THEWILL NEWSPAPER May 21, 2023

Many decisions we make to undergo a challenge already happens in the mind before we carry out the act. It goes without saying that the mind is very powerful.

Hilda Bassey already decided that she would create a world record for a cook-a-thon and, following all the rules, cooked over a hot stove for four days. While she has broken the previous record for the most extended cooking hours by an individual, the Guinness World Records still needs to investigate the cook-a-thon.

We wish her all the best.

Do you engage in sexting? There are some rules you should follow to make the experience a fun one. Read our guidelines on page 7.

We often hear many myths about beauty products; some are true, but most couldn’t be further from the truth. We discuss them on our beauty pages. See pages 12 and 13.

We pay homage to Nigerians who are previous Guinness World Record holders on pages 14 and 15, and this week we review the music album, That! Feels Good! by Jesse Ware. You have to read the detailed review and then scan the QR code to listen and see if you agree with our assessment. It’s worth it.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

Concerns, Doubts as Buhari Performs Symbolic Commissioning

BY SAM DIALA

Nigeria on Monday, May 22, 2023 will score a global first, a huge turning point in her 62 years of chequered history. On that day, Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the world’s largest single-train 650,000 barrels per day petroleum refinery with a 900 KTPA Polypropylene Plant, will be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Dangote Group, the refinery can meet 100 percent of the Nigerian requirement for all refined oil products – Petrol, 53 million litres per day; Diesel, 34 litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day – and also have a surplus of each of these products for export.

According to experts, Dangote Group is one of the few companies in the world executing a petroleum refinery and a petrochemical complex directly as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor. It has been stated that no individual owner has done the complete EPC Contract for a petroleum refinery.

Designed to process a large variety of crudes, including many of the African crudes, some of the Middle Eastern crudes and the US Light Tight Oil, the facility indeed proves a game changer in the Nigerian economy with a record of energy deficit.

The 435 MW power plant in the refinery alone will be able to meet the total power requirement of Ibadan

DisCo of 860,316 MWh covering five states, including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and Ekiti States.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, recalled recently that the shared dream of Dangote had sounded like a crazy idea at the time in 2007. “So crazy, that on account of it, the US lender J.P Morgan, threatened to expel Nigeria from its Government Bond Index for Emerging Markets,” Emefiele said.

Nigeria’s economic landscape is therefore set for a great change as the 650,000 barrel Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemical Refinery nears operational take-off. The symbolic commissioning of the world class facility by President Buhari marks the beginning of the journey to a zenith never attained by the country before. This is because the facility is a critical juncture that will alter the economic history of a country that has suffered decades of energy challenges with crippling effects on the economy.

Nigeria is the largest oil producing country in Africa and the sixth in the world, yet it is engulfed in energy deficit. Its four state-owned refineries are currently maintained at a huge cost, yet producing nothing and the economy depends on imported petroleum products.

Nigeria imports refined petroleum products at a huge cost to the people. The country is also blessed with a

huge gas reserve, yet it cannot generate electricity nor is domestic cooking gas affordable to the households. Amid such wealth, Nigeria is the poverty capital in the world.

The year round, energy poverty remains a huge economic problem that has defied solution in Nigeria among successive governments. This manifests in the entrenched challenge of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), diesel, aviation fuel and electric power. Energy deficit underpins the persistent collapse of key fiscal and monetary instruments, year-in-year-out, as supply assumes worsening status.

CONCERNS AND DOUBTS

While the Refinery is considered a game-changer to Nigeria’s perennial energy challenge, concerns are being expressed over the flipside.

The flipside essentially resides in the symbolic commissioning of the Refinery by President Muhammadu Buhari as the facility may not commence actual production until the next eight months because of the work involved.

According to industry sources familiar with the matter, Dangote Refinery is still undergoing pre-production tests in its critical lines, especially the aspects of the Fluid Catalyst Cracking Unit (FCCU) which is about the most crucial part of the actual production process.

...Performs Symbolic Commissioning

A former top NNPC official who is familiar with the system told THEWILL that “Dangote refinery will not be ready for production till first quarter of 2024.” Prodded further, the source asked, “Is it ready for operation? When was it test-run and what output did it produce? I think they are just playing to the political gallery, to make it seem as if the refinery was commissioned under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.”

For the source, the haste for the presidential inauguration of the facility now, and wait for the actual production to commence early 2024, may trigger anxieties in Nigerians who are eagerly waiting to see petroleum products flow from the facility.

Contacted, Head, Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, said they were engrossed in preparations for the commissioning slated for May 22, in Lagos and had no further comment on the issue.

The Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, did not respond to calls on his telephone while the text messages sent to him kept bouncing back.

There is another concern about the commissioning that is attracting the attention of stakeholders and industry experts.

An independent oil marketer in Lagos, Femi Balogun, said the coming of the refinery will shift attention from Nigeria’s refineries, which have consumed so much of the nation’s resources without refining any crude.

Balogun expressed concern that with the coming of Dangote refinery, the country’s refineries might be subjected to asset stripping by unscrupulous individuals both within and outside the industry.

Crude supply is another challenge. Nigeria is currently under-producing: 1.3 million barrels per day as against the 1.8 million set in the 2023 budget. That means Dangote Refinery may resort to import crude to augment its inventory.

Nigeria’s oil production in April fell to less than 1 million barrels per day, indicating that feedstock could pose a challenge to the Dangote Refinery.

The commission is shaping out to be symbolic, considering that ongoing technical work has not progressed to the point of introducing raw hydrocarbons into the plan, let alone distributing the refined products.

Upon completion, the refinery will apply for a licence to operate.

When completed, the refinery, with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), could find itself scrounging for feedstock. The bulk of the crude for the refinery operations is expected to come from Nigeria, given that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) holds a 20 percent stake in the company on behalf of the federation, but the declining crude output would present a challenge.

Analysts, quoting data from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Nigeria’s oil production since 1999, revealed that output has declined by 42 percent and it has hovered around 1.5 million bpd under President Buhari.

The greatest challenge that led to the drop in production in this administration has been oil theft.

The Group Managing Director, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, said in September 2022 that Nigeria lost $10 billion to crude oil theft in seven months. Although security agencies had said they were investigating the incidents, no arrests or prosecutions seem to have been made ever since. Crude oil theft has not ceased.

MULTIPLE COVERED SINS

Government and NNPC officials who amassed wealth through the oil sector may suffer no sanction. Kyari,

at different times shed light on the monumental mismanagement of the nation's refineries when he disclosed that no turn around maintenance (TAM) of the refineries was carried out for over 42 years, despite humongous resources earmarked for sale by successive administrations.

Little wonder, in 2019, the refineries lost some N167 billion ($439.47 million), and only the Warri Refinery processed any crude. The following year, they were all shut down, pending rehabilitation.

Sadly, Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and the sixth largest oil producing country in the world, is battling scarcity of fuel amidst a spike in international crude oil price which should yield more revenue to reactivate its economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Group Public Affairs Manager, Mr Garbadeen Mohammed did not respond to calls and messages.

However, Group General Managing Director, NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari said during the week that the company will supply 300, 000 barrels of crude oil to the Dangote refinery head of the official commissioning on Monday.

DANGOTE AND NIGERIA

Nevertheless, the Dangote Refinery would address the knotty challenges of petroleum products in Nigeria when it becomes fully operational. The key economic concerns this facility is set to address are the perennial and entrenched Premium Motor Spirit supply issues, such as scarcity, adulteration and the overheated/ never ending subsidy debacle. Aviation fuel and diesel fuels driving domestic commerce have been struggling to secure sustainable, viable supplies in recent times.

In the last five years, there has been an import upsurge of bitumen and tar for increasing construction work demands. This signifies the expanding requirements of the basket of petroleum products in the Nigerian economy. A viable refinery of Dangote status is a critical asset in the trajectory of the Nigerian energy market.

DIVERSIFIED AND STRENGTHENED

The promoters bought over 1,209 units of various equipment to enhance the local capacity for site works since the biggest local civil contractors are unable

to handle even small portions of our construction requirement. It also bought 332 cranes to build up equipment installation capacity since the current capacity in Nigeria is extremely poor.

The facility has the world’s largest granite quarry to supply coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust and material for breakwater with a 10 million tonnes per year production capacity. To actualise the target, the refinery has 177 tanks of 4.742 billion litre capacity with a total tanker loading of 2,900. Experts say this number is based on tanker capacity of 33KL.

Facility experts say the Dangote Refinery is a legacy project that will see Nigeria netting $21 billion per annum. This is evident in the land mass on which the facility sits in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, covering a land area of approximately 2,635 hectares, which is seven times the size of Victoria Island, a highbrow area of Lagos bounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

The refinery is built with a self-sufficient marine facility that possesses freight optimisation, the largest in the world, enabling the facility to produce diesel and gasoline products that conform to Euro V specifications.

“The refinery design complies with World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms, with a state- of-the-art technology.

“The complexity index design of this refinery will enable it to operate five processing units, with the sixth unit – catalytic unit – upgraded into four components comprising, hydro refining, reforming, cracking, and hydrocracking,” the company said in a corporate document.

HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

The huge facility offers massive human capital development opportunities. Already, the training of 900 young engineers in refinery operations outside the country has been put in place. Another six mechanical engineers were trained in GE University in Italy. About 50 process engineers were trained by Honeywell/UOP for six months and 50 management trainees seconded for succession,

DOMESTIC IMPACT

It is obvious that the main beneficiaries of this worldclass project are the fiscal and monetary authorities as it will impact their policy formulations and implementations towards achieving robust foreign trade balance and defending the value of local currency. This can be deciphered from the data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the NBS, the import value of other oil products imported in the third quarter (Q3) of 2022 stood at N1.615 trillion, constituting a massive 28.10 per cent of total imports. This indicates an increase of 9.11 per cent from the N1.480 trillion recorded in Q2, 2022. Potentially, the run-rate to end of 2022 import value translates to N6.2 trillion of other petroleum products imported into the Nigerian economy in 2022. Analysts say the 2022 trade position of the country’s international trade balance would have improved by N6.2 trillion or 28.10 percent if the Dangote refinery had begun supply of these products earlier, Trade surpluses are positive contributions to a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Dangote Refinery Gate Price will not be denominated in naira. The implication is that there will be an inbuilt template for substantial foreign exchange savings, which will translate into a massive reduction of the pressure on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with the mandate of defending the naira.

According to an energy analyst, Kanye Williams, this is found from extracting the foreign exchange components of the landing cost of PMS before under/ over recovery administration, a euphemism for subsidy, is carried out.

A former top NNPC official who is familiar with the system confided in THEWILL that “the Dangote refinery will not be ready for production till first quarter of 2024.” Prodded further, he asked, “Is it ready for operation? When was it test-run and what output did it produce? I think they are just playing to the political gallery, to make it seem as if the refinery was commissioned under the Muhammadu Buhari administration

...Performs Symbolic Commissioning

These components include freight charges, traders margin of US$10/30,000mt, Ship-ship charges, receipt losses of 0.3 per cent, NPA $28,000 per day demurrage after 10 days allowance, $10.5/mt NPA handling charges, cost of stock financing for the imported products, US$2.50/mt and lithering expenses.

It is established that these components usually comprise 27 percent of the total pump price of any petroleum product. In financial terms, this translates to N1.674 trillion that was brought to the foreign exchange market to buy foreign exchange for payment of imported petroleum products that a domestic refinery would have saved.

This is established from the PPPRA landing cost template, quarterly petroleum products import from NBS and average official exchange rate from the CBN.

The multiplier effect of its target 135,000 permanent jobs for Nigerians and displacement of plastics imports in the fiscal space are part of the economic springboard this refinery brings to the Nigerian economy.

“This refinery is one edifice that will turbo-charge the engine of the Nigerian economy, unstrap the strings holding the development of the economy and wade off external and domestic headwinds against efficacies of fiscal and monetary instruments.

“It is when the refinery comes to be that we may realise the harm the poor management of the petroleum industry has done to the development of the Nigerian economy, since the end of the civil war,” Williams said.

FOREX RELIEF

With a target performance of 50 million litres PMS and 17 million litres of diesel and aviation fuel per day, the Dangote refinery is set to reduce the pressure of foreign exchange demand by an estimated $3.857 billion in avoidable cost of imports.

Every business endeavour and well-intentioned government policy in Nigeria has been harmed by the poor management of petroleum products, chiefly, PMS, directly or indirectly.

Seeing that the greatest burden of foreign exchange has been borne by the CBN, in terms of avoidable pressure on the naira, the decision of the federal government to buy a 20 percent stake in the N19 billion plant becomes understandable.

DREAM REALISED

The dream of Dangote building the world’s largest refinery was borne out of ‘frustration’ when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 reversed the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries (two of Nigeria’s moribund refineries) to Blue Star, the Dangote-led consortium.

Blue Star had paid about $670 million for the plants in the twilight of the Olusegun Obasanjo Administration and gone away thinking it was a done deal. It wasn’t. Even though the refineries were producing at about 20 percent of their capacity at the time of sale, the Yar’Adua government, egged on by labour, insisted that the “national patrimony” were under-valued and under-priced, hence the sale was reversed.

Dangote walked away only to ‘return’ six years later to announce plans to build a private refinery in Lagos with a capacity of 650,000 bpd – over 200,000 bpd more than the combined 450,000 installed capacity of Nigeria’s four refineries combined.

Notwithstanding the subsequent unforeseen delays, including project cost reviews from the original $12-$14 billion, then to $19billion, energy transition concerns, the glut in global oil supply caused by COVID-19 and spooky markets caused by the RussiaUkraine war, the refinery eventually became set for official commissioning on May 22, 2023 by the outgoing President Buhari who is eager to perform the inauguration of the facility, seven days to the end of his tenure on May 29.

CONTINENTAL TOUCH

Aside from an estimated 250,000 direct and indirect jobs that the refinery would create, the facility is also expected to spin off other business opportunities, a story that Dangote loves to share in a country with 33 percent unemployment.

S&P Global had reported two months ago that early commencement of the Dangote Refinery would not only benefit Nigeria, but could also benefit Africa, which is currently suffering a shortage of diesel as a result of the closure of three of five refineries in South Africa.

The continent imports about 700,000 bpd of diesel. Diesel is one of the four quality Euro-V products

expected from Dangote Refinery. Others are petrol, jet fuel and polypropylene. Better Alternative Dangote Refinery is poised to start the production of critical materials, such as naphtha and polypropylene, that will help activate affected industries like cosmetics, detergent, textiles, and plastics among others.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has lauded the efforts of its visionary, Aliko Dangote, and the Federal Government of Nigeria’s support in berthing the project.

The Director-General of the Chamber, Dr Chinyere Alumona, noted that the 650,000 b/d capacity refinery, expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s single-trained facility, will meet Nigeria’s need for refined petroleum products and bring about a huge positive impact on the Nigerian economy

“The Refinery will create jobs, positively affect the value of the naira, broaden prosperity for the downstream sector, and provide growth opportunities for businesses. It will also stimulate economic growth by impacting the country’s balance of payments.

“In addition, the Chamber expects the refinery to fuel further growth and development across its value chain, including cosmetics, plastics, textiles, etc,” LCCI said. Provision for fuel subsidy in 2023, the government is now projecting to spend N7.35 trillion more than it will earn this year as it makes room for a nine-fold jump in petrol subsidy costs than earlier budgeted.

By this, the country will be recording the highest budget deficit in 23 years (since 1999) which amounts to about five percent of GDP.

Nigeria spent N400bn monthly on subsidies in 2022, according to Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Mohammed. It spent $10bn on subsidy in 2022,

A former executive and National Treasurer, Petroleum and natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr Victor Ononokpono, welcomed Dangote Refinery as a game-changer to Nigeria’s perennial energy challenges. In a note to THEWILL, Ononokpono said that in addition to boosting the nation’s revenue, the refinery will create thousands of jobs for Nigerians.

A property expert, Lanre Taiwo, said the commissioning of Dangote Refinery will attract investment in housing and estate development.

Nevertheless, the Dangote Refinery would address the knotty challenges of petroleum products in Nigeria when it becomes fully operational. The key economic concerns this facility is set to address are the perennial and entrenched Premium Motor Spirit supply issues, such as scarcity, adulteration and the overheated/never ending subsidy debacle. Aviation fuel and diesel fuels driving domestic commerce have been struggling to secure sustainable, viable supplies in recent times

Buhari, Abiodun Mourn FCMB Founder Subomi Balogun

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He's 'Icon of the African Banking And Finance Industry'

FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

President Muhammadu Buhari has shared in the grief of loss with the business community, particularly the banking and investment sector, over the passing of an illustrious citizen, Chief Michael Olasubomi "Subomi" Balogun.

Chief Subomi Balogun, a legendary businessman and philanthropist, died on Friday, in London, aged 89.

President Buhari in a condolence message made available to newsmen by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, commiserated with family members, friends, and associates of late Subomi Balogun, whose legacy of kindness and charity stretched into many homes, institutions, and communities, touching lives through education, health, and multiple empowerment opportunities.

President Buhari affirmed that Chief Balogun, through foresight, wisdom, and hard work, lived ahead of his time, by starting the First City Merchant Bank in 1983, which has grown over the years, with branches across the country, and working assiduously for the take-off and success of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The President noted the outpouring of testimonies on the life and times of the legendary banker, especially his towering influence in grooming many talented leaders in the sector, who had since set up their investment platforms, within and outside the country.He prayed that the Almighty God will receive the soul of the departed, and comfort all his loved ones.

Ogun State Governor has also mourned the death of the Olori Omo Oba of Ijebuland and Founder of FCMB Group, Otunba Subomi Balogun.

Balogun, a foremost banker, lawyer and entrepreneur, who died at the age of 89, in a London hospital after an illness

Mourning the passing of the business mogul and philanthropist, the governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, described the death of Balogun as a colossal loss, not only to Ogun State, but Nigeria and the business world.

He noted that the late Olori Omo Oba

of Ijebuland was one of the foremost entrepreneurs who took banking to an enviable level in the country.

Abiodun added that apart from being a business magnate, Chief Subomi Balogun was a devoted Christian, a loving father and husband as well as lover of Ijebuland.

The governor said the contributions of the late banker to the socio-economic development of Ijebuland and Ogun State was humongous and beneficial to numerous people and entities.

According to the statement, the vacuum created by the demise of Balogun will be difficult to fill, pointing out that his love for humanity and dedication to the service of God was worth emulation.

While commiserating with the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Adetona and the entire people of Ijebu on the passing of the renowned entrepreneur, Abiodun equally condoled the immediate family left behind by him.

Also, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has mourned the passing of the FCMB founder, describing him as an “icon of the African banking and finance industry.”

In a tribute, the governor said, “I celebrate the extremely accomplished life of the private and public sector colossus, Chief Michael Olasubomi Balogun, the Founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and icon of the African banking and finance industry. Chief Balogun was a dexterous banker, who deployed his intellect for the service of humanity and his country.

