalu from Abia.

A few senators- elect felt affronted by the President's action which they perceived as portending one thing: Control of the National Assembly. Another group felt short changed by the president’s decision. Both have teamed up to give the party and Federal Government a fight and their numbers are growing by the day to the party's and president’s discomfort.

Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, who failed to get endorsement from the party and rally his colleagues to support his bid for the senate presidency, decided to team up with a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, a Zamfara West Senator-elect, to fiercely challenge the government and the party’s

candidates, Akpabio and Barau.

The same intra-party scenario is playing out for the Speakership of the House of Representatives where Muktar Betara from Borno State, among other contenders, poses a stiff challenge to the party and government candidates.

UNFOLDING DRAMA AND INTRIGUES

As of last Friday, four days to the election and inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the Akpabio and Yari groups claim to have the backing of 75 senators, a figure that is well above the required simple majority votes to clinch the senate presidency. At the House, Batera, Chairman of Appropriation Committee of the 9th House of Representatives, has, surprisingly, muscled his way through the four other challengers to give the party and the presidency a lot to worry about. But there is more to this politicking than meets the eye.

For the House, where the issue of religion is virtually non-existent since the two major contestants, Tajudeen and Batera, are Muslims unlike in the Senate, the APC and the presidency have been able to maintain their support for their candidates.

First, the House of Reps Speaker Femi Gabjabiamila’s decision to go against Section 68 of the Constitution, which forbids a legislator

...Who'll Emerge Winners?

to hold an executive position while still a member of the National Assembly and delay his assumption of office as Chief of Staff to the President until June 14, 2021, a day after the inauguration of the 10th House, was part of the plan to prevent any aspirant, including this deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, from taking over and use the office to his advantage.

Apart from that, the party in cahoot with the presidency has successfully sold the idea to members of the National Assembly that two principal officers, the Speaker and Senate President, cannot come from the same zone, according to sources. Yari, though an independent candidate, and the party’s candidate, Tajudeen, come from the same North-West geopolitical zone.

Still pursuing this zonal agenda at the Senate, the party has knocked Batera's ambition; he comes from the same North-East as Vice President Kashim Shetimma, who together with Governor Zulum have supported the party's stand.

Still, Yari and his group, on the one hand and Batera, whose growing influence among his colleagues has since attracted the support of Yari's group on the other, have both refused to back down, thereby forcing the party and the presidency to restrategise.

Tinubu has enlarged his consultation across party lines to rally support, while exploiting the deep divisions in almost all the parties with elected members at the National Assembly.

Consequently, the President last Thursday took the challenge to the senators at a meeting and made up for his perceived preinauguration antagonism. Deftly, he wooed all the lawmakers-elect in his address by assuring them that he would not interfere in their choice of the leadership of the National Assembly, but subtly reminded members of the APC to respect the zoning arrangement of the party. Many senators, it was gathered, were bowled over by the persuasive ability of the President.

EXPLOITING PARTY DIVISIONS

Strikingly, all the major political parties are having internal crises at present and this is either working for or against them, with regard to their positions on the NASS leadership. For the Labour Party, LP, the factionalisation of the party has made it impossible to maintain unity among its elected members.

Contacted at the weekend, a senator-elect on the platform of the party confided in THEWILL that the party had not told them what to do or who to support, with just days to D-day.

"Maybe by Sunday, we will hear the party," he said rhetorically and added that apart from the divisions within the party, some elected members were either greenhorns or persons who rode on the popularity of the party’s presidential candidate to power and therefore they are open to persuasion.

The case of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is similar. Unlike 2015 when the pain of losing the presidential election that year had galvanized them to present a united effort, which paid off in the position of deputy senate president through an alliance with Dr Bukola Saraki, the party is currently

torn by dissent and its hold on members is very weak. The rebellious G-5 governors, who played a major role in undermining the success of the party at the polls are now hobnobbing with President Tinubu. At least twice within the past month, former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike visited Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa.

Apart from other deals that are yet to be disclosed, sources say they are collectively working with the President to achieve his mission on Akpabio and Tajudeen.

A MATTER OF NUMBERS

Going by the role that numbers play in determining the outcome of who wins in the forthcoming election of the presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly, the race is getting tighter with a tilt towards the governing party’s anointed candidates.

The governing APC has 59 Senators-elect, while the PDP has 35 after two Senators – Matthew Uroghide (Edo South) and Patrick Akinyelure (Ondo Central) – resigned from the party last week. LP has seven while the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has two and the Social Democratic Party, three. The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Young Progressives Party, YPP have one each.

Although the Akpabio and Yari groups each claim to have 75 supporters, none appears to have a solid control over their supporters as of Saturday night. What can be said with certainty is that Tinubu and the governing party had done extensive mobilisation and lobbying to secure supporters to their cause.

In this light, the rank of the opposition has been broken. SDP has since declared support for the government. So did the NNPP, following the working alliance between the National Chairman of the party, Rabiu Kwakwanso and Tinubu.

Wike is said to have whipped the three senators

from Rivers State into line in support of the President's position. He has joined efforts with Senator-elect Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State and his Imo counterpart, Hope Uzodinma to rally the senators from the South-East, except Kalu, aspiring to be Yari's deputy.

Coupled with this singular and group effort is the support from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, which has thrown its weight behind the position of the government and APC. Given the influence of state governors on their senators, the Akpabio group appears to be coasting home steadily.

Former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, is speculated to be mobilising the support of the PDP senators-elect for the Yari group as part of the fight for legislative independence, but how far this effort goes is yet to be seen.

The division in the PDP, coupled with the inability of all the other opposition parties to form a common front against the government’s anointed favoured candidates, has dealt a blow to his move.

Solomon Bob, a three-time PDP Senator from Rivers State, sums up the crack in the PDP when he told a national television service on Friday night that many of his party members would vote for the ruling party's candidate because, "The party has majority members and by convention and rule of the thumb, they should produce the leadership." He denied any influence by former Governor Wike, but no politically discerning Nigerian will believe him.

In the House of Representatives, the same scenario is playing out with APC controlling 176 members, followed by PDP with 112, LP, 37, NNPP 20, APGA 6, SDP 3 ADC 3 and YPP 3.

With governors influencing many legislators, many of whom are new and inexperienced, the government and ruling party may have the upper hand against their opponents in the final showdown.

TOO MANY NEWBIES IN NASS

A key factor in determining who and which group eventually emerges winner on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 is the high turnout of new and inexperienced members of the National Assembly: They are not only new to the intrigues leaving them exposed to persuasion but also to appeal for national unity in the name of patriotism, particularly by a combined weighty power of government and the ruling party. Indeed, only 30 senators won re-election out of a total 109 members. In the House of Representatives 130 out of 360 failed to get reelected.

It tells a lot about the experience of Hon. Godwin Ogah from Abia State, an elected member of the LP whose party is challenging the election of President Tinubu in court and yet to accord the President any form of recognition.

Minutes after the elected members met with Tinubu on Thursday, Ogah gushed to the media: "Today is my best day, seeing my President talking. I never knew President Ahmed Tinubu is this intelligent and prepared to rule Nigeria. I saw the love, the character, the charisma and the belief that Nigeria can be a better nation."

The President last Thursday took the challenge to the senators at a meeting and made up for his perceived pre-inauguration antagonism. Deftly, he wooed all the lawmakers-elect in his address by assuring them that he would not interfere in their choice of the leadership of the National Assembly, but subtly reminded members of the APC to respect the zoning arrangement of the party

How DSS Arrested Emefiele in Lagos

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, was arrested Saturday morning inside his highbrow Ikoyi home in Lagos, hours after he was suspended from office from his post by President Bola Tinubu. His suspension was sequel to an investigation of his office and the reforms in the economy, according to a government statement.

The Department of State Services (DSS), which initially denied arresting Emefiele, arrived at his residence, introduced themselves and they were allowed into the compound by the security officers at the gate after receiving clearance from the former bank chief. They subsequently led him away in an unmarked vehicle, close associates of Emefiele told THEWILL.

I'll listen to Yearning of Nigerians, Tinubu Assures Traditional Rulers

President Bola Tinubu has assured traditional rulers in the country that his administration will run an opendoor policy and listen to the yearning of Nigerians for the transformation of the country’s rich potential into reality.

A statement by the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, said the President spoke on Friday at an interactive session with the Royal Fathers under the aegis of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN).

The President apprised the traditional rulers of the decision of his government to remove fuel subsidy, improve security, create jobs and sustain the environment as well as the forthcoming election of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.

‘‘We are all ears. We are ready to listen at any given time. I promise you an opendoor policy and that is the way I will go. That open-door policy is for you to call me and send to me at any given time any concern that you might have. We may not have it right 100 percent of the time but we must get it right 90 percent of the time for this country,” he said.

Responding to issues raised by the traditional rulers on the challenges facing the country, he assured them, saying: ‘‘Worry not because the country is in good hands,” adding that his administration is very conscious of the expectations of Nigerians.

On the decision to remove fuel subsidy, for which various speakers at the meeting expressed support, the President appealed to the traditional leaders to persuade Nigerians to have faith and that the pump prices of fuel will eventually come down.

‘‘I am grateful that you are paying attention to what I have been doing. You have paid attention to the subsidy removal. Why should we in good heart and sense, feed smugglers and be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries, even though they say not every day is Christmas?

‘‘The elephant that was going to bring Nigeria to its knees is the subsidy. A country that cannot pay salaries and we say we have the potential to encourage ourselves. I think we did the right thing,”

he said.

While acknowledging concerns about the need for critical infrastructure in different parts of the country, President Tinubu pledged that any roadblock in the way of the progress of the Nigerian people would be removed by his government.

‘‘As for the lamentations about capital projects, where is the money going to come from if we don’t protect our resources and our boundaries? You cannot have development without capital projects,” he added.

On the leadership of the National Assembly, the President urged the traditional rulers to counsel their subjects interested in elective positions on the need to manage their ambitions and create harmony within the legislative house. President Tinubu declared that he is ready to work with any elected representative from the National Assembly, stressing that the Nigeria project is of paramount importance to him.

‘‘Nigeria must survive. Nigeria must develop. Nigeria must make progress,” he stressed.

On security, the President reiterated his pledge to Nigerians to prioritise the sector until every Nigerian “goes to sleep with their two eyes closed.’’

He emphasised that the unity and togetherness of the country cannot be compromised, saying that every region of the country would get what it is due.

‘‘We are going to tackle youth unemployment. It is only when we have prosperity for the country that we can create jobs that will employ our youths,” he said.

Condemning crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region by a ‘tiny percentage’ of the population, President Tinubu said it was counterproductive to the economy’s growth.

‘‘We need to tame those involved in this sabotage and we will work as hard as possible to ensure that the diversity of this country is used for its prosperity, growth and stability,” he added.

Edo 2024: Imansuangbon Joins Labour Party

Less than 72 hours after he exited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo politician, Kenneth Imansuangbon, has joined the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2024 governorship election in the State.

The embattled National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure, presented Imansuangbon with the membership card of his party on Friday, in Abuja.

Receiving the membership card, Imansuangbon urged the Labour Party to make its primary transparent.

“All that I need is a free and fair primary. With that, I will get the ticket of the party. By the time I get the ticket, it is over for the PDP and the All Progressives Congress. PDP is dead. I have taken the glory away; the shine. By 2024, the Labour Party will form a government in Edo State,” he said.

Abure assured Imansuangbon of a level playing field during the primary.

He said, “It is going to be a level playing field. There are several examples to show. When we did the Anambra primary it was the best.

“For Edo and Ondo, I assure you that it will be free and fair. We have made that standard and we will not renege on it. Our party is built on integrity and we will deliver on it. We cannot be seen to be abandoning this principle because expectations are high.

“One of the challenges we have with the elites is that we have no role models, only a few to emulate compared to what we had in the first Republic.

A video showing Emefiele being driven in the unmarked DSS Totoya Hilux into a private wing of the Lagos airport where he was escorted into a luxury jet was later shared to the public Saturday afternoon. The DSS and Emefiele have been at loggerheads since the CBN redesigned the naira last year, with just a few weeks to the general elections. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Tinubu, had complained that the move was ill timed and designed to engineer his defeat in the election, a charge Emefiele denied.

The DSS had sought a high court judge's approval to detain Emefiele on sensational charges of financing terrorism, economic sabotage and treason afterwards. The judge however denied the approval, saying the application by the DSS was suspicious and did not have then President Muhammadu Buhari's approval because Emefiele occupied a very sensitive post in the federal government. Emefiele also subsequently approached a high court where he got an order restraining the DSS from arresting him. While the cat and mouse game between the banker and the DSS played out, it took the intervention of then President Buhari before some form of normalcy was restored between Emefiele and the DSS DirectorGeneral, Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

“The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is now in its custody for some investigative reasons.

“The public, particularly the media, is enjoined to apply utmost caution in the reportage and narratives concerning this,” a statement by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Peter Afunanya, on Saturday, said.

NUC Issues Licences to 37 New Universities

The National University Commission (NUC) has given provisional licences to 37 newly established private universities approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 15.

The Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, at the presentation of the provisional licences to the universities, said the number of private universities now stood at 147 out of a total of 264 universities in the country.

Rasheed charged the proprietors of the newly established universities to ensure that the motive for creating the universities was not for money but for a higher and noble goal.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde (second left); his deputy, Bayo Lawal (second right); Former Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon Debo Ogundoyin (right) and Olorunda of Olorunda Abaa, Oba Samuel Oludele (left), during the official flag off of the dualisation of 8.3km  Akobo, Ojuirin/Odogbo Barracks, Olorunda Abaa junction road, Ibadan on June 9, 2023.

AINA OJONUGA

Place Automotive Sector in Front Burner of Your Economic Policy, BKG Boss Urges Tinubu

The Managing Director, BKG Exhibitions Limited, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, Wednesday in Lagos, called on President Bola Tinubu, to ensure that the automotive sector of the Nigerian economy remains in the front burner of his administration's economic policy and programmes right from the onset so that Nigeria won't continue to lose more ground in the industry to Ghana and other neighbouring countries.

Agwu made the call at the opening of the all-inclusive auto expo incorporating the 17th Lagos Motor Fair, 10th Auto Parts Expo Africa and the second Motorcycle/ Tricycle Expo held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos from June 6 to June 9, 2023.

Lamenting what happened to the National Automotive Industry Development Policy/ Programme (NAIDP) after the regime change in 2015, the BKG Managing Director, who is also the chairman of the organising committee of the automotive show, said the Tinubu Administration should realise the immense opportunities in the automotive sector and tap into it right from the onset .

''This edition of the all-inclusive automotive event is holding despite all odds, with the high hope and enthusiasm that the new administration in Nigeria, will give the industry the needed attention and action that will take us to the desired height. This should be done urgently so that we will not lose more ground in the industry to Ghana and other neighbouring countries.

''I urge the new government to ensure that the automotive sector of the Nigerian economy remains in the front burner of its economic policy and programmes from the onset.

''We must guard against the way change of administration usually plays out on ongoing policies of the preceding administration given what happened to the National Automotive Industry Development Policy/Programme (NAIDP) after the regime change in 2015.

''The sector is very important as it shows physically the state of the economy and it generates much revenue and creates enormous employment. No serious government toys with it. It is a sector that affects virtually everything.

"If it is not rightly re-positioned now, it will negatively affect a whole lot in the life of the people and economy in the very near future. Government should therefore parley seriously with the sector's stakeholders to see how it could be made better, '' Agwu stated.

On the importance of this year's event, Agwu said: "We are using this edition to reemphasise the need to institute and drive a well-thought out policy and programme to rejig the sector to enhance the making of Nigeria the hub of automotive business in West Africa in particular and the entire continent in general.

He called on stakeholders in the sector to rally towards repositioning the sector.

"There is an urgent need for all the stakeholders to close ranks and pursue the development of the sector with more focus and dedication. They need to ensure unity of purpose and always utilise every window of opportunity such as this, to draw the attention of policy makers and implementers to the challenges in the sector.

"In unison, the stakeholders can put the issues of the sector in the front burners of economic discourse and policy in the country and ensure that it does not collapse.

We aim to use this key annual event to strengthen Nigerian autoparts markets’ role as the hub of the sector’s business in Africa. The intention is to make players in the sector from other countries in the continent to be buying from the Nigerian markets,'' he said.

Commending participants and exhibitors at the event which closed on Friday, June 9, Agwu said: "I commend you all for defying all odds to be here. I wish you the best as you utilise this event to increase your enviable stake in the largest automotive market in Sub-Saharan Africa.

''I want to commend and thank in no small measure 11 Plc. for the special role It played in this edition as a Gold Participant/Official Lubricant of the Event. Thank you for always identifying with the need of this industry through your active participation in the event over the years and upping the tempo again this year".

12,000 Small-scale Farmers to Benefit From Solidaridad's Intervention in Nigeria's Oil Palm Sector

About 12,000 small scale oil palm farmers across Nigeria are expected to benefit from the sustainable, climate smart oil palm production by Solidaridad, a civil society organisation.

This was disclosed in Calabar during a one day state Multi Stakeholders Platform meeting which attracted participants including the traditional rulers Ikom, Bekwarra and Biase LGAs in the state.

Speaking during the engagement, Dr. Otu Ibor, the State MSP coordinator, said the focus of the meeting is to bring to the attention of all stakeholders their responsibilities towards turning around the oil palm economy. He added that it will also help promote mitigation of greenhouse gases, promote inclusive access for productive assets for enhanced livelihoods with priorities for women and youths.

He said the organization will do this by bringing together supply chain actors and engaging them in innovative solutions to improve production.

This will ensure the transition to a sustainable climate smart and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all.

In his reaction, the acting paramount Ruler of Ikom, HRH Ntoe B. A. Ndoma said "he is so happy with what the NGO is doing to help their farmers.

"We need to synergize with them at the local government area so that our people will maximise the benefit they are giving", he said.

