Odukoya had always said he didn’t know how it would happen, but he would break into Hollywood. Soon enough, his words became a reality when he received the message that he got the part to play an essential role in the Hollywood movie, The Woman King
Although Odukoya was extremely thankful and excited, his celebration when his role was finally announced by Hollywood was bittersweet as there was a death in the family that same period. And because duty called, this meant he wasn’t able to attend the funeral. Thanks to his family’s support, he pushed on with his role and delivered a spectacular performance in an epic fight scene with Viola Davis, which he confesses was a bit uncomfortable because he is a strong advocate against hitting women. But like he said, “We have to overcome those mental hiccups and just embody the character… I wanted to leave a mark on the audience every time they saw him, so people would ask, ‘Who is this guy with an impending sense of evil in the world?’ To have that aura. I hope that it is translated.” I couldn’t agree more. We must be able to overcome mental hiccups to get the job done. Read his fascinating story on pages 14 -15.
I discovered a new bottle of wine this month— Garrus. It’s a luxury rosé I tried while having lunch at The Wine Lab in Ikoyi; absolutely divine. You have to try it. Check it out, along with other discoveries on page 3.
It’s party season already, and we have just the right guide to the perfect heels for every occasion; you’ll find that on our fashion pages (4-5). For tech lovers, you have to read about the little things that can make your home tech-savvy on page 12. Full disclosure, you need a good Internet connection for most of them.
confidential talks about a very sensitive yet, secretly common situation— infidelity in marriage due to sexual frustration. It begs the question: Would you ever consider leaving a partner due to sexual dissatisfaction?
Onah Nwachukwu
THEWILL DOWNTOWN
With two out of three opinion polls in his favour and his ‘million- man march’ waxing in strength and spreading across over four of six geo-political zones in the country currently, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, can be said to be the candidate to beat in the forthcoming general election scheduled for February 25, 2023.
In the month of September, two opinion polls commissioned by Atedo N.A Peterside Foundation (ANAP) and another by Bloomberg predicted victory for Obi in the 2023 presidential election. While NOI polls, which sampled prevailing opinions, gave Obi 18 per cent and 13 per cent apiece to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu 13 per cent each and 3 per cent to the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso. Bloomberg’s poll raised the figure to 72 per cent for Obi, 16 per cent for Tinubu and 9 per cent for Atiku.
In early October, however, the Economist Intelligence Unit returned verdict for Tinubu, arguing that the Wike vs Atiku crisis in PDP and Obi’s popularity in erstwhile PDP strongholds in the South-South and South-East will affect Atiku’s chances.
Expectedly, the three other frontline parties, the PDP, APC and the NNPC, decried the polls favouring Obi and queried the method used in conducting them, claiming that they do not reflect the reality.
Despite these favourable electoral processes serving as an index of Obi’s growing national popularity, influence and acceptability investigations show that there is still a long way to labour for the cause.
Money, one of the three determinants of Nigeria politics after ethnicity and religion, is posing a threat to the candidate to effectively and efficiently organise towards victory.
For that reason, according to THEWILL investigation, the major components of the movement are yet to unite behind a common purpose and harmonise their strength and step into the seeming political and electoral vacuum presented by the ongoing crisis in the two major political parties, the APC and PDP, which have governed the country alternately for the past 23 years since the return to civil rule 1999.
The Labour Party, the ‘Obideint Movement and the Third Force are currently polarised over issues of policy and money, investigation shows. Getting the respective groups to come on board has been one of the reasons the campaign council that was promised to take off last week is yet still-born. This division has made the otherwise vibrant and youthful ‘Obidient Movement’ to look like protest marches and not a movement with shared political and social ideas. Still on the money issue, the lack of proper coordination among the various groups was complicated during the public controversy over Obi’s move to secure funding from the Diaspora.
That is why, for example, some organs in the tripartite organisation would take position on crucial issues affecting the partners in the project, like the recent public disclosure and even celebration of the presidential candidate going abroad to seek funding.
The spokesperson for the Labour Party, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, disagrees that there is any division or money issue causing disaffection in any group on the LP platform or making it difficult for the campaign council to kick-off.
“What appears as if nothing is happening is nothing other than that we have a lot of stakeholders on the LP platform that want to be involved in the campaign council. We have the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, students and many civil movements. So we are taking time to harmonise and integrate all the groups so people do not say they were excluded,” Arabambi told THEWILL.
The spokesman of the ‘Third Force’, an ally of the LP, whose group is also a champion of the ‘Obidient Movement’, Dr Tanko Yunusa, explains further.
“As we talk, meetings are still ongoing to harmonise the presidential campaign council list. The truth is that every interest group in the movement has to be carried along. We are working to win the election,” he told this newspaper in an interview on Friday.
According to him, Obi would win the presidential
election in 2023. While he expressed excitement about two out of the three opinion polls favourable to Obi, he stated that the “opinion poll of the larger spectrum of society, which supports Obi’s candidacy matters most to the organisation,'' adding, ''It shows that we are going to win.”
A leader of one of the many Peter Obi Support groups, Mr March Oyinki of Movement for Change Worldwide, is also defensive and optimistic. He said the popular notion about the LP seeming slowness on campaign issues is based on limited knowledge of the internal working of the party.
He told THEWILL, “There is a strong bond between Peter Obi Support groups and the Labour Party. Both plan and work together as one to achieve the common objective to deliver the presidential candidate in the presidential election.''
According to him, '' The composition of the campaign council which will consist of LP officials, support groups and some influential public figures is nearing completion and will be unveiled in just a few days.”
Obi, who is currently in the United States of America, where he unveiled the seven-point policy thrust of an LP administration last week at Harvard University, is expected back in the country on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 alongside the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, according to Arabambi.“When they come, the campaign will kick-off,” he said.
Professor Yakubu Ochefu, economic historian, who told THEWILL a couple of months ago that Obi may win the presidential election either on first ballot or a run-off, said last week that nothing has happened in the intervening period to change his viewpoint.
According to Ochefu, who is also the Secretary to the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, the internal contradictions in the two major parties, the APC and PDP, are currently playing out in the persistent crisis currently plaguing both parties. In addition to that is the angst of many Nigerians against both parties because of the way they have mismanaged the country, thus paving the way for the choice in a viable alternative, which Obi and the LP, have presented.
He added that the youth-driven movement supporting the LP candidate is borne out of a sense of voluntarism, which is a novel development under the current dispensation.
Ochefu told THEWILL last week, “I have not seen any new development that has changed my view. In fact, things are becoming brighter and brighter for Obi and the Labour Party, considering what is going on in the two major political parties.
“If you take the Wike and his group’s grievance with the PDP, it is like a replay of the 2015 politics in the party in reverse, when the PDP broke away and joined the APC in protest that power must go back to the North. The way APC came in, in 2015, is the way they are also most likely to go out, too. You need to feel the pulse of many Nigerians to know that they know that APC has failed in all indices of governance.”
Apart from the opinion polls, which has notched up the Obi brand globally, the ‘million marches’ that were initially limited the the South had exploded up North with states like Plateau, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi hosting crowds. How these marches will turn out in the coming months as campaigns get underway is still anybody’s guess, considering the role that huge outlay funding for mobilisation, advertisement, transportation, hotel accommodation, feeding and entertainment play in the mix.
But the LP people and their allies are unfazed.“Money for logistics is a different matter, but we have said we will not give money for the purposes of influencing the voter,'' Dr Yinusa said, adding, “Even the youths who are rooting for Obi have said publicly that even if they take money. they will still vote for our candidate.”
Reminded that this position may not be easy as it appears on the surface, especially if the antics of some candidates is taken into consideration, he insisted on his position against the backdrop of the demography of voters involved in the current electoral process, a demography which is youthful and committed to the party’s cause.
He said, “Unlike 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari got 11 million votes, the current voter registration of eight million of youths, aged 18 to 35, by INEC and the total voter population of 96 million as against 70 million in 2019, has expanded the proObi voter population. LP alone has a 10 million voter strength. This is part of Obi’s strategy in travelling abroad to woo Nigerians in the Diaspora. They may not vote, but they can mobilise their people back home.