“A blue blood and scion of Ijebuland, in Ogun State, Chief Balogun, after acquiring a law degree at the London School of Economics, cut his teeth as a banker working for the World Bank before setting up what was then known as the First City Merchant Bank.He continued: “He was a great man in all ramifications and remained the leading light in the banking profession.“Chief Balogun strode like a titan in the banking and investment sectors and was indeed a pioneer who tread where others feared.

Major Shake-Up Looms in Aviation And Aerospace Sector

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

There are strong indications that there will be changes in form of sack, reshuffle and redeployment at the newly renamed Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace of Nigeria. THEWILL gathered that a lot has been brewing at the Ministry, in just less than two weeks left for the current administration to hand over.

It was alleged last month that there have been some secret employment by a senior official of the then Ministry of Aviation.

The allegations caused a lot of hues and cries, but as usual generated no tangible action but was treated with kid glove.

Sources close to the Ministry revealed that some heads of the parastatals may be relieved of their appointments, despite the President signing and gazetting some parastatals Acts, some of which tenured their stay in office.

Case in point, Directors-General of NSIB, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), are tenured for five years each and it’s renewable maybe apart from the now DG NSIB, who is in his second tenure already, but had transformed from Commissioner Accident Investigation Bureau( AIB) to Director General NSIB.

It was also gathered that some existing directors may also be affected by the impending purge or be redeployed to other directorates.

An industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that, as it is, some Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) could not also be removed with fiat, without a recourse to the Acts that set up the agencies.

Why I Want to be Anambra APGA Chairman – Obi-Okoye

Aformer National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, has said he is vying for the chairmanship position to confront the 2025 political battle in Anambra.

Obi-Okoye made the assertion at a news conference in Awka to announce his interest ahead of the APGA Anambra congresses.

He said he had the passion, capacity, qualifications, innovation and experience to recover all that were lost during the last elections and take APGA to the next level.

“Our party APGA needs an experienced and passionate politician to confront the issues in 2025 because there will be a big political battle.

"In 2025, APGA will be contesting with political parties such as Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“When LP finishes from the Supreme Court, their next ambition will be to capture Anambra. I also believe APC will become stronger with Sen. Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect.

“This informed my interest in the race because we must have a chairman who understands the battle front and has the capacity to plot and confront these issue, ” he said.

Obi-Okoye said he understood and was ready to complement the positive isruptive vision of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo, who is the National leader of the party, to promote public service delivery. He also said he would ensure the restoration of the party’s strength at the National and State Assemblies as well as make the political party the largest in the country.

“At the National Assembly, our strength dropped from five to four while at the state Assembly, it dropped from 24 to 16, though we are the majority but it was not palatable for us.

“Under my watch, I will ensure that we recover all that we have lost, build strength and capacity as well as find alternative means of funding to make the party the largest in the country rather than the third, “he said.

He recommended the formation of a truth and reconciliation committee to address the internal grievances plaguing the smooth running and unity of the party to finding lasting peace.

“What we have done wrong in the past was not to have set up this committee soon after the primaries and this has created a lot of cracks in the party.

“In politics, you have winners and losers, such a committee would create hope for those who did not win at the primaries. Crisis starts if you do not create hope for losers,” he said.

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; wife, Aisha Buhari; SGF, Boss Mustapha and Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, during the Commissioning of Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre in Abuja on May 19, 2023.

I’ve No Jurisdiction to Nullify Alex Otti’s Election, Kano Judge Clarifies

Justice Muhammad Nasir-Yunusa of the Kano Division of the Federal High Court has refuted media reports that he nullified the nomination of Dr Alex Otti and other candidates of the Labour Party, who participated in the 2023 General Election in Abia and Kano States.

Earlier, reports had claimed the court, under Justice Yunusa’s supervision, had nullified the candidacy of the Abia governor-elect and other LP candidates.

Making clarification on the ruling on Friday, Justice Yunusa said Otti and other candidates in Abia were not parties before his court.

The judge, however, declared that the judgement he delivered on Thursday, May 28, 2023, nullified the election of Labour Party candidates for Kano that contested

during the 2023 general election.

A plaintiff, Ibrahim Haruna Ibrahim, had filed a case with suit No FHC/KN/ CS/107/2023, against the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking a declaration that the party violated some provisions of the Electoral Act and, therefore, its candidates disqualified and cannot be declared winner of an election.

“The party that has not complied with the provisions of the electoral act cannot be said to have a candidate in an election and cannot be declared winner of an election; this being so, the votes credited to the 1st defendant is a wasted vote", Justice Yunusa ruled.

He said: “The court declared the primary election of LP in Kano as null and void.”

Obaseki Insists on Arrest, Prosecution of AAU Staff Culpable of Fraud, Other Corrupt Practices

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the government, in partnership with security agencies is currently investigating the alleged cases of fraud and other criminal activities at the state-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, reassuring that anyone found culpable will be duly arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law. Obaseki said this when he received the executive members of AAU Alumni Association Worldwide, who were on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Benin City.

Commending the leadership of the alumni association for their support to the government in repositioning the institution to meet global standards, Obaseki noted that Edo has become “a proxy for Nigeria globally when you talk of accelerated countries and people redefining their educational system.”

According to him, “We are transforming the junior school system, disarticulating it from the secondary school system, and can't allow AAU to remain without developing and growing. We call on you to join us to save this University and ensure we maintain the standard in terms of infrastructure and learning, among others.

We must not allow some persons to kill our institution because it belongs to Edo people.”

He noted, “I heard some people still call themselves union going around and addressing the press. We have said everybody who has been involved in any criminal conduct in AAU is currently under investigation. We will arrest and prosecute. You can't go and harass other people’s children and sell transcripts as these are criminal activities and in the name of unionism, we allow them to go.

“No way, it’s one fight we will fight till the end. It is either they win and take the University or Edo people win and take back their University. It's time to take politics out of the school and reposition it for the betterment of our people.”

The governor further stated, “For close to two decades, some group of persons has held the University hostage as several administrations have tried to rescue the University but failed. My predecessor tried and failed too and went to establish another State University.

“We decided not to shut it down but rather get a team to do a surgical operation and look at all issues to ensure the school’s development.

Troops Destroy 38 Illegal Refineries, Apprehend 29 Oil Thieves – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has said that troops of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) have destroyed 38 illegal refining sites and apprehended 29 suspected oil thieves in the last two weeks.

The Director, Defence Media Operation, Major-Gen. Musa Danmadami, said this on Thursday in Abuja at the bi-weekly news conference on the operations of the armed forces.

Danmadami said the troops conducted patrols, raids, anti-illegal oil refining and swap buggies operations at different locations within Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.

He said this was aimed at denying oil theft and other criminal elements freedom of action.

Danmadami said the troops, in the conduct of Operation Octopus Grip and other operations, discovered and destroyed illegal refining sites with 24 wooden boats, 169 storage tanks, 152 ovens and 19 dugout pits. According to him, the troops also recovered 551,500 litres of crude oil, 394,500 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 16 vehicles, four motorcycles and one tricycle.

Other items recovered were two pumping machines, one outboard engine, one generator, one speed boat, four weapons and 132 assorted ammunition, while 29 economic saboteurs were also arrested.

“All recovered items and apprehended suspects have been handed over to the appropriate authority for further action.

“Additionally, it is worthy to mention that the sum of N448.3 million were denied to the oil thieves.

“Relatedly, the air component conducted a series of air operations within the joint area of operation.

“Notably, an air interdiction was conducted at Abacheke general area, observed to be active with illegal oil bunkering activities.

“Consequently, the target was struck, destroying all illegal refining equipment at the location,” he added.

German Agency Donates Solar-powered Laboratory Cabin to Lagos School

The German Government has donated a solar powered laboratory cabin to Meiran Community Senior High School, Lagos, for providing technological solutions to solve problems. The cabin was donated on Thursday in Lagos by the German Agency for International Corporation through its Pro-Poor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria(GIZ-SEDIN) programme.

The Component Lead of GIZ-SEDIN, Oladoyin Olawoye, said that the school emerged first among 15 other schools in the agency’s SEA-HUB competition held in October 2022.

Olawoye said that the school presented products produced through innovative technological solutions, with little or no capital.

According to her, SEA-HUB club engages secondary school students in activities that are predominantly entrepreneurship.

“It’s to enable the students to run a mini business; to have an innovative mindset for solving problems within their local community.

“The idea is to catch them young so that when they leave school, they are better trained, experienced, and able to provide jobs and employment to job seekers.

“So, the idea is really to have an avenue for young students to find a path when they leave school.

“Meiran school was really impressive. Not only did they showcase multiple products; the school showcased innovative solutions, the students used innovative technology to solve problems, they have a remote controlled robot mopping machine.

“They also have a reusable, washable sanitary pad for the girls, and this is something that is really burdensome for young girls and their parents, to help afford sanitary pads for the lady,” she said. Olawoye said the agency loved the social aspect; the innovative aspects that the students came up with, they made phone stands from PVC pipes, so it was really innovative thinking.

“We challenge them at SEA-HUB to start a business with little or no capital and once they start that business, once they make profit, they reinvest the profits and create other products,” she said.

According to Olawoye, with the donation of the lab cabin, the agency is expecting the students to come up with more innovative products and be employers of labour once they leave school.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Abayomi Abolaji, said that the creative minds of the students had earned them the lab cabin.

Abolaji described the donation as a giant stride because the state government was particular about Public Private Partnerships (PPP), hence the need to engage more of such partnerships to develop the sector.

L-R: Deputy Director (Operation), Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service, Engr. Oladesu Kayode; General Manager, LASDRI, Mrs Afusat Tiamiyu; Rep. of FRSC Lagos Sector Commander, Route Commander Jesutomipe Mala; Director, Transport Operations MOT, Engr Olasunkanmi Ojowuro; Assistant Comptroller and head of operation, LASTMA, Headquarter, Oshodi, Lagos, Adeoye Oluyemi and Trace Area Commander, Ogun west, Commander Ajibade Adekunle, (rep.Trace Commander/CEO, Prince Seni) during Greenpen Global Media Limited, unveiling Global Road Safety e-paper/Award to celebrate UN Road Safety Week in Lagos on May 18, 2023.

Photo: Peace Udugba.

POLITICS

Yakubu Lawan

Independent Candidacy to The Rescue?

BY AMOS ESELE

Imagine the scenario during the last recent General Election: presidential aspirants had to pay as high as N100 million to obtain expression of interest and nomination forms in the governing All Progressives Congress, APC and as low as N15 million in the fringe Young Progressive Party, YPP.

The mercantilist and exclusive, perhaps undemocratic, nature of the costs of the forms is captured in the justifications offered by former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara and the current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

According to Wabara, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, “The membership of the National Assembly is an investment because most of us sold our houses to get to the Senate… The maturity is there, but the ability to recoup whatever you spent legitimately is the problem.

Current Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said: “For political parties, the sale of nomination forms is vital for operational revenue. Additionally, political parties use the high costs of nomination forms to screen candidates and reduce the practice of aspirants playing the spoiler or using the process as an opportunity to negotiate their personal ambitions.”

When the violent conduct of party primaries, endorsements and adoption of preferred candidates, unprincipled defections, lack of internal party democracy, role of godfathers in the choice of candidates and the current leadership crisis plaguing virtually all the major political parties in the country are factored into the picture, it may be

“

rocking the party. Labour Party is currently torn into factions with two National Chairmen, Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa, holding their offices at the mercy of the law courts.

So that Tuesday, the Senate urged the Clerk of the National Assembly to transmit the bill, Constitution Alteration Bill No. 58 on independent candidacy to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

A visibly elated Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who is Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review announced in plenary, “With the approval of the Gombe State House of Assembly, the bills on independent candidacy and inclusion of National Assembly presiding officers in the Security Council membership have met the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage.”

easy to understand why many senior lawmakers last Tuesday saw the view differently from both Wabara and Gabjabiamila.

The PDP had the aggrieved Governor Nyesom Wike led G-5 group to contend with until their target, the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, was restrained by the courts from presiding over its affairs.

The ruling APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu (President-elect) squabbled over the constitution of Presidential Campaign Council membership at some point and at another over his allegation of plans by powers that were to sabotage his electoral chances with the cashless policy and petrol scarcity. Currently, disagreement over the choice of the National Assembly leadership is

The bill seeks to provide for independent candidacy in Presidential, Governorship, National and State Assemblies, as well as Local Government Council elections.

For any Nigerian to contest a presidential election as an independent candidate, he or she must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 percent of registered voters from each state of the federation, provided that a registered voter shall not sign for more than one independent candidate in respect of the office.

For governorship, the independent candidate must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 percent of registered voters from each of the local government areas of the state.

The bill seeks to provide for independent candidacy in Presidential, Governorship, National and State Assemblies, as well as Local Government Council elections

...Candidacy to The Rescue?

The bill also states that anyone willing to contest the National Assembly election must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 percent of registered voters from each of the local government areas in the respective senatorial district or federal constituency.

The proposed legislation empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prescribe the payment of administrative fees by independent candidates for respective elections.

It also mandates the electoral body, INEC, to waive 50 percent of the administrative fees for women.

Outside the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, reactions trailing the issue are divided. Why some see it as a welcome development for the democratisation process in the country, some are not too optimistic about it. Independent candidacy is not new to Nigerian law. It was practised in the First Republic, though under the parliamentary form of government in practice then.

General Secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu thinks that like all things good in Nigeria, after approval the bill will remain beautiful on paper only.

“As far as I am concerned it is going to be one of those laws that we always pass and never obey. If this was happening in a civilised climate, I would say a big yes to it,” he told THEWILL on Friday, adding, “If INEC can manipulate and manoeuvre major political parties, how many more individuals?

I am not against passing any law that will open up the democratic space, but we need to fortify our electoral process before law can work to its intents and purposes. Why don’t we stop the president from appointing the INEC Chairman, for instance, to give some form of independence to the electoral umpire?

How mutually interdependent are the three arms of government, the judiciary, legislature and executive to make democracy work? We have to learn to obey

Secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties,

and implement laws or it will be the same old story.”

Ex-Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and governorship aspirant for the 2024 governorship election in the state, Bright Omokhodion, said the law on independent candidacy will deepen the democratic process.

Speaking from experience as a participant observer, he based his response on the pending law on three premises: Its capacity to open up the democratic space for quality representation, the check on excesses of political parties and the choice of alternatives for the increasingly discerning electorate.

He told this newspaper, “The law on independent candidacy will extricate the patriotic individual who wants to serve his country in any political office by removing the stranglehold of political parties, which, from past experience, are out to exploit the aspirants and candidates. In most cases, candidates are chosen from the rank of the boys. Many such persons go into elective offices and exhibit gross ignorance

and inability to work according to the tenets of the Constitution.”

To him independent candidacy will present a great opportunity for the people to choose from among the array of potential leadership in this country.

He foresees another benefit of the law for political parties as they would be stimulated to internally generate revenue from members when aspirants stay away because of high costs of nomination forms.

“Although the constitution of many parties in Nigeria specifically states that members must pay dues on a periodic basis, many members do not pay. And once the money is unavailable, there is the tendency for the political parties to seize the opportunity of election to fleece the vulnerable aspirants. The coming of the independent candidacy law will make the parties put on their thinking caps.”

Though it is arguable if independent candidates can muster the awesome structure and logistics available to major parties during election, especially at the presidential and governorship level, it is hoped that with the combination of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the independent candidacy law can make a significant impact of the democratisation process for the popular candidate and discerning voter.

“No doubt about that,”said Omokhodion, “BVAS has come to make elections beautiful, notwithstanding the hitches identified with the just concluded election. In due course, the system will combine with the law to advance the democratisation process.”

Spokesperson for the PDP, Mr Debo Ologunagba, refused to speak in his official capacity but offered his personal opinion. The proposed law, he said, would only add to the growing bodies of laws and activities that are aiding democracy to evolve in the country, adding that each political party may have to look into it, anyway.

General

CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu thinks that like all things good in Nigeria, after approval the bill will remain beautiful on paper only

May 29: 16 Govs–Elect Ready to Hit Ground Running POLITICS

BY AYO ESAN

As the countdown to the May 29, 2023 inauguration draws nearer, newly elected state governors are girding their loins and getting ready to hit the ground running. About 16 governors–elect will man the affairs of their respective states in the country for the first time.

In these states, transition committees to facilitate a smooth handover are already rounding up their activities. All things being equal, the stage is almost set for the inauguration and the people of the various states are already yearning for a fresh breath of air that will accompany the new helmsmen of their states. Except there are unexpected twists in the proceedings at the Election Petition Tribunals in each state, the new governors will govern their states for four years.

The states that will be under the control of new governors include Katsina where Dikko Umaru Radda will replace Bello Masari. Umaru is from the same All Progressives Congress, (APC) as Masari and indeed, he is Masari’s preferred successor.

Also, Jigawa State will have a new governor in Nasir Idris, who will be succeeding outgoing Atiku Bagudu, also of the APC. Bagudu will complete his second term in office on May 28, 2023.

Governor Sani Bello of Niger State will hand over the mantle of leadership to Mohammed Umar Bago of the APC, while in Plateau State, the new governor is Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP. He will be replacing Governor Simon Lalong of the APC.

Governor Nyesom Wike will on May 29 hand over the affairs of Rivers State to his preferred successor and fellow PDP man, Siminalayi Fubara, while Chief Alex Otti of Labour Party, (LP) will be the new helmsman in Abia State.

He will replace Governor Okeze Ikpeazu of the PDP who by then would have rounded up his second term.

Francis Nwiruru will replace David Umahi of Ebonyi State as the state governor on May 29, 2023, while Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State will be succeeded by Peter Mbah. Peter Mbah is also a PDP stalwart like Ugwuanyi.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje will hand over to Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria’s People Party (NNPP) in Kano State. Ganduje of the APC could not produce a fellow APC member as his successor in the last March governorship election.

In Delta , Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, after his second term in office will be handing over to Sheriff Oborevwori, who will officially leave the State House of Assembly for his new post as governor of the state.

Cross River will also have a new governor on May 29 when the incumbent Professor Ben Ayade hands over to fellow APC man, Bassey Otu and in Benue State another APC stalwart will take the mantle of leadership. The Governor – who is eagerly awaiting the inauguration date is Hyacinth Alia of the APC. He will take over from Samuel Ortom of the PDP who by then would have finished his second term in office.

Governor Udom Emmanuel is already packing his bags from the Akwa Ibom Government House and will hand over to Umo Eno. Both of them are from the PDP.

The Governors –Elect

Dikko Umaru Radda (Katsina)

Radda, an economist was born on September 10, 1969. He was Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Radda held posts in the APC hierarchy, which saw him emerge as the APC National Welfare Secretary, a position he held for a period of one year, from 2014 to 2015. After the 2015 General Election, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Katsina State, Rt Hon Aminu Bello Masari.