On his part, the paramount Ruler of Bekwarra HRM Odey Linus Obeche said Solidaridad is touching the local people at home through their intervention in oil palm cultivation. He said his council is going to encourage the local people there to key in and maximise the benefits inherent in the project.

Also speaking, the paramount Ruler of Biase, HRM Onun Apostle Nicholas, said "the knowledge gathered from the sensitization will be disseminated to their subjects.

Stop

Dabbling into NNPP Affair in Ogun, South-West Leadership Cautions Aniebonam

The leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the SouthWest geo-political zone has warned the self-acclaimed founder of the party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, to stop dabbling into the party's affairs in Ogun state, saying there is nothing like a founder in a political party after registration.

The warning, according to the Southwest leaders, followed Aniebonam's alleged involvement in the crisis rocking the NNPP in Ogun state, which they said led to the expulsion of former Chairman of the party, Olaposi Sunday Oginni, by the national leadership of the party.

The party leadership in the South West, speaking through Prince Ademola Ayoade, said after Oginni's expulsion and dissolution of the entire executive, the national body appointed a Caretaker Committee led by Prince Adekunle Ibrahim.

He said other Caretaker Committee members are Comrade Afuye Oluwatoyin, acting Secretary; Comrade Olowu Omokehinde Olayemi, acting Publicity Secretary; Comrade Oyegbemi Omokehinde, acting Youth Leader, and Shefiu Musa, acting Treasurer.

"They also include Hon. Foluke Precious Bagbansoro as acting Women Leader; Mrs Riskat Oloyede as acting Financial Secretary; Taofeek Adegboyega as acting Organising Secretary and Akindele Micheal as acting Welfare Secretary," he said.

He said last Tuesday, following a petition by the national leadership of the party to the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba, over several allegations bordering on financial misappropriation, fraud, money laundering and financing terrorism in some parts of the country against expelled former Chairman, Oginni, he was arrested in Abeokuta by a team of crack detectives from Force Headquarters, Abuja, who whisked him away to Abuja, on Wednesday.

"But, in a twist on the issue on Friday, Dr Boniface Aniebonam wrote a letter to the Inspector-General of Police taking side with Oginni," Ayoade said.

Reacting to Aniebonam's letter on Friday, on behalf of the party leaders in the South West Geo-Political Zone, Prince Ademola Ayoade warned Aniebonam not to dabble into issues he has no idea of.

Ayoade said Aniebonam should stop his plan of running parallel party affairs in Ogun State NNPP, warning that he should also stop fooling the public on the issue of being the founder of the party when it is not a private business.

According to him, "Political party is not a company or personal property; once a political party is registered, it becomes public property."

L-R: Director General,  Institute of Directors of Nigeria, Dele Alimi; Managing Director, Human Manager Limited, Adekubi Adeniluyi; Group Managing Director, SystemSpecs Holdings; John Obaro; Winner, Senior School Essay Contest, Afolabi Joanne of Bishop Howels Memorial Grammar School, Lagos; Winner Junior School Essay Contest, Uwakwe Chikanyima of Sacred Heart Seminary, Port Harcourt; Partner, Ernst and Young, Sayo Elumaro and Deremi Atanda and Managing Director, Remita Payment Services Limited, Deremi Atanda, at the 4th SystemSpecs Children’s Day Essay Competition Award Ceremony held in Lagos on June 9, 2023.

BASSEY ANIEKAN

AYO ESAN

Journalists Charged on Professional Ethics

Former Head of Department of Mass Communication at the University of Jos, Assoc. Prof. Taye Obateru, has charged Nigerian journalists to uphold the ethics of their profession.

Obateru gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book he coauthored along other eminent scholars from various mass media specialisations.

Bayelsa Mulls Establishment of Plastic Waste Bank

The Bayelsa State Government said it is poised to mitigate plastic hazards caused by environmental pollution and others so as to secure and protect the state's environmental sustainability.

Governor Douye Diri, made this commitment on Thursday, during the state's edition of the 2023 World Environment Day celebration held in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service of the state, Biobelemoye Charles-Onyema, Mni, not only frowned at the state of environmental pollution plaguing the state but also decried indiscriminate abuse of environmental laws by the citizenry.

Diri applauded the Ministry of Environment on its various activities and policies in protecting the state's environment, stressing that the 'Prosperity Administration', under his stewardship, would not leave any stone unturned in mitigating plastic-caused environmental pollution in the state.

He also gave approval for the establishment of a 'plastic bank' towards ensuring that plastic waste is properly recycled and reused rather than being improperly discarded upon use, causing

Democracy Day'll be Low Key – SGF

The Federal Government has said that the 2023 National democracy day will be celebrated low key.

environmental pollution and health consequences.

The governor directed the Ministries of Environment, Trade and Industry, Lands and Survey, Office of the Surveyor-General of the state, as well as the Office of the Chief of Staff to collaborate on modalities for the proposed state plastic bank and report back to his office within the shortest possible time for quick implementation.

He said: "It's my joy to join the good people of Bayelsa State and the rest of the global community in the celebration of World Environment Day. The global theme for this year's celebration, 'Solutions to Plastic Pollution', speaks of the pre-eminence and urgent need to address the menace of pollution that afflicts our world.

"Let me take this moment to restate the commitment and support of the Government of Prosperity to every initiative that will contribute to the sustainability, ambience and prosperity of the Bayelsa environment.

"Transforming waste to wealth is a paradigm shift that I fully identify with. In furtherance of this policy direction, I here direct the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment to forward a clear document on plastic waste management.

LASG, FAO Woo Investors to Epe Feedlot Project

The Lagos State Government and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have urged investors to explore the huge opportunities in its proposed 750 hectares cattle feedlot project in Igbodu, Epe.

Mrs Olatokunbo Emokpae, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, stated this at a stakeholders’ engagement on the ‘Feasibility and Value Analysis of the Cattle Feedlot Estate’ on Friday in Ikeja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inception workshop of the Technical Cooperation Facility Project Feasibility and Value Chain Analysis of the Red Meat Value Chain, particularly the Cattle Feedlot Estate in Lagos State was organised by the FAO of the United Nations.

Emokpae said the workshop was aimed at exposing investors to the investment opportunities available in the ministry’s Feedlot Estate Project.

He added that the opportunities span cattle production, processing, logistics, beef marketing, and distribution in the state.

“Today’s event will also identify the project capacity needs, evaluate environmental issues that could arise during its implementation and proffer solutions to mitigate them.

“Lagos State with a human population of over 24 million, currently requires a total of 1.4 million heads of cattle valued at over N490 billion annually while local production from existing feedlots in the state is presently 12,000 heads of cattle.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Inter ministerial committee for 2023 National democracy day, George Akume, announced this at the World Conference Day while reeling out activities for the celebration.

Akume said the celebration was meant to honour heroes who championed the cause and made extraordinary sacrifices to enthrone democracy in Nigeria from 1999 to date.

According to him, the struggle predates 1999.

“It is expedient for citizens and foreigners alike to take stock of how the nation has fared so far and assess the dividends that Democracy has ensued, as well as areas where we need to make improvements. It is in light of this that the theme of this year’s Democracy celebration is 'Hope Reassured'.

“It is pertinent to state that having had an elaborate Presidential inauguration this year, activities to mark the 2023 June 12, Democracy Day will be low key", he explained.

While responding to questions from newsmen, former Commissioner of Information and Strategy in Lagos state, Dele Alake, said the event was reviewed to be celebrated low key in line with the President’s cost-cutting Policy.

“There’s no rocket science in fathoming reasons for that. Somebody said that we just had an inauguration celebration few days ago, but beyond that, it’s the fact that it’s meant to signal and symbolise the Cost-Cutting Policy of this administration. And there’s no more significant place to start off than celebration of the democracy day that’s quite a watershed in the history of Nigeria", Alake said.

The 2023 National democracy day will be celebrated with the following major activities:

Friday, June 9, 2023: World Press Conference at Rotunda Hall, Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 3:00 pm.

Monday, June 12, 2023: Presidential Broadcast at 7:00 am.

The events will be broadcast live on all major stations and streamed on various social media platforms.

The theme for the 2023 National Democracy Day is, “Hope Reassured.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the title of the 162page book is “Media and Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy: Civil Space, Free Speech and the Battle for the Freedom of the Press”. Speaking as a panelist at the event, the don said it is incumbent on Nigerian journalists to play the game (journalism) by the rules as obtainable in other professions.

He said journalists should be mindful of their conducts as custodians of public interest, while also desisting from rushing to publish stories without adequate background check and balancing of perspectives.

He said, “As argued in one of the chapters of this book, ethics is very key to any profession. If we can’t uphold the ethics of any profession, then there is no basis for practising the profession itself.

“If we want to be journalists who should be respected, we must be ethical. To the extent that it could be said that we have done what we need to do in terms of carrying out our work.”

Obateru recommended his recently published book entitled, ‘Brown Envelope and News Media Practice in Nigeria’ as a guide to journalism students, practitioners and various democracy stakeholders in charting a new course for upholding the ethics of the profession which has was part of close to three decades before going to academia.

Also, Mr Joe Bankole, a former Managing Editor of NAN said the book explored aspects of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy in terms of practice, constraints especially as journalists and media professionals are concerned.

He explained that it also explored how government muscles the media with a view to controlling it.

“I feel privileged to be part of this important work which is wellresearched.

L-R: Representative of the Vice Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada, Dr. Andrew Amenaghawon; Chief Executive Officer, Edo State Flood, Erosion, and Watershed Management Agency (Edo FEWMA), Dr. Tom Obaseki; Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, Mr. Joel Edionwe and representative of the Edo State Governor and Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, during an event to commemorate the 2023 World Environment Day at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State on June 8, 2023.

FROM DAVID OWEI, YENAGOA

POLITICS

Ninth House of Reps Awards Self Pass Mark

BY AYO ESAN

The Ninth House of Representatives which was inaugurated on Tuesday, June 9, 2019 held its valedictory session last Wednesday, ending its four-year tenure, with former Speakers of the House, Ghali Na’Abba (1999-2003) and Patricia Etteh (2007) in attendance.

As the session commenced, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila admitted into the Chambers, former Presiding Officers, former Principal Officers and former Clerks of the House of Representatives and acknowledged their significant contributions to the National Assembly.

The former presiding officers were ushered into the chamber, following a motion moved by the leader of the House, Hon. Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano).

In her remark, Etteh said, “First and foremost, I have always been praying that God should give us a president of this nature, someone who has passed through the legislative arm of government. Who says God is not answering prayers? God answered my prayers and the prayers of others by giving us somebody who has really passed through this National Assembly. I asked for one, but God gave us three because he knows we have been yearning for it.

“We want somebody that really appreciates Nigerians. There is no one that will pass through the National Assembly or any legislative arm of government that would not appreciate Nigerians because we are the people that listen to the yearnings of this nation.”

The occasion provided the lawmakers the

“

Other notable legislations by the Ninth House, he added, was the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2022 and the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, 2019, which were aimed at optimising the functions of the oil and gas sector

opportunity to award pass marks to the Ninth House of Representatives. Starting from the Speaker, the lawmakers took turns to heap praises on the House. Declaring his valedictory speech, Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila expressed his gratitude to his constituents and other members of the House for their support to him during his tenure as Speaker. He attributed his success to their courage, determination and commitment to nation-building.

Gbajabiamila said the Ninth House of Reps worked assiduously to ensure that Nigeria achieved economic, social, and political transformations that benefitted the citizens by introducing legislations that addressed numerous challenges within various sectors.

He cited the implementation of the January to December budget cycle that ended the policy of instability and economic uncertainty created by irregular budgeting practices as one of the major achievements of the Ninth House.

Other notable legislations by the Ninth House, he added, was the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2022 and the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, 2019, which were aimed at optimising the functions of the oil and gas sector.

Speaking on reforms within the security sector, Gbajabiamila mentioned the passage of the Police Act, which established the Police Complaints Units as a statutory organ accessible to the public for reporting cases of police misconduct.

He noted that the House passed the Police Act to change the nature of the relationship between the police and other citizens and to ensure that police officers who fell short of their responsibilities could be quickly held accountable.

The outgoing Speaker said the Ninth House worked with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to establish a new framework of accountability to hold erring

Continues on Page 11

Gbajabiamila

Wase

...Awards Self Pass Mark

Continued from Page 10

members of the Police Force to account for their conduct; appropriated the sum of N500 million through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of police brutality nationwide; and convened a National Security Summit to examine Nigeria’s national security and defence infrastructure.

Gbajabiamila said that though the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector to Nigeria’s socio-economic wellbeing had long been apparent, successive administrations failed to put in place a functional statutory regime to allow the sector to function optimally.

He said the Ninth House ended that “legacy of lethargy” with the passage of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) and the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, which further put the sector on the right footing.

He stated, “Our legacy also includes the comprehensive electoral reforms in the Electoral Act that have changed forever for good the way we conduct elections in Nigeria. While we recognise the need to continue to work to improve election management in Nigeria, we must acknowledge the vast improvement that has taken place since the return to democracy. And we take pride in our contribution to these improvements over the last four years.

“Through the constitutional review process, the House of Representatives sought to restructure our government to make it more effective, reorganise our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that even now continue to tear our nation apart.

“Our interventions on behalf of Nigerians in China during the pandemic put an end to recurrent incidents of abuse, just as our efforts on behalf of Nigerians in South Africa and Ghana caused the governments of those nations to step up action to protect the lives and property of our citizens in those countries.

“From Ghana to South Africa, from China to the United States of America, we made it clear that this parliament will defend the rights of our citizens to conduct their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation and that the wellbeing of Nigerians remains our business, whether home or abroad.”

Gbajabiamila, however, said he regretted that the Ninth House did not succeed in removing some of the constitutional barriers that had long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of the country. He urged the 10th House to take up the mantle and do better.

He noted that the Ninth House, with unwavering courage and determination, defended the rights and dignity of Nigerians from every attempt to dehumanise and victimise them.

He lamented that too many young Nigerians had lost faith in the country and were leaving in droves in search of better prospects and a brighter future in other lands. He added that the country was losing some of its best and brightest, and if leaders did not act now, the consequences of this loss would shortly become painfully evident.

The outgoing Speaker acknowledged the efforts made by the House of Representatives, in response to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect the lives of Nigerians, including the passage of the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill, 2020; the passage of the Emergency Relief and Assistance Bill, 2020; the establishment of a health facility in the FCT under the management of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the consideration of the Infectious Disease Bill, 2020.

He commended the efforts of members towards the passage of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, the Nigeria Start-Up Act, 2022, the Electoral Act, 2022 and 35 Constitution Alteration Bills out of which 16 were assented by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He expressed his appreciation to stakeholders, specifically the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the NBA and Korand Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) for their immense contribution and support. He described these stakeholders as “worthy partners in progress".

Gbajabiamila further expressed the optimism that the House of Representatives and the Senate would continue to work towards peace, prosperity, equity, and justice, irrespective of tribe and tongue, religion and creed.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, acknowledged the achievements of the House.

Fulata said that the Ninth House passed a total of 510 bills and 2,000 motions in the last four years.

Fulata said the Ninth House was the most productive of all assemblies in the history of the National Assembly, having processed 2,232 bills, out of which 52 were from the executive, 163 from the senate, and 2,017 were members bills.

He said “Out of these figures still, bills awaiting second reading are 1,197. Bills referred to committees, 581. Bills reported by the committees 275. Bills pending in the committee 308. Bills within the Committee of the Whole, 106. Bills laid on table awaiting consideration, 64. Bills far passed 510.

“Bills killed (negative) 13, and bills withdrawn by their sponsors, five. The House also passed 2,000 motions in total. Mr. Speaker, all these could not have been achieved without your able leadership and that of your Deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, who is also Chairman, Committee of the Whole.”

Chairman, Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, said, “We were able to pass so many amendments to our laws. So many Finance Acts that have seen the increase in our revenue from N5.2 trillion in 2019 to about N10.1 trillion in 2022.”

Outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Hon. Aminu Suleiman, said Gbajabiamila saved the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from proscription during the union’s nine-month strike action.

Hon. Julius Ihonvbere while contributing said, “Mr. Speaker, in your new role, your challenges will be more than what you face here because those pains, those broken dreams that you spoke about are still there. In many cases they are worse. So, we plead with you not to abandon the spirit of vision, commitment, of believing that a country requires the kind of leaders that will have that ability to have a sense of nation and vision.”

Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Hon. Onofiok Luke, made a case for salary increase for judicial officers.

Luke said, “Mr. Speaker, you gave me a responsibility as Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary. Mr. Speaker, in your new role, we have not been able to reach the El Dorado.

“The judicial officers of this country are still wallowing in their poor working and living conditions. Mr. Speaker, the last salary review for the judicial officers in this country was about 14 years ago and every effort to increase their salaries ended in futility. So, I want to urge you, Sir, to take up the issue of judiciary.”

He noted that the Ninth House, with unwavering courage and determination, defended the rights and dignity of Nigerians from every attempt to dehumanise and victimise them

Faleke

Doguwa

PDP on Path to Unity

BY AYO ESAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), penultimate Saturday, gathered to review the 2023 General Election and to foster unity, which had deserted the party in the build-up to the election.

The party was highly polarized, going into the general election, with five of its state governors (G-5) and other aggrieved members of the party forming the 'Integrity Group’.

The Integrity Group refused to cooperate with the party. It failed to participate in the electioneering campaign of the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The result was that the opposition presidential candidates won the elections in the PDP states under the control of these five governors.

The party is currently contesting the outcome of the presidential election in court alongside Atiku. It is trying to prove that Atiku won the Presidential election and challenging INEC on its declaration of the APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the election.

The leadership of the party believes that going forward, there is a need to bring unity into its fold. Based on this determination to foster unity, it sent out invitations to governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives elected on its platform to attend the mandatory retreat in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital. This was made public via an announcement signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Hon. Umar Bature, who was sighted in Abuja, penultimate Thursday.

