THEWILL NEWSPAPER June 25, 2023

OnahNwachukwu Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN

When Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome was asked to appease the audience at a show in his university days, he had no idea it was the beginning of his career as a comedian. It was what you call the perfect description of time and chance, perfectly synergising to start the career of the person we have all come to know as Ali Baba. That day is forever etched in his mind as he went from being a heckler to a comedian. In fact, from then on, he began to do shows that paid him enough to stop taking his allowance from his parents. Thirty–eight years on, he’s still got it. Read about his journey to fame and his bucket list on pages 8 through 10.

We tend to have different skin concerns without knowing how to handle them. From acne to oily skin, dark circles to uneven skin tone, our beauty page has the right solution to some of the most common skin concerns.

For our Muslim readers, it’s Sallah in a few days, and different types of meat come with it. Since deciding what delicacies to prepare for the family and guests can be overwhelming, we collated four popular recipes just for you and let’s say your guests will love them. See page 6.

In our Downtown Confidential article this week, we share signals to look out for to know when it’s ok to navigate from friendship to a romantic relationship. The décor page suggests ways to personalise your space and its advantages, while our fashion page shows you how to look chic in your workwear.

Our movie review page assesses The Flash, and I must warn you that it wasn’t a very positive review. Our reviewer wasn’t impressed, but as he rightly pointed out, there will be viewers who will have a grand time watching Barry sprint from one corner of the multiverse to the other, and that’s just fine.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

COVER

Governors Fight Dirty With Predecessors

BY AMOS ESELE WITH UKANDI ODEY, UDEME UTIP

Almost a month after coming into office, some governors are still playing the politics of succession rather than the politics of inclusive governance, which should refocus the people from the poverty, apathy and indifference of the indecisive last eight years at all levels of government.

In some states, the matter is historical. In others, it is about dominance. Yet, there is a third where vengeance drives the fight, according to THEWILL’s investigation.

In the first category, Akwa Ibom takes the lead, while Plateau state fits the second category and Kano, the third. In all, the governors are on a warpath with their predecessors and would deploy state power, influence and cash to ward off harm.

HISTORY IN AKWA IBOM

First governor of the state under the new democratic dispensation since 1999 was Victor Attah.

Few months after leaving office and on the day he assumed the leadership of the Ibibio ethnic nationality group, Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, Attah told his audience at a reception about “one painful regret” he had since leaving office in 2007.

“The one regret I have is that, though I left with a successor, I left without succession.”

The jibe was directed at Godswill Akpabio, his successor. Akpabio is the current President of the Senate.

Both men fell apart in the run-up to the 2007 election after outgoing Attah attempted to make his sonin-law succeed him and failed and Akpabio, who had been Commissioner under him, snatched the party ticket and won the election instead.

After serving his two-term tenure in office, Akpabio was to complain bitterly to his close associates about his successor, Udom Emmanuel, accusing him of betrayal and sending DSS and EFCC operatives after him over alleged corrupt practices while he was governor.

Akpabio however managed to secure a senatorial ticket and like his predecessor, Attah did, had to apologise before a crowd at Ikot Ekpene Plaza at the verge of the 2019 election, saying he made a mistake in choosing Udom Emmanuel as his successor. He begged for forgiveness and swore to work against Emmanuel’s second term ambition

“Udom (Emmanuel) is a mistake that must be corrected in 2019. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the mistake is corrected for a people-oriented leadership under the ruling All Progressives Congress at the centre,” Akpabio told the crowd.

History appears to be repeating itself in the state with the renewed fight between Governor Umo Eno and the immediate past governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

Less than a month after he was sworn into office, Mr. Eno has moved to break away from the strings of his godfather and predecessor, Emmanuel. THEWILL learnt that the chummy relationship has unfortunately broken down irretrievably.

...Fight Dirty With Predecessors

Eno, who felt stifled by Udom's domineering and dictatorial attitude has forcefully broken loose from the apron strings of his former boss and now operates on his own terms, only answering to himself.

It was all rosy in the beginning with Eno worming his way into Emmanuel's life in the early days of his first term in office, through a religiouspolitical organisation known as Fathers of Faith. He was also projected by the former governor's friend, clergyman, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, founder of Victory Life Bible Church International. This subsequently earned him an appointment in Emmanuel's cabinet during his second term in office as the Commissioner for Lands and Housing. Although he played big in the hospitality business for many years, building hotels and eateries, Eno had his sights set on bigger things. He played his subservient and loyal role perfectly and this endeared him to Emmanuel, who decided to make him his successor.

Naturally, successors in Nigeria's political space are without being told, expected to remain loyal to their predecessors and pander to their requests. While some have maintained this gentleman agreement, either for fear of the unknown or simply out of reverence, not a few have had to break free from the influence of their godfathers to become their own man. And this Eno has done without wasting time, barely before the fanfare of his inauguration died down.

Problems began between the two when Emmanuel decided he wanted to be solely responsible for determining who occupies key political positions in the state. Besides wanting his cronies to be appointed into Eno's cabinet, he wanted to also be the one to determine who becomes Speaker of the State House of Assembly as well as Secretary to the State Government. He wanted to impose a member of the House, Ukpong Akpabio, as the Assembly's speaker.

Ukpong is a nephew of Godswill Akpabio, who has been Emmanuel’s arrowhead in his onslaught against the new Senate President.

It is common knowledge in the state that Emmanuel and his predecessor do not see eye to eye despite the fact that it was Akpabio's wife, Unoma, who allegedly recommended him to her husband as his successor.

Ukpong past caring, chose to take sides with an outsider against the family. Unfortunately, he didn't emerge as the Speaker as Eno vowed not to let that happen. He had confided in a source close to THEWIILL saying about Emmanuel, "He thinks I'm a baby and wants to impose people on me."

Eno's preferred candidate, Udeme Otong, eventually emerged Speaker, leaving Emmanuel dazed by the blow dealt to him by his political godson. To make matters worse, Eno now openly aligns with the senior Akpabio, who he joined his predecessor in solidarity to vilify while he was in office. He was seen at Akpabio's Abuja home on the morning of the day principal officers were elected in the National Assembly to pay homage to him, thus technically lending his support to his Senate presidency ambition.

Contacted, a media aide to the ex-governor, Essien Ndueso, said the relationship between his boss

and Governor Eno was cordial, adding that if the ex-governor had cause to nominate someone for appointment, “It is incumbent on the governor to respect his predecessor.”

DOMINANCE IN PLATEAU STATE

Unlike Akwa Ibom state where the past has been repeating itself, the game of dominance is in full flight in Plateau state.

The governor’s recent sacking of all 17 Local Government Chairmen through the agency of the House of Assembly is seen as a proxy war between Governor Caleb Mutfwang and his predecessor, Simon Lalong. When the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration under Lalong unceremoniously dissolved the Local Government Councils in 2015, the governor not only ensured that his party won all the seats in a new poll but the two Local Government won by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, commandeered by the APC administration.

Basking in the wave of a landslide victory, Governor Mutfwang, who was Chairman of Mangu Local Government in 2015 when Lalong sacked the Chairman of LGA, struck but this time round through the agency of the legislature which brushed aside the protest of the Chairmen who challenged the seeming illegality of the gesture.

Protests by the 17 LGA Chairmen through their spokesperson that the government’s action violated Section 37 of local government council law and Section 7 of the Constitution, were brushed aside by the government.

According to Hon Alex Naantum, Chairman of Shendam LGA, Section 37 of the local government council law states that just like the Governor, who cannot be suspended from office because he is the chief executive of the state, so it is with the chairmen of local government councils. Section 7 of the constitution, states that, “the system of local government by democratically elected local

government councils is guaranteed under this Constitution guaranteed.”

Faced with the resistance of the LGA Chairman, the government was said to have got the support of the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, who ordered the Commissioner of Police in the state to seal the council’s Chairmen offices, a move the local APC publicity Secretary, Sylvanus Namang, described as “illegality and assault on the rule of law.”

Justice Ishaku Kunda of the Plateau State High Court had adjourned to September 22, 2023 to resume hearing on the pending motions and substantive suit filed by the 17 Chairmen challenging their illegal removal and the truncation of three years’ tenure in office.

After securing an order from Justice Ishaku Kunda of the State High Court of Plateau state fort stay of execution served on the governor not to dissolve the LGAs, the state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Police in the State, Bartholomew Onyeka, to express their concern on the matter.

Speaking on the development on Friday, Chairman of Shendam LGA, Hon. Alex Miskoom Naantum, said, “I want us to put our energy together to fight our common enemy’s, not to continue to engage ourselves in what we could best describe as political fight , which is not going to be in the interest of our political setting which we have grown beyond.”

In fact, it got so bad that the citizens of Jos South LGA had to chase the Chairman, Gideon Dandarin, out of office.

Lalong is said to be sad about the development but chose to be quiet over the issue because he too is battling for political survival. Having lost the race for the position of Secretary to Government of the Federation to Senator George Akume, he is said to be unwilling to rock the boat which may generate a controversy to his disadvantage in the scheme of things in the politics of his party.

A source close to him confided in this newspaper that the former government is lying low in order not to jeopardise chances in his party, where the position of National Chairman of the party is still open for Lalong’s North Central geo-political zone.

VENGEANCE IN KANO

The ongoing supremacy battle between Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano and ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje is already in the public domain in its particulars except that the context stretches back to 2019 when the incumbent was saved through a controversial supplementary poll that followed and attack on local governments collation centres by thugs believed to have been supervised by Deputy Governor Nasiru Gawuna, after exit poll showed that Yusuf led Ganduje by 26,000.

In the 2023 poll which he eventually won on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP led by Ganduje’s political foe, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso who had also supported his 2019 contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Yusuf, was said to be vowed to exact his pound of flesh from Ganduje, particularly when the ex-governor was alleged to have pumped

Basking in the wave of a landslide victory, Governor Mutfwang, who was Chairman of Mangu Local Government in 2015 when Lalong sacked the Chairman of LGA, struck but this time round through the agency of the legislature which brushed aside the protest of the Chairmen who challenged the seeming illegality of the gesture

...Fight Dirty With Predecessors

money into the April 15, 2023 supplementary elections for the inconclusive National Assembly polls in 2023, all in a bid to checkmate NNPP as the new power bloc in Kano.

Thus, once he assumed power, Yusuf moved against Ganduje. In the course of the confrontation, many perceived innocent corporate and professional groups were caught in the fight as seen in the demolition of structures believed to have been acquired by Ganduje through proxies but which actually belonged to developers, communities, and corporate organisations.

It took the intervention of President Bola Tinubu to halt the demolition, which the governor claimed had defaced the metropolis.

In his reaction, a chieftain of the APC who appealed to President Tinubu to intervene, Alhaji Alhassan Yarya, said “If the government likes, let it demolish flyovers Ganduje built or the uncompleted projects he (Ganduje) inherited from Kwankwaso and completed them. We can’t continue to waste public funds by demolishing places built with billions of naira just because the new government is not on good terms with the former”

OTHERS

In some states like Abia, Governor Alex Oti of the Labour Party and his predecessor of the PDP, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, are still engaged in a war of words which may blossom into a full -scale fight if nothing concrete happens. A state where workers’ salaries have remained unpaid for several months and pension payment has stagnated, a popular government like Otti’s may do the unthinkable. The main issue is the health of the finances of the state.

Only two days ago, both men renewed their war of the finances: Otti maintained that records show Ikpeazu left N191 billion debt in addition to an alleged N50 billion in unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions and local and foreign debt in the region of N200 billion owed contractors.

Media aide to Ikpeazu claimed that the preceding administration perfected a $50 million World Bank loan and another $200 million African Development Bank loan, which, he said, are now available for the new administration, adding that the new administration received N24 billion on 9 June, which he (Ikpeazu) processed.

Otti said the claim and figures are “fictitious.”

NO DIFFERENCE IN ZAMFARA

The case in Zamfara State is not different as the new governor, Dauda Lawal, has taken on his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, saying he (Lawal) is on a ”rescue mission” in the state. A fortnight ago, the governor embarked on the recovery of over 40 vehicles from his predecessor, an action that has been widely condemned by Matawalle's supporters, who are accusing Lawal of witchhunting and victimisation.

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

Moving against a backlash of criticisms and

allegations trailing the seizures, Governor Lawal, who is from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, 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 his actions as he confirmed that the state government's stolen property had been 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 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.

Matawalle is however fighting back, saying most of the cars seized were personal gifts to him as well as the ones he bought for his car dealership business before becoming governor in 2019. He also claimed that the personal property of his family members were forcefully taken away during the raids, adding that some items already bought for his daughter's upcoming wedding were not spared during the raids he described as barbaric.

With new administrations just kicking off in several states across the federation, THEWILL expects more clashes between some governors and their overbearing predecessors in the coming months as we keep a close tab on developments in Delta, Kaduna, Rivers and Cross River States.

Only two days ago, both men renewed their war of the finances: Otti maintained that records show Ikpeazu left N191 billion debt in addition to an alleged N50 billion in unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions and local and foreign debt in the region of N200 billion owed contractors

C’River to Get Pioneer Floating LNG Plant

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

In a major drive for Foreign Direct Investment, the Cross River State Government is partnering an indigenous firm, UTM Floating LNG Project, to launch its pioneer Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) plant.

The state will host the onshore operational support base of the over 1.5 million tonne, multi-billion LNG project. This is sequel to its proximity to the location of the plant for the contractor Messrs JGC Holdings Corporation.

Ogalla Vows to End Oil Theft, Illegal Refining

The new Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, on Friday assumed office as the 22nd indigenous naval chief and vowed to curb crude oil theft and illegal refining activities.

Ogalla took over the leadership of the Navy from Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, who had been in command since January 2021.

In his remarks, the new Naval Chief thanked God for the privilege and pledged to ensure that the Nigerian Navy sustained the aspiration of being the best.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for entrusting him with the responsibility, adding that the President’s unwavering commitment to the security and prosperity of the nation was an inspiration for him.

The new CNS solicited the cooperation of all personnel in ensuring the success of the Navy and upholding the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and dedication to duties.

He said the task ahead was still challenging, saying the nation had continually faced significant threats such as crude oil theft, prevalence of illegal refineries, reported and unregulated fishing, piracy, sea robbery, various forms of trafficking and other maritime crimes.

According to him, the menaces were not just threats to Nigeria’s maritime security, but also her economic stability and national development.

“We are committed to tackling these security challenges head-on and we will intensify our efforts to curb crude oil theft and put an end to illegal refining. We will enhance our capabilities to combat piracy and sea robbery and ensure the general safety of our maritime domain,” Ogalla said.

The CNS expressed his commitment to serving Nigeria with utmost dedication and integrity.

He said the Navy, under his predecessor, Rear Amiral Gambo (rtd), had made

remarkable strides in safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain, protecting national interests, and contributing to regional peace and stability.

“Most auspiciously are the fleet recapitalization efforts culminating in the hosting of a Presidential Fleet Review, infrastructural development milestones and gladly, as a hydrography officer, the establishment of the National Hydrographic Agency amongst several significant achievements are worthy of mention.

“Sir, your dedication, strategic vision, and tireless efforts have set a high standard for all of us in the Nigerian Navy,” he told the outgone CNS.

On his part, the outgone CNS, Rear Admiral Gambo, said the Navy, under him, pursued a single purpose to address the subversive and nefarious activities in the nation’s maritime domain.

He said the Service evolved more stringent operations, concepts and strategies to tackle the devastating impacts of piracy, sea robbery, proliferation of illegal refineries, brazen crude oil theft, and destruction of critical oil and gas infrastructure among others.

“To this end, we heightened our commitment to anti-piracy operations, anti-COT operations, choke point operations as well as riverine and swamp operations.

“To give impetus to this resolve, we embarked on massive fleet renewal, robust logistics management, acquisition of additional platforms, human capital enhancement and holistic infrastructural development and effective collaboration with local and international partners.

“Our determination to face the several maritime security challenges would have been weakened if not for the immense support we received from the various quarters,” he said.

Gambo expressed gratitude to the personnel for their dedication, teamwork and professionalism, urging them to keep up the high standards and remain devoted to the service.

FG Seeks UN’s Support on Recovery of Terrorists Impacted Lake Chad Basin

The Federal Government is seeking support from the United Nations (UN) and development partners towards the implementation of the regional strategy for the stabilisation and recovery of areas affected by terrorism in the Lake Chad basin.

National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), retired Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa, made the call at the ongoing 3rd UN Counter-Terrorism Week in New York.

The Counterterrorism Week is a biennial gathering of Member States and international counter-terrorism partners. A statement issued on Friday by the Director, Strategic Communication, NCTC, Ozoya Imohimi, said the reintegration of the vast number of repentant and lowrisk individuals associated with Boko Haram and ISWAP poses a significant new challenge for the Government of Nigeria. Musa, who called for more international support to address the menace, said the Federal Government had in the last six years, since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2349, undertaken several responses to address the impact of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin.

“In the Lake Chad Basin region, the UN and Developmental Partners must continue to strengthen support towards the implementations of the regional strategy for stabilisation, recovery and resilience of Boko Haram affected areas,” he said. Musa said the efforts had guided the 2022 Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, the 2019 National Security Strategy, the 2017 National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, as well as the 2016 National Counter Terrorism Strategy.