The Labour Party, the ‘Obideint Movement and the Third Force are currently polarised over issues of policy and money, investigation shows. Getting the respective groups to come on board has been one of the reasons the campaign council that was promised to take off last week is yet still-born. This division has made the otherwise vibrant and youthful ‘Obidient Movement’ to look like protest marches and not a movement with shared political and social ideas
Do not forget many Nigerians abroad were forced to leave the country in anger and because of the closed opportunities in the country.”
According to Oyinki, funding cannot pose a challenge to the campaign because the many support groups, for instance, are self-funded through crowdfunding from numerous supporters both at home and in the Diaspora.
Another area considered a potential ground for disagreement in the movement is the difference in manifesto of Obi the candidate and the party, LP.
The party, for instance, does not support the privatisation policy of the Federal Government and the removal of oil subsidies, but it supports a public education system that is heavily funded by the government.
Yinusa, who disclosed that the TUC and NLC submitted a charter of demands which have now been collapsed into a policy document of the Obi Campaign Organisation, stated that the anti-corruption centred 7-point policy thrust as unveiled by Obi last weeksecurity, subsidy removal, debt management, Power, Inflation, Gender Parity, Human capital developmentwas agreeable to all members and leaders of the party.
Meanwhile, Obi has announced a website that members and supporters can make donation to fund his presidential campaign
However, the optimism of the LP leaders and members is considered unrealistic by officials of rival parties.
The PDP and APC think they stand a greater chance of carrying the day because they have the structure to deliver on their mandates. Both parties control a larger share of available personnel, appointed and elected officials in the executive and legislature.
That is what the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Debo Ologunaba, called structure.
“How many Senators, governors, representatives and Assembly members does LP have?'' he asked in an earlier interview with THEWILL. “These are the people who are agents of mobilisation for the party in the urban areas and the hinterlands.”
Media Spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, holds a similar position as Ologunaba, though he predicts victory for his party.
Dismissing the outcome of the poll for Obi, he said there was nothing that showed that Obi stood a chance in the 2023 poll. According to him, the Obi popularity is a social media hype and cannot match the APC structure and popularity of its candidate, Tinubu, in any way.
But Ochefu disagrees and, in fact, insists that the prognosis about the upcoming election are in Obi’s favour, saying that, “Obi is not a saint in any way, but considering his past records and his readiness to chart a new course from what the two major parties have been doing and the way they are still operating, is the main attraction.
“Fortunately, the new youthful voting population who are sensitising Nigerians to this only option, coupled with the new voting system with electronic transmission of results, will work in his favour.”
The District Head of Sifawa in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State, HRH Muhammadu Buhari Tambari, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for conferring national honours on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya.
The traditional ruler described the gesture as a testimony to the fact that the Army Chief is doing a great job in securing the country from the problem of insecurity.
"We therefore thank Mr President on behalf of the entire people of Sifawa District for the award." The monarch said this during a community peace stakeholders meeting held in his palace.
He highlighted that the new proactive strategy of attacking the insurgents at their base and accepting the repentant ones to put them into rehabilitation is yielding a positive result toward ending the challenges of insecurity in the country.
He however scored the Chief of Army Staff high on the welfare of soldiers and massive
renovation of army facilities across the country, as well as the provision of arms and up-to-date machinery, especially to those soldiers at the war front.
He also lauded the activities of The Special Task Force codenamed ‘Operation Safe Haven (OPSH)’ adopted by the Nigerian army to fight insurgency in the north.
Tambari said: "The troops of the operation safe haven are doing great work and I believe with more prayers by Nigerians the banditry issue will be a thing of the past, people will soon go back to their farms and continue their normal economic activities.”
The traditional ruler therefore solicited the cooperation of government at all levels for the successful implementation of the Chief of Army Staff’s mandate.
He further appealed to the federal government to continue to provide enough funding to the army for the nationwide successful operation.
Sierra Leone's First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada-Bio; human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN); and Chairperson, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, have been named as headliners of the maiden edition of the Becky Olodo Centre for Empowerment Annual Lecture scheduled to hold virtually via zoom on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 12 noon..
Others listed to also feature in the lecture, which is themed, ‘The Continent Called Africa: Peace, Prosperity and Enduring Democracy,’ include the Founder, TEA, Dr. Lady Waynett Peters; Chairman, NCAKM, Oluseyi Obadare; Founder, Helpline Foundation, Dr. Junai Ahmadu; and Chair/ Founder, Sidi Osho Foundation, Professor Sidi Osho.
The Founder, Becky Olodo Centre for Empowerment, Temitope Olodo, a United Kingdom-based security expert, who is the convener of the annual lecture, said, "Africa is a blessed continent with immense human wealth and great potential to excel but post-COVID19 consequences and the ongoing Ukraine - Russia conflict are some of the major hurdles contributing adversely to the continent's failure to excel."
Assuring that the event would be an explosive and interactive conversation to proffer solutions to the problems facing Africa, Olodo said, "We have seasoned speakers scheduled to participate in this event and they include Sierra Leone First Lady, H.E (Dr) Fatima Maada-Bio, Barrister Femi Falana, Dr (Lady) Waynett Peters and host of others."
The People's Democratic Party governorship candidate in Cross River State, Professor Sandy Onor has paid a consultative visit to stakeholders of Akamkpa Local Gpvernment Area.
Prof Onor, popularly known as Original Caterpillar, promised the stakeholders in Akamkpa 1 State Constituency to restore Cross River to its glorious days.
Onor, who hails from Akamkpa by maternal lineage, visited Akamkpa, Old Nnetim, Obung and Nsan Wards, as well as the chiefs and elders of each of Akamkpa 1.
During the visit, he officially announced to the community his desire to serve the state as the next Chief Executive.
He said, "It was important for me to return home and inform my people of my desire to become the next Governor of Cross River State.
"I am totally committed to the restoration of our state to her glorious days. I will also restore the local government systems, the civil service, and provide basic amenities.
"All these sectors have been in ruins since this Ayade-led administration took over power in 2015."
On their part, the people assured him of their readiness to deliver 99.9 per cent votes to him and all PDP candidates in the forthcoming general election.
The event was attended by the former Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Barr. Effiom Cobahm; Chief Ogban Ebock; the senatorial candidate for Southern Senatorial District, Ntufam Ekpo Okon; the Akamkpa/Biase House of Representatives candidate, Mr Austin Aidam; the Akamkpa 1 State House of Assembly candidate, Mr Collins; and the Akamkpa 2 State House of Assembly candidate, Ntunkai.
Others are the Director-General, Caterpillar Movement, Chief Joe Obi Bisong; the Director-General, Reclaim Cross River Support Group, Paul Ishabor Esq; and the former Director-General, Gershom Bassey Campaign Organisation, Ekpo Ada, Esq.
Pastor Dominion Esang, a sacked residential pastor of the Living Faith Church (aka Winners Chapel) has explained his decision to seek N350 million damages against Bishop Oyedepo and the church.
Pastor Esang, before his dismissal, was a residential pastor at the Palm Street Extension Parish of the Church in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Maths and Statistics graduate of the University of Calabar stressed that though there was nothing wrong with laying him off, what angered him most was that his persecutors failed to follow the Mandate/ Operational Manual used by the ministry to fire erring staff.
Following his dismissal, Pastor Esang sued his former employers at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Calabar Judicial Division, for unlawful termination of his appointment from the ministry without following due process.
The case with Suit No: NICN/CA/25/2022 is between Pastor Dominion Esang (claimant ) and Founder of Living Faith Church World Wide Incorporated, Bishop David Oyedepo, Adebisi Aboluwade and two other defendants.
The dismissed pastor averred that effort to let the General Overseer of the ministry, Dr David Oyedepo, wade into the matter was highly frustrated by a cabal in the church.
Pastor Dominion said, "I was a member of that church for over a decade before training to become a pastor. At least, I have spent more than two decades in the Ministry. That alone makes me a son to our General Overseer, Bishop David Oyedepo.
"According to the Living Faith's operational mandate, before a pastor is sacked, he would first of all be queried with a letter and made to appear before a disciplinary committee to answer some pertinent questions.
"Thereafter he is issued with three warnings before he can be issued a termination of appointment letter. In my case, nothing like that happened.
"Apart from the query that was issued, it was followed immediately with a sack letter, without availing me the opportunity to appear before any disciplinary panel.
