THEWILL NEWSPAPER September 11, 2022

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www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA As Greed, Infighting Divide Southern Leaders, North Moves to Consolidate Power PAGE 16 EcosystemBoostingBankPaymentGlobacom’sServiceSeenMSME UBA HYUptrendEarningsSustainsin2022 PAGE 16 PAGE 22 •Atiku, Ayu Call Wike’s Bluff •Rivers Governor, Makinde Fight on, DemandBalance of Power •Tambuwal Tipped as Campaign Director-General Head of CommonwealthThe Price: N250 SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 • VOL . 2 NO. 37 Financial inclusion: HOME NEWS FROM ABROAD?

Onah Nwachukwu Editor, THEWILL @onahluciaaDOWNTOWN +2349088352246

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But romance also reflects in death. If you think about it, like Romeo and Juliet, they couldn’t live without one another, so they took their life when one thought the other was Thisdead.kind of romance is also common in couples who have been together for a very long time. If you think about it, they usually have spent more years with this partner than they have, even with their family, and so when one dies, a literal part of the remaining couple goes with the one who is gone. And more often than not, after a few months or a year, the one left behind joins their beloved. I think that’s really Soromantic.itwasno

Head of CommonwealthThe APRIL 21, 1926 SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 Say Hello GrammytoAwardNominee RamadanHydratedToFruitsHelpYouStayThis THIS SOUND CONNOISSEUR WAS BORN FOR MUSIC AppearanceSpectrumAustismDisorder5EasyStepstoReduceTheofDarkCirclesDiscoverTheHealingPowerOfSoundBathsWhatYouShouldKnowAboutBye-ByeRacoonEyes Pressure?Under New Edition Available Every Sunday @ 6am Nigerian Time Scan the QR Code to Download current edition Scan The QR Code to Read on Website Or Visit  www. thewilldowntown.com Scan The QR Code to Read on Issuu

That was the question a friend posed to me when years ago, I was in a new relationship after what could have been termed a devastating break-up previously and was in love with this new person as much as I was with the ex. A hopeless romantic is what I thought I was.

IS WHOLLYNOWDIGITAL

Now, that’s the true meaning of romance. Until next week, enjoy your read.

Romance is different for everyone. Some people like elaborate gestures, while others prefer simple private gestures. The kind of romantic you are often depends on your personality. But some people are always in love; they call them hopeless romantics (Read Page 6). One relationship ends, and 10 months later, they are in a new one professing the same feelings for the current partner as they did with the previous one. The question, though, is: Are you really in love or in love with the idea of love?

surprise when the news broke Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II had passed 17 months after her beloved Prince Phillip. If you read a little about their relationship, you will know they were together for over 70 years. That’s more than the lifetime of some people. Theirs was a romantic relationship in which he was her all, and I, like most of the people I know, feared she wouldn’t be here much longer after his death.

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The source added that the party and its candidate had made attempts to placate the Rivers State governor to no avail and it was time the party called his bluff. National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Debo Ologunagba, refused to elaborate on the issue. He only said that the statement he issued after the NEC meeting would suffice.

This confidence vote effectively foreclosed calls by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his group for Ayu to be sacked in order to ensure regional balance in the party. The Wike group is made up of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and their Abia and Benue counterparts, Okezie Ikpeazu and Samuel Ortom, respectively, as well as their associates.

•Atiku, Ayu Call Wike’s Bluff •Rivers Governor, Makinde Fight on, Demand Balance of Power •Tambuwal Tipped as Campaign Director-General

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BY AMOS ESELE

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PDP: As Greed, Infighting Divide Southern Leaders, North Moves to Consolidate Power

olitics as a matter of interest may be unclear as an idea until it begins to shape outcomes in the affairs of power players as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, displayed on Thursday last week during its 97th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

COVER

A dependable source in the party, who spoke with THEWILL on the condition of anonymity said: “This

confidence vote is calling Wike’s bluff. He is not the party and cannot dictate how the party runs its affairs henceforth. I also heard his reaction, saying the presidential candidate promised him after the presidential primary that he would ensure that Ayu stepped down to achieve regional balance. How? Assuming the promise is true, can the candidate undo what the party at a convention did by electing members of the National Working Committee led by the National Chairman?”

Coming just 20 days to the official kick-off of electioneering campaigns on September 28, 2022, the meeting, which had in attendance party leaders comprising serving and exstate governors, National Assembly members, chairmen of state chapters and National Working Committee members, had to take a firm stand on personal and governance issues posed by what is now called the ‘Wike vs Atiku and PDP crisis’ and forge ahead.

The NEC passed a vote of confidence on the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Dr. Iyorchia Ayu “for effectively managing the affairs of the party and restated its confidence in the NCW to lead the PDP to victory in the 2023 general election.”

However, the Vice-Chairman of the party for SouthSouth, Chief Dan Orbih, told THEWILL that he was busy and could not comment on party matters for now.

Wike, on his part, has said he would fight on until the party gives its chairmanship to the South, accusing Atiku of being arrogant and stubborn because his presidential bid is being supported by interests in the presidential villa. He however warned the PDP flag bearer not to forget the way the same presidential interests backed Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, during the APC presidential primary but eventually failed in their bid to Lawan on the party as its presidential flagbearer.

In Oyo State, Taiwo Adisa, Media Aide to Governor Makinde, did not respond to calls to his mobile number. But Engr Akeem Olatunji, PDP spokesperson in the state, said the party was in full support of the governor and the party’s presidential candidate, but added that what “Governor Wike and Makinde are saying in the party are patriotic calls for inclusion so that the party can work in fairness and equity.’’

resign as chairman to create geo-political balance in the “Now,party. when we finished our convention on Sunday, the candidate of the party came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30 am. The candidate told me that he wanted us to work together. Then he said: “Look, Ayu must go. I said, why? He (Atiku) said because when a candidate comes from the North, the Chairman will come from the South,” Wike said at an event in Rivers State last week daring the presidential candidate to deny it.

...North Moves to Consolidate Power

Wike, Bode George and Makinde appear to be the only prominent figures from the South in the PDP openly challenging Atiku and Ayu to balance power between the north and THEWILLSouth.reached out to the Atiku Campaign for comments on Wike’s claim but there was no response as at Friday night. However, Ologunaba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary declined to comment on the allegation, saying he only speaks for the party. But a source close to the presidential candidate dismissed Wike’s claim as another smokescreen to continue what he calls the governor’s “anti-party activities.”

THEWILL investigation however shows that with the vote of confidence passed on the NCW and National Chairman, Ayu, the PDP’s key stakeholders from the North are consolidating their hold on the party. The change of place at the Board of Trustees, BoT, level is not significant enough to alter the status quo within the party because that position is advisory and lacks powers to enforce rules or command obedience.

Meanwhile, the party has commenced plans to inaugurate campaign committees across the three tiers of governance in the country, while the Governors Forum is expected to wade into the lingering crisis in the party soon.

To forge ahead, the party is said to be strategising to concentrate work in the North where the dominance of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is being threatened by the same faith ticket, life-threatening insecurity and waning influence of President Muhammadu Buhari due to the bad state of the economy.

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context, the party leaders are also working on the findings that the commitment of Wike’s team may not be as strong as the Rivers State Governor is saying publicly. Strong, powerful as governors are in their respective states, an outgoing governor is often less influential as their tenure draws down.

He told THEWILL: “I speak for the party. What happened at the party’s NEC meeting is that a vote of confidence was passed on the NCW led by the National Chairman, Dr Ayu. The NEC also resolved other party issues bordering on the acceptance of the resignation of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin and accepted the nomination of Senator Adolphus Wabara, in addition to approving structures for campaign and zonal reconciliation committees.”

Therefore, the party made a decision to call his bluff and forge ahead with campaign strategies with or without him. This position, it was reliably gathered, is premised on the thinking that as the campaign gets underway, some members of what is now called the Wike group of governors, (namely, Ortom, Makinde and Ikpeazu) would come to face the reality of election and kowtow to the party, in whatever way, however little.

The source who spoke anonymously said; “Clearly, Wike is dividing the party and his claim that he is fighting for the South or national interest is untrue. Is he the only PDP state governor in the South? It is clear that his agenda is anti-party. There is a process that brought Ayu to office and there is a process to remove him and that process is beyond Atiku and Wike as individuals.”

“The way sections of the media are responding to issues within the party gives the incorrect impression of an unresolved crisis. Even what the media reported that the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, resigned is untrue,” he said.

According to Olatunji, “The stand by my governor who has rebranded our party in Oyo to be unbeatable and Governor Wike is not personal. The current internal wrangling in the party is to give attention to some problems that would give a sense of belonging and make our work easier in the South. In Oyo, we have no other presidential candidate than Abubakar. We are not anti-Abubakar.”

While the party may have put behind it Wike’s demand for Ayu’s resignation with the confidence vote passed by its NWC on the chairman, the governor who dismissed the resignation of BoT Chairman, Jubril, as a distraction, opened another chapter in the ongoing face-off with the party by putting Atiku on the spot with the claim that the presidential candidate confided in him that Ayu would

He expressed the opinion that the party would respond to the demands made by the aggrieved governors.

Also, the Minority Leader of the party in the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, did not respond to messages and calls to his mobile phones.

THEWILL has authoritatively gathered that Tambuwal is in top contention for the position of Director-General of the Atiku presidential campaign as part of the deal reached that saw him drop his presidential ambition and endorsed Atiku at the party’s presidential convention. Tambuwal is also in play as Senate President if the PDP emerges majority at the Senate after next year’s election.

According to insiders, PDP big wigs are coming to the conclusion that Wike may not back down on his demands and has probably cut a deal with the ruling party to give a lifeline to his governorship candidate who is under watch by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corrupt practices.

Leaders and stakeholders of the PDP are expected to ensure that the status quo is maintained in strongholds which Benue, Abia, Rivers had become for the opposition party over the years. Even Wike himself has said repeatedly that elders of the party had been going to Abuja to have meetings with the national leaders and the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku. Ortom, who was once vocal in support of Wike position on the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as vice presidential candidate, has since said Atiku is his candidate and he would work to ensure the party becomes victorious in the 2023 poll.

WHAT IS TRUE?

For him, it is normal to have crises in any organisation and the party is not different, adding that it would resolve whatever was amiss through its internal mechanism.

Except for Governor Makinde, the other three members of that team are completing their terms in office. In fact, it was this reality of seeing Makinde as the weakest link in the chain that spurred talks after the party’s NEC meeting that Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal had given up his position as Chairman of the party’s Governors Forum for Makinde. However, the Forum has refuted the reporting insisting that Tambuwal still chairs the Inassociation.another

Clearly, Wike is dividing the party and his claim that he is fighting for the South or national interest is untrue. Is he the only PDP state governor in the South? It is clear that his agenda is anti-party. There is a process that brought Ayu to office and there is a process to remove him and that process is beyond Atiku and Wike as individuals

Director-General of PDP Governors Forum, CID Maduabum, said: “Members of the PDP Governors Forum are working behind the scenes to resolve all contending issues concerning the party. To this end, a meeting of the Forum will soon be convened.”

All the underground works are coming even as the North continues its dominance of the political space, apparently determined not to give up power in 2023 when President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling party is scheduled to complete his tenure. Buhari is from Katsina State in the country’s North West.

Media aide to Wike, Kelvin Ebiri, did not respond to calls for comment. So did the state Chairman of the party, Ambassador Desmond Akawor.

The South-South and South-East, according to the party’s findings, still remain strongholds of the party, though they are increasingly becoming like a free-for-all with the entrance of Labour Party, whose candidate appears to be gaining popularity for now, particularly among the youths who are demanding an end to poor governance.

PDP’s victory in the coming election was paramount for its rank and file.

Special Adviser on Information and Orientation to Governor Ortom, James Uloko, told this newspaper at the weekend that, “Governor Samuel Ortom is a party man to the core and he would prefer the right things to be done to ensure that the party is intact to win the coming election at the state and national levels so that there is change in the fortune of the country.”

WIKE FIGHTS BACK

Responding to some of these findings by THEWILL, aides to some of the governors and party men said the

“Most Nigerians don’t even know organisations to go to for redress if there is any infringement on their rights or they are lagging in the opportunities that ought to be available to them.

Maigari urged those who were not promoted to exercise patience and continue to perform their duties diligently.

She urged Nigerians to visit its website www.socialjusticeaward.com to nominate recipients for various categories of awards to be given on that day.

Victor Ojen Adomi Esq, Chairman and Secretary, respectively, the association noted that Rt. Hon. Mike Etaba did well in the National Assembly.

She said while the former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, would be presenting a keynote address at the conference, other stakeholders including politicians would be invited for discussion on the 2023 general Sheelections.saidthe

body would thereafter present its white paper on recommendations to government and other stakeholders to promote social justice in Nigeria.

Lawan made the pledge at the National Policy Dialogue on Corruption and insecurity in Nigeria, organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Ibeku identified lack of awareness and slow dispensation of justice as some of the major factors affecting Nigeria’s social justice

“We are aware that some individuals, organizations, with or without support have been trying their best in the area of social justice, human rights, fairness and equity.

He said that the 9th Assembly similarly, in collaboration with security and law enforcement agencies, passed three bills aimed at combating money laundering, terrorism financing and the proceeds of Lawancrime. said the laws, which were in tandem with President Buhari’s commitment to fight corruption and curb insurgency further strengthened the agencies’ capacity to tackle terrorists’ activities against the state.

Ibeku said highlights of the occasion would include presentation of awards to Ministries, Agencies and Departments of government private organisations and individuals who had put in so much into delivering social justice in Nigeria.

ublic Administration and Social Development Consult, a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), has called for collective efforts of stakeholders in enhancing social justice in the Thecountry.ChiefExecutive Officer of the Consult, which is committed to promoting social justice, Mrs Margaret Ibeku, made the call at a news conference in Abuja.

“These bodies will be recognised and it is going to be a very transparent process.

The Senate President noted that the challenges of Nigeria’s security infrastructure were the concern of everyone and not just those in government alone.

“I encourage all of us to fully participate and contribute to this all important policy dialogue, as it presents a rare opportunity for a multisectoral view of the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

The renovation is part of the lawmaker’s promise to make life more meaningful for his constituents and also give them a sense of belonging.

Cross River Federal Lawmaker Renovates Public Facilities

The maintenance and rehabilitation of public facilities across the Constituency has been a recurring phenomenon since Hon. Etaba answered the call to represent his people in the National Assembly.

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“Slow justice system has made it seemed to be that offenders who infringed on the rights of the common man did not have consequences for their actions,” Ibeku said.

Ibeku said that the conference also cover issue of oil and gas, Internally displaced persons, housing sector and so many other sectors of the economy.

he Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Friday in Abuja reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to curb corruption and insecurity in the country through the enactment of enabling laws.

Thedisposition.legalbody also specifically identified the once dilapidated High Court premises in Obubra, which was an eyesore until Rt. Hon. Mike Etaba changed the fortunes of the building complex into the positively redefined posture it now presents.

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Ibeku, who is the Chairperson of the National Steering Committee of the Social Justice Conference and Awards, said that the maiden event was aimed at promoting awareness on citizens rights, identifying vacuum and bridging the gap to promote Nigerian social justice system,

He said that the National Assembly in its efforts towards unmasking the perpetrators of insecurity in Nigeria, had realised the need to enact an anti-corruption laws that would stop illicit financial flows which could be channeled into funding insecurity in Nigeria.

Some of the public facilities renovated include, but not limited to courts, police stations, water projects, health centres, schools, boreholes, roads and culverts among many others.

he Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory, Mr Peter Maigari, has charged recently promoted officers in the command to commit themselves to the security of the territory. Maigari gave the charge during the decoration of over 70 personnel of the command with their new ranks on Friday in HeAbuja.said that the promotion was well deserved, as some of them had been stagnant on the same rank for almost 10 Theyears.commandant charged the personnel to protect the image of the Corps, adding that the promotion came with more responsibilities.

Hon. Mike Etaba has renovated public facilities across his constituency.

Equally mentioned were The Magistrate Court in Apiapun, Obubra Urban and the Court Complex in Effraya, Etung Local Government Area which also had facelifts and are now fully renovated.

Similarly, the Police Station in Apiapum, Obubra was also a beneficiary as the association expressed deep gratitude to the lawmaker for his positive contributions towards the development of the legal profession in the state.

“Hard work has a reward and reward is not a right in Public Service but a privilege,” he said.

“Onesystem.of

He appreciated the synergy between the corps and other security agencies in ensuring the FCT and country at large was free of criminalities.

Lawan Reiterates NASS Commitment to Curb Corruption, Insecurity

Reacting to the latest round of renovations, the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikom Branch in Cross River State has expressed its appreciation to the lawmaker.

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari receives the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr Dave Umahi during an audience at the State House Abuja on September 9,2022.

The Senate President explained that the 8th Assembly had to this end passed the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Bill.

FCT NSCDC Commandant Charges Promoted Officers on Efficiency

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the first challenges of social justice in Nigeria is awareness.

“This conference will bring together academia, technocrats, civil society, public servants, interest group, students, cultural interest and religious groups, researchers and private organizations to interact and x-ray topical issues that borders on Social Justice and Good Governance.”

two-term member of the national assembly representing Obubra/ Etung Federal Constituency

The association said that the renovation of public facilities across the constituency was in line with his people-oriented

She said that in the light of the above, the organisation would partner the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to organise a maiden “Social Justice Conference and Award” event on Oct. 27 in Abuja.

“This promotion ought to boost your work morale and not to be unnecessarily

SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com PAGE 9THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA NEWS Group CollectiveSeeksEffort to Promote Nigeria Social Justice System

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Lawan added that this was one of the major anti-corruption laws that saved the country from being expelled from the global body of the Egmont Group.

“Indeed, this policy dialogue is showing us that summarily dealing with the ugliness of insecurity in Nigeria requires more than the deployment of military might. We must look at social and economic vices like corruption, which enables and even propagates “Asinsecurity.lawmakers, we look forward to the eventual policy brief that will be shared hereafter to guide the nation’s policy direction in ending insecurity in Nigeria.