Governor Udom Emmanuel is already packing his bags from the Akwa Ibom Government House and will hand over to Umo Eno. Both of them are from the PDP

Nasir Idris (Jigawa)

Idris is an educationist, politician, and immediate past national president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers and Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC). On April 17, 2023, he was pronounced Governor-elect of Kebbi State after winning the 2023 Governorship Election in the state.

He attended the Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi between 1994 and 2003, and Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, between 2006 and 2009 for his MBA.

Idris holds a PhD in Education and has written various academic papers on education.

Mohammed Umar Bago (Niger)

Mohammed Umar Bago, a banker, was born on February 22, 1974. He was born in Minna, Niger State, to a Nupe family. He is a member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency.

Bago emerged the winner of the Governorship Election in Niger State after defeating Isah Liman Kantigi of the PDP. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Usumanu Dan Fodiyo University in Sokoto.

He is also a distinguished alumnus of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom where he graduated in 2014.

Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers)

Amaopusenibo Siminalayi "Sim" Fubara was the Rivers State Accountant-General between December 23, 2020 and May 2022.

Sim Fubara was pronounced the elected Governor of Rivers State on March 20, 2023 by the Independent

Continues on page 13

Mutfwang Bago

...Ready to Hit Ground Running

Oborevwori is the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and the governor-elect of the state

Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano)

Abba Kabir Yusuf was elected Governor of Kano State in March 2023. He served as a commissioner in the Kano State between 2011 and 2015.

In 1999, Abba was appointed Personal Assistant to Engineer Rabiu Kwankwaso when the latter was governor of Kano State. He was retained as personal assistant when Kwankwaso became a Minister in 2003.

Abba becomes Commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport in 2011, while Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso became the governor of Kano State for a second term.

In 2018 Abba was anointed by his boss, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso while he was a Senator representing Kano Central to challenge the incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje under the platform of the PDP in the 2019 General elections.

National Electoral Commission (INEC). He was born in Opobo Town in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State.

He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria.

Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau)

Mutfwang, a lawyer, was born on March 12, 1965 in Wussasa Zaria Kaduna State, where he received his primary education. Caleb attended the University of Jos and the Nigerian Law School, after which he was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court.

He is also a graduate of Hawaii’s famous Haggai Institute for Leadership Development. In addition to serving on the boards of various firms, he provides legal services to individuals, corporations, federal ministries, international agencies, and governments.

Francis Nwiruru (Ebonyi)

Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is an entrepreneur and administrator who served as two-term Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. He hails from Oferekpe Agbaja in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Hon. Francis Nwifuru is currently representing Izzi West Constituency at the State House of Assembly. He is the speaker of the 5th and 6th Ebonyi State House of Assembly.

Chief Alex Otti (Abia)

Alex Otti is an economist, banker, investor, philanthropist and politician. He is the former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, a retail financial institution in Nigeria.

Otti was a governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). On December 31, 2015, the Court of Appeal which sat in Owerri removed Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP as governor of Abia State and declared Otti the winner of the April 11 and April 25 Governorship elections in the state.

On February 3, 2016, the Supreme Court reversed the verdict of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the election of Ikpeazu as Governor. Otti is a member of the editorial board of Thisday Newspaper and writes a fortnightly column, every other Monday, titled "Outside the Box".

Alex Otti is from Isiala-ngwa and he is the Abia state governor-elect following the March 18, 2023 elections.

Peter Ndubuisi Mbah (Enugu)

Dr Peter Mbah, who was born on March 17, 1972 is a Nigerian maritime lawyer, financial analyst, and politician.

Mbah is from Nkanu East Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State. He is a Fellow of the Certified Institute of Public Administration and Management (CIPM), a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and Nigeria Bar Association.

He was appointed Chief of Staff in 2003 and subsequently as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development by former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani. He is a member of the PDP.

In 2022, Abba moved from the PDP to the New Nigeria Peoples Party. He was declared winner on March 20, 2023. Sherrif Oborevwori, (Delta State)

Oborevwori is the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and the governor-elect of the state. He began his political career as a grassroots politician; Chairman of the Okpe Community. However he hit the imelight in 2015 after he was elected as the member representing Okpe State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).[This is after 19 years of serving in several key government positions, first beginning as a Councillor in 1996.

Oborevwori was elected Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly on May 11, 2017, following the impeachment of the then Speaker, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya. He was reelected as Speaker for a second term in 2019.

Bassey Otu (Cross River)

Bassey Edet Otu represented the Calabar Municipal/ Odukpani Federal Constituency of Cross River in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2011. He was elected Senator for Cross River South in the April 2011 elections, running on the PDP platform. He later defected in 2016 to the APC and emerged the Cross River South Senatorial flagbearer of the party in the 2019 election. Prince Otu emerged as the governor-elect of Cross River State after the 2023 gpvernorship poll.

Hyacinth Alia (Benue)

Alia is a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, politician and governor-elect of Benue State.

He studied for a Diploma in Religious Studies in 1987 and a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Theology in 1990. In 1999, he obtained a Master's in Religious Education (Psychology and Counseling) at Fordham University, Bronx, New York City, USA. In 2004, he obtained an additional master's degree in Biomedical Ethics from Duquesne University, Pennsylvania, US, in 2004 and a doctorate degree in the same course and the same university in 2005.

Hyacinth Alia was ordained a Catholic Priest on July 7, 1990, by Bishop Athanasius Atule Ushu of Makurdi Catholic Diocese

Umo Basey Eno (Akwa Ibom)

Eno was born in April 1964. He is a cleric, politician and governor-elect of Akwa Ibom State. He is the immediate past Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources in Akwa Ibom State and the founder of All Nations Christian Ministry International.

Oborevwori

Yusuf

Otu

EDITORIAL

Buhari's Wasteful Legacy Projects

ith just about a week to the end of his eightyear tenure as Nigeria’s leader, President Muhammadu Buhari appears to be in a hurry to leave so many projects behind him. The rate at which the President is going about and everywhere commissioning projects, most of which are not even ready for use, is quite worrisome. It is really interesting that he now seems so interested in leaving so many projects to his name, not minding whether such projects are beneficial to the people or not.

On Friday, May 19, President Buhari, who just returned from a medical trip abroad, commissioned the N21 billion presidential wing of the State House Medical Centre in Abuja. Cutting the tape to declare the facility open, Buhari, who was accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was apparently full of excitement. The Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, had earlier described the project as one of the "Legacy Projects'' as it was completed within just a year. Displaying an uncommon excitement at the commissioning, Buhari's wife, Aisha, explained that the 2,485 square-metre facility, fitted with state-of-the-art medical technology and several specialised departments, would eliminate the need for the President and his family to travel overseas for medical care even.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Austyn Ogannah

Editor – Olaolu Olusina

Deputy Editor – Amos Esele

Politics Editor – Ayo Esan

Business Editor – Sam Diala

Copy Editor – Chux Ohai

Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata

Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu

Photo Editor – Peace Udugba

Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph

Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh

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

EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA

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

WAisha became unconsciously emotional as she regaled guests at the ceremony with tales of how she conceived the idea of the VIP wing six years ago after her husband’s protracted stay abroad for medical treatment. Sadly, the same Aso Villa medical centre has never, for once, been attractive to President Buhari and his family throughout his tenure in office. He was almost on permanent medical consultation in London as Aisha found solace in Dubai for treatment that could be provided in Nigeria.

We consider spending a whopping N21 billion, just within a year, on a facility that may not be patronised by those it was meant for, a waste of the nation's scarce resources, especially now that the country's health sector is crying for urgent attention with resident doctors in the country currently on strike.

While the Aso Villa medical centre has gulped a whopping N6.4 billion from the federal budget in six years, with little or no patronage from the President and his family, Buhari is reported to have been away for more than 225 days on medical trips abroad during his tenure, staying away for a record 104 days in one of the trips. There is no indication that the incoming president, Bola Tinubu, who is currently away in Paris, France, won't continue with the trend.

We therefore condemn the current huge allocations to the so-called ''Legacy Projects'' which offer little or no value to the average Nigerian. While Buhari appears to be so keen on leaving so many legacies, as if he is in a competition

with his predecessors, it is sad that his administration will not be forgotten for leaving a legacy of impunity, ethnic bigotry, incompetence, wasteful spending and leaving Nigeria with a heavy debt burden.

We are shocked, just like most Nigerians, at the recent revelation that a whopping N200 billion had been spent on ''logistics'' for the postponed National Population Census that was already headed for failure. The postponed head count is just another wasteful project of the Muhammadu Buhari Administration as it was glaring that a country struggling to

seek credibility and acceptance for a bungled general election could not have embarked on a successful population census so soon.

What Nigerians don't really understand is the rationale for Buhari's penchant for commissioning projects that are mostly yet to be completed. As if competing with himself, the President had gone ahead to commission, with fanfare, the Second Niger Bridge and the Lagos Light Rail project when those projects were, in fact, not yet ready to be put into use.

Buhari is again set to commission, on Monday, May 22, the state-of-the-art Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State which experts believe may not really be ready for production activities until after six months. It is really unfortunate that while the Buhari Administration is struggling to claim credit for almost every project, the same is ongoing in the states where outgoing governors, who are noted for monumental failure, are busy blowing their trumpets that are full of sound and fury but signifying nothing. Prof. Ben Ayade, who has been in the saddle as governor of Cross River State for the past eight years, as well as Yaya Bello in Kogi State,among others, fall into this category.

We therefore call on the President-elect, Tinubu, to place priority on performance and competence as the bedrock of his administration upon his inauguration on May 29 as Nigerians are already tired of an administration based on propaganda rather than real performance.

While Buhari appears to be keen on leaving so many legacies, as if he's in a competition with his predecessors, it is sad that his administration will not be forgotten for leaving a legacy of impunity, ethnic bigotry, incompetence, wasteful spending and leaving Nigeria with a heavy debt burden

OPINION

Tinubu Likely First Billionaire to Occupy Aso Rock Villa

BY MAGNUS ONYIBE

Of all the four frontrunners for the presidency in 2023, at least three are established billionaires. They are Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC; Wazirin Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP.

Dr Musa Kwakwanso of New Nigeria People Party, NNPP may actually be a multi billionaire, but he really does not identify as such simply because his politics is modelled after that of late Mallam Aminu Kano, the leader of the Talakawas - the poor masses.

Mallam Aminu Kano (1920-1983) was a radical politician who dominated kano politics and known to have led a very frugal lifestyle and his famous devotees known as ‘talakawas’are the modern day equivalent of the ‘Kwakwansiya’ who are the followers of Dr Kwakwanso that gave him and NNPP nearly 1 million votes in kano state alone, two senators and 17 members of the House of Representatives in the North during the recent general election.

While Tinubu and Atiku are owners of private jets, Obi claims he is averse to it and Kwakwanso, owing to his radical lifestyle, cannot be associated with such luxury. It is interesting that wealth was not such an issue during the campaigns. That is probably because none of the frontline presidential candidates want to risk throwing stones when they all live in glass houses.

Expectedly at the end of the race, only one person was declared the winner and it is the APC candidate Asiwaju Tinubu who got nearly nine (9)million votes nationwide, which is about 1.8 higher than his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar’s score. As such he received the winner’s certificate from the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the wee hours of the 1st day of April which confers on him the title, president-elect. Arising from the above, for the first time in the annals of Nigeria,we are on the verge of having a multi billionaire ,private jet owner as president.

So when Asiwaju Tinubu gets sworn into office as president and commander in chief of the armed forces of Nigeria on 29 May, in more ways than one, our country will appear to be shadowing events in the United States of America whereby the 45th President Donald J Trump (2016-2020) was a private jet owner and billionaire.

Since the adoption of the American type presidential democracy in 1979 after practising the British constitutional monarchy type of democracy when the country attained

independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria has had a school teacher, Shehu Shagari and an ex-military Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, as elected Presidents.

After Obasanjo’s tenure, two academics, Umaru Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan also presided over the affairs of our country.

The current President, Mohamadu Buhari, is the second Army general and former military Head of State to reincarnate as a democratically elected president of our country. It means that out of the five presidents that have ruled Nigeria, three were teachers and two have been exsoldiers.

By the time Bola Tinubu is sworn into office as president on 29 May,he would be the first president that is a fully qualified chartered accountant with a formidable track record of private sector orientation to lead Nigeria. Will Tinubu’s business orientation be an asset and the possible game changer for our country to operate less as a bureaucracy and more business-like, since it would be the first time that a president who is highly literate in economics and very business savvy would be calling the shots from Aso Rock Villa ?

I have a feeling that the private sector will most likely find it easy to key into the policies of Tinubu’s government, owing to his pedigree as a past major stakeholder in the business world. And the fact that he speaks the language of business will likely inspire confidence in business leaders locally and internationally, as well as motivate those that had exited our shores to relocate their business back into Nigeria and establish new ones.

Such a development will boost our country’s Gross Domestic Product when more businesses are established as increased Foreign Direct Investment flow into Nigeria, thereby creating employment, prosperity and ultimately fostering higher and better standards of living for the masses in our country.

It would be recalled that in the heat of the campaigns before the party primaries conducted to select their flag bearers in 2022, l noted in an article titled: “Thankfully, 2023 Presidential Hopefuls Are Literate In Economics” and published on July 12, 2022 that it was a good thing that all the front runners were literate in economics, so they would not need a master class to understand the language of business or identify good opportunities for a Public Private Partnership whenever the need arose.

Below is how l made that projection about 10 months ago. It remains relevant till this day as pulling our economy from

the brinks of collapse must be the priority of the incoming president:

“So, without further ado, it is pertinent that we get down to the brass tacks by shining the light on the private sector background of the likely candidates that will become president of Nigeria next year.

“In any case, with the economy and security likely to occupy the left and centre of the polit¬ical debate when Independent National Elec¬toral Commission, INEC, officially opens the space for campaigning on September 28, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, who are thank¬fully not economic illiterates, will be going head-to-head.

“Remarkably, the terrific and encouraging thing about the candidates is that both of the APC and PDP candidates, plus the LP candi¬date can read the balance sheet be¬cause they are all business savvy, having been private sector practitioners.”

As predicted in the referenced article, today all three are in the tribunal fighting for the heart and soul of our country as they lay claim to the presidential mandate, though INEC has declared Tinubu winner of the election and therefore president-elect.

The future of Nigeria, which is already in a precarious situation, could have been in worse jeopardy if someone as blind as the three blind mice in the famous kindergarten fable and lullaby in terms of literacy in economics had become the president-elect at this critical point in time that the economy of our country is in dire straits, if not nearly comatose.

Put in colloquial language, Nigeria could have literally jumped from frying pan into fire if it so happened that the three frontliners before 25 February polls, who have private sector blood running in their veins, were not the ones that the system threw up for one of them to clinch the ticket.

As things currently stand, it is a good thing that the presidential pendulum that was swinging between the trio of Bola Tinubu,Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi,from end of May 2022 to February 2023 when the elections exercise ended, settled on former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Tinubu with Wazirin Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi being in that pecking order.

So, in case the current push comes to a shove, Nigeria would still have a business savvy president to save the economy from total collapse.

•Onyibe, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst, author and a former commissioner in Delta State, sent this piece from Lagos.

Election Petition Tribunals: Matters Arising

BY EMMANUEL NDON

Mehmet Murat's postulations on bad politicians profoundly identified two kinds of politicians on earth: Those who expand freedom and those who restrict them. The second group, he said, has no chance to triumph and they will always be remembered as spooky characters from a horror movie.

The governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the 2023 General Election fits the bill.

These characters, whose cookies are crumbling, are fighting tooth and nail to dethrone the sovereign will of the people. Having failed at the polls where every credible opportunity was provided every candidate to test their strength in preference and popularity, they are now looking for a crooked means to impose themselves on the people.

The YPP and its governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Bassey Albert, are alleging that the West African School Certificate of the governor-elect, Pastor Umo Eno, was not only forged but also formed the basis for his expulsion from the University of Uyo.

Interestingly, the party and its candidate have no dispute concerning the result of the election and how they lost in 29 local government areas of the state and won in only two, Ibiono and Ikono , after all the cracked up popularity.

Prior to the election, Pastor Umo Eno's WAEC certificate was the subject of a long- drawn litigation up to the Supreme Court. At every level of the battle it was proven that his certificates are not only authentic but original.

Left for the oral evidence and testimonies alone, it probably would have been difficult to determine the truth of the matter. But the court in its wisdom was able to unravel every material fact through a subpoena to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

Incontrovertibly, the examination body authenticated Umo Eno's certificates from their official register. The YPP and its candidate, including members of the public, are aware of the Supreme Court judgement on this matter, especially due to the wider publicity that the matter attained. And, in cognizance of this, the YPP's candidate is trying to pull off a leprechaun of sorts.

Even as a layman, no one can deny the fact that the supreme court is the highest court in the country whose decisions and pronouncements - whether on individual rights or national issues - are binding on every person and authorities operating in the land.

Once the Supreme Court proclaims the authenticity of Pastor Umo Eno's certificates, it behoves every other court, tribunal, etc, to abide by it. No other court is vested with the authority to deliberate on or determine a matter already resolved by the highest court in Nigeria.

As it is the norm, resolutions of the supreme court become policies and are referenced as precedents which are treated like covenants.

However, weighed from the angle of its merit, the plaintiff, as is customary, is vested with the burden of proof. And this

could be a tall order. If you allege that Pastor Umo Eno was expelled from the university, there must be a reason for such expulsion. So, on what basis was he expelled and how would that affect his nomination?

Secondly, the person you claim to have been expelled already has a Masters degree in his bag and is on the verge of being bestowed with a Doctorate (Ph.D). How did he achieve all these from the same university under expulsion? As it is, whoever feels he's got a scrape to ride through to conquest will soon discover that he's on a wild goose chase.

Desperation by those who are bent on staying perpetually on the high end is always driving our politicians into madness. But the result should serve as a befitting answer to any candidate who failed an election that he has been rejected by the people he expected to serve.

Beyond that, it would have been reasonable if the YPP candidate complained about the process of the election than the credentials of the opponent. After the election, the message of the electorate appears to be like, 'whether Umo Eno has WAEC or not, he is our choice '. The people have stated in clear terms that they are tired of politicians who curtail their freedom, those who employ maximum force, coercion and intimidation to grab power.

The message is simple : those who restrict freedom has no chance to triumph anymore. Just like WAEC, the university will speak for themselves and the truth will always come to light. Those who think they can blackmail and browbeat Uniuyo officials will face their music.

Union Bank Plc: Exiting The Exchange Smacks of Poor Corporate Governance – Investors

BY SAM DIALA

Investors in Nigeria’s second-oldest bank, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, have expressed dismay over the planned delisting of the 106-year-old financial services institution from the Nigerian Exchange, emphasising that the action smacks of poor corporate governance.

The Tier-2 bank had announced on Tuesday, May 16, that it would exit the Nigerian Exchange in June 2023, and become a private concern, citing an order of the Federal High Court, Lagos to that effect.