"The mandate book serves like a constitution of the organisation. Unfortunately it was never followed, probably because they didn't like my face," he said.
The dismissed pastor said he was a twotime counsellor in one of the council wards in the Apapa area of Lagos before being appointed as Chief of Staff to the Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly.
Dominion explained that he quit his appointment so as to be fully committed to the work of God.
He disclosed that the N350m damages would help him to take care of medicals bills, settle children school fees, house rent and general upkeep, giving the fact that his salary was stopped about a year ago when he was thrown out of job by his persecutors.
Responding to the allegations, the state administrative officer, Living Faith Church World Wide, Cross River State, Den Taiwo denied the allegations.
The situation in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can simply be summed up briefly as ‘one day, one trouble.’ Despite this, the party’s Presidential Campaign Council has resolved to forge ahead with its campaign for the February2023 presidential election.
The PDP has been swimming in a crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary last May. When many Nigerians thought the party had been set free from the noisy atmosphere that it found itself, different issues kept coming up and it knew little or no peace since then.
As a result of this, the PDP had been struggling to find its feet and steady itself for the general election, which is coming up next year.
After the primary election came the face-off over the choice of Atiku’s running mate. As that was still raging, the demand for the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation cape up and with that unresolved, the “housing allowance” issue also surfaced.
There is no telling what will come next for a party that has vowed to rescue the country from the jaws of insecurity and hardship. The major protagonists in the crisis rocking the party is the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who is leading other PDP Governors like Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
The group appears to be bent on derailing the party or slowing its progress unless their demand for Ayu’s exit as chairman and his replacement with a southerner is met.
BY AYO ESAN Atiku AyuAlthough they (Wike and his men) have pulled out of the Presidential Campaign Council of the party, observers believe that they are capable of causing more damage from within. Hopefully such thinking should not be lost on the leadership of the party and watchers of political developments. The fact that they claimed they had pothing against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, should just be taken with a pinch of salt, analysts opined.
It will be foolhardy to dismiss the group and its capacity to cause some damage as the PDP prepares to embark on another journey to Aso Rock. With some of the founding fathers of the party backing it, the group may be hard to dismiss with a wave of the hand, some analysts have pointed out.
Speaking with THEWILL, Comrade Sola Olawale of the Campaign for Democracy actually said, “The group is in the party to cause damage within, while its leader, Wike, has been openly hobnobbing with the leaders of the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Not minding the delicate situation, the leadership of the PDP urged the lead character in the unfolding drama, Atiku Abubakar, to go ahead with his campaign.
Atiku himself underpinned the gravity of the crisis as he appealed, during the inauguration of the party’s presidential campaign council, to aggrieved members of the party to work with and partner the party to win the presidential election.
While the members of the PDP Board of Trustees and other party leaders are in touch and talking with Wike’s group, political observers in the country are watching as to how the “Ayu must go “stance will be resolved.
A commentator described the Ayu question as the main challenge facing the party. Atiku did not mince words when he told Wike that he lacked the power to sack Ayu and that only Ayu can take a decision to resign by himself.
Atiku also said that the national chairman’s removal must follow due process as laid down by the party’s constitution.
With the passing of a vote of confidence on Ayu by the National Executive Committee of the party, its highest decision making organ, after the national convention, Atiku seems to have found himself in a tight angle. Those party leaders backing Ayu believe that sacking him or forcing him to resign now may result in a lengthy court battle and constitutional crisis that may derail the party from its plan to secure victory in next year’s general election.
As it is, many members of the PDP believe that the time to the election is too close and that the party cannot afford to go into
a constitutional crisis now as it may be the end of its planned programme to come back to power after eight years.
However, to the Wike Group, it is Ayu must go or nothing else .They don’t want to hear anything other than Ayu must resign.
Political analysts are also watching with keen interest how the leadership of the party and Atiku will handle the issue of “bogus housing allowances” that is currently causing disquiet within the party. Despite the current challenges, Atiku has shown that he is prepared for the task ahead.
The recent appointments announced by the PDP Presidential Campaign Council were very strategic. Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is one of the appointees. He was appointed special envoy to Atiku and his job is to strengthen the latter’s campaign team.
Also Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim; Sen. Ibrahim Shekarau; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Sen. Ehigie Uzamere were appointed as Special Advisers. Former PDP National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus was appointed as a technical adviser to the campaign team.
Other appointments include Director, Training, Rt. Hon. Austin
Opara, CON; Director, Strategic Communications, Bashorun Dele Momodu; Director, Field Operations, Hon. Umar M. Bature; Director, Finance, Hon. Abdullahi Hussaini MaiBasira; Director, Security and Intelligence, Brig-Gen. Koko Essien (Retd.); Director, Support Group, Dr. Mrs. Baraka Sani; Director, Admin, Alh. Ibrahim Bashir; Director, Legal Affairs, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN; Director, Technical, Nurudeen Taoheed Ademola (Youth); Director, Election Management, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher.
Others are Director, Research, Dr. Sam Amadi; Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs. Sanyaolu Modupeola; Director, International Affairs, Amb. Ahmed Magaji; Director, Voter Intelligence & Strategy, Chief Osita Chidoka; Director, Diaspora Group, Prof. Isah Odidi; Deputy Director, Election Management (South), Rt. Hon. Tolford Ongolo and Deputy Director, Election Management (North), Hon. Chile Igbawua.
As special envoy, Saraki who was the Director-General of Atiku’s campaign in the 2019 presidential election will help in devising a strategy that will help the campaign with his experience.
Saraki is expected to bring his skill in reconciliation and consensus building to the fore, just like he did during his much appreciated leadership of the 8th National Assembly.
Observers believe that Saraki’s appointment would, in a sense, see him continuing in reconciliation of aggrieved members, a continuation of his last assignment as chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC).
With his shrewd and political sagacity, many have praised Atiku for the appointments into his campaign council as they see it as a reflection of inputs from many stakeholders.
The campaign council also announced the schedule of campaigns in various geo-political zones of the country and have already appointed the zonal teams for the campaigns.
The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) is optimistic that it can resolve the issues in time before the elections.
It would be recalled that at a recent meeting with the vice presidential candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the BoT chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the body will meet with Atiku and Wike very soon.
The party is also waiting on the conflict resolution mechanism of the Board of Trustee of the party which has promised to broker peace between Wike’s camp and the National Working Committee led by Ayu.
Atiku himself underpinned the gravity of the crisis as he appealed, during the inauguration of the party’s presidential campaign council, to aggrieved members of the party to work with and partner the party to win the presidential election
One recent occurrence that typifies the nations’ education sector as an area in dire need of rehabilitation is the current shoddy state of Ologbo
Primary and Secondary schools, Ologbo, Obarentin community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo state, formerly called Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria Primary and Secondary school, Ologbo.
In addition to signaling the gory tale of poor leadership, neglect and outright abandonment of responsibility by the Edo state government, the pictures and accompanying commentaries diverted attention from a real threat deserving of healthy and appropriate fear, Federal Government’s fsilure to resolve its impasse with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). More than anything else, the ugly awareness at the school sowed confusion that portrays Edo as a state where leadership has drained then people’s will and now left them with weakened character.
Expectedly many have risen in staunch defence of Governor Godwin Obaseki, saying that blame in the present circumstance may not be the smartest thing do. They argued that when a verdict is passed on someone, it blocks the possibility of knowing who the person is and definitely creates biases, sentiments, prejudice, and also makes the mind become impervious and closed towards either seeing the good sides of the person or the bad sides of the person.
To others, the governor should in the interim be excused because when it comes to making decisions or pursuing purposeful initiatives, leaders naturally fall victim to the trap of unexpected limitations such as inadequate funding, among others. To the rest, achieving sustainable development in a sector such as education takes time. Therefore Obaseki needs to be given more time to perform
before subjecting his performance to critical scrutiny.
Whatever the true position may be, the truth is this piece's latest condemnation of Governor Obaseki’s poor leadership habit is both natural, neutral and perceptual.
The reason is simple. Experience via observation has shown that in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region, leaders are never mentally prepared for the task of leadership. They seem to forget that the more preparation, planning and activation of the execution process they make, the better they perform in the task of leadership.