FROM BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

“Performcompetitive.your duties firmly, not brutally, but being brutal is an exception when dealing with those trying to sabotage the peace of the country,” he said.

In a letter signed by K. Ntem Ikpi Esq and

BY AYO ESAN Obi

“We understand their predicament, the dearth of contents from their principal, the lack of what to market, using the ample opportunity provided by the campaigns and the resort to searching blindly for reasons to disqualify the people’s only hope for a new and better

Also a leading member of Labour Party, Professor Pat Utomi stated that Obi had yet to receive any donation toward his election bid but noted that “when the time is right, the Diaspora will give money.”

“These portals are not up yet. They will be up next week or so and eventually we are going to be able to access resources from the Diaspora for sure. But right now, we are on sensitization tour about what makes democracy work. Right now, Nigeria’s democracy is not working because of the transaction costs that are involved,” he

“Allsaid.

we are saying is that we are going to have a portal and every Nigerian can go in and make their contributions. What can be more democratic than that? If there is a law that opposes that, that law

A statement issued by his media office said, “The Obi-Datti Media Office attention has been drawn to the desolate and baseless allegation by a support group of Tinubu-Shettima calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmed Baba Datti, from the 2023 presidential election for allegedly violating a section of Electoral Act on Election funding.

“They (Nigerians in the Diaspora) have always given money to campaigns. I have run for president before, I got support from the Diaspora in 2007 and then in 2011. When the time is a portal through which Nigerians can donate money to Obi’s campaign organization is being set up.

In one such attempt to malign a rival party’s presidential candidate, a few days ago a group acting under the auspices of the TinubuShettima Connect accused Peter Obi and the Labour Party of violating the provisions of the Electoral Act by engaging in the raising of funds from abroad through unknown sources, warning that there is a dire consequence for such action.

“We have always said it umpteenth times that their own understanding of structure is the abundance of looted funds in their kitty that they plan to deploy on hungry Nigerian voters during the election to sway their votes.

“Section 85 of the Electoral Act has clearly explained this. Also, Section 85 (a) (b) provides that any political party that: “(a) holds or possesses any fund outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225 (3) (a) of the Constitution, commits an offence, and shall on conviction forfeit the funds or assets purchased with such funds to the Commission and in addition may be liable to a fine of at least N5,000,000; or “(b) retains any fund or other asset remitted to it from outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225 (3) (a) of the Constitution commits an offence and shall on conviction forfeit the funds or assets to the Commission and in addition may be liable to a fine of at least N5,000,000.”

Also, citing a provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Adebanjo said the law forbids possession of funds by the candidate or political party from overseas.

“Suddenly,Nigeria.

” 225(4) Any funds or other assets remitted or sent to a political party from outside Nigeria shall be paid over or transferred to the Commission within twenty-one days of its receipt with such information as the Commission may require.”

“Since June 2022 that they deployed a lump of their loots to get the tickets of their party, the nation’s currency crashed and still battling for breath. And since then they have been mopping up foreign currencies ahead of the election to buy voters.

Also, citing a provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Adebanjo said the law forbids possession of funds by the candidate or political party from overseas “

The Inauguration also came a day after the party’s Diaspora support groups pledged to crowdfund $150m and N100bn for Obi’s Moyosorecampaign.

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s the countdown to the kick-off of electioneering campaigns begins, it appears that the three leading political parties and their presidential candidates have deployed intrigue as a tool to outdo one another. The parties are the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP). They are cleverly monitoring the activities of each other and instead of concentrating on their campaign plans, they have been engaging in mudslinging, which sadly has no bearing on the lives of the ordinary Nigerians that they are seeking to govern.

The group also threatened to commence legal action against Obi, his running mate and INEC, as well as to prevent Labour Party from participating in the 2023 presidential election for engaging in activities that contravene the Electoral Act 2022.

“They know nobody has the kind of stolen funds they have and are always uncomfortable at anything suggesting to them that their opponents could match them. Obi did not go to beg for money but to sell himself and his mission to Nigerians outside the shores who are critical stakeholders in the Nigeria project.

“Obi and Datti reached where they are today in this 2023 journey giving no ‘shishi’ to anybody, because they are investing in the suffering Nigerians impoverished by the greedy leaders of the past who diverted public funds to their private and family pockets.

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they are beginning to realise that the social media giant, the structure-less and inconsequential candidates, are in the heart of the people who are convinced by their pragmatic messages. In frustration and envy they are now desperately looking for all crooked ways to stop them.

He said it was “a matter of great public concern as the country has moved from its old practice with INEC trying to put perfection to the electoral process, unfortunately a few individuals who think they can get away with deliberate act to undermine the electoral law of the land, have already started making sinister moves even when the campaigns are yet to begin in earnest.

“All of a sudden, the structure-less and social media candidates are now the headache of the ruling party that they now had to fabricate and imagine things they want the electoral Commission to act on.

“The Media office, therefore, needs to educate them that Obi and his running mate is knowledgeable duo who know the law and operate within it and who became what they are financially, politically and socially doing legitimate businesses. They have no bullion van history of questionable wealth and are ready and willing to be scrutinised.

like this when the country’s anti-graft agencies were battling with money laundering from criminal syndicates and traffickers.

It would also be recalled that the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, while inaugurating an 11-man committee to steer its Diaspora activities to be able to harness the political fortunes of the Nigerians in Diaspora for the Labour Party, said the committee would among other things source funding to prosecute the 2023 presidential target of the Labour Party and its candidate, Mr. Peter Obi

In a statement signed by its convener, Adebanjo Moyosore, the group said it was illegal to raise campaign funds outside Nigeria through unknown sources or unidentified groups.

his recent trip abroad was not a fund raising mission but a trip to sensitise and carry along Nigerians aboard on his upcoming agenda of rebuilding the country.

He noted that the development was worrisome, especially at a time

“Obi’s successful trip abroad which is ostensibly to sensitise and carry along Nigerians aboard on his upcoming agenda of rebuilding the country is open and transparent and not a fund raising. But we know why it’s discomforting (to) some people, because they cannot meet Nigerians in Diaspora knowing that they contributed to their leaving the country in the first place.

POLITICS

“Just as Obi and Datti’s backgrounds and antecedents are verifiable, so also are their sources of income before and now are unambiguous and auditable.

The group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to without delay, stop Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, from contesting the 2023 presidential election.

He said: “Section 225 (2) (3) (4) (a) (b) & (5) of the Constitution provides that: “225(2) Every political party shall submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission a detailed annual statement and analysis of its sources of funds and other assets together with a similar statement of its expenditure in such form as the Commission may “225(3)require.Nopolitical party shall –“(a) hold or possess any funds or other assets outside Nigeria; or “(b) be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria.

This development came on the heels of the inauguration of an 11man Diaspora Committee to organise fund-raising activities, among others, by the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja penultimate week.

Abure mandated the committee to ensure it was accountable to Nigerians as he said the candidate they are projecting for the number one job in Nigeria has inspired a movement of Nigerians who want to take their country back and accountability remained the Meanwhile,watchword.the LP Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi has responded to the accusations made by the APC chieftain, Okoi Ofem ObonoObla, who claimed he was organising a Diaspora group to raise funds from Nigerians living abroad for election campaigns, saying

said the inauguration of a Diaspora committee by the leadership of Labour Party to gather campaign funds from Nigerians in Diaspora for Obi’s presidential campaign was not only illegal but also criminal.

Obi, LP And Sourcing of

“A careful consideration of the sections of law reproduced above shows that the 1999 Constitution simply prohibits a POLITICAL PARTY from holding or possessing any funds or other assets outside Nigeria and from retaining any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria. The Electoral Act, by virtue of Section 85, only complements the constitutional provision by prescribing punishment for its breach.” Ogun further explained.

“We have been invited to events; we don’t know what the mechanics are. In America the tradition is different (when) some people give breakfast or dinner; they may charge people to come to eat. But we’ve not been associated with anything, we just get invited by Nigerian groups and we attend,” Utomi said

“At any rate I still prefer candidates and parties raising funds instead

He added, “Having cleared that, it is safe to say that donations made to Mr. Peter Obi or his Campaign Organization in furtherance of his Presidential Campaign cannot be said to be made to a Political Party as envisaged under 225(3)(a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution. Neither Mr. Peter Obi nor his campaign Organisation is a ‘political party’ and must not be mistaken or confused for Labour Party, a duly registered political party under the law. It would have been a different ball game entirely if the donations were made to Labour Party as a political party.

“Donations made to political candidates or their campaign teams are not caught under 225(3)(a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 85 of the Electoral Act and are therefore not illegal and unconstitutional.”

Ogun stated that the donations made by support groups for any candidate’s campaign did not violate the Electoral laws or any other law in Nigeria.

Yakubu Utomi

“But personally, I think the political parties as sponsoring authorities of candidates should be the overall accounting officer of candidates since we don’t have independent candidates yet in the country because what affects the candidate affects his party too one way or the other. So we may start looking forward to the nation’s constitution amendment in that regard.

Efforts to get the position of the INEC on the issue proved abortive as the National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Barrister Festus Okoye did not pick his call after several attempts. He also refused to answer questions sent to his Whatsapp line. In the same manner, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi who is the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood refused to pick his call.

is fundamentally flawed…that law does not deserve the name of law,”

Paul Ojo, a Political analyst based in Abuja, said it will be very difficult to separate the candidate from the party.

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Speaking.

Olawale told THEWILL that Peter Obi should refrain from such donations from abroad to avoid being caught on the wrong side of the

The Legal/ Political Implications

“Those who hold otherwise rely largely on Section 225(3)(a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) and Section 85 of the Electoral Act, 2022. With greatest respect, these provisions of law are generally inapplicable to this instant case, and those who rely on them to demand from INEC the disqualification of Mr. Peter Obi, which is itself laughable, are either mischievous or misconceived.

“To be clear, donations made by concerned citizens and support groups (either in Nigeria or in the Diaspora) to Peter Obi and his Campaign Team are not in violation of any living law in Nigeria.

To be clear, donations made by concerned citizens and support groups (either in Nigeria or in the Diaspora) to Peter Obi and his Campaign Team are not in violation of any living law in Nigeria “

“Onfunding.some

“Section 225(3)(a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) provides that: ‘No political party shall hold or possess any funds or other assets outside Nigeria; or (b.) be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria’.”

FestusFirm.Ogun

A lot of legal interpretations have been made by legal practitioners to the provision of “Section 225 (2) (3) (4) (a) (b) & (5) of the 1999 Constitution which provides that no political party shall hold or possess any funds or other assets outside Nigeria; or “(b) be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside ManyNigeria.of

“In this instance, if Obi collects donation from abroad, can we say Obi is different from the Labour Party on which platform he is contesting election? On Election Day, it is LP symbol that appears on ballot paper, Obi’s name doesn’t appear. So I believe it will be difficult to say Obi can receive foreign donation for an election he is contesting and that will not affect the Labour Party. We don’t have independent candidacy yet in the country’s election, so to me party and its candidate are one and are inseparable”.

further, Utomi denied Obi’s involvement in the alleged imposing of charges on Nigerians who attended the Diaspora meetings with him.

This position was also shared by a member of the Campaign for Democracy, Comrade Sola Olawale.

“I have read and listened to opinions of many prominent and erudite lawyers and that their position too backed by relevant sections of the constitution and the electoral laws.

of looting their states resources to campaign thereby pauperising their fellow citizens the more”.

POLITICS

But many political analysts, who spoke to THEWILL, disagree with the position of the lawyers who try to legally separate the candidates from the parties they are representing in an election.

the lawyers who spoke on the allegations against Obi said the party and not the candidates are bind from receiving foreign donation for campaign. One of such lawyers who shared this position is the Human rights lawyer and principal of Festus Ogun Legal

“In fact, some groups reportedly called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ‘without delay’, disqualify Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, from the 2023 Presidential race.

“Manylaw.politicians have been collecting foreign donations for their campaigns but they did it underground without making any noise about it. You don’t do such action openly. I think that is where the Labour Party got it wrong by setting up committee on Diaspora

The statement titled, ‘Diaspora Donation to Peter Obi Campaign Violates No Law In Nigeria (1)’ read, “Following the pledge of a Diaspora Support Group to crowdfund $150m for Peter Obi’s campaign, concerns are raised in some quarters over the legality and constitutionality of Diaspora donations made in respect of Mr. Peter Obi’s Campaign.

in a statement noted that donations by Nigerians in the Diaspora for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, do not violate any law in Nigeria.

“I want to believe that was why Candidates Buhari, Sowore did same at one time or the other. Accountability of foreign and local funds raised to INEC, their parties and the funders is key and not to spend beyond the limit or raised from dangerous sources is very important too.

Foreign Donations

lawyers who are arguing that only the political parties that are bind by the constitution from receiving foreign donation and that candidates are free to collect foreign donation for elections, I am not a lawyer but I think it will be difficult to separate party and candidate in an election. Party produces the candidate and the candidate run on the platform of the party. That is my position,”Olawale said.

Also speaking with THEWILL, the National Coordinator of Democracy Vanguard, Mr Adeola Soetan said “I don’t think any law is broken when candidates raise fund from Nigerians abroad since the law only forbids political parties not candidates or their various voluntary campaign organizations.

However,years.Nwosu

Theparty.party noted that the main terms of reference of the new interim leadership of the party was to plan and conduct a National Convention to elect substantive national officers within the next six

Other members of the new interim national leadership of the ADC include, Ms Angela Johnson, Professor Kabiru Dangogo, Manzo Ibrahim, Hon. Lesanmi Omolayo, Hon Kingsley Temitope Ogga and Emma Dibia as legal Adviser.

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Nwosu assured that ADC would live up to billing as a “truly democratic party and credible alternative to the two other destitute parties that have plunged Nigeria into debt, darkness and insecurity.”

POLITICS

2023: ADC Swims in Crisis

Theweeks.party said the newly appointed Caretaker Committee would be chaired by Senator Patricia Akwashiki who is the current chairman of the Board of Trustees, while Hon. Kennedy Odion has been made the Secretary.

The raging leadership tussle between the faction loyal to the party’s presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu and that of the party’s chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, has threatened the peace of the party in the past weeks.

Lastdesperate.Wednesday,

he African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been in the news in the last few days. The party appears to be enmeshed in a crisis that may hinder its chances of a successful outing in the 2023 general election.

ADC appointed its presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections, Dr. Mani Ibrahim Ahmed, the new Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman.

The party stated categorically that it considered Kachikwu’s action as, “smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalization and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.”

ADC noted that the NWC viewed with great concern the baseless and defamatory video made, published and circulated by Kachikwu, which it said was intended to disparage and impugn the integrity and image of a peaceful and transformation oriented ADC and its national officers.

suspension would be forwarded to the National Executive Council for further actions.

The forum said it was important to state that what transpired on August 26, 2022 at the ADC secretariat was fake, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.

The party leadership was of the opinion said attempt to demean the character of the founders and financiers of ADC, who have worked tirelessly to build an enviable brand that Nigerians are proud of, and which many great minds have stood elections; smacks of crass irresponsibility, gross indiscipline, disingenuous scandalization and blackmail, and completely unfit of someone who wants to be President of Nigeria.

Nwosu also said the suspension placed on the party’s candidate for the 2023 elections, Dumebi Kachikwu, has not been lifted. He said he regretted that although Kachikwu emerged from a free and fair presidential primary, the presidential candidate “has done nothing to show that he is actually prepared to contest the February 25, 2023 election “

Nwosu Kachukwu

In another breath and as part of plans to ensure the Nwosu-led NWC is kicked out, the party’s NEC constituted an eight-man Caretaker Committee to pilot the affairs of the party.

The party’s NEC said the appointment of the Caretaker Committee followed the expiration of the tenure of Nwosu-led NWC of the

chairmen include: Kingsley Temitope Oggah (Kogi); Kennedy Odion (Edo); Auwal Abba Barde (Gombe); Leader Sampson (Rivers); Johnny Tovie Derek (Bayelsa) and Elias Adikwu (Benue).

The Forum claimed in a petition jointly signed by its Chairman, Hon. Kingsely Ogga and Secretary, Hon. Odion Osas, that the meeting where the tenure of the NEC was extended was overcrowded with unknown persons and miscreants.

National Chairman, Chief Ralphs Nwosu, in a statement, also suspended 17 state chairmen for anti-party activities, denigrating conduct and utterances in contravention of Article 15 of the party

Theconstitution.affected

The decision, which flowed from resolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) and critical stakeholders’ meeting, held in Abuja, followed the suspension of former National Vice Chairman (North East) of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Manzo.

T

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the party recently gave its NWC, under the leadership of Nwosu, a one-year tenure extension to allow the party’s leadership focus on campaign activities across the

It therefore called on INEC to disregard such illegalities and prevail on ADC to convene a convention for the purpose of electing a new ANWC.few days after the tenure of the Nwosu-led faction was extended by a year, the party’s presidential candidate, Kachikwu was suspended from the party.

The party said their replacements would be announced in due course; Nwosu explained that former Abia State chairman of the party, Don Norman, had been expelled. He advised all National Assembly candidates to collect their Certificates of Return (CoRs) on September 12.

He said he regretted that although Kachikwu emerged from a free and fair presidential primary, the presidential candidate “has done nothing to show that he is actually prepared to contest the February 25, 2023 election.” He decried “Kachikwu’s attempts to cause confusion in ADC.”

The party said the decision was taken after an emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Friday, 2nd September, 2022.

The genesis of the crisis was the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to appoint an Interim Caretaker Committee to steer the ship of the party after the alleged expiration of the Ralph Nwosu-led National Working Committee (NWC) on August 28, 2022.

BY AYO ESAN

The ADC Chairmen Forum wrote a petition, which was addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu and dated August 29, 2022, declaring the tenure extension illegal and unacceptable.

But in a swift reaction, ADC National Director of Communications and Programmes, Ifenla Oligbinde, described the action as

Nwosu also said the suspension placed on the party’s candidate for the 2023 elections, Dumebi Kachikwu, has not been lifted.