This was a year after the bank was acquired by new investors, Titan Bank Limited in June 2022.

The exit programme involves a buyout arrangement that would make the core investors the sole owners of the bank, while the minority shareholders go home with cash and bid goodbye to their bank.

Titan Trust Bank Limited, the core investor that rescued Union Bank in June 2022, has offered to pay minority shareholders the sum of N7 per share in a buyout scheme for delisting from the Nigerian Exchange by the end of June.

To this end, Union Bank shareholders are expected to meet in Lagos on June 13, 2023, after an order of the Federal High Court Lagos directed that a meeting of shareholders be convened “to consider and if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a Scheme of Arrangement between Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and the holders of its fully paid ordinary shares.”

In a filing to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on May 16, 2023, quoting SUIT NO. FHC/L/CS/840/2023, Union Bank stated, among other

Building Connections: The Value of Our Transport Networks

BY TOBECHUKWU OKIGBO

Over the years, embarking on road trips across Nigeria provided one with some of the most fulfilling and memorable experiences of my life. Our country is blessed with natural and beautiful landscapes, local cultures, languages and architecture that change as you move through the states or geo-

political zones.

It’s only when you travel like this that you experience the richness of our diversity, providing a much needed perspective and deeper understanding of our country.

When you can’t see a country for what it really is, then you

Continues on page 33

things, that “the bank’s shares shall be delisted from NGX”, and “all the shares of the bank that were lodged with the CSCS shall be transferred to Titan Trust” after the shareholders endorse the Scheme of Arrangement at the planned meeting.

The corporate communication dated May 16, and jointly signed by the Company Secretary, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Somuyiwa Sonubi, and Partner, Abubakar G. Anafi of G. Elias, further stated that:

“The holders of the Scheme Shares to be paid the scheme consideration by Titan Trust Bank Limited for the transfer of the said scheme shares. That as consideration for the transfer of the scheme shares, each holder of the shares shall receive N7.00 (Seven naira) per share transferred.

“That the NGX and the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) shall be notified and requested to terminate trading in the shares with effect from the Eligibility Date and no trading or transfer of the Bank’s shares shall be registered after that date.”

According to the notice, the bank shall seek a resolution to authorise the Board of Directors to “take all necessary steps and to consent to any modifications of the scheme of arrangement that the Federal High Court or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may deem fit to impose or approve, or that may otherwise be required.”

By the Order of the Court, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Farouk Mohammed Gumel, has been appointed to preside over the meeting, or in his absence “any other director appointed in his

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MORE INSIDE

Oil Rebounds on Fading Risk of US Debt Default

PAGE 34

MTN Adopts NCC’s New Unified USSD Codes

PAGE 35

Bank Lending to Oil Firms Hits N7tn – CBN

The combined bank lending to oil firms operating in the downstream and upstream subsectors of the Nigerian oil and gas industry was N6.62tn as of December 2022, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria. (CBN). While operators in the downstream,

Continues on page 34

TRANSPORT/BANKING

Building Connections: The Value of Our Transport Networks

Continued from page 32

are especially vulnerable to the manipulation of more radical elements. Travelling through these places gives one a direct connection to them, and it is those connections that are so important to our cohesion.

Unfortunately, the option of travelling by road is more limited today than it was in the past, especially taking into consideration the prevailing security challenges. Nigeria is currently quite low in the global ranking of road networks to people ratio, with many important roads in various states of disrepair.

This has an impact, not only on our individual ability to explore and understand our nation, build connections between us, but on our economy –limiting domestic trade, commerce and tourism; driving up costs and therefore reducing our competitiveness. In turn, this impacts productivity, employment and puts a brake on improvements to living standards.

When a farmer struggles to get his produce to the market, the quality of the produce available to the consumer is lower and costs more. When a petroleum marketer needs to move his products from Lagos to Kano, the time it takes is a direct input into the price differentials we see across the country.

When it takes longer for a can of Coca-Cola to navigate the roads in the East, then it costs more for the consumer when it gets there. When tourists fly into major cities but are unwilling to brave our roads and cannot explore our regions, we lose not just income, but the ability to share our culture and heritage with others.

At a very human level, poor roads contribute to unnecessary accidents and deaths. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) estimates that 3,700 people lost their lives in the first ten months of 2022, and road quality is one of the top-ten causes

of these accidents.

The challenges are not new, and the impact is understood by the government. The Senate has estimated that Nigeria loses over N1 trillion in annual revenue due to bad roads; revenue which is critical to us as a nation. The Federal Roads Management Agency (FERMA) estimates that the cost of loss in man-hours due to traffic caused by poor roads is N1.02 trillion every year. This is before we consider the additional costs associated with price inflation that Nigerians and Nigerian businesses have to absorb.

Many will put the responsibility to fix roads solely on government. Besides, what are the governments at various levels doing if they cannot fix the roads. Indeed, in fairness to the current administration, a lot of work has been done in both road repairs and the construction of new ones. But the truth is, the expectations are very high. However, the reality is that the government alone cannot fix all the roads.

They only have to be strategic and take the lead on an integrated approach to providing motorable roads to the citizenry, which is why in recognition of the importance of improving our road infrastructure, the Nigerian government conceived and launched the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit (RITC) in 2019 – a tax incentive programme to crowd in private sector finance for road construction, maintenance and repair. It is designed to accelerate the investments that can be made to improve the network of roads in the country.

The government recognises the severity of the funding gap that exists, and that partnerships are required to deliver better roads faster. Not only does the RITC programme mobilise additional funding, it ensures that public budgets can be allocated to other equally pressing development priorities. When done well, with proper planning, design and monitoring, these programmes attract significant private sector support and deliver impressive results.

Recognising that the RITC programme encapsulates everything that we at MTN call shared value, we are proud to have marked the 20th anniversary of our operation in Nigeria in 2021, by successfully bidding to reconstruct the 110-kilometre dual carriage Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

There is no better way of demonstrating the strength of the partnership between MTN and Nigeria, than by directly contributing to a project that benefits the government, business and the people by improving people’s ability to connect. It is a tangible manifestation of our belief that “We’re good together” and an extension of our purpose to enable the benefits of a modern connected life to everyone.

Union Bank Plc: Exiting The Exchange Smacks of Poor Corporate Governance – Investors

Continued from page 32

stead by the shareholders present at the meeting to act as Chairman of the said meeting” in which the presiding chairman is required to report the results thereof to the Court.

The statement noted that voting at the meeting will be by poll and that shareholders may vote in person, or appoint another person, whether a shareholder or not, to attend and vote in their stead.

In compliance with NGX requirements, Titan Trust Bank Limited, the majority shareholder in Union Bank, will not be voting at the Court-Ordered Meeting and has informed Union Bank that it, its nominees, associates, related parties, or other parties acting in concert, will not exercise its voting right at the meeting.

After this process, Union Bank ceases being a public quoted firm, and will revert to a private company – a status the minority shareholders consider demeaning for Nigeria’s second-oldest financial services institution.

The share price of Union Bank

Nigeria (UBN) is NGN 7.00. UBN closed its trading day on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 7.00 NGN per share on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX). Union began the year with a share price of N6.40 and had gained 9.38% on that price valuation, ranking it 58th on the NGX in terms of year-to-date performance on the date of the announcement.

Union Bank of Nigeria is the 62nd most traded stock on the Nigerian Stock Exchange over the past three months (Feb 10 - May 16, 2023).The stock had traded a total volume of 34.3 million shares—in 977 deals—valued at N239 million over the period, with an average of 544,441 traded shares per session. A volume high of 13.9 million was achieved on May 9th, and a low of 9,702 on April 28th, for the same period.

Shareholders who spoke to THEWILL expressed disappointment and anger over the dwindling fortune of Nigeria’s second old generation bank. They argued that years of prolonged bad management and poor oversight by the regulatory authorities contributed to bringing the bank to the Lilliputian status it now chose to embrace.

The National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Prince Anthony Omojola, condemned the move which he also described as an abuse of trust because the core investors did not give the impression that they would go that way when they acquired the bank in June 2022.

According to Omojola, Union Bank was a victim of poor corporate governance and weak regulatory oversight.”That is why people can do whatever they like,”.

In a chat with THEWILL, National Coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association, Mrs Bisi Bakare, called for a review of Nigeria’s extant investment rules to check the excesses of foreign investors who take undue advantage of the weak system.

“Look at Union Bank, one of

Nigeria’s biggest banks, and see where it is today - delisting from the Exchange to become a private enterprise which is very unfortunate. They have the right to play in any category, but the bank was badly run,” Mrs Bakare argued.

In his comment, Chairman, Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Mukhtar Mukhtar, recalled similar cases in the past when core investors pursued ulterior motives that led to the eventual eclipse of the firms. “It is not a good development for a small bank like Titan to acquire Union Bank only to delist from the Exchange and it becomes a private enterprise.”

All the respondents envisaged mass lay-off of workers and downsizing of Union Bank.

“Titan Bank may downsize by closing down some branches of Union Bank and sending workers away,” said Boniface Okezie, National Coordinator, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria.

When contacted by telephone, Head of External Communications and Media Relations of Union Bank, Jennifer Ugboh, asked that the question already sent to her by WhatsApp be forwarded by e-mail which did not meet production deadline.

TitanTrust Bank Limited brought to closure the deal that enabled it to purchase a controlling stake in Nigeria’s second-oldest lender in June 2022.

The lender, backed by a former Central Bank of Nigeria deputy governor, Tunde Lemo, set out to acquire 89.4 per cent interest in Union Bank from a pool of stakes from then exiting major investors, including British Virgin Islands-based Atlas Mara and Union Global Partners Limited, but later upped the stake to 93.4 per cent.

The delisting of Union Bank from the Nigerian Exchange is coming 52 years after the 106-year-old financial services institution was quoted on the Nigerian bourse in 1971. Union Bank was founded in 1917 as Colonial Bank before changing its name to Barclays Bank in 1925.

The current market capitalisation of Union Bank is N203.85 billion with a total of 29.12 billion shares outstanding as of Friday, May 19, 2023.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) estimates that 3,700 people lost their lives in the first ten months of 2022, and road quality is one of the top-ten causes of these accidents

Look at Union Bank, one of Nigeria’s biggest banks, and see where it is today - delisting from the Exchange to become a private enterprise which is very unfortunate. They have the right to play in any category, but the bank was badly run

“

•Okigbo is the Chief Corporate Services Officer of MTN Nigeria.

Bank Lending to Oil Firms Hits N7tn – CBN

natural gas and crude oil refining subsector owed banks N4.71tn, operators in the upstream and services subsectors were indebted to banks to the tune of N1.91 trillion.

The total debt rose by 110.83 per cent from N3.14tn in 2016 to N6.62tn in 2022. The debt has increased significantly over the years as the gas sector is struggling to service its debt and defaulting on loans.

This has raised banks’ exposure to non-performing loans in 2022, according to an analysis

of the financial statements of Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, Zenith Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Fidelity, and WEMA Bank. An NPL occurs when the borrower fails to make scheduled payments for a specified period.

The 2022 financial statements of the Guaranty Trust Bank showed that N21.6bn was recorded as NPLs from firms in the oil and gas sector (midstream and downstream). GTB’s NPLs stood at 5.19 per cent of total loans disbursed.

New NDIC Board Chair Unveils Integrity Agenda

The newly appointed board chairman for the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, has said he would be prudent in the management of the agency’s resources.

Mr Abdullateef disclosed this in a post in his verified Facebook account.

The former Lagos lawmaker and commissioner, said he is ready to lose friends and relationships to be a “model for zero tolerance for corruption and lawlessness.”

“I will not award any contract throughout my tenure because that is not a part of my responsibilities,” he wrote, adding that he won’t interfere in the functions of the management of the insurance regulator.

“I am just a leader whose primary assignment is to LEAD

the Governing Board of NDIC in good corporate governance and best practices in accordance with established rules and regulations.

I will not do otherwise,” Mr Abdullateef, an Islamic cleric, added.

President Muhammadu Buhari on May 17, 2023, appointed Mr Abdullateef to serve as the chairman of the board of NDIC following the confirmation of the board members by the senate.

In his statement, Abdullateef noted that he is neither excited nor celebrating his new feat.

“My appointment and confirmation as NDIC Chairman is a trial from my Lord and not a success yet. Kindly reserve the congratulatory messages until the day I succeed in leaving this organisation better than I met it,” said the Lagos-based Islamic cleric.

G7 Leaders Announce New Sanctions on Russian Diamonds

Leaders of the G7 countries have announced plans to restrict the trade in diamonds with Russia in an effort to cut the revenues that fund Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

The G7 leaders announced the new sanctions in a joint statement on Friday, the first day of their three-day summit in Hiroshima, Japan. The statement said there would also be cooperation with partner countries to enforce the measures.

The new sanctions will “increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort,” according to the statement, which was approved by the heads of state and governments of the US, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada as well as the top representatives of the European Union (EU).

However, the precise details of how the sanctions on Russian diamonds will work were not immediately released.

According to EU sources, diamond-tracing technology will be used to ensure that Russian diamonds can still be identified after being resold via other countries such as India or the United Arab Emirates.

In the EU, the trade in Russian diamonds has already fallen by around 80 percent as a result of voluntary commitments.

But there have not yet been formal EU restrictions on Russian diamonds, in part because of resistance from Belgium, a major global centre of diamond trading.

Russia is the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds. The trade in gemstones is an important industry for the country and a significant source of income. TEXEM Advert TEXEM Advert

State diamond mining group, Alrosa, had revenues of 332 billion rubles (around $4 billion) in 2021, the last year in which it disclosed revenue figures.

China

Weakness Spoils Risk Rally as US Futures Climb

Weakness in Chinese assets marred an otherwise positive day for markets as US equity futures and stocks across much of Asia pushed higher on encouraging signs from debt-ceiling talks in Washington. Hong Kong shares slid Friday in a decline led by internet giants.

The Hang Seng Tech Index slumped as much as 2.4% as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd dropped in the wake of disappointing sales that add to signs of a faltering postCovid rebound in China. Shares on mainland exchanges opened lower before edging into positive territory late in the morning session.

Data this week showed activity in the world’s second-biggest economy is losing momentum, with private firms barely increasing investment and households cutting back on goods.

Bloomberg reports that the offshore yuan depreciated to levels not seen since late last year. An official fixing above 7 per dollar reflected a willingness among officials to tolerate a weaker currency, potentially to spur domestic activity.

“The recovery in China is slowing down,” said Ashish Shah, chief investment officer, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, on Bloomberg Television. “We all expected it wouldn’t be a straight line — you will go through waves,” said Shah, adding that the central bank would “have to run a lot looser policies going forward.

Oil Rebounds on Fading Risk of US Debt Default

Oil prices rebounded on Friday from losses of more than 1% the previous day as investors turned cautiously optimistic over the fading risk of a U.S. debt default. Brent futures rose 59 cents, or 0.8%, to $76.45 a barrel by 0420 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 48 cents, or 0.7%, to $72.34.

“I think markets have been pricing out the risks of a U.S. debt default, which translates to a more risk-on environment and some dip-buying in Brent crude from previous oversold conditions,” said Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG.

Earlier last week, U.S. President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy reiterated their aim to strike a deal to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling, agreeing to talk as soon as Sunday.

“Once we get over the U.S. debt ceiling issue, fundamentals may eventually matter more to determine if any upward move can be sustained,” said Yeap.

According to Reuters, sentiment remains mixed as investors juggle optimism over avoidance of a U.S. debt default with inflation data that could portend more interest rate hikes from global central banks.

The U.S. inflation does not seem to be cooling fast enough to allow the Federal Reserve to pause its interest-rate hike campaign, according to two Fed policymakers.

LR: MD/CEO of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr. Wassim El-Husseini; Board Member and incoming Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode and outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr. David Ifezulike, just after the company’s 54th Annual General Meeting held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos on May 17,2023.

Photo Peace Udugba.

Continued from page 32

FG Partners With Canadian Firm to Launch Digital Healthcare Platform

Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd (NigComSat) in partnership with Ethnomet, a Canadian leading firm in healthcare technology recently launched ‘NigComHealth’, a telemedicine platform that will allow millions of Nigerians to have access to quality healthcare.

‘NigComHealth’ will transform the way patients and healthcare providers connect will transform the way patients and healthcare providers connect to the country by providing convenient and accessible medical consultations by licensed healthcare professionals anytime, anywhere via mobile app.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami unveiled NigComHealth in Abuja this week. The Minister, who was represented by his Chief of staff, Professor Sahalu Junaidu, said the platform would promote a “more efficient and effective healthcare system that could be accessible to all Nigerians.”

The minister also added that the current situation is worsening, with “each physician attending to more than 5,000 patients. This represents a stark contrast with WHO’s recommendation of 1 doctor to 600 patients. And with 218 million people to cater for, he said that Nigeria requires at least 363,000 additional doctors to meet this target,” which he believes NigComHealth will help achieve.

The new telemedicine platform combines innovative technology with advanced medical tools and pre-vetted licensed healthcare practitioners, enabling virtual medical visits that are secure,efficient, and personalized.

The Federal Government and Ethnomet have partnered with indigenous tech implementation company Sawtrax to implement the platform across Nigeria. This will make it possible for Nigerians in any part of the country, including rural and remote areas, to book and attend appointments with qualified and specialized doctors. ‘NigComHealth’

Multi-tenant Virtual Healthcare Service Platform is designed for all hospitals to be able to integrate their healthcare professionals and offer digital health services to the Nigerian population.

The Honourable Minister continued, ‘To bridge the gap, there is an urgent need to leverage on the disruptive technology to improve access to healthcare services and quality medical practitioners available within Nigeria and across the globe. Therefore, NigComHealth Platform is a timely solution that could ensure that quality healthcare services are available to all Nigerians, irrespective of their locations.”

He further encouraged “stakeholders in the health sector, both public and private to onboard into the initiative.”

Mr. James Christoff, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria said the platform will be a game changer in improving health outcomes especially in underserved and remote areas.

“The technology has been developed with the vision and strategic objective of having over 80 Federal and Stateowned Government hospitals coexist on the platform. The platform is also meant to provide digital health services to 1.7 million public sector workers and their families in Nigeria,” he said.

He applauded both the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy and the Federal Ministry for Health, for their vision, and unparalleled commitment to the promotion, technology and health innovation in Nigeria. Engineer Tukur Lawal, the Managing Director of NigComSat Ltd said that the platform will reduce the massive capital flight spent by Nigerians on medical tourism annually.

He opined that the platform will provide Nigerians with the opportunity to access affordable and world-class services from professionals regardless of their geographic location, without the need to travel to urban areas.

MTN Adopts NCC’s New Unified USSD Codes

The action is based on the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) approval of a Unified USSD codes for all mobile networks in Nigeria.

And just in case you did not also know, from May 18, 2023, the only way to check your credit or recharge your line is to use the NCC approved unified USSD codes for all mobile networks.