The State Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Otu who played host to the investors promised the collaboration of his administration in actualising the project.

The governor said the state is very rich in hydrocarbon resources and the prospect of engaging over 3000 youths appeals to him.

“Cross River State is very rich in terms of hydrocarbons with huge gas resources which we intend to fully exploit during the life span of my administration.

“Providing job opportunities to over 3, 000 unemployed in the state is such a huge achievement. If there is anything we are earnestly looking forward to now is to provide employment to our teeming youths.

“We seriously need to grow the economy. We have set a target for ourselves with machinery in motion to double our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with attendant increase in internally generated revenue in the next four years.

“So, you are not going to do only offshore, I believe that by the time our designated blocs are out, you will love to take good advantage by exploring it", Governor Otu said.

He assured the company of its safety in the state adding that the state government will give them maximum support needed to actualise the project.

Earlier, the Managing Director, UTM (Nig) Limited, Dr. Julius Rone, in company of his Japanese and German partners, disclosed that the delegation were in the state for site assessment for the setting up of an onshore operations support base for its contractor, Messrs JGC Holdings Corporation of Japan, on the UTM Floating LNG Project.

According to the MD, the project is the first of its kind in Nigeria and first time such a project is being developed by an indigenous private African company.

He maintained that FLNG which will be anchored offshore Akwa Ibom, not far from the Yoho Platform in OML 104 being operated by Exxon Mobil, when completed will produce on annual basis, 1.5 million tonnes of LNG for export, 300,000 metric tonnes of LPG for the domestic market and some quantities of condensate.

L-R: Education Specialist, Casio Japan, Mr. Koichi Danjo; Managing Director, SKLD Integrated Services Limited, Mrs. Temilola Adepetun; General Manager, Casio Japan, Mr. Koji Shinjo and Deputy Managing Director, SKLD Integrated Services Limited, Mr. Tayo Osiyemi, during the Casio Distributors Conference held at Four Points by Sheraton in Lagos on June 23, 2023.

Photo: Peace Udugba.

Shelve Evil Plans against Nigeria Now, Intelligence Chief Warns

The new Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, has warned criminals and those with intentions to plot evil against the country to shelve the idea forthwith.

Undiandeye gave the warning on Friday in Abuja when he formally took over command of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) from the erstwhile CDI, Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo.

He warned the criminals to avoid being on the ‘wrong side of the knife’, saying there will not be room or excuse for failure under the present President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu.

C'River Tribunal to Resume Trial of Petition Against Otu on July 10

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Cross River State has fixed July 10, 2023 as the date to resume the trial of Professor Sandy Onor's petition against the election of Governor Bassey Otu.

The head of the three man tribunal, Justice Oken Inneh, disclosed this at the end of the pre-trial session of the tribunal.

Justice Inneh, who read out the tribunal's pre-trial decision/ ruling, said the tribunal will commence daily sitting from July 10, 2023 till the trial is

Benue Anti-Open Grazing Law Has Come To Stay – Alia

concluded, except otherwise stated. He asked the parties involved to adhere to the time management allotted to them to call their witnesses.

The tribunal also ruled that all applications should be withdrawn without objection, the counter affidavits deemed to have been withdrawn and so, struck out.

As part of the day's proceedings, various applications by all parties, comprising the petitioners, APC and INEC, were withdrawn because they had either been overtaken by events or fresh ones filed.

Babalola, Pinder, Belinda, others to Speak at HMC Owerri 2023

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

Organisers of the annual Hotel Managers Conference (HMC), which is slated for Owerri, Imo State capital city, between July 13 and 14, have unveiled a list of impressive and renowned operators and technocrats in the Nigerian tourism sector as speakers.

This year’s conference, the fifth edition themed, ‘Performance Management: Managers and Owners Dilemma,’ will hold at the Swiss International Beland Hotel, Owerri. The event will feature eight speakers and 10 panelists. The headline speakers include Professor Wasiu Babalola, Chairman, Institute of Hospitality UK-Nigeria chapter; Dr Michael Pinder, General Managing, Ogeyi Place Hotel, Port Harcourt; Dr Belinda Nwosu, Faculty Member, Lagos Business School.

Others are Alhaji Sunmonu Dauud Gbenga, Managing Consultant of Complete Hospitality Services Limited and President, Nigeria Hotel and Catering Institute (NHCI); Benedicta Ogar, Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer, CityBee Services; Dr. Eric Mekwuye, Chief Executive Officer, HoReCaBB Mentors (HM Group)/Chief Faculty, Hospitality Business School,

Lagos and Dr. Omopeju Afanu, a serial entrepreneur, she sits on the boards of different organisations and is the founder of Cooperhouse Hospitality Limited. While the panelists include Justina Ovat, Principal Consultant, Calabar Hospitality House, and Vice President, South-South, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN); Uloma P. Danjumbo Udeh, Regional General Manager, BON Hotels International West Africa; Allen Effeh, Lead Consultant, Footprint Hospitality; and Funke OlusogaOgunlade, Hospitality and Customer Experience Consultant.

Speaking on this development, the Convener of HMC, Mr. Olugbenga Omotayo Sunday, who is also the Managing Director of Tojum Hospitality, noted that this year’s event would challenge investors, hotel owners, hoteliers and managers on best how to manage, assess and balance the books thereby demystifying the dilemma surrounding the understanding of performance and best practices on how to manage their outfits for increase profitability.The two days conference would climax with Hotel Managers Awards Night on July 14.

The Benue State Government has informed all stakeholders to note that the anti-open grazing law is still in existence in the State and must be respected.

The Benue State Security Council arrived at this decision at its meeting held in Government House, Makurdi and chaired by Governor Hycinth Alia last Thursday. Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, said that a Sub-Committee of the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Services, Traditional Rulers, NAPTITP, Immigration, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA) and the Office of the Security Adviser, was set up to identify the heads of the Fulani herders and report back to the Security Council within three weeks.

According to Sir Kula, the Council decided that no single approach should be adopted, but two or more and stakeholders in the various sectors should ensure the enforcement of the Anti-Open grazing Law.

"All the stakeholders, especially the law enforcement agents should show sincerity in the implementation/enforcement of the Anti-Open Grazing Law currently in place in the state," Kula said.

The Council also resolved that emphasis should be on the prevention of future attacks by armed/criminal herdsmen rather than the reactionary approach.

It stressed the need to have peaceful environment for the IDPs to return to their ancestral homes, while the Chief of Staff to the Governor would liaise with the Deputy Governor to look at the report on the boundary issue between Ohimini and Otukpo LGAs as discussed in the previous meeting.

According to Sir Kula, the Security Council warned against rustling of cattle in the state.

The spy chief said intelligence gathering would be strengthened in such a way that anyone with evil intentions, particularly adversaries like bandits, terrorists and other criminals, would not have their way.

He charged officers of the intelligence community to adequately deploy the resources at their disposal to ensure that Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed.

“When I said there is no room for failure, what I meant is that, there is no way the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces will task us to do something and come back with excuses to give him that we’ve failed.

“With all the resources, both the human and materials, I think it behooves us that we succeed at all times because insecurity means loss of human lives and we must secure people from unnecessary deaths.

“First and foremost, we should re-double our efforts. Secondly, we should be professional. Thirdly, in all we do, we must go beyond the ordinary call of duty to ensure that the people we are tasked to secure sleep with their two eyes closed.

“Any person that intends any evil and ill for our nation will have himself in the wrong side of the knife,” he warned.

Undiandeye pledged that he would not let the country down in the discharge of his duty in line with the mandate given to him by the president to protect the country from criminal elements.

“I commend the efforts of my predecessor for his efforts in projecting the agency, he fought for the independence of the agency and I will keep your flag flying.

“To the staff of agency, the intelligence community, we need your support and guidance, correct us where we are getting things wrong so that we can adjust,” he added.

On his part, the erstwhile CDI said he was happy that he was leaving the agency in the hand of a capable officer.

Adebayo said he came to the agency with a set goals, adding that he is leaving as a fulfilled man.

“I am happy that I am leaving the agency in the hand of a competent officer, so, I can go to sleep.

“Dear staff, kindly extend the same hands of fellowship to my successor so as to take the agency to greater heights,” he said. (NAN)

L-R Special Adviser to the Governor, Investments , Trade and Industry, Mrs Tayo Adeola; Head of Service, Barrister Bamidele Agbede; Head of Programmes, DAWN Commission, Mr Abiodun Oladipo; Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji; Director General, DAWN Commission, Mr. Seyi Oyeleye  and Head of Special Projects and Funding, DAWN Commission, Prince Adetayo Adeleke-Adedoyin, during the Governor’s meeting with top officials of the Commission at the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti on June 22, 2023.

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

FROM GEORGE MARTINS, MAKURDI

POLITICS

Wike

G5 Governors’ Desperate Moves

BY AYO ESAN

In the months leading to the 2023 General Election, the five aggrieved state governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also known as G-5 Governors, who alongside other aggrieved members of the party formed the ‘Integrity Group,’ recently made a desperate move to get the attention of President Bola Tinubu and possibly gain favour from him.

The group caused a major division in the PDP after demanding that the then National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu step down for a southern replacement as a precondition to support the ambition of the party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar in the February 25 presidential poll.

Both Atiku and Ayu called the governors’ bluff and did not succumb to their demand.

The then Governors of Oyo and Rivers, Seyi Makinde and Nyesom Wike reportedly played supportive roles to ensure Tinubu’s victory in Oyo and Rivers States against their party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Of all the five governors, four of them – Wike, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ipeazu (Abia) have completed their second terms in office.

Ugwuanyi, Ortom and Ikpeazu contested the senatorial elections in their various states and lost. Although he did not contest for an elective position, Wike is believed to be unsure of his political future.

The governors did not resign their membership of the PDP, yet they continued to boycott the activities of their

party, even after the court had removed Ayu as the National Chairman of the party.

President Tinubu has been in office for less than 30 days, but Wike and Makinde have visited him three times in the Aso Rock Villa. Many have interpreted this as a sign of desperation, especially on the part of Wike, to get political appointment. Critics described it as a strategy to facilitate the G5’s absorption into the APC. The latter were proved right when, about two weeks ago, Tinubu held a meeting with the G-5 Governors at the Presidential Villa. Those in attendance at the meeting were Makinde, Wike, Ortom (Benue), Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi. The current governor of Enugu State,

Peter Mbah, was also present.

Also, many stalwarts of the ruling APC were present at a thanksgiving service held to mark the end of the governorship tenure of Wike in his country home.

The event was more like an APC gathering than that of PDP and many analysts believed that it spoke volumes about the political future of Wike and other members of the ‘Integrity Group.’

All members of the G5, including Wike, Makinde and former Governors Samuel Ortom, (Benue); Okezie Ikpeazu, ( Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) attended the event.

Another member of the Integrity Group and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose; as well as Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum; former Governors Peter Odili (Rivers), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) and James Ibori (Delta) were also in attendance.

President Tinubu was represented by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Serving Governors Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), joined the long list of Very Important Personalities at the event with high-ranking APC stalwarts and members of the 10th National Assembly, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole; ex-Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; member representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume; amongst others.

Speaking at the reception, which was later held at Wike’s

The governors did not resign their membership of the PDP, yet they continued to boycott the activities of their party, even after the court had removed Ayu as the National Chairman of the party

Tinubu

...Desperate Moves

private property on Ada-George Road, Rumueprikom in the oil-rich Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged Wike and his friends in the G-5 to form another group within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) wins the 2027 presidential election.

Akpabio said, “I want to thank you for all your efforts to bring justice to Nigeria,” Akpabio told Wike who backed the return of power to Southern Nigeria and supported APC’s candidate, Bola Tinubu against his party’s choice, Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.

“And I want to thank the G5 Governors,” the Senate President said whilst addressing the G5 and the Integrity. “We are very delighted, we are proud to have G5. Please, ensure that in 2027, another G5 emerges so that APC will continue to do well in this country. And if you like, you can add two more, make it G7 and not only G5,” Akpabio added.

Addressing Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is also one of the G5 members, Akpabio said, “Your Excellency (Governor) Makinde, you know I predicted that you are going to be a governor when I met you with the late Alaafin, may his soul rest in peace. I just saw the way you were walking and I said, ‘This man walks like a governor.’ I wasn’t surprised when you became a governor.”

Makinde spoke about a rift within the PDP, subtly mocking Atiku Abubakar’s claim to being a unifying factor in the party. He described Wike as the true unifier.

Makinde made the remark while noting that the gathering at the event was full of politicians from different political parties.

It would be recalled that during the February 25 presidential election campaigns, Atiku consistently referred to himself as a true unifier, of which, but he refused to honour the yearnings of the southern bloc of the PDP who were demanding the chairmanship position of the party for the sake of equity and justice.

As the group continues to fraternise with the APC, it has shunned all activities by the PDP. Nigerians are wondering why it is delaying to decide whether to remain with the PDP or move to the APC.

Wike was conspicuously absent from a one-day retreat for elected officers on the platform of the PDP, which was held at the Banquet Hall, Government House in Bauchi State, about three weeks ago. Other members of the G-5, except Makinde, abstained from the retreat.

The PDP’s efforts at reconciling the aggrieved members of the party suffered a setback as G-5 Governors and other members of the Integrity Group failed to attend a meeting scheduled to take place in Abuja last Tuesday. The meeting was aimed at kick-starting the reconciliation of all aggrieved members of the party.

Speaking at the event where 183 members were invited, the National Organising Secretary (NOS), Umar Bature, said that the PDP leader¬ship carefully and deliberately called for the meeting to douse the tension within the party.

Bature pointed out that the gathering was not a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, but one intended to jump start a reconciliation process.

“This party believes that Atiku Abubakar won the last presidential elec¬tion, but we are in court and without prejudice to what the court will decide, we will keep it aside. Let me acknowledge that this meeting is not a NEC meet¬ing, but an interactive meeting with the aim to jump starts a reconciliation process.

“Let me give a preview of our performance in the last election. In the state House of Assemblies, we have 342 mem¬bers. We have 116 members in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, we have 36 mem¬bers and we have 13 governors. We believe strongly that the ongoing tribunal cases in Ka¬duna, Nasarawa, Ogun, and Sokoto states will be in our fa¬vour,” he said.

Makinde spoke about a rift within the PDP, subtly mocking Atiku Abubakar’s claim to being a unifying factor in the party. He described Wike as the true unifier

Speaking on the discussion at the meeting, Bature said, “We started these meetings with the ex-of¬ficio where we briefed them on our performance in the 2023 election and gave an update on the level of party manage¬ment. We also discussed the challenges of state chapters. We also looked at the issue of vacant positions within the state chapters and other various organs of the party because of swinging mem¬bership. Some people went to other parties and all that. We sought suggestions on how to improve the party.

“We are here today and ev¬eryone knows what happened in 2023. We contributed both individually and collectively. If you rise to speak, I beg you to spell out your own role in 2023 elections, either positive or negative before you jump to accuse someone else either negative or positive.

“Everybody had a role to play. When you rise to speak, please, tell us the role you played. You can accuse any¬body here for playing pro or anti party activities. The aim is when we are through; we will have an idea of what to do with the party before we move to other organs like the nation¬al caucus, NEC for the way forward for the party. I believe there is hope for the party be¬cause our membership is still very strong.”

Makinde

Ortom

Ikpeazu

Politics of Money And Election in Nigeria POLITICS

BY OLUFEMI ADUWO

This writer has no wish to trace the historical role of money in Nigerian politics. This is a grey area in Nigerian politics and it has really not been explored as a theme or a component of national politics. All we tend to hear from ordinary Nigerians are catch phrases such as godfathers; money bags and so on. Most of these expressions are thrown around openly with no real attempt to explain what they mean.

For the purpose of my paper, l will try to make some concrete references to individuals and how they have deployed their resources into politics and consequently affected and influenced political outcomes .Secondly, l will also make reference to the role of money in politics in other places so as to help us appreciate the general lubricating influence of money in politics and help us to situate our own conditions in proper context.

Although it has become common to say that money is the root of all evils, a closer examination of the daily usage of money can lead us to a slightly different conclusion, namely, that actually, it is the lack of money that is the root of all evils! Controversial as this may sound, in daily life, many noblemen have often turned to crime more out of necessity and to meet just ordinary needs than anything else. The quest for political office must be seen in the same context as the quest for other things in daily life; a house, a car, education, travel, comfort and so on.

Without money, none of these things is possible. Indeed, even what we sometimes ascribe to luck such as winning a lottery, all these are also operationalised by resources since you at least require a minimum amount of money to buy a lottery ticket. So, l think this point is important to human rights activists and should serve to help us move away from the mere thought that somehow, poor people can’t access power by wearing the toga of their poverty.

Money matters in politics because money matters in every aspect of our daily lives. If you wish to serve God, the mere wish is not enough even if you heard the voice of God. Someone must pay your fees and upkeep for the period of your training in seminary or Bible School.

Even though we often hear people say that money cannot buy love, that may be true, but to sustain and take this love to another level (marriage), you require money to continue to sustain the relationship whether it's by emails, cards or travel to see the loved ones. So money has a role to play in politics because nothing is free in life. Although God made fresh air free or water free, the rich person has a better chance of breathing purified air through an air conditioner or better filtered water. So, when and how can money become a problem in politics? To answer this question, we need to turn our attention to the nature of the environment in which politics is played.