Supporting the above assertion is the awareness that when one spends time to think about how we approach leadership in Nigeria and asks important questions about how leaders in Nigeria set their priorities, time and funds, it becomes easy to situate the fact that the hallmark of poor performance in Nigeria is not Obaseki specific.
Take as an illustration, a while ago, in a particular intervention, this author highlighted pictures of a similar shoddy state and wicked neglect of Oyoko Primary School, Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta state.
Like the Ologbo Primary and secondary schools situation, the referenced piece underlined disturbing pictures which showed visibly distressed structures with fallen ceilings, windows and doors.
The piece concluded by pointing out that from the pictures and accompanying commentary, it cannot be deemed an overstatement to describe such a ‘scenario’ as deplorable, dehumanising, troubling, in bad light and brazingly in contravention of international best standards and most importantly, a reality that all well-meaning indigenes of Delta State, including our dear governor, should worry about.
Broadly speaking, there are so many reasons why this writer is particularly interested in bringing to the fore these poor courses of action/ inaction chosen ahead of logic by public authority to address the nation’s education sector; their definition of the problem, the goals to be achieved, or the means chosen to address the problems and to achieve the goals.
By analysing each of these elements in turn, it becomes easy to understand the essential ingredients that made great nations what they are today, as well as answer questions as to why others, such as Nigeria, are unsuccessful.
To explain this point, it is believed that policies, plans and strategies are fundamental to progress and development of countries, yet, right from independence, the problem with education in the country very much lies with underfunding, payment of lip service to, and inconsistency in policies driven by several panels set up by the government to recommend measures to enhance the quality of education in the country. This problem is not so much with the recommendations of the various panels but their poor implementation by those entrusted to do so.
If not bad policy and poor implementation, how do we explain governments’ inability to heed the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) budgetary recommendation on education?
What other expression shall we say of a country’s education where researches are not adequately funded and yet, the President allowed hundreds of millions of naira to be spent replacing his plates and cutlery yearly. And what shall we expect from an educational ministry headed by someone who is not an educationist? This may however not be the only explanation.
The judiciary, which is vested with the authority to interpret the laws of our country, has spoken on the industrial action embarked upon by tertiary institutions lecturers in Nigeria since February 14 this year.
In its ruling on Wednesday, September 21,it was held that the striking lecturers must return to the class rooms.
But that verdict had only helped to galvanize the resolve of the discontented lecturers to further dig in their heels.
So the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja which ordered ASUU members back to work in discontinuation of its industrial action might have done its job, but it is a nobrainer for most people to realize that it is a case of barking without being able to bite.
It is therefore such a welcome relief that on Wednesday, October 5 2022, the Appeal court acted wisely by directing the parties to settle the feud out of court.
I have a hunch that judges may have hinged their decision to recommend out of court settlement as the best suited option for resolving the conflict based on the dictum that we are all familiar with you can force the horse to the river,but you can not force it to drink. Which implies that getting teachers back to work should be by persuasion not coercion.
It makes one wonder why the Federal Government took the option of going to court in the first instance. Somehow, in the light of the wisdom not to try the case by the Appeal court judges, who urged the litigants to resolve their dispute amicably outside the court system, the judicial arm of government can be said to be more sensitive to the plight of our youths who have been out of school for over seven (7)months than the executive arm of government that has failed to settle their differences with the striking teachers hence our youths, the leaders of tomorrow, have literally been left in the cold and at the mercy of nefarious ambassadors.
Having failed to succeed in trying to use the court system, the trick of divide and rule in conflict resolution, appears to be a tactic which the FGN seems to have decided to apply via the registration of labor associations formed by break away ASUU members who have decided to form their own unions.
Despite the treachery, the spirit of ASUU members appear to have remained upbeat as reflected by their decision not to back down despite the odds being stacked against them.
It is a development that all well-meaning Nigerians should be concerned about because both sides of the feuding parties seem to be set for a fight to finish without giving serious consideration to the long term implications of the industrial action by the lecturers which may extend beyond the more or less six (6) months remaining life span of the incumbent administration.
In a situation whereby the no-work- no-pay rule aimed at igniting the fear of hunger and starvation as a tool for getting the aggrieved lecturers back to the classrooms have failed to resolve the conflict and the gambit of going to court to compel the lecturers to return to the classroom, which is not an amicable solution by any stretch of the imagination, is also proving to be ineffective. How would the latest antic of sponsoring factions within ASUU to rebel and weaken it be the panacea to the dispute?
The underlying reason for the poser above is that having gone this far in the strike action,(7 months and counting), the aggrieved lecturers must have adopted the strategy of no retreat ,no surrender in this strike that is turning out to be the epic battle of their professional lives.
So l would argue that seeking an end to the crisis in the education sector via court judgement or sponsoring rebellion via fractionalisation of ASUU (straight out of the playbook of politicians who are wont to divide and rule) is detestable.
In fact, the court judgement is turning out to be a Pyrrhic victory for the Federal Governmentsimply because the Appeal court had demurred from deliberating on the matter perhaps because it considers the court forum as inauspicious for the resolution of such a delicate dispute which has more moral content than legal ground.
Even if the judgement were to have been sustained at the appellate court level, we are all familiar with what would potentially be the output of an unmotivated workforce which the lecturers would be, if the Federal Government had succeeded in using the courts to hound them back to the classrooms.
Personally, l am appalled that after it had seemed to me that government might have concluded that it is unwise to continue with the dog fight with lecturers, hence it rescinded its earlier decision to coerce the striking lecturers back to the classrooms via the memo from the National Universities Commission (NUC) directing vice chancellors to re-open the institutions, the standoff has persisted.
Given the recent registration of rival associations in the
academia and the rhetoric from the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, my initial thoughts seem to be too presumptuous.
Before the most recent development, it did not surprise me that ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, in a television interview after the court verdict ordering the lecturers back to the classrooms, expressed the sentiment below:
“It is a catastrophe. No country thinking about the future of its children, thinking about the health of its educational system, who believe in education and whose children are in those universities, will try that.”
The ASUU president’s assessment of government’s action and the court verdict is quite scathing and damning, to say the least.
Worst still, there is even another angle to the strike action which is the likelihood that if the crisis is not resolved amicably, the discontented lecturers may seek greener pastures abroad where their services are highly needed due to the shortage of workers in the advanced countries in Europe and North America as a fall out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to forced closure of businesses that are now re-opening, but are facing a dearth of human resources supply.
Assuming our leaders prefer to easily forget the brain drain that happened in the healthcare sector, which saw our best doctors and nurses migrating abroad where the pay is better and standard of living is higher, we the citizens who bear the brunt are frightened and cannot afford to erase the memory of the exodus of our medical experts abroad and the fear that we may not survive a similar drain in the education sector.
Therefore, we urge the authorities to thread with caution, so that our education sector which was top notch in not too distance past, but now in shambles, does not tip over.
To be clear, l am not absolving ASUU of blame, but only imploring the Federal Government to place the issues squarely on the table for ASUU to appreciate the futility of hoping that the old ways of funding education are sustainable and then propose a new pathway out of the quagmire in a manner that ASUU members would have confidence and even find ways to reason together with the FGN on the way forward.
After all, it was out of the ashes of ASUU strike that the Education Trust Fund, also known as TetFund, a critical source of funding support for higher education, arose via creative thinking by the eggheads.
– August 2022
Aviation is committed to decarbonizing by 2050, in line with the Paris agreement. And the energy transition required to achieve this must be supported by government policies. That is why there is such great anticipation for the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization to reach agreement on a Long-Term Aspirational Goal on aviation and climate change.
The near grounding of aviation during the pandemic highlighted how important aviation is to the modern world. And we will take a giant step towards securing the long-term social and economic benefits of sustainable global connectivity, if the policy-vision of governments is aligned with the industry’s commitment to net zero by 2050,” said Walsh.
In terms of cargo, IATA's released August 2022 data for global air cargo markets, which demonstrated the industry’s resilience amid economic uncertainties indicated that global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), fell 8.3 per cent, compared to August 2021.
According to the body, International traffic between Africa and neighboring regions is close to pre-pandemic levels.