The problem started when it was alleged that Nwosu was scheming to perpetuate himself in office, despite serving as national chairman of the party for 17 years, as against the constitutional prescription of eight

Others are Ilesanmi Omolayo Joel (Ekiti); Kabiru Hussaini (Jigawa); Patrick Ambut (Kaduna); Emmanuel Dibia (Delta); Clement Ehigiator (FCT); Alhaji Musa Hassan (Niger); Alaka Godwin William (Nasarawa); Samuel Gyang (Plateau); Bala Suffiayanu (Kebbi); Bello Isiyaku (Sokoto) and Muhammed Khala Jidda (Borno).

Thecountry.event,according to the party, was witnessed by the representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This decision was however opposed by the ADC State Chairmen who described the tenure elongation as illegal and vowed to resist it with their last blood.

It pointed out that Article 24 A of the constitution of ADC, 2018 (as amended) provides that the NWC can only be voted in through a national convention and it is only a national convention that can extend their tenure.

Moreso, the party’s NWC pointed out that since the 9th of June 2022 when Kachikwu was elected the presidential candidate, he has failed, neglected and refused to share with the party any meaningful, constructive or reasonable Presidential Campaign Roadmap for the forthcoming presidential election.

To this end, the Nwosu-led faction said the resolution on Kachikwu’s

argued that since the constitution of the party was amended in 2018 and as a result, his first four-year tenure started in 2018, it was within his constitutional right to contest again for the chairmanship position.

On Sanwo –Olu’s second term ambition, Ibesanmi said the Lagos State Governor’s performance will give him a second term.

Anything Nigeria needs, the President has approved it at the Federal Executive Council (FEC). He should ask questions and sack whoever is found wanting or not performing or who are corrupt because figures we are hearing is mind boggling! So, some people have to explain and those found culpable should be sent to jail. It is a pity that, in Nigeria, there are more corrupt people in government than the people in jail. We must change as we are all part of this and if we want a better Nigeria, it is better for all of us to change our ways.

certainty that Asiwaju will come victorious.

But it has been reported that the worst is over…

However, it gladdens my heart to see the armed forces working together. I mean the Air Force and the Army. They seem to have found a synergy that has resulted in some significant successes lately. Therefore, I remain optimistic that we are winning the war as I know the men and women of the Nigerian armed forces have the capacity to deal with and crush these terrorists if they so decide.

Adegbenro

On the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket, Ibesanmi said Nigerians should look beyond where we are now and that there is the need to separate politics from religion.

T

Are you comfortable with the sum of money reportedly spent on security and the level of success recorded so far?

POLITICS

“We are talking on whoever must go to Aso Rock must be somebody who has the capacity to turn things around in Nigeria. Let us leave the issue of Christianity to the Pope, let us leave the issue of Muslims to the imams. There is a clear difference between religion and governance. There is no issue, there is no problem at all, Asiwaju is a trusted and tested person. As for Shettima, we all know what he had done in Borno state when he was governor”, Ibesanmi said.

On Tinubu’s chances of winning the presidential election next year, Ibesanmi said “Looking at who and who are competing with him, he is sure of getting victory. There are three or four major parties in Nigeria today. And if you put the candidates side by side and you look at their pedigree, where they are coming from, you look at what they have done before; one should be able to say with some degree of

However, the Nigeria Army, the Air force, the Navy, the Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies have been making tremendous efforts, which must be commended. I therefore urge the government of the day to give them good welfare packages for their efforts to boost their morale. In addition, I also appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians to support them because we are all Nigerians first while our tribes come second.

that such humongous amounts of money are being expended by the military with little success to show for same.

I get angry when I hear such claims. How is the worst over? As far as I am concerned, Nigeria still has a lot of security gaps against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements. If the minister is

being truthful, the best thing he could say was, ‘we are working on it.’ That’s the appropriate thing to say. How many of them have gone to do on the spot assessment, despite being in possession of bullet proof cars?

If we may ask you, what qualities do you think the next Nigerian leader should possess to move the country forward? The answer to that question is simple. A benevolent dictator, if such a person exists. That is better and best bet for the country now.

“This is a man who has governed before and when he governed, the footprint he left is what has actually transformed Lagos state and there is no state in the country today that is not looking up to Lagos State and we know he will transform the country”.

Otunbalaje Adejare Adegbenro is a security expert. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he spoke on the next general election as well as the security situation in the country. Excerpts:

However, the claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while briefing journalists on the security situation recently that the worst is over is funny and I disagree with him. In fact, this is not the right time to make such a bogus statement. Instead, it is the time to call on every stakeholder to work in tandem for a safe

How

How do you feel about the coming general election in 2023? General elections or no general election, the issue of security challenges is a major threat to the life of the ordinary citizens of any country and the world at large. The issue, I believe has been treated with kids gloves for long enough to be of concern! It’s time for decisive action to be taken against these terrorists and other criminal organizations giving the country hell.

Tinubu Has Capacity, Capability to Rule Nigeria – Ibesanmi

Ibesanmi urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to keep the tempo of good performance , saying recent off season elections have shown that INEC has put on a lot of improvement in the way election is being conducted in Nigeria.

“Despite the challenges of COVID -19 and the endSARS protest, he has been able to perform. Not only perform but he has performed creditably well. I don’t call him a performing governor but an infrastructure development governor because he has been able to transform Lagos from what it used to be in term of infrastructural development and he is not yet stopping. So success is assured for him at the poll next year”, Ibesanmi said.

If not for prayer, left to this crop of politicians, Nigeria would no longer be Nigeria, because Nigeria’s security strength is about 1.2 million to over 200 million people inf the country. Yet, out of that small numerical strength, so many are being used by the Federal Government, agencies and the VIPs. If you deduct that, you will be amazed that quite a number of our security officers are doing what bodyguards should be doing ordinarily!

On the preparation for the campaign, Ibesanmi said the Tinubu Support Organization, (TSO) is ready to mobilize for Tinubu’s presidential ambition saying, “What we plan to do is to have TSO in 774 local government areas of the country and bring campaign closer to the people.

Speaking with THEWILL at the weekend, Ibesanmi said the emergence of Tinubu as the presidential candidate of APC is a welcome development and prayers most answered by the Almighty God “because it has always been our wish and our prayers for him to “Nowemerge”.that he has emerged as the APC Presidential Candidate, Nigerians should be very hopeful because this is a man that has the capacity and capability, if he has an opportunity once again when he becomes the president God willing, Nigeria will have a new lease of life”, he said .

“We are not leaving the campaign to the Presidential Campaign Council, but as a support group, we will be in all the local governments trickled down to the wards and polling units. We are fully on ground and we are prepared for the task ahead”, he said.

he Lagos State Coordinator of Tinubu Support Organisation, (TSO), Mr. Akin Ibesanmi has called on Nigerians to work towards the emergence of Senator Bola Tinubu as the next president of Nigeria saying the former Lagos State Governor has the capability and capacity to rule Nigeria successfully.

do you feel about the Nigeria being ranked as the second country most ravaged by terrorism in the world? That cannot be true. No, I disagree with whoever conducted the survey. In fact, that ranking cannot be correct. Who did the ranking and what parameters did they use at arriving at same? Definitely we have major security challenges in Nigeria, but ranking us second in the world is not correct.

WeNigeria.Nigerians

(Cuts in)Well, you know who uttered the statement. But I don’t know how true it is. Remember he is the mouthpiece of the Federal Government. So he is only doing his job by disseminating such information. Like the Americans like to say ‘I guess the jury is still out on this.’ Definitely if it’s true, it is certainly cheery news.

make mockery of ourselves and it’s a big joke.

2023: Nigeria Needs a –DictatorBenevolentAdegbenro INTERVIEW

Ibesanmi counseled Nigerians to see the coming election as another opportunity to choose rightly, saying “I am appealing to everybody, all APC members to go out and canvass for votes”.

Any negative ranking will have an adverse effect on the economy of Nigeria or any other nation. It goes to show that the country is not safe. Thus, the economy can’t be stable, which in turn makes any investment in such a place highly risky.

It hurts me that the Nigeria I saw while growing up, is not the Nigeria I see now. When he said the worst is over, wasn’t there an attack barely 24 hours after the abduction of 32 passengers along Ondo State axis on Oluku/Owo Road? Have they been released? Even after his statement, haven’t the criminals attacked? We thank God that we are very prayerful people.

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I give kudos to the President because he has done his best, but people are sabotaging him in his government.

Well, I think that is a question for the Commander in Chief (C-I-C) or the Service Chiefs to answer or the National Security Adviser (NSA) to disclose. To the average Nigerian it is baffling if not dumbfounding

It is sad that those who are fighting to safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians are daily sacrificing their own lives.

On July 24, 2022, at least five soldiers attached to the Presidential Guards Brigade

were killed in an ambush by suspected terrorists in the Federal Capital Territory.

Available data also indicates that non-state actors killed at least 65 police officers in the first half of the current year, as the security situation in Nigeria continued to get worse. At least 92 security operatives were killed during this period. They include 81 soldiers, two correctional service officials, two National Drug Law Enforcements officers, five officers of the NSCDC and two FRSC

SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com PAGE 14 THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIA 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] 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

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witnessed such a high level of insecurity in the country. The Federal Government has been doing its best to improve the security situation, but its efforts are yet to produce concrete Soresults.far,the government’s purchase of modern warfare equipment is quite appreciable. In the last quarter of 2021, it took delivery of the final batch of 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United States. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, then announced that the jets had positively changed the course of the war against terrorism, with the Nigeria Air Force recording success in its Anotheroperations.dimension in the insecurity is the targeting of security personnel by insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.

EDITORIAL

he haveNigeriansworrisome.theis,insituationsecurityNigeriatosayleast,never

We believe that since security personnel daily operate in an environment that is fraught with risk and grave danger, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive insurance scheme for all security agents involved in the anti-terrorism

Physical appearance of a policeman, for example, is of utmost importance. Police uniforms are meant to further project the image of the police through identification. To regard the material worn by some policemen in Nigeria as uniform is to do monumental injustice to the word. Those faded clothes on some of our police officers cannot qualify as police uniform at all.

If we truly want effective security, we have to be concerned about the welfare of our security personnel. We have to provide a environmentconduciveforthem to work. We have to cater for their welfare. They should be able to compete with their counterparts in the advanced countries of the world

Our position is that security personnel will be more effective if they are provided with adequate welfare and so there is a need to emphasise the need for stakeholders to be concerned about the welfare of security personnel as a way of addressing the rise in criminality in the Acountry.goodhousing policy and a good welfare programme should be a natural package for security personnel. Sad enough, this is not the case in terms of office and residential accommodation (barracks), salaries, incentives,allowances,insurance and Ifpromotion.wetrulywant effective security, we have to be concerned about the welfare of our security personnel. We have to provide a conducive environment for them to work. We have to cater for their welfare. They should be able to compete with their counterparts in the advanced countries of the world.

Need For Improvement in Welfare of Security Personnel

Therecampaign.should also be adequate provision to fall back on by the wives and dependents of security personnel should anything untoward happen to them, which is part of the hazards of the profession. Lack of adequate training and training facilities is a conspicuous problem militating against the effective performance of the security agencies in the country. This, by extension, has contributed to the poor rating of Nigeria’s

security personnel, especially the police, on a global scale.

Theofficials.killings spread across the country, but they were mostly carried out in the South-East, North-West and North-Central geo-political zones. These zones collectively witnessed many attacks by various armed groups during the Whileperiod.communities in the North-West and parts of the North-Central have been repeatedly attacked by bandits, the South-East has endured a series of attacks from the self-styled Eastern Security Network (ESN), the presumed militant wing of the, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as well as other armed groups.

BY TOLA ADENIYI

This provision in fact invades the managerial purview of public media enterprises and may undermine their ability to generate revenue during a once in four years political

For over seven months into the life of the non-existent ‘government’, there were no ministers and no constituted authority, as it were, to run the affairs of the country. This vacuum, therefore, led to all sorts of power blocks starting with the cabal aforementioned and closely followed by a ruthless group of cow-followers who obviously emerged from the ashes of the plundering barbarous Vikings of ancient Europe. They called themselves Myetti Allah and were all over the place, a noisy, cantankerous, meddlesome and murderous group notorious for countering the legitimate laws of our notoriously cowardly state governors. So seemingly powerful

OPINION

The current abysmal state of Nigeria should not surprise anybody and no one should delude themselves that the aboutto-collapse edifice can be patched up in any shape or form by any angel or devil. A country without a government for 7 long years cannot wake up from deadly slumber and expect a Leadersmiracle.build institutions, which sustain societies governed by law and order. Law and order breed accountability and transparency, which engender good governance, development and Unfortunately,progress.

Even parents, traditional custodians of the best in human behaviour as exemplars to children and wards are nowhere to be found. They are either chasing after money or some loot, or simply lost in the confusion which had beclouded the land.

Insecurity, the type never before experienced in Nigeria, has exposed the absence of government and leadership. There is obviously nobody in charge and no lawful or legitimate government in place where virtually three quarters of the country is under the suzerainty of bandits, terrorists, rapists, kidnappers and arsonists. The supposed seat of government in Abuja is under threat of bombardment while the supposed number One leader of the country is rarely seen with the people except in motion or still pictures!

•Adeniyi is the co-convener of Indigenous Nationalities Restoration Congress.

*Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

A country that has no government, even if lame, weak and ineffective or a people who have no leader as a reference point is as good as dead.

Theup.

The stronger weight in this matter goes to the electronic transmission of results from accreditation, counting and collation to the central server, technologically excluding unofficial intervention and ensuring that the votes counted count. The provision that penalises over -voting by cancelling the results of polling units which exceed the number of accredited voters is an appropriate rap on the knuckles for electoral fraudsters.

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Political Communications And 2023 General Election

The Electoral Act 2022 must be commended for extending the duration of the execution of electoral exercises, such as election notices, nomination, primaries and general election. For instance, the law mandates INEC to issue election notices 360 days before the event (section 28) parties to conclude nomination through direct, indirect or consensus primaries 180 days before the poll and that flag off campaigns 150 days to the polls.

The second feature of the Electoral Act that benefits the business of political communications is the digitalisation of the voting infrastructure and criminalisation of negative interventions in the electoral process, which had denied the process credibility and integrity.

an you imagine a football team without a captain, an aeroplane without a pilot, a boat or ship without a captain? That is the state Nigeria found itself in the last seven years. Those were seven years of slanderous, sacrilegious, sanguinary and satanic savagery. They were seven years of lawlessness, loathsome looting, total economic ruination, unprecedented impropriety, reckless impunity, myopic and Stone-Age nepotism.

For starters, the Aso Rock Villa, which is supposed to serve as the seat of government and presidential lodge, was devoid of both. The President was nowhere to be found. There was no government in place except some nameless, faceless, insidious cabal of power-mongers damned by the brilliant and outspoken Mrs Aisha Buhari. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who was awarded the tenancy of the Villa by dollar-guzzling media hype, had to be searched for. He was later to be found by a powerful searchlight on a hospital bed in the United Kingdom.

In the armed forces where stories of silly stealing colour pages of the country’s newspapers, or the ministries where civil servants have eaten everything eatable down to stationeries, or the government agencies like Customs, Immigration, Pensions, EFCC, the NNPC where the President holds the office of Minister, or even in the Universities and allied institutions, there is hardly anyone to point at as reference in good leadership.

impact of the message is determined by the effectiveness of its distribution across media and channels. The more the voters commit themselves, the more the evidence that the strategy is Completingworking.thisprocess

The way out is for all indigenous nationalities to summon courage and exit this artificial temple on its way to perdition.

Since elections involve political behaviour of voters, they can be researched and scientifically predicted by consultants, candidates and parties, all things being equal. But those who make sure that all things are never equal are the riggers who sabotage the process. Sections 121 and 127 of the Act, which increased the severity of sanctions for contravention, will, hopefully take care of the human factor.

rofessionals in polling, strategy, messaging and fundraising to win elections and legitimise democratic governments, in short, political consultants, have a lot to learn from the recent changes in the rules governing the electoral environment in Nigeria, in terms of innovation and the consequences of enforcement.

Then came on board hordes of the unelected. These were individuals handpicked by members of the faceless cabal and given to spokespersons to announce to the public as trusted allies of the elected President. Such appointees had the same qualification; kinship, religion, ethnicity and a record of fanaticism. Length of beard and heaviness of turban counted in some instances as additional qualification advantages.

It is so bad. Corruption in all its facets has eaten deep into the fabric of society and robbed the country of leadership of any kind. The entire citizenry is groping in darkness and praying for divine intervention of any sort that will terminate this horrible nightmare of a life.

For the political consultant, a campaign starts with the survey of the constituents to ascertain the issues which would determine the elections and the disposition to the parties and candidates. From the analysis of the results of

A Country Without Leaders

and untouchable were members of this organisation that observers and visitors to the country would think they were the government of the land.

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Aseason.political consultant, who pushes his candidate’s messages aggressively in the public media, will be frustrated if he has to wait on less skilled competitors and a public medium trying to meet airtime quota after paying for such services. Future reviews should take out the penalties and amend the prescription.

However, I dare say that the Act’s provisions on campaigns (sections 84 to 97) seem invasive and idealistic giving the impression that the drafters took the tree for the forests. For example, binding public media institutions to provide equal airtime and space to candidates and parties may be morally sound but to the extent that distribution of messages and media engagement are the products of the strategy and initiative of individual candidates and parties, it would be unjustifiable to penalize a public medium for the inability of certain parties or candidates to make use of its facilities more so when the Acts admits that the services are to be paid for.

the poll, the consultant develops a winning strategy, and it is the strategy that determines the messaging to target the demographic components most likely to deliver the votes.

a country deficit in good leadership got worsened by the culture of ‘anything goes,’ which in turn ruined traces of whatever was left of those good days.

As of now, Nigerian politicians have failed woefully and tragically. From councillors to the peak of governmental

structure, there is hardly anyone that can be adjudged a good leader or a role model for the people.

BY KEHINDE BAMIGBETAN

For most of the first three years of Buhari’s presidency, if ever there was one indeed, he had what was supposed to be a government tucked away underneath his hospital bed abroad. We were deceived that routine consultations were carried out by members of the cabal, which had a penchant for overturning whatever actions that was intrepidly taken by a figure-head Vice President.