About a month ago, the commission had informed all concerned party’s to migrate and fully implement the Unified USSD codes by May 17, 2023

This is because once the harmonised shortcodes (HSC) for all mobile networks kicks off, that will be the only way to recharge or check balance on all mobile networks.

This means that as an MTN subscriber you will no longer be able to recharge your line using the regular MTN codes *555# and *556#.

Furthermore, it also means that any mobile network provider be it MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9mobile or any other that fails to migrate will not be able to serve it’s customers.

This also means that all mobile network services will be using the same customer care number, the same code for checking data balances and the same code for credit recharge.

Below is a list of the Unified USSD codes for all mobile networks in Nigeria:

Call Centre: 300

Borrow Services: *303#

Stop Service: *305#

Check Balance: *310#

Credit Recharge: *311#

Data Plan: *312#

Data plan balance: *323#

Share Services: *321#

It is however important to mention that some codes and their functions will not be changed by the commission, these codes are

DND: 2442

Porting services: 3232

NIN Verification and NIN-SIM Linkage: *996#

Equities Market Closes Negative as Financial Services Lead Pack

The NGX All-Share Index and Market Capitalization depreciated by 0.05% to close last week at 52,187.93 and N28.417 trillion respectively.

A total turnover of 3.029 billion shares worth N33.626 billion in 29,505 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 3.602 billion shares valued at N36.451 billion that exchanged hands last week in 27,801 deals.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 2.095 billion shares valued at N21.847 billion traded in 14,008 deals; thus contributing 69.17% and 64.97% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with 398.558 million shares worth N1.185 billion in 3,129 deals. The third place was the Services Industry, with a turnover of 270.111 million shares worth N1.853 billion in 1,317 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Fidelity Bank Plc, Access Holdings Plc and Transnational Corporation Plc, (measured by volume) accounted for 1.328 billion shares worth N8.159 billion in 5,286 deals, contributing 43.84% and 24.26% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Forty-four (44) equities appreciated in price during the week lower than forty-eight (48 equities in the previous week.

Twenty-seven (27) equities depreciated in price lower than thirty (30) in the previous week, while eighty-five (85) equities remained unchanged, higher than seventyeight (78) recorded in the previous week.

FG, States, LGs Share N655bn For April

The Federation Account Allocation Committee says it shared N655.93bn among the three tiers of government in April 2023. The figure represents a decrease of N58.7bn compared to the N714.63 billion shared in March 2023. FAAC disclosed this in a communiqué issued at the end of its latest meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The allocation shared has been on a decline throughout this year. The total amount includes gross statutory revenue, Value Added Tax, Augmentations from Forex and Non-oil Mineral Revenue, and electronic money transfer levies.

The Federal Government received N248.81 billion, the states received N218.31 billion, and the local government councils got N160.6 billion, while the oil-producing states received N28.22 billion as derivation (13 per cent of mineral revenue).

It was also noted that the gross revenue available from the Value Added Tax for the month of April 2023 was N217.74bn, with the cost of collection taking N8.71 billion, and the rest was shared among the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils.

The breakdown showed that the sum of N8.71 billion was allocated for Costs of Collection and the sum of N271 billion given for Transfers and Refunds. The remaining sum of N202.76 billion was distributed to the three tiers of government of which the Federal Government got N30.41 billion, the States received N101.38 billion, Local Government Councils got N70.97 billion.”

Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, James Christoff, (6th left); Director General NIMC, Tukur Lawal (4th right); Managing Director NigComSat, Kashifu Inuwa (5th left) and a host of others at the ‘NigComHealth’ launch in Abuja on May 15, 2023.

Why And How Petrol Subsidy Must Go

Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother was kidnapped, but fortunately subsequently released.

As we cannot solve problems in a durable manner if we fail to understand their root causes, we must keep the foregoing factors in mind as we grapple with the petrol subsidy challenge in our national public policy.

The keys to resolving the subsidy conundrum, therefore, include a transparent demonstration (with clear safeguards) that savings from removing petrol subsidy will not be stolen by corrupt public officials, a concrete plan for how these savings will be utilised for the benefit of Nigerians and the economy, and a plan to address the subsidy removal’s inevitable – but hopefully temporary –inflationary impact.

All of this must be anchored by a strong, simple but effective programme of public education of Nigerians on radio, television, and social media.

Nigerians need to be made to understand that continuing petrol subsidy works against their interest. To begin with, subsidies are not, in and of themselves, a crime. They can be found even in strongly capitalist societies.

But it makes far more economic sense to subsidise production and productivity, which is what has happened in successful economies, than to subsidise individual consumption – which is what we do in Nigeria with petrol subsidy. Also, where consumption is subsidised, this is almost always for essential goods such as public transportation with buses, railways, and waterways. Moreover, this can work well where an efficient, effective administrative state exists. To pretend that we have such a reality in Nigeria, with a few enclave exceptions, would be to delude ourselves. Because of this foundational weakness, most programmes or services run by governments, federal or state, are often abused through massive corruption by public officials.

Reducing the role of government and allowing market dynamics to allocate most resources is thus a necessary first step, while we rebuild the Nigerian state and imbue it with capacity.

For Nigeria to exit from the current fiscal crisis, create prosperity for its citizens and fulfill its obligations to them, we must end the decades-old drainpipe of petrol subsidy.

There is no good time to do it. Postponing the evil day (as we have done for too long) beyond the next three months – and even then, only to prepare well for how to do it and the aftermath – would be unwise.

A large majority of Nigerians oppose the removal of the subsidy, despite the overwhelming economic arguments against it. Many, though, have accepted this inevitable outcome as our fiscal crisis has progressively gotten worse. We have been locked in a battle between economic rationality and the “superstition” of petrol subsidy for four main reasons.

First, Nigeria has a literacy rate of 62 per cent, which is quite low, relative even to several other African countries. From this foundational statistic we can extrapolate that the rate of economic literacy – a basic understanding of economics and the public policy that should drive its application on a national scale, so that it can work to our ultimate individual benefit – is infinitesimal. And yet, we are a people of strong opinions on anything under the sun!

Second, and perhaps, even more importantly, Nigerians simply do not trust their governments and the political elite to act in a manner that is remotely in the interest of the average person. This breakdown of trust is deep, complete and it has evolved over several decades of governance failure, marked by a combination of industrial-scale public sector corruption and a vanishing capacity to exercise the basic functions of the administrative state.

Nigerians, therefore, cling to a belief that “cheap” petrol – increasingly a myth – is their basic human right as citizens of a petrostate. It is a “minor” matter that we are one of a very few oil-producing countries in the world, such as the august company of war-torn Libya, that exports crude petroleum and then imports refined and expensive petrol, to which value has been added in foreign countries.

The third reason we have remained in this dilemma is economic populism. This doctrinal approach has led

successive governments to pretend that they love their poor compatriots by “subsidising” the difference between the landing (real) cost of imported refined petrol and the price consumers pay at the gas station.

It is, again, a minor matter that this market inefficiency has created a class of corruptly wealthy businessmen and women, and the public servants with whom they collude to inflate consumption figures that determine the rates of subsidy payments. Meanwhile, elite corruption and inefficiency have crippled our national refineries for several decades.

Economic populism is a phrase that has its origin in Latin America of the 1970s and 1980s, and from failed economic policies in Chile under President Salvadore Allende (1970-1973) and Peru in the first term of President Alan Garcia (1985-1990). It is a policy approach that panders to uninformed popular opinion to create ultimately unsustainable obligations on the part of the government (and sometimes a period of economic or wage growth).

The economy then crashes and the citizens are returned to ground zero where they were pre-populism. Sometimes they are returned to “underground zero”, which is worse and, I would argue, our situation in Nigeria. Populism is what led President Nana Kufo-Addo’s government of Ghana to chalk up massive public spending, a huge import bill on the back of newfound oil wealth, eventual foreign exchange scarcity and an unsustainable debt of $58 billion, on which our West African neighbour has defaulted and is now borrowing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 17th time in the country’s history. Nigeria has similarly been afflicted by the oil “curse”.

Fourthly, the oil subsidy cabal in Nigeria has become a very strong vested interest with political and other clout. When President Goodluck Jonathan’s government attempted to remove oil subsidies a decade ago, Finance

Petrol subsidies distort markets and their supply chains. Think of our interminable queues at petrol stations. It encourages the smuggling of petrol across our borders with West African neighbours, where petrol is more expensive because it sells at market prices.

The profit motive is a strong one. Marketers who can make double profits in cross border markets, as opposed to the internal Nigerian market where the petrol price is capped, will do so. This phenomenon frequently leaves us standing, sitting, or sleeping in long lines for petrol at fuel stations because of supply chain disruption-induced scarcity.

Nigerians – and most people in any country, developed or underdeveloped – will exploit any opportunity for arbitrage. The best way to make things work well is to eliminate such opportunities.

If the subsidy is removed, petrol supply, whether even by importation for now until the Dangote and other refineries work, or from domestic refining capacity, will become more competitive, driving down costs over time. It also is artificial to expect the price to be the same everywhere in Nigeria. Even with price regulation, that is not what has happened.

Petroleum consumption and the numbers of vehicles in Nigeria have been significantly inflated to serve the interests of the subsidy cabals, because this is the basis on which subsidy payments are calculated and made to petrol marketers. This means that public funds are going directly into private pockets with no value received for those funds.

It also is a massive waste of public resources for the Federal Government of Nigeria to spend N5 trillion on petrol subsidy, which is of benefit far more to the rich and their SUVs than to the often carless poor, while the Federal Government cannot afford to pay public universities and their teachers an outstanding N800 billion in agreed support, while millions of Nigerian youth are idle at home for months on end from Association of Staff Unions of Universities (ASUU) strikes.

•Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is the CEO of Sogato Strategies

We are now debt-distressed as repaying our debt is consuming 96 per cent of our earned revenues, according to the IMF

BY KINGSLEY MOGHALU

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

L-R: Principal Specialist, Capital Markets, FSD Africa, Ms. Mary Njuguna; Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, Mr. Ben Llewellyn-Jones OBE; United Nations Women Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms. Beatrice Eyong and CEO, FMDQ Group PLC, Mr. Bola Onadele. Koko at the Nigerian Green Bond Market Development Programme Gender Bond Event held in Lagos on May 17, 2023.

L-R: PR Manager, MTN Nigeria, Lakinbofa Goodluck; Founder and Chair of PRovoke Media, Paul Holmes; Regional Manager, East Africa, ID Africa (BHM), Njideka Akabogu; President, African Public Relations Association, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya and Chairman, African Regional Council for Global Alliance, Peter Mutie at the SABRE Awards Africa in Lusaka, Zambia on May 19, 2023.

L-R: President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alh. Aminu Mohammed Goronyo; former Chairman, National Commission for Persons with Disability, Alh. Hussaini Kangiwa; Group Managing Director, Tropical General Investment Group, (TGI Group), Rahul Savara; Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Chairman, WACOT Rice, Farouk Gumel and Governor-Elect Kebbi State, Dr. Nasir Idris during a visit by the state government officials to WACOT Rice Mill, in Kebbi State on May 16, 2023.

L-R: Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja; Director, Internal Assurance, Airtel Nigeria, Ngozi Akamelu; Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz; Director, Human Resources & Administration, Adebimpe Ayo-Elias; Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, Femi Adeniran and Director, Airtel Business, Ogo Ofomata, during the unveiling of the new Airtel Africa theme, 'A Reason to Imagine', at Ebonylife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos, on May 16, 2023.

L-R: CEO, Liquid Dataport at Cassava Technologies, David Eurin; Head of Trade Finance & Commodity Trade Finance, Bank of Africa United Kingdom, Toulay Oueslati; Digital Trade Expert for AfCFTA and Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Global Policy House, Michelle Chivunga N, and, Managing Director, YouTube EMEA, Emerging Markets, YouTube, Alex Okosi, at the Africa Debate held at the Guildhall in London on May 15, 2023.

L-R:  Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke; CEO Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Nneka Onyeali- Ikpe; Chairman /CEO, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA)  Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd);  Group Chief Executive Officer of INSIGHT REDEFINI, Dr. Ken Onyeali-Ikpe; Chairman of the Occasion, Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC),  Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, during Champion Annual Award held at Eko Hotel in Lagos on May 12, 2023.

Versatile Nollywood actress, Omowumi Dada speaks with SHADE WESLEYMETIBOGUN about her acting career, what she would like to change about the industry and sundry issues

NO PRODUCER CAN AFFORD FEES ACTORS TRULY DESERVE – OMOWUMI DADA

Why are you an actress?

I love story telling. It gives me the opportunity to take a look at someone else’s life to understand what other people are going through and empathize with them. That has really helped me as a person to make excuses for people’s faults and to understand that no one is perfect. Everyone is going through one or two things. It has allowed me to see myself through other people’ situation.

When did you join the movie train?

I started when I was in the University of Lagos. That was in 2006. I acted on stage in school. I started moving out of school in 2008 to do real acting. I was combining that with my studies in school. My first encounter with acting on television was in 2009, but when we talk of professional acting, it started in 2012. Why didn’t you pitch your tent with the Yoruba movie genre as someone from that tribe?

I am an actor and language is not a barrier. I can act in any language. I mean I have even spoken in different languages: Hausa, Igbo and Bini. I’m looking forward to speaking other languages like French and Spanish in movies. So language is a medium, not a barrier and there shouldn’t be a limit. As a versatile actor, I can appear in great movies.

Is it true that actors are not well paid?

With the arts, you cannot pay an artiste his or her worth. Even after they have gone, their work will still be relevant and stand the test of time. I will rather say that actors want to be well paid, just like doctors and other professionals. Our counterparts in other parts of the world are better paid because they have better structures, they have the financial strength to make work and life easier for them. Our industry will only give as much as it has. You cannot give what you don’t have. Take for example, if a producer has about N50 million to produce his film, he cannot give actors N60 million for that movie. He does not have it. Even his budget can’t only be for paying the actors alone, there are other expenses to be met and crew members will be paid from that amount as well. If our economy is better, people will have more money to invest in movie making, actors and crew members will be better paid. It will extend to other professions too. Even if an actor is collecting 10 kobo right now and tomorrow, you give that actor N10 million, it’s still not the actor’s worth, the actor has a better value than what you are paying him or her.

Are there things you think should be changed in the industry to make it more viable?

It trickles down from the government and the economy before it gets to the art. First thing first, I wish we have a better Nigeria then, everything will now get better. I am not going to be too harsh on the industry because we are definitely not where we used to be, even though we are not yet where we ought to be. A journey of a thousand kilometers begins with a step and we are making bold steps. We are turning out better productions. But I wish we can tell more indigenous stories that will put us out as Africans in a better light. We have stories that are amazing, our legends, myths that are truly African. I saw a documentary about the Super Eagles and it was done by foreigners, it is funny that foreigners will come and tell our stories and it will be so beautiful whereas, we can tell our stories better. It will be nice to have an industry where we can really tell the African stories to the world because the world wants to listen to us. Every African story that we take outside the country is usually accepted. People outside the country want to know more about our African culture, if you put them out there, they will be interested in it. We need to take that step. It will be great to see biopics too. I know it is a lot of work and it will be very tough. I know it will be very challenging too but I love challenges.

What factors can make you reject a script?

If the story does not resonate with me, I will not take it. We all have our likes and dislikes. They include the story line and the people that will act in the movie. If I don’t like the character that I have been assigned, I will not take part in that movie. I must take something that I would be able to put all my energy in and give it my very best. so once I am not in tune with the character I am to play, I will excuse myself from the script. I have turned down a script, even though the pay was very

good.

The story line is king. The story is the star of a film. For every film, all the crew members must align with the story. I always tell producers to allow me read through the storyline first before giving my commitment to it. Yoruba’s do say 'owo ma tan, eniyan lo ma ku' (after you might have finished spending money, the true character of a person will be revealed). There are some films that the pay may not be too fantastic but the story may be good. A good film will open more doors for you, so I focus more on the storyline than the money. I know I love challenges, no matter how challenging a movie is, I will put those things into consideration first.

What dream role do you look forward to playing?

A biopic, a film dramatising the life of a historical figure.

It seems that being an influencer is more rewarding financially than acting in a movie as more actors refer to themselves as influencers

They are two different things entirely. When you are acting, you are taking up a role, enacting a character, but when you are influencing, you are trying to persuade people to like the product. People have reasons for appreciating certain things. We can all be actors, but we all have our likes and dislikes. Some people might decide to focus on growing their brands and it works for them, it all depends on the individual. I can’t say actors prefer influencing more than acting, it depends on what works for them. For instance, if a bleaching cream company calls me to work for them, I will certainly reject it.

A lot of ladies have toned their skins from dark to light complexion. Have you ever been tempted to do the same too?

No, I haven’t. I can’t even do it. Why will I ever want to do it? My skin is easy to maintain. I just need a good moisturizer that will be suitable for my skin. Why will I lighten my skin, once I do it, it means I am no longer Omowumi Dada again. The industry has moved from that stage. If a producer needs a fair skin actor, they can always get one and if they need a dark-skinned actress, they can also get one as well. I don’t think anyone is finer by lightening their skin. Anyway, people have a right to do what they want with their skin and it is important to respect people’s choices.

What other things do you do aside from acting?

I do voice-over. I am also into investment, but I don’t want to say much about it. I don’t have to showcase it on the social media.

You grew up among boys. What was that like?

It was fun. I did a lot of boys' activities like catching birds, playing video games, wrestling, football and table tennis. All those things that boys would like to do. I was more like a tomboy, but I was very much in touch with my feminine side. My mother was a very good disciplinarian, she ensured I didn’t lose touch with my feminine side. I used to dance a lot, I still dance a lot till now though. I dance every day, I love Salsa, I love Latin dance and I can do Nigerian traditional dance as well because I studied creative art. I have been part of a musical play where I was a dancer and I enjoyed it.

How did your parents respond when you told them acting was your choice of career?

I don’t think I grew up very detached from art. Right from when I was very young, I used to dance at home. So they were not surprised I chose art. When I was in primary school, I was in the Igbo cultural group. My dad told me ‘Everyman’, which I re-enacted on the stage as far back as when I was five years old. I also used to narrate poems to my brothers. When I was in secondary school, I was in the Yoruba cultural troupe. I was already dancing Bata as early as my junior secondary two. Then it was meant for the seniors who could do it. I was also the assistant general of the press club. At some point, I said I wanted to study law but because of the extracurricular activities that I have been engaging in and were exceptional at, when I told my parents I wanted to study Theatre Art, they were not too surprised, they were very supportive. I remember that my dad used to come and watch most of my plays in secondary school. He used to support me when I was much younger and he still does. He still watches my stage play till now. My parents understand that they have raised a good daughter so whatever decision I am making, they trust that they have raised me well to be able to make right decisions for myself. My parents and my siblings have been very supportive.

You are one of the most fashionable actresses in the industry. What influences your style?

I just like to feel good in whatever it is that I wear and I also like to look good as well. It is more about how I feel and look. If people say it is fashionable, I appreciate that and I take it as a compliment.