The environment of African politics has often lent itself to savage criticism, sarcasm and

metaphor in the hands of African writers. This has been the preoccupation of some of our best minds: From Chinua Achebe's Man of the People. Anthills on the Savannah. In all these situations, the authors have demonstrated how money has not only diminished political values but has also eliminated principles and nobility. We are left with the belief that once these characters took over the political space, they automatically drove out the serious men andwomen.

lndeed, today, this thesis has become very popular and has been used to explain why the military and politics became so short changed in Nigeria. But this is neither here nor there. One of the things that emerges from both the satirical presentation of politics and politicians is the fact that they all approximate real life.

But they also expose what happens when mediocrity is allowed to triumph. Thus a poor political environment produces a poor political system whose outcome will naturally be poor. The two sets of scholars have tried to deal with this problem in Africa.

Francois Bayard published what he called, The Politics of The Belly in Africa. He was followed by two French scholars who also published a book: Africa Works. Africa Works proved very controversial to many African scholars. But l found the basis of the augment sufficiently persuasive. The book develops a thesis called, the Instrumentalisation of Failure.

Here, the author argues that the purposeful creation of an environment of scarcity by the African elites has its own efficacy because it enables those who handle the system to thrive in the adversity of their fellow human beings. When we test this theory here, we can find some resonance for it in our Nigerian situation. Being paper delivered on June 21, 2023 at the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity lnc, Maryland, United States Virtual Round table Post General election Review /Conference.

• OLUFEMI ADUWO is the President, Centre for Convention of Democratic Integrity Inc.

The environment of African politics has often lent itself to savage criticism, sarcasm and metaphor in the hands of African writers

Yakubu

ADUWO

Ogun NNPP Guber Candidate Urges FG to Approve 200k Minimum Wage

The Gubernatorial Candidate of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) in the last general elections in Ogun state, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo has reiterated his support for 200 thousand naira minimum wage for Nigerian workers by appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accede to the proposed amount by the Labour Unions.

He maintained that the improved livelihood of Nigerians is sacrosanct and must remain a top priority of Tinubu’s administration.

He urged Tinubu to ensure more people-focused economic policies to reflect the current realities in the country.

Ajadi made the appeal against the backdrop of the planned 114% increase in the salaries of elected political office-holders, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers, as well as judicial and public servants, by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Though, the RMAFC had denied the reported approval of 114% salary increment for political officeholders and judicial officers, saying it was only a proposal in the making.

Ajadi in a statement on Saturday said it is worrisome that ordinary Nigerians including low-income earners were struggling with harsh economic realities with about 120 million of citizens living in poverty. However, he is of the opinion that instead of increasing the salaries of elected political office-holders, Nigerian leaders should rather

Appeal Court Upholds Conviction of Senator Akpan, Orders His Arrest

The Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, June 23, 2023 upheld the conviction of Senator Bassey Albert Akpan on money laundering charges by a Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and ordered his arrest.

Ex Commissioner Seeks Support For Otu's Administration

sacrifice and focus on cutting cost of governance but focus more on how to lift Nigerians out of poverty by acceding to the demand of workers on the increment of minimum wage.

This according to him, should commensurate with current economic reality particularly with the removal of petroleum subsidy, which has made market prices went up astronomically.

Ogun NNPP guber candidate then called on President Tinubu and the 36 state governors to work together on how to assuage the plight of Nigerian workers and the ordinary citizens.

According to him, "there is need for President Tinubu and governors to do some calculations and soul searching on the minimum wage to reflect the current realities in the country, by strengthening the take home of workers at the end of every month to meet the current market prices of food stuffs and other essential utilities.

"All elected leaders should seize the opportunity of being elected among millions of citizens in the country to make a difference in the lives of people, by creating enabling environment for Nigerians irrespective of their income to meet their comfortability.

"I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the 36 state governors to make the welfare of workers and ordinary citizens, a priority by acceding to the 200 thousand naira minimum wage rather than increasing their own pay".

Former Commissioner for InterGovernmental Affairs in the immediate past administration of former Governor Ben Ayade, Alhaji Adamu Musa Uba, has canvassed for the support of the muslim community in the state for the new administration of Prince Bassey Otu .

He said there is the need for the cooperation and support of the Muslims in the state for the new administration to succeed and moves the state to the next level.

Adamu made the call on Friday in Calabar in a message of goodwill sent to Governor Otu and the Muslims resident in Cross River State, to mark the Eid-El-Kabir Muslims festival which he said symbolises peace, tolerance, patience and unity.

Uba, the first non-indigenous Muslim to be appointed commissioner in Cross River State urged all muslim faithful not to relent in putting their weight behind Otu so that he can succeed in the revival of the socioeconomic life of residents of the state.

Charging the Muslims community in the state to support programmes and policies initiated by the Otu administration, and sending Eid greeting to all the Muslims ahead of the Eid-El-Kabir festival, which signifies the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Adamu, called for selflessness, love, unity, forgiveness , peace and sacrifice.

He called them to focus their attention on how they can offer support for Governor Otu, "who we know has capacity to turnaround the fortunes of the state and lift Cross River State to an enviable pedestal.

“With Otu, we are sure of economic revival, which he had always been known for right from the period when he served the state as senator. He had always been known for initiating humanitarian programmes.

“He had proven his mettle when he represented the people of Cross River South as senator at the National Assembly. His Empowerment programme was second to none.”

Justice Agatha Okeke had on December 1, 2022, found Senator Akpan, then governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party, (YPP), guilty of seven-counts of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and sentenced him to 42 years imprisonment, without an option of fine.

Akpan was prosecuted on allegation of receiving vehicles valued at N240 million as bribe from companies linked to one Olajide Omokore, a contractor who executed a N3bn contract for the Government of Akwa Ibom State whilst Senator Bassey was Commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. The offence contravenes Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. However, dissatisfied with the judgment, Senator Akpan on December 29, 2022, approached a Vacation Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, presided over by Justice S. I. Mark of the Federal High Court and secured a post-conviction bail on health grounds. But upon release from prison, Senator Akpan continued with his campaign to be governor of Akwa Ibom State and subsequently approached the Appellate Court in Calabar, to set aside the judgment of Justice Okeke.

While arguing against the appeal, counsel to the EFCC, Ekele Iheanacho urged the Court to uphold the judgment of the lower court, dismiss the appeal and revoke the said bail granted to Senator Bassey on the grounds that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and the charge was validly filed”.

Delivering judgment Friday, the threeman panel of the Appellate Court, led by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo, upheld the conviction of Senator Akpan but varied the sentence by granting the appellant an option of fine.

The Court also affirmed that the appellant should restitute the sum of N240 million to the Federal Government through the EFCC and that the said restitution shall not be a prerequisite for his release from the correctional facility.

The Court finally revoked the bail and ordered the arrest of Senator Akpan.

L-R: Navy Hydrographer, Rear Adm. Chukwuemeka Okafor; Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority, Chief George Moghalu; Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; representative of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Adm. Solomon Agada, during the 2023 World Hydrography Day in Abuja on June 21, 2023.

Time to Get Nigeria's Auto Policy Right

The Nigerian leadership seems to be uninformed or unaware of the disservice it has been doing to the country by the apparent procrastination and indecision on the much-awaited automotive policy for Nigeria. This is despite all the selfprofessed love for the country and the much-flaunted desire to contribute to its economic growth and development by those at the helm of affairs.

From all indications, it is evident that the leadership really lacks the proper understanding of how a good auto policy could drive the much-needed development in a country like Nigeria.

It is, therefore, sad and disappointing that the Muhammadu Buhari Administration sat on the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) Bill throughout its entire tenure. For eight years, the Buhari Administration pretended to fine-tune a Bill that had

been passed by the National Assembly since 2013. Apparently taking personal vendetta too far while trying to rubbish the achievements and efforts of his predecessor, under whose watch the idea of the policy was mooted, Buhari succeeded in denying the country he claimed to love so much the immense benefits of an auto policy.

While smaller countries with progressive and well-informed leadership such as Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius, just to mention a few, are reaping the benefits of good auto policies in their respective countries, Nigeria, sadly, is counting the costs of indecision on a policy that stakeholders believe could account for 12 percent of Nigeria's GDP.

While these countries are attracting huge inflows of direct foreign investments into their economies because of the good auto policy in place, Nigeria is losing out and experiencing capital flight that would have boosted the country's economic development.

It is therefore not only urgent but also very necessary for the Bola Tinubu Administration to fast-track the passage of the auto policy bill, which the Federal Executive Council, understandably, has also been rooting for. The disincentives already identified in the Finance Act 2022 should also be addressed.

While Nigeria remains at a crossroads in terms of the passage of the auto policy bill into law, we condemn the recent re-opening of the Seme border post for the importation of used vehicles into the country. A situation where the country imports over 600, 000 used vehicles annually is not good for an auto policy.

For Nigeria to really benefit from the immense opportunities a good auto policy presents, the uncontrolled importation of used vehicles into the country must be given a second look. The present leadership must therefore act fast and decide whether it is truly interested and ready to turn the dwindling and embarrassing fortune of Nigeria around for good or not.

Apparently taking personal vendetta too far while trying to rubbish the achievements and efforts of his predecessor ... Buhari succeeded in denying the country he claimed to love so much of the immense benefits of an auto policy

THEWILL NEWSPAPER TEAM

Why President Tinubu Should Sign The Police Pension Board Bill

BY ADEWOLE KEHINDE

N2.1Bn Pension Scam: Maina to Spend 8 Years in Prison", A headline like this is one of the many reasons the Police Pension Board Bill should be signed urgently. Policemen who risk their lives for 35 years shouldn't die waiting for their pension. An individual who can't pass through one-quarter of what Nigerian police personnel are passing through will sit in the comfort of his house and embezzle a whopping N2.1 billion!

According to the Nigerian civil service rules, the statutory age of retirement for civil servants is 35 years of service or 60 years of age, whichever comes first.

It may be instructive to note that the objectives of the Pension Reform Act 2014 include ensuring that every person who worked in the public service of the federation, federal capital territory, states, local government, or the private sector receives his retirement benefits as and when due and assisting improvident individuals by ensuring that they save to cater for their livelihood during old age.

THIS CONTINUOUS MALTREATMENT OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAD DEVOTED MUCH OF THEIR ACTIVE YEARS TO SERVING THEIR COUNTRY IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL BUT IMMORAL. NIGERIA APPEARS TO BE THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WITH SUCH AN UNENVIABLE RECORD

The irony is that the government has, however, proven to be so improvident that it becomes pertinent to question the prudence in its continual management of what should guarantee the future livelihood of average Nigerians who have given most of their lives in service of the state.

The scale of corruption in Nigeria’s pension system, both at the federal and state levels, is staggering.

It is characterised by huge embezzlement by those assigned to run the scheme, as well as elected and appointed political officeholders.

The suffering of pensioners in Nigeria took a turn for the worst since the return of civil rule in 1999, and successive administrations, including the current one, have been paying lip service to the whole ugliness. For pensioners and their dependents over these years, it

does not just rain; it also pours.

This continuous maltreatment of a group of people who had devoted much of their active years to serving their country is not only illegal but immoral. Nigeria appears to be the only country in the world with such an unenviable record.

Today, in Nigeria, the thought of retirement is akin to hellfire because potential pensioners fear what awaits them: either they do not get their pension while alive or are declared dead while alive by the government, all in a bid to deny them their entitlement. This is the fate of Nigerian pensioners.

A pension fund is not a gratuitous payment from the government to its retired workforce.

As rightly held by the Court of Appeal in a decided case, it is a constitutional right guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which does not depend on the discretion of the government.

Some benefits of the Police Pension Board Adopting effective and efficient coordinating mechanisms and innovative strategies in the processing and payment of terminal benefits to retirees via:

• Prompt and adequate payment of pensions and gratuities to the pensioners/retirees.

• Receive funds and make payments to pensioners.

• Ensure adequate record-keeping and comprehensive pension records.

• Rending of a periodic report on the status of the board on contributions and remittances

• Capacity building for the pension desk officers, retiring officers, and retirees.

The Police Pension Board will also ensure service delivery, an enabling environment, and partnerships with stakeholders.

The Police Pension Board will reposition the police away from poor service delivery as a result of the rigidity of the old order.

The Police Pension Board will also ensure that serving police personnel are better equipped to cope with the modern trend in policing and block all the leakages, waste, and loopholes.

• Adewole Kehinde is the publisher of Swift Reporters, based in Abuja, and can be reached at 08166240846. E-mail: kennyadewole@gmail.com

NIMASA Not A Revenue Generating Agency

BY ADE DOSUNMU

My attention has been drawn to speculation purported to have emanated from the Presidential Policy Advisory group, erroneously classifying the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), as a revenue generating Agency, thereby proposing a merger of NIMASA, CUSTOMS and FIRS. It is a very serious misconception and dangerous for the future of shipping/Maritime industry in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), was created in 2007, following the merger of National Maritime Authority (NMA) and Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) deriving its powers from Merchant Shipping Act, 2007, NIMASA Act, 2007 and Coastal and Inland shipping (cabotage) Act, 2003. The Agency, is a Maritime Safety Administration responsible for regulating shipping activities in Nigeria with a view to achieving safer shipping and cleaner oceans as mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) through its various Conventions and Protocols.

The enabling acts give NIMASA statutory powers as specified by International Conventions and protocols for the enthronement of global best practices in ensuring safety of Navigation and prevention / control of marine pollution in the shipping industry as regulated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in which Nigeria is a contracting member state. The agency also has responsibility for development of indigenous shipping capacity. International Maritime Organisation (IMO), is an organ of the United Nations charged with the responsibility of regulating global shipping trade with special focus on safety of Navigation and prevention of Marine pollution as contained in the United Nations Convention on the Law of The Sea (UNCLOS). Article 194, 211, 212, of UNCLOS specifically mandates states to adopt Laws and regulations for the prevention, reduction and control of pollution of the marine environment from vessels flying their flags or of their registry.

The IMO has 167 Maritime Nations as members including Nigeria due to our vast Maritime Coastline. It issues conventions and protocols which all members’ state assent to, regulating global shipping trade. Such Conventions as Marine Pollution Prevention (MARPOL), and its various annexures i.e. Discharging of oily waste, Noxious substances and dangerous goods, Discharging of sewage, Garbage including plastics, Air emission, etc. Other Conventions like London Protocol on Prohibition of Dumping of Waste in the Marine Environment, International Convention on Wreck Removal (Nairobi Convention), Training and Certification of Seafarer (STCW ’95), Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS), Convention on Ship Recycling to Ensure Environmental Sound Practices (Hong Kong) Convention, to mention just a few. All these convention have been domesticated in Nigeria and NIMASA is the Focal Agency for implementation of the conventions through the discharge of its technical mandate which cannot be performed by any other Agency in Nigeria.

NIMASA being the Safety Administration of Nigeria has counterparts in 167 Maritime Nations responsible for ensuring safer shipping and cleaner oceans through the instrumentality of the technical mandate it performs viz Port states inspection, Flag states inspection, Search and Rescue, Maritime Capacity Building, Maritime Security by ensuring our waters are safe from Piracy and Sea robbers, Prevention/Control of Marine Pollution, Administers the Training and Certification of Seafarers(STCW ’95), shipping development, coastal and inland shipping (Cabotage) and maritime labour administration. All these functions by NIMASA

require technical expertise and can only be performed by a Safety Administration. The same technical functions are performed by Maritime Safety Administration of UK, MCA, US Coast Guard, Safety Administration of Greece, Finland, Cyprus and all other member countries of IMO.

It is, therefore, my humble position that emphasis of Government should be on how to strengthen NIMASA to deliver more on its technical mandates and not merging it with Agencies that are not compatible with its philosophy and objectives. However, I am happy Ms Hadiza Bala Usman the former MD of the Nigerian Ports Authority has been appointed by President Tinubu as the Special Adviser Policy Coordination. Hadiza, whom I know is very abreast of the Nigerian Maritime sector would be able to advise the President accordingly due to her expertise and experience in the industry.

LET ME QUICKLY POINT OUT THAT THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT IN THE COURSE OF DISCHARGING HER TECHNICAL MANDATE, NIMASA GENERATES REVENUE AND USES PART OF IT TO PROSECUTE ITS TECHNICAL REGULATORY FUNCTIONS. THE SURPLUS AT THE END OF THE YEAR IS PAID INTO THE FEDERATION ACCOUNT IN LINE WITH THE TARGET SET BY THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

I can say the proposal in my view is likesuggesting a merger of Nigerian Navy with Nigeria Civil Defence because the later has responsibility for protecting critical National assets. For instance, technically speaking, all ships that call on Nigeria waters carry minimum of five Certificates which include Certificate on safety equipment, Certificate on radio equipment, and certificate on crewing etc. These certificates are carried by all ship calling on Ports Globally. NIMASA Surveyors, under its Port states responsibility must board these ships to ensure compliance with global requirements. NIMASA also carries out flag state inspection on all ships before they are registered to determine their fitness for purpose. In this regard, the ships are subjected to preregistration survey and condition survey. All these are in line with the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention and STCW ‘95 Convention.