Those invited to the event include all former Presidents, Vice Presidents, governors (who are still members of the party), all National Assembly members (for which attendance was mandatory), chairman and Secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees and one zonal representative from each of the six geo-political zones. Others include all members of the National Working Committee and all former presiding officers of the National Assembly (who are still members of the party). Also invited were the Chairman and Secretary of the Chairmen’s Forum, one representative per zone six exofficio members (one each per zone.

The one-day retreat presided over by the Acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, was attended by state governors and members of the National Assembly elected under the PDP, and members of the PDP National Working Committee, members of the Board of Trustees, and other PDP Stakeholders.

While welcoming the delegates to the retreat, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State urged members of the PDP to take cognisance of the importance of unity.

According to Mohammed, the strength of the party lies in the ability of the members to remain united in the face of adversity.

“Despite the challenges we face as an opposition party, we must remain resilient and united in our pursuit of the interest of our constituencies.

“We must also exchange this unity to both people we agree with and the people we differ with.

“Conflicts with the governors and within our ranks, serve only to divide us and undermine our shared objectives.

“Our governors are partners in progress and it is by working with them not against them that we can effect the desired change,” he said.

Mohammed said the retreat was aimed to strategise on how the members could drive the party and the nation toward a prosperous future and development.

The retreat, he said, would allow them to engage in open discussion about the current position of the party, its strength and areas that required improvement.

Also speaking, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said that PDP’s members-elect were not the majority in the National Assembly, based on the results of the

2023 general election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Atiku charged members of the party to work as an effective and constructive opposition while also preparing for the possible role of the majority party when the cases were resolved at the courts.

“Don’t ever lose hope, the role of the opposition is holding the government in majority to account and in doing so, you demonstrate that you and your party are ready to govern at the shortest possible time,” he said. Similarly,Toby Okechukwu (PDP) – Aninri, Awgu, and Oji River Federal Constituency), who spoke on behalf of PDP Reps caucus, said that members in the opposition must be united and work in consent with the party.

He said, “If you manifest an incident of disunity, we will do so at our own peril and if we are united, no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenges, we will eventually manifest good opposition,” he said.

On his part, Sen. Philip Aduda, who spoke on behalf of the PDP Senate caucus, urged PDP governors to interface with their NASS members, to work in synergy with each other and see each other as partners in progress.

“It is only when we work together and the National Assembly members also work together with their governors that they can escalate it to the national level,” he said.

The key points of discussion and resolutions from the retreat include the need for unity in the party, partnership in development, united opposition, legislative priorities, inter-party alliance and the issue of removal of petroleum subsidy.

There was emphasis on fostering unity within the party and across the nation. Members of the party agreed on the need for constant engagement and focus on issues concerning the welfare, stability, economy, and security of Nigeria.

On dominant topics, the retreat featured discussions around good governance, democratic accountability, the party's role in opposition, the recent removal of Petroleum subsidy, prevalent poverty, the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians, ongoing post-election judicial processes, and the necessity of returning Nigeria to proper constitutional governance.

Following these discussions, the participants resolved to congratulate all elected PDP officials and urge them to deliver quality governance to the Nigerian people at all levels.

The party also decided to support party members and candidates in various tribunals to seek redress for electoral injustices and defend victorious candidates.

The judiciary was urged to respect and apply the Electoral Act impartially.

On Partnership in Development, the party charged the PDP legislators and governors to collaborate as partners in development and avoiding conflict that undermines party effectiveness.

The PDP also identified key issues for legislative focus to include insecurity, unemployment, inflation, fuel subsidy removal, and strategies for national development.

It encouraged coalition-building with other opposition parties to form a minority caucus and strong alliance for effective national development.

The retreat called on state governors and legislators to respect and contribute to the success of the party.

It stressed the need for improved communication and synergy between the elected National Assembly members and the PDP; ensuring lawmakers fulfil their responsibilities in line with party values and national interest.

As part of its resolution, the retreat expressed concerns over the quick removal of the Petroleum subsidy and the lack of adequate consultation. It urged the Federal Government to engage in genuine dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders to reach a fair and reasonable solution.

PDP also resolved that support will be given to candidates that promote unity, independence and viability of the legislature, necessary for good governance and democratic accountability.

While welcoming the delegates to the retreat, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State urged members of the PDP to take cognisance of the importance of unity

Atiku

Mohammed

Comrade Rotimi Olumo is the Coordinator of the Pan -Yoruba Group, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in Oyo State. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on Nigerians’ expectations from the Bola Tinubu Administration, the need for restructuring and other issues of national importance.

Excerpts:

Tinubu Should Tackle Insecurity Urgently – Olumo

Whatare your expectations from President Bola Tinubu?

There is nobody you asked this question that will not have a lot to say because one can see that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has left Nigeria in comatose, especially as regards the issue of insecurity.So, what should be paramount in the mind of President Bola Tinubu is how to tackle insecurity.

If Tinubu wants to make Nigeria a better place for both Nigerians and non- Nigerians, he should first tackle the issue of insecurity.

As I said before, insecurity has brought famine to Nigeria. Now there is scarcity of food everywhere.

We are all aware that the insecurity has been on before former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan left office and Nigerians expected Buhari, who was a military Head of State, would be able to tackle it. However, Nigerians were surprised that it was during his tenure that the situation got worse.

You know, this started from the North-East and it spread to all parts of the country. Even the SouthWest, which was regarded as the most peaceful region, is affected.

If Tinubu is able to solve the issue of insecurity, it will give the people hope and the assurance that he is capable of solving the country’s problems. They will not regret his coming to govern them.

Tinubu should know that insecurity has affected farmers, many of who have been attacked, killed and kidnapped by terrorists. As a result, many of them are scared to go to farm and that is why there is scarcity of food in the country today. Farmers are not working as optimally as before to produce food and this has made the prices of food items to skyrocket beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.

This situation has forced more people to resort to begging in order to survive across the country. In Nigeria today, corporate begging has become the order of the day.

One other critical issue which the government of Tinubu should look into is the provision of employment for the youth. Right now, millions of young men and women are unemployed and that is why there is an increase in the crime rate. Lack of employment has thrown many youths into the business of kidnapping. Others have embraced Internet fraud or Yahoo Yahoo, which is now rubbishing the image of the country globally.

What are the things you think former President Buhari should have done differently?

Nobody expected the situation in Nigeria to deteriorate this badly under Buhari’s watch. He left Nigeria a confused nation. He left many bad legacies, such as insecurity, high rate of unemployment, scarcity of food and acute indebtedness. He is one former President that Nigerians would wish to forget in a hurry.

His tenure brought about a serious uprising in the form of the EndSars protests and a devastating cashless policy that made millions of people to groan in pain. These are the kind of things that Tinubu should avoid. He should ensure that his government fares better so that Nigerians will have a sense of belonging.

Buhari has left a lot of work for Tinubu to do. Tinubu must show that his government will not be like that of his predecessor.

I will therefore say that Tinubu is a lucky man to emerge as the President of Nigeria and he must make us happy. What Nigerians went through under Buhari was enough to reject the ruling All Progressives Congress, but God knows his plans for Nigeria. That is why we have Tinubu today. He must be aware that he should not let the people down.

A lot of people have come out to say that the best way for Nigeria to move forward as a nation is to restructure. What is your view on this?

I believe that Nigeria is now ripe for restructuring, if we must remain as a nation. We should not forget that the country is a combination of many nationalities fused into one. As far as I am concerned, we have to restructure because some people think that they are born to rule. I believe that a section of the country should not be dominating others. It will no longer work.

If we must stay together as a nation, Tinubu should ensure that the country is restructured. This is the only legacy he can lay down and many Nigerians will appreciate it. By doing so, he would be averting what could lead to bloodshed in the country in the future.

If Tinubu wants to do the restructuring, it should not be difficult for him because the template to do that has been created by the Goodluck Jonathan Administration. I am talking about the 2014 National Conference. At the conference, all notable Nigerians sat down to brainstorm and came out with a beautiful paper on how to move the country forward. Restructuring was one of their recommendations.

What pained Nigerians most was the attitude of former President Buhari to the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. I am strongly convinced that if he had looked into the recommendations there won't be agitation for self- determination on the part of some ethnic nationalities.

Tinubu should write his name in Gold in the history of Nigeria by being bold enough to restructure Nigeria.

Governor Seyi Makinde is back for a second term. What is your advice to him?

I will urge him to intensify more efforts on the security of the state. This time around, he should use all the security apparatus available in Oyo State to his advantage. The police, the Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun, OPC members, local hunters and the Peace Corps are ready to work to secure the state and protect the people.

I want Governor Makinde to look at agriculture. Oyo State is blessed with a large expanse of land, especially in the Ibaraba and Oke -Ogun areas of the state. He should make agriculture his priority because this will go a long way to alleviate poverty and to solve the people’s problems of the people.

If Makinde concentrates on these two areas, he will have left a legacy that generations of Oyo indigenes yet unborn will cherish.

“If Tinubu is able to solve the issue of insecurity, it will give the people hope and the assurance that he is capable of solving the country’s problems. They will not regret his coming to govern them

EDITORIAL

Lawal's Rescue Mission in Zamfara

Governor Dauda Lawal's ''rescue mission'' in Zamfara State appears to be paying off.

Last Friday's recovery of over 40 vehicles from the immediate past governor of the state, Bello Matawalle, is proof.

The vehicles, including three bulletproof cars and eight Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), were recovered during a raid carried out by the Police on the residences of the former governor in the state capital, Gusau, and his hometown, Maradun, as well as other locations in the state.

Against a backlash of criticisms and allegations of witch-hunting, Matawalle’s successor from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Governor Lawal, could not help but ''celebrate'' the recovery of the loot.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Suleiman Idris, the governor provided a background to the police raid as he confirmed that government’s stolen property were recovered during the operation.

“The Zamfara State Government has cleared the air on the operation of the Nigeria Police Force that led to the recovery of vehicles looted by the former State Governor, Bello Mohammaed Matawalle. In the early hours of Friday, The Nigeria Police Force stormed the residence of the former Governor, where over 40 vehicles were impounded.

“The Police acted on a court order and a search warrant was obtained for the operation. Recall that the Zamfara State Government communicated officially to former Governor Bello Matawalle and his Deputy to return all the missing

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Austyn Ogannah

Editor – Olaolu Olusina

Deputy Editor – Amos Esele

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Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @ THEWILLNG, +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888.

EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA

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

vehicles within five (5) working days. We also lodged an official complaint with the Police on overriding public interest on wasteful looting of valuables, including official vehicles.

“Consequently, the Police sought a search warrant, which was duly given by the court and hence raided Matawalle’s residence in Gusau, Maradun Local Government, and another unidentified hideout. Over 40 vehicles were recovered including three bulletproof vehicles and eight SUVs.

''We want to reaffirm our commitment to recover all that belongs to the people. Our common resolve is to rescue and rebuild Zamfara. Recovering the proceeds of crime and public assets is a critical part of our rescue mission. We want to call on the people of Zamfara to remain calm as we continue to record massive improvements in the areas of security and the lingering water scarcity in the state,” the governor said in the statement.

The Zamfara case is just one out of many cases of massive looting of public treasuries by the immediate past governors in many states in the twilight of their tenure. Awards of frivolous contracts and actual payment for some of the contracts were also part of the criminal actions undertaken by the states' chief executives to strip their states naked and compound the problems for their successors. Benue, Kano and Cross River States are not exceptions in this wicked act

But the Zamfara case is more pathetic, given the antecedents of Matawalle in just four years as governor. His state became the hotbed and epicentre of local banditry and terrorism in the country with killings and kidnappings of thousands of innocent people on a regular basis, in spite of the efforts of the security forces. Super-intending over one of the poorest states in Nigeria, despite

massive exploitation of raw gold and other mineral resources in the states, Matawalle left a legacy of failure, despite the fact that his state actually competes actively with private players in the lucrative gold business and was able to sell N5 billion worth of gold to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2020 alone.

We recall that over a year ago, Matawalle embarked on a car bazaar as he doled out over 200 luxury cars to traditional rulers in a show of affluence. The Cadillac 2019 Model cars were presented to 17 Emirs, 13 Senior District Heads and 20 District Heads across the state to appreciate them as the custodians of the peoples’ customs and tradition, as well as to woo them into the fight against banditry in the state. Despite the resources at its disposal, however, and compared to other neighbouring states in the NorthWest geopolitical zone, Zamfara, which could afford to splash over N11 billion on a car bazaar for its monarchs and pay huge sums of money to pacify terrorists and local bandits, has only one university – the Zamfara State University, established three years ago and which, as at 2022, was operating from a primary school with only four permanent staff. Infrastructure development in the state is also at a zero level, except the cosmetic facelifts in Gusau, the state capital.

We wonder what the former governor was doing with over 40 vehicles when his people were living in abject poverty and lack. Leaving an empty treasury is enough evidence of his administration's financial recklessness, but he made the matter worse by refusing to hand over government vehicles in his possession.

We therefore commend Governor Lawal for his determination to restore sanity to the state as we urge him to remain sincere and committed to the worthy cause. We also call on other state governors, especially the newly-elected ones, to embark on a similar exercise to ensure that sanity and accountability return to governance to enable the people enjoy the real dividends of democracy instead of their common wealth being cornered by some rogues in government.

We want to reaffirm our commitment to recover all that belongs to the people. Our common resolve is to rescue and rebuild Zamfara. Recovering the proceeds of crime and public assets is a critical part of our rescue mission. We want to call on the people of Zamfara to remain calm as we continue to record massive improvements in the areas of security and the lingering water scarcity in the state

Nigeria Needs Government For The People

BY AUSTIN TAM-GEORGE

Long ago, in the 1980s, I lived with my mom in Aggrey Waterside – one of the most enigmatic informal settlements in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

In those days, the first thing that came to your mind when you woke up in the morning was how to join the long queue leading to the communal toilet on the banks of the Aggrey River.

I was a teenager, but I learnt my first lessons in human resilience by simply looking at the quiet desperation of the people on those long harrowing queues.

There were no water closet systems in the area, no health care services, and we heard of the word “government” only as a cruel and distant rumour.

For many people, government was a mythical entity whose agents occasionally came to raid small shop owners in our area, demanding for “tax.”

Fast forward to 2015, when I was invited to serve as a Commissioner for Information in the Rivers State Government.

As I stood before the governor to take the oath of office, it struck me that the majestic opulence of the Government House where I was being sworn into office was only 900 metres away from the prosaic squalor of Aggrey Waterside, where I lived decades before.

So why was the Government House so near, and yet the “government” itself seemed so distant from the people?

As I found during my time in government, the distance between the people and those who lead is not necessarily a physical distance. It is a policy distance, a performance distance, and an empathy distance.

For instance, if you build an “ultramodern” post office in a community where the people are concerned about the high infant death rate, then there is a serious policy distance. A well-staffed primary health care delivery system may help the people more.

So, as governor, you may invite the Sultan of Brunei to join the King of Monaco to commission the completed ultramodern post office to much media fanfare, but children continue to die from all kinds of preventable diseases, and your post office is unable to help them.

In government, performance distance happens when there is insufficient or lack of imaginative and practical capacity to deliver services that actually improve the people’s lives.

For example, a local government chairman may be quick to organise thugs to disrupt an opposition political rally in his are

But if he lacks the imaginative capacity to mobilise the people on a campaign to, say, increase school enrolment in his domain, then the council area may not see positive development in the long term

This is performance distance because the council chairman’s mobilisational ability is misdirected, destructive, and does not bring any benefit to the people

Similarly, a governor may position his henchmen in every political unit in his state, and he may master how to manipulate the judicial system for his political gain. But if the governor lacks the imaginative abilities to understand and implement sustainable development goals for the benefit of the people as a whole, then his negative hold on the political system will ultimately lead to a failure of development.

empathy does matter in leadership.

Empathy does not require us to act as emotional holograms on behalf of other people.

Rather, empathy challenges us to reaffirm our own humanity by showing compassion and understanding in our relationships with others.

In leadership, empathy distance occurs when leaders feel no connection with the plight and struggles of the people they are meant to serve.

Empathy is what moves us to stand hip to hip with the people when our communities are flooded, and the people need to be evacuated to a higher ground, with warm blankets on their backs.

On the other hand, empathy distance is what happens when we’re so obsessed with the tantalising hedonism of high office, that we’re unable to hear or respond to the piercing cry of a woman in labour only 900 metres away, who has no access to prenatal care.

Empathy distance is the icy indifference we show when 20 million children are out of school in Nigeria – the highest number in the world.

For too long in Nigeria, we’ve practised government essentially without the people. Although I eventually resigned from my post in government, I firmly believe that a visionary and capable government can be a force for good.

We need to rethink the notion of “government,” with a prepositional insistence that places the people’s present and future needs at the centre of public policy.

Policy

distance happens when what the government thinks and wants to do is in complete misalignment with what the people actually need.

Finally, one of the biggest lessons I learnt during my time in government and in my studies at Harvard is that

•Tam-George, an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School, Boston, USA, is a former Commissioner for Information in Rivers State

Still on Fayemi And Ekiti Politics

BY ABIODUN KOMOLAFE

On July 29, 1966, Adekunle Fajuyi, a Lieutenant-Colonel and Military Governor of Western Nigeria, staked his life, when some revenge-seeking counter-coupists came for the head of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s military Head of State at the time.

Aguiyi-Ironsi was on a visit to the region and the governor told the coupists that they could not kill his guest in Ibadan, the regional capital. But the soldiers insisted. Ultimately, they killed the guest and his host.

There was no compensation, either for Fajuyi’s family or the Yoruba race, for the supreme price he paid to keep the country together. Instead, the atrocious crime was treated as a military affair. That he even refused to heed the coupists’ advice to step aside was beyond gallantry. To date, Fajuyi remains an assassinated governor!

At that time, it was a wrong move for the Ekitis to have localised a national tragedy of that magnitude. That is why the narrative of a story is very important. For instance, Fajuyi was governor of the Western Region, not by his own making, but by the ruling capacity of the government of the day. So, his death was a national tragedy. That there was a coup was also a national tragedy. Most importantly, the suffering the Ado-Ekiti-born military officer had to go through in the hands of his murderers could become localised was a tragedy of monumental proportions.