Besides the new Electoral Act 2022, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 25, 2022, there are other regulations of campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission, such as the Guidelines for Political Rallies, Guidelines for the Registration of New Political Rallies, Political Parties Finance Manual and the highly significant Communication Policy.

Thus, the clearer definition of electoral offences and heavier

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INEC is not the only body constitutionally intervening in the electoral process. There is the Advertising Registration Council of Nigeria whose recent call for compliance with the code on political advertising and threats of enforcement against quacks promises sanity in the political communications field. The Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists adopted by the Nigerian Press Organisation comprising the Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, the Nigeria Guild of Editors and the Nigeria Union of Journalists is expected to guide journalistic reportage in the age of the social media.

penalties in sections 114 to 134, if enforced, will improve the rationality of the campaign process and effectively, enable social science to develop the country’s democratic process. One of the challenges political consultants faces in the survey stage of their work is access to the voters’ register. Often, the INEC obliges the political parties with copies but discourages individuals from accessing this critical document. Yet, it is difficult to strategise the survey without this important database. It is therefore gladdening that the Act follows up its mandate to create a National Voters Register in section 9 with the guarantee of access to individuals in section 15. Rather than insist on selling the Voters Register procured with public funds to individuals, INEC should allow us to download from the website in line with its external public communications policy to provide the public with information about all aspects and stages of the electoral process.

In the obvious absence of government, the country has been in the ‘who will touch me?’ hands of the beneficiaries of nepotism running the vital agencies of the government. Name it: Immigration, Customs and Excise, Ports, Banks and related financial institutions and countless others. The unelected boss of Immigration dishes out orders. The man at Customs belches orders and decrees policies. Every unelected boss in each and every government establishment constitutes themselves into laws above the Law. There is no coordination, no supervising authority and no checks and balances. Imagine yourself on a flight without a Pilot and your life is left in the hands of the stewards and stewardesses!

Messaging begins with the creative process of speaking to the heart or the mind of the target using verbal, visual and textual language most effective in hooking him or her to the appropriate symbol. Context and meaning are maximised to predispose the receiver to believe the promise and sign

Hitherto, the time frame for campaigns was 90 days to poll and primaries 60 days to poll. The positive consequence is that parties and candidates now have more time to plan.

What else could have been expected under such clueless and rudderless atmosphere?

in the old election timetable was tough and led to many hasty decisions which undermined the performance of many parties and candidates. However, with the extension of the timeframe, political consultants will have no excuse to prove their worth.

The apex bank had a target to ensure that 80 percent of the country’s adult population was financially included in the financial cycle by the year 2020. The target was missed. The CBN in a circular in July 2018 lamented that Nigeria was not meeting any of the financial inclusion targets agreed and contained in the 2012 Financial Inclusion Strategy.

Grant StrategicNigeriaThorntonReaffirmsPositioning,AdmitsNewPartnersDBNOffersFreeEntrepreneurshipTrainingForMSMEs

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other requirements operate mostly in the rural areas and unbanked locations targeting financially excluded persons, with not less than 25 percent financial service touchpoints in such rural areas as defined by the CBN from time to time.

Adenuga

The structure of the PSBs include the fact that they shall among

Continues on page 18

B C DA 0 50M 100M 500M 1BN DEC.-JULY20172022 Dec. 2017 Dec. 2018 Dec. 2019 Dec. 2020 Dec. 2021 E ABCDE(million) Source; NCC m144.63 m172.48 m184.42 m204.22 m195.12 *Q2 Jul. 2022FF208.62m NIGERIA GSM SUBSCRIPTION BASE

frica’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa Plc, maintained its growth trajectory in the 2022 half year operations with impressive performance recorded in the financial parameters. The Tier-1 bank’s audited half year report published last week showed that it posted a 15.6 percent growth in interest income which jumped from N222.35 billion in HY INSIDE

BY SAM DIALA

Imperative for Globacom’s entry

Aviation Bills UBA Sustains Earnings Uptrend in HY 2022 ...As Interest Income Grows By 15.6% F

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on page 17 Unions To Protest Repressive Clauses ‘Smuggled’

ive major aviation unions, including National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and Amalgamated Union of Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) insisted on a peaceful demonstration from Monday, September 12, 2022 and a total industrial action after a 14-day period.

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In a bid to grow the number of financially included people, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had released an exposure draft in October 2018 in which it proposed Payment Service Banks aimed at deepening financial inclusion in Nigeria. Globacom’s entry into the league of PSB providers explains the priority attached to the matter.

Alawuba PAGE 18 PAGE 19 MORE

Public

It later granted final PSB licences to MTN Nigeria and Airtel.

A PSB licence allows the companies to, among other things, maintain savings accounts and accept deposits from individuals and small businesses, which is covered by the deposit insurance scheme; carry out payments and remittance (including crossborder personal remittance) services through various channels within Nigeria; issue debit and prepaid cards, and operate an electronic purse or wallet.

As a foremost telecoms and digital service provider, Globacom has recorded huge growth in its subscriber numbers. According to a recent report published on Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s website, Globacom added a massive 2,103,721 new customers in July as subscribers root for its services. This raised its subscriber base to 58,330,200 from 56,226,479 the previous month. Analysis of the data showed that the performance represents 83 percent of the total number

igeria stands a better chance of actualising its 2024 financial inclusion target and boosting the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ecosystem, as Globacom’s Money Master joins the emerging league of payment service bank (PSB) providers in days ahead.

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

The CBN in 2020 gave an official nod to telecommunication operators’ (telecos’) push to offer mobile money services after the apex bank had issued Approval-in-Principle (AIP) to three subsidiaries in September 2019. The three firms were Hope PSB, a subsidiary of Unified Payment, Globacom’s Money Master and 9Mobile’s 9PSB.

Not only was the country not meeting its targets, but it was also declining in growth. For instance, while Nigeria achieved 60.3 percent in 2012, it declined to 58.4 percent in 2016 against a target of 69.5 percent translating to financial exclusion of about 41.6 percent. The CBN in 2019 revised the financial inclusion target to 2024 with 95 percent attainment.

Continues Into

Financial Inclusion: Globacom’s Payment Service Bank Seen Boosting MSME Ecosystem

have

“(2) The Minister may by regulations prohibit all or such class or classes of workers, officers and other employees or persons, whether corporate or natural, engaged in the provision of services specified in subsection (1) of this section from taking part in a strike or other industrial action.

”This attempt to enable the Minister of Aviation to usurp the powers of the Minister of Labour is diabolically disingenuous. And its bold assault on the rights of trade unions and hapless workers renders the intended laws a demonstration of ultimate disservice by public officers. Therefore, the intended laws must be prevented from breathing any air of acceptance.

For instance, under the backward integration initiative, Nestlé Nigeria established a project that engages 5,000 smallholder farmers for the supply of raw materials for its agro-business operations. Nigerian breweries have stepped up production of sorghum and cassava to boost local raw material supply for its plants using local farmers.

and in the implementation of this Bill. (2) There shall be no strikes, lock-outs, pickets, blockades, service disruptions, etc of any kind within all facilities managed by the Agency and where any labour dispute arises, such dispute shall be resolved by the Agency.

So far this year, the mobile network operators have gained a total of 13.5 million new subscribers, with the number of phone users in the country rising from 195,128,265 at the end of December 2021, to 208,604,996 at the end of July 2022. This is a departure from last year when the operators lost close to 20 million subscribers as a result of the ban on new SIM registration.

The NCC report shows that Globacom has played a major role in leading this growth. Its remarkable performance in the industry is believed to be a result of the continuous network upgrade and extension of 4G data coverage to more cities across the country. The company which turned 19 on August 29, 2022 also offers subscribers innovative products with unmatched value.

The clauses added includes, “1(1) All services which facilitate and maintain the smooth, orderly and safe take off, flight and landing of aircraft, embarkation and disembarkation and evacuation of passengers and cargo respectively in all aerodromes in Nigeria are hereby designated as essential services pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).

“ Continued from page 16

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” 2(1) The provisions of the Trade Disputes (essential Services) Act, Cap. T9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 shall apply to service in the Agency, facilities managed by the Agency

Aba, while giving details on the matter, said classifying aviation workers as essential services personnel is at variance with ILO Hecategorisation.saidwithdrawal of services by personnel that threaten lives could be described as essential, for which the transport sector does not qualify. He said only air traffic control services qualify as essential; because of their advisory function to aircraft in-flight.

L-R: Deputy National Leader, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professional (ANAP), Comrade Ogochukwu Ibegbunam, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees NUATE. Comrade Ocheme Aba and Member, National Association of Aircraft Pilot and Engineer, Engr. Wale Adenugba and others at a press Conference Announcing Picketing Aviation Agencies by the Aviation Unions held Airport, Lagos on 08\09\2022.

•Continues

Aba continued,” It is absolutely clear that the contentious clauses smuggled into the aviation agencies’ Bills have no moral, nor legal, basis for being there. The lame reference to Section 11(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Public Order and Public Security) is poignantly pretentious.

“Recall that Globacom brought the innovation of ‘per second billing’ which could be considered a rescue mission that saved Nigerian telecom subscribers when the other network service providers came with the intention to kill”, said Mike Akalagu, a telecom firm operator in Lagos. Akalagu observed that Globacom’s penetration speed is a huge plus to its PSB which will be massively embraced by the subscribing public. “My fear is whether Globacom can cope with the demand for its PSB services, especially in the countryside where rural bank branches are diminishing because Globacom’s Money Master is definitely going to play a huge role in driving financial inclusion”, Akalagu told THEWILL in a note.

He also added that aviation unions have carried along the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a bid to reverse the ugly trend, which seeks to muzzle aviation workers.

According to a recent report published on rootJulynew2,103,721addedwebsite,CommissionCommunicationsNigerian(NCC)’sGlobacomamassivemillioncustomersinassubscribersforitsservices

of 2,523,276 new phone users recorded in the country in July. This contributed to the jump in the total number of subscriptions to telecommunication services across the mobile networks of MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile to 208.6 million during the review period. The corresponding figure for June was 206 million. Glo’s impressive performance contributed to the boost in the country’s teledensity, which measures the number of active telephone connections per 100 inhabitants living within an area and which rose from 108.15 per cent in June to 109.47 per cent in July MTN2022.came a distant second after Globacom with 392,440 new subscriptions in July, while Airtel was third with 90,955 new customers. However, 9mobile recorded a loss of 63,840 subscribers as its base fell from 12,659,356 in June to 12,595,516 in July.

The financing and capacity building support offered by the CBN and other specialised development banks to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will enable the operators to step up their activities in the real sector valuechain. This is more significant in the backward integration scheme where MSMEs have played active roles to support the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms which are currently challenged as reports have shown.

Backward integration is a practice where companies are encouraged to cultivate their own raw materials locally and purchase from their local suppliers or establish farms to grow produce for their factories. The government put the measure in place to save foreign exchange, create jobs, boost productivity and grow the GDP. The FMCG firms wholly embraced the scheme and the result has been satisfactory. The SME operators who keyed into the initiative, especially those in agribusiness and transportation, have also benefited immensely through the support of the manufacturing firms.

online at www.thewillnigeria.com•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

MSMEs’ Feeding Sopt

AVIATION/TELECOMS

SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

They further argued that even with the whole trying to make the bank processes easy as it is now, there is no incentive to pretty much address the ignorance on the streets. We hardly see banks hosting seminars on how to open a bank account in those low-income areas and that is just focusing on those that already have some sort of knowledge about how the banking app and account opening works.

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The unions condemned what was happening as the Ministry of Aviation was seen as trying to interlope on the responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour, stressing that the move was selfserving and intended to cause problems

Continued from page 16

“In this regard we demand as follows: As the leadership of the Senate and House Committees on Aviation have denied knowledge of the obnoxious clauses in the bills, it has become absolutely necessary to identify how these clauses found their ways into the Bills transmitted to the President.

The unions insisted that the culprits be exposed and punished stressing that obnoxious clauses are in heavy conflict with prevailing national and international laws (as ratified by Nigeria) and cannot find a hiding place in an aviation conclave

Their protest is geared towards tackling an existential threat arising from what they consider to be obnoxious clauses infused into the Aviation Bill presented to the president to sign into law.

Experts observed that quite a number of people do not own bank accounts due to the lack of information or sensitisation on the ease and importance of opening an account and most banks are more focused on reaching the already-banked rather than the unbanked percentage of the population.

Comrade Ocheme Aba who spoke on behalf of other unions said, “This means that the Bill has granted powers to the Minister of Aviation to regulate trade unions and workers in contradiction to the Trade Unions Act, 2004 which grants the Minister of Labour sole regulatory powers over trade union and industrial relations matters in Nigeria.

The unions added that the clauses maliciously added by the powers in the industry aimed at to prohibiting trade union activities in the aviation industry in Nigeria and totally obliterating aviation unions. They informed that unknown persons in the aviation sector added the regressive clauses to the Bills, which the National Assembly transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

Financial Inclusion: Globacom’s Payment Service Bank Seen Boosting MSME Ecosystem

Unions to Protest Repressive Clauses ‘Smuggled’ Into Aviation Bills

“Thethereon.Bank places a premium on the development of its manpower. In addition to the routine online Executive Chat, wherein employees interact with the Management to discuss issues of customer and employee satisfaction, the GMD/ CEO operates an open-door policy and encourages employees to channel suggestions and complaints to him as may be required,” the foremost old generation financial institution stated.

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He said, “Complete tax holiday from all Federal, State and Local Government taxes, rates, customs duties and levies, onestop approvals for all permits, operating licenses and incorporation papers. Dutyfree, tax-free import of raw materials and components for goods destined for reexport.

“It is an indication of active involvement in real banking operations suggesting that the bank if committed to meeting the regulatory 65 percent Loan Deposit Ratio (LDR) requirement prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)”, said Dan Asimobi, a finance analyst.

The employee benefit expenses rose to reach N52.3 billion in H1 2022 from N42.6 billion in H1 2021 as the group noted that it continues to invest in staff training. It stated, “The Bank encourages participation of its employees in arriving at decisions in respect of matters affecting their well-being. To this end, the Bank provides formal and informal opportunities where employees deliberate on issues affecting the Bank and employees’ interest, with a view to making inputs to decision

According to him, SEZ can grow the aviation and cargo export in Nigeria with the incentives and concessions available in the Nigeria Free Zones with concepts like tax holidays, one stop approvals as well as 100% foreign ownership of businesses.

2021 to N257.36 in the review period as investment securities in treasury bills, bonds and others rose.

Total assets increased from N8.54 trillion in H1 2021 to N9 trillion in H1 2022, suggesting that the bank heads towards a N10 trillion assets mark in FY 2022 after crossing the N8 trillion mark in FY 2021. Basic and diluted

Continued from page 16

Adesugba said, “Among the 16 sundry charges tracked for goods coming in or departing the country via airports, only five are officially recognised. Nigeria’s import-to- export airfreight ratio imbalance stood at 87:13 from available statistics.

Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) which disclosed the huge loss said that government agencies in the airport have done a disservice to import and export in the country by mounting complicated roadblocks in the form of extortions, harassment and multiple charges on agroexport goods to the country alone.

Kingsley Opara, who was appointed partner in the audit service line, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) with over fifteen (15) years of work experience in the financial services industry. He joined Grant Thornton Nigeria in 2008 and manages a diverse portfolio of clients in non-governmental/notfor-profit organizations as well as businesses that cut across various sectors, and industries such as Information Technology, Media and Telecommunication, Oil and Gas, Marketing and Communication, Transportation, FMCG Organizations, and Real Estate.

UBA Sustains Earnings Uptrend in HY 2022

rant Thornton Nigeria has restated its focus to challenge conventions and deliver game-changing solutions to clients and stakeholders by sustaining its positioning as a strategic growth market (SGM) within the Grant Thornton global network with the admission of Mr. Kingsley Opara and Mr. Lateef Emiola as new partners in audit and advisory service lines

“The implication according to cargo agencies is loss of at least about USD 250 billon on agro-export produce to the Hecountry.identified other challenges to include, lack of modern Infrastructure, lack of corporate governance, policy and regulation, high cost of aviation fuel, inadequate funding and resources, high cost of operation, insecurity, insurance and Hecorruption.saidthe Federal Government of Nigeria in order to support the Aviation Industry and stimulate multiplier effects in the economy in May 2021 designated the four Major International Airports (Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt) respectively as Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to enable the companies operating at these airports enjoy the benefits of the Free zone Statingscheme.that SEZs are designed to accelerate investment in the aviation sector and its value chain, improve the utilisation of the airports, generate more revenues for the Federal Government as well as attract more local and foreign direct Investment and increase aviation contribution to the GDP.

Grant AdmitsStrategicNigeriaThorntonReaffirmsPositioning,NewPartnersG

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

Amid increasing inflation rate and other headwinds which the economy continues to battle, the bank grew profit after tax by 16 percent, year-onyear, to N70.33 billion from N60.58 billion in HY 2021. Nigeria’s inflation rate in the month of July 2022 rose to a 17-year high of 19.64% compared to 18.6% recorded in the previous month of June 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

earnings per share also witnessed an upward trend -- up from N1.69 in HY 2021 to N1.98 in HY 2022.

The bank recorded a penalty of N524 million as against N278 million representing N88.5 percent rise, raising fears that the financial institution may use a significant portion of the shareholders’ fund to settle the penalties for regulatory infraction at a time investors hope for a better dividend.

Operating expenses jumped to N96.56 billion from N78.75 billion in the contrast period, representing a 22.61 percent. This was driven mainly by rising cost of fuel, repair and maintenance which jumped from N13.42 billion to N16.7 billion or 24.7 percent.

Today’srespectively.fast-evolving business environment needs an equally agile force to measure up and succeed in the ecosystem, hence the rapid response and the authentic showcase of the firm’s flexibility to changing needs with this admission of two more partners.