• Dr Ade Dosunmu, MON, is a former DG/CEO at NIMASA.

Troubled Economy: DBN Outlines Strategies to Bolster Support For MSMEs

ESTIMATED BILLING CUSTOMERS OF NIGERIA ELECTRICITY DISCOS

BY SAM DIALA

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has unveiled strategies to step up its support for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to navigate the current troubled economy, triggered by the recent fuel and electricity subsidies removal, naira devaluation, high inflation and deepening pains of multiple taxes, among other challenges.

In its policy document seen by THEWILL, the development financing institution articulated action steps to pursue its mandate of supporting and developing small businesses, a sector it acknowledged as the springboard to economic development worldwide.

“Small businesses are known to be the springboard of development worldwide, creating economic opportunities, especially for those at the lower rung of the economic ladder. Nigeria, being an everentrepreneurial nation, is no exception.

“With over 40 million MSMEs, accounting for 96 percent of all businesses, 84 percent of employment, and approximately 50 percent of the entire GDP, MSMEs make a remarkable contribution to our nation's development,” the bank said in the document signed by its managing director/CEO, Tony Okpanachi. Outlining the strategies to propel the MSMEs to greater heights, the bank said it would leverage their strength to facilitate growth in crucial sectors such as Agriculture, Education, Health, Manufacturing and work towards tackling challenges like energy poverty and struggling tourism sectors.

A glimpse into the document showed that the bank plans to build on the financing support it has offered to its participating

DisCos’ Estimated Billing Customers Rise in Q1 2023

BY SAM DIALA

The number of estimated billing customers held by Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) has continued to be on the increase, with the 11 DisCos having a total of 5.95 million in Q1 2023.

This is 1.99 percent higher than the 5.84 million held on a yearon-year basis, according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It is also 0/04 percent higher than the 5.93 estimated billing customers the DisCos had in their books in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Continues on page 33

financial institutions. This will result in increasing the over 313,000 MSMEs that have benefited from its financing support amounting to the tune of N631 billion as of December 2022 and leading to the creation of more than 900,000 jobs.

It said it would harness the potential of the sector to support green transactions and combat climate change, a move he said represents the compelling vision it has for Nigeria’s short- to medium-term future.

“They underpin our mandate and drive to continue supporting MSMEs with development financing, with the hope that our efforts will result in enviable growth and development that other parts of the world can learn from,” the bank said.

According to the policy document, the bank plans to build on the support it offered to its participating financial institutions in 2022. The target is to increase the over 313,000 MSMEs that have benefited from its financing from which over 900,000 jobs were created.

To fast-track growth of the MSMEs during the challenging period, DBN has created a sector-focused plan that would build on the current achievement.

Data from the plan showed that more than N230 billion have been channelled to support small businesses in the Trade and Commerce sector over the past 5 years leading up to December 2022, based on which it would offer support to the sector in the 2023 short-term arrangement.

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MORE INSIDE

Naira Drops at I&E Window as Equities Market Gains N102.8bn

Total Transactions on NGX Rise to N323bn Amid Bullish Sentiments in May

Nigeria Owes Oil Majors $3bn For Crude Swaps

PAGE 34 PAGE 35

The total amount of transactions on Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) grew to N322.92 billion in the month of May as against N191.21 billion in the previous trading month, thus representing a 68.88 per cent increase.

This is according to the Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment Report of Nigerian Exchange Limited for the month of May 2023.

Continues on page 34

Popoola

Okpanachi

DisCos’ Estimated Billing Customers Rise in Q1 2023

Continued from page 32

Troubled Economy: DBN Outlines Strategies to Bolster Support For MSMEs

Continued from page 32

The Bank recognises that over the past 3-5 years, the Manufacturing sector has been contributing between 12 per cent and 17 per cent to the national economy and is one of the highest labour-intensive sectors. It records that the Manufacturing will also, to a great extent, play a vital role in Nigeria’s industrialisation journey.

As a result, the Bank plans to increase support to MSME players in the Manufacturing sector which it has committed over N69 billion in financing.

“

Estimated billing is a system of arbitrary charging against unmetered electricity consumers for electrical energy they did not actually consume.

The billing is based on perceived pattern of consumption, or on the ‘best of judgement’, with unjustified high revenue target as the motive.

Consumers in this system are mandated to pay far above what they consumed on a monthly basis and the charges are usually outrageous. It is a system that thrives on corruption and driven by tardy inclination to exploitation which defines a commodity in the category of monopoly.

While the estimated billing customers increase, the NBS report also showed that total revenue collected by the DisCos during the period was N247.33 billion from N232.32 billion in Q4 2022. On a year-on-year basis, revenue generated in the reference period rose by 20.81 percent from N204.74 billion recorded in Q1 2022. Electricity supply was 5,852 (Gwh) in Q1 2023 from 5,611 (Gwh) in the previous quarter. However, on a year-on-year basis, electricity supply declined by 1.74 percent compared to 5,956 (Gwh) reported in Q1 2022

The NBS report further showed that total customer numbers in Q1 2023 stood at 11.27 million from 11.06 million in Q4 2022, showing an increase of 1.89%.

On a year-on-year basis, customer numbers in Q1 2023 rose by 5.99% from 10.63 million reported in Q1 2022. Similarly, metered customers stood at 5.31 million in Q1 2023, indicating a growth of

3.61 percent from 5.13 million recorded in the preceding quarter. On a year-on-year basis, this grew by 10.86 percent from the figure reported in Q1 2022 which was 4.79 million.

The report showed that Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has 1.323,553 estimated billing customers – the highest among the DisCos, as the country grapples with perennially poor supply,

Ibadan also belongs to the league of top revenue generating DisCos – after Ikeja (IEDC), Eko (EKDC) and Abuja (AEDC), which raked in N49.7 billion, N41.7 billion and N38.2 billion respectively in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023.

Ibadan (which covers Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and parts of Niger, Ekiti and Kogi states), pooled N24.5 billion during the period. Yola, Kaduna and Jos DisCos had the lowest revenue pools: N4.9 billion, N7.7 billion and N8.8 billion respectively.

The DisCos’ estimated billing customer numbers rose to 5.95 million from 5.91 million in Q3 22. Ibadan had a total of 1.3 million, representing 22 percent of the entire estimated billing customers.

The DisCos had a total of N5.2 million metered customers in Q1 2023 as against 5.1 million in the preceding quarter, while 11.0 million customers were in their registers during the reporting period, compared to 10.9 million in Q1 2023.

The federal government has announced a 40 percent electricity tariff hike effective JULY 1, 2023 which the organized labour has kicked against, raising fears of imminent strike by the workers which recently suspended a similar act over the removal of fuel subsidy at the beginning of the Tinubu-led administration.

It is also feared that the proposed hike in electricity tariff will worsen the rising inflation in the economy. According to the NBS, the inflation rate rose from 22.22 per cent in April to 22.41 per cent in June amidst an increase in the prices of food items, transportation and energy.

The Bureau noted that within a year, the rate had accrued a difference of 4.70 per cent from May 2022, where the inflation was 17.71 per cent, until May 2023.

Items like food and non-alcoholic beverages (11.61 per cent), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel (3.75 per cent), clothing & footwear (1.71 per cent), transport (1.46 per cent), among others contributed largely on the divisional level to the increase in the headline.

“The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) recognises the significance of agriculture in the country's economy and has allocated substantial funding to agro-MSMEs. As of December 2022, the Bank has provided N27 billion to Agro-MSMEs.

“This funding has played a vital role in supporting agricultural activities, empowering farmers, and promoting agro-entrepreneurship. The financial support provided by DBN has helped agro-MSMEs to enhance their operations, invest in modern farming techniques, acquire machinery and equipment, expand their production capacity, and access new markets,” the bank said. .

DBN has provided N13 billion in financing support to MSMEs operating in the hospitality and tourism sector. This funding has helped these businesses to expand their operations, improve infrastructure, enhance service quality, and contribute to the growth of Nigeria's tourism industry. The sector will be allocated more funds under the programme. The document further revealed that DBN has allocated N12 billion in financing to support quality education in Nigeria. It recognizes that this funding has been instrumental in improving educational facilities, promoting skill development programs, and enhancing access to education across the country.

Under the Health, the bank said it has channeled N11.5 billion in financing support to the sector, aiming to improve access to healthcare services and enhance the health conditions of the Nigerian populace. This funding, it said, has supported the development and expansion of healthcare facilities, the procurement of medical equipment, and the training of healthcare professionals.

On Technology, DBN said it recognises the immense potential of technology and innovation in driving development and digital transformation across sectors. Therefore, it has allocated N11 billion to the technology sector, supporting businesses involved in technology and innovation initiatives. This funding aims to foster increased efficiency,

productivity, and expanded market access for Nigerian businesses.

The organised private sector, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) have at various times drawn attention to the high rate of business closure and job losses among the MSME operators in the past eight years.

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has continued to lament over the country’s tough operating environment which forces its members to shut down operations or relocate to other neighbouring countries, which constrains the sector’s growth, especially the MSMEs involved in the value chain.

This was affirmed by executives of the association at the 2022 CEOs breakfast meeting of MAN, Ikeja branch held on July 22, 2022 who maintain that the country’s operating environment is characterized by overregulation, high production cost, FX shortage, unfriendly policies, infrastructure deficit, among other issues.

“The foremost casualties are the MSMEs whose survival hinges on their contribution to the value chain, especially those actively involved in backward integration, that is the process through which companies source their raw materials locally,” said David Ogom, a Lagos-based small business operator engaged in logistics services.

The financing and capacity building support offered by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will enable the operators to step up their activities in the real sector valuechain. This is more significant in the backward integration scheme where SMEs have played active roles to support the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms which are currently challenged as reports have shown.

Backward integration is a practice where companies are encouraged to cultivate their own raw materials locally and purchase from their local suppliers or establish farms to grow produce for their factories. The government put the measure in place to save foreign exchange, create jobs, boost productivity and grow the GDP.

While the estimated billing customers increase, the NBS report also showed that total revenue collected by the DisCos during the period was N247.33 billion from N232.32 billion in Q4 2022

Experts believe that DBN should step up its support to enable the SMEs to play a more active role in the value chain ecosystem

Continued from page 32

Total Transactions on NGX Rise to N323bn Amid Bullish Sentiments in May

The prolonged foreign exchange scarcity, inflation among others had been taking their toll on the Nigerian economy and the capital market which is the barometer of the economy had seen mixed sentiments in transactions in the month under review.

However, the securities market hit the biggest single day gain in two years, rising by 5.23 per cent on May 29 as investors reacted positively to President Bola Tinubu’s ‘no more fuel subsidy and immediate unification of exchange rates’ comments.

Tinubu also stated that his administration would be targeting a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, create jobs, work towards a unified exchange rate and ensure that investors and foreign businesses repatriate their hard earned dividends and profits home.

This resulted into a huge bounce as the total value of transactions executed by domestic investors’ outperformed transactions executed by foreign Investors by 76 per cent.

Further analysis of the total transactions executed between the current and prior month (April 2023) revealed that total domestic transactions increased by 56.37 per cent from N182.74 billion in April to

N285.76 billion in May 2023.

Similarly, total foreign transactions increased significantly by 338.72 per cent from N8.47 billion (about $18.31 million) to N37.16 billion (about $79.88million) between April 2023 and May 2023.

Over a sixteen (16) year period, domestic transactions decreased by 45.30 per cent from N3.556 trillion in 2007 to N1.945 trillion in 2022 whilst foreign transactions also decreased by 38.47 per cent from N616 billion to N379 billion over the same period.

Also, total domestic transactions stood at N945.02 billion, whilst total foreign transactions closed the month under review at N99.34 billion.

The report also revealed that institutional investors outperformed retail Investors by 38 per cent while a comparison of domestic transactions in the current and prior month (April 2023) revealed that retail transactions increased by 19.29 per cent from N74.19 billion in April to N88.50 billion in May 2023.

Similarly, the institutional composition of the domestic market increased significantly by 81.72% per cent from N108.55 billion in April 2023 to N197.26 billion in May 2023.

SEC’s Financial Statements Duly Audited Over The Years

The Securities and Exchange Commission has said that its financial statements have been duly audited over the years restating its commitment to high corporate governance standards.

According to a statement signed by the Management of the Commission, "the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission), the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market has been drawn to some reports in the electronic and print media, insinuating that the Commission had not audited its financial statements since 2014.

"Contrary to these false claims, the Commission as a law-abiding agency has duly audited its financial accounts year after year before and onward from 2014, and has submitted these to the relevant agencies statutorily empowered by the Federal Government to receive same"

Cadbury Nigeria Wins Trophies at IFC/NGX Awards

Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Mondelez International, received three awards and a special recognition at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX) Nigeria2Equal Programme Awards, which took place in Lagos State, recently.

The awards are Company Board Gender Diversity Award (which spotlights organizations that have achieved a gender balanced board of directors of up to 40 to 60 percent on their supervisory and management boards).

Family-Friendly Workplace Excellence Award (spotlights organizations that have implemented best-in-class policies, especially in the areas of parental leave and paid childcare programmes).

Naira Drops at I&E Window as Equities Market Gains N102.8bn

The Nigerian Naira closed at N770.17/$ at the official window on Friday against N763.17 the previous day, marking a value-shedding of N7 or 10 percent. The parallel market closed at N770/US, consolidating on the exchange rates convergence that was recorded earlier in the week.

Total traded volume also recorded a decline to $125.47 million from $204.84 million traded the previous day, representing a drop of 38.8 percent.

In terms of the equities market, investors recorded a gain of N102.8 billion in the week of June 19-23 as the NGX All-Share Index closed at positive -- 59,206.63 basis points against 59,211.26 basis points on Monday.

This reflected in the performance of the market capitalisation which recorded N23.2 trillion compared to N32.13 trillion on the first trading day – Monday, June 19.

A total turnover of 3.369 billion shares worth N41.86 billion in 39,764 deals was traded this week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 4.276 billion shares valued at N62.176 billion that exchanged hands last week in 44,344 deals.

Gender Diversity in Supply Chains Award (spotlights the exceptional achievement of organizations that have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to gender diversity in their supply chain).

Cadbury Nigeria also received a Special Recognition for Women Empowerment and Leadership.

Commenting on the awards, Oyeyimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria said the organization’s philosophy of promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, is embedded in its DNA.

“We signed on to the Nigeria2Equal Gender programme in 2021 as part of our agenda on Diversity, Equity, and Incusion (DEI) and Great Place to Work (GPTW),” she added. “This has helped us to focus on what matters most.

“We will continue to provide the right platform for female employees in our organization to achieve their career objectives. We will also maintain our current policy of supporting our female business partners to thrive in their business because we believe in the empowerment of women.”

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who presented the special recognition award to Cadbury Nigeria and other recipients, commended the awardees for promoting initiatives that focus on women. Sanwo-Olu, who also lauded the IFC and NGX for the initiative, said the programme is drawing more attention to gender equality in Nigeria.

The statement listed the agencies to include, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Office of the Auditor General of the Federation; Fiscal Responsibility Commission; Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, as well as the appropriate committees of the National Assembly.

"The Commission, being a strong promoter of world-class corporate governance standards, hereby restates its commitment to upholding such ideals and strongly advises persons with requests for information to channel such to the Commission via email to sec@sec. gov.ng, and to which the Commission would respond accordingly.

"The dissemination of factual information is critical to complementing the efforts of the Federal Government for the growth and development of the capital market and Nigeria’s economy"., the SEC added.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 2.515 billion shares valued at N23.030 billion traded in 19,895 deals; thus contributing 83.86% and 66.06% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Oil and Gas Industry followed with 162.226 million shares worth N4.174 billion in 2,953 deals. The third place was the Conglomerates Industry, with a turnover of 148.138 million shares worth N530.633 million in 1,962 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Universal Insurance Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 865.658million shares worth N12.138 billion in 4,786 deals, contributing 25.70% and 28.91% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

“Your unwavering dedication to reducing gender gaps and fostering a more equitable workplace serves as an inspiration for us all,” he said. “We must continue to challenge the status quo, break down barriers and ensure that men and women alike have equal opportunities to contribute to the growth and prosperity of our nation.”

In her remarks during the award ceremony, Ms. Dahlia Khalifa, IFC’s Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, commended the progress of participating companies in championing the cause of women in their organizations.

Mr. Temi Popoola, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX, commended IFC for conceptualising the Nigeria2Equal program and partnering with the Exchange to launch the initiative. He said both organizations have a shared commitment to encouraging private sector companies to reduce gender gaps in leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship.

L-R: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna; Director, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mrs, Bukky Rufai; Director, Nigerian Exchange Group, Mrs. Ojinika Nkechinyelu Olaghere; President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, (CIS), Mr. Oluwole Adeosun; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited, (NGX), Mr. Temi Popoola; Chairman, Coronation Group, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CON; Mrs, Ofovwe Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Mr. Ohiozoje Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group, Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga; Divisional Head, Capital Markets, NGX, Mrs Evenly Oputu; Non-Executive Director, Coronation Merchant Bank, Mrs Evenly Oputu; Director, NGX, Mr. Ahonsi Unuigbe; Non-Executive Director, Coronation Group, Mr. Ernest Ebi and CEO, Coronation Asset Management, Mr. Aigbovbioise Aig-Imoukhuede, during the Closing Gong Ceremony  for the Investiture of Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute in Lagos on June 21, 2023.