In sane climes, names of people like that are never allowed to be forgotten. If this is not corrected, Nigeria risks living with it – arguably more in denial – for a very long time to come; and that will be worse!

What are we saying? It is one thing to scrutinise real events and times of a narrated coup and establish the coupist’s real offence, but it is a different ballgame when the executioners are merely waiting for a narration upon which to hang an entire scheme. For instance, when Fajuyi told his would-be assassins that ‘Johnny Ironside’, as Aguiyi-Ironsi was fondly called, was the Head of State, and his guest, there’s no doubt that he meant well for the country. Perhaps, had he known that Nigeria wasn’t a country that rewarded merit, he would have used his good office to escape and enrich himself. Had it been clear to him that the country he loved so dearly was on the verge of internecine war, he possibly would have had a rethink about making that supreme sacrifice.

Fajuyi reminds us of certain basic norms that should never be taken for granted by an active agent or a political gladiator. Notable among them is the definition of a state and the meaning of ‘citizenship’. If every citizen understands what citizenship is all about; and, if those in leadership positions are aware of not just the real meaning but also the pride attached to it, our society will be better organized. Take, for instance, Seun Kuti’s celebrated police assault could have been avoided, had the police officer in question been given a proper orientation about how, truly, to be a citizen. Obviously, the story would have been different, had he been treated as a citizen and a policeman carrying the Federal authority. On the converse, if a policeman had to be slapped, and the son of the legend whose legendary radicalism is part of what’s still fetching him his meal tickets, then it would be very difficult for his behaviour to be moderated because he sees the abuse of citizenship as a normal thing. Therefore, Seun couldn’t but resort to self-help. Well, that’s not the way to go but, unfortunately, that’s what we have!

Let us come back to Ekiti and its interesting politics. As we know, some iron-cast political predictions may not always come to pass. Expectedly, however, some political pundits will take such predictions personally, based on some past, if not jaded, political permutations and beliefs. Such is the ‘Ekiti Wonder’ where a large chunk of the political population did not expect the flawless political transition the state witnessed during the 2022 governorship election. But again, give it to former Governor Kayode Fayemi who midwifed a transition programme from his political party to his political party.

Without being immodest, clear observations of past and present political games in this part of the world have shown that it’s not an easy task for the outgoing principals, with their almighty powers of incumbency, to nurture and produce worthy successors, except in Lagos and, recently, a few other states. It’s majorly the opposition within the ruling party. Impliedly, many people can only imagine but have not experienced that gift because in it lies the essential lessons of hope and perseverance on Fayemi’s part. So, that his efforts should be commended is the beauty of democracy which doesn’t need help! Needless to repeat that the former governor can now savour the bliss and the peace that accompany such victory!

On April 20, 2009, I authored a piece, entitled ‘Ekiti: Fayemi and the Conspiracy Theorists’ in one of Nigeria’s national dailies,

where I cautioned members of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) against allowing “hilarious concoctions of conjectural delusions to polarise their thinking with a sickening system which may leave them parched and paranoid.” So, when recently, Governor Biodun Oyebanji reportedly appealed to the people of the state “not to draw a distinction between his administration and that of former Governor Fayemi”, the wise man was only admonishing them not to be too complacent or have a fine deal with petty conflicts of the supremacy of relevance to the detriment of the state’s flourishing prospects. Again, why this warning?

In fairness to posterity, Yorubas are the most well-read, welltravelled, exposed and civilised people in the country. Even at that, an average Yoruba man knows that it is normal for his friends to disagree. After all, hearing different ideas and perspectives is an important way to learn something new. That’s why, in the last election, one could find a Yoruba man voting for Bola Tinubu; and another Yoruba man voting for Peter Obi, in the same Lagos State. One doubts if it ever happened like that to any other tribe; until the gubernatorial election that Igbo journeying hand was stemmed for Babajide SanwoOlu, the governor.

At this juncture, therefore, it will be appropriate to train the minds of the good people of Ekiti State to the continuance of identifiable and defined governance. If there’s democracy, let’s thank God for it! Even in a democracy, some are populists and some are class-conscious. Some are also sophisticated. Starting from what it means to be a Nigerian citizen, Oyebanji is a fullgrown man and he knows where the shoe pinches. He is one leader who understands the risks inherent in lacing Fayemi’s shoe with indignity as if his regime was a washout. Besides, to think that one is not a continuity of the other but a product of opposition within, or that the governor is not helping himself by identifying with the immediate past administration in which he served as secretary to the state government cannot be the best way to prepare a broth for a democracy that’s as fragile as ours. At any given moment, there is always a political leader. To date, Tinubu remains a leader in Lagos politics. Oyebanji has also started well by identifying with past leaders in Ekiti State. It can only get better! And, who knows? The consummate politician may be a student of Lagos politics where Tinubu continues to be venerated by his successors, many years after leaving office.

Emefiele: Travails of The Passionate Central Banker

BY SAM DIALA

President Bola Tinubu on June 9, suspended Mr Godwin Emefiele from office as Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This is coming one year ahead of the end of Emefiele’s second term in June 2024.

A release from the Office of the Government of the Federation on Friday, June 9, 2023, stated that “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, CFR, from office with immediate effect”.

The release signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information, for Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the suspension “is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy.”

It added that “Mr Emefiele has been directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the Central Bank Governor pending the conclusion of investigation and the reforms.”

President Tinubu had hinted about the action in his inauguration speech on May 29, 2023:

“Monetary policy needs thorough housecleaning. The Central Bank must work towards a unified exchange rate. This will direct funds away from arbitrage into meaningful investment in the plant, equipment and jobs that power the real economy.

“Interest rates need to be reduced to increase investment and consumer purchasing in ways that sustain the economy at a higher level.

“Whatever merits it had in concept, the currency swap was too harshly applied by the CBN given the number of unbanked

Agric Commodities Raised Non-Oil Exports in Q1 2023

BY SAM DIALA

The increased volume of agricultural goods helped to achieve a relatively high value of non-oil exports in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, compared to the corresponding period of 2022, data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have shown.

Although total non-oil exports

dropped by 8.9 percent to N652.29 billion during the period, from N715.19 billion in Q1 2022, the positive performance by Agriculture helped to buoy the non-oil export numbers.

The NBS in its 'Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics' report for Q1 2023, showed that non-oil exports

Continues on page 33

Nigerians. The policy shall be reviewed. In the meantime, my administration will treat both currencies as legal tender”, Tinubu said.

Emefiele has been on the spotlight in recent times over the monetary policy and other actions of the CBN to grow and manage the nation’s economy more effectively. These include foreign exchange, inflation, interest rates and, on several occasions, fiscal policies matters that the CBN had to take on the economy.

The most controversial is the Naira redesign policy initiated by the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led government which fell under the purview of the CBN for implementation. The outcome of the exercise was a bitter experience for Nigerians who were caught in the web of the policy initiative of the Federal Government. While investigation of Emefiele and the monetary policy regime under his tenure is going on, Nigerians expect a fair and transparent process that would expose the flaws in the system and yield concrete measures to build a strong, productive economy. Emefiele was a government appointee and a public servant. His appointment was governed by the CBN Act which also derived its legality from the constitution. Only the Senate can remove the governor of the CBN from office through a vote. This explains why President Tinubu opted to suspend him instead.

Emefiele has his strengths and weaknesses. That cannot be disputed. In the course of his duties, the policies he promoted were received with mixed feelings by the public. He also may have made mistakes. Whatever may be his areas of weakness, we believe that

Continues on page 33

MORE INSIDE

Telecom Sector Contributes N2.5trn to Nigeria’s GDP

Shonubi Becomes CBN Acting Governor

PAGE 34 PAGE 35

NGX to Host Workshop on Cross-border Trading Requirements

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi as acting Governor. following the suspension of Godwin Emefiele as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Shonubi will superintend the affairs of the apex bank until the investigation of Emefiele is concluded, or a substantive governor appointed.

Shonubi,.was born on the 7th of March, 1962, He attended the University of Lagos from 1978 to 1983 where he obtained a Bachelor of Science

Continues on page 34

Shonubi

Emefiele

AGRIBUSINESS/FINANCE

Agric Commodities Raised Non-Oil Exports in Q1 2023

Continued from page 32

Emefiele: Travails of The Passionate Central Banker

Continued from page 32

Emefiele did his best to build the economy encumbered by low productivity, infrastructure decay and uncontrollable appetite for imported goods. Nigeria’s penchant for borrowing, which exacerbated under the Buhari administration, was a major challenge for anyone occupying the seat of the CBN governor.

Since he first assumed office on June 4, 2014, Emefiele, Nigeria’s tenth indigenous Central Bank Governor, has been in the eye of the storm over the apex bank’s monetary policies, as already noted. The reason is simple. There is an organic relationship between the central bank and the economy of a nation; the bank’s policies have far-reaching implications on the people’s wealth-creating abilities and standard of living.

At one time, he was applauded by proponents of the bank’s policy initiatives. At the other, he was lambasted by critics for what they perceived as deliberate moves to worsen an already bad situation.

in various segments – agriculture, raw materials, solid minerals and part of manufactured goods - recorded mixed performance. However, the contribution of agricultural goods was significant in achieving the level recorded.

The report said the value of agricultural goods exported during the period stood at N279.64 billion (in Q1, 2023). This shows an increase of 63.92 per cent and 38.72 per cent when compared to the value recorded in Q4, 2022 (N170.59 billion) and Q1, 2022 (N201.59 billion) respectively.

The NBS report showed that most of the agricultural products were exported to Asia amounting to N172.90 billion during the quarter, followed by Europe with N85.00 billion.

The exported agricultural products were dominated by ‘Superior quality cocoa beans’ valued at N84.75 billion followed by ‘Sesamum seeds,’ with N67.66 billion and ‘Cashew nuts in shell’ with N27.18 billion.

By direction of trade, ‘Superior quality cocoa beans’ worth N28.51 billion and N25.25 billion were exported to The Netherlands and Malaysia, respectively. Furthermore, ‘Sesamum seeds’ worth

N21.88 billion and N20.28 billion were exported to China and Japan respectively. Export of ‘Cashew nuts in a shell’ worth N15.13 billion and N10.20 billion was made to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and to India, respectively.

The agricultural sector has been severely challenged over insecurity, poor infrastructure, multiple taxes, inflation and post-harvest waste -- knocking off the gains in the value chain. This has reflected in the quarterly GDP reports by the NBS for some time now, which shows the dwindling fortunes of the two key areas of the real sector – agriculture and manufacturing.

The statistics bureau in its Q1 2023 GDP report also showed that the agricultural sector grew by -0.90 percent (year-on-year) in real terms, representing a decrease of 4.06 percent points from the corresponding period of 2022. It recorded a decrease of 2.95 percent points from the preceding quarter which showed a growth rate of 2.05 percent.

The sector grew on a quarter-on-quarter basis at -30.95 percent.

In terms of total impact, the sector contributed 21.66 percent to overall GDP in real terms in Q1 2023, lower than the contribution in the first quarter of 2022 and lower than the fourth quarter of 2022 which stood at 22.36 percent and 26.46 percent respectively.

To boost non-oil exports and expand the contribution of agriculture to GDP, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) created several intervention schemes to achieve the objective. The latest is the RT 200 introduced in February 2022 to revolutionise non-oil export, stimulate domestic production and expand the frontier of diversification.

The RT 200 which stands for 'Race to US$200 billion in Forex Repatriation' constitutes a blueprint that will enable Nigeria to attain the sky-high goal of US$200 billion repatriation, exclusively from non-oil exports over the next 3 to 5 years.

Assessing the performance of the scheme at the 3rd edition of the Biannual RT200 Non-Oil Export Summit, in Lagos on May 9, 2023, the Governor, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, disclosed that proceeds of non-oil exports repatriated under the RT200 programme increased by 40 percent to $5.6 billion in 2022 as against $3.0 billion in 2021.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

Unarguably, Emefiele’s coming on board as CBN Governor first in June 2014, and reappointed in June 2019, brought hope and calm to an economy that witnessed two recessions and suffered the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic under his watch. This may not be understood and appreciated by those the policies touched in different ways.

Upon his first appointment in June 2014, Emefiele unveiled his ten-point agenda, which spelt out, unambiguously, his plan to make the CBN more peoplefocused.

He left no one in doubt as to the priority of his policy thrust –development finance, to create jobs and attain financial stability. He said he was committed to create "a central bank that is professional, a central bank that is apolitical, and people-focused. A central bank that spends its energies on building a resilient financial system that can serve the growth and development needs of our beloved country.”

He did not fail to deliver as he did not relent in efforts at ensuring economic growth and financial stability through strategic policies that impact meaningfully on the economy.

Data from the bank’s Corporate Communications Department showed that the bank’s development finance interventions have created over seven million jobs. Intervention programmes introduced under the leadership of Emefiele were born out of market failure and other critical issues within the nation’s economic space.

As some experts have pointed out, such policies helped the CBN to navigate the Nigerian economy through challenges occasioned by recession and COVID-19 pandemic. By extension, interest rate issues, external reserves, foreign exchange rates, price

stability, financial inclusion, gap in the agricultural and manufacturing value chains as well as sound financial system, dominate public discourse over policy actions of the central bank. At every point, Emefiele showed he was prepared for the challenge that his calling demanded.

The CBN strategic policy initiatives during the COVID-19, saved the economy from collapse and created an environment that enabled the capital market to function effectively. The result was that Nigeria emerged the best performing stock exchange in the world in 2020.

Amid fierce criticism, Emefiele and his team remained committed to the patriotic goal of ensuring economic stability through the bank’s several intervention programmes. Currently, the CBN has 37 intervention funds targeted at stimulating the economy and addressing the issue of unemployment.

Among the interventions is the famed Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) which brought unusual reform to Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The Emefiele-led CBN also created the Agribusiness/Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), and the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF).

There was the National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), the N100 billion Healthcare Sector Intervention Facility (HSIF), the CBN Healthcare Sector Research and the Development Intervention (Grant) Scheme (HSRDIS) for the development of testing kits and devices for COVID-19 and Lassa Fever. Recipients of these facilities have contributed meaningfully to the growth of the GDP.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

The agricultural sector has been severely challenged with insecurity, poor infrastructure, multiple taxes, inflation and post-harvest waste knocking off the gains in the value chain

While investigation of Emefiele and the monetary policy regime under his tenure is going on, Nigerians expect a fair and transparent process that would expose the flaws in the system and yield concrete measures to build a strong, productive economy

“

Nigeria Plans to Surpass OPEC Oil Quota

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says its focus is to exceed the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s oil production quota of 1.74 million barrels per day (bpd).

Its Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, made the assertions shortly after he received an Award of Excellence from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun in Delta State on Thursday evening, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Mr Komolafe, addressing journalists, said that the country’s current crude oil production capacity was within the neighbourhood of 2.2 million bpd, which had already exceeded OPEC’S quota.

He said that with the current 2.2 million bpd, the country has the capacity to surpass the OPEC quota

Shonubi Becomes CBN Acting Governor

degree in Mechanical Engineering. He further obtained a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 with specialisation in Production Engineering from the same University. He later moved over to Finance and obtained a Masters’ in Business Administration between 1988 and 1989.

He began his working experience as a Consultant Engineer at Mekind Associates and worked from 1984 to 1989. From 1989 to 1990, he was a Marketing Executive at Inlaks Computers Limited.

Shonubi had his stint in banking when worked at Citibank Nigeria Limited as Head, Treasury Operations from 1990 to 1993. After working with Agusto & Co. Ltd as a Supervising Consultant from 1993 to 1996, he moved to MBC International Limited where he served as Deputy General Manager, Banking Operations and Information Technology.

In 1999, he joined First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited as Vice-

Telecom Sector Contributes N2.5trn to Nigeria’s GDP

President, Operations & Information Technology and was there till 2002.

Between 2003 and 2012, Shonubi worked in Ecobank Nigeria Plc as an Executive Director, Operations and Information Technology; Director, Information Technology and Corporate Services; Renaissance Securities Nigeria Limited( 2007); Executive Director, Operations, Technology.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy Governor in the Central Bank of Nigeria, Shonubi was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System from May 2012 to October 2018 where he had a distinguished career in reconfiguring the landscape of Nigeria’s e-payment system.

Having been in the system and representing the CBN governor on the Board of the Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS), observers believe that the newly appointed acting CBN governor will deliver as the nation awaits the storm in the financial services to settle.

Equities Market Gained N67bn in Week of June 5-9

Equities market closed Friday with market capitalisation of N30.45 trillion as against N30.38 trillion recorded at the close of the first week’s day trading on Monday. The NGX All Share Index (ASI) also followed the same trend: 55,930.97 and 55,806.71 points respectively.

During the week, AIRTELAFRI (+1.79% w/w), MTNN (+0.04% w/w) and STANBIC (+2.27% w/w) led the market's gains. On the flip side, ZENITHBANK (-2.10%/ w/w), GEREGU (-0.61% w/w) and GTCO (-1.23% w/w) contributed to the market's losses.

Consequently, the year-to-date (YTD) return fell to 9.13%, while the market capitalization gained N60.11bn w/w to close at N30.45trn.

In the last trading session of the week, the domestic bourse maintained the bearish trend as the All-Share Index declined by 0.05% to close at 55,930.97 points.

A total turnover of 2.196 billion shares

worth N45.971 billion in 31,655 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 2.586 billion shares valued at N46.643 billion that exchanged hands last week in 35,122 deals.

On market movers, extended selloffs in DANGCEM (-1.05%), alongside UBN (-2.08%), and FIDELITYBK (-0.35%) offset the gains in GTCO (+0.36%), ACCESSCORP (+1.17%) and FBNH (+4.44%) keeping the market's overall performance in the red. Having gained in one of five trading sessions this week, the ASI closed 0.19% higher week-onweek.