Why do you shy away from public functions?

I am a very private person. If I wasn’t an actor, there is a huge possibility that I wouldn’t be on social media at all. It is my work that is exposing me to social media. I would rather stay in my house and watch movies. If I have to go out, maybe it will be for a premiere or to check on my friends or go salsa dancing. I really like to be indoors. I can walk into a place and light up the room. I can also walk into a place and people will not know I am there.

A lot of actresses, especially in the Yoruba movie genre, are not on speaking terms with one another. Why is there so much enmity in the industry?

Honestly I don’t know. For me, I try to mind my business. I love people and give positive vibes so I don’t know if there is such in the industry. The industry is large enough for people to strive.

You recently got engaged. How does it feel like?

God is good and kind to me.

What are the things that keep you going?

The major things that drive me are passion, love for humanity and wanting to always put smiles on the faces of people. Love for God also keeps me going and the fact that I know that no matter what happens, God got my back. No matter what happens everything would end in joy. Also the big picture keeps me going and the quest to see things around me becoming better.

Dada

Dada

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

PETER MBAH AT RISK OF LOSING MANDATE TO ALLEGED CERTIFICATE FORGERY

And what is more damning is the fact that the NYSC director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim A. Muhammad, said the corps did not issue the certificate Mbah presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of the March 2023 governorship election.

candidate of the Labour Party as the Act makes it mandatory for every political party to maintain a register of its members with INEC and make such a register available 30 days to the date of primaries. So it was therefore impossible for Edeoga to maintain that he was a member of the Labour Party, 30 days before the governorship primary election of the Labour Party which took place within a few weeks of that of PDP in which Edeoga contested.

How Saint Obi Died a Sad Lonely Man

Last week Saturday ended with the shocking news of the death of a Nollywood veteran, Obinna Nwafor, more popularly known as Saint Obi. Naturally many struggled to believe that the shy, quiet, selfeffacing actor was no more, but as the days passed, it dawned on many who had refused to come to terms with his death that he is indeed gone.

Like Umo Bassey Eno, the governor-elect of Akwa Ibom State who is currently battling to ensure he gets sworn in on May 29 after a petition alleging he forged his West African Examination Council (WAEC)/Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) certificate and getting expelled from the school for it, was tabled before the state's Election Petition Tribunal, the same fate has befallen Peter Mbah, the governorelect of Enugu State. Only this time, it is his National Youth Service Corps certificate dated January 6th, 2003 with No. A808297. And unless something is done fast about it, he may as well forget about throwing an inauguration party on May 29. Chijioke Edeoga, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the state, is alleging in his petition filed at the Election Petition Tribunal that Mbah forged his NYSC certificate.

First, Mbah and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on whose platform he contested the governorship election, denied the forgery describing it as the conjecture of an indolent opposition and the last kick of a dying horse. He then went to court to get an injunction preventing further scrutiny on the certificate. Then he asked the Tribunal to dismiss Edeoga's petition as it was not signed by the National Chairman of the party who is empowered by law to sign every petition presented before any tribunal on behalf of the party.

Citing several other reasons why the tribunal should dismiss the petition, Mbah claimed that the Election Tribunal itself lacked the jurisdiction to hear and take a decision on the matter as it had already been resolved by the court in his favour.

He then accused Edeoga of being desperate to become governor as he had participated in the PDP primaries where he scored nine votes as against Mbah's 790 votes before he moved to Labour Party.

According to Mbah, under the Electoral Act there was no way Edeoga could be considered the

In addition, Mbah accused Edeoga of going against the law, having voluntarily entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on May 19, 2022, where he vowed not to challenge the outcome of PDP primaries and the eventual outcome of the general election. Mbah alleges that Edeoga made an official statement on May 25, pledging to remain in PDP. All these Mbah claimed Edeoga did voluntarily. It gets even more interesting. The Federal High Court, Abuja ruling on that matter again, ordered that the NYSC be restrained from issuing disclaimers about the alleged forged certificate. In other words, the court has prevented the body from telling Nigerians if Mbah's NYSC certificate is genuine or not. Not satisfied with the court order, Mbah has now sued the NYSC and Muhammad. He is demanding N20 billion in general and exemplary damages against the defendants jointly/severally; for conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts. In the writ of summons, Mbah is equally seeking a declaration that he participated in the NYSC scheme for one calendar year vide a call-up letter number FRN/2001/800351; Lagos code LA/01/1532 and upon completion was issued certificate of National Service No. A808297. But the Labour Party has refused to be cowered and has vowed to petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN over the court judgement, which it refers to as a funny judgement.

Olukorede Adenowo Appointed CEO Standard Chartered

Olukorede Adenowo has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited. A founding staff of the bank, he has held various senior positions in the group in the last 24 years. Until his appointment, he was the Executive Director, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking business in Nigeria where he is responsible for driving and implementing the Bank’s business strategy for its corporate clients. Prior to this, he was the Chief Executive Officer for Standard Chartered Bank, The Gambia, with dual responsibility for managing the Bank’s business interest in Senegal. He was also a Non-Executive Director of the Bank in Sierra Leone and served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Standard Chartered Gambia. He has served as Head of Origination and Client Corporates for Standard Chartered, West Africa; Deputy Managing Director of

Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon and a senior management executive in the Wholesale Bank in Standard Chartered Nigeria. Prior to joining the bank, he worked in Societe Generale Bank Nigeria and Deloitte Nigeria, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1990. An Economist turned Chartered Accountant; he was appointed Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Institute Accountants of Nigeria in 2000. He is an alumnus of INSEAD and Said Business School of Oxford University where he had management training in Leadership and holds an MBA from the Lagos Business School. Korede is married to popular architect, Jumoke who is fondly referred to as Africa's 'Starchitect'. The well sought after speaker and author who runs AD Consulting an architectural firm, has taken to her social media to pour encomiums on her husband for achieving such a remarkable feat.

MEET NIKE OGUNLESI'S DAUGHTER WHO IS KANYE WEST'S RIGHT HAND WOMAN

She is not only the daughter of Nike Ogunlesi, founder of foremost Children's clothing brand, Ruff and Tumble and Adegbola Ogunlesi, a co-owner of Sophisticat Fashion House, she is also the design director of Kanye West’s fashion label, Yeezy. The talented young designer was tapped in 2020 by Kanye West to work on a collaboration between Yeezy and Gap, an American clothing and accessory retailer. The deal was for 10 years, with a choice to renew after five years. But two years after its announcement, in September 2022, after a series of disagreements between Kanye and Gap executives, the collaboration fell apart. Kanye however retained Mowalola and she has gone on to design most of the pieces from his Yeezy collection including his most recent collection which reflects her unique, bold and daring style. Outrageous would be a more appropriate word to use to describe the collection which barely covers the body.

Mowalola is also known for the genderfluid nature of her designs which believes gender constructs don't need to have certain wardrobe restrictions. Born in the United Kingdom, she previously attended Central Saint Martins, a world-renowned arts and design college in London with a Bachelor of Art degree in fashion. She had attempted to get a Master of Arts degree from the same school but dropped out midway. Mowalola had her London Fashion Week debut in 2019, where her aesthetic was typified by leather, cutout tops, and vibrant patterns. She has in the past worked with Steve Lacy, and Solange, and collaborated with Skepta on his 'Pure Water' music video and also designed the uniform for Nigeria's world Cup team for Nike. The 28 year old also has a flair for singing.

Unknown to many, Saint Obi had passed on a week before the announcement of his death. He died in one of his sister's home in Jos, Plateau but news of his death was suppressed by his siblings (Saint Obi is the only son among eight sisters) for reasons best known to them.

Prior to his death, the 57 year-old actor suffered from a protracted illness but being a man with a very quiet personality, this wasn't made public as only a few of his very close friends and colleagues knew this. Saint Obi had gone through multiple surgeries, but his health wasn't improving. This prompted the elder sister in whose home he died, to move him to Jos, where he could be given proper treatment. But he died from the illness. It would be right to say that this illness was triggered by the sadness that enveloped him as a result of the crisis he experienced in his marriage.

In 2006, Saint Obi decided to give marriage a second trial when he tied the knot with a certain lady named Lynda Amobi, a senior member of staff of MTN Nigeria. He was previously married to the daughter of a cleric, but the marriage was short lived. He was married to Lynda for 15 years, during which they were blessed with children. However, at some point in their marriage, things began to fall apart and in 2021, the marriage tragically came to an end. All through the period cracks appeared in their marriage, the couple managed to keep a lid on the crisis until the marriage packed up.

Saint Obi initiated the divorce proceedings when he could no longer bear the psychological and physical torture of remaining married to Lynda. Despite having made a success of his career, his in-laws regarded him as a gold digger for marrying their sister who had a good job. He was harassed and fought on several occasions by his inlaws right inside his matrimonial home. But he refused to challenge them or speak out about his ordeal, save to a few close friends. The divorce was filed on the basis of an alleged attempt on his life, orchestrated by Lynda and her brothers, Michael and Chukwumobi Amobi, in a suit filed

at the High Court of Ogun State with suit number HCT/128/2019. But Lynda did everything possible to sabotage the process. She repeatedly failed to appear in court when the case was called up, causing the Judge to at some point, issue a bench warrant for her arrest. Also, Lynda blocked all access through which Saint Obi could see and spend time with his children, including hiring mobile police officers to prevent him from having access to them. This was too much for him to bear. The failure of his second marriage, being unable to see his children demoralised him to no end. He lost his zeal for life. For a man who was not very sociable, he withdrew completely into his shell as depression gnawed at him. Efforts by some of his older, contemporary and even younger colleagues to draw him out of his shell and get him to do what he loves to do - acting, proved abortive. He turned down movie roles each time he was offered any but kept going on and on about his family, particularly his children. The depression affected his health from which he never recovered from. Throughout his career, Obi was well-known for his remarkable performances in several notable films, including 'Candle Light,' 'Sakobi,' 'Goodbye Tomorrow,' 'Heart of Gold,' 'Festival of Fire,' 'Executive Crime,' and 'Last Party.' Obi’s journey into the acting industry began when he pursued a degree in Theatre Arts at the University of Jos. In 1996, he made his debut in the industry through a television commercial for Peugeot. And through the help of Richard Mofe Damijo, acting doors began to open for him, leading to appearances in more than 60 movies over the years. Having paid his dues in the movie industry, he quit acting to focus on the production and business aspect of entertainment. He ran Agwhyte International Limited, a company with branches in both Nigeria and the US whose areas of business covers movie production, talent and brand management, as well as public relations. He also had a non-profit organisation named Saint Obi Foundation.

Ogunlesi

Mbah

Adenowo

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Aides, Commissioners Abandon David Umahi

Power, they say, is transient. With barely two weeks to the end of his second tenure as Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who is a senator-elect, is already facing the reality of what it feels like to be stripped of his political 'armour'. His aides, commissioners and many of the hangers-on that trooped daily to the government house, have begun to desert him. His kinsmen are also not left out as they have begun to give him the cold shoulders. This was made all the more pronounced when about two weeks ago, while inaugurating over a dozen projects, only a few of the aforementioned were present. Only five commissioners from his cabinet were present. About nine of these projects are cited in his immediate community but his kinsmen ignored him during the commissioning, barely recognising what he did, let alone showing some form of support or solidarity by being present. This may come as a surprise to non-indigenes of Ebonyi, but not to the insufferable indigenes who nicknamed the outgoing governor ‘irongate.’ Umahi is regarded as an imperial leader after the order of King Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful but despicable king of Babylon. He is being accused of arrogating too much power to himself in a bid to

tame both the rich and the poor. He exhibits his raw broth of power at will. From banishing journalists from the Government House where he holds court for life, for having opposing views, to openly bashing Ohanaeze Ndigbo for his disastrous outing during the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries where he scored a miserly 38 votes.

While Umahi blamed his loss at the APC primary election on the then President- General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, late Professor George Obiozor, who he accused of sabotage and betrayal of the 2023 South-East presidency project, he was in turn blamed for his solo runs which robbed the South-East of the presidential ticket of the two major political parties.

As the chairman of the South-East Governors' Forum, Umahi is also being accused of not organising the South-East political elite to work together. His poor leadership skill was also highlighted when he couldn't use his position to push for a Nigerian President of South-East extraction but instead presented himself for the position knowing he stood no chance. His handling of security

matters in the entire South-East under his leadership as the chairman of the forum has also been described as a disaster. Not only was he unable to ensure the proper establishment of Ebube-Agu, the regional security outfit and make it flourish like its Amotekun counterpart, his brother, Major-General Abel Obi Umahi (retd.) whom he appointed head of the Ebube Agu committee was forced to resign his appointment due to his (Umahi's) lackadaisical attitude about the project. Naturally, the SouthEast has continued to pay the price through loss of lives and properties at the behest of unknown gunmen allowed free rein. What is more, the entire South-East allegedly blame him for leaving the zone vulnerable and miserable without a pride of place on the national stage, no thanks to his self- centered style of toxic leadership.

Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege Marks Fifth Coronation

Anniversary

Last week, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, celebrated the fifth anniversary of his ascension to the throne.

The auspicious event, which took place at his palace, Ipeti Square, in Ota, Ogun State, witnessed the commissioning of the newly built Olota Royal Residence at Oba Adeyemi Imperial Estate. This was done by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was Chairman of the occasion. There was also a ground-breaking and foundation laying of an e-library, named Oba Prof Adeyemi Obalanlege E-Library. The exercise was led by the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, who represented Governor Dapo Abiodun. Guests who were physically present to felicitate with the king were the Speaker of the Lagos

State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa; a former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Salmat Badru; a former Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi; Senator Akin Odunsi, Senator Gbolahan Dada; the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, who was represented by the Otun Egbaland, Seriki Egbaland and Akogun of Egbaland; as well as the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Abdukabir Agbabiaka; and Alara of Ilara, Oba Ogunsanwo. A journalist who was a former staff of Thisday Newspaper and later a lecturer at the Crescent University, Abeokuta, Obalanlege succeeded the late Olota, Oba Alani Oyede in November 2017 after beating 22 other contestants to the stool.

The

Unholy Alliance Between Bello Matawalle And Abdulaziz Yari

The race for the leadership positions in the soonto-be inaugurated 10th National Assembly, particularly the Senate Presidency, is growing hotter by the day with a lot of lobbying and horse-trading going on. From an initial list of nine aspirants, comprising Osita Izunaso (Imo West Senatorial District); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North Senatorial District); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North Senatorial District); Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South Senatorial district); Abdul Aziz Yari (Zamfara West Senatorial District); Sani Musa (Niger East Senatorial District), Jubril Barau (Kano North Senatorial District) and Ali Ndume (Borno South), the number has been pruned to four: Kalu, Yari, Izunaso and Akpabio. While Akpabio appears to be the favoured one on account of his endorsement by the Presidentelect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the trio of Kalu, Yari and Izunaso have remained unperturbed and are carrying on with their consultations. However, Yari seems to be the only who is ready to give all it takes, including 'breaking the bank,' to emerge senate president. He has been the most vocal, shooting down Tinubu's endorsement and insisting that the senate presidency will be based on constitutional provisions backed by the 1999 Constitution, which allows senators to choose their leaders within themselves and not based on instructions from anyone.

Yari may be right in that regard as anyone familiar with National Assembly politics knows that imposition does not stand. Past attempts to impose leaders of the National Assembly failed, only succeeding in 2019 because the lawmakers accepted their leaders.

Yari knows this and that is why

he is going against the party's consensus candidate and hopes it will work in his favour. Another thing Yari is drawing strength from to challenge Tinubu's imposition is support from Bello Matawalle, the outgoing governor of Zamfara State who was sacked during the recent Governorship Election in the state. Matawalle figured that since he was defeated in the election by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dauda Lawal, a former Executive Director in First Bank of Nigeria, who was accused of helping former Nigeria Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to launder about $55million, he may as well back his fellow kinsman so that in the event he emerges Senate President, it will be to his own benefit. How?

Well, Matawalle who has been in the news for attacking and accusing government officials in the presidency and the boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of corruption isn't giving just verbal support to Yari; he is willing to back him with a huge war chest. The money that the outgoing governor has set aside to execute the 'Yari for senate president project,' THEWILL reliably

Ooni of Ife Formally

gathered, is the proceeds from the goldmines in Zamfara State. So huge is the war chest that not only has it been used to book almost all the rooms in the Hilton Hotel, Abuja, for intense lobbying and consultations with senators, Yari is reportedly giving every senator he successfully lobbies to be on his side, $1 million, that is about N750 million. Matawalle was only able to organise this humongous war chest on behalf of Yari because rather than the President Muhammadu Buhariled government to insist that gold mined in Zamfara be shared by all federating units, like the proceeds of oil in the Niger Delta, Buhari allowed Matawalle a free rein on managing the goldmines as he deems fit, as well as the proceeds from it.

Yari’s ambition to become President of the Senate may likely be successful, particularly with the newly elected senators, most of whom may be unable to turn down the mouth-watering offer. Add that to the fact that some of the returning senators are willing to back his aspiration, he may just be coasting home to victory. But in less than two weeks, Nigerians will get to know if his monetary inducement will help him realise his ambition or not.

Welcomes 'Most Wanted' Wife

On Saturday, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi threw a grand reception party in his palatial royal palace in Ile Ife, Osun State, to formally welcome his second wife, Olori Opeoluwa Ogunwusi nee Akinmuda. The ceremony was in line with the cultural tradition of the palace to formally welcome her

into his household and give her a seat among her co wives. The first-class Yoruba monarch had married Olori Opeoluwa in 2022. In fact, she was the second person he married after Olori Mariam Anako. But unlike her co-Oloris, Olori Opeoluwa disappeared from the scene, leaving many to wonder what has become of her.

Apparently, she had returned to Scotland immediately after the wedding where she works as a data processor to perhaps tidy up things before finally assuming her role as a queen. About a month ago, THEWILL had curiously wondered what had become of her after her marriage to the monarch. Unlike her co-wives who have all embarked on photo shoots to announce their statuses as queens, there was no photograph of her in the public space until recently, save for the blurry one she took on her wedding day at her parent's home in Magodo, Lagos, with the groom in absentia. Also, quite unlike her co-wives who have not stopped hugging the limelight since their status got elevated, Olori Opeoluwa has remained indifferent.

Yari Matawalle

Umahi

Obalanlege The Ogunwusis

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

ADRON HOME SOARS AMID CONTROVERSY

Adetola Emmanuel King's real estate firm, Adron Homes has continued to thrive despite the controversies the firm is battling with. Last week the company was accused of allocating some parcels of land in Shimawa, near the headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Ogun State.