SAHCO Promises Shareholders Enhanced Dividends in 2023

The Chairman of Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC (SAHCO), Dr Taiwo Afolabi, has promised better dividends for the shareholders of the company for the current financial year ending Dec. 31, 2023.

Afolabi gave the promise at the 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company for the financial year ended Dec. 31, 2022 on Friday in Lagos.

He said the board was aware of shareholders' desire for an improved dividend.

According to him, the board decided to repeat the 16.5k dividend paid in 2021 because there was a need to channel resources to grow the company, a decision he said was currently yielding positive results.

“Our first quarter financial result shows that we are making more money and we are going to surprise our shareholders next year by giving them maybe double this year's dividend.”

He said that SAHCO in 2022 made massive investments in its bid to enhance its capacity to service its clients through the acquisition of modern equipment, provision of new facilities and capacity development for staff and board members.

“Training was key for us, as staff members from across various cadres were trained both locally and internationally to improve their skills and competencies.

"We are beginning to see the dividends of these investments with the company recording sound financial and nonbusiness performances.”

As the company prospected for more clients, Afolabi said the management worked very hard to retain existing clients with a combination of superior customer service, bespoke solutions and excellent service delivery.

“It will interest you to note that this strategy produced great results with 60 per cent of the cargo operations in Nigeria in the year under review

handled by our company,” Afolabi said.

Commenting on SAHCO's operational and business performance for 2022, the Managing Directing, Mr Basil Agboarumi, said the company recorded a revenue of N11.125 billion against N6.707 billion recorded in 2021.

He said the company made gross profit of N4.366 billion in 2022 compared to N3.807 billion recorded in 2021.

He stated that the total assets for 2022 stood at N29.219 billion against N24.603 billion recorded in 2021.

Agboarumi reiterated that the company during the period under review focused on expansion with the acquisition of more ground handling equipment.

“As the clientele of SAHCO continues to grow, we have acquired a lot of ultra-modern ground handling equipment to meet our demands. These equipment are fitted with the latest technology in ground support.

"Our plan is to continue to acquire more as the industry demands so we can continue to provide top-notch ground handling services to enable us retain existing clients and to cater for clientele and business expansion which will translate to more future profits for the organisation”, Agboarumi said.

Speaking on the growth projection of SAHCO in 2023, he said the company would remain committed to walking through a path of improved revenue and profitability, satisfied client base and better remunerated shareholders.

Speaking virtually, a shareholder of the company, Comrade Lawrence Oguntoye, commended the board and management of the company for an impressive performance recorded during the 2022 financial year and urged the board to perform better in the current financial year.

Nigeria Owes Oil Majors $3bn For Crude Swaps

Nigeria owes up to $3 billion to supermajors and trading giants for the fuel-for-crude swaps via which Africa’s biggest oil producer has been importing fuel to meet domestic demand, Oilprice.com reports, quoting Reuters on Friday which cited executives and traders. Despite being the largest crude oil producer in Africa, Nigeria lacks enough refining capacity to meet all its domestic fuel demand. So the country has relied for years on the so-called Direct Purchase Direct Sale (DSDP) under which it imports fuels in exchange for crude cargoes to major trading houses and international oil majors, including BP, TotalEnergies, Vitol, and Mercuria.

Nigeria has accumulated a debt to those of around $3 billion and it is also at least four months behind schedule for the repayment in crude, according to Reuters’ sources.

Earlier this month, Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer at Nigeria’s stateowned oil firm NNPC Ltd, told Reuters that the company would wind down the crude swap contracts and pay in cash for fuel imports.

The move came amid a major reform in the Nigerian fuel retail market after Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu removed the fuel subsidies the government was paying for years. The subsidy was a huge cost to the federal government, which last year paid as much as $10 billion for the difference between fuel imported at market prices and sold at discounts to Nigerians.

As private firms now import fuels, the state firm will be able to pay for its fuel imports in cash, Kyari told Reuters in early June. Despite the announced end to the fuelfor-crude swaps, Nigeria has yet to send the crude cargoes it still owes for previous fuel imports, and this could take months, traders and industry players said.

“Swaps will ultimately stop but not yet. We are getting our swaps crude cargo in October at the earliest,” one major market player told Reuters.

To provide full information, support investor decisionmaking and facilitate international comparability to attract capital, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) of Nigeria and NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo) is set to organize and host the launch of the first two IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, (IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 Standards) by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

The launch will hold at 10:30am at the Nigerian Exchange Group house on Monday June 26, 2023. The event will also feature a keynote address by a market regulator; a three-way fireside chat involving representatives of the FRC, ISSB and NGX RegCo.

It will also go with a panel of highly experienced persons discussing the Standards and the increasing demand for credible sustainability disclosures as a tool to manage sustainability risks and opportunities and to unlock capital flows.

Furthermore, the Standards will be launched on the same day in other cities around the world, including Santiago, New York, London, and Frankfurt. For now, Nigeria is the only African country that has been selected to launch the IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.

The Standards provide a global baseline of sustainability disclosures that meet the information needs of investors to enable companies to provide comprehensive sustainability information to global capital markets and facilitate interoperability with disclosures that are jurisdictionspecific and/or aimed at broader stakeholder groups.

They are designed to provide the fulsome information, in an appropriate way, to support investor decision-making and facilitate international comparability to attract capital.

They are cost-effective, decisionuseful, and market-informed disclosure standards developed to help companies report what is required to meet investors’ needs across markets globally.

It will be recalled that NGX RegCo had revealed that there is an adoption readiness strategy mapped out to help accountants and auditors in sustainability and climatic reporting.

Speaking at the recent 3-day virtual workshop on IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards for companies as well as investors in the capital market, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX RegCo, Ms Tinuade Awe said the adoption readiness working group is a creation of the FRC supported by the ISSB where basically a group of people are being put together in order to advise or help the FRC on a roadmap for getting to the adoption of these standards to work in Nigeria.

L-R: Finance Director, International Breweries Plc, (IBPLC), David Tomlinson; Chairman, Board of Directors, HRH, Nnaemeka Achebe; Managing Director, Carlos Coutino; Legal & Corporate Affairs Director, Temitope Oguntokun and Non-Executive Director, Andrew Whiting, at the IBPLC 46th AGM, held in Lagos on June 22, 2023.

Nigeria’s Economy And Consequences of Floating The Naira

which has seen pump price of fuel increase in some instances by over 200 per cent. The full impact of the extent of this increase in price was brought home to me when I went to buy fuel just after the increase.

I bought fuel in three 25-litre Jerry cans as well as filled the tank of my car. I was staggered when the amount to pay was indicated at 84,400 Naira. Of course, it is the first time in living memory that I will have to pay such a staggering amount at a fuel pump.

we should be gearing up aggressively to develop these sources as energy sources of the future. My position was that if we were able to do all that, the issue of subsidy payments will be redundant as product importation will no longer be necessary.

But as we have bitten the bullet now, we must struggle to avoid any costly reversals; although it is obvious that the pump price will be in the near future will depend on the extent to which the authorities are able to resist the inevitable pressures that are bound to be piled up by entrenched interests.

The Central Bank, it has been reported, has now removed the cap on rate movement at the Importer/ Exporter Window. Banks can now buy at the going market price and sell subject to a spread of one Naira. For travel allowances for both businesses and individuals, those in need will still approach the banks for their requirements.

The rate would also be market determined based on the weighted rate from the previous day. Therefore, travelling outside the country will now realistically going forward be strictly restricted particularly when you factor in the out-of-reach costs of tickets.

For government transactions the rates would also be determined by the market. And therefore, to all intents and purposes we have now berthed a single rate of exchange in the country depending on to what extent we are able to manage the inevitable challenges along the way. What would now be of interest is for us to speculate on the likely far-reaching consequences.

BY BONIFACE CHIZEA

Now that the Naira has been floated by the Central Bank of Nigeria in response to the directive by Mr President in his inaugural address, we wish that our experience this time around will be different and that we are able to stay the course.

I say so because several times in the past, attempts had been made to float the exchange rate in response to the prodding by International Monetary Fund with the appreciation of the sheer difficulties with demand management; but as the consequences begin to unfold, the authorities did not have the political will to persevere and stay the course.

This is so because nobody wants to be accused of unleashing hardship on the citizens as inflationary pressures pile up. And therefore, like it or not, as the rates fall and the Naira appears to be going into a free fall and the touted benefits are slow at materialising, panic sets in and we beat a retreat and reverse the process.

Often in response, innovative approaches are dreamt up as escape route. It is often so as besides the fact of the inflationary implications of the rates, most leaders are worried about the judgment of history when it is going to be recounted how the exchange rate depreciated under their watch. But at this point in time, the reality of the Nigerian economy, so badly mismanaged, is that we do not have much of a choice.

Unfortunately, this development is following closely on the footsteps of corruption infested subsidy removal

The fuel pump increase, if truth must be told, has far more effect on the escalation of prices of goods and services across the board. And the impact is almost instantaneous as no sector of the economy and no one for that matter is excluded. But for compatriots wanting to cash in and take undue advantage, most economic agents already used the parallel market rates in determining the prices they charged and therefore the impact of floating the exchange rate on prices should not cut across the board. But there again, what do I know?

A word of caution here about the pump price of petrol. What we needed to do was to allow the major marketers to source independently and import products under the oversight of the relevant regulatory bodies for purposes of guiding against collusion and for product quality assurance; and no more. By this approach the market will then determine the prevailing pump price at each point in time. There are indications already that this is the planned approach going by recent pronouncements.

But in my earlier paper, afraid of the consequential impact on the misery index in the land I had argued that the best way forward was to aggressively push for Dangote Refinery to come on stream, and for the local refineries to be quickly privatised and for licences for modular refineries to be issued generously so that capacity for local production of fuel will be boosted.

And while we are at it we must not forget the imperatives of climate change and the need for cleaner sources of energy such as solar, wind, thermal etc, and therefore

Some of the consequences are already manifest, such as erratic price increases which we hope will soon stabilise. What one suspects are that economic agents for now have tended to over react as prices are increased. There are bound to be adjustments downwards as the impact on demands hits home. But at the level of individual households, there will be the need for inevitable adjustments following negotiations.

At the fiscal authorities’ level, this is where this development will have far reaching implications. For the budget, it will translate to quantum leap in revenue calculations. Therefore, all estimations of revenue flows from oil will increase in Naira terms by more than 200%. Unfortunately, for some time now the revenue from oil, we were told, was spent for the payments of phantom subsidies. Otherwise, such inflows will double on paper under the prevailing scenario which should have an overall effect on the whole position of our budget and therefore there should be the possibility of a balanced if not surplus budget.

On the other hand, our debt stock to the extent that they are due to sources outside the country will double. I have already seen figures being bandied around but suppose that it is premature as the situation is yet to crystallise. Therefore, all calculations of familiar indices; budget outcome, debt to GDP, debt to revenue, tax to GDP ratio remain uncertain until the situation settles.

We hope that the anticipated massive inflow in foreign exchange with related Direct Foreign Investments will materialise to cushion the inflationary effect of sudden price increases. Other related issues that will impact the economy will be tackled, particularly insecurity which has negatively impacted the agriculture supply chain. I have heard the President allude to the fact that he will be open to collaboration with the international community for the urgent need to end banditry, kidnappings and other organised foreign militant agents contesting Nigeria geographical territory and most certainly, that is the way forward.

Similarly, we must not underestimate the negative consequences of lack of reliable infrastructure such as power on the fortunes of the economy. In the case of power availability, it is a welcome development that power supply is now on the concurrent list. Therefore, sub national entities can now generate, transmit and distribute power. This is a welcome development expected to be impactful in this regard.

We must also arrest the big elephant in the house: CORRUPTION. It is a welcome development that the President has taken off on the right note in this respect. These are exciting times for the country as we experience these fast-paced developments, even as we wish us all the very best of luck.

•Dr Boniface Chizea is a retired banker and top Economics and Business Development Consultant.

We hope that the anticipated massive inflow in foreign exchange with related Direct Foreign Investments will materialise to cushion the inflationary effect of sudden price increases

Shonubi

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

L-R: Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Reuben Muoka; Ast President, Nigerian Academy of Engineering, (NAEng), Vincent Maduka; President, NAEng, Prof. Azikiwe Onwualu; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, (EVC/CEO), NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta; Director, Spectrum Administration, NCC, Abraham Oshadami; Chief of Staff to the EVC, NCC, Hafiz Shehu at the Academy’s 2023 Technology Dinner, where Danbatta received Platinum Appreciation Award in Lagos on June 21, 2023.

L-R: Director, MTN Nigeria and President Queens College Old Girls Association, Ifueko Omoigui Okauru; Director, MTN Foiundation, Dennis Okoro; Chairman, MTN Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi (OFR); Director, Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Education Abuja, Zubairu Abdullahi; Principal, Queens College, Lago, and Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya at the official commissioning of the science laboratories at Queen’s College Lagos, remodelled by the MTN Foundation in Lagos on June 21, 2023.

President Macky Sall of Senegal (left) with the Director-General, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France.

President Bola Tinubu (middle) flanked by the French President, Emmanuel Macron (left) and his wife, Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron (right) at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France.

Founder, Bill Gate Foundation, Bill Gate (left), being welcome by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during a courtesy visit of Bill Gate to the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja on June 20, 2023.

L-R: Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barr Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Governor of Abia State, Mr Alex Otti and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a meeting at the Lagos House, Marina on June 21, 2023.

FLORENCE AJIMOBI BAGS CHIEFTAINCY TITLE

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

EDITOR Ivory Ukonu

Former Oyo state First Lady, Chief Dr (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi now has cause to smile again after the disappointed that enveloped her, following the failure of her son, Idris, to carry on with their father's legacy by clinching a seat in the State House of Assembly during the general elections.

Idris is the son in-law of the immediate past Governor of

Continues on page 42

Gbajabiamila, others bag honorary doctorate degrees

The Lagos State University has awarded honorary doctoral degrees to seven prominent Nigerians. They are the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabimila; former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the General Overseer of The Mountain of Fire Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya; Former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi; Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III; Oba Adesina Ashade, the Oniba of Iba and the wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Ibijoke

Continues on page 43

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Embracing Power of Self-Expression is Pivotal to Who I am Today – Dabota Lawson

Youseem to be withdrawn from the spotlight and focused on your beauty business. What is responsible for this new Dabota Lawson?

Thank you for acknowledging my focus on beauty business. The decision to withdraw from the spotlight and channel my attention into my business was a deliberate and strategic choice. There are several reasons behind this new direction which includes my passion for my business. As the owner of a beauty business, my true passion lies in the work itself. I find immense fulfillment in creating innovative beauty solutions, improving existing products, and providing exceptional services to my customers. Directing my energy towards the business allows me to fully immerse myself in what I love. Secondly it’s as a result of personal growth. Over time, I realized that my personal growth and professional success are intertwined. By dedicating myself to my business, I have the opportunity to continually learn, develop new skills, and expand my knowledge within the beauty industry. This not only benefits my business but also allows me to better serve those seeking solutions for their beauty problems. It also has a lot to do with my intent to impact and help others. I am deeply committed to making a positive impact in people's lives by addressing their beauty concerns. By focusing on my business, I can dedicate more time, resources, and attention to developing innovative products and services that cater to a wide range of beauty needs. This allows me to provide effective solutions and enhance the confidence and well-being of individuals facing beauty challenges. Another core reason is for its competitive advantage. The beauty industry is highly dynamic and ever evolving. By devoting my efforts to my business, I can stay ahead of the curve, monitor market trends, and adapt to changing consumer demands. This ensures that my solutions remain relevant, effective, and sought after by those facing beauty problems. It's important to note that while I have withdrawn from the spotlight, my commitment to helping individuals with beauty problems remains unwavering. I firmly believe that there are people out there who are seeking solutions, and my business is dedicated to providing them with innovative, reliable, and transformative beauty solutions.

Why are you really in the beauty business? Are you satisfying a passion or is it a means to an end?

I'm in the beauty business because I'm passionately smitten with all things beauty since a young age. It's a marriage of my business expertise and my deep love for making people look and feel fabulous. So, it's both my dream realized and a dazzling means to an end.

Is there something about growing up that triggered your love for makeup?

I can relate to your question. Growing up, my love for makeup was indeed triggered by a combination of factors, including my personal experience with bad acne during my teenage years. Having struggled with acne myself, I understand firsthand the impact it can have on one's self-esteem and confidence. Makeup became a powerful tool for me to not only enhance my features but also to address and conceal my skin imperfections. It allowed me to express my creativity, experiment with different looks, and ultimately feel more confident in my own skin. My personal journey with acne fueled my passion for helping others overcome similar challenges. It inspired me to delve deeper into the world of beauty and skincare, to educate myself on effective products and techniques, and to provide solutions that would empower individuals to feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin. So, while my love for makeup was indeed triggered by my personal experience with acne, it has evolved into a genuine passion for empowering and uplifting others through the transformative power of beauty.