At the global level, IATA's report indicated that traffic is now at 73.7 per cent of pre-crisis levels, adding "Domestic traffic for August 2022 was up 26.5 per cent, compared to the year-ago period.
Total August 2022 domestic traffic was at 85.4 per cent of the August 2019 level. International traffic rose by 115.6 per cent versus August 2021 with airlines in Asia delivering the strongest year-over-year growth rates. August 2022 international RPKs reached 67.4 per cent of August 2019 levels".
Commenting on the development, Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General said, “The Northern Hemisphere peak summer travel season finished on a high note. Considering the prevailing economic uncertainties, travel demand is progressing well. And the removal or easing of travel restrictions at some key Asian destinations, including Japan, will certainly accelerate the recovery in Asia. The mainland of China is the last major market retaining severe COVID-19 entry restrictions.”
The report showed that while there was continued momentum in the air travel recovery, August 2022, capacity was up 45.3% and load factor climbed 10.8 percentage points to 75.9%, the lowest among regions
This was a slight improvement on the yearon-year decline of 9.7 per cent seen in July
The body further explained that capacity was 6.3 per cent above August 2021. This is a significant expansion over the 3.6 per cent year-on-year increase in July..
Listing factors that should be noted in the operating environment, it added that "Global goods trade expanded slightly in August and the additional easing of COVID-19 restrictions in China will positively impact cargo markets. While maritime will be the main beneficiary, air cargo will also receive a boost from these developments."
While noting that Inflation levels in G7 countries slowed for the first time since November 2020, it added that oil prices stabilized in August and the jet fuel crack spread fell from a peak in June.
“Air cargo continues to demonstrate resilience. Cargo volumes, while tracking below the exceptional performance of 2021, have been relatively stable in the face of economic uncertainties and geopolitical conflicts. Market signals remain mixed. August presented several indicators with upside potential: oil prices stabilized, inflation slowed and there was a slight expansion in goods traded globally. But the decrease in new export orders in all markets except the US tells us that developments in the months ahead will need to be watched carefully,” said Walsh,
"African airlines saw cargo volumes increase by 1.0 per cent in August 2022 compared to August 2021. This was a significant improvement on growth recorded the previous month. Capacity was 1.4 per cent below August 2021 levels", the DG explained.
IATA is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences that served as a forum for price fixing.
Consisting in 2016 of 290 airlines, primarily major carriers, representing 117 countries, the IATA's member airlines account for carrying approximately 82 per cent of total available seat miles air traffic.
Continued from page 16
taxed to raise non-oil income. But key private sector operators have been battling to remain in business.
For instance, investigation by THEWILL showed that Nigeria’s major Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms were severely impacted by a tough operating environment in the first quarter of the year (Q1 2022). Spiral inflation, decline in consumer demand, wrong-headed policies, among the others, combined to create a regime of high operating costs for the companies surveyed by this newspaper.
An analysis of the Q1 2022 interim reports revealed that the companies struggled to lift margins. Their profit and revenue haul showed an average 50 percent growth year-onyear, while the key six cost/expenses indices revealed an average 92 percent increase. The selected key cost areas include Tax Expenses, Cost of Sales, Administrative Cost, Sales/Marketing Distribution, Raw Materials/Inventory and Employee Expenses/Entitlements.
Data from the firms’ interim reports posted on their websites showed a significant increase in their operating costs which could lead to downscaling in the firms’ operations, or outright downsizing to remain in business. Stakeholders and industry experts believe that the firms must take drastic measures to avoid sinking in the miry clay of high operating expenses as inflation rages.
The six quoted major FMCG firms surveyed include Nigerian Breweries Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc.
They have a combined market capitalisation of N2.3 trillion and constitute over 60 percent of total market capitalisation of the Consumer Goods Sector amounting to N3.36 trillion as of Friday May 13, 2022.
The combined revenue of the six firms for Q1 2022 was N462.2 billion as against N328.4 billion reflecting a 40.8 percent increase, while profit after tax (PAT) rose by 60.5 percent to N50.3 billion yearon-year against N31.4 billion in the corresponding period. On the average, the two income-yielding windows, combined, grew by 50 percent in the first quarter of 2022.
Nigerian Breweries, Nestle and Dangote Sugar recorded the highest revenue haul of N137.8 billion, N110.3 billion and N94.5 billion respectively during the period; while Nestle, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar posted the highest PAT of N17.9 billion, N13.7 billion and N8.9 billion respectively.
The highest expenses window recorded by the six surveyed firms was in cost of sales (COS) which jumped from N216.3 billion in Q1 2021 to N269.9 billion in Q1 2022, representing a 24.8 percent increase. The COS is the accumulated total of all costs used to create a product or service which has been sold. It represents the direct costs related to the manufacturing of goods and services that are sold. Nigerian Breweries, Dangote Sugar and Nestle posted the highest COS
The provisional budget is the largest in the history of Nigeria’s fiscal policy administration. It is massively expansionary. Compared with the 2016 budget of N6.06 trillion first formulated by the Buhari administration in 2016, the 2023 budget estimate is 238.5 percent higher
of N75.4 billion, N75 billion and N67 billion respectively.
The companies’ raw/packaging materials inventories showed a total of N161.4 billion during the three months of the year, a 20 percent rise from N134.7 billion spent in the corresponding period in 2021. Nigerian Breweries report showed N54.7 billion worth of raw/packaging materials inventory during the period. Others are Dangote Sugar and Nestle with N48.2 billion and N32.3 billion respectively.
Employee expenses/entitlements during the period grew by 23 percent to N63.6 billion from N51.8 billion posted in Q1 2021, with Unilever recording the highest employee/ personnel expenses/entitlements of N37.9 billion followed by Nigerian Breweries with N13.6 billion. The other higher number was that of Nestle which recorded N8.4 billion.
Sales/marketing/distribution expenses by the six firms totalled N57.9 billion against N40.5 billion in the corresponding period which reflects a 43.3 percent increase. Nigerian Breweries recorded N32.2 billion, followed by Nestle and Guinness with N14.3 billion and 8.3 billion respectively.
Tax expenses by the surveyed firms rose by 66.5 percent to N26 billion from N15.6 billion in Q1 2022 with Nestle, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar posting the highest: N9.9 billion, N7.2 billion and N4.8 billion respectively. Two companies recorded net losses on foreign exchange transactions: Nigerian Breweries N1.9 billion and Guinness N286 million.
Music act, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has been a keen follower and supporter of the PDP. His uncles are members of the party. One of them, the late Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, was a former governor of Osun State and the other, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is the current governor-elect of the state. By extension, Davido is in support of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition. The latter has equally reciprocated the love the singer has shown his party by rocking to his music Stand Strong while unveiling his five star recovery plan last week.
Nollywood actor and producer, Funke Akindele, is not only Atiku Abubakar’s supporter, but also the running mate to Olajide Adediran, the PDP candidate in the 2023 Lagos State governorship election, for which she has had to put her acting career on hold. She has been using her platform to campaign for both herself and Atiku.
Bright Osemudiame, a former Big Brother Naija Housemate, showed his support for the presidential candidate of the PDP earlier this month after he joined his colleagues in paying a courtesy visit to the politician. One of the reasons the reality show star visited Abubakar was to canvas for youth empowerment and involvement when Abubakar becomes the president. He might have been silent since then about the coming elections, but his visit to the politician is a pointer to the fact that he is rooting for the PDP in 2023.
Nollywood actor, John Okafor, also known as Mr Ibu, has never hidden his love for Atiku Abubakar and the need to support his ambition to become the next President of Nigeria. He reiterated this fact when he had to correct a misconception after honouring an invitation of Bola Tinubu, the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Many people had assumed that he had pitched his tent with Tinubu. But the comic act made it known that his choice candidate is the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar. He revealed this even before Atiku declared his intention to run for the position. According to him, his support for the former Vice President of Nigeria is as a result of personal conviction and Atiku’s pedigree. The politician has been a benefactor to the actor, who sees him as a father and he has said that he would not abandon him at a time he needs him.
The actor clarified that if he is seen with any other candidate, it means his service as an actor was needed there at that time but that it does not mean he has shifted his allegiance from his benefactor. "I've never run sideways, it's been me and Atiku who has helped me in so many ways and if he is running for president certainly Atiku is my candidate. Atiku is like a father to me, having worked for him even in his own state, so I wouldn't abandon him. I'm not trying to pull Tinubu down but he's not my candidate, Atiku is my candidate.