L-R: Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr (Mrs) Olabimpe Aderiye; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and Secretary to the State Governent, Evang. Foluso Daramola, during the presentation of cheques to three Government Technical Colleges (Igbara - Odo Ekiti, Ijero Ekiti and Otun Ekiti) as part of activities for the flag off of the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project in Ado-Ekiti on September 6, 2022.

banking income represents income taken on transactions processed via electronic channels such as ATM, POS, mobile banking as well as credit and debit card transactions while Trade transactions income entails one-off charges as related to letter of credits and other trade businesses which are excluded from those included in determining effective interest rates on those carried at amortized cost.

Similarly, fees and commission income increased by 30.2 percent from N74 billion to N96.36 billion with electronic banking income which rose by 22.8 percent to N36.32 billion from N29.6 billion in the corresponding period as a major Electronicdriver.

In his presentation, Aviation & Cargo Export in Nigeria, at the 2nd Edition of Aviation and Cargo Conference Managing Director/CEO – NEPZA, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba made this known highlighting some challenges that are militating against import and exports in the Profcountry.Adesugba was represented by Assistant Director Investor Promotion, Augustine Onyekwere who presented his paper at the Professorevent.

Agro Export: Nigeria Loses $250bn to MultipleCorruption,Charges

whopping sum of about US$250 billion may have been lost in Nigeria due to issues that have to do with corruption, multiple charges and other challenges working against agro-export produce in the country .

According to NEPZA ,eleven out of sixteen sundry charges within the supply chain are illegal, stressing that some of these charges have caused international cargo airlines to prefer flying out of Nigeria empty.

“We are ambitious, for clients and ourselves. We are not content delivering basic satisfaction but hinge our results on quality standards that enable our people and clients to go beyond limitations and achieve their ambitions” says Dr. Ngozi Ogwo, Managing Partner and CEO.

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Lateef Emiola, a forensic accountant and chartered banker with over 20 years, has earned for himself the ‘specialist’ status for identifying risks in business. He plays significant roles in helping clients attain success by offering his expertise in certified processes (treasury, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory, fixed assets, etc.) and controls that surround such Emiolaprocesses.has been with the firm for thirteen (13) years and currently works with both local and multinational clients delivering quality advisory services in accounting, budgeting, payroll, and payroll tax structures, corporate governance, riskbased internal audit, and fraud risk management investigations, and other services.

T

“And to our Government, we appreciate the response to the release of some funds, but we urge Government as a matter of urgency to open further windows of engagement by calling for a meeting with all parties involved; to include CBN, Minister of Aviation, Minister of Finance, Foreign Airlines, NCAA, IATA and NANTA”.

will be held on the DBN Learning Management System (LMS), a free learning portal with carefully curated self-paced courses that are open to all Nigerian MSMEs who are interested in acquiring the right knowledge needed to succeed in Whilebusiness.speaking on the free DBN learning program for MSMEs, DBN Managing Director, Anthony Okpanachi said, “As part of our plans to strengthen our catalytic role in the Nigerian economy, we are expanding our reach to MSMEs and inviting interested Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to take advantage of our free Entrepreneurship Training Program to upscale their skills. Consequently, DBN is investing a lot of resources in driving skill acquisition across the different aspects of managing

“I am confident that MSMEs who take advantage of this opportunity will gain critical business skills that will pave the way for higher earnings, capacity, increased innovation, self-reliance, and most importantly, improve their ability to access funding for their businesses”, he added.

Also, businesses/participants will be eligible to pitch their business ideas/ value proposition to a carefully selected professional panel and successful pitches will be selected to receive grant funding to kick start their journey into the entrepreneurship space.

Trading in the top three equities namely Sterling Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and Transnational Corporation Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 472.701 million shares worth N1.164 billion in 2,333 deals, contributing 49.77% and 12.48% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Thedeals.third place was the ICT Industry, with a turnover of 44.439 million shares worth N2.875 billion in 1,744 deals.

n furtherance of its commitment to fostering financial literacy in the younger generation, FMDQ Group PLC through its flagship corporate responsibility programme, FMDQ Next Generation Financial Markets Empowerment Programme (FMDQ-Next)a learning and development initiative aimed at promoting financial market awareness and literacy among students across all levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary), as well as fresh graduates - successfully organised the 3rd edition of its FMDQ-Next Summer Camp Programme (“the Programme”) at its business complex, Exchange Place, in Lagos.

She stated that, their business is on the verge of total collapse and their staff with families and at this trying times, may be forced into the streets and therefore appealed to the foreign Airlines to pause and have a rethink on these unnecessary measures that they find exploitative; restore inventories across board and think of the good days when they flew in and out of Nigeria, enjoying the best patronage from the Nigerian flying public.

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Participants are required to complete a minimum of four mandatory courses on the DBN BizAid Learning Management Platform and obtain an average score of 70 percent to be eligible for the in-person classes in Abuja and Lagos.

DBN Offers Free Entrepreneurship Training For MSMEs

SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

he National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has described the increment of ticket sales by foreign airlines as a ‘High Fares

Airfares: byLamentsNANTAExploitationForeignAirlines

housands of Nigerian Micro, Small, and Medium Businesses (MSMEs) are set to benefit from the free entrepreneurship program being offered by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc. The free entrepreneurship training is part of the Bank’s efforts toward achieving its core mandate of building the capacity of small businesses to enable them to formalize and upscale. This essentially will address the challenges some of them face in accessing funding for their Thebusinesses.training

Industry followed with 69.775 million shares worth N191.041 million in 570

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Akporiaye also disclosed that, the airlines are deeply pained as the recently released by the CBN has not even gotten to some of them while those who received 25% of the trapped funds were even short paid.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (right), interacting with participants during a surprise visit to the just concluded 2-week Gbaja  Summer Coding Camp facilitated by the Speaker and Pearl Africa held in Surulere 1 Federal Constituency between August and September 2022.

Whilst the Primary and Secondary School participants enjoyed a range of activities, including quizzes and competitions, trade by barter activities to introduce them to the concept of demand and supply, arts and crafts session to foster creativity, amongst others, earning them fantastic prizes, the Secondary School participants were given the added opportunity to learn how to trade currencies, culminating in a Trading Challenge in a simulated environment in FMDQ Q-Hub (a state-of-the-art Trading Simulation Room), using the FMDQ-Next bespoke Trading System.

By the end of the online training session on 23rd September, 200 businesses would be selected for a physical session taking place from October 17 to 21, 2022 in Lagos and Abuja. It will provide an opportunity for businesses to practically learn and apply important principles from online training to their various businesses. They will also have the opportunity to network and crosssell their ideas with colleagues.

AccordingPandemic’.to NANTA ,Foreign airlines have now resorted to selling tickets for economy class up to between N3 million and N4 million in a perceived retaliation of their inability to repatriate their trapped funds of over $465 million.

While stressing that, two wrongs don’t make a right, executive members of the Association, Mr. Yinka Folami, Vice President and the Treasurer, Dr. Dagunduro Olatokunbo said, it was wrong for the airlines to do this because of the issues of the trapped funds.

“In between these strangulating circumstances, the Airlines withdrew lower inventories across board, selling at the highest possible openings as a way to cushion their funds being trapped”.

“It is sad that Nigerians have to buy tickets to the tune of three to four million naira and be charged as high as one million naira to change travel dates even on tickets bought before this wahala began”.

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

They seek the understanding of the airlines and government to come to an amicable solution in resolving this nagging issues of trapped funds.

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Equities Market Closes in Mixed Sentiments

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and sustaining a successful business across sectors.’’

The Programme provided fun and exciting learning experiences, through interactive financial market exercises and activities, offering the young participants the opportunity to learn about the workings of financial markets, the concept of savings and investment, the various investment vehicles, and the roles of the different financial market participants, amongst other valuable learnings.

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Surpassing expectations, the Programme positively impacted one hundred and thirty (130) students, who were prestigiously catered for in FMDQ’s well-equipped business complex, with access to the FMDQ worldclass Archives, the FMDQ Studio, and trading sessions through the FMDQ market systems. The participants were also exposed to FMDQ’s workplace, with quality interactions with the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Executives and Staff of FMDQ.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 735.300 million shares valued at N4.133 billion traded in 10,186 deals; thus contributing 77.41% and 44.30% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates

At a media briefing in Lagos on Thursday, President of the Association, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye said, an economy ticket of N300,000 is now sold for N1.5 million, N3 million and up to N4 million.

Akporiaye who described this as unacceptable, exploitative and hostile to the survival of the Nigerian aviation downstream sector said, this is solely targeted at Nigeria and Nigerians, and this cannot be seen anywhere in Africa even in countries where they also have their funds being trapped.

According to her, there is no transparency in the process and there are trust issues as the airlines are not really sure if the release is sincere by the government.

total turnover of 949.819 million shares worth N9.329 billion in 18,525 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 1.195 billion shares valued at N12.924 billion that exchanged hands last week in 19,305 deals.

FMDQ Delights ‘Next Generation’ With Financial Literacy Summer Camp

“This is unacceptable, exploitative, and hostile to the survival of the Nigerian aviation downstream sector and to which we call for sanity and return to the best inventory practices and deployment”.

The free and highly coveted Summer Camp Programme, designed for Primary School (ages 8–10) and Secondary School (ages 11–16) students, was delivered in four (4) Streams, on August 3 – 26, 2022.

Member-countries are rather coming up with more ‘protectionist’ and ‘nationalistic’ policies that tend to stand as counterpoise to the intendments of the continental body “

(in their socioeconomic dealings) lean more towards their ‘ex-colonisers’ than the new reality of economic union of the African continent. The deteriorating economic conditions of these African countries, especially with the onset of the global pandemic (Covid-19) in 2020, have practically forced them to get tightly tied to the apron strings of their ex-colonial overlords. The Coronavirus pandemic in the past couple of years had further impoverished most already poor African countries, who now literally live on the crumbs from their colonial overlords.

It must be recalled that in 2018, African Heads of State adopted the protocol relating to the free movement of persons, right of residence, and right of establishment to enable Africans to freely move and work within Africa. Five years down the line, this protocol is observed more in breach: there is neither free movement of persons nor right of residence. Xenophobic

Even with the pomp that has marked the founding of the continental body that is expected to facilitate the broadening and deepening of intra-African trade, the fundamental issue of “free movement of persons” among the member-countries is yet Authorsunresolved.oftheAfCFTA

Citizens of the ‘Giant of Africa’, Nigeria, seem to be the worst victims—whether in South Africa, Ghana, Libya or Sudan, Nigerians and their livelihoods are serially being attacked. Hardly any week passes without an alert or alarm calling the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to the threat or actual attack on Nigerians in some African countries.

•Okeke is an economist, sustainability expert and business strategy consultant.

pparently unknown to the initiators and protagonists of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), one of the greatest threats to that fledgling economic initiative is the depth and dimensions or ramifications of entrenched xenophobia within the continent. This is a bizarre situation in which citizens of certain African countries hate and (physically) attack fellow Africans (from other countries) residing in their domains.

As of December 2021, Rebeca Grynspan, the SecretaryGeneral of UNCTAD said “intra-African trade is currently low at 14.4 per cent of total African exports. UNCTAD estimates that the AfCFTA could boost intra-African trade by about 33 percent and cut the continent’s trade deficit by 51 per cent.” But confronting these great expectations are mammoth obstacles, including existing tariffs and non-tariff hurdles that are yet to be dismantled by many of the member-countries.

It was this primordial divisive tendency that ‘boiled over’ in 2020, when Anglophone ECOWAS members, led by their ‘Colonial Master’—France—‘conspired’ to ‘highjack’ the ‘Eco’—the common currency of the sub-region that has been in the making for about three decades. Obviously, the French President, Emmanuel Macron-led ‘currency union’ initiative was to tie these (Francophone) countries more closely to France than to their African (or West African) neighbours.

AfCFTA took off officially with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, about 21 months ago, cleavages, allegiances and alliances amongst African countries along colonial lines tend to be getting stronger. In West Africa, for instance, it is still fashionable to strengthen bilateral relations along ‘Anglophone’ or ‘Francophone’ lines than any other socioeconomic consideration. This, more than anything else, has stood against the cohesiveness and attainment of the core economic objectives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)—a body that was founded some 47 years ago.

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Taking ECOWAS as a microcosm of the African continent, the ‘umbilical attachment’ of AfCFTA-member countries in other sub-regional groups is consistently pulling them to their former ‘Colonial Masters’. Whether in the Southern Africa, East Africa or North African groups, their member-countries

However, by far, the most potent of the ‘barriers’ to the attainment of the otherwise noble goals of the AfCFTA is the ‘human factor’; and which is why till date, the basic objective of “mobility of people” within the continent is yet to be achieved. Indeed, more than ever before, primordial centrifugal forces tugging at the unity of the continent have been at play. Member-countries are rather coming up with more ‘protectionist’ and ‘nationalistic’ policies that tend to stand as counterpoise to the intendments of the continental Althoughbody.

attacks on citizens of Africa in African countries are, more than ever before, on the increase.

Even with these noble intendments of the NIDCOM Act, the agency has since become more visible in efforts at quelling xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in various African countries than in ‘harnessing Diaspora resources.’ Executive Chairman, NIDCOM, Mrs Dabiri Erewa has practically been in the ‘war front’ fighting to arrange safe passage for Nigerians usually ‘trapped’ in xenophobic attacks in many African countries.

Xenophobia: Threat to Africa’s Economic Development

BY MARCEL OKEKE

lofty ideals is vividly captured in the ‘Economic Development in Africa Report 2021’ published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Titled, ‘Reaping the Potential Benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Inclusive Growth’, the Report says: “The design of the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA reflects an explicit commitment to create a framework for deeper socioeconomic integration and improved cooperation that enables trade, investment and the mobility of people, to support industrialisation and the development of a dynamic services sector.”

Set up by an Act of the National Assembly in 2017, NIDCOM provides for the engagement of Nigerians in Diaspora in policies, projects and participation in the development of Nigeria and for the purpose of utilizing the human capital and material resources of Nigerians in Diaspora towards the overall socioeconomic, cultural and political development of Nigeria and related matters.

When the pandemic really became a palpable threat to the human race, the developed economies commenced producing vaccines only for their citizens. Some of the rich countries placed embargo on the export of such vaccines to Africa. It was only after a lot of clamour by many humanitarian and human rights organizations that some packs of the vaccines (some, inferior or fake) were allowed to trickle down to African countries.

News reports about these attacks or threats of attacks (in South Africa, Libya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, etc.) on Nigerians have since become a common feature. In April 2022, a newspaper headline said: ‘Nigerian community in S/ Africa decries attacks on foreign nationals by locals.’ Quoting the President, Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), Mr Benjamin Okoli, the report decried attacks on foreign nationals by locals in South Africa. Yet, in another report on August 29, 2022: ‘Xenophobia: FG alerts Nigerians of planned attacks in South Africa,’ the ugly scenario played out Theseagain.reported

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ECONOMY

attacks are worrisomely replicated in many other African countries almost on a daily basis—thus, making the “free movement of persons” and rights to residence/work “anywhere on the continent” a mere fantasy. This boldly questions the very foundation of AfCFTA and other African Union (AU) agencies. Can AfCFTA really stand with ‘Africa warring against itself?’ Time shall tell!

believe it has created an opportunity for a US$3.5 trillion “borderless market” of about 1.3 billion people, not minding the antagonistic and ‘colonialisminduced’ internecine hatred among the African peoples; a status quo that has been entrenched and sustained till date. But it is pertinent to explore some of the ideals that form the substratum of the continental body that effectively came into existence in January 2021 when 54 out of the 55 African countries signed their consent instruments. (Only Eritrea is yet to Partbelong,)ofthe

Governor of Anambra State, prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo (middle) and others, receiving blessings from the newly created Cardinal, Ekwulobia Diocese, His Eminence, Peter Ebere Cardinal Okpalaeke during a mass reception in Anambra on September 8, 2022.

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Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

THEWILL

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor and others during the formal commissioning of the Nigerian Navy Sports Complex and Opening Ceremony of the 12th Nigerian Navy Games (LAGOS 2022) at Navy Town Barracks, Ojo, Lagos on September 8th 2022.

Managing Director, FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited, Ms. Tumi Sekoni, 92nd right) with the top 3 finalists of the stream 2 Secondary School Trading Challenge of the FMDQ-Next 2022 Summer Camp Programme, in Lagos on September 7,2022.

SHOTS OF THE WEEK

SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

L-R: Divisional Head, Business Support Services, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Irene Robinson-Ayanwale; Chief Executive Officer, InfraCredit, Mr. Daniel Mueller; Managing Partner, Metropolitan Law, Ummahani Ahmad Amin; Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking, FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Femi Badeji; Managing Director, Lagos Free Zone, Mr. Dinesh Rathi; Divisional Head, Capital Market, NGX, Mr. Jude Chiemeka; Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Capital, Mr. Funso Akere; Director, Lagos Free Zone, Ms. Adesuwa Ladoja and Chief Finance Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Mr. Ashish Khemka, during the Closing Gong Ceremony commemorating LFZ Bond Listing on Nigerian Exchange Limited in Lagos on September 7, 2022.

L-R: Business Development Manager, U-Connect HR Limited, Gabriel Jacob; Senior Manager, Participant Engagement & Programs, UN Global Compact Network, Tumi Onamade; Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; Country HR Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Shakiru Lawal and ED, Activate Success International, Love Idoko, at the endorsement of Youth and Sports Development in Abuja on September 3, 2022.

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•Mike Edwards And Perri Shakes-Drayton

•Anita Joseph And Fisayo Olagunju

•Stan Nze and Blessing Obasi

•Dare And Deola Art Alade

hythm and Blues singer, Dare Art Alade, otherwise known as Darey, is one of the most popular African artistes in terms of talent and lyrical content. The music icon and entrepreneur is married to Adeola, a woman who is eight years older than him. Love has kept them going over the years and people hardly remember that they are not of the same age Dareybracket.and his wife both run Livespot360 together, a creative agency responsible for some of the most successful concerts in Nigeria. They got married in 2007 and have been together for 15 years. The couple’s marriage is blessed with two children: Femi and Tinuke Alade. Adeola is a very private person. She is rarely seen at events except it is coordinated by their company, Livespot360. Darey once said, in an interview, that there has been no pressure of any sort on him because he is married to an older woman.