Why should anyone settle for Dabota products out of all the Nigerian beauty brands struggling for acceptance?

Dabota Cosmetics stands out among Nigerian beauty brands for several reasons. Firstly, our brand prioritizes skin health by formulating products that genuinely care for your skin. Secondly, we guarantee high quality in all our offerings, ensuring that customers receive exceptional products. Thirdly, our cosmetics have been rigorously tested and approved by renowned makeup artists across the globe. Additionally, our commitment to non-toxic formulations, paraben-free ingredients, allergy testing, and fragrance-free products sets us apart, ensuring a safe and enjoyable beauty experience for all.

Your latest offering from your brand 'The Grail', has a distinct ring to the name. What exactly 'The Grail'?

'The Grail', is a 12-in-1 full coverage highdefinition powder, bronzer, and highlight palette that was launched in 2020. What sets this palette apart is its versatile range of shades, carefully curated to suit a wide range of skin tones and provide flawless coverage. The name 'The Grail' was chosen to convey the idea that this palette is the ultimate holy grail of beauty products, offering everything one needs for a flawless and radiant complexion in a single compact.

What is the idea behind having a cross section of celebrities, including other makeup entrepreneurs, sit on your makeup chair while you apply makeup on them for free?

It serves a multiple purpose cause. Firstly, it provides us with valuable exposure and publicity. Secondly, featuring makeup entrepreneurs acknowledges their accomplishments in building successful businesses. It recognizes their contribution to the beauty industry and grants them well- deserved accolades. By selecting individuals who are relevant and have worked towards their own ventures, we highlight their entrepreneurial spirit and inspire others. In summary, having a diverse range of celebrities and makeup entrepreneurs on our makeup chair enhances our reputation, recognizes their achievements, and cultivates beneficial connections within the industry.

What is your

staying power?

Its longevity can be attributed to two key factors; the brand's commitment to authenticity and its ability to adapt and meet evolving beauty trends.

What are the things you are happy about in the beauty industry, the things you would rather see go away and the things you want to see take shape in the industry?

I've witnessed the remarkable evolution of the beauty industry over the past six years. There are several things that bring me joy. First, the industry's growth into a multibillion-naira sector reflects its immense potential and the increasing demand for beauty products and services. It's gratifying to be part of an industry that offers such significant opportunities for entrepreneurs like myself. However, there are certain aspects I would prefer to see change. One of them is the lack of diversity and inclusivity in beauty standards. I believe beauty should be celebrated in all its forms, and the industry should embrace and represent a wider range of ages, body types, skin tones, and cultural backgrounds. Promoting inclusivity not only fosters a more positive self-image but also expands the market and allows more people

to feel represented and valued. Looking ahead, I would like to see further advancements in sustainable and eco-friendly practices within the industry. As the world becomes increasingly conscious of environmental issues, it is crucial for beauty brands to prioritize sustainable sourcing, packaging, and production methods. By adopting such practices, we can contribute to a healthier planet and meet the changing expectations of socially and environmentally responsible consumers.

Overall, I'm pleased with the growth and potential of the beauty industry, but there's always room for improvement.

As a makeup brand founder, what are the most important prerequisites for one to own a makeup brand?

Deep passion for makeup and a solid understanding of the industry is essential. Being knowledgeable about the latest trends, techniques, and ingredients will help you create products that resonate with your target audience. You will also need to develop a distinctive brand identity, this is very important. Define your brand's values, aesthetic, and target market, differentiate yourself by offering something unique, whether it's in product formulation, packaging, or brand messaging and try as much as possible to stand out.

Research! Research! Research! Develop a sound business plan, including budgeting, marketing strategies, and distribution channels, very important. Remember, owning a makeup brand requires continuous learning, adaptability, and staying ahead of industry trends to remain competitive makeup.

Lawson

She is one of the leading ladies in Nigeria's beauty business.

A former Miss Nigeria UK, Dabota Lawson, speaks with IVORY UKONU about her beauty business and how she has evolved over the years. Excerpts:

Lawson

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Are you personally involved in the formulation of your products?

I am actively involved in the development of our products and work closely with our team of expert cosmetologists and manufacturers. I trust and collaborate with our highly skilled cosmetologists and manufacturers who have undergone extensive training and hold relevant certifications in the field. Together, we ensure that our products meet the highest quality standards and deliver exceptional results.

Where do you get them formulated?

They are formulated in Canada and Europe to ensure the highest quality standards. We prioritize quality and performance, and we have found reliable partners in these regions who meet our strict requirements.

Why not formulate them in Nigeria?

While I appreciate the potential benefits of formulating products in Nigeria, I haven't explored that option extensively at this time. I believe in utilizing the expertise and resources available in different countries to deliver exceptional products to our customers. Regarding cost, it's challenging to provide a definitive answer without conducting a thorough analysis. Factors such as raw material availability, production scale, infrastructure, and regulatory requirements can significantly impact the cost of formulation. It's important to consider these factors when evaluating the costeffectiveness of local production.

What is one popular ingredient that is used in formulating makeup and its exact use?

One popular ingredient used in formulating makeup that may surprise many is charcoal. Charcoal is known for its detoxifying properties and is often used in cosmetics to help purify the skin, absorb excess oil, and minimize pores.

Nigerians are beginning to see more men venture into the beauty industry as it is obtainable overseas. While a few see it as a welcome development, the majority believe it is an industry strictly for women. What is your opinion on this trend? Well, gender should not determine one's ability or suitability to work in any industry. The beauty industry, like any other, should be open to all individuals based on their skills, passion, and qualifications.

Nowadays we see more men wearing makeup, from the subtle to the outrageous. Is this something that should be embraced or do you think men should remain masculine?

I would say that men wearing makeup is a personal choice and a form of self-expression. It is important to embrace diversity and respect individuality in the beauty industry, allowing everyone to express themselves authentically.

What has been your greatest challenge running your business?

That would be narrowing down and identifying a niche for myself in the beauty industry. With a wide array of competitors and diverse customer preferences, it was crucial to find a unique selling proposition that would set my brand apart. Another significant challenge I faced was keeping up with regulations. The beauty industry is heavily regulated, with various guidelines and restrictions imposed by health and safety authorities. Ensuring compliance with these regulations required diligent attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high-quality standards. Furthermore, the brand initially started as an online venture, setting up an e-commerce store presented its own set of challenges. From building a user-friendly website to integrating secure payment gateways and managing logistics, the process required a deep understanding of e-commerce operations and technologies. Overcoming these challenges involved collaborating with web developers, digital marketers to create a seamless online shopping experience for customers, ultimately establishing a strong online presence for Dabota Cosmetics.

What would you say has been your greatest achievement running it?

Successfully breaking into the market and gaining widespread acceptance. You once owned an event management company called Diamond Inc. What happened to the company, why did you abandon that venture?

While it is true that I had a venture called Diamond Inc., which was an event management company, the decision to transition away from that venture was due to a strategic shift in my business focus. As an entrepreneur, it is essential to constantly evaluate market trends and seize new opportunities. In this case, I recognized an emerging demand in the beauty industry that aligned more closely with my passion and expertise. Consequently, I made the decision to redirect my efforts toward establishing and growing my current beauty business, which has been flourishing ever since. It's important for entrepreneurs to adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of the market, and that's precisely what I did.

Is it something you want to revive in the near future?

Well, I am always open to exploring new avenues and keeping an eye on the evolving market trends. Who knows what exciting ventures may lie ahead? It's all part of the entrepreneurial spirit, embracing new challenges,

and making the most of opportunities that come my way.

You attended school in London, but chose to return to Nigeria when many others would have preferred to stay back. What was the lure back home for you then?

The lure back home for me was the vibrant beauty market in Nigeria and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in my own country. Bringing my business to Nigeria allowed me to tap into a growing industry and contribute to its development while connecting with my roots and serving my fellow Nigerians.

With 'Japa' syndrome on the rise again, has it ever crossed your mind to give it all up and return to England?

No, it has not crossed my mind to give up and relocate. I am passionate about my beauty business and committed to its success. Although I have the urge to travel more often, I believe I can find a balance between my business and personal desires.

Besides running Dabota cosmetics, what else do you do?

I rock the mom game like a boss, making sure my daughter shines as bright as my highlighter.

How will you describe yourself?

I would describe myself as a visionary leader, blending creativity and business acumen to curate exceptional experiences that celebrate individual beauty.

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

The experiences of overcoming self-doubt and embracing my uniqueness have significantly shaped me. Learning to trust my instincts, embracing creativity, and embracing the power of self-expression have been pivotal in becoming the person I am today. And let's not forget the unwavering presence of God's will in my life.

You have a small portfolio of real estate, your mall. Are you looking at expanding this area of interest, seeing that it is the in-thing?

I constantly evaluate opportunities for expansion. While the real estate market may be enticing, my primary focus currently remains on enhancing and expanding my Beauty business to provide exceptional experiences to my customers.

You were once married. Are you thinking of giving marriage another shot or are you just content with raising your daughter?

I have found great joy and fulfillment in raising my daughter. While I appreciate the beauty of marriage and the companionship it can bring, at this moment in my life, I am focusing on cherishing the bond with my daughter and pursuing my professional aspirations. However, I am always open to the possibility of love and companionship in the future, as life has a way of surprising us with beautiful opportunities.

If you were to give marriage another shot, what would you be looking out for in your ideal man?

In my ideal man, I seek a partner who shares my passion for beauty and understands the demands of running a business. I long for someone who values open communication, mutual respect, and supports my personal and professional growth. Above all, I desire a man with whom I can share a deep spiritual connection, someone I can pray with and strengthen our faith together. Together, we'll create a loving and supportive partnership that inspires each other's dreams.

How do you unwind?

Jetting off to exotic destinations of my dreams. Reality keeps me grounded. So, I unleash my stress in style: karaoke nights with friends, dance parties in my living room, and epic spa sessions at home. I have got to keep the beauty boss vibes strong, even when wanderlust strikes.

Lawson

The experiences of overcoming selfdoubt and embracing my uniqueness have significantly shaped me. Learning to trust my instincts, embracing creativity, and embracing the power of selfexpression have been pivotal in becoming the person I am today

Lawson

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

ADAEZE ODILI-OREH

MAKES LIST OF RIVERS COMMISSIONERS

Adaeze Odili-Oreh, a consultant family physician, country director of planning, research and statistics for the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), has been nominated for a position in the cabinet of Governor Siminalaye Fubura of Rivers State. Her confirmation by the State House of Assembly is already a forgone conclusion. She is most likely the next Commissioner for Health in the state.

Adaeze is one of the daughters of Peter Odili, a former governor of the state, and Retired Justice Mary Odili. She is deserving of the position, no doubt, having had over 19 years’ experience in the private and public healthcare system. She is not only a member of the Governing Council of Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Nigeria’s first private university of medical sciences, but also a Senior Health Policy Adviser with the Department of Hospital Services in the Federal Ministry of Health.

Adaeze is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Royal Society of Public Health. She is also a member of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Global Strategy Advisory Group.

A Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor, she won a Best Poster Prize at the International Society of Blood Transfusion during the 2021 Congress in Amsterdam for research which she led and coordinated on blood services in 34 tertiary hospitals in Nigeria during the COVID-19

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

Hakeem Muri Okunola Fetes Dignitaries at Mother's 80th Birthday

pandemic.

Also, she won the Best Poster Prize in the blood donation category at the 2021 British Blood Transfusion Society conference for research she also led and coordinated on the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian National Blood Service.

A graduate of the University of Nigeria, Adaeze holds a Master of Science (MSc) degrees in International Health Management from Imperial College and Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; in addition to Leadership, Management and Public Policy certifications from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, University of Oxford Saïd Business School, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, University of Bath, and the University of Washington.

Meet Adenike Okebu, Gov Peter Mbah’s SSA on Revenue

of Enugu State.

She is not an indigene of Enugu State and has no filial connections to the state. Adenike Okebu’s only attachment to the south-eastern state is through Governor Peter Mbah, who found the need to tap into her professional acumen in his quest to turn around the fortunes

To rev up his revenue drive through taxation, Mbah thought it wise to enlist Okebu’s services as one who has a deep understanding of financial intricacies by making her his Senior Special Assistant on Revenue. The governor became aware of Okebu's professional competence during her time as the head of the audit unit in his multi billion naira enterprise, Pinnacle Oil and Gas when she performed excellently well and made a good impression on him. She however had to satisfy her craving for a higher professional calling when she moved to Platform Capital Investment Partners as the Group Executive, Internal Audit. Good enough, she kept in touch with

Mbah and when he needed someone who could deliver, he simply poached her again. An indigene of Ogun State, Okebu is a happily married mother of three children. Before Platform Capital and Pinnacle Oil, Adenike has had stints with BUA Group and Deltatek Engineering amongst several others. In her spare time, Nike is also a recording gospel singer.

Folorunsho

Hakeem

Muri Okunola's mother, Alhaja Ramlah Fehintola Okunola, clocked 80 recently. He threw her a grand party and invited friends and his fellow socialites to join him to celebrate the Occasion. The family wore special purple/lilac 'aso ebi Kampala' to go with the colour theme of the party which started with a thanksgiving and prayer session and later metamorphosed into a full blown shindig. The celebrant's friends were also not left out of the merriment as they turned up in their numbers. Alhaja

Okunola is no small fry as she is a Barrister at law and

solicitor of the Supreme court of Nigeria. She attended Monkwearmouth College of Further Education in Sunderland County, England for her advanced level General Certificate Exam, GCE. Thereafter, she attended the University of London where she got her Law degree. She attended law school between 1970 and 1971. She became a private legal practitioner in M.O. Oseni & Co from 1971 till date and is currently the law chamber's principal partner. She became a Notary Public in 1990 and has been on the board of several companies.

FAMILY MARKS 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF OLUTOYIN OLAKUNRIN’S DEATH

It's been five years since Chief Mrs Olutoyin Olusola Olakunrin, a woman of many firsts, passed on, but her memory continues to linger with the family she left behind. Her children and grandchildren, led by Derin Agbaje, wife of Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, GTCO, about two weeks ago, took time out to honour the memory of the late matriarch of the Olakunrin family. First, a thanksgiving service was held at her

church, St. Paul’s Church, Breadfruit, Lagos Island. Thereafter, there was an intimate get-together devoid of any fanfare. The late Olakunri died on June 3, 2018 at the age of 80. The former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) and the second female to occupy that position had slumped and died during a church service. A philanthropist and businesswoman, she was Nigeria's first female chartered accountant in sub saharan Africa. She was appointed in 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as head of the Education Trust Fund. She was also the first female President of the Institute of Directors [IoD Nigeria], former member of the National Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Policy Commission, Vision 20:2020 Committee and Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Chief Olakunri was also a nominated member of the Constituent Assembly that generated the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Similarly, she was on the Finance Committee of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), and for 8 years on the Board of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited.

Alakija Throws Lavish Wedding Party For Son

Several years after his relationship with Kike daughter of businessman, Olu Fajemiroukun, ended, Rotimi, one of the sons of wealthy businesswoman and founder of Famfa Oil, Folorunsho Alakija, has found someone else to spend the rest of his life with.

Back in 2012, marriage was on the cards for both Kike and Rotimi. Unfortunately, for reasons best known to the former lovebirds, that didn't happen. Kike would later move on to tie the knot with someone else in 2016. But while the union crashed a year after, Rotimi is just about to begin his marital journey with Eniola Tamara. His mother recently hosted the creme de la crème of Nigerian society to his traditional engagement ceremony. The roll-call included businessmen, the political elite and socialites. No expense was spared to transform Landmark Events Centre into a paradise, with all the trappings of

opulence reminiscent of her son, Folarin's wedding to Nazanin at the Blenheim Palace in England back in 2017.

The bride, Eniola was responsible for how magnificent the venue of her wedding turned out to be, specifically insisting on certain details, palettes and styles to reflect her taste and that of her groom. After the traditional rites were performed, the venue was transformed for the after-party in what seemed like a Jardin de L'amour concept design. One could hardly tell that it was the same venue where the traditional wedding took place a few hours earlier. David Adeleke, aka Davido, thrilled the guests, comprising the young and upwardly mobile, at the after party. The white wedding, it was gathered, will take place in Venice. Besides being an executive director at his mother's oil business, Rotimi is also a film producer and founder of Dayspring Property Limited, an upscale real estate company based in Lagos. He is passionate about polo, rugby and car racing. Eniola on her part is a London based personal luxury shopper.

Olakunrin

Odili-Oreh

Okebu

Okunola

The Alakijas

ENTERTAINMENT &SOCIETY WEEKLY

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

JUMOKE ADENOWO LAUNCHES BOOK ON ARCHITECTURE

African Architecture in detail and how the combination of these traditional elements with modern trends can create a globally relevant and innovative style in design. The book transcends geographical and disciplinary borders; it discusses models about Africa at scale and undoubtedly elevates the narrative on not just African architecture, but architecture in general. The book focuses on 8 key pillars which covers the varying aspects of design and African art such as light, climate responsiveness, fourth dimension, contextual veracity, paradigms of beauty, functional art amongst others. Adenowo had earlier received Congressional Recognition from the US Congress presented in person by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip for the U.S. House of Representatives, during the US unveiling of the book in Houston, Texas a few months ago. Her journey as an architect started in 1994 when she founded AD Consulting, which is now recognized as Nigeria’s foremost architectural firm. Since then, she has been described as the face of architecture in Nigeria and one of the most inspirational women in architecture today.