Analysis of Friday's market activities showed trade turnover settled lower relative to the previous session, with the value of transactions down by 20.79%.

A total of 574.74m shares valued at N6.09bn were exchanged in 6,595 deals. FCMB (+2.00%) led volume and value charts with 204.81m units traded in deals worth N941.96m.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that telecommunications and Information Services sector in Nigeria has, in the first quarter 2023, delivered a handsome N2.508 trillion in terms of financial value contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), representing 14.13 per cent.

This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the NCC Director, Public Affairs. Reuben Muoka, quoting data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

It said, figures released by the NBS showed that the sector recorded a 4.3 percent increase from its performance in the last quarter of 2022 when it recorded 13.55 percent.

When compared on a year-on-year basis, the growth showed a positive progression from 12.94 percent in the first quarter of 2022 , to the 2023 figure of 1413, which is an approximate growth of 9.19 percent.

The percentage of telecom contribution to GDP was calculated from 46 distinct sectors of the economy, which constitute telecom and information services baskets.

The Nigerian telecom industry has continued its show of positive outlook, which is credited to the innovative and predictable telecom regulatory environment promoted, and implemented by the NCC.

One of the key highlights of the telecom industry performance within the period was the generation of $820.8 million for the federal government from 5G spectrum licences fees paid by three eventual winning operators, MTN, MAFAB and Airtel.

Following the issuance of the licences in December 2021 to MTN and MAFAB, both companies have launched 5G services. Airtel, which received its licence in December 2022, is set to launch services this month, June 2023.

Another major development in the sector was the launch of Starlinks broadband services, a satellite-based wireless broadband services with potential nationwide coverage. This followed the issuance of licence to Elon Musk-owned SpaceX by the Commission. The services are now available in different parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the growth statistics of the telecom industry are showing an impressive record of contributions to the economy.

Mr Komolafe ascribed the capacity to the improvement in general security services in the country as well as the collaborative efforts of stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

He said the collaboration would be sustained in a manner that would ensure that crude oil theft was brought down.

“In recent times, there has been an increase in the volume of crude oil production and decrease in oil theft.

“This could largely be ascribed to the general security services in the country, as well as the collaborative efforts of the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

“The effort of the general security services, collaborations between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the regulators and the private security services have helped to curtail oil theft and upscaled our production,” he said.

Mr Komolafe said that the commission has the statutory mandate to increase the quantum of crude oil production in the country.

He noted that within the short time of its existence, the commission had received favourable feedback from the industry in terms of attracting investors’ confidence in the industry.

“We have been able to provide clarity in the activities of the industry.

“No investor will invest in a situation where there is acrimony.

“So, the commission is keen and doing everything possible to attract investors into the upstream,” Komolafe said.

The NUPRC chief executive said that human capital development was key to the development and optimisation of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources.

He commended FUPRE for supporting the federal government in developing the needed human capital to help develop the hydrocarbon resources.

“We will support and collaborate with FUPRE to ensure that the university continues to turn out the best in terms of human capital that will help in the development of our upstream resources.

“In terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we will continue to collaborate with the university in providing infrastructure so that the standard for which the institution is known will continue to be sustained,” he said.

Continued from page 32

L-R: Lead, CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Chioma Okolie; Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Sam Adeoye (Back Row); Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz; Accountant-General, Lagos State, Dr. Abiodun Muritala (Back Row); Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Head of Security Services, Airtel Nigeria, Oluwaseyi Adetayo (Back Row); Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran and Lagos State Permanent Secretary, Debt Management Office, Mrs. Rukayat Alake Sanusi, during Airtel Nigeria's courtesy visit to the Governor of Lagos State, at the Governor's office, Ikeja, on June 6, 2023.

BudgIT Calls on Budget Office to Publish Q3 2022 Budget Implementation Report

BudgIT, a leading civic-tech organization advocating for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public finance, is calling on the Budget Office of the Federation and the Office of the Minister for Finance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to promptly publish the 2022 third quarter budget implementation report as mandated by extant legislation.

FIRS, LIRS Issue Public Notice on Joint Tax Audit, Investigation

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) have issued a public notice regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both agencies on February 6, to establish a Joint FIRS and LIRS Audit and Investigation Team.

This is aimed at encouraging the exchange of information between the two tax agencies.

The notice is issued for the information and guidance of the general public, taxpayers and tax practitioners in line with the MoU for collaboration between both agencies in the area of exchange of information to ensure efficiency, accurate assessments and increased revenue for funding of government’s expenditure.

In the communiqué signed by the Executive Chairman, FIRS, Muhammad Nami, and his LIRS counterpart, Ayodele Subair, on Wednesday, the general public, taxpayers and tax practitioners were charged to provide full support and cooperation to both agencies for the overall economic benefit of all stakeholders.

Under the terms, the overall objective of the Joint Tax Audit is to improve tax administration by reducing tax compliance cost thereby enabling ease of doing business in the country.

Speaking on the MoU, Nami said such cooperation “would enable the two authorities to work as a team in sharing relevant information that would assist both parties in their tax administration and enforcement roles as it would also provide capacity building between both tax authorities.

“We will carry out a joint audit and investigation as a team; we will also conduct an automatic exchange of information for gathering data for the purpose of tax administration. With that information, we would be able to carry out tax administration seamlessly.”

On his part, Subair noted that aside from fostering greater collaboration between the two agencies, “there is no reason to debate the above as it has been established that tax compliance and good governance are expected to co-

exist as the undividable social contract that binds citizens and governments anywhere in the world.

“Therefore, citizens and governments are expected to fulfil their end of the bargain in achieving a balance.”

Also, FIRS and LIRS will leverage on their distinct competencies in tax administration to collaborate in the exchange of information, harmonisation of an integrated tax system and joint tax audit or investigation exercise (where necessary) in carrying out their respective mandates for the purpose of optimizing tax revenue to the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government respectively.

The collaboration is expected to improve tax administration with a view to enhancing tax revenue generation, creation of a robust database and improving Nigeria’s taxto-GDP ratio.

At the outset of the MoU, KPMG Nigeria while congratulating the partners, had urged them to adopt digital tools to enhance tax administration at the national and state levels.

According to the firm, “emphasis should be on continuous investment in digital transformation and automation of their systems to enhance tax compliance and collection.

Stressing that the focus of all tax authorities should be how to “make tax just happen” and less visible to taxpayers, it added that “To achieve this, there should be less focus on tax audits and investigations, which are backward-looking tools.”

Partner/Head, Tax, Regulatory & People, KPMG Nigeria, Wale Ajayi, in his comments, noted that such MoUs were not strange as similar memoranda were reached under the Joint Tax Board (JTB) between the FIRS and the States Inland Revenue Service in 2017.

Ajayi however recalled that “the framework was not fully implemented due to logistic issues,” and wondered if these issues have been resolved under the current MoU.

NGX to Host Workshop on Cross-border Trading Requirements

Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) is set to host capital market stakeholders to African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP) webinar tagged “Exchange Linkage Project – facilitating Trades across borders.

The Webinar, which will hold on Wednesday, 14 June 2023, is designed to provide market operators, investors and other stakeholders with an overview of AELP, its origin and objective, expectations and its benefits to the market.

The event, which is supported by Chapel Hill Denham Securities Limited, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, Cordros Securities Limited, and Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, is also expected to provide insight into Pan African Payment and Settlement Systems (PAPSS) integration with AELP, and other cross-border transaction requirements, including ongoing engagement to resolve cross-border trade settlement issues.

It will be recalled that the African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP) is a flagship project of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to facilitate cross-border trading of securities in Africa.

The Phase 1 has facilitated connectivity between the seven participating Exchanges: Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM, integrating eight West African markets), Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE), Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Nigerian Exchange (NGX) and Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) to create linkages across the various markets.

Speakers at the event include; Chief Executive Officer, NGX, Mr Temi Popoola; President, ASEA and Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Stock Exchange, Mr Thapelo Tsheole; Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr Lamido Yuguda; Chief Executive Officer, NGX Regulation Limited, Ms Tinuade Awe; Chief Executive Officer, CSCS, Mr Haruna Jalo-Waziri.

It has been eight months since the end of the third quarter of 2022, and according to the law, the report's publication ought not to extend beyond 30 working days after the end of the quarter. This request is pertinent, having ascertained that the report is presently inaccessible on the official website of the Budget Office of the Federation as of June 8, 2023.

Under Section 30 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007, the law states, “It is the Minister of Finance's responsibility, through the Budget Office of the Federation, to diligently monitor and evaluate the Annual Budget's implementation. This involves the critical role of analyzing budgetary objectives and presenting thorough quarterly reports to both the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the National Assembly's Joint Finance Committee.”

Section 30 (2) further mandates the “Minister of Finance to ensure that the prepared reports, as per subsection (1), are published in mass media, electronic platforms, and on the official Ministry of Finance website no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter.”

BudgIT’s Head of Research and Policy Advisory, Iniobong Usen, commented on the implication of the delay. “Delayed release of the Budget Implementation Report compromises accountability and leaves citizens in the dark regarding the management of public resources. The situation also hinders the timely intervention required when budget implementation is not going according to plan.”

IT, therefore, calls on the Budget Office of the Federation to adhere to established provisions of the enabling legislation that promotes fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability in managing the nation’s finance. We also urge persons in public leadership to act transparently to help citizens understand how the government functions.

L-R: National President, Public Procurement Practice, Emem Kanico; Keynote Speaker, Amb. Funmilayo Adekojo; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta; Former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and Director-General, Lagos Public Procurement Agency, Onafowote Idowu, at the 3rd Annual National Conference/Induction Award Ceremony by the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria, where Danbatta received the Procurement Compliance Excellence Service Award in Lagos, on June 8, 2023.

Scam at Parallel Market

BY BONIFACE CHIZEA

There have been renewed calls for single rate of exchange since the President expressed the views that we push for that. Of course, the push for single rate has been on the national table for a very long time now.

No one needs any lecture on the fact that something is wrong in a situation whereby you have different prices for the same commodity in the same market. But the fact to note is that this problem has been with us for as long and all manner of strategies have been deployed to berth single rate to no avail. It is necessary to bring up this reality as we discuss to help us manage our expectations. Put bluntly the expectations of a quick fix in this regard is unrealistic.

The existence of the parallel market provides a window of opportunity for all kinds of rent seeking behaviours that are inimical to the growth and development prospects of the economy as nonvalue added returns are made which contribute to lack of commensurate productivity of the Nigerian economy with all its many nefarious implications particularly on the level of unemployment.

But let us understand how the parallel market appears in any economy. And as a matter fact, the parallel market is found in most Economies of the world. Illicit money which cannot find their way into the formal economy is the strong and main source for the monies that circulate in the parallel market. So, as we talk glibly about eliminating the parallel market, we must avert our minds on how to eliminate illegal funds that come from drug business, from money siphoned off from the national treasury and indeed how to stop crimes and criminality in an economy.

We all know that to the extent that we are not able to plug loopholes through which proceeds from illegal business flow, to that extent we are not able to eliminate parallel rates in the economy because

hardly are the rates at both the official and parallel market going to be the same. As a matter of fact, a basic distinguishing character of both markets is the different effective rates.

Also to the extent that the official window is not able to meet all demands on it by citizens both for legitimate and illegitimate means; the unsatisfied demands must find satisfaction and the only recourse is the unofficial market for foreign exchange. There is therefore enormous demands made on the parallel market particularly for an unproductive economy like that of Nigeria. The only approach that would answer this problem is to float the currency. The current managed float which we operate cannot provide the answer. But are we ready for the consequential effects particularly its inflationary fallouts for us to be able to float the Naira? I say this because over the years at some point or the other, as a nation we travelled down this road only to beat a retreat as the reality of a free fall of the rates stares us menacingly on the face.

We need to exercise some caution with the implementation of these policies as laudable and as progressive as they sound. When you see countries in the world where the bottom has literally fallen off, it is because of hasty implementation of such

policies. You suddenly witness hyperinflation, excruciating scarcity of essential commodities and rapidly deteriorating quality of life leading to citizens wanting to leave in droves to other countries. We need therefore to make haste slowly.

My preferred strategy is to focus intensely on the corrections of obvious distortions in the economy to boost productivity. There is no reason why we cannot rein in insurrection and banditry across the country to return farmers to the land, boost farm productivity and checkmate food inflation.

Why can we not focus on stopping the shame of fuel importation as the only OPEC country caught in that quagmire? Why not focus to make Dangote Refinery come on stream in the shortest possible time? We should quickly privatise the local refineries as it is clear that we are not able to manage them.

What about enabling infrastructure particularly power? Why not focus on improving the available power supply in a sustainable manner? Then the big elephant in the room; corruption! It is good sound bites to hear the President promise to end corruption in the oil market which has accounted for humongous loss in revenue.

We can surely reduce the level of corruption as realistically no country in the world can eliminate corruption. But we can drastically reduce the scale of corruption by ensuring that nobody caught goes free. We must return the fear of consequences for malfeasance.

There is the need to deliberately boost our revenue inflow through the adoption of digital based approach to the collection of taxes which is difficult to evade and be ingenious with the identification of additional revenue sources to avoid over labouring the bird that lays the golden egg by attempting to hike the tax rates or multiple taxation which investors don’t like.

• Chizea is a retired banker, top Economist and Business Development Consultant.

There is no reason why we cannot rein in insurrection and banditry across the country to return farmers to the land, boost farm productivity and checkmate food inflation

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Temi Popoola and Director, Sustainability (ESG) and Gender Solutions, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mary Porter Peschka, during the launch of the Child Care report titled “Investing in Childcare: A Game Changer for Business and Nigeria” published by IFC and NGX, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan recently.

L-R: Founder and Managing Director, Intermarc Consulting Limited, Adeyinka Adeyemi; Managing Director, HumanManager Limited, Adekunbi Ademiluyi; Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Redtech, Emmanuel Ojo and Head Growth & Partnerships, West Africa BPC Banking Technologies, Emmanuel Obinne, at the Digital Pay Expo 2023 event held in Lagos, on June 8, 2023.

L-R: Executive Director, Obasi and Sceptre International Ltd, Uchechukwu Obasi; Head, Consumer Policy Development & Monitoring, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Banji Ojo; Head, Procurement, NCC, Adejoke Atte; Head, Pre-Licensing, NCC, Usman Mamman; Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, NCC, Venny Eze; and Centre Manager, 9Mobile Regional Office, Port Harcourt, Obehi Okodugha, at the NCC’s Talk-to-the-Regulator Stakeholders Consultative Forum held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on June 2, 2023.

L-R:

Implementation

Prof

Project Manager, Nenis Engineering Limited, Engr. Osazoduwa Agboneni; Dean College of Engineering, LASUSTECH, Engr. Yakub

Specialties, Expert in Engineering Design, AutoCAD,

Engr. Ijachi Ega and Engineering Specialist, at Afic-DeCam Engineering, Engr. Azuka Francis, during Codes and standards development workshop on Safe Automotive Practice in Nigeria, held at LASUSTECH, in Ikorodu, Lagos on June 7, 2023.

Category Manager for Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Olatunji (middle), presenting winner’s category trophy to the girls from St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba recently, after the girls won the girls category of the Atlantic Conference of the 23rd MILO Secondary Schools Basketball Championship.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof Smaranda Olarinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Trade and Industry, Mrs Tayo Adeola; Founder ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), and Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, at the 63rd annual conference of NACCIMA, held at Alfa Belgore Hall, ABUAD, Ado-Ekiti on June 8, 2023.

Chairman, Project

Committee,

Robinson Elijah; Host,

Bankole;

MicroStation,

Content creator Joseph Onaolapo, popularly known as Jay On-Air, speaks with IVORY UKONU about his craft and the things that shaped him to be what he is today. Excerpts:

CREATING CONTENT HELPED ME OUT OF DEPRESSION – ONAOLAPO

How did your journey into content creation begin?

It began in 2020, the COVID-19 year. It was during the lockdown period and everyone was home. I was in a very bad situation financially. I was out of work. Even before COVID-19 started, I was just not in a great place. At that time, the app, Tik Tok, was the rave of the moment. Everyone was on Tik Tok and I said to myself, 'you know what, I need to make myself happy.' And so I got on the app and started creating styles. The responses I got were positive and I knew from then on, that it was something I wanted to explore further. And so that spurred me to continue to create styles, lip sync, create original content and it just became a thing for me from there on. I had done some things before 2020, but I began the funny style of content creation and we are here today.

What inspires the kind of content you create?

Everyone inspires me. I grew up around strong women: My mother, her friends, my sisters and my personal friends. I always had a lot of great women around me. When I was in paid employment, I had a lot of female bosses. So most of my contents are based on personal experience. Apart from that, I’m good at observing things. Each time I go out, I observe a lot of things, the different ways people talk and I relate it to different situations. My mind is constantly observing things. I think that is what really inspires my content creation. I am a student of life and I am inspired by life itself. So my content is something that people can easily relate to, especially women.

Does your content reflect what happens within your family, with your friends and other relations?

Like I said, I am inspired by life and everything and everyone inspires me. I have a female Yoruba character that most people assume is my mother. She is not my mother. My mother is an Efik woman from Cross Rivers State. When I was growing up, she had a lot of Yoruba friends. Those women inspired my Yoruba mother character.

How do you source the costumes you use in your skits?

When I started out, I relied mostly on my mother's wardrobe. She is a fashionista and literally has all kinds of dresses. As my brand started to assume a life of its own, other brands started believing that they could sell stuff through me and so I started getting clothes, wigs, bags and shoes. Now most of the things I wear are stuff from the brands I work for as an influencer, which believe in what I do and want me to wear their stuff. Once I wear it, people like it and want to buy it. So I am grateful for growth really.

Did you expect that your contents would be well received when you started out?

Honestly, when I first started, I was never really thinking about whether people would receive it or not. Like I mentioned earlier, I was in a really sad and depressed state. I just wanted to get myself out of depression. So creating content for me helped me out of depression.