However, years after its customers completed payment, Adron Homes reallocated the parcels of land in a manner that was different from what it promised its customers. The act was described as a breach of agreement by some of the clients involved in the deal. Clients who rejected the reallocated land were charged a huge percentage of money as default fee and the company told them to return the bags of rice and kegs of vegetable oil that they were given when they bought the parcels of land. It was also alleged that the company charged large sums of money as development fee before the clients could develop their land. A client who bought a half-plot of land was charged the sum of N1.5 million as development fee. The company was also accused of

telling their customers to use a particular engineering firm for the construction of their buildings. Any engineer who does not fit into its requirements, it was learnt, is usually rejected and the clients are prevented from building, even after paying all fees required by the company. Adron Home was also accused of delaying allocation of land to clients who have paid to the company. They denied the allegations and advised their clients to explore the contractual options available to resolve whatever conflict they have with the company instead of tarnishing its image. The company made it known that several clients have built their houses successfully on their allocated land. It said that as soon as all requirements, as laid down by the company, are met, land is usually allocated to clients. Despite the allegations, the company was awarded The Biggest And Best Run Real Estate Firm In Nigeria at the Real Estate Conference and Recognition Awards (RECRA 2023), held last week at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. Adron Homes was recognised based on integrity and consistency in the real estate business among her contemporaries in Nigeria and beyond.

Raheem Olawuyi Withdraws Campaign Car From Bunmi Olusona

Honourable Raheem

Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, member of the Federal House of Representative representing Irepodun/Isin/ Ekiti/Oke-ero on the platform of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Kwara State, has withdrawn the Sienna bus he gave to the director-general of his 2023 campaign team, Rev Bunmi Olusona.

In preparation for the 2023 general election which took place a few months ago, the lawmaker gave Olusona a campaign bus, which he used to mobilise constituents and run around for the re-election of Olawuyi.

When the lawmaker gave out the Sienna bus, many believed that the bus was a gift to Olusona for manning the affairs of the lawmaker's campaign team. Moreover, other politicians who gave out cars, buses to their campaign directors reward

them with the car once they win the election.

Olawuyi did not give reasons for his action as Olusona did his job well and ensured that he was re-elected to the House of Reps. Many who witnessed the scene of the takeover were surprised and wondered why the lawmaker would condescend to the level of withdrawing the campaign vehicle. He was criticised by his constituents who knew how he also benefited from President Muhammadu Buhari's largesse in 2019. When President Buhari was seeking re-election, some campaign vehicles, jeeps to be specific, were distributed through the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Olawuyi was fortunate to be one of the beneficiaries. He was given one of the jeeps and it was not withdrawn from him after President Buhari won the election.

BUNMI ADAMS CLOCKS 50

Bunmi Adams, a survivor of the 2005 plane crash involving a Sosoliso aircraft that claimed the lives of almost 110 passengers, recently joined the golden jubilee club. Many thought she would roll out the drums in celebration, instead she opted for an elaborate photo shoot which she splashed on her social media pages, while accompanying the pictures with emotional notes of thanksgiving to her creator for the grace to be alive to mark her 50th birthday. Adams, who was a personal assistance to late televangelist and relationship coach, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya, wife of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the founder of Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos had travelled with the Pastor to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State aboard a Sosoliso Airline Flight 1145. The plane crashed while landing at the airport and burst into flames, killing almost all the passengers on board. Seven survivors were quickly rushed to the hospital, but only two eventually survived the crash. Pastor Bimbo Odukoya survived the initial impact, but, unfortunately, she died from injuries sustained from the inferno the next day. Adams survived with a 40 per cent burn and was in the hospital for a couple of weeks recovering from the incident.

Iseyin

Community Suffers Setback Over Death of Priest

The selection process for a new traditional ruler of Iseyin, one of the communities whose stool has been vacant since 2022 in Oyo State, has suffered a major setback. The town has lost the Aaba Odofin Aseyin, Pa Ashiru Ajala Oroleye, the priest responsible for the installation process. Pa Oroleye died last week after a brief illness at an undisclosed hospital in Oyo State at the age of 77. He was installed as a priest to oversee the selection and installation process of a new king in the community about seven years ago. This development is coming after residents of the community have complained to the state government about the delay in selecting a new traditional ruler to head the community. The Iseyin kingship stool has been empty since 2022 after the last Aseyin, Oba Abdulganiyu Adekunle, joined his ancestors at the age of 62. He died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Due to the absence of a traditional ruler, lawlessness and insecurity had been on the rise in the

community. Some indigenes had to temporarily relocate to neighbouring communities in search of peace and tranquility. The Oyo State Government had promised to come to the aid of the community and look into the selection process. Now that the Aaba Odofin, who was expected to act alongside other priests in the section process is no more, Iseyin may have to wait for some time before getting a new traditional ruler as a new priest must be first selected to fill the void left by Pa Oroleye.

Soremekun is New Chairman of APSA Research Development Group

Professor Kayode Soremekun, former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE and a professor of International Relations at the Lagos State University, LASU has been appointed as the Chairman of the American Political Science Association's Research Development Group in Africa. His appointment was made known by Professor Peter Lewis of the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Soremekun's new assignment is to oversee the Research Development Group convened by the African Politics Conference Group aimed at developing and promoting Africa’s early and midcareer academics and researchers. Part of his role is also to foster academic engagement between scholars based in North America and Africa. Each year, the Research Development Group takes six to eight Africa-based academics to APSA’s annual meeting to present the work in progress and to have discussions with their colleagues. The initiative helps to support scholarly work and to develop collaborative networks. Soremekun will be working with other members of the committee for the Research Development Group, usually three persons to identify participants and coordinate the panels for the workshop, prior to the APSA meeting. The committee will also serve as discussants for some of the research papers that would be presented at APSA’s annual conference.

Adams

King Oroleye

Soremekun

Olawuyi

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

WALIU TAIWO INSTALLED AS AARE ONA KAKANFO OF AWORILAND

Honourable Waliu Taiwo, the Chairman of Ogun State House of Assembly Service Commission and former Ogun State Commissioner for Works under the Gbenga Daniels led administration has been installed as the first Aare Ona Kakanfo of Aworiland, in Ogun State.

As part of the activities marking the fifth coronation anniversary of the paramount ruler of Aworiland, Oba Adeyemi Abdulkabir Obalanlege, the All Progressive Congress chieftain was installed as a chief in Awori kingdom. Having paid his dues as an indigene of Ogun state and Awori land in particular, Hon Taiwo was accorded the respect for his role in the development of Ota and Aworiland. His contributions to the political and economic development of Ogun State as a commissioner and a party leader

who always offer advice to the people in government whenever his service is required. His new title, Aare Ona Kakanfo was a title given during the old Oyo Empire. At the time, an Aare Ona Kakanfo would lead battles, fight wars, mobilise, train soldiers and conquer the enemies. The introduction of the title was informed by the need to fortify the ancient and the pre-colonial army of the old Oyo Empire, which at that time had over 100,000 horsemen. Though there are no physical wars to be fought, the Aare Ona Kakanfo is expected to fight for the development and growth of the land and Ogun

Kingship Tussle Stalls Selection of New Alaafin

The process of selecting a new Alaafin of Oyo to fill the vacuum created after the demise of Oba Lamide Atanda Adeyemi has suffered a setback. The Oyo kingship stool became vacant in April 2022 after the death of Oba Adeyemi. The traditional ruler, who reigned for 52 years, joined his ancestors at the age of 83.

After the mourning period, 119 candidates were selected to replace the monarch, but 57 among them were interviewed, after which the names of the interviewed candidates were submitted to the state government. However, a letter was then sent from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, in conjunction with Atiba Local Government Council, directing the chiefs in council to attend to only Agunloye Ruling House. Nine families from the

ruling house had to go to court to challenge the letter sent from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. According to them, the nine families from the ruling house have been sidelined in the process of selection. The families then urged Governor Seyi Makinde not to approve the appointment of the new monarch until the pending court case is resolved. The nine royal families include Adeitan family, Olanite family, Tella Agbojulogun, Tella Okitipapa family, Adediran Ese Apata family, Adesokan Baba Idode family, Adesiyan family, Abidekun family and Adelabu Baba Ibadan family. The nine Atiba royal families asked the court to declare Atiba Ruling House as the only Ruling House in Oyo state. They also want an

State in general. He must be at the vanguard of the advocacy of Awori people's interests within the larger Nigerian framework. The elated chieftain expressed his profound gratitude to the traditional ruler while stating that many wished to buy the honour accorded to him with money. He further stated that he is willing to go to war to defend Aworiland if need be.

Emma Okonkwo Fetes Guests at Step-Mother's Burial

Billionaire industrialist and Chairman of Ekulo Group of Companies, Chief Emma Bishop Okonkwo, has staged a lavish burial ceremony for his stepmother, Madam Janet Nwanneka Okonkwo. The event which was well attended by businessmen, industrialists, politicians, friends and members of the Okonkwo family took place at Umuezeabu, Ichi, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Madam Okonkwo was a devout Christian during her lifetime. The deceased was popularly known as Agbala na acho nkeya before her demise at age 90.

Internment took place in the deceased’s compound.

It was preceded by a funeral service, while an outing service took place at St James Anglican Church,

Ichi. Guests were later treated to a lavish reception at St James Anglican Church field. Being his stepmother, many thought the businessman will look the other way while the biological children of the deceased bury her. However, the owner of Evans Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Ekulo Group paid glowing tributes to his stepmother. According to him, Madam Okonkwo lived a fulfilled and exemplary life. She was a mother in a million which is why Okonkwo spared no cost in giving her a befitting burial. Kingsley Okonkwo, professionally known as Kcee and Nigeria highlife artistes, Chukwuebuka Obiligbo and Okpuozor Obiligbo, professionally known as Umu obiligbo were on hand to thrill guests with spectacular performances.

Adeyemi

interlocutory injunction to stop the ongoing process to choose the new Alafin by Oyomesi, Atiba Local Government, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy, Attorney General of Oyo state and the Governor of Oyo State.

BON Honours Kolade, Dokpesi, Maduka, Others

The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards, TNBA has honoured some prominent leaders in broadcasting during its maiden edition. The award ceremony, which was organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), had three categories of broadcast leaders

APC Chieftain Drags Voters to Court Over Gift Items

Adamu Andari, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State, has dragged two opposition party members, Auwal Hadisi Arosiya and Gyamro Arosiya to a Magistrate Court 1, in the Jega area of Bauchi State over some items given to them before the election. Andari had given 35 bags of fertilizers, 70 bundles of clothes, two bags of rice and the sum of N50,000 to the two members of the Peoples Democratic Party as incentives to canvas votes for his party during the last Governorship and State Houses of Assembly

Elections held in the state. The items were intended to lure members of PDP to vote for the APC in the elections. However, instead of canvassing votes for the APC, Auwal and Gyamro converted all the items to their personal use and kept sealed lips.

Andari, through his counsel, Barrister Bashir Umar said the two defendants should be charged for criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and misappropriation for converting what his client gave them for distribution to personal use. He also asked the court to recover the items given to the two opposition party members

who were celebrated at the award ceremony.

Life achievement awards in broadcasting was presented to Christopher Kolade, former Managing Director of National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC); Vincent Maduka, former DirectorGeneral of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Mohammed Ibrahim, former Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and NTA. Raymond Dokpesi, the founder of DAAR Communications, and Michael Ajeigbo, founder of Minaj Broadcasting, were also celebrated for their contributions to the growth of broadcasting in Nigeria.

Posthumous honours were given to Chief Segun Olusola, Mike Enahoro, Dahiru Modibbo and Kunle Olasope for their meritorious contributions to broadcasting in the country.

and that the court should punish the two for breach of law and criminal conspiracy. However, the defendant's lawyer, Barrister Haruna Ubandawaki, said his clients who are PDP members never asked for the fertilizers, rice, clothes and cash that the APC chieftain gave to them.

THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA

Andari

Kolade

Dokpesi Maduka

Taiwo

Okonkwo

NYSC @ 50: To Go or Not To Go

WAEC. JAMB. NYSC. Those three institutions have pretty much shaped the educational lives of generations of Nigerians for decades. With five credits at a go or combos from two sittings, WAEC eased your way through JAMB to university as an undergraduate. Upon graduation, you go through the mandatory one-year service as a youth corp member starting with orientation camp before your place of primary assignment. At 50, THEWILL looks at NYSC not only as a melting pot for youths from different ethnic backgrounds and institutions of higher learning (excepting Colleges of Education) but also the scandals, tragedies and controversies that have plagued the institution. Michael

Jimoh

reports…

The voice boomed from the darkness of the dormitory, waking up those in the early stages of sleep. It was a little past 11pm. There were about three, four dozen or so of them lying supine, sideways or face down in single beds, some snoring, some partially awake, some wide awake. They were all male, under 30, all of them graduates from Nigerian universities and polytechnics in an orientation camp in the numbingly cold, breezy, hilly ranges of Awgu town in Enugu state. It was April 1992, lights out in the hostel and, perhaps, unable to sleep or out of sheer curiosity, one of them threw the question to the house.

“Who is the author of King Solomon’s Mines?” The obviously inebriated voice wanted to know. Rider Haggard, someone replied. Thus encouraged, the voice boomed again: “Who wrote 1984?” George Orwell, another voice responded. From different corners and out of the dark, voices began to ask questions, mainly about books and their authors.

The answers were prompt. Only once did a responder get it wrong. He mistook Allan Quatermain for the name of an author instead of the title of a novel. Someone quickly corrected him out of the dark: AQ is a book by the same author of King Solomon’s Mines and, most famously, She From that night on the questions never stopped coming, becoming something of a nocturnal ritual we looked forward to. Think of “Who wants to be a millionaire?” anchored by Frank Edoho for MTN syndicated on television stations back then, though without the cash prize - plus there were no phones or help lines.

From night to night, we all engaged ourselves in that intellectual spot, widening it to cover African authors particularly African Writers Series and even Pacesetters paperbacks most of us read pre-university. We were all fresh from university or polytechnic, coming together for the first time in a campus-like ambience and from different background as well. And here we were in the dark making the most of the time we had.

I can’t remember how it all started but it happened one night and from then on, most of the corp members in that hostel participated fully, asking and answering questions in the dark just as they were sure to make the early morning drills at about 5, 5.30 the following day. It was fun.

Somehow, it got most of us closer. We later got to know who began the spontaneous literary quiz: Akin Adeoya, a graduate of the Department of English from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife. There was Dr. Jide from University of Lagos, tall and handsome with a matching baritone voice who answered some of the questions

While the quiz sessions united the dorm chaps at night, the daytime morning drills brought the rest of the corp members at Awgu Camp closer in the parade ground

correctly. There was the rangy corp member from University of Sokoto, charcoal-black with teeth yellow as maize, a stoop to his shoulders and unassuming manners. If you wanted a perfect picture of a disheveled genius, he was it. His bed was unmade sometimes. Nor did he pay much attention to his sartorial sense when some others looked military-smart in their regulation ajuwaya, copashun khaki uniforms, white vests and boxers, complete with orange coloured ankle-length boots and white tennis shoes. And he just didn’t care though he made his parade ground appearances like the rest of us daily for three weeks. We later found out he was a Maths prodigy from the school since renamed Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto. We nicknamed him Dan Sokoto.

While the quiz sessions united the dorm chaps at night, the daytime morning drills brought the rest of the corp members at Awgu Camp closer in the parade ground, an open and level field fringed on one side by mango trees, lush cashew trees bearing yellow-ripe fruits and ancient acacias under which a few pregnant corp members sit languidly, watching their colleagues do the 100 metre dash, clamber up ropes commando-style but without weapons. There was a range of exercises like pushups, frog jumps and roadwork.

The same would have been repeated in several other orientation camps in all the state capitals. Certainly the exercises were part of the training but the underlying reason for the programme itself was national integration

following the three Rs – Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation – initiated after the civil war in 1970. Contrary to popular belief, the youth programme originated from the most unlikely source, from the vanquished after the Nigeria/ Biafra civil war. Tagged East Central State Youth Volunteer Service Corps (ECSYVSC) and founded by Professor Timothy Uzodinma Nwala it pooled together hundreds of war-weary Igbo youths for self-help and community development projects in the war-ravaged region.

With time, more youths joined in as volunteers, building back their broken homes, clearing the rubble from the streets and generally making themselves useful in a dozen different ways. Such was the success of ECSYVSC that when Nwala suggested a similar idea to the Gowon administration in 1971, the military head of state accepted. In appreciation for what the Igbo youths were doing to get a hang of their lives, Gowon gave the East Central State Administrator Dr. Ukpabi Asika seventyfive thousand pounds.

By May 22 1973, the National Youth Service Corps took off as an institution not unlike the ECSYVSC, though on a national scale. Now a solid institution at 50, NYSC has had its fair share of upheavals.

Scandals, Tragedies and Controversies

Eleven years after its formation, NYSC was enmeshed in one of the biggest scandals to ever beset the institution. The Director General at the time, Col Peter Obasa, faced accusations he couldn’t quite wriggle out of. Under his watch, the new military regime of Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon in 1984 charged the DG for N200 million fraudulent contracts. There were other accusations bordering on wastage and inept record keeping. Obasa got a lengthy jail sentence for his troubles.

More trouble was to come NYSC’s way, this time the serving corp members themselves. It was April 2011 and

...To Go or Not To Go FEATURES

the Secretariat had deployed youth corp members for national elections as it had done for some time. During the presidential election of that year, 10 NYSC members on electoral duty were killed in an orgy of violence in Bauchi state. It was unprecedented for innocent youths on national service who were neither politicians nor those seeking elective office to be dispensed with in such a savage manner.

Almost immediately, Nigerians began to rethink the entire concept of NYSC. If innocent people had to be sacrificed on the altar of political greed and violence, then it was time to scrap it. Be done with it, irate Nigerians thundered from the rooftops. The violence against corp members continued unabated, up to last February's presidential polls. In one polling booth in Rivers state, for instance, a male corp member was shot in the arm for failing to acquiesce to hoodlums' request to handover some voting materials. The call for scrapping NYSC reached a national crescendo.

Even so, some other Nigerians have countered them, insisting that NYSC must be allowed to stay. Chief among them is the founder of the project itself, Prof. Nwala. In an interview soon after the gruesome killing of the corp members, the Philosophy professor let on that “the irony of the whole situation is that the NYSC emerged as a movement to gradually, systematically overcome the same forces that have been responsible for the death of these poor chaps. I mean to overcome religious bigotry, political intolerance and ethnic fanaticism. These are the things the NYSC rose to combat and it is these same forces that are now responsible for the death of the corps members. If you call for the scrapping of the NYSC because the youths are being killed, it is like saying, dissolve the security forces because security men are being attacked or being killed by armed robbers. I think it is the same thing.

“What I think the society needs to do is to honestly address the issue of religious bigotry, to address the issue of intolerance, political, tribal divisions and realize that the people responsible for using these forces to divide this country are the politicians. It is not the youths, it is the leaders. Our initial idea was to mobilize the youths so that they can relate with themselves and be able to overcome this thinking.”