Continued from page 38

Florence Ajimobi Bags Chieftaincy Title

Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, whose son also failed to follow in his footsteps to win a seat in the House of Representatives. Well, the former first lady has now been honoured with a chieftaincy title, in addition to the horde she already has. She has been installed as the Yeye Oba Olugbon of OrileIgbonland by His Royal Majesty, Oba Francis Olushola Alao, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oyo State. The ceremony which took place on Saturday, June 17, 2023, had many prominent people in attendance, some of whom were also bestowed with chieftaincy titles as well.

Renowned architect and founder of AD Consulting, Olajumoke Adenowo has added another book to her pool of works with the unveiling of her book ‘Neo heritage’. The book, published by Global leaders in art and architecture, Rizzoli, describes contemporary

She has been featured and acknowledged by numerous institutions across the world including the Royal Institute of British Architects, Forbes Africa 50 most powerful Women in Africa and Woman Entrepreneur of the year 2020, Hall of Fame at Obafemi Awolowo University and University of West England (2021) respectively. A philanthropist, thought leader, and global speaker on global architecture, Jumoke is married to Olukorede Adenowo, the Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank.

Gbenga Daniel, Dapo Abiodun Adamant About Sheathing Swords

It doesn't look like the efforts of former Ogun State governor, Aremo Segun Osoba, to reconcile his warring successors, Gbenga Daniel and Dapo Abiodun, has paid off as both parties seem hell bent on continuing with their feud. Osoba had thought to mediate peace between Abiodun and Daniel after Abiodun refused to celebrate Daniel when he marked his birthday on April 6th, 2023. Abiodun and his aides did not give the former governor the usual recognition given to party chieftains, political leaders, associates, and appointees on their special day. Besides, Daniel openly fraternised with Ladi Adebutu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state and nearly cost Abiodun his second term or so the latter claimed.

Osoba appealed to both parties to sheathe their sword and work together toward the prosperity of the state. At first it seemed like his efforts were yielding positive results as the two parties stopped fighting. But recent happenings suggest otherwise.

Last weekend, Daniel threw

a lavish party to celebrate his emergence as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The venue was the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja. The event witnessed a large turnout of politicians, but Abiodun was conspicuously absent. Other political heavy weights who didn't attend the party were Senators Solomon Adeola, Shaibu Afolabi, both hardcore loyalists of Abiodun and a few other senators elected on

the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun state. Ironically, in 2019 during Abiodun's first tenure as the governor of Ogun State, Daniel was one of those who dumped the PDP, even as the Director General of Atiku Abubakar's Presidential Campaign Council, to support Abiodun. But things later turned awry when Abiodun refused to support Daniel's senatorial ambition.

Onasanya

TEWA ONASANYA BAGS HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE

Tewa Onasanya, publisher of female lifestyle and wellness publication, Exquisite magazine, has joined the growing list of Nigerians bagging honorary doctoral degrees. The founder of ELOY Awards was recently decorated with a Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Leadership and Performance Management from the prestigious Institute of Leadership, Manpower and Management Development. She was honored for her work as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, mindset stylist with 20 years of experience of impact. The Doctoral and Distinguished Fellow is based on her work experience in running successful businesses, inspiring and empowering people, provision of free screening for cervical cancer, making a massive impact, and coaching entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts to intentionally build structures and apply mindset strategies to enable them to take control of their businesses/ careers to achieve their goals as a mindset coach.

Ironically, Tewa wanted to be a doctor when she was younger, but fate had other things in stock for her. A graduate of Pharmacology from the University of Portsmouth with a Diploma in Fashion Journalism from the College of Media and Publishing, Tewa is also a certified Mindfulness Coach, a certified Law of Attraction Practitioner, a Cherie Blair Foundation Mentor, an Enterprise Nation Mentor, and ELOY Awards Foundation Mentor which sustains Women empowerment. In addition she runs EMAC Foundation for cervical cancer prevention.

Duke, Dickson, Bafarawa Now Own Private Varsities

It appears as if running a private university in the country is the new goldmine, what with the increasing number of operators springing up and getting issued licences. At the twilight of former President Muhammadu Buhari's tenure when the Federal Government presented provisional licences to 37 private university proprietors, three former state governors were among the beneficiaries. They are former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, who got the licence to operate Duke Medical University, Calabar; former governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson who got a licence to operate Hensard University, ToruOrua and Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto State, who got a licence to operate Amaj University, Kwali-Abuja.

Similarly, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, the founder of Maryam Abacha American University, also

got licences to operate two additional universities: Canadian University of Nigeria, Abuja and Franco British International University, Kaduna State. So far, the number of private universities now stands at 147 and the total number of universities in the country is put at 264. Authorities claim new universities are imperative due to rising demand for tertiary education and increasing number of secondary school graduates.

Duke Dickson Bafarawa

Makinwa

Adenowo

Abiodun Daniel

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

BIOLA OKOYA MARKS THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF SON’S DEATH

Biola Okoya, daughter of billionaire businessman Razak Okoya, recently celebrated the third anniversary of the death of her first son, Ayodeji Akinwande Modupe-Johnson. Modupe-Johnson died of sckle cell anaemia in June 2020 at the age of 24. He was diagnosed with the disease when he was three years-old. The founder of Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, officiated at the funeral of the deceased via zoom as a result of the restriction placed on movement because of COVID-19 pandemic. Ighodalo conducted the service despite the fact that he was still mourning the death of

Oba Francis Alao, Wife in Three-in-One Celebration

The palace of the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Alao was agog last weekend as the royal father and his wife, Olusola Adedoyin Alao, who was managing director of the defunct City Express bank, hosted dignitaries from all walks of life in the ancient town of Ile Igbon, Oyo State for his 60th birthday celebration, 6th coronation anniversary and unveiling of his multi-million-naira palace. The traditional ruler also honoured eminent personalities, including the Governor of Oyo State, Oluseyi Makinde; the wife of late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, who was crowned Yeye Oba of Orile Igbon; Otunba Seye Famojuro, now the Balogun Bobajiroro of Orile Igbon and Hon Akinwale Akinwole, who was conferred with the Bashorun Amuludun of Igbon. Alhaji Babatunde Tijani, also known as Double T, became the Aare of Orile Igbon.

his wife who passed on a few days earlier. Okoya laid fresh flowers on her late son’s grave in remembrance of his death. A few months after he passed on, she founded an organisation aimed at providing support to people suffering sickle cell anaemia and raising awareness of the disease. Christened Ayodeji Akinwande Sickle Cell Foundtion, it was also meant to immortalise late Modupe-Johnson.

How Bisi Fayemi Marked Her 60th Birthday

Former First lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, may have joined the Diamond Jubilee club. The series of activities put in place to celebrate her entry to the club will linger in the memories of the guests for a long time. She held a thanksgiving service, which was followed by a grand reception in Lagos State.

Sisterhood across Borders, a nongovernmental organisation, also had a conference in honour of the sexagenarian. The event took place at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The thanksgiving service took place at the AllSouls Anglican Church, Lekki while a reception was held at the Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos. The two events had in attendance, traditional rulers, first ladies, politicians and businessmen. Guests arrived at the reception in lace purple aso-ebi which added glamour to the ceremony. Different traditional dancers and praise singers from Ekiti State performed to the delight of the guests.

Desmond Emokiniovo

of Veentage Band also performed to the delight of guests who joined the celebrant on the dance floor.

The event was hosted by Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw. Friends, family members and first ladies of different states paid glowing tributes to Erelu Fayemi, for her impact while her husband was the governor of Ekiti State.

During the event organised by the Sisterhood across Borders, for the sexagenarian, veteran actress, Joke Silva, had a reading session on one of Fayemi's books titled, 'The Heaven for Little Girls'.

There was also a display of African fabrics, a colourful performance by a group of traditional drummers, who thrilled guests to wonderful beats.

While some elegantly dressed Ekiti State women sang special songs for the celebrant.

Oba Alao also commissioned a new and ultramodern palace. Olori Adedoyin, daughter of great industrialist Samuel Adedoyin, played the dutiful hostess as she ensured that the guests in attendance had a great time before their departure.

Alao became a traditional ruler in 2017. He was a successful contractor before taking over the throne. He worked as a contractor to ECOMOG by importing food stuffs for ECOMOG forces in Liberia. He later

became a contractor to major military formations in Nigerian Defence, like DIA. He was also into the deployment of telecoms infrastructure. He had a short fling with fibre optics and laying of fibres throughout the nation.

Bamidele Onalaja Fetes Guests at Burial Ceremony of Father-in-Law

Revolution Plus Property boss, Bamidele Onalaja, has staged a grand burial ceremony for his father in-law, Pa Olatunji Olugbolayan Olusanya. The elaborate ceremony took place last week in Lagos State.

Pa Olusanya, died on March 29th, 2023 at the age of 73. The two-day ceremony had in attendance dignitaries who paid their last respect to the deceased. The event started on 15th June with a wake, at All Saints Anglican church, Montgomery Road, Yaba, Lagos, while the lying-In-state took place at the same venue.

It was followed by the funeral service and Interment which took place at Ebony Vaults and Garden, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.

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Gbajabiamila,

The burial ceremony was wrapped up with an elaborate reception of guests. Those who could not attend the burial rites earlier conducted turned up in white and gold, which was the colour of the day at the reception. Gbenga Adeyinka, the first was the compere, while afro juju maestro, Sir Shina Peters had a guest appearance and performed from his ever-green album, 'Ace'. Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, a brand ambassador of the company lit up the ceremony with his presence which was well appreciated by the real estate businessman and his wife.

Others Bag Honorary Doctorate Degrees

Sanwo-Olu. They all bagged honorary doctorate degrees during the 40th anniversary celebration and 26th convocation of the institution which took place on June 22. They were honoured for their valuable contributions to the development of the university and the country at large.

Fashola (SAN) and Mrs Sanwo-Olu were conferred with Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in Urban and

Rural Community Development and Youth Empowerment, as well as Child Healthcare, Environmental Development and Women Empowerment, respectively.

While Oba Elegushi was awarded Honorary Doctor of Arts in Broadcasting, Community Integration and Human Rights Advocacy, Olukoya received an Honorary Doctor of Science in Genetics and Biotechnology.

Fayemi was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Letters in Human Rights, National Integration and African Security Development, just as Gbajabiamila received an Honorary Doctor of Law in Education, Community and National Development. His Royal Majesty, Oniba of Iba kingdom, Oba Ashade I, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in Grassroots Development.

Alao

The Onalajas

The Okoyas

Fayemi

Wike Poisoned? No. Filled With a Different Kind of Spirit

Blaming others for personal transgressions is as old as humanity. Caught out by the all-knowing, all-seeing God for surreptitiously dining on what was forbidden, Adam looked no further than Eve his sole human partner in the blissful garden as the cause of man’s first disobedience. Not to be outdone, Eve herself quickly fingered the Serpent as the culprit who led her on. Ever since, poor Satan has been taking the rap becoming the fall guy for some of humanity’s self-inflicted problems. About a week ago, the irrepressible former governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike nearly tearfully told a congregation in a church in Port Harcourt how he was almost done in by poisoning at PDP Secretariat Wadata House Abuja in 2018. Tantalised thus and waiting to hear some more sob stories from someone who has held one political office or the other since 1999, the congregants didn’t get to know who tried to do Wike in or whatever for. Filled with the spirit in the temple of God that day, Wike assured his audience it was a miracle he survived the attack. But some of his close associates in PDP have come out to say the man was filled with a different kind of spirit resulting in his temporary prostration. In other words, nobody tried to kill Wike but himself as THEWILL surmised. Michael Jimoh reports…

Thanksgiving and testimonies in churches sometimes draw the most attention for obvious reasons. After all the earth-shaking dance, praise and worship sessions lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more, preachers sometimes send exhausted worshippers to sleep with their soporific sermons. Which is why stern-faced ushers walk the aisle and pews prodding awake those already dozing off.

But once its thanksgiving or testimony time, the worshippers sit up at once, ears pricked up for that moving message of deliverance, of divine intervention in the life of a member otherwise held hostage by demonic forces, say, a generational curse or some such man-made catastrophe averted just in the nick of time.

With studio-quiet silence in the church except the voice of the individual (male or female) offering the testimony or thanksgiving, such times allow

both the GO and worshippers a rare glimpse into the miraculous ways of bringing back to life an already doomed soul: a long-suffering, despondent barren woman suddenly rewarded with triplets, for instance, or rescuing another from misfortune or the jaws of certain death.

In the case of Nyeson Wike former governor of Rivers state he would have long been a dead man were it not for the hand of God. In a report that made headlines in Nigerian newspapers last week, the voluble erstwhile number one citizen in the coastal state told a gathering at St Peter’s Deanery Rumuepirikom Obio Akpor Port Harcourt how he was poisoned at Wadata House PDP Secretariat in Abuja. Though he neglected to mention the “they” behind the poison attack, Wike was now at the church for a thanksgiving service.

The poison in question, as the newspapers put it, ravaged his internal organs, affecting his liver

Combative as ever, he is certain to not gloss over Atiku’s charge that alcohol almost ruined his internal organs and not the poison he mentioned St Peter’s Deanery in Port Harcourt. Nigerians eagerly await Wike’s counteroffensive

and kidney and almost killed him but for God’s intervention.

In Wike’s own words, “God was in charge, everybody who knew how we came to power in 2015, knew it was turbulent. But God saw us through. When you are in office, many people think things are going well with you. Nobody wants to find out the problems you are facing as a human.”

Three years into his administration as governor of Rivers state from 2015 and after surmounting the judicial obstacles strewn along his path via election petitions, Wike said his enemies almost got at him

...Filled With a Different Kind of Spirit FEATURES

in the most unlikely place – PDP headquarters in Abuja where, ordinarily, he should be as safe as Pedro in his house. It was not to be from the former governor’s retelling of what happened that day in December.

“In December 2018,” Wike told his listeners (including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, Senate president Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate president Jibrin Barau, some serving and ex-governors) “it was a day my former Chief of Staff was going to have thanksgiving. I was to attend that thanksgiving. From that Sunday I never came down from my room. It was bad. But those who attended the January 1st state banquet of 2019 will know that I never spoke that day. I just sat down there and told the Deputy Governor to speak on my behalf. I thought it was over.”

In his testimony, it would have been over but for the prompt medical attention he received after the poisoning. Airlifted to Beirut Lebanon, doctors on hand probed his insides and then told him his “liver and kidney were all gone.”

But after about a week under intensive care, the doctors discharged Wike and he returned to Nigeria. As a result, he became naturally suspicious of everyone because of that incident, insisting that he not only altered his itinerary during his campaign for reelection but also decided not to “enter any party leader’s home” from then on.

More misfortune was to come Wike’s path years later, this time involving his wife and at no less a crucial time in his political life. Wike was on the campaign trail during the presidential primaries of the PDP last year when his wife called to say she’d been diagnosed with cancer. Nothing could be more disastrous for a man fighting a battle on the political front. Now, here was bad news from the home front as well. To say Wike was devastated is an understatement. According to him, he called the leaders in his campaign team including the G-5 Governors that there was a problem and he was “planning to quit the race.”

But the same wife, Eberechi, Wike told the congregation, encouraged him to continue with the campaign that “all would be well.”

As if dogged by a series of misfortunes, Wike let on that even after the primaries there was still more trouble. On another occasion, he was on his way to Abuja with his wife when news reached them that a mysterious fire gutted his wife’s room and destroyed everything she had as a woman.

Among the listening guests and worshippers at St Peter’s Deanery on that thanksgiving day, a lot of sympathetic heads would have drooped on shoulders, wondering how so much calamity could befall an individual at such short intervals.

Apparently, the former governor’s spouse is made of sterner stuff, as Wike himself told the audience. “Being a strong woman, my wife never showed it. But today my wife is hale and hearty. The cancer incident was the one I knew that God had done all for me.”

The Almighty’s hand would also be revealed in what was definitely going to be a plane crash at some other time. In Wike’s telling, he was on a trip to Abuja with three party leaders after the PDP presidential primaries when the aircraft was rocked by an explosion.

Governor Wike has always been open about his intense and indubitable love for whiskey. He even said back in March that he was sipping a 40-year-old whiskey with his friends while watching Atiku and others protesting on TV at 11am

“15 minutes of take-off at the Air Force base,” Wike said, “we heard an explosion. They locked the cockpit. One engine is gone and the pilot said it was safer to turn back to Port Harcourt. Before we landed there were many ambulances and fire service trucks lined up. We landed safely by the Grace of God. I didn’t tell anybody.”

His reason for keeping some of those near tragic situations to his chest was “to avoid frightening his supporters who could begin to behave anyhow.”

PDP Responds to Poison Allegation Reacting to Wike’s allegations of poisoning, PDP’s presidential candidate in the February polls Atiku Abubakar deflated the former governor’s claim. Phrank Shaibu, SA on Public Communications to the former vice president said Wike “was a victim of self-inflicted alcoholic poisoning.”