Soon Peter and Lola took their friendship further and started dating in 2006. They welcomed their first child, Cameron in 2008. They got married in November 2013 and had their second child, Aliona same year. Like most other marriages, theirs was not a bed of roses. There were challenges and trials. For example, Lola was allegedly accused of being the cause of the friction between her husband and his twin brother, Paul, which led to the disbandment of the P-Square in 2016 till early 2022 when they all reunited as one big happy family.

ne half of the music group known as P-Square, Peter Okoye and his lovely wife, Lola Omotayo, have both come a long way as a couple. While many are aware that Lola is older than her husband, not many know about the wide age difference between the two until the mother of two announced that she had clocked 50 on September 2, 2022.

omedian Gbenga Adeyinka and his wife of many years, Abiola, also fall into the category of couples who have older partners. The comedian hardly talks about this as he believes that having a peaceful home is much more important than the age difference between a couple. Adeyinka met his wife when he was working as a corporate affairs manager in a construction company. Both of them worked in the same building but in different offices. Abiola was working as a company’s secretary then. He casually told her one day that she would be his wife and that marked the beginning of their Thefriendship.lovebirds got married in 1996 and their marriage is blessed with three children. The comedian hardly flaunts his wife and children in public because his wife, who is a lawyer, is a very private person. The comedian is 54 years-old, while his wife is 56.

inger Ayo Balogun, otherwise known as Wizkid, and brand consultant cum manager, Jada Pollock, have six years between them. Jada was born in 1983, while Wizkid was born in 1990. The two have been together for over six years, despite their age difference. They met when Pollock was on a playing tour of Lagos with Chris Brown, one of the artists she was managing at that time, about seven years Pollockago.was introduced to Wizkid when he came to perform at Chris Brown’s concert in Lagos. They both struck a deal and she started managing the singer and later, started dating him. Pollock’s father hinted that the couple could have taken their relationship a step further when he called Wizkid his ‘son-in-law’ in an Instagram post. While Wizkid has two children from two other baby mamas, he has two with Pollock and recently welcomed the second a few weeks ago.

Gbenga And Abiola Adeyinka

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Unknown to many fans of the Nigerian entertainment industry, when it comes to love and romance, there is no age limit. In the light of this, SHADE WESLEYMETIBOGUN unveils a list of entertainers who have older partners

Lola had been a fan of P Square for many years, even before she met and got to know the twins closely. It never occurred to her that somebody she would end up getting married to one of Shethem.met Peter through his former manager and took a liking to him almost instantly. Later she formed the habit of watching the P-Square perform at concerts and other events. She recommended them for gigs via the company she worked with at the time.

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Peter Okoye And Lola Omotayo-Okoye

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Wizkid And Jada DarePollockAnd Deola Art Alade

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ollywood actor, Stanley Nzediegwu, also known as Stan Nze, and his wife, Blessing Obasi, have a wide age gap between them. The actor got married to his producer cum actress wife in September 2021 in a well-attended ceremony.

For Mike and his wife, it was love at first sight. They met in a school and were unable to take their eyes off each other. Mike tried to imitate her Jamaican accent and they became friends thereafter. They dated for some years before getting married in 2019 in Buckinghamshire and headed to Mauritius for their honeymoon.

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ollywood actress, Anita Joseph and her husband, Fisayo Olagunju, popularly known as McFish, have been trolled on several occasions, especially on social media, because of their age difference. Nita J, as she is fondly called, found love in the arms of Fisayo who is eight years younger than her. The actress was born in 1985 while her husband was born in 1993. Known to display affection for each other in public and on social media, the couple has chosen to ignore naysayers and now enjoys living together.

actress, Uche Ogbodo, finally found love in the arms of a younger man. Her beau, Bobby Marris, who is an up and coming artiste, is four years younger than the actress. The duo faced a lot of opposition as a result of their decision, but it didn’t deter them from solidifying their relationship. They dated for a few months and Marris got the actress Onepregnant.ofthe reasons why Ogbodo settled for a younger lover is because of her unpleasant experience in the hands of older men who used her and left her heart broken and demoralised. The couple had a secret marriage and has been living happily for the past one year. Bobby has been playing a fatherly role to Mildred, Uche’s daughter from a past relationship.

Since the former housemate left the Big Brother Naija house, he has not married the mother of his son, three years after their engagement.

Stan is ten years younger than his wife. He met her in 2017 at the Eko International Film Festival and one of their friends, Rotimi Salami, tried to introduce them to each other. They met again in the same year at the African Magic office where they both went to sell their movies individually to the African Magic team. Tunde Onakoya, a friend of Blessing, tried to introduce the two to each other. Initially Blessing had a negative impression of the actor. During their third encounter at the premiere of a movie, Picture Perfect, the two became friends and eventually got married in 2021.

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Anita Joseph And Fisayo Olagunju Uche Ogbodo And Bobby Marris

Toyin Lawani And Segun Wealth

Anita and Fisayo met in 2017 at a birthday party. McFish, who is a hype man, was supervising the event when he sighted the actress. They became friends and eventually walked down the aisle in a private ceremony on February, 14, 2020. Anita’s friends discouraged her from dating and even settling down with the comedian turned hype man because of the difference in their ages and the nature of his profession. However, their love has continued to wax stronger over the years.

Stan was criticised for marrying a woman who was almost 10 years older than him. The actor was born in 1989, while his wife was born in 1980. The actor revealed that he married her because she was the only woman who gave him peace of mind.

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ike Edwards, a high jump athlete, entrepreneur and the first black to own a Cigar company in the United Kingdom, came into the limelight after participating in the Big Brother Naija reality show in 2019. Mike married Perri Shakes-Drayton, a retired British track and field athlete, in 2019. Perry, who is older by three years, was born in 1988, while the reality show star was born in 1991.

fter a few attempts at nurturing a relationship,romanticNollywood

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eality show star, Praise Nelson got engaged to Omowumi Omoniwa, a 43-year- old lady in 2019 and even welcomed a son, Jamine with her in 2020.

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erial entrepreneur and boss of Tiannah’s Place Empire, Toyin Lawani, enjoys the company of younger men. She has dated a few of them and even gave birth for two of her younger lovers. Her first celebrated romance with a younger lover was with Kensington Womadi, popularly known as Lord Trigg, but it hit the rocks within two years. Not long afterwards, she fell in love with a younger man, Segun Adebayo Druce, also known as Segun Wealth, who is her personal photographer. Segun Wealth abandoned his wife, Edeol Quin Idoga and two children in Port-Harcourt under the guise of going to look for greener pastures, but he started co-habiting with the fashion designer. They got engaged in February 2021 and wedded in June 2021. They welcomed their first child in August 2021. One is older than the other by five years.

Stan Nze and Blessing Obasi

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The two love birds got married a few months before Mike went for Big Brother Naija Pepper Dem edition. The couple welcomed their first child together in 2020. Despite the difference in age and their celebrity status, they have been able to keep their ship sailing.

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Mike Edwards And Perri Shakes-Drayton Praise Nelson And Omowumi Omoniwa

The 30-year- old dancer and Latin ballroom expert, who participated in the season 5 edition of Big Brother Naija, tagged Lock Down in 2020, was a subject of ridicule when he was on the reality show because his fiancée was older than him. Some of his housemates accused him of dating a 60-year-old lady.

Whencrashed.the going was good for the couple, the age factor was not an issue. They often celebrated their love openly, even marking their wedding anniversaries on social media. The marriage was blessed with two children, Sean and Eliana, before the couple parted ways in 2021. The breakup was announced in 2022. The dancer accused her husband of sleeping with her close friend.

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OkezieQueenAndOkoseEmmanuel WomadiKensingtonAndLawaniToyin AmehJosephAndShafauKaffyOjiesonSilverAndNjemanzeAnn

ollywood actress, Ann Njemanze has been married twice. The first time, she married popular actor, Segun Arinze. After the marriage collapsed, she met Silver Ojieson, who was five years younger than her, shortly after recovering from an accident that almost took her life. They got married in 2013, but the marriage did not last beyond eight months. Many blamed the breakup on the age gap between the two, though it was obvious that domestic violence played a key role in it.

It all started in the form of a business proposition as the fashion icon was Lord Trigg’s stylist but later turned lover and baby mama. Lord Trigg is an artiste and model who is 10 years younger than the fashion designer. The two started dating in 2014 and welcomed a son before they parted ways in 2016. The estranged lovers had a messy breakup on social media. They eventually buried the hatchet because of their son, Lord Maine Tenor.

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ENTERTAINERS WHO HAVE LEFT THEIR YOUNGER PARTNERS

Despite an 11-year age difference, both Soul E and Queen ignored their critics and went on to start a well-publicised relationship. They were live-in-lovers. In one of their interviews, they both addressed their age gap by saying “Love conquers all”. The two were always together and they often wore matching clothes to public functions. The breakup of their relationship came as a big shock to many who saw the lovers as their role models. Both of them fell love again with different partners. Queen married a Pastor, but the marriage didn’t last. It was over within a few months. Soul E on the other hand relocated to Lesotho with his new family and has been living a very private life since then.

While some entertainers are falling in love with older partners and nurturing their relationships to success, the story is different for a few others who couldn’t stand the heat of being with older partners. SHADE WESLEYMETIBOGUN writes on entertainers who were once with younger lovers but have now called it quits with them.

oss of Tiannah’s Place Empire, Toyin Lawani made her debut in the list of celebrities who are separated from their with younger lovers as a result of her romantic dalliance with her first younger lover, Kensington Womadi, also known as Lord Trigg. He is the father of her first son, Oluwateniola Womadi, also known as Lord Maine Tenor.

enowned dancer and Guinness World record breaker, Kafayat Shafau, also known as Kaffy, joined the league of entertainers with younger lovers in 2012 when she married Joseph Ameh, also known as Papi J, a music director and former drummer with P-Square. Although she was eight years older than her estranged husband, they both had 10 years of marital bliss before their marriage

known as Soul E, and banker turned singer, Queen Okezie, otherwise known as Queen Ure, had the most celebrated whirlwind romance before it suddenly crashed. Queen is the daughter of late prominent medical practitioner, politician and former Minister of Health Dr. J.O.J Okezie.

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With this machine, for the treatment of kidney stones and related diseases, patients won’t have to go through painful surgical operations again.

married, Donald was alleged to be in a serious relationship with Nollywood actress, Bukky Wright. He was alleged to have outspent a former southwestern governor whose son recently got married, to get the actress’ attention and thereafter spoiled her silly while the relationship lasted. He however denied the affair ever happened, insisting that his relationship with Bukky was a platonic one. Expectedly, most of his peers have taken to social media to mourn him.

Obasa

BEDC. But the BPE, invadeandplansperfectedallegedlydesperation,have,aforementionedindicationThereovertoonetc,FidelityNERC,Bank,areallbentgoingaheadforcefullytaketheDisCo.isastrongthattheoutofdevioustoforcefullyunlawfullythepremises

The mosque, put at a cost of N300 million is a 1200 capacity mosque comprising male and female sections, ablution center, toilets, parking lot and one minaret, was completed within eleven months.

Sefiu Adegbenga Kaka amongst others. Bello Olusoga, fondly referred to as Aunty Mo, is a woman of many firsts. She was the first female Executive director at Guaranty Trust Bank, the first female Director at Access Bank, the first female director of First Premium Pensions Limited, the first female Chairman of Access Bank and the first Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Olabisi Onabanjo University. She is an educator who offers training in the financial sector and also a school purposely built to raise tech-savvy youths with bright young minds. A keen advocate for women in the workplace, BelloOlusoga is the founder of City of Knowledge Academy, Ijebu-Ode.

management led by Ajagbawa is the only statutory recognised management of BEDC. It added that BEDC was a distribution licensee of commission and by virtue of powers vested in the commission by the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, NERC was the primary authority vested with powers to statutorily recognise the board/management of BEDC as an operator in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. Recall that the federal government had announced a planned takeover of Benin, Kano and Kaduna electricity distribution companies (DisCos) by Fidelity Bank Plc. The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had said the restructuring was a result of the contractual agreement between the bank and Vigeo Power Limited, a core investor in Benin DisCo. BEDC is jointly owned by private investors with Vigeo Power Ltd holding an equity of 60 per cent and 40 per cent being held by the Bureau of Public Enterprises on behalf of the federal and state governments.

Dr Abdulsalam is also the interim coordinator of Evolving Women In Politics, (EWIP), a non-governmental organization that seeks to mitigate violence against women during elections and encourage the participation of women in politics in the country. A philanthropist, she runs the Raliat Anako Abdulsalam Foundation (RAAF), a nonprofit organisation that promotes citizens Anotherwelfare.

Idowu Obasa Donates Kidney Machine to LASUTH

gesture to standardise the medical Obasa’sinfrastructure.keeness to contribute to the medical needs of Nigerians saw his company deworming 400,000 Nigerian school children for free last year.

Bello-Olusoga Donates Mosque Worth N300m to OOU MEET INFLUENTIAL

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

There had also been speculations about who the traditional ruler would eventually settle down with among the women that surrounds him. He eventually chose Mariam Anako, as exclusively reported by THEWILL, and married her in a traditional ceremony that was devoid of fanfare.

dowu Osuolale Obasa, a former two-time Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos has donated a lithotripsy machine to the Urology Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos.

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Anako, Anako, Ooni of Ife, Anako and Abdulsalam

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While Naomi and Ooni’s second wife, Zaynab, were popular in their own right, they didn’t quite have the clout, influence and financial wherewithal that his new wife has. Not only is she an oil and gas executive who works with Nestoil, an oil and gas firm into engineering, procurement, construction, et cetera, her sisters are equally influential in their own right.

One a visit to an Indian hospital for treatment, he was surprised to see that the lithotripsy machine was readily available in Indian hospitals but not in Nigeria where he claims we have more qualified Irkeddoctors.by this, he resolved to fill the gap with the purchase of the machine which costs nothing less than N50 million.

The commissioning was graced by several dignitaries including Senator

Royal Rumble Continues as BPE Moves to Take Over BEDC

Obaseki

Obasa who runs Biomedical

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain. Their relationship blossomed while Medina was in Law School, Abuja. At that time, Seriki was said to be very fond of her because she stood by him during some of the toughest periods in his life. She would have married him except that her mother strongly disapproved of their relationship.

Lamex, who made his fortune from the clearing and forwarding business, was once a big-time distributor of Conoil. He owns the R & A Hotel situated on Allen Avenue, Ikeja alongside other business ventures.

The marriage also put an end to any thought of reconciliation between the Ooni and Naomi. Naomi had dumped him via social media in December of 2021 after three years of marriage. She had cited deceit on the part of the traditional ruler as one of her reasons for leaving the marriage.

Mosun SISTERS OF

In 2014, she became the fourth wife of popular socialite and businessman, Alhaji Olarenwaju Akanni Mohammed, more popularly known as Lamex.

ocialite and real estate guru, Donald Obaseki is dead. The boss of Guarantee Properties, who at some point was considered one of the biggest spenders on Lagos Island, died of an undisclosed ailment last week. The businessman, who lived life to the hilt before fizzling out of the social scene, was only ill for a brief moment before he gave up the ghost. A very generous man who got many ladies hanging around him, despite being

The Osibodus

Instead of cutting up the body, which might lead to all kinds of surgical complications or admission in the hospital for days, the technology would allow doctors to put patients in front of the machine that delivers shocking sound waves which will shatter kidney stones from the body within minutes.

OONI’S NEW WIFE Bello-Olusoga

arring any throughinterestsactionstatedtheStrategyBEDC’sOlanipekunandisBlair,Plc.takeoverarbitrationdraggedNotappointments.regulatorytherepressmanagementprotection.roomManagingCitythecourtaboutforcefullyThe(NERC)ElectricityAjagbawa,PublicCourt,injunctioncompanyfact(BEDC)ElectricityforcefullyBureauallegedlycircumstance,unforeseeableplansareunderwaybytheofPublicEnterprisestoattempttotakeoverBeninDistributionCompanyPlcasecondtime,despitethethattheelectricitydistributionhasasubsistingcourtbytheFederalHighAbuja,againsttheBureauofEnterprises,(BPE)andHenryappointedbyNigerianRegulatoryCommissioninJuly2022,overthemove.firsttimeBPEattemptedtotakeoverthecompanywastwomonthsagoanddespiteaorder,thedefendantsinvadedpremisesofBEDCinBeninandbrokeintotheofficeoftheDirectorandtheboardbraggingofgovernmentThispromptedtheofBEDCtoissueastatementexplainingthatwasnocontractual,statutoryorbasisforthetakeoverandwillingtotakeanychance,BEDCBPEtoaUnitedKingdompaneltochallengetheofBEDCbyFidelityBankCherieBlair,thewifeofTonyUK’sex-PrimeMinister,whotheChairofOmniaStrategyLLPBodeOlanipekunofWoleandCoareleadinglegalteam.AnOmniaLLPdocumentaddressedtoDirector-General,BPE,AlexOkoh,thatthebureau’simproperhadVPL’scommercialandreputationtosuffertheforcefultakeoverof

he Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi finally laid speculation around a possible replacement for his estranged third wife, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, to during the week. He decided to move on and give love a chance for the fourth time.

sister of Olori Mariam is Medina Anako, who is a lawyer, businesswoman, and also the Special Adviser on Intergovernmental Affairs and Kogi State Diaspora Focal Point Officer (DFPO) to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.