You are very attached to your mum. How did she react to your decision to become a skit maker?

Oh yes, I am very attached to my mum. We look alike very much and we have almost the same kind of personality. She found content creation interesting and a little puzzling as a Nigerian mother who couldn’t understand initially why her son should wear female clothes, especially her own dresses. But you know, one had to keep going, no matter the kind of reaction from one’s family. Eventually, wearing dresses became a habit that brought in money and you know, money is a great thing to have. I won't say my mum was not receptive to my content creation. She just had her doubts, which was not unexpected.

Some of your contents are reflective of a deeply spiritual soul. Do they also reflect your personality?

In many ways, my skits are somewhat reflective of who I am and the things that I have experienced.

When I was in the university, I was the pastor of a Christian fellowship and so that kind of helped with some of the content I create. In fact, the religious side of my content is primarily based on my experience. This is why the Christian community like my content. Many Christians relate to it.

Some of your colleagues and celebrities have spurred you on with their comments. Not many of your contemporaries are that privileged. How do you feel about this?

When I get positive comments from people like Jude Lemfani Abaga, aka MI, Aituaje Iruobe, aka Waje, Omawunmi Megbele etc., it makes me go wow. I mean these are people that I have looked up to. I remember having lunch with Kate Henshaw and that just bowled me over. This is somebody I had seen in the movies when I was growing up. Life is wild. What can I say? To be honest, I am just grateful. Like I said, I didn't start out because of celebrities knowing me or encouraging me in the comment section. It comes with the quality of content I create and I am just grateful. Every single day I wake up, I feel humbled that I am able to create and be loved for my

work, not just by celebrities but also by regular people.

Who are your role models and why?

I look up to people like Maryam Apaokagi aka Taaoma, Nosa Afolabi aka Lasisi Elenu to Gloria Oloruntobi aka Maraji etc. They all inspire me because it takes a lot to create content every single day not minding what naysayers say. I am inspired by every single person that creates content, the new, the old, internationally, locally, they all inspire me.

Have you ever been involved in a conflict with another skit maker, with regard to similarity in content?

We live in a creative world, ideas will always come. People will always see the ideas I try to promote in my content and they want to do the same, too. So why not? I have heard people say to me that a certain person tries to be like me, regarding my content, but I don't really care. I just create because I know the ideas will keep coming. Am I bothered that people may be copying me? No, because I am also inspired by other people. You just need to find a way to make your content original so that people will know it is uniquely yours, even though they may have seen it created somewhere else.

Onaolapo

Onaolapo

Is there a reason why you are comfortable mimicking women so accurately?

I have had more experiences with women than I have had with men, to be honest. And my contents are based on my experiences. I cannot relate what I do not know.

Have you ever been a victim of online bullying?

In this age of social media, who hasn't been a victim of online bullying? But I made a vow to myself when I started out that I will never be moved by negative stuff because the reason I started creating content was to be happy. So why should I allow people who do not know me or my intentions and who have never met me try to make me feel bad about myself?

Mention one instance and tell us how you handled it

On one occasion, a content of mine went viral on the American social media space and black American women came for me, questioning why I was mimicking them and making fun of the female struggle. That wasn't my intention. Women within and outside Nigeria are my audience and they love what I do. I felt bad about it for a minute or two and then moved on because I didn’t want to be enwrapped in a negative atmosphere. I don’t respond to trolls. I would prefer to mute than dignify them with a response. I never respond to negative comments. It is a covenant I made with myself and I am grateful that several years down the line, I have not broken that covenant.

What are the challenges of skit-making?

For instance, when you have a good viral video, you begin to wonder what idea to work on next. With someone like me who likes to create a lot of content, that can be an issue. You also sometimes experience dryness of ideas, especially when you want to create content for a brand. When this happens, I just chill, relax and the idea comes. I am grateful to God for that.

What would you say has been your greatest achievement since becoming a content creator?

That would be being able to do the things I do for my family, especially for my parents. My dad is in his 80s, my mum is in her 60s and they aren't going to be around forever, especially my dad. I may not have bought them a house or a car yet, but I am able to make them eat the fruits of their labour to an extent.

What was it like growing up with your father who you hardly flaunt?

We stopped living with him since 1999 because of some things that happened in the family. He is way older, 80 years like I earlier said. He married two wives and so I have half siblings. My dad is amazing, has always been kind, I love my dad, we see a lot, we talk a lot. Growing up was really just amazing. Even though we didn't live together, he took care of us, paid our school fees and was always there, a true father to be sincere.

What would you say significantly shaped you to be who you are today?

I would say life has shaped me to be the person that I am today; the good, the bad and the ugly. Without the things that I have been through, I won't be the content creator that I am today. I always thank God for both the good and the bad. I made something from the bad, I mean not everyone can actually say that.

What did you study in school?

I studied Mass Communication. I am a presenter with 88.5 UFM, which is owned by Ultima. Working as a radio and television host has always been my dream, my first love.

If you weren't a skit maker, what else do you think you would have excelled in?

I would have just continued as a radio presenter and TV host. It is what I have always wanted to do. I look up to people like Frank Edoho and Ellen De Generes who inspires me to have my own TV show.

Have you ever thought of quitting what you do?

I hope that day never comes because I never started it because of people, for recognition or money. I started it for myself and till today creating content makes me so happy even in my darkest time. The joy I feel creating content is indescribable. But, of course, I want to evolve and do different things. I don't want to keep wearing wigs all my life. I mean what is life without evolution? So let us wait and see.

You have a unique stage name. How did you come about the name?

I work in a radio station. That is where the 'on-air' comes from. The ‘Jay’ comes from my first name, Joseph and I added 'On Air' to it because of my job and it caught on pretty well. Some people think 'On Air' is my surname and they call me ‘Onair’ until they meet me and discover otherwise.

You had a brief stint in thrift business. What is the story behind it and why did you stop?

Oh yes, I tried my hands in 'okrika' business. I was out of job and needed to do something. A friend of mine, who lives abroad now, encouraged me to go into the thrift business. He took me to 'Kotangora' market in Lagos State, where I bought stuff for sale and I promoted it on WhatsApp and people started buying and it became a business and then COVID-19 happened and people stopped buying my goods. It felt as if life was dealing with me at that time. I still want to do business, maybe not thrift business, but I am taking it one step at a time. I am still young. There are still other sides of me to explore and business is definitely one of them because as a creative, you can't always think that money will always come from creating

You have talked about getting depressed at some point in your life. What triggered it and how did you get out of that dark zone?

You know when you come out of school and you get a job and money is coming and then you suddenly lose everything? That was what got me into depression. But then I started creating. That was my therapy and that got me out of depression even on my toughest days. That is why I do not joke with my creative side. I also listened a lot to the American Christian preacher, Joyce Meyer and that helped too. And for anyone battling depression, I can't say I have the perfect remedy to get out of depression, but just think of whatever will give you joy or take your mind off dark thoughts, find it, there is always that thing and stick to it.

How do you unwind?

I binge watch a lot of Youtube content. I am not big on movies, but if I have to watch, it will have to be political dramas, medical dramas, legal dramas etc. I also like to party sometimes, go out to have a good time. I also listen to worship music.

Onaolapo

Onaolapo

In many ways, my skits are somewhat reflective of who I am and the things that I have experienced. When I was in the university, I was the pastor of a Christian fellowship and so that kind of helped with some of the content I create. In fact, the religious side of my content is primarily based on my experience. This is why the Christian community like my content. Many Christians relate to it

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

The Demystification of Nyesom Ezenwo

Wike

The 2023 General Election has come and gone and a new government has taken over.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now in charge. Everyone is re-aligning. Some have accepted their fate and moved on. Others are defecting to where the honey pot is and many others are properly positioning themselves where their interests will be nurtured. But one of the few persons who have remained unstable in all of this, neither here nor there, is self-styled Lion of the South- South, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. Wike’s instability, which began shortly after he lost out in the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reached a frenzied height. He now openly fraternises with the ruling All Progressives Congress and its leader without decorum, a gross and flagrant violation of political party ethics. He however maintains that he is a staunch member of the PDP and has no plans to dump the party. His supporters however argue that his choosing to remain in the PDP while openly associating with the APC, is strategic and for some good reasons. Whatever those reasons are, it is obvious that Wike’s instability is not unconnected to fears that he might just lose out in the grand scheme of things. In the last few weeks, his actions have been nothing short of a man who appears desperate.

Gone is the fearless, powerful and untouchable mien he exhibited and in its place is a man who wants to save face to avoid being a laughing stock especially after the shenanigans he displayed before the general elections with his fellow G-5 governors. Or how else does one

explain why he has turned the presidential villa into his second home, going endlessly to pay unsolicited homage to Tinubu, at least once before the inauguration of the new government and thrice after the inauguration, with no other politician, even the ones within the ruling party breaking that record? The reason is obvious.

Unlike the story being bandied around by Wike’s supporters that he had an unwritten agreement with Tinubu that he will be rewarded with a powerful ministerial position if he delivers Rivers State to the APC in the general elections, THEWILL gathered that there was really no such promise made. Hence the reason for regularly showing up to meet with Tinubu to lobby for a position in his government and get a soft landing.

If he thought getting what he wants from Tinubu would be easy, he was dead wrong, not after how Tinubu cut him to size when he went on Wike's invitation to commission the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover in Port Harcourt.

Wike in his usual characteristic manner had thrown Tinubu a jibe expecting an equal response. But Tinubu had reiterated his position as Wike's president and would therefore not stoop low to respond to his banter. Instead, he said he would appoint Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu who is his (Wike's) contemporary to respond to the banter on his behalf.

Also, Wike figures that lobbying to get a seat at the 'table' will buy him and the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, his handpicked candidate, some form of immunity

On Hakeem Muri Okunola’s

Shattered Ambition

from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. It would be recalled that prior to the general election, Fubara who was the Rivers State Accountant-General, was among other government officials, declared wanted by the EFCC over N435 billion fraud linked to the state government account. First, he went into hiding and after the elections, on the day he received his Certificate of Return, he narrowly escaped being arrested by officials of the anti-graft agency at the Port Harcourt International Airport. His supporters who were on ground to welcome him, resisted his arrest and subsequently took him away. Today he is governor. While Fubara may have escaped prosecution for now because of his immunity cloak, Wike, who has been stripped of his immunity armour following the end of his tenure, remains vulnerable. Already, the anti graft agency has begun to invite public officials to account for missing money. Former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi and Pauline Tallen, former Minister of Women Affairs, have been invited. Former Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle is already in a running battle with the commission's chairman over embezzlement and counter claim of bribery. Who knows who will be next. To avoid that embarrassment, Wike who seems boxed to a corner is desperately in need of an out.

Tony Elumelu Appoints

Adaobi Nwakuche's Replacement

Almost two months after Adaobi Nwakuche threw in the towel as the Managing Director of HEIRS General Insurance, formerly known as HEIRS Insurance Ltd, over her alleged inability to stomach boardroom politics or work as a team with forces who couldn't stomach her approach and work ethics, Tony Elumelu, Chairman of the company, has appointed her replacement. Wole Fayemi is now its Managing Director/chief executive officer (MD/CEO).

With over two decades of experience in the Nigerian

The lofty ambitions of Hakeem Muri Okunola, the Head of Service in Lagos State, to be appointed to a very crucial position in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration may just be dead on arrival. HMO, as he is fondly called, had banked on the father/ son relationship he enjoys with the President, in the hope that he could successfully convince him to make him his Principal Private Secretary. HMO used to be the personal secretary of Tinubu during his second tenure as Lagos State governor. Tinubu would later appoint him Executive Secretary to the Governor on Land Use and Allocation Committee and he subsequently got promoted to the position of Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Public Service during Babatunde Raji Fashola's tenure as governor of the state. Over the course of the years, HMO worked at the Lands Bureau in the Governor's Office where he supervised the state's Lands Administration machinery and later got named Permanent Secretary

in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, a position he maintained until he was appointed Head of Service in 2018 being the most senior ranking member of the Body of Permanent Secretaries in Lagos State. While some may argue that he was ably qualified to fill these positions, one cannot deny the unseen hand of his godfather in his career trajectory. So buoyed by this fact, he naturally assumed being made Principal Private Secretary was a done deal if only he could convince his godfather.

First, he travelled to London to seek an audience with Tinubu in March, shortly after he was announced as the presidentelect by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. When he couldn't conclude with Tinubu, he again travelled to Paris to seek an audience with him on the same issue. When he failed to get a commitment from him, he waited for the appropriate time to

see him again and recently tried to seek audience with him after the inauguration. But he was stopped in his tracks by the First lady, Remi Tinubu, who pointedly told him to return to his lucrative job in Lagos. HMO knew that was the end of the road for him in that regard and with his tail tucked between his legs, he scurried back to Lagos.

Lai Mohammed Berths at International Lobbying Firm

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has been offered an appointment by an international lobbying firm, Ballard Partners. The firm was responsible for facilitating the United States trip of the presidential candidate of Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2019 presidential election. The trip was meant to dismiss a long held notion that Abubakar was unable to travel to the US after being the subject of a probe 14 years ago, by a US Senate Permanent sub-committee on alleged money laundering activities against him, including being an alleged recipient of a bribe by Siemens. Although he wasn't indicted, the US remained dodgy declaring his status. Atiku was alleged to have paid Brian Ballard, founder of the firm and one of the most powerful lobbyists in America, over $1 million to facilitate that trip and get the then Donald Trump

administration's endorsement ahead of the election.

Mohammed's new position in the firm is Managing Partner and he will head the firm's first office in Africa, in Abuja precisely. The appointment will no doubt be more or less a continuation of his past role as minister where he managed the image of exPresident Muhammadu Buhari and by extension, Nigeria while fencing off anything that looks even remotely close to being an opposition to his principal or the nation. No doubt, Mohammed's appointment is considered a strategic move to get the firm to penetrate the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Folawiyo Family Holds 15th Memorial Lecture For Late Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo

insurance sector, prior to joining HGI, Fayemi served as Executive Director (Technical) of the old Mutual General Insurance. His deep knowledge of the insurance industry and excellent business development skills is what HGI is relying on to help drive business expansion and establish the company as a 21st Century insurer. As for Adaobi, she has obviously moved on and may have found a place in the oil and gas industry as she recently just returned from an Offshore Technology Conference for the oil/gas sector in Houston, Texas.

The immediate family of late Chief Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo, otherwise known as Baba Adini, during the week, hosted members of their social circle to the 15th memorial lecture of the late business mogul. Thereafter, guests were hosted to a private reception at the Folawiyo mansion in Lagos. On hand to play the perfect hosts and hostess were his widow, Abba Folawiyo, his children led by the two eldest, Toyosi and Tunde Folawiyo, extended family members and relatives by marriage such as Segun Awolowo.

Some of the guests who made it to the lecture and reception were Biodun Aisen, Funmi Ajila-Ladipo, Funke Oniru, Hajia Bola Shagaya, Shade Balogun, Lanre Onabanjo, Alhaja Ramdalat Fehintola Muri Okunola, Justice Wonuola Folami, Ireti Asemota, etc.

During his lifetime, the late Folawiyo, who died at the age of 79, was a successful businessman, industrialist and a great philanthropist noted particularly for his numerous support towards Islamic projects. He facilitated the construction of several mosques across the country including the Lagos Central Mosque, the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, and the Surulere Central Mosque. He also funded the Bab Es Salam Home for orphans in Lagos. He was

and is still the sole sponsor of the Adhan (call to prayer programme) on Radio Lagos thanks to his family who continues to carry-on that legacy. folawiyo also contributed immensely to educational and sports development. He was solely responsible for the funding of the Yinka Folawiyo U-15 Athletics Championships and the National Amateur Wrestling Championships. In education, he endowed the professorial chair in Physics at the University of Lagos and contributed to virus research at the University of Ibadan. He was the first private individual to put together a physical structure at the University of Lagos when he upgraded the University's Health Centre to a full-fledged hospital complete with an X-ray unit.

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STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

ADELEKE REJECTS TRADITIONAL RULER’S REQUEST TO APPOINT MINOR CHIEFS

Governor Ademola

Adeleke of Osun State has stopped the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude from encroaching the right of Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, also known as Emperor Telu, to appoint minor chiefs.

The traditional ruler had applied for consenting authority from Governor Ademola Adeleke to enable him appoint some village heads in some communities within the Iwo Traditional Council.

Oba Oyelude’s request was turned down by the governor as only Emperor Telu had the consenting authority in Iwo Traditional Council. Noting that any other traditional ruler

could screen qualified candidates, subject to Oba Akanbi’s approval, Governor Adeleke warned the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs not to give approval, letter or gazette any document to any traditional ruler. The traditional ruler was also advised to seek the permission of Emperor Telu if he wants to do anything within his jurisdiction. A consenting authority is the authority to appoint lesser chiefs within the community. Reacting to the allegation, the traditional ruler noted that he had no problem with the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, over the appointment of minor chiefs.

Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, Wife Bag Chieftaincy Titles

Rt. Hon. Wasiu EshinlokunSanni, the Senator elect of Lagos Central Senatorial district and his amiable wife, Alhaja Bilikis Eshinlokun-Sanni, have been conferred with chieftaincy titles, Okanlomo and Yeye Okanlomo of Lagos State.

The lawmaker and his wife were honoured by His Highness, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos.

The chieftaincy titles were given in commemoration of the traditional ruler’s 20th coronation anniversary which took place last week. The event took place at the palace of Oba Akiolu in Isale Eko, Lagos State. The occasion was graced by traditional rulers and other dignitaries.

An after-party and reception ceremony took place at the Ikoyi home of the lawmaker after the chieftaincy titles were conferred on the couple.

Eshinlokun-Sanni was decorated by the royal father for his good works and passion driven service to the good people of Isale Eko and Lagos State at large. The lawmaker has contributed immensely to the vast development of his constituency as chairman and lawmaker.