Anybody I visited is just simply a visitation. As an actor they wanted me to assist them in one way or the other. That does not mean I've abandoned my candidate and father," he said.
Singer cum actor, Bankole Wellington, a.k.a BankyW, was a member of the Modern Democratic Party (MDP) through which he cut his political teeth in 2019 but wasn't successful at the polls. He had to defect to the PDP where he clinched a ticket to contest in the National Assembly election in Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, Lagos. Wellington recently and openly endorsed Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition. He gave Atiku a befitting welcome when he visited Eti-osa Federal Constituency. He has been canvassing votes for Atiku and himself, using his platform.
Reality show star and former BBN housemate, Chukwuemeka
Okoye, popularly known as Frodd, is one of the youths rooting for the PDP presidential candidate. He was one of the youths who visited the politician in the company of some of his fellow housemates and other content creators.
eno Omokri, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan. is a staunch supporter of Atiku Abubakar. He considers Atiku as the best presidential candidate because of his antecedents as the Vice President of Nigeria. Omokri uses his platform to encourage Nigerians to vote for his preferred candidate because he is 'healthy.' The controversial social media influencer was pictured presenting a t-shirt to his favourite presidential candidate after endorsing him.
Bolanle Okusanya
Feyita, first daughter of foremost late undertaker, Tunji Okusanya, has remembered her late father and brother, nine years after their unfortunate demise.
Tunji Okusanya and his son, Tunji Okusanya Jr, lost their lives on October 2013 at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) after suffering injuries sustained from the Lagos Cargo plane crash which occurred same day. They were on board the cargo plane transporting the corpse of a former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Agagu to Akure for a lying-in-state and burial. Okusanya was the boss of popular funeral service home, Magbamawo Industrial Company, otherwise known as MIC Casket.
The Okusanya-led M.I.C undertakers were one of the biggest funeral service
companies in Nigeria. The company provided services for some of the biggest names in the country and a number of celebrities.
After the sad event, Bolanle Okusanya-Feyita, who was a renowned make-up artiste, returned to Nigeria to continue the legacies of her late father and brother whom the father was grooming to carry on with the business after his retirement.
Bolanle set up her business with a new name, LTJ. LTJ, which is the short form of her father's and brother's name, Olatunji to keep their memories alive. She celebrated their ninth anniversary with a tribute and prayer session last week. Tributes have since been pouring in for the late funeral service home boss and his son, while friends and family offered smoothing words of consolation for OkusanyaFeyita.
Asilent war is brewing between the duo of Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor and Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo State Governor over the installation of traditional rulers in four communities.
Akeredolu, through the AttorneyGeneral of Ondo State and Commissioner of Justice, Sir Charles Titiloye, had approved the installation of four traditional rulers in Irokun, Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi seaside communities. However, Abiodun was not pleased with the development as he claims the communities belong to Ogun State and not Ondo
State as stated by Akeredolu's administration.
According to Abiodun, the four communities are recognised by law as part of Ogun State. The documents to prove that dat e back to the colonial era and several Federal Government agencies can attest to the fact that those areas belong to Ogun State Government.
However, Akeredolu also insisted that the four communities which Abiodun is laying claims on have been part of Ondo State from time immemorial as some of the communities are part of the royal dynasty of Maporure of Aheriland in Ilaje Local Government
Area of Ondo State and they are not even border communities.
The ownership tussle started after Akeredolu declared Araromi seaside a tourism zone in 2022. He flagged off the construction of a road to link Akodo community in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area in Lagos State. The Governor partnered with La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort boss, Wanle Akinboboye to turn the area to a tourism haven. The huge revenue to be generated by the tourism plan caused an ownership tussle between the two states as they have both been laying claims on the four communities.
African leading female drummer, Aralola Olumuyiwa, may have paid her dues in the entertainment industry as a female drummer of repute, but she is now diverting her attention to cater for Lagos urchins who she has tagged 'Good Boys and Girls.' Her passion to elevate the status of some of these street boys and girls was inspired while she was a cultural ambassador a few years ago.
The talented entertainer, who has traveled widely met some uniquely talented street boys in the course of propagating the indigenous culture the nation is blessed with. She decided to put her new found passion in nurturing these new talents through her reality show tagged, 'Eko Inspire Me Academy'.
The show aims at saving young Lagosians who have helplessly resigned themselves to the darkness of street-life. Having had a hearttouching and deeply revealing interactions with them, the singer was inspired against tagging the youngsters in derogatory language as has been the status quo. The reality show will feature a multi-faceted process with talentbased and competitive selection of boys and girls from the flash points in Lagos State. They will be awarded scholarships and other life-enhancing opportunities while a winner will eventually emerge. The Academy would eventually turn to an annual event and would travel to other states of the federation.
His Royal Highness, Samson Ogugu, the Osuvie of Agbarho kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State can heave a sigh of relief now after battling to reclaim his throne for four years.
The traditional ruler has been restored to his position amidst tight security. It started in 2018 when the monarch was illegally deposed from the throne by angry youths who have been complaining of his leadership style. The community had always been complaining of the tyrannical nature of Ogugu.
It was alleged that the ruler displayed a level of high handedness and greed against the people of the kingdom.
He would allegedly pitch some members of his community against themselves while allegedly collecting monetary reward to give out chieftaincy titles. When the youths were tired of his attitude, he was chased out of the palace and a new king, William Onokpite, was installed in his place by
the Isuchehe of the kingdom. However, Ogugu continued to parade himself from his hideout as the legally instituted monarch as some members of the community were still backing him up. The two factions created confusion and unrest in the community that the state government, who was not in support of the removal of the monarch, had to step in to resolve the crisis.
After a back and forth, the state government succeeded in reinstating Ogugu to his position while removing William Onokpite.
The social scene was agog last week when his Royal Highness, Oba Saheed Elegushi, threw a lavish wedding party for his younger sister, Omolara Elegushi and her beau, Bolaji Shittu at the prestigious event centre, Monarch Event Center owned by one of the wives of the traditional ruler, Queen Sekinat Elegushi.
The beautiful bride, Omolara is the last of the children of the late Oba Yekini Elegushi, the former traditional ruler of Elegushi of Ikateland who is Oba Saheed Elegushi's father. It was a parade of class, elegance and dignitaries as
the hall which played host to the event was filled with guests.
The event was anchored by Gbenga Adeyinka while Laolu Gbenjo was on the band stand to thrill guests to high life music. Oba Elehushi played the role of the bride's father while the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who honoured the royal father and the couple with his presence officiated the cutting of the cake. Being one of the respected monarchs in Lagos State, other traditional rulers in Lagos and Ogun were in attendance to honour one of their own.
The Tinubu-Shetima Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the opposition party as "a leopard that cannot change its spot," even as it advised it to desist from "its hallucinations and concentrate on rescuing itself before even thinking of ‘rescuing’ Nigeria."
Reacting on Friday, to a statement by the PDP Campaign Council, alleging that the APC is not ready to govern Nigeria, the Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/ Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), who is also the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, said the statement "is most ironic and unfortunate." describing it as the "most outlandish statement, coming from the PDP at a time it has become the theatre of the most absurd in this country."
The statement obtained by THEWILL read in full, "Our attention has been drawn to a statement by the PDP Campaign Council alleging that the APC is not ready to govern Nigeria.
''This most outlandish statement, coming from the PDP at a time it has become the theatre of the most absurd in this country, is most ironic and unfortunate. It reminds us of the Yoruba parable of the audacious thief summoning the effrontery to accuse the farm owner of illegal trespass before the farm owner could raise the alarm.
''Firstly, in the past few weeks, the PDP has entertained Nigerians with scandalous issues that show the party remains a clear and present danger or threat to Nigeria’s treasury and equity. In the last few days, the public space has been inundated with allegations made by no less a person than a prominent Governor of the PDP accusing its National Chairman of being patently corrupt and of collecting a bribe of N1 billion from one of its candidates.
''The Governor even threatened to ‘reveal more’ if there was a denial. The Party Chairman, Ayu, is yet to deny or debunk this allegation for fear of being stripped
totally bare in public. Is this the party that claims it is ready for governance and that Nigerians can trust? A party without any iota of shame?