Before her current political appointment, Medina used to operate a string of thriving business ventures, one of which is a bakery. All three sisters are from an influential family in Igbira, Kogi State, but her grandparents settled in Ilorin ,Kwara State. They lost their parents at a tender age and were all raised by former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, who was at the helm of the Nigerian Police between 2012 and 2014. Abubakar is incidentally an in-law to Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man.

any time soon, with the support of some security agencies. Ajagbawa is said to have allegedly fed the security agencies with lies and malicious allegations against the statutorily recognised and legitimate management of BEDC. Irked by how brazen Ajagbawa and the BPE have become, a senior official at BEDC has cried out to well-meaning Nigerians and the general public to prevail on the aforementioned to respect the pending proceedings and orders of the court, while also imploring all security forces in Nigeria to reject the illegal machinations of Ajagbawa and his collaborators and respect pending proceedings of court to avoid a breakdown of law and order. The continued tussle for the ownership of BEDC has plunged electricity consumers in Edo, Ekiti, Delta and Ondo States into perpetual darkness. This prompted NERC to reiterate its insistence on taking BEDC from Vigeo. NERC also reiterated that the interim

There is Dr Railiat Anako Abdulsalam, the new Olori’s older sister who is an astute politician as well as an oil and gas guru in the downstream sector, for example. She is the Chief Operating Officer of First Opti Plus Logistics Ltd and the Yeye Oge of Ibogun Kingdom, a chieftaincy title conferred on her by Oba Abiodun Fayemi Oguronbi of Ibogun Olaoparun community in Ogun State during the occasion of his first coronation anniversary.

of the company

Donald Obaseki is Dead

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Medina used to be in a relationship with Demola Seriki, a former Minister of State, Defence, now

ajia Tamramat Mosun BelloOlusoga, the immediate past chairman of Access bank Plc, during the week showed off her philanthropic side when she donated an ultra-modern mosque to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Muslim community, Ago–Iwoye. Named As–Sujood Mosque, it is located at the main Campus of the university in Ago- Iwoye campus, Ogun state.

Limited, the first company in Nigeria to produce intravenous fluids, said he was moved to donate the machine because he is a chronic kidney disease patient. He harboured what doctors call underlying medical conditions which has seen him visiting major hospitals around the world.

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While appreciating Obasa for his generosity, the Lagos State government called on other Nigerians to emulate the kind

After2022.the period of RulingtheAgunloyeDrcontestants,Onekingmakers.byshortlistedeventuallywerecontestantsAboutroyalinterestdeclaredOyoprincesended,mourning119fromtowntheirinthestool.86theoftheKasalifromAgunloyeHouse

he selection process of a new Alaafin of Oyo is facing some crisis, which might delay the unveiling of the next candidate for the throne. The stool became vacant after the death of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who passed away at the age of 83 at the Afe Babalola University

ola Okolie, the amiable entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of Bonix, the number one drink vendor on the party scene in Lagos and Nigeria at large, recently rolled out the drums in celebration of 30 years in Thebusiness.event, tagged “Bonix Experience 30” in partnership with Hennessy, had A-list guests trooping to Whitestone Event Centre, Oregun, Ikeja, last week to celebrate the milestone. The colour of the day was black with a touch of orange. Many guests complied with the colour code. Those who couldn’t adorned other bright colours in jaw dropping ensemble befitting royalty. Okolie, who holds a degree in International Relations from the Obafemi Awolowo University, played the perfect host as she moved from one end of the hall to the other welcoming guests and exchanging pleasantries with those who came to rejoice with her.

Aformer member of the House of YouthsaccusationsmajorpoliticalCongresstheFederalrepresentingRepresentativesOye/IkoleConstituency1,underplatformoftheAllProgress(APC),BimboDaramola’sambitionhassufferedasetbackasaresultofsomelevelledagainsthim.actingundertheaegis

The bride, Rukayya is a fashion designer and virtual stylist while her husband, Usman, is a businessman.

he alarm raised by Dare Kadiri, the former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, has been justified, following the arrest and detention of the speaker of the House of Assembly, Olakunle KadiriOluomo.had misappropriation.investigateandforgedthattheaccessanyKadiriOlusegunformerpetrolpurportedlyamountinSomefromobtainingHefinancialCrimesbytransparencydemandedformerimpeachedpartybutinaccountabilitydemandedandtransparencythefinanceoftheassembly,hewasaccusedofanti-activitiesandthereforebythehouse.TheDeputySpeakerhadaccountabilityandafterhewasinvitedtheEconomicandFinancialCommission(EFCC)formisappropriation.wasaccusedofN50milliontheassemblyaccount.receiptsusedobtainingthehugeofmoneywereissuedbyastationownedbythepresidentofNigeria,Obasanjo.deniedcollectingmoneyashehadnotothefinanceofassembly.Heallegedhissignaturewasforthetransactionaskedtheagencytothefinancial

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Daramola

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

According to them, Daramola was well compensated by APC as he represented the interests of his constituency for 12 years, yet he wanted power by all means and had to neglect the party that made him a lawmaker because he didn’t get a ticket for the fourth term.

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known that his ancestor, Alaafin Adelu Agunloye, fathered 29 children, but one of them, Lawami Agogo Ija, monopolised the stool each time there was an opportunity to crown a new king. When Dr Agunloye was busy fighting for his own ruling house, other contestants from the other ruling houses, comprising the Alowolodu, Olanite, Abidekun and a few others, accused Governor Seyi Makinde of bias. Their allegation was based on a letter written by the leader of Oyo Princes, Chief Mukaila Afonja, also known as Baba Iyaji, directing the state government to liaise with the Agunloye Ruling House on the Crown Prince from the house. They also claimed that the kingmakers were interested in only clearing the 58 contestants from the Agunloye ruling house while the other contestants would be sidelined. They accused Baba Iyaji of trying to sideline some of the princes. He was advised not to take sides with any of the ruling houses, but ensure that all the candidates are given equal rights to contest.

the choice candidate to represent the party in 2023 for Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency. It was stated that his defection shows that he has no interest of the constituency at heart but his own personal interest. The former lawmaker was also accused of preventing Honourable Peter Owolabi, who won the election to represent the House of Representative election for Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency in 2019 under the platform of APC from becoming a lawmaker. Daramola had taken Owolabi to a Federal High Court in Abuja after he won to represent the party in Oye/Ikole Constituency in 2019. Daramola claimed that no valid primary election took place in the constituency. He made the claims because he lost out in the party’s primary election. In its verdict, the Federal Capital Territory High Court voided Owolabi’s victory as the winner of the election. The youths also accused him of taking thugs to the Oye Ekiti Constituency during the governorship campaign to disrupt the process. They called on all youths within the Oye/Ikole constituency to shun the former lawmaker and consider another credible candidate for his post.

ROCKS ALAAFIN STOOL AS

Hospital,Teaching AdoEkiti in April

TheKadiriUsmans

Emir of Kano

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Agunloye

of Ekiti Oye Youth Solidarity Forum accused the lawmaker of not being stable and unfit to represent their interest in 2023.

Ahead of the ceremony, the couple jetted off to Dubai where they had their photo shoot and shopping for their includewhoSomepaymentHebride’sasUmarStatePalaceatceremonyamongaincludedtraditionalkickedceremony.weddingTheeventoffwithnorthernrites,whichtheGadaevent,dancingcompetitionladies.TheFatihawasconductedtheEmirofKano’swiththeKanoGovernor,AbdullahiGanduje,standingrepresentativeofthefamily.alsopresidedovertheofthedowry.ofthedignitariesgracedtheoccasionOluofWarri,Oba

CRISIS CONTESTANTS DISCORDANT TUNES Stages

Lavish Wedding For Daughter Dare VindicatedKadiriby Arrest of Olakunle OluomoBimbo Daramola’s Political Ambition Suffers Setback OkolieBONIXCELEBRATESOKOLIEBOLAAT30

The youths also insist that the former lawmaker is inconsistent and he is an unreliable character who is not worthy to represent their interest in the coming election.generalDaramola had represented Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency for three consecutive terms in 2007, 2011 and 2015 under the platform of HeAPC.later defected to the Social Democratic Party, SDP after losing his bid to clinch the APC primary ticket in May 2022. And he emerged

has revealed that the next Alaafin must come from the Agunloye Ruling House.

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It was after the agency had done its thorough investigation that the Speaker, Oluomo was picked. It was gathered that the speaker and some others had used Kadiri’s name to siphon money. Investigations gathered that receipts presented from Obasanjo’s petrol station were EFCCfake. therefore accused the speaker and some others of forging signatures and financial documents just as Kadiri stated. The agency went ahead to file an 11 count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing against the speaker at the Abeokuta High Court.

t was a gathering of crème de la crème in the Kano Emirate and Nigeria in general when the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ado Bayero gave his first daughter, Princess Rukayya Bayero’s hand in marriage to Alhaji Umar Usman, son of the Sarkin Kibiya in Kibiya Local Government Area of Kano State with a lavish wedding fatiha held at the Emir’s palace in Kano.

Ogiame Atuwatse III; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle; former Governor of Sokoto, Senator Aliyu Wamakko; former Minister of Interior, AbdulRahman Bello; Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasir Bayero; Dein of Agbor kingdom, Benjamin Gbenoba and a host of others.

Dr Agunloye, a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Obafemi Awolowo University, insists that throwing the contest open to all princes from Oyo would lead to crisis. He made it

SING

Popular comedian, Babatunde Adewale, professionally known as Tee A, was the compere. Known as the queen of premium drinks in the industry, Okolie has revolutionized drinks service with her innovations such as LED bar and Lounge and systematic party chaperone service amongst others. No A-list soiree is complete in Nigeria without her impeccable service and signature touch at those events.

Home News From Abroad?

It takes lots and lots of money for politicians to jet off to London from Nigeria – from flights to hotel reservations and extracurricular activities in the sideline. For instance, a source told THEWILL that a stay over at Carleton Ritz venue of the BAT, OBJ and Wike meeting costs as much as N3 to N4m. They were there for days. Of course, there was a retinue of aides and tagalongs. So, do they spend tax payer’s money on such trips? Adebajo says they spend the security vote governors collect.

Mr. Kunle Adebajo is not a politician. He is a playwright and has been past chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors. In his view, the politicians are just showing off by going to London for meetings that can conveniently hold here. “It is just ego,” Adebajo told THEWILL midweek. “They’re just showing off, just showing off and flexing their muscle.”

Did Mansa Musa’s profligacy presage the current crop of politicians’ obscene display of wealth outside Nigeria? In his seminal publication, The West and Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers and the African Elite, Chinweizu argued that Mansa Musa’s trip was not so much a vulgar display of wealth as a diplomatic ploy to up his and his empire’s status. In other words, to be seen as an equal of the surrounding kingdoms. Egypt, the Afrocentric scholar averred, was a dominant political power at the time, easily dwarfing Mali Empire and so the king felt diminished.

Like Oroh, he thinks Nigerian politicians campaigning abroad and soliciting for donations are clearly on the wrong path. For one, elections will hold in Nigeria and not outside the country. “All the voters are in Nigeria, they’re not in London.” If Nigerian politicians are fascinated with going abroad for meetings or whatever, Adebajo suggests, it is because “we are still in the early stages of democracy.”

Are there no swank hotels in Abuja, Lagos or Port Harcourt where they can converge and hold meetings? Why would politicians jet out to foreign capitals just to hold meetings when they can do the same in HonourableNigeria?

Continuing, the dramatist whose play Bandits and Beggars was recently performed at Epe and will be staged in Lagos this September, insists that, for the politicians, “it is something of pride and the press is blowing it up as something fantastic.” After all, he went on, “they could have had the same meeting in Lagos or any of the state capitals, even Abuja. So, why go to London?”

It is understandable when a sick president or governor flies to Paris for an urgent surgical operation, understandable because they have

That will not be the first and certainly not the last. From now till next February when the general elections will hold, Nigerians are sure to read of another batch of politicians holding clandestine meetings in one or two European capitals. Why this odd preference on the part of ruling class isn’t quite clear.

FEATURES

Abdul Oroh is a lawyer, politician and was member of House of Representatives from 2003 – 2007. When THEWILL spoke with him last Friday evening, he reasoned that politicians going abroad for meetings “are trying to de-market the country, to destroy Nigeria’s image.” But the question to ask, Oroh said is “do those politicians from America, Britain or Ghana come to Nigeria to THEWILLcampaign?”cited an instance back in 1983 after Obafemi Awolowo lost, yet again, to former president Shehu Shagari. He granted an interview to a journalist with International Herald Tribune baring his mind on a number of issues including the flawed elections. Senior columnist with The Guardian then, Sonala Olumhense called out Awo, wondering how he could have settled for a foreign media at the expense of the local press.

“Well, it’s possible that journalist came to him. But leaving here to go abroad is the issue that worries me.” As for Olumhense’s piece in The Guardian, the former law maker says that the journalist “saw it (Awo’s interview with a foreign media) as the wrong thing to do. But I think if a journalist came to Awolowo he had to speak out. Probably he didn’t want to turn down such request for an interview. If somebody came to you and says, ‘can I interview you?’ Awo probably didn’t want to reject such request. But going abroad, raising funds abroad is not even legal. You’re not supposed to collect money from foreign donors.”

Ancient Mali Empire was not a democracy when Mansa Musa called the shots in his kingdom in the Sahel. His decision to travel to Saudi Arabia was arbitrary and by the time he departed for the near east, he had a caravan of slaves carrying gold and other valuables. It is said he sprayed them on those he met along the way and sprayed even more by the time he reached his destination – all that while his citizens where being eaten alive by crocs and rats.

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What to do? Embark on an unforgettable and historic journey to a foreign land for recognition or, as Adebajo has said “just to show off.” In that sense, one can conclude that for Nigerian politicians and many others from the African continent, there was always a precedent. Hold meetings outside their own domain so as to be recognised by the outside world. What did BAT, OBJ, Wike, Makinde of Oyo state and his counterparts from Benue and Abia, Ortom and Ikpeazu, hope for if not world attention? Mansa Musa got his in his day. Nigerian politicians are getting theirs now. And nothing suggests such showiness like Dariye’s, such craving for world attention will discontinue anytime soon – as long as Nigeria politicians are here with us.

Ecstatic beneficiaries spread the word of the Nigerian governor’s unusual and unexpected largesse. It continued each time he came around. Of course, word of his scandalous behaviour got to then President Olusegun Obasanjo through the British authorities. That was the beginning of Dariye’s exit from State House Jos, his eventual trial and sentencing for wasting state resources and embezzlement in millions of dollars and pounds. (Dariye was recently pardoned by the Buhari Administration.)

made a mess of the medical structures in their own country. But what is baffling is their penchant for holding meetings in faraway London or Parisian hotels on matters concerning their own citizens and country.

Top level politicians from Nigeria bee-lining it to some European capital for medical check-up, treatment, for strategic meetings and holidays is as common as Danfo buses plying Lagos routes. The London parley between Tinubu, Wike and scores of prominent Nigerian politicos is a recent example. OBJ himself was the presiding/ mediating officer in some, or all, of the meetings.

News of former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s demise reached Nigerians from a hospital bed in Saudi Arabia in May 2010. From Chatham House four years later, presidential wannabe, Muhammadu Buhari, laid out his plans for his countrymen and women if he was elected president. Soon after becoming president, Buhari fell sick. Nigerians got a blow-by-blow account of his recuperation from a London hospital in 2015. Prior to the presidential poll in 2019, Atiku Abubakar and his loyalists were ensconced in a Dubai hotel from where they strategized on how to win. Just last month, Nigerians got to know of clandestine meetings of politicians in London concerning the 2023 elections. Former prez OBJ was there. So was presidential hopeful Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a phalanx of supporters. Governor Nyesom Wike of River state kept pace, a retinue of loyalists in tow. There were no fewer than two to three dozen Nigerian politicians in attendance at different venues thousands of kilometres from those they were taking decisions on behalf of - making overtures, forming alliances or making promises for future ones. Nigerians only got to know days after, prompting THEWILL to ask whether such out-of-country jaunts are necessary. Michael Jimoh reports…

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he story goes that room service staffers in fashionable London hotels look forward to being on duty when Nigerian politicians come to lodge. Guests from Nigeria, especially politicians, are ever more than generous with tips, supposedly more than Saudi princes, Russian mafia or Ukrainian Arms dealers.

There was the case, for instance, of former governor of Plateau state, Joshua Dariye, gifting hotel employees with unbelievable sums of money as tips in a couple of days far surpassing what they earn as income for months.

Kolawole, in a suit marked FHC/LKJ/ CS/35/2022, sought the order of court directing the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to upload his particulars as the duly elected candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the primary election held on the 27th May, 2022, having scored the highest valid vote thereupon nominated as approved by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress for KabbaBunu/Ijumu federal constituency in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

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The selfish brand of governance that is characteristic of Nige ria’s history of leaders could have wrecked the English mon archy if that was Elizabeth’s style. What her legacy imprints on the rest of the world is to desire a class of leaders, monarchical or democratic, who embody the essence of exemplary lead ership that lives, breathes, exists for the benefits, progress, growth and prosperity of their subjects or citizens, whatever it takes. As Nigerians, we must ensure we identify and vote for candidates that have the characteristics of Queen Elizabeth II in next year’s election if indeed we want to make our country better from the ruins we presently find ourselves in.

the need to work closely with the Immigration Service to improve security in the maritime domain. We need the Service to play a major role in issues of crew nationality, seafarers travel document and managing issues of stowaways, amongst Theothers.”DG and the Immigration ComptrollerGeneral thus agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a framework for the working Therelationship.NIMASA

Meanwhile, Kolawole has urged his supporters and party faithfuls to remain calm and be law abiding as arrangements are being put in place to approach the Court of Appeal to review the decision of the lower court

Still, the Queen’s reign, which lasted from the industrial age to the internet age, was unforgettable for the people she called her own. Despite family scandals and the sadness of a dead princess, she smiled, waved, shook hands, and chatted with a sizable number of her subjects and admirers from the time she was a young queen to the time she was the grandmother of the country decade after decade. She was the focus of numerous plays, movies, and TV shows, including “The Crown,” “The Queen,” and “The Royal House of Wind sor.” Soon, her image, which adorns stamps, money and mailboxes, will be changed to that of King Charles III, her son, but it will be a long time before she will be forgotten because, like with so much else that she did, it was her actions and not her words that carried weight and she continued until the very end.

She was an exemplar of leadership and it will be good for the countries, whose leaders aspire to the status of heroic legacy to borrow pages from Her Majesty’s handbook. The poise and finesse with which she carried herself was founded in the knowledge of the office she represented and the bearing of her upbringing. Seeing her country live through challenges, changing periods and shrunken influence without losing its identity was her life’s mission.