Eshinlokun-Sanni, a law graduate from the University of Lagos, was a two-term chairman of Lagos Island local government. He is also a threeterm member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Lagos Island Constituency 1. The Eshinlokun-Sannis

Oba Alao is New Chancellor of Enugu Medical Varsity

The Olugbon of Orile-Igbon in Oyo State, Oba Francis Alao, has been appointed as Chancellor of Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS).

The traditional ruler was appointed by the immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a few days before he handed over to a new governor.

RESIDENTS ACCUSE MONARCH OF STIRRING CONTROVERSY IN CHIEFTAINCY DISPUTE

The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Aladesanmi, has been accused by some of his subjects of causing controversy in a chieftaincy dispute within the community. The traditional ruler had installed Fasina Famuagun, as the new Araba of Ado-Ekiti. However, but some herbalists and members of the community opposed his decision. The latter went on to ask an Ado-Ekiti High Court to stop Famuagan from parading himself as the Araba of Ado-Ekiti.

Chief Famuyibo E. Kayode and Chief Olu Adeniyi Atetedaye, who are the two accusers, revealed that Famuagun was not duly and validly selected and installed as the Araba of Ado Ekiti, in accordance with the Constitution of Onifa and Orisas, in Ekiti State and the age-long tradition, practice and procedure of the community.

Referring to a constitution guiding Ifa priests and herbalists in the selection, appointment and installation of a new Araba in Ado Ekiti, both men said that another candidate within the community, Olalere Adankara of Area B Onola Quarters, Ado Ekiti, was the most senior member of the group who should be installed as the new chief. The two priests also revealed that the selection, appointment and installation of Araba is the prerogative of members of the association, while the Ewi of Ado Ekiti has no role to play in the process. Despite the fact that Famuagun did not fulfill the requirements as contained in the constitution of the group, they argued, he had been parading himself as the new Araba of the town. The duo prayed the court to declare that Famuagun was not duly and validly selected and installed. A fine of N20 million damages was slammed on him for unlawfully parading himself as a chief.

He will also help the vicechancellor in the overall planning, organising and control of activities in the institution.

Oba Francis Alao became the king of Orile-Igbon in 2017. The graduate of Accounting from the University of Liberia was a contractor before ascending the throne.

The appointment was conveyed in a letter addressed to the traditional ruler by a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Simon Ortuanya.

As Chancellor of the University, Oba Alao is saddled with the responsibility of advising and assisting the ViceChancellor of the university and providing leadership to the academic and nonacademic-related units of the institution.

Kayode Akande Bows Out of Nigeria Police Force, Marks 60th Birthday

It was a double celebration for Kayode Akande, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone XI Command, Osogbo, Osun State, last week. Akande retired from the Nigeria Police Force after 23 years of meritorious service and at the same time, clocked 60 years.

The pulling-out ceremony for the double celebrant took place at the Osogbo Stadium, after which guests were treated to a sumptuous reception in celebration of his 60th birthday at the Leisure Spring Hotel, Osogbo, Osun State. Tributes and accolades poured in for Akande who was inspired to join the Nigeria Police Force by the colourful pulling-out parade held in honour of his father, L. A. Akande CP (Rtd) who also retired in 1972.

He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1990 as a Cadet ASP and has worked in various capacities. On different occasions, he worked as DTO, Suleja Niger State and Apata Division Ibadan, Oyo State; Detective Force CID Alagbon, Lagos; Member, Presidential Task Force on Financial Crime; PA to CP and PPRO, Bauchi State; DCO, National Assembly, Abuja; and Member, Nigeria Police Peacekeeping Contingent to UN Mission in Kosovo.

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STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Akinwumi Adesina Gets UN Appointment

The President of the African Development Bank, AFDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has been appointed by the United Nations’ (UN)SecretaryGeneral, Antonio Guterres, as one of the esteemed leaders, to spearhead the battle against malnutrition globally. As part of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Lead Group, Dr. Adesina was appointed alongside some notable leaders amongst who are two other Nigerians, Mansur Muhtar, Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank, and Ms. Ndidi Nwuneli, Executive Chair of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition. The SUN Movement is a renewed effort to eliminate all forms of malnutrition based on the principle that everyone has a right to food

and good nutrition. The movement is working to raise awareness of nutrition as both a marker and a driver of sustainable development and to spur new investment and action. The Movement has been working tirelessly across different countries to keep nutrition high on their national agenda in the face of multiple crises. The vision of the movement is to ensure that by 2030, the world is free from all forms of malnutrition.

The newly appointed leaders will work towards the attainment of the SUN's vision by 2030.

Adesina was chosen because of his wealth of knowledge and expertise in manning different organizations both at local and International levels.

Fareeda Abdulkabir Hosts

Lavish Wedding Ceremony

Socialite and popular Lagos based skincare expert, Fareeda Abdulkabir gave marriage a second chance when she married her partner, Prince Ademola Okulaja, a London returnee last

Controversy Trails Abdulraham Dambazau's Chieftaincy Title

Controversy has trailed the chieftaincy title of retired former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Interior, LtGen Abdulraham Dambazau. The former minister was installed as the Aare Jagunmolu of Ede, instead of Jagunmolu of Ede, by His Royal Highness, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, the Timi of Ede, in Osun State. The traditional ruler honoured the former Minister in commemoration of his 15th year anniversary on the throne. The event which started on the 4th of June ended on Saturday, June 10 in Ede, Osun State. However, after the intention of the traditional ruler was announced, an Ibadan based lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN opposed the decision of the monarch.

According to him, the predecessor of the king, Oba Tijaani Oyedokun, who passed away a few years before Oba Lawal took over the stool had already given him the

title. The legal luminary was given the title in 1999 and he has been fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities of the Jagunmolu of Ede. Oba Lawal, denied being in the know of such a move by his predecessor. He challenged Alliyu of not paying regular visits to Ede where he was conferred with a chieftaincy title. The traditional ruler added that he would drop the idea after he was informed, buthe went on to modify Dambazau's title to Aare Jagunmolu of Ede.

Chief Alliyu, who was not satisfied with the decision of the monarch, called on Professor Tajudeen Akanji, the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the coronation anniversary, to complain about the action of the traditional ruler. According to him, modifying his title means

the monarch is elevating another person above him. The Timi of Ede became annoyed when Professor Akanji approached him about Alliyu's complaint. He accused the lawyer of being sentimental and involving politics in a traditional title.

Morayo Afolabi-Brown Set to Celebrate 10 Years on TV

week.

The event, which started with a traditional engagement ceremony, had traditional rulers, socialites, business moguls in attendance. The Nigeria movie industry was also well represented. Guests turned up in the pink lace 'aso ebi' and green head gear for women, while men adorned green caps atop white buba and sokoto.

Abdulkabir and Okulaja's love story started two decades ago. They met in London when the skincare expert was staying abroad. Their friendship metamorphosed into a love relationship which was initially an on and off relationship, until two years ago when they decided to take it seriously and to the next level.

Sparing no cost to ensure their wedding was the talk of town,

guests were treated with sumptuous meals and exotic drinks which kept flowing till the end of the ceremony. Music maestro, the Mayegun of Yoruba land, King Wasiu Ayinde, was on the band stand while Gbenga Adeyinka, anchored the event.

Okulaja, the handsome husband is in his fifties while Fareeda will clock 50 in September. The businesswoman was formerly married to Foluke Daramola's exhusband, Tunde Sobowale, son of former commissioner for Education in Lagos State, Professor Idowu Sobowale. They got married in 2015 and welcomed three children, two girls and a boy before the marriage crashed.

When their wedding date was announced, naysayers stated that Okulaja was the reason Abdulkabir fell apart with her best friend, Omolara Olukotun, the Chief Executive Officer of Larrit Shoe Village.

However, the skincare expert was quick to set the record straight. According to her, Okulaja and Olukotun had dated and ended their relationship before she met Olukotun.

Afolabi-Brown

Media personality and talk show host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, is already warming up in anticipation of her forthcoming book launch and celebration of 10 years on Television. Afolabi-Brown, who is the host of

'Your View', a breakfast show on Television Continental has since been counting down to the event. Although she has kept her fans in suspense about the date, she hinted that the event will take place in June. Her book titled, 'Becoming the Queen of Talk TV', encapsulates her childhood experiences, the car accident she had that almost took her life many years ago and how she decided to find her purpose after God spared her in the near fatal accident. The search led her to a career path in broadcasting. Ahead of the event which is tagged 'Glamourous Owambe', Afolabi-Brown, has been giving

Frank Okamigbo Resuscitates Nightclub Business

Business man and socialite, Frank Okamigbo, more popularly known as Frank Papas, is set to revive the business that launched him into the limelight. The humble and amiable personality who also has his hands in real estate, oil and gas business took a break from nightlife business in 2018 to re-strategise and attend to his other chains of businesses. Having made a name and fame,

he took night club business to new heights and admirable status while manning the fun hub, K's place on Akin Adesola, Victoria Island, Club Papas at The Place in Lekki. Okamigbo, who was rumoured to have parted ways on a sour note with Kola Adewale, the owner of The Place, the club Okamigbo was managing many years ago, the businessman is set to prove naysayers wrong by joining forces with Adewale once again in the

a sneak peek to ladies on how to turn-up for a glamourous owambe on her Instagram page. She modernized appealing garbs from her late mother's wardrobe which she accessorized with matching headgear, shoes and bags.

Portions and quotes from the anticipated book were read to her fans on social media by Idris Olorunnibe, the Chief Executive Officer of The Temple Company, a creative powerhouse for film and content production. Notable personalities such as billionaire industrialist, Chief Razak Okoya and her mother in-law, Mrs Brown prayed for the success of the forthcoming event while sending their well wishes to the new author.

rebirth of The Place at Ikota area of Lekki.

Fun lovers should expect the best of equipment, well trained personnel, conducive environment and all the excitement that comes with clubbing activities from one of the best hands and king of the nightclub business.

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FEATURES

Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai: Playing His Religious Card

Some of the sixteen former state governors who left office May 29 departed as discreetly as possible without much fuss. One or two were absent from the handover ceremonies in their state capitals preferring, instead, to celebrate the historic day at Eagle Square Abuja during the swearing-in of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Another made such a colorful spectacle of his exit befitting a man who once ruled his state imperiously for eight long years. Erstwhile governor of Kaduna state Nasir Ahmad el Rufai also made a splash of his departure but not in the same ostentatious manner as his counterpart in the littoral state. Invoking Prophet Mohammed and the Caliphs, el Rufai let it be known how religion played an important role not only in his election and his successor’s but governance in general thus sparking a raging controversy

THEWILL now considers. Michael Jimoh reports…

Inveterate gamblers know to keep their ace to their chest until the last seconds or minutes of the game. It is only then they pull their surprise to the astonishment of those at the gaming table. If they deal their cards well, they win. They also lose sometimes if they don’t.

Depending on whichever angle you’re looking at it from, former governor of Kaduna state Nasir Ahmad el Rufai is straddling this thin divide between winning and losing right now after his unsolicited but welltimed remarks to Islamic religious teachers, scholars (Imams and Ulamas.) Meant to be both a special session and valedictory address to the Ulamas, el Rufai thanked them for not only ensuring the victory of the All Progressives Congress’s Muslim/ Muslim ticket in the last governorship election but sustaining it in the state all through his two-terms from 2015 –2023. In other words, maintaining Muslim dominance of politics in the state.

If they continue to lend their support as they have done in the past, el Rufai boasted, then the Muslim/ Muslim ticket is sure to last for 20 years. What he left unsaid but blindingly obvious to all was that the continuous Muslim/ Muslim ticket will shut out other religions from attaining top political positions in a state where ethnic and religious tensions have become the norm. Polarised along ethnic and religious divides, the state in question has a predominantly Muslim population in the north and Christians in the south. Of the six elected civilian governors since 1999, for instance, only one of them Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa was a Christian. (A veep to Governor Mohammed Namadi Sambo of the Peoples Democratic Party, Yakowa naturally stepped in as governor after Sambo was made Vice President to Goodluck Jonathan following President Umaru Musa

Yar’Adua’s demise in May 2010. Yakowa’s tenure as governor was short-lived: he died in a helicopter crash in December 2012.)

Yakowa’s successor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, a Muslim, ruled until 2015 when el Rufai took over as APC governor. A Muslim, el Rufai was reelected in 2019 along with his deputy, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, also a Muslim. Soon after Senator Uba Sani was elected governor with Balarabe as his deputy last March, the outgoing governor let on how the Muslim/ Muslim ticket has benefitted the state.

To underscore that, el Rufai began by asking his audience the sole reason for his choice of a Muslim running mate in the 2019 governorship election in Kaduna state. “Why did I pick Dr. Hadiza Saduwa Balarabe to be my deputy in 2019? First, I did a thorough calculation that most of those that are not Muslims don’t vote for our party (the All Progressives Congress). Most of them. So, why should I give them the deputy (governor) position? I did my calculation and I knew we could win the election without giving them (position of deputy governor). That’s first. That’s a purely political issue. It’s politics. You want to win an election, you’re looking for people that will vote for you. We have observed that since we started practising democracy, we know places we used to win elections and those places we don’t. We’ve done that calculation politically. That’s the political point of it.”

Of course, it didn’t go down well with non-Muslim population in the state, especially against the backdrop of the incessant killings and premeditated acts of violence against many of them in the Christian south. With el Rufai’s justification for excluding them out of top government positions, it was no surprise many of the Christian communities grumbled that the governor

did little or nothing to prevent the wanton destruction of lives and property and even displacement of people in those communities by bandits plus terrorists and the frequent herders/ farmers confrontations.

How it all began

The outgoing governor’s now infamous and some say incendiary speech came only days after Senator Uba Sani was declared winner as candidate of APC in the governorship election last March. Though el Rufai spoke mostly in Hausa, the by now viral video of his exhortation to the Imams and Ulamas in Kaduna to continue their support for Muslim/ Muslim candidates in the state lasted for almost 12 minutes. Venue was somewhere in a hall in Government House Kaduna, a giant electric fan blowing the decorative curtains like the billowing sails on a schooner out at sea just as the outgoing governor’s voice riffed through the hall

Nasir has not much going for him. My vivid recollection of him is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long

“

...Playing His Religious Card FEATURES

eliciting an applause here, a laughter there from the audience.

Standing among the seated special guests and facing the audience, el Rufai spoke extempore but it was obvious he’d been studying his scripts for quite some time like an actor mastering his lines over and over down to his gestures. At intervals, el Rufai raised his left index finger straight up to emphasise a point. “What we wanted to prove to people,” he went on, “and thank God in the last four years, we’ve vindicated ourselves and proved that a government that has a Muslim as governor, a Muslim as deputy governor, a Muslim as SSG (secretary of state government), a Muslim as chief of staff, a Muslim as finance commissioner, we’ll not cheat Christians in Kaduna State. And everywhere we go we tell them ‘Yes, that’s it; the top government hierarchy in Kaduna State are Muslims but can any Christian in Kaduna prove that we’ve oppressed them? Is there any district that we didn’t renovate schools? Is there any district we didn’t construct a hospital? Is there anywhere that we didn’t construct roads? Is there anywhere that we didn’t help farmers whether they voted for us or not? We’ve given everyone their entitlements.”

Except for the occasional guffaws and applause, there was cat-quiet silence at the venue signifying that el Rufai carried along his listeners. But the video itself soon generated heated responses, mainly from the non-Muslim community in Kaduna state. Chairman of Kaduna state Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev John Joseph Hayab, for one responded quickly on a national television station Arise TV.

The video in question, Hayab said, is real because of el Rufai’s antecedents. “This video in the first place is real because that’s El-Rufai for you. Some of us have known El-Rufai for saying these kinds of things, for plotting these kinds of issues, and for masterminding these whole things. And many people thought we were just fighting or stopping him for something else. God has helped us for him to come up publicly and make Nigerians know who exactly El-Rufai is. If you have known El-Rufai for the past 20 years and you watched this video, you will know this is the El-Rufai you know because he hasn’t changed, El-Rufai remains a chameleon, El-Rufai just remains a pretense. El-Rufai remains the same, thinking he would outsmart people by playing games.”

Playing games with others or lying to them was the same keen observation on el Rufai by none other than former President Olusegun Obasanjo himself. Interviewed soon after publication of his book Under My Watch in 2017, OBJ had some unsavory things to say about a man he appointed Minister of the FCT from 2003 – 2007. Headlined “Obasanjo: El-Rufai has penchant for lying, disloyalty,” the former president described his subordinate as someone he knows from close quarters.

“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological,” OBJ recalled in the interview. “Why does he do it? He is brilliant and smart. I grant him that also. Very early in my interaction with him, I appreciated his talent and brilliance. At the same time, I recognized his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir el-Rufai. He barefacedly lied which he did to me against his colleagues and so-called friends. I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who was like, in the African setting, his foster father. I shuddered when I heard the story of what he did to his half-brother in the Air force who is senior to him in age.”

In all, OBJ concluded that character wise, “Nasir has not much going for him. My vivid recollection of him is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long.”

It is remarkable that six years after the former Nigerian ruler made those observations about a minister who served under his administration, el Rufai has not changed much.

Reacting to the success of the Muslim/ Muslim ticket in Kaduna state credited to el Rufai, his fellow Fulani and national director of publicity of Northern Elders Forum, Hakeem Baba Ahmed described it as “a fraud.”

Baba Ahmed pointedly asked: “What did he (El-Rufai) do for the Muslims? He demolished their houses. Ninety five percent of the houses and building he demolished belong to Muslims. So, of what value has MuslimMuslim? It’s a fraud,” insisting that “politicians have

poisoned faith. They took it made it a political capital. And they are fooling everybody. The earlier we open our eyes, the better. They are destroying the political process by bringing faith into it. They are deceiving people into thinking that they represent a class, which is not true.”