Despite Nwala’s hopes for continuing the scheme, he told THEWILL through a WhatsApp interview last Friday his expectations for what he started 50 years ago has not been met. Have you seen your dream come true the way you imagined, envisaged?

“No,” he replied because “the politicians and state administrators have diverted the NYSC from its original vision as an instrument of national reconciliation and integration. It is now a mere instrument to provide workers for governmental institutions.”

Following the killing of the unfortunate corp members in Bauchi state, Nwala had said at the time that youths should “realise that Nigeria is not going to break into pieces as Gaddafi predicted. It is the same message we gave to the youths of Igboland after the war. We told them that the result of the war showed that everybody was meant to live together and, therefore, we must begin to address how we can live together. And the message is that, it is the youths that will help to determine the conditions for this togetherness, not the politicians.”

Governor-elect Peter Mbah and NYSC face-off

If politicians are responsible for putting corp members in harm’s way, it now seems they’ve notched up their performance in ridiculing or bringing to disrepute the very institution responsible for corp members welfare. Just last week up until Friday, Nigerian newspapers were awash with the current controversy over NYSC discharge certificate of a governor-elect in the southeast.

By now readers are familiar with the ongoing verbal exchange and counter accusations between NYSC and Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party who won the gubernatorial election in March. Mbah had presented a discharge certificate to INEC. He claimed to have received it from NYSC.

A group Total Support for Rule of Law and Justice Initiative and Enugu Progressive Forum in Enugu had taken the newly elected governor to task charging that

he forged his NYSC discharge certificate. Coordinator of the group, Cynthia Mabeokwu, presented journalists with a letter to that effect at a news conference in Abuja. “We are pleased to inform you that the Certificate of National Service belonging to Mbah Peter Ndubuisi with Certificate Number: A808297 forwarded for verification was not issued by the NYSC.”

Continuing, Mabeokwu said that “as part of this quest for information, we wrote to the INEC and obtained Certified True Copies of all the documents and qualifications submitted by the various candidates to the commission.” The candidate, according to them, should explain to voters in the Coal city “the circumstances of the alleged forgery. This explanation should be in clear precise terms leaving no doubt in the minds of any person. It should not be with any prevarications, insults, deflections or evasion of the facts.

“Where candidate, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has no explanation for this turn of events, we call on him to immediately apologise to our people and withdraw from the race forthwith and hand himself over to the police, confess his crime and be prosecuted.”

Of course, that weighty allegation against a governorship candidate elicited responses from party stalwarts. Speaking on the charges, Nana Ogbodo who is Director of Public Communications and Spokesperson of the Enugu State PDP Campaign Council, denied the allegations.

“There is no truth whatsoever to the allegation,” he said, stating further that “we make bold to say that Dr. Peter Mbah was duly mobilised for the one-year mandatory national youth service in Lagos in 2002, duly completed the exercise and was issued with an NYSC discharge certificate.

“We state unequivocally that these purveyors of malicious falsehood are the real forgers, as everything about the letter they claimed to have emanated from the NYSC bears all the imprimaturs of forgery; the language too inelegant and unofficial to have emanated from the NYSC.”

But the NYSC Director of Corps Certification, Ibrahim A. Muhammad said no such certificate was ever issued to Mbah.

To prove that they mean business and cocksure of their position, Peter Mbah proceeded to sue Muhammed and NYSC for N20b as “exemplary damages” for “conspiracy, deceit and misrepresentation of facts.”

The suit followed a judgment by a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Iyang Ekwo who agreed to “an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants, NYSC and Muhammed from issuing, publishing further disclaimer that the NYSC certificate dated January 6, 2003, with certificate number: A808297 issued to the plaintiff… by Section 11 of the NYSC Decree No. 51 of 1993, was not issued by NYSC pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed in this suit.”

This may have riled the bosses at NYSC to no end. The response this time was quick and damning. It was the DG himself, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed who pronounced with oracular finality: “Enugu governorelect’s certificate not from NYSC.”

For now, Nigerians are waiting for the outcome of the certificate saga. Who is fibbing and who is not? THEWILL asked the founding father of NYSC Nwala.

His response was as terse as it was precise: “It is difficult to believe Mr. Mbah and not the man who controls NYSC records.”

Overall, how does he feel about the institution he helped nurture to life now at 50. “I feel very sad,” the don told the newspaper. “It is a negation of the noble vision that inspired its formation. Because politics in Nigeria is the game vampires play, all the great institutions whose foundation I have helped to lay with other patriots have been destroyed.”

Nigerians began to rethink the entire concept of NYSC.

If innocent people had to be sacrificed on the altar of political greed and violence, then it was time to scrap it

Corps members on parade

SportsLive

PremiumTrust Bank And Sponsorship Funds Crises at AFN

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

\ast week, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) reportedly entered into a new sponsorship agreement with PremiumTrust Bank ahead of the upcoming World Championships in Budapest. The three-year deal, facilitated by Nilayo Sports Management, is aimed at supporting the growth and development of athletics in Nigeria. It is also supposed to allow athletes preparing for the main event of the Budapest Championships, scheduled to take place from August 19 to 27 in the Hungarian capital, to have the funds to prepare optimally for their specific events.

Premium Trust Bank, a Lagos-based financial institution established last year, committed wholly to the partnership, demonstrating its continued dedication to advancing sports, in general, and athletics, in particular, within the country. The AFN considered this collaboration a transformative opportunity for Nigerian athletics and was pleased to have been able to make it over the line and finalise the deal. However, the sponsorship deal, which was meant to promote excellence in athletics, has led to internal conflicts within the management of the AFN. Soon after the news of the deal with PremiumTrust went public, reports emerged of in-house disputes over the allocation of sponsorship funds at the Federation, thereby creating tension among members of its Board. It was alleged that certain individuals were engaged in shadow plots against the president of the federation, Tonobok Okowa, in relation to the distribution of these sponsorship funds. The allegations appeared to stem from suspicions by some members of the board that the President was not transparent about the deals being made on behalf of the Federation, implying that some of the funds could end up in private pockets rather than for the purposes for which they were obtained.

In response to the allegations, Bukola Olopade, the CEO of Nilayo Sports Management and the Chief Marketing Consultant for the AFN, expressed his disappointment with those who harboured suspicions about the handling of these funds and who were directly responsible for hatching plots against Okowa. Olopade clarified that the funds had no way of being siphoned from the Federation because, as he claimed, the AFN

did not have a direct contract with PremiumTrust Bank in the first place. Rather, it was Nilayo Sports that signed the sponsorship agreement with the bank and the agency will be responsible for ensuring the judicious expenditure of the funds as required.

The Marketing Consultant emphasised that the funds from the deal were not allocated to individuals but rather earmarked for competitions that will feature athletes from Team Nigeria.

To access the funds for major events like the World Athletics Championships, the AFN needs to request their release from PremiumTrust Bank, which will be facilitated by Nilayo Sports. This process will ensure that no individual, or group working in tandem within or outside the federation, can obtain any of the funds in the deal. They will only be released for the competitions for which they have been earmarked. Despite the recent disagreements among board members, Olopade emphasised the importance of unity. He called for a focus on building a strong national team

for the upcoming 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest. All the distracting accusations against President Okowa regarding sponsorship funds were, in his opinion, baseless, and mere figments of the imaginations of a few.

Whether his clarification on the issue will calm the waters of the AFN Board, disturbed by the suspicions of fund mishandling will be clearer in due time. As THEWILL reported last week, the internal tension wrought in the federation by the divisions led to a plot to convene a congress to potentially change the leadership of the AFN. In seeking to quell any such actions

The Marketing Consultant emphasised that the funds from the deal were not allocated to individuals but rather earmarked for competitions that will feature athletes from Team Nigeria

Amusan

SportsLive

...Sponsorship Funds Crises at AFN

Olopade called for focus, while expressing disappointment with fractious-minded board members involved in the alleged scramble for sponsorship money.

He endeavoured to drum up support for Okowa by highlighting the efforts he has made since becoming President to secure funds for athlete sponsorships. The AFN chief further stressed the need for encouragement and support from the board members, rather than divisive rhetoric, even while acknowledging the challenges faced in acquiring sponsorship funds.

Instead of in-fighting, the general feeling in the federation ought to be one of determination to ensure that the sponsorship from PremiumTrust Bank is made to work for the best results at Budapest so as to encourage the bank to do much more and also provide incentives for others to do likewise.

The injection of funds from PremiumTrust has significantly contributed to Nigerian athletics in the past year. The bank has a track record of sponsoring athletes like World record holder Oluwatobiloba Amusan, Ese Brume, as well as playing a vital role in the National Sports Festival held in Asaba, Delta State.

The fruits from these sponsorships were linked to the progress made by Nigerian athletes at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Nigeria achieved significant success, securing a gold medal and a silver medal at the event. Amusan stood proudly atop the podium after setting a world record time of 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals and finished with the gold while Brume won the silver medal on the same dayJuly 24 - in the Women's Long Jump event.

The AFN crises emanating from the PremiumTrust sponsorship is worrisome because this is not the first deal between the bank and the federation. THEWILL recalls that in August last year, the bank became the official banking partner of the federation after a sponsorship deal was reached. Ebidowei Oweifie, the Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management at the time, expressed satisfaction with the collaboration and highlighted the bank's commitment to the growth of athletics in Nigeria. At the event of the announcement, President Okowa emphasised the positive impact the partnership would have on Nigerian athletes' development and financial security, which is the AFN objective in seeking funds.

Continued from Back Page

finalised five weeks prior to the announcement but was delayed to prioritise the ongoing preparation of the athletes ahead of athletics events in Oregon, Birmingham, and Cali last year.

The dark horse in the whole imbroglio is the bank itself. Not many in the country, nor athletes who are based abroad, have heard of a bank known as PremiumTrust.

Hilda Baci: Exemplar of Resilient Nigerian Spirit

another side of the Nigerian story, that as a people, we are more united than politics will make us believe. Wherever there is an occasion calling for unity, the standard Nigerian response is breathtakingly heart-warming. Every time! We must learn from this and build on it in every other aspect of our continued existence as one country. Nigeria will go very far when we look past our differences and hold on to everything that makes us the loving, kind, supportive Nigerians we know we can be.

Events like these, for Baci, Savage, Osimhen, remind us that our blood, spirit and indomitable mindsets can propel us to success anywhere in the world. Regardless of age, ethnicity, religion, or background, their stories and our own personal stories, serve as a powerful reminder that success is attainable for all.

With over 250 ethnic groups, diverse religions, political differences and cultural beliefs, Nigeria's strength lies in its audacity. Nigerians remain undeterred by obstacles and immune to limitations. Whether in politics, religion, academia, sports, entertainment,

or business, Nigerians continue to inspire and blaze trails, breaking records and making Nigeria the envy of the world. The rest of the Nigerian population, whether at home or in the Diaspora, champion these achievements and contributes to the nation's progress.

Baci's potential inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records for her cooking marathon is another moment of valuable lessons for Nigeria during its transition period and for its leaders. Nigeria must embrace exemplary leadership at all levels and undergo a national mentality shift from consumption to production.

Baci's dedication, sacrifice and determination serve as an inspiration for young Nigerians and demonstrate the rewards that come from hard work. As Nigeria faces critical challenges, it is essential for leaders to emulate Baci's commitment and adopt a new leadership ethos focused on progress and development.

It is a young financial institution, compared to the older institutions in the banking space in the country. It was created in a bid to revolutionise the banking industry in the country.

PremiumTrust has emerged as a prominent financial institution committed to providing innovative solutions that positively impact its customers and communities. Since its establishment in April 2022, the bank has swiftly established a strong presence in key economic centres across Nigeria, including Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.

With a comprehensive focus on both macro and micro sectors of the economy, the bank caters to both the public and private sectors, aiming to become the preferred bank

and a leading voice in consumer banking in Africa by 2032, on the other.

The bank likes to pride itself as one founded on a team of visionary leaders, boasting diverse expertise and an average of over 25 years of experience in the industry. In their objective to revolutionise the system, the bank claims to be stacked with modern facilities, manned by welltrained staff, and offering premium products and services that are all desired to contribute to an exceptional banking experience for its customers. It is a fully licensed Commercial Bank which wants to place great importance on corporate governance, adhere to relevant legislation, codes, principles, and practices governing banking in Nigeria. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Emefienim, the bank received the "Most Innovative Bank of the Year 2022" award from the LEADERSHIP Group. Since inception, they have established seven fully operational branches, with a digital-focused approach that complements traditional brick-and-mortar services.

Apart from their sponsorship relationship with the AFN, PremiumTrust Bank has enthusiastically supported women's sports in the country. The bank recently sponsored Bayelsa FC Queens for their participation in the CAF Women's Champions League held in Morocco in 2022.

Okowa

Olopade

Dare

Hilda Baci: Exemplar of Resilient Nigerian Spirit

On May 15, 2023, at Amore Gardens, Lekki, Lagos, Hilda Baci, whose real name is Hilda Bassey Effiong, effectively broke the Guinness World Records for the longest cooking by an individual. As her ardent throng of supporters cheered her on, in the fanfare that the attempt became, she continuously cooked for 100 hours and 40 minutes.

Although she initially planned to cook for 96 hours, enough to surpass the previous record set by Lata London in September 2019 when she cooked her name into fame by completing her cooking marathon for 87 hours, 45 minutes, Baci was motivated to extend her attempt and surpass it by over 13 hours. What was immediately obvious was the irrepressible Nigerian spirit of dogged determination to beat the odds, to excel regardless, to thrive despite everything stacked up against survival and to emerge from it all, smelling of roses.

Questions are being asked whether it is indeed possible for a person to stand and cook for a period of 4 days nonstop, taking only two hours to rest within a 24-hour period. I have also pondered this and asked myself if it is truly possible. That is, however, a topic for discussion on another day.

I would love to ask the producers a few questions. There has to be some skills and techniques involved to survive the ordeal of being on one's feet for that period of time. But to capture the analogy of Baci's successful attempt as a commentary on the Nigerian spirit, that the Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti picturesquely captured in his lyrics "Suffering and Smiling", it will be instructive to grasp the Herculean effort it demanded and the toll it took on her.

She attributed her success to five years of preparation, running a restaurant, and participating in a jollof face-off competition, which she won. These, she claimed, supplied her the wherewithal to withstand preparing 200 meals, which she served to approximately over 4,000 people.

The meals included various rice dishes, pasta, porridge, mashed potatoes, soups, cold dishes, and side servings to go with them all. The carnival nature of the attempt and the free food attracted even more people as she gained significant attention on social media, with nearly three million Google searches while it went on.

To remain within the requirements of the attempt, Baci made sure to cook all the meals by herself without any external help. To showcase Nigerian food to the world, she focused on mostly local dishes. And to demonstrate her gratitude for the incredible level of support she received from those who turned up to keep her going, day and night, and the brands that made it all happen for her, she expressed her unreserved appreciation at her first public appearance, while insisting that she followed all the rules and did not cut corners in creating the experience she envisioned for herself when she made up her mind to attempt the record.

Although pushing to a 100 hours was not in her plans for the attempt, she revealed that she was convinced by her friend and brother to make it a round number. Still nothing spelt Nigerian more in everything she

accomplished than the further revelation that the challenges she faced after only six hours made her consider giving up on that very first day. What kept her going, she said, was the strength she drew from her family, friends, fans, and followers who supported her throughout the journey.

roles in trading arenas, such as the Kasuwar Kwari Clothes Market in Kano or the Zaki Biam Yam Market in Benue, Nigerians can aspire to live more beautiful and prosperous lives by achieving further success. Nigerians possess unique qualities, nurtured by lofty aspirations, undying quests for knowledge, and unparalleled diligence. They embody the spirit of audacity and perseverance, refusing to give up even in the face of failures and hardships. Against all odds, Nigerians defy limitations and emerge as successful global brands in tandem with the oftused aphorism "Naija no dey carry last."

Recently, Napoli's Victor Osimhen, helped the Serie A side end their 33-year Scudetto drought. His goal contributions and leveller in a 1-1 draw against Udinese sent Naples into wild jubilations. It marked his 22nd goal, surpassing the record set by Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto'o as the African with the most goals in a single Serie A season. Days later, Osimhen further solidified his greatness by surpassing Liberian icon George Weah's record of 46 goals in 114 Serie A games, scoring an incredible 47 goals.

Not long after that, Tiwa Savage, the Afrobeats Queen, made history on May 6, when she performed at the coronation concert of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, London. This momentous occasion marked the first time a Nigerian artist performed at a royal coronation, elevating Savage's global stature and showcasing the immense talent within Nigeria's music industry.

Now Baci has added to that lore by breaking barriers in the culinary world with this Guinness World Records attempt, further highlighting the ingenuity and determination of Nigerians in various fields. These are testaments of the unwavering spirit of Nigerians.

As with the majority of Nigerians who put up with the vagaries of life and are undaunted in the face of the most debilitating obstacles, Baci acknowledged the role of God and people's strength in keeping her going, especially during her most difficult moments in those gruelling 100 hours.

Baci's mother, Mrs. Lynda Ndukwe, the CEO of Calabar Pot, is another manifestation of the Nigerian drive towards set goals. As the old block from which Hilda is a chip, she expressed immense pride in her daughter's accomplishment, stating that it was a testament to the values and upbringing she instilled in Hilda and her six siblings. It bore witness to the significance of familial support and the fruition of inculcated values within the Nigerian matrix. The country is seeing further examples of how unwavering determination can break records, establish reckoning, immortalise names and set new records. Baci's story, as many other stories across the country which scarcely make it to headline news and never become viral online sensations, inspire us to celebrate the passion, resilience and hard work that characterise the Nigerian spirit.

Despite the challenges faced by Nigeria, this May 2023 serves as an opportunity for the nation to showcase its strengths. Whether residing in affluent areas like Lagos, Rivers or Abuja, or playing pivotal

Despite moments of despair, insults and obstacles, Nigerians are known to persevere and emerge victorious. Wherever they go, people recognise this never-say-die mentality that drives the Nigerian to excellence. Even if we sometimes forget due to the status quo at home, events such as these, serve as valuable reminders that individuals of all backgrounds, and brackets have it in them to never give up on their dreams.

Nigeria boasts icons in various fields, including politics, religion, academia, sports, entertainment and business, whether recognised in the Guinness World Records or by esteemed publications like Timeb Magazine, or in the small spaces they call their own, who have exemplified dignity, passion and determination, propelling Nigeria to international acclaim and typifying this spirit.

As Nigerians at home or in the Diaspora, we cheer for our compatriots, contributing to Nigeria's reputation as a nation that dares greatly. And, we know that this spirit resides in us.

Another salient point in Baci's attempt was the overwhelming support she received that did not care for tribe, ethnicity, religion or any of the countless stratification employed to cause divisions. It tells of

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Another salient point in Baci's attempt was the overwhelming support she received that did not care for tribe, ethnicity, religion or any of the countless stratification employed to cause divisions. It tells of another side of the Nigerian story, that as a people, we are more united than politics will make us believe

Baci