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Queen Elizabeth II: London Bridge Has Fallen

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ruled that the court cannot compel INEC to open its portal and accept Kolawole’s candidacy.

he Nigerian Maritime Administration and SafetyAgency, NIMASA and the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS have agreed to deepen existing interagency collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU on Seafarers’ Travel document amongst others.

EFCC Arrests Seven For Suspected Internet Fraud in Benin NIMASA, NIS Deepen Collaboration For Maritime Security

Thebody.judge

Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (right) presenting a souvenir to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Idris Jere during the working visit by the Comptroller General to the NIMASA headquarters in Lagos on September 9, 2022.

A Mercedes Benz C400 AMG and different brands of phones were recovered from the suspects .

Queen Elizabeth II is survived by three sons, Prince Charles, Princes Andrew and Edward; a daughter, Princess Anne; four grandsons; four granddaughters; and 12 great-grandchildren.

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The speaker’s name got missing at the INEC portal when the lists of candidates of all the political parties were released for the 2023 general election.

NEWS XTRA Court Dismisses Kogi Speaker’s Plea For Recognition as APC House of Reps Candidate

peratives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal Command, on Friday September 9, 2022 arrested seven suspected internet fraudsters in Benin City, Edo State.

The suspects were arrested at their hideouts, following actionable intelligence about their alleged involvement in internet- related fraud. The suspects are Akele Aisosa, Idemudia Lawson Osarodion, Daniel Chidube Emeka and Ekoh Godswill. Others are Junior Osagie, Idemudia Destiny Eghosa and Osaigbovo Lawrence.

Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja has dismissed a suit filed by Kogi House of Assembly Speaker, Matthew Kolawole seeking to be recognized as the House of Representatives candidate of the AllProgressive Congress (APC) for KabbaBunu/Ijumu federal constituency in the 2023 general elections.

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This made Kolawole to approach the court to compel INEC to upload his name as the House of Reps candidate for Kabba -Bunu / ljumu federal constituency but Justice Peter H. Mallong, in his ruling said the electoral umpire is entitled to set timelines for all his activities.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan claimed that an anonymous royal asked how dark their child’s complexion will be. In 2020, the pair renounced their royal obligations and emigrated Theabroad.Queen also had to deal with a developing scandal with her son Prince Andrew’s acquaintance with the alleged sex traf ficker Jeffrey Epstein just before that.

Justice Mallong said once the timeline is passed, the court cannot force the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the date as such is the discretion of the electoral

DG also commended the contribution of the NIS in the implementation of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, stating “The passing into law of the SPOMO Act, and subsequent prosecutions recorded under that law has involved working closely with the NIS. With that being said, NIMASA will continue to offer our helping hand to the Nigeria Immigration Service even as we anticipate further collaboration”.

This happened after the constitutional expiration of submission of names of Shockedcandidateswith the disappearance of his name on the INEC portal, Kolawole was said to have raced to the INEC office to complain of the omission, but was told that the uploading of names of candidates were done by the respective political parties themselves and that the list uploaded in the portal was the one displayed without any interference

According to Dr. Jamoh, “Security on land is key to achieving a safe and secure maritime domain. NIMASA appreciates

The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

He said his decision to challenge the judgement is premise on the fact that many of the party’s candidates in other Constituencies in the country who fell in his category had gotten judgement in their favour, stressing that Kabba/Bunu/ Ijumu Federal Constituency cannot be an exception.

This agreement was reached when the Comptroller General of the NIS, Mr. Isah Idris Jere, led senior officials of the Service on a working visit to the Management of TheNIMASA.Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, noted that the role of the Nigerian Immigration Service in enhancing security in the maritime domain is crucial, adding that seamless issuance of travel documents to seafarers is a key component in the nation’s quest to grow the maritime industry.

a disappointing recall to those dark days when in early September, it was disclosed that at the World Athletics Junior Championships that held in Cali, Colombia between August 1 - 6, a high jumper, David Aya, who posted 2.15m to win the event for Team Delta at the last National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020, returned a positive test. Amidst a flurry of accusations about fielding athletes without ensuring that they have gone through the appropriate testing regime, Tonobok Okowa, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and of attempts to conceal the test result, said: “Yes, we just received the test result. David Aya is a youth athlete. It’s too early to start making comments, especially if the boy is not aware of what he took. The truth is, an athlete is responsible for whatever thing he took and it’s not a federation obligation.

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SportsLive

However, to sound a severe note of warning of the country’s renewed zero tolerance against attempts at doping, Okowa said: “We’ve been taking measures to educate our athletes and conducting seminars to sensitise the athletes ahead of competitions, but sometimes some of them take these things, we just have to be careful. “It’s all about sensitisation and we have been doing that. We are not taking anything for granted, that is why we always test them during and after a competition. Athletes

reached at a hearing held in accordance with WADA guidelines.

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In a July statement signed by David Howman, Chair of the AIU Board, the Unit said, “Thanks to significant improvements in most of their domestic testing programmes, those countries categorised as being the highest doping risk to the sport do not have any athletes declared not eligible for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 for failing to meet minimum testing requirements as set out under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (Anti- Doping Rules). While Nigeria did a paltry 26 tests in 2021, it has already conducted 157 this term, and the quantum improvement has been hailed even though it is admitted that even more can still be done to totally get rid of cheats in the sports. I particularly commend the Nigerian team. It is amazing what can be achieved when the domestic authorities start taking anti-doping

The 21-year-old, the anchor runner for Nigeria at that relay final, was one of a set of athletes who received a provisional suspension for doping violations in a decision that will have grave ramifications for Nigeria’s recent magnificent sporting performances. This is because athletes who are subject to provisional suspensions are temporarily barred from competition until a final decision is

Indeed, unlike the situation at Tokyo, where 10 athletes of the Nigerian contingent were prevented from participating in their designated track and field events due to a shortfall in the number of required pre-game tests that they were supposed to have undergone prior to the Olympics, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of clean competitions praised Nigeria’s Athletics Federation adminstration for upping the testing regime and making efforts to improve on the previous abysmal testing record.

It is therefore painful to see such promising talent facing the very real possibility of her professional career being derailed by this doping incident. That is why, while she is under provisional suspension pending the conclusion of investigations by WADA and the result of sample B, there are insinuations in certain quarters, some of whom were involved with Nwokocha during the Trials in Benin, that the whole positive test outcome could be a setup to take her out of competition before she makes it big the way Amusan has done recently.

Nwokocha’s Suspension And Nigeria’s Recurring Doping Problem

that fail drugs tests will be banned; we will support any sanctions World Athletics impose on them.”

“We can’t say anything about that now, especially with my position as AFN president, but we will write to World Athletics to further know what it’s about before we can make an official statement as regards that. It’s a urine test, so we need to carry out our investigations. We need to find out other things like how and when did it happen, or whether he got it medically or from food or drink. These are the things we need to confirm.”

The suspicion of foul play stems from the fact that, just as the AIU alluded to, Nigeria’s athletes, Nwokocha inclusive, were subjected to all kinds of tests, including Out and During competition dope tests before and after the Trials. The 21-year-old is also prepared to challenge the outcome and has put her legal representative on notice, who has instructed her to make no public statements pending the final WADA decision. BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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SEPTEMBER 11 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA THEWILLNG THEWILLNIGERIAPAGE 30

igeria’s recent misadventure with doping issues in athletics appeared to have been consigned to a dark past at the pair of international competitions that elevated the country’s stature as an extremely competitive groomer of world class

However, these strong words preceded another debilitating blight on the country’s reputation to engage in clean sports. And, it cast a dark cloud on that most glorious and best ever performance at a Commonwealth Games of last month.

The doping regulation declares that even if only one member of the team violates it, the entire performance is invalidated, raising the possibility that Nigeria’s Games gold medal and Nwokocha’s African record could be revoked, with no less than a four-year ban slammed on the sprinter. That outcome will be most unfortunate for a rising star and potential serial winner in the track and field space for Nigerian.

The fact that Nwokocha is a talented performer is beyond question. It became clear when, in 2021, she ran a new personal best for the 100m of 11.09s to become the first Nigerian athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. At the National Sports Festival held in Benin, she also took home the gold medal in the 100m. Nwokocha qualified for the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics by running a new personal best of 11.00s in her heat. She competed in the 100m and 200m races at the July 2022 World Championship in Oregon, where she advanced to the semi-finals in both. Nwokocha won the women’s 100m race in the National Trials in June in Benin City with a time of 11.03s before taking the anchor leg at the relay final in Birmingham to clinch the Commonwealth gold with her 4x100m teammates.

the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA between July 15 – July 24, where Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan breezed to a world record finish of 12.12s in the 100-metre hurdles to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK between July 28 – August 8, where Nigeria recorded get best ever outing in the history of the Commonwealth Games, carting home 12 gold, 9 silver, and 14 bronze medals to end the Games as the seventh-best team in the competition and the highest-ranked African country, it was enough to believe that the twin crises of having carried out insufficient testing of athletes and the discovery of banned substances in submitted samples of Nigerian athletes, as happened in the during the Olympics, were a thing of the past.

Last week, the AIU issued a provisional suspension on Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, one of the triumphant 4x100m women’s relay quartet that included Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Tobi Amusan and set a new African record time of 42.10s, on the grounds that the anabolic substances Ostarine and Lingadrol, were found her in sample A urine collected on August 3, at the Games. A formal statement from the Unit read: “The AIU has provisionally suspended Nigerian runner, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Ostarine & Ligandrol) (Article 2.1 and Article 2.2).”

The 21-year-old is also prepared to challenge the outcome and has put her legal representative on notice “

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SportsLive

head of a UFC 279 bout against Nate Diaz in the welterweight division’s main event, Khamzat Chimaev failed to make the required weight.

Though she admitted that she was initially scared before the race in Zurich, she was happy that she eventually won to shatter another record. “No pressures, it was more of proving myself that I broke the world record and I can do it over and over, it is not just a one-time thing, even though after the world championships, it took a toll on me to get back to my rhythm but with enough rest, I was able to bounce back and I am thankful.” Speaking further on the Zurich race, Amusan said: “I was scared to the teeth getting on the line, but I had to just keep my calm. I am just thankful to have come out here (Zurich) and got the win.”

Previous poor financial choices saw Barca’s spending limit at -€144m in January. These choices ultimately caused Lionel Messi to leave the club for Paris SaintGermain, last summer.

Amusan

Meanwhile, Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds to make the weight class for what might be his final fight with the UFC. It remained uncertain if the main event will go on as planned or if some other contingency plans will be set in motion.

Chimaev Weight Stalls UFC

s Tobi Amusan the new Jackie Joyner-Kersee of Nigerian, nay, world athletics? That is the question on the lips of most sports analysts after the Nigerian broke a world record, set new ones and then broke them again at different venues in only a few months.

Amusan had emerged as the African record holder as she dusted American Tia Jones who finished second in 12.40s, Jamaica’s Britany Anderson, who came in third in 12.42s while Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ended the race fourth in 12.49s.

Her records so far have been amazing as she clinched

In my opinion, I don’t think so, not at all, they have a high wage bill, but a lot of equity, although as Romeu said, they have had and [will] have to reduce the wage bill.”

Barca (pronounced Basa and not Barca with the k sound) have now found themselves in a better financial position, thanks to the club selling off 49% of Barca Studios and 25% of their television rights for the next 25 years.

Even though he ruled out fears of bankruptcy, Tebas noted that the club’s efforts were still insufficient when he said: “To register Kounde, the president of Barcelona had to put up a personal guarantee. Is there a risk of bankruptcy?

Though most people doubted her from the beginning, as if she was not quite up to par, Amusan has said she had to prove herself. “Everyone has doubted me. I just had to prove myself that I have got it,” and “I am just so thankful for all of this season. I am full of emotions. Now, vacation, rest, and then back to practice.”

Is Tobi Amusan The New Jackie Joyner-Kersee of Athletics?

Just last Thursday in Zurich, Switzerland, the Nigerian yet again set a new world record. Amusan effortlessly defended her Diamond League 100mH title in a winning time of 12.29 seconds thereby breaking Gail Devers’ 22-year-old record. “God is faithful,” Amusan later told reporters after her victory in Zurich, attributing her winning streak and record-shattering achievements this year to the Almighty.

Chimaev, who is the number three challenger in the class, weighed in at 178.5 pounds, which is more than the required weight by 7.5 pounds.

True, Amusan is not one yet but from her sterling performances so far, she might very well be one day. For now, however, the Nigerian athlete is on top of her game: she set a new African Record in the Paris Meeting in June, broke her own record at the World Championships, won the Nigerian title and defended the African title in Mauritius.

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

I

ollowing a significant asset sale during the summer, La Liga has revealed that Barcelona’s expenditure limit has climbed to €656.5 million.

the Diamond League title in addition to her World Record, Commonwealth Games Record, African Record, World Championship, Commonwealth, Nigerian and African Championship titles.

For now, after her spectacular performances on track and field, Amusan is cooling her heels – read vacation – before she would resume the life of a sports woman. As a setter of new records, she will compulsorily against competing athletes. And then, the 2024 Olympics is just around the corner.

Barcelona’s cap is [up to] €656m, and they needed this money, which is why they were signing players at the last minute, according to La Liga president, Javier Tebas, who verified the news on Friday.

In her time as an athlete, Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver and a bronze Olympic medals at four different venues in long jump and heptathlon, prompting Sports Illustrated for Women to dub her the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time.

Barca See Increase in Spending Cap After Summer Business

F

279 Main Event Against Diaz

The following month, the golden girl clinched the world continental tour gold medal and became the global champion and world record holder. She stepped up her game in August and retained the Commonwealth Games title and as well set a new Games record.

Her trainers might see things differently, though not entirely dismissing divine intervention in Amusan’s successes in field and track events considering her rigorous training regimen. She is known to spend most of her time on the track, pushing herself to the limit like a Cristiano Ronaldo in practice for a soccer match.

Queen Elizabeth II: London Bridge Has Fallen

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in the world, including myself, did not expect the long reign of the longest serving monarch in British history and the world, Queen Elizabeth II, to end on September 8, 2022. At 96 years old and struggling with her health, we knew her death was imminent, but no one saw it coming that Thursday when the news of her passing hit the media.

Her calm, dependable cheer made her extremely wellliked among the British populace.

More than any other quality of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the most endearing that made her most appealing to her people was her unyielding dedication to her country and her unreserved determination to work tirelessly for the United Kingdom in the face of changes around the world and a growing negative perception about the monarchy by neo anti-monarchists. Yet, the woman who was to become the UK’s most respected and revered leader and a well-admired symbol of comfort and con

In her 70-year reign, she never once forgot who her constituencies were and where her focus rested as she eased the UK into its new post-World War II role, which had been diminished after the loss of its colonies around the world. She met a number of iconic, usually male, world leaders in the years that followed, but stayed laserfocused on seeing her Kingdom through the fall of its empire and its rebirth as a medium-sized multicultural land that remained ultra-conservative while existing in a rapidly-changing world around them.

tinuity did not seem destined for the throne but for the turn of fate as she was to third in line to the throne after her uncle and her father. There is no telling what direc tion the kingdom could have taken under a different monarch but a scandalous royal love affair changed the course of history and resulted in her emergence.

“What her legacy imprints on the rest of the world is to desire a class of leaders, monarchical or democratic, who embody the essence of exemplary leadership that lives, breathes, exists for the benefits, progress, growth and prosperity of their subjects or citizens”

The queen’s commitment to fulfilling her position to the best of her ability and her reserve in expressing any opinions that would offend provided her moral authority above and beyond anything she might have asked for.

Early in the 1990s, news of Charles and Princess Diana’s troubled marriage, which ended in divorce in 1992, was widely reported. The queen alluded to 1992 as an “annus horribilis,” or disastrous year, in one of her most wellknown addresses honouring the 40th anniversary of her coronation. Elizabeth II was condemned for not com menting for days and retreating to her home in Scotland with Charles and Diana’s boys, her grandsons Princes William and Harry, after Diana’s death in a car accident in Paris five years later. Most recently, her grandson

Queen Elizabeth II’s death, no doubt, will etch itself in history as one of those rare moments that many would remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard the news of the passing of the world’s most famous and influential monarch.

As Queen, Elizabeth worked relentlessly to make the crown relevant in a changing world and managed the monarchy’s transformation into an advocate of a smaller United Kingdom both at home and abroad.

Born on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937, follow ing the abdication of Edward VIII. She became queen on February 6, 1952 and had a huge influence over her people in the United Kingdom. She had been a stabi lisng factor in her kingdom since the end of the Battle of IBritain.recall in August 2020, as the number of deaths from the respiratory health hazard that was the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK climbed over 4,300, Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, broke with tradition to deliver a rare address to a nation under the scourge of the outbreak. In her distinct, high-pitched voice with precisely clipped vowels that became a staple of her reign, she urged her subjects to demonstrate that traditional “self-discipline” and “quiet good-humoured resolve” that characterised previous generations, while delivering that special Inbroadcast.herexemplary maternal character, the then 94-yearold monarch, took it as her responsibility to douse the growing sense of uncertainty and dread that was begin ning to take root in the hearts of many of her people and in an atypical bid to rally the nation with confidence and perseverance, not only acknowledged the grief, financial difficulties and “enormous changes to the daily lives” felt by many families during “a time of disruption” but also reminded them of the qualities and characteristics that typified them as a country.

was her duty to approve all laws passed by Parliament, and she regularly consulted with every prime minister on affairs of state. She was also legally permitted to “advise and warn” the Ministers of the government. During her long reign, Elizabeth collabo rated with 15 British Prime Ministers and met with 14 of the last 15 US Presidents (Not sure why she and Lyndon Johnson missed each other).

As a constitutional monarch and head of the Church of England by virtue of her position, Queen Elizabeth did not directly interfere in the politics of the day. Yet, she understandably wielded “soft” power and made the monarchy a unifying, focal point for the nation amid great societal divisions. She functioned as an essential part of the government. As she did most recently after the election of Mary Elizabeth Truss as Prime Minister, it was her role to call on the political parties to form a Ingovernment.addition,it