A politician and onetime presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party Adewole Adebayo has also taken umbrage at el Rufai’s recent video making a case for Muslim/ Muslim ticket in politics in Kaduna state. “I condemn the provocative and divisive bigotry inherent in the statements of Governor @elrufai on Islamic dominance of politics in Kaduna and Nigeria,” Adebayo twitted. “A political agenda founded on ethnicity and religion is anathema to a diverse and plural Nigeria…a political agenda based on tribe and religion is hateful to a diverse and plural Nigeria.”

Even party members in el Rufai’s ruling APC have also called him out. Samuel Kwamkur is an APC top dog and former National Director of CAN. In his response to the viral video, el Rufai’s “classification of ‘them’ versus ‘us’ meant that the former governor cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna.” Kwamkur cautioned el Rufai not to “set Nigeria on fire with his utterances.”

In an opinion piece last Friday by Etim Etim in The Cable an online publication, the journalist indicated that the man el Rufai had deceived most people right from the get-go. “None of us, especially from Southern Nigeria, had ever suspected that Nasir elRufai, the former governor of Kaduna state, harboured such thoughts. For decades, this man has carefully burnished his image as a cosmopolitan, liberal, and open-minded professional who attended a Catholic school in Kaduna in his early days, spent time in Abeokuta during NYSC, and cultivated friends and contacts from every part of the country. He served as a no-nonsense minister of FCT during the second term of the Obasanjo administration and was highly regarded as one of the four technocrats and reformists of that administration (the others were Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Esther Nenadi Usman). But in a recent video which has since been viewed by millions of Nigerians, el-Rufai is heard spewing derogatory against Christians…A lot of people are asking: “Is this the real el-Rufai we had always known; or is this video AI-generated?” People who know him well, like the chairman of the Kaduna chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Joseph Hayab, say the video is the real el-Rufai and that the former governor is a pretender who had been hiding his true colours for political expediency.”

Etim may just have a point regarding el Rufai’s pretense “for political expediency.” At a meeting with leaders of Southern Kaduna Peace Summit sometime in 2020 to resolve the incessant ethno-religious clashes in that region, the governor ended the parley by not only thanking the leaders for finding some solution to the problems but also quoted a Bible verse. “Even the Holy Bible I think in Matthew 5:5 says that: Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God,” el Rufai said on that day. “By the grace of God, all of you will be called the children of God when we face Him on the day of judgment.”

Late last May, the same el Rufai had a different story to tell the Islamic mullahs in Kaduna state thanking them for sustaining Muslim/ Muslim ticket in the March governorship election and, hopefully, thereafter. Like most humans, OBJ may have gotten some things out of context. But on his assessment of his former protégé, the ex-soldier hit a bull’s eye: Character wise, OBJ surmised, “Nasir has not much going for him. My vivid recollection of him is his penchant for lying, for unfair embellishment of stories and his inability to sustain loyalty for long.”

If you have known El-Rufai for the past 20 years and you watched this video, you will know this is the El-Rufai you know because he hasn’t changed, El-Rufai remains a chameleon, El-Rufai just remains a pretense. El-Rufai remains the same, thinking he would outsmart people by playing games

SportsLive

Wanted: More NPL Players in Super Eagles

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

The upcoming qualifier for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone on June 18 holds immense significance for the Super Eagles, as a victory will secure their qualification for the next AFCON tournament.

While Coach José Santos Peseiro has already assembled a formidable squad, including established international players, it is crucial to recognise the immense potential that lies within the Nigeria Premier League (NPL). Surely, there are benefits for the country's football fortunes in the inclusion of NPL players in the national team. While the team sheet released last Friday by Peseiro sees the commendable selection of certain homegrown talents, there are still notable omissions. More than the paltry four players the coach selected from the blossoming domestic game will be needed going forward.

In recent years, the NPL has experienced observable growth and transformation, most of which were reflected in the 2022/2023 season. The ongoing season, for the first time ever in Nigerian football, is an abridged version due to time and circumstances. The time factor had to do with the entire process of wrestling off control of the League from the defunct League Management Company, previous organisers of the domestic League, whose existence was proscribed in response to court judgements. Their responsibility of managing the League was thereafter transferred to the Interim Management Committee, responsible for the ongoing season.

By the time the interim body was settled to handle the business of the 2022/2023 season, time had been expended far into the calendar for football and all the parties involved met and agreed to enter into an abridged football season rather than completely lose out on the entire season. The circumstantial reasons for the abridged arrangement was due to the political campaigns that were ongoing at the time and necessitated the need to restructure the 2023 football calendar accordingly. After all the planning, logistics and coordination were taken into account, the start date of the current season was

pushed from December 2022 to January 2023, with all 20 participating teams receiving a N10m takeoff grant.

Through these initiatives and a drive for more standardisation that includes televised viewings, improved officiating standards, and increased pre-season prize money of N100m for the champions, the league has witnessed an uptick in quality, competitiveness and professionalism. These positive changes have attracted highly talented coaches, with Enyimba International's Finidi George as a prime example, resulting in a more competitive and dynamic domestic football landscape. As a result, the NPL now boasts a wealth of players who have honed their skills and demonstrated exceptional potential. The abridged version of the League has witnessed defending champions Rivers United hold the forte in Group B, to finish ahead of nine competing teams while the shockingly unbeatable Bendel Insurance held

the top slate of Group A for the entirety of the campaign. With the Super Six tournament presently being competed to determine the 2022/2023 champions, it has been a competitively tough campaign, which has thrown up a class of promising players and managers.

While the current Super Eagles' squad possesses strength and depth, there are areas, particularly the backline and defensive midfield, where the inclusion of NPL players could enhance their overall performance and bring the team up to respectable places alongside the best the continent has to offer. Peseiro has played the safe bet of sticking to his wary cast of mostly foreign based professionals. His team sheet reads like the oft-seen dramatis personal of players that believe their places in the squad are sacrosanct irrespective of their form, level and or performances over time. Although there is no Francis Uzoho this time, Adebayo Adeleye of Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel is the foreign based player to be invited to man the place between the sticks for Nigeria and it is obvious he

More players from the domestic competition deserve to be given a chance to make their mark in an optimally managed blend of regulars and fresh faces in the squad

Musa

... More NPL Players in Super Eagles

will be preferred over Victor Sochima of Rivers United and Olorunleke Ojo of Enyimba.

In defense, the regulars return: Watford's William Ekong, Calvin Bassey of Ajax, Kevin Akpoguma from TSG Hoffenheim, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi from West Bromwich Albion, Kenneth Omeruo of Leganes, Zaidu Sanusi of Porto, and Bright Osayi-Samuel from Fenerbahce. Only Rivers United's Chidiebube Duru is from the NPL. This is counterproductive because the defence has not been the most reliable of recent with the occasional goal blamed on a lack of coordination between back line and goalkeeper. Some of these players abroad are not in elite clubs and some play in the second division. They are not that far removed from the levels of home-based talents nor do they possess the raw energy that domestic players have in abundance. Therefore, when they encounter tougher and sterner-built African forwards and opposition, they mostly wilt to the disadvantage of the country's football. Injecting more defenders from the domestic League is one way to address this imbalance.

For the midfield, Peseiro went for recently relegated Southampton's Joe Aribo, almost relegated Alex Iwobi of Everton, recently relegated Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester and Frank Onyeka of Brentford FC. The Portuguese manager only included Divine Nwachukwu from the hardto-beat Bendel Insurance of the NPL. In the attack, there are the usual suspects, Nantes' Moses Simon, Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman of Atalanta, the sensational Victor Osimhen of Italian champions Napoli, Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest, that barely escaped relegation from the English Premier League, the recently relegated Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester and the captain, who should have long been dropped to create ample opportunity for another more clinical forward, Ahmed Musa of Sivasspor K.

More players from the domestic competition deserve to be given a chance to make their mark in an optimally managed blend of regulars and fresh faces in the squad. For instance, Bendel Insurance goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, with his outstanding contributions to the team's unbeaten run and his award as the best goalkeeper for February, presents a strong case for challenging the inclusion of Rivers United's Victor Sochima. Obasogie's consistent performances, exceptional shot-stopping ability, and commanding presence make him a worthy candidate for the national team. Also, Ekerrette Udom of Sunshine Stars stands out as another promising defensive option for shoring up the Super Eagles' backline. Udom's defensive prowess, composed decision-making, and excellent positioning make him a reliable asset to fortify the Super Eagles' backline.

In the midfield, Joseph Atule from Lobi Stars and Paul Acquah of Rivers United deserve recognition just as well as any other player in the domestic game. Atule's ability to dictate the tempo of the game and deliver precise passes would greatly benefit the national team's midfield creativity.

Meanwhile, Acquah's relentless work rate, tenacity in

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tackles, and adeptness at breaking up opposition play make him an ideal defensive midfield option to complement the invited Bendel Insurance midfielder, Divine Nwachukwu.

The inclusion of players from the NPL offers numerous advantages for the Super Eagles. Firstly, it expands the talent pool, providing an opportunity to tap into the hunger, ambition, and untapped potential of players who are eager to showcase their abilities on the international stage. These players often exhibit a unique level of passion, determination, and hunger for growth, which can significantly impact the team's performance and foster a winning mentality. Secondly, integrating NPL players strengthens the connection between the national team and the domestic league. This synergy can ignite increased support and engagement from fans, creating a virtuous cycle that boosts both the development of football in Nigeria and the overall quality of the national team. By bridging the gap between the two realms, the inclusion of homegrown talents not only elevates the status of the league but also facilitates the growth and international recognition of Nigerian football.

Indeed, there has been evidence of for coach Peseiro's presence at some of the Super Six matches at the Onikan Stadium in Lagos, more ought to be demanded of the

Protecting The Coat of Arms, Other National Symbols, From Abuse

While legislative measures primarily focus on the flag, the abuse of the coat of arms remains a significant concern. The coat of arms represents the authority and sovereignty of the Nigerian government. It is not intended to be used by individuals who do not hold official authority or government roles. However, there have been instances where first ladies have been observed sitting on chairs adorned with the coat of arms insignia, thereby exploiting its symbolism for personal gain or influence. Such actions not only disrespect the dignity and honour associated with national symbols but also blur the lines between official authority and personal privilege.

The abuse of national symbols, particularly the coat of arms, by first ladies raises important questions about the boundaries of authority, respect for institutions and the need for proper protocols.

I still do not understand why protocol officials at the executive arm of government that should know better are permitting the misuse of the coat of arms. It sends mixed messages to the public and undermines the principles of good governance and transparency.

Additionally, it erodes the sanctity of national symbols and dilutes their symbolic significance. This issue also has implications for the perception of Nigeria, both domestically and internationally, as it raises concerns about the adherence to established norms and protocols. Preserving the sanctity of national symbols is crucial for reinforcing national pride, unity, and progress.

It is imperative for all Nigerians to recognize the significance of these symbols and play an active role in preserving their dignity and integrity.

coach, especially with being abreast with the local game. The lazy option of waiting for matches in Lagos to reach a determination about which handful of domestic players to call up for national duty should be discarded for a more thorough and detailed following of the NPL scene to create a synergy with the teams, the players, the coaching crew to have a first-hand appreciation of the progress of the players, to see those requiring psych-evaluations, inspirations, grafting, grooming, extra motivations and other inputs to get them from their raw talents to improvements that will benefit themselves, their clubs, the national team and the country as a whole. This was the template that successful coaches like Clemens Westerhof adopted.

The Dutchman is credited with turning Nigeria into a perennial powerhouse in African football and showing that they, and other African nations, can compete on the world stage. He is responsible for a "golden" period in Nigerian football, where players such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu, Rashidi Yekini, and Daniel Amokachi entered the world spotlight.

Peseiro's selection of the four homegrown talents aforementioned in the Super Eagles' squad is a small step and hopefully, goalkeepers Sochima and Olorunleke Ojo, defender Duru, and midfielder Divine Nwachukwu will be allowed to feature to prove the deserve their inclusion and sell the NPL's worth for all to see.

Their inclusion, at the very least, demonstrate the coach's keen awareness of the talent pool within domestic competitions. By recognising the contributions of these players and offering them an opportunity to showcase their skills at the international level, Peseiro is moving along the path of a progressive approach that fosters growth and inclusivity in Nigerian football. May it continue in the international matches to come.

As Nigeria prepares for the crucial AFCON Qualifier against Sierra Leone, the inclusion of players from the Nigeria Premier League stands as a catalyst for the Super Eagles' success. The rise of the NPL, combined with the hunger, talent, and determination of homegrown players, represents an invaluable asset that should not be overlooked. By tapping into the power of homegrown talents, Nigeria can harness the exceptional potential within its domestic league, elevating the Super Eagles' performance on the international stage. Peseiro's commendable selection of these four NPL players indicates a willingness to embrace the nation's domestic football scene, but further integration of homegrown talents would undoubtedly propel Nigerian football to new heights of excellence and achievement.

Peseiro

Protecting The Coat of Arms, Other National Symbols, From Abuse

National symbols hold immense cultural, historical and patriotic significance for any country. They serve as powerful representations of the country's identity, history, values and aspirations. They are visible expressions of a nation's collective pride, unity and cultural heritage. In the case of Nigeria, national symbols, such as the coat of arms, flag, anthem and pledge encapsulate the essence of the nation and evoke a sense of belonging among her citizens.

The coat of arms, in particular, is a visual embodiment of Nigeria's authority, sovereignty and national pride. Its design incorporates various elements that reflect the nation's history, geography, culture and aspirations. The shield represents Nigeria's fertile soil, symbolising its agricultural wealth and potential. A wavy white pall symbolises the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers at Lokoja. The supporting horses signify dignity, strength and nobility, while the eagle crest represents the nation's soaring spirit and aspirations for greatness. The motto inscribed on the coat of arms, "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress," encapsulates the core values and goals that Nigeria aspires to achieve.

National symbols, like the coat of arms, play a crucial role in preserving and strengthening a country's identity and fostering a sense of unity among its diverse population. They serve as unifying factors that transcend regional, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic differences, providing a common ground for Nigerians to rally around. When national symbols are respected and revered, they create a shared sense of pride, loyalty and belonging, promoting national cohesion and stability. These virtues suffer when these symbols are not accorded the respect they deserve.

In Nigeria, the abuse of national symbols, including the coat of arms, is a matter of growing concern. The sense that these symbols represent the ideals and aspirations of the nation, while also serving as symbols of authority and instruments of state power, appears to have been lost on most of those who are supposed to impress this truism on the citizenry. That is why it is dearly unfortunate that there have been instances where first ladies, who do not hold official authority or government roles, have taken advantage of the abuse by either sitting on chairs emblazoned with the coat of arms insignia or having it hung on the wall above their head. I believe that we must re-emphasise the importance of safeguarding national symbols and address the specific concern related to the actions of these first ladies and others who do likewise. The coat of arms, which is my particular focus on

this piece, represents the authority and sovereignty of the Nigerian Government. As with the flag, it has come under abuse at different times and there have been previous attempts to curb these abuses. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has been at the forefront of highlighting concerns about the abuse of national symbols in Nigeria. In September 2015, Alhaji Abubakar Danchadi, the Director of

ments' premises, which should be more knowledgeable about proper treatment. He cited examples of violations, such as flying faded, tattered or defaced National Flags, using smaller-sized flags, utilising them for advertising purposes, and even burying the deceased with them.The director urged both governmental and non-governmental organisations in Nigeria to give the national symbols the respect they deserve to promote the highest level of patriotism and cultivate respect for the national symbols.

The NOA is not alone in the drive to bring respect for national symbols to national consciousness. Recognising the need to protect Nigeria's national flag, the House of Representatives introduced a bill in May 2017 to amend the Flag and Coat of Arms Act of 2004. The bill, sponsored by Sam Onuigbo (Abia-PDP), sought to impose stricter penalties on individuals who distort the national flag.

Onuigbo highlighted unauthorised alterations made to the flag, including the incorporation of unauthorised coat of arms designs. The proposed legislation aimed to ensure that any modification, removal or addition made to the original design by Pa Michael Akinkunmi in 1959 would not be recognised as the Nigerian flag. The bill underscored the significance of upholding the integrity of national symbols and protecting Nigeria's national heritage.

NOA in Sokoto state, expressed deep concern over the inappropriate treatment of national symbols. He specifically highlighted the national flag, coat of arms, national pledge and national anthem as symbols that have been subjected to various forms of abuse. Danchadi emphasised the need to preserve and respect these symbols to foster patriotism and a sense of national duty among Nigerians. To safeguard the national symbols from abuse, Danchadi referred to Section 5 of the Flag and Coat-Of-Arms Ordinance, No. 48 of 1960. According to this section, individuals who display the National Flag in a defaced or deteriorated condition are deemed to have violated the ordinance. Additionally, Chapter 2, Section 2x (a) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, calls upon all Nigerians to respect the National Flag, Coat of arms, the National Anthem, the National Pledge, and legitimate authority.

Danchadi expressed concern that the National Flag is subjected to various forms of abuse, not only in private premises but also on government establish-

According to the proposed legislation, Section 10 of the principal Act will be revised to remove the existing fine of N100 and replaced with a more substantial amount of N100, 000. Furthermore, Onuigbo reiterated that anybody who displays a deconstructed national flag, giving the impression of using the authentic flag when it is actually altered, would be considered guilty of an offence under the Act. Similarly, anyone who inserts the national coat of arms into the national flag, creating an unauthorised form of the flag, would also be in violation of the Act. Nicholas Ossai (Delta-PDP) strongly condemned the disregard shown by both government and corporate organisations in violating the Act governing the use of the national flag. Ossai argued that distorting the flag not only demonstrates disrespect for the nation but also infringes upon the objectives set by the national flag. Likewise, Kingsley Chinda (Rivers-PDP) stressed the urgent need to raise awareness and prioritise the protection of Nigeria's national pride. He advocated stricter penalties for offenders, emphasising that such actions should be deemed criminal and met with appropriate punishment.

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There have been instances where first ladies have been observed sitting on chairs adorned with the coat of arms insignia, thereby exploiting its symbolism for personal gain or influence. Such actions not only disrespect the dignity and honour associated with national symbols but also blur the lines between official authority and personal privilege