''Instead of hiding his head in shame, the same Ayu went on a bribing spree, crediting the accounts of members of the NWC in a desperate and laughable attempt to hang on to office. Is this the party Nigerians can trust? Is this the party ready to govern Nigeria?
''Meanwhile, some Governors within the PDP have openly expressed reservation as to the capacity of the party leadership to deliver on its often touted promise to restructure and unite Nigeria when it is getting increasingly clear they are incapable of restructuring and unifying their own party to start with. This is owing to the fact that their party has a Northern Presidential candidate and a Northern Party Chairman and also ignored the principle of zoning because its perennial presidential hopeful cannot cede the opportunity to others in the spirit of national inclusion and cohesion, having consistently put his own personal interest above national interest. These concerns were expressed by some PDP Governors themselves. It is like hearing from the horse’s mouth. Need we say more? These frank and honest Governors are doing the Lord’s work for us.
''Every week, we are treated to a new revelation about the PDP crisis and its profligate and thieving nature. A leopard can hardly change its spot, which means that the PDP is not repentant of its old ways. Certainly, Nigerians are not ready to be deceived again by these comic characters.
''We can all vividly recall the famous Dasukigate where the money allocated for national security was shared among party chieftains whilst Boko Haram was ravaging the country. We are yet to recover from that trauma and the PDP is showing us that their patented technology for sharing sleazy funds is alive. It appears all their pipelines for siphoning and redistributing public funds are still very much intact and are, in fact, steaming to return to full operation.
Four Corps members of the 2021 Batch C, stream 1, of the national youth service corps (NYSC) in Sokoto State, are to repeat their service year.
The NYSC Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Muhammad Nakamba, disclosed this at the passing out ceremony of 2021 Batch C, stream 1, corps members in Sokoto.
He also said two corp members will have their service extended by three weeks for misconduct and abscondment.
The State Coordinator maintained that NYSC is a scheme of reward and punishment stressing that the scheme has zero tolerance for truancy and would not hesitate to punish any erring corps member.
According to Nakamba, out of 872 corps members who passed out, two males and females were shortlisted for the Sultan meritorious award for their outstanding contributions to the development of the state during their service year.
He further explained that the scheme posted a high number of corps medical personnel to the rural areas where they are most needed.
He urged the outgoing corps members to be good ambassadors of the scheme wherever they found themselves, wishing them success in their future endeavours and also safe journeys to their various destinations.
He advised them to maximise the gain of skills acquired during the service year stressing that white-collar jobs are not easy to get by nowadays.
He congratulated the Director General of the scheme, Brig-Gen Muhammad Fadah, for successfully spending hundred days in office, praying that God should grant him more wisdom to pilot the affair of the scheme.
The NYSC boss thanked Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State for sustaining the corps monthly allowance, which he said has helped many corps members in the state.
"Let me use this opportunity to thank His Excellency the Executive Governor of Sokoto State for his unflinching support to the scheme especially the payment of monthly allowance to the corps members posted to the state, the gesture is unequal'' he stated.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said that his administration completed all the abandoned projects it inherited from previous administrations, and paid the backlog of several allowances payable to political office holders that served in the state between 1999 and 2022.
Governor Fayemi disclosed this on Friday, when he presented the State-of-the-State Address at the State House of Assembly, as part of activities marking his end of tenure as Governor of the state.
The Governor, who admitted that a lot still needed to be done in terms of development in the state, maintained that his administration successfully laid a solid foundation and set an enduring socio-economic path for successive administrations to build on.
He explained that his administration sustained its focus in fulfilling its promises along the five-point developmental agenda of restoring the values and dignity of Ekiti, as well as tackling the infrastructural deficit and developing the economy.
Dr Fayemi used the opportunity of the session, which was attended by top government functionaries, members of the State Executive Council and the State Assembly, as well as traditional rulers, to express gratitude to critical stakeholders including his predecessors, his wife, the State Executive council, legislators, judiciary, Ekiti state civil service, development partners, traditional rulers, religious leaders and host of others.
Dr Fayemi also hinted that the Ekiti International Airport has become a dream come true and would be inaugurated in the coming week. He added that the Airport is of CAT-9 4E category and can accommodate a huge Aircraft like Boeing 747-400 with a runway length of 3.2kilometre.
The Governor, who received thunderous applause from the audience highlighted some achievements the administration recorded in the areas of Social investment, knowledge economy, and infrastructural and industrial development. He said his administration built and rehabilitated more schools and roads than all the previous administrations combined.
He also solicited prayers, support, suggestions, and guidance for the incoming administration of Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji to enable him to consolidate the achievement that has been made in the past years.
“As a government, every sector of our social life and economy received adequate attention. Social services, education, healthcare, agriculture, water supply, and road constructions were prioritized and given the deserved attention.
“The journey we started on October 16, 2018, will end in the next few days. We made the best of the mandate given to us by the Ekiti people and evidence abounds that a great future awaits us as a people and State. We came into office on the promise of restoring the values and dignity of our people, tackling infrastructural decay, and developing the economy.
“We have remained focused on the mission and fulfilling our promises along the lines of our 5-points development agenda and are honoured to bring you the following feedback.
“Therefore, the JKF2.0 administration has bequeathed a governing template to Ekiti people that successive governments can own, improve upon and deploy for the general well-being of our people.”
BY JUDE OBAFEMI
Unrestrained fanaticism and unbridled passion are two explosive ingredients that often metamorphose into acts of brigandage and violence when an adrenaline-filled game like football is involved and when an unruly set of fans are on rampage. Easily explained as fan exuberance in its more positive light of the exhilaration, excitement and elation, when winning, or pain, agony and tears, when losing, it always carries a tendency to go to extremes with a trail of acts of violence, destruction, blood and deaths in its wake. When combined with irresponsible policing, the illegal use of tear gas in confined spaces as these stadiums often aren and the violent employment of batons in a failed attempt at crowd control, all the ingredients for disaster are at hand. That was how it came to be that no fewer than 131 people died in the early hours of Sunday last week in the postmatch stampede at the venue of a domestic game between local rivals in Indonesia to become one of the deadliest stadium fatalities in history.
There was an indication that violence could erupt during the game from the onset. It was concerning to authorities, given the rivalry and the precedence of bad blood that existed between the two clubs: Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya. The October 1 fixture was billed for a late kickoff but so concerning was the threat of violence that the football association of the domestic League mulled the decision to shift it to a daytime match to minimise the dangers that a
breakdown of law and order posed for the players, match officials, fans, residents and police, as well. The very concrete basis for this trepidation was grounded on a history of tensions that have their origins outside football itself. It dates to the rivalry between Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city and the locale of the Persebaya Surabaya club, and Malang, about two hours’ drive away, which is home to Arema FC.
Both cities have been making the case to being the best city in East Java and this has been fraught with such animosity that the locals have become incompatible with one another. In the 1980s, there was a perception in Surabaya that the inhabitants of Malang did not know how to conduct themselves because they had caused trouble in other people's cities, specifically by making noise and upsetting the populace of Surabaya with their actions and remarks. On the other hand, Malang people regard Surabaya residents as erratic and unreliable. The antagonistic split between these two neighbouring but rival residents reached the point that the mutual
hostility infiltrated their football, making it a boiling pot on the verge of tipping over. Indeed, there have been clashes between fans of both clubs that were destructive. For instance, after a brawl involving these fans in February 2020, the result was damage totaling 250 million rupiah ($18,000). Recently, during and following the East Java Governor's Cup semifinals, which saw Persebaya defeat Arema 4-2, fights were reported outside the stadium.
It was therefore understandable why the AllIndonesian Football Association (abbreviated as PSSI) was pensive ahead of the October 1 encounter between the sides and did not think it was a good idea to have the match played late in the day. However, a set of precautionary measures were taken to retain the late kickoff. All visiting fans, of Persebaya were disallowed from the game and the number of security personnel deployed to the stadium to keep the peace was beefed up to present a show of force that will discourage indiscipline. Details that will emerge in the aftermath of the tragedy will demonstrate that these policemen were of the opinion that they were entering a situation with the potential to become hostile and came ready to dispel any disturbances in much the same way that they did in riot instances.