Continuing, Shaibu said that “Governor Wike has always been open about his intense and indubitable love for whiskey. He even said back in March that he was sipping a 40-year-old whiskey with his friends while watching Atiku and others protesting on TV at 11am.

“Governor Wike has also been seen drinking and

dancing in video, including one he did with former Governor Rochas Okorocha. If Wike was indeed poisoned and his organs failed, he ought to be a teetotaler by now and reduce his drinking. I am not a medical doctor but it is general knowledge that excessive alcohol consumption leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, digestive problems and cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus, voice box, liver, colon and rectum.”

Abubakar’s response came barely a week after Wike charged that he was poisoned at Wadata House. Instead of the thanksgiving, Shaibu went on, Wike ought to have gone for confession for “his ignoble role in the election in Rivers state… Other ailments associated with excessive drinking include: weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick; learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor sexual performance. Wike should look inwards. Let us assume that he was poisoned by food. Was his hoarse and husky voice also caused by food poisoning? Governor Wike ought to be doing confessions rather than thanksgiving.”

Taking further potshots at Wike, Shaibu observed that one of the former governor’s G-5 member Seyi Makinde of Oyo state aptly described him as “a naked wire. Everyone knows that all a naked wire does is to kill people by electrocution.”

Though Wike did not exactly murder the new senate president Akpabio, the former’s revelation during the thanksgiving that the ex-governor of Akwa Ibom state gave him N200million for his campaign in the 2014/ 2015 governorship election caused quite some shock, not least to Akpabio himself.

Unprompted, Wike told the congregation how Akpabio stood by him all through the period. As he recounted it, Akpabio was abused because he came out to “support me. He was abused that how can he put his hand in the politics of Rivers. He told them (accusers) he has seen that the only person who could win that election (Rivers guber) was me. He did not just come out. He gave me N200Million for that election. That is why I said one good turn deserves another. And I also supported him. Thank God he succeeded (as Senate President).”

Like PDP’s prompt response to Wike’s allegation of poisoning, Akpabio also replied him. “That money came from my savings in the telecoms industry where I was a managing director,” the Senate president declared. “The money was not from the Government of Akwa Ibom state. I should make that clarification. I paid tax on that money. If you check you will know.”

Akpabio’s riposte, analysts now say, was not merely to assure the people of Akwa Ibom that the N200m was not from their treasury but to also distance himself from a man known for his unguarded utterances, a man who blabs on a whim if only for the publicity mileage he will benefit from it.

To be sure, some of the 18 governors who left office last May are fast fading into political oblivion, some not mentioned at all except for a few who have kept a date with EFCC. But with the thanksgiving in Port Harcourt, Wike has been in the news all week. Combative as ever, he is certain to not gloss over Atiku’s charge that alcohol almost ruined his internal organs and not the poison he mentioned St Peter’s Deanery in Port Harcourt. Nigerians eagerly await Wike’s counteroffensive.

SportsLive

Nigerian Sports Icons: Making a Difference in Local Communities

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

On Monday, June 19, Rasheedat Ajibade, a talented Atlético de Madrid Femenino forward and Super Falcons striker showed how much she is committed to her community, Mushin and grassroots football. The 23-year-old generously donated football boots and gear to the community, empowering young girls with the necessary resources to pursue their dreams.

Ajibade dedicated an entire year to collecting football boots from her former and current teammates, ensuring that each pair carries the essence of the game and the indomitable spirit that football embodies. She gathered gear from prominent players like Ludmila Silva, Hedvig Lindahl, and Virginia Torrecilla to help girls in her community.

Having grown up in the same community, Ajibade understands the transformative power of football and aims to support the next generation of talented footballers who may struggle to afford necessary equipment.

In the same spirit of charity, Arsenal and England striker Bukayo Saka visited Nigeria to reach out to beneficiaries of his philanthropy. Saka has been actively engaged with the charity organisation BigShoe, providing financial support to underprivileged children in need of medical treatment. Together with BigShoe, Saka has funded life-changing operations for children suffering from hernias and brain tumours in Nigeria.

Saka's visit to Nigeria demonstrates his commitment to philanthropy and making a difference in the country.

By dedicating his time and resources to charity work, he has shown his dedication to ensuring that children receive the medical assistance they require for a better and healthier future.

Nigeria boasts a proud tradition of producing exceptional sportsmen and women who have achieved remarkable success in their fields and have also dedicated themselves to making a positive impact on society. These individuals have gone beyond their sporting achievements and established foundations and charities, providing scholarships, healthcare, infrastructure, and support to the less privileged.

Ahmed Musa, Nigeria's most-capped footballer and captain of the Super Eagles, is renowned for his commitment to education and community support. He

has offered scholarships worth N1.6 billion to 100 students at Skyline University and regularly donates food, money, and essential items to the people of his region. In 2017, he opened a N500 million sports complex in Kano, providing the residents with a worldclass recreational space.

Odion Ighalo, the former striker for Watford, Manchester United, and Al Hilal, has established the Ighalo Orphanage Home in Lagos. Inspired by his own challenging upbringing, Ighalo invested approximately $1.4 million in creating a safe and nurturing environment for orphaned children. The home provides academic education and sports training, empowering children to overcome their circumstances.

Obafemi Martins, a celebrated Nigerian football star, has made significant philanthropic contributions to improve the quality of life for underprivileged individuals. He has supported healthcare initiatives, constructed clinics, donated medical supplies, and provided scholarships for Nigerian students. In 2012, he donated N5 million to support the construction of a Primary Health Care facility in his hometown.

Paul Onuachu, current Southampton striker, addressed a long-standing issue in his home village by providing

The philanthropic endeavours of Nigerian sports icons have far-reaching impacts on their communities

Oshoala

SportsLive

...Making a Difference in Local Communities

a 45KVA transformer, bringing light to the community and significantly improving their quality of life.

Moses Simon, a winger for Nantes, has drilled boreholes to provide clean water to communities in need and has donated clothes, food, drugs, and funds to support healthcare initiatives.

Sunday Stephen, a former Spain U20 striker, focuses on empowering kids for a better future through the Mirian and Stephen Charitable Trust. The trust assists homeless children, finds them shelter, and places them with loving families.

Joseph Yobo, the former captain of the Super Eagles and Everton defender, has been actively involved in supporting education and youth development in Nigeria. In the pursuit of these goals, he launched the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation, focusing on promoting education, youth empowerment, and talent development.

The foundation, established in 2007, provides scholarships to deserving students, organises football clinics, and scouts talented individuals, nurturing their potential both on and off the field.

Mikel Obi, one of Nigeria's most decorated players and former Chelsea midfielder, has made significant contributions to healthcare and education. In 2017, he established the Mikel Obi Foundation, which aims to provide medical support to underprivileged children with critical health conditions. Through this foundation, surgeries, treatments, and rehabilitation are sponsored to ensure that children in need receive essential care.

Mikel Obi has also been actively involved in initiatives such as the World Food Programme and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, he has built schools in rural areas and provided scholarships to empower young individuals. His philanthropic efforts continue to create a positive impact in Nigeria since the establishment of his foundation. During the 2018 outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, Obi donated approximately N1 million to support the Red Cross Society in its fight against the disease.

Efe Ambrose, a highly regarded footballer, has generously contributed to his community, particularly in Delta State. In 2015, Ambrose donated to support the fight against the Ebola virus and has continued to support various schools and hospitals in the state, including the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, and the

Continued from Back Page

to the construction of a football field in his hometown of Warri. These initiatives have had a transformative

President Tinubu Making The Right Moves, But…

new state policies that will defend the Yoruba political interest.

I find this decision quite extreme and unnecessary for the wellbeing of the state which has shown remarkable economic prosperity because of its diversity. This is why I want President Tinubu to openly speak on this issue and calm nerves, considering that he has said severally that he will be president of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or whether they voted for him or not. President Tinubu must take a proactive stance against these actions and work diligently towards national reconciliation and progress.

I must restate that I like the pace and energy that Tinubu is starting his government with. Even his critics will admit this. This is good for Nigeria and investments. The appointment of new service chiefs and actions taken so far by the President reflect the country's diversity and upholds the constitutional provisions for federal character. The inclusivity of these appointments has earned support and commendation from various political figures across the country.

However, the journey towards national unity and healing requires more than diverse leadership. President Tinubu must actively address the actions of his supporters, both online and offline, and work towards

fostering reconciliation and harmony among all ethnic groups in Nigeria.

As the present administration progresses, it is imperative to maintain focus on inclusivity, fairness and justice. By addressing the concerns raised and actively working towards national reconciliation, Tinubu can lay a strong foundation for a united and prosperous Nigeria. The nation's progress hinges not only on security reform but also on the ability to heal divisions and foster a sense of unity among its diverse population. President Tinubu's first three weeks in office have showcased his determination and readiness to lead Nigeria towards progress. His proactive approach in addressing inter-agency rivalry, combating corruption, abolishing fuel subsidies, and implementing economic reforms demonstrates his commitment to transparency, accountability and revitalising the economy. However, to achieve sustainable progress, Tinubu must prioritise national unity, heal the wounds of past divisions, and ensure the well-being of all Nigerian citizens.

By fostering a sense of cohesion and addressing any harmful activities perpetrated by his supporters, the President can effectively lead the nation towards unity, healing and inclusive progress.

effect on the community since their inception.

Nwankwo Kanu, a retired footballer and founder of the Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF), remains one of Nigeria's most celebrated athletes. Inspired by his personal experience with a heart condition, he established the KHF in the year 2000 to provide free heart surgeries and essential treatment to children with cardiac problems in Nigeria and across Africa. The foundation has facilitated approximately 500 successful heart surgeries, boasting an impressive success rate. Kanu's dedication to saving young lives and providing comprehensive cardiac care has earned him global recognition as a philanthropic icon. In addition to healthcare, Kanu has also made significant contributions to education and rehabilitation through the Kanu Hope Foundation and the Kanu Charity Foundation. He established the Kanu Nwankwo Football Academy in 2019, which has played a vital role in nurturing young football talents in Nigeria.

Asisat Oshoala, Africa's best female footballer and Barcelona forward, has dedicated her efforts to empowering young girls through education and sports. In 2002, she founded the Asisat Oshoala Academy in Lagos, with the primary goal of providing access to

football training and life skills education to selected girls between the ages of 12 and 18. Oshoala's commitment to empowering the girl child has had a significant impact on her community, uncovering talents and providing opportunities for young girls to excel. Additionally, she actively engages as a cancer awareness activist, using her platform, Asisat Oshoala Foundation, which she established in 2019 to raise awareness about the disease among women. Oshoala launched the Foundation to focus on empowering girl footballers in Africa. It hosts the annual Asisat Oshoala Foundation Football4girls tournament in Lagos where many Nigerians discovered the talents of Ajibade. The Atletico forward won the Most Valuable Player at the 2017 edition of the Football4Girls and she went on to represent Nigeria twice at the U17 and U20 levels.

Offiong Edem, a renowned table tennis player, is passionate about empowering women through sports and education. In 2016, she established the Offiong Edem Foundation, which encourages young girls to participate in table tennis and provides training programs, workshops, and tournaments. The foundation also offers scholarships and financial support to talented individuals, aiming to break societal barriers and uplift women through sports and education. Edem's commitment to transforming lives has made a significant impact on young girls and the sports community since the inception of her foundation.

Nwankwo

Musa

Saka

President Tinubu Making The Right Moves, But…

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's inauguration as President of Nigeria marked a turning point for the nation, promising progress, security reform and commitment to national unity. Since assuming office, he has taken significant steps, particularly in the country's security leadership, by retiring key officials and appointing new service chiefs. These actions have evoked diverse reactions from political figures and the general public, with positive tones, with regard to his perceived nature as an action-oriented planner and strategist. Yet, there remains a sore point that is of extreme importance for the country's unity, which pertains to the need for healing. I will discuss this later in this article.

President Tinubu's decision to reshuffle the security leadership in Nigeria is a customary practice for new presidents. However, the recent appointments have been one of the fastest on record for a new president. His proactive approach was evident in his swift request to the Ninth National Assembly to approve his appointment of 20 special advisers, even before the 10th National Assembly's inauguration. This demonstrates his preparedness and determination to tackle Nigeria's challenges head-on.

Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic society with over 500 ethnic groups, has faced challenges stemming from historical power struggles and perceived or actual marginalisation among different regions. The Igbo in the South-East, Yoruba in the South-West and Hausa/ Fulani in the North are the major ethnic groups that were merged into one country during British colonial rule. To address these concerns and promote inclusivity, Nigeria's constitution enshrined the "federal character principle," ensuring that public institutions reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation.

In President Tinubu's inaugural speech, he emphasised the need for security reform and highlighted the importance of unity in Nigeria. The country has faced significant security challenges, including attacks by jihadist groups and criminal gangs, resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property.

Previous calls for secession were often fueled by perceived imbalances and nepotism in appointments, heightening the urgency for national unity. Tinubu's commitment to security and national cohesion is evident in his actions and his promises to invest in security personnel, training, equipment, and firepower.

One of the President's early actions was ordering the Department of State Services (DSS) to end its siege on the Ikoyi-Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This decisive action sheds light on the long-standing issue of inter-agency rivalry which has hindered the government's efficiency in the past.

I also find it disturbing that the DSS continues to hold the suspended Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, without charging him to court and neither has the public been told why he is being detained. I find this quite disturbing, especially when we are operating a democracy. These were the kinds of excesses we all fought against during the military era. It should not be allowed to fester in a democratic era. President Tinubu must not encourage this at all as it is indefensible. The president's decision to immediately abolish the petrol subsidy scam, which has cost the nation billions of dollars, is a pivotal and significant move. This move showcases his determination to tackle longstanding issues that have drained Nigeria's resources. Fuel subsidies have been a long-standing issue in Nigeria,

with the government providing financial assistance to keep fuel prices artificially low. However, these subsidies have placed a significant burden on the country's finances, costing billions of dollars annually. The funds allocated for fuel subsidy could be better utilised in critical sectors, such as healthcare, education, and job

actions will help alleviate the burden on citizens and ensure a more equitable distribution of resources.

In addition to that, Tinubu's plan to boost manufacturing, improve electricity access, simplify exchange-rate policies and invest in transportation infrastructure holds promise for Nigeria's economic growth. These measures, combined with redirecting funds from fuel subsidies to critical sectors, such as healthcare, education and job creation, indicate a commitment to addressing the root causes of poverty and unemployment. It is crucial to ensure that these reforms translate into tangible benefits for all Nigerians.

While President Tinubu's actions have received applause from many Nigerians, it is important to address concerns regarding the rise in transport costs and the potential impact on the population's well-being. Also, concerns persist, with regard to the actions of some of Tinubu's supporters, both online and offline. Reports of targeted demolitions against the Igbo community in Alaba raise valid questions about the need for immediate intervention and reconciliation.

While the President is acknowledged as a detribalised leader and a nationalist, it is essential for him to address the actions of his hawks and ensure that divisive actions or rhetoric are promptly halted. Nigeria is in dire need of healing and unity, particularly as the campaign period has concluded, and the nation looks to its leadership for guidance.

Tinubu's influential position as President of Nigeria gives him the responsibility to call his henchmen and goons to order. Discrimination, including the maligning of the Igbo community, must be unequivocally condemned.

Looking at the result of the 2019 and 2023 general election, the voting pattern in areas dominated by the Igbos in Lagos State show their preference and bias for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP). This has not gone down well with the leadership and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

creation.

By removing fuel subsidy, President Tinubu must redirect these funds towards areas that have a more direct impact on the welfare and development of Nigerian citizens. This decision aligns with his vision to boost manufacturing, improve electricity access and affordability, and invest in transportation infrastructure. However, the removal of fuel subsidy has expectedly resulted in an increase in fuel prices, which has caused public backlash and concerns over the rising cost of living.

This situation initially led to threats of strikes and protests from labour unions and sparked a broader discussion about the government's responsibility to mitigate the impact of these changes on the most vulnerable segments of society.

While the decision to eliminate fuel subsidies may initially cause hardships for some Nigerians, it is a necessary step towards achieving long-term economic stability.

President Tinubu's government must implement measures to mitigate the immediate effects on the population, such as targeted social welfare programmes and investment in alternative energy sources. These

Last week, someone posted a video in a Whatsapp group that I belong to. It showed former President Shehu Shagari addressing a crowd in Lagos during a campaign stomp. He talked about the uniqueness of Lagos and how Nigeria’s commercial capital is home to many ethnic groups and urged supporters to come out and vote for his then party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), which was the dominant national party at that time but was struggling in Lagos and the South-West, which was under the control of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). This is how democracy works. People should be allowed to vote freely where they reside and work.

The last general election in Lagos was fought along ethnic lines in some parts of the state, no doubt. Some friends of mine who are Yoruba argue that other tribes should stay out of the politics of the state. They say they are trying to muscle political power away from the Yorubas, which they consider an affront and will do everything to defend it.

Some influential persons and top government officials in the state have also openly spoken about this as well and vowed to even drive the agenda by introducing Continues on Page 47

The journey towards national unity and healing requires more than diverse leadership. President Tinubu must actively address the actions of his supporters, both online and offline, and work towards fostering reconciliation and harmony among all ethnic groups in Nigeria