Furthermore, there were conditions that predisposed any crisis occurrence to end with a string of causalities. The Kanjuruhan Stadium, the venue of the fixture, was supposed to have only 38,000 fans in its 42,000 capacity, especially as visiting fans were barred from watching live. It was capped at 38,000
The avoidable tragedy is a veritable lesson for the football world
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need for the exemplary display of patriotic fervour over and above personal sentiments and familial cronyism has been elevated to the front burners of national discourse in the conversation around the belated repatriation of artefacts looted from their ancestral homesteads in Old Benin Kingdom during the dark period of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism.
The case in question relates to the sustained discord between the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II and the Executive Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, over these artefacts due to be returned and where they will be housed upon their return.
While they are in agreement on the need for these cultural, historical and spiritual objects of extreme significance to the people of the ancient kingdom to be returned to their place of origin, they are at vari ance as to where they should be preserved upon their arrival at the homestead.
The tendency that this discord could potentially derail the hard work put into this lengthy process of actually getting back these bronze works from the length and breadth of the globe where they are earning wealth and prestige for their current holders is a disturbing reality. The long-winded process to recover the items is extensive, but the artefacts can be traced to the reign of Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, who was enthroned in 1888.
Due to trade disagreements in the 19th century, ten sions rose between Benin and its main trading partner, Great Britain. The situation worsened even more as the European powers tried to partition Africa into colonial areas. The crisis came to a head in 1897 when, in spite of the Oba's requests for them to desist from venturing into Benin, a sizeable delegation headed by Britain's Acting Consul-General in the area, James Phillips, left for Benin City with intentions to seize the throne.
The British delegation was ambushed on January 12 by an Edo army that, by all accounts, did not have the Oba's consent. The majority of the group, including Phillips, died in the ambush.
A massive British military force, known as the Punitive Expedition, was quickly put together under the command of Sir Harry Rawson. On February 18, 1897, they landed in Benin City with orders to invade and take it over. Oba Ovonramwen escaped capture, but later surrendered and was exiled to Calabar in the company of two of his wives. The disruption of the regular life of the royal court was intentional, just as the wealth of the palace was consid ered war booty.
The British garnered all they could loot and auctioned a good number to help pay for the invasion. Others were distributed among the personnel and officers of the ex peditionary force. Benin's royal arts became a great topic of discussion when Rawson and his soldiers returned to London with their loot. They immediately attracted the attention of museums, especially those in Britain and Germany, who made attempts to acquire the items for their collections. Eventually, the bronze works from Benin ended up in galleries and museums throughout Europe and the US.
Over the intervening years, succeeding Obas have not forgotten the pillaging of their palace and the usurping of their heritage. Joining with successive governments in Nigeria, they exerted soft pressure to regain posses sion of the items of heritage and significance across the globe, but the process has been painfully slow and even more unyielding. In 1938, the British returned portions of Oba Ovonramwen's coral regalia to his grandson Oba Akenzua II, in a gesture of immense significance to the Edo people.
More recently, in October 2021, two of the looted artefacts were returned to the Benin Kingdom. One was a bronze
cockerel artefact, known as "Okpa" to the kingdom, from the Jesus College of the University of Cambridge, England. The artefact, which adorned the College, was brought down in 2016 as a result of student activism, which argued against the university's continued posses sion of the colonial relic, but a decision to have it repatri ated was made in 2019. It was presented to the National Commission for Museum and Monument, in a ceremony presided over by Edo State representatives and Professor Abba Issa Tijani.
The University of Aberdeen in Scotland returned the sec ond artefact: A sculptural piece depicting the head of an Oba, "Uhunwun Elao" for the Benin people. The bronze sculpture was purchased at an auction by the university in 1957 and Professor George Boyne, the school's prin cipal and vice chancellor, acknowledged that returning the bronze sculpture was the only moral and reasonable course to follow.
The joy of the Benin people, who have welcomed the fruits of decades-old push for these repatriations, is further boosted by the knowledge that more of such arte facts are in the process of being restored to their King dom. In July 2021, Monica Grutters, the German Minister of State for Culture, confirmed that Germany was set to return no fewer than 1,130 Benin bronzes that were in German museums during a meeting with Lai Moham med, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, and a Nigerian delegation.
Grutters admitted that Germany's objective was to ad dress its colonial past and that museums holding these bronzes had agreed to cooperate. However, while there seems to be better cooperation and congruence abroad, there appears to be less in Edo State and the home of the artefacts themselves. The bone of contention is a lack of consensus on where to house these treasures and, un fortunately, the governor and the Oba have diametrically opposed notions of this housing conundrum.
Governor Obaseki is aiming for a professionally run Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA), where the artefacts will be handled in identical manner as they were handled in museums and galleries and exhibitions abroad. Yet, beyond the artefacts, the former chairman of the board of directors of one of the most reputable investment banking and management firms in Nigeria, Afrinvest, which he founded in 1995, wants to create a cultural centre and a tourist hub with the opportunity of these artefacts.
In his conceptual mindset, he is trying to recreate some of the cultural assets of the old Benin Kingdom along side the artefacts under the management of intellectuals with the cognate know-how and experience to keep to
EMOWAA's core mandate of supporting the preserva tion of West African heritage and culture and making it an investment from which the kingdom and the state can benefit. To this end, the governor established a Trust, the EMOWAA Trust, under the chairman ship of Phillip Iheanacho ahead of the return of these artefacts.
None of these have gone down well with the Oba because as far as the Palace is concerned, there is only one rightful place for the sculptures looted from the Palace and that is the Palace itself. While express ing the kingdom's gratitude to Germany for the 1,130 artefacts, the Oba insisted that they will be housed in a planned transformational museum to be built within the ambit of the Palace, which will be constructed as part of a new cultural district in the area and called the Benin Royal Museum.
As the appropriate custodian of the cultural and tradi tional accoutrements of the kingdom, the Oba believes these artefacts properly belong in the Palace and the royal museum. Any other options will be against the crown, ancestry and people of the kingdom from where they originated. He also noted that working in consonance with the governor, he had acquired addition al plots of land from different families within the Adesog be area near the Palace for the purpose of building this museum and a 2019 budgetary allocation of N500 million had been earmarked for its construction in collaboration with the Oba’s Palace and the Benin Dialogue Group, a multilateral group of major museums across Europe.
That was why the Oba viewed with questionable sus picion the January 2020 incorporation of the company Legacy Restoration Trust Limited, which was purported to take charge of the funding and establishment of the EMOWAA as being tantamount to foul play.
Oba Ewuare II escalated the situation by requesting that the Federal Government take custody of the returned artefacts on behalf of the Palace until the Benin Royal Museum was prepared for their collection, insisting that under no circumstances should the custody of our ancient artefacts be given to any privately contrived entity like Legacy Restoration Trust.
It is well to note that the governor has himself reiterated that he will not cross issues with the Palace as both are on the same side, but sadly, the opposite appears to be the case as both the Oba and Obaseki till date have not been able to have an honest tête-à-tête, where issues of discord will be laid out bare and ironed out squarely for the sake of the kingdom and the state.
I am told by sources with knowledge of the bickering that the Oba has been rebuffing attempts by Obaseki to meet with him over the proposed new museum.
It is obvious that they both mean well and, as sons of the Benin Kingdom, cannot be assumed to be fighting them selves at a time when efforts to repossess our artefacts are yielding dividends.
The peaceful coexistence of the state and the Palace is all the more necessary when taken alongside the promise from a London museum, the Horniman, to return arte facts in their possession numbering about 72, including a key to the King’s Palace, 12 brass plaques, known as Benin Bronzes and a brass cockerel.
The south-east London-based museum disclosed that it consulted with community members, visitors, schoolchil dren, academics, heritage professionals and artists based in Nigeria and the United Kingdom before deciding to do the moral and appropriate act of returning the artefacts.
It is now up to the state and the Palace to do the respon sible thing, put their sentiments and affiliations aside and work together for the sake of the continued return of their artistic and cultural heritage from around the world.
While there seems to be better cooperation and congruence abroad, there appears to be less in Edo State and the home of the artefacts themselves. The bone of contention is a lack of consensus on where to house these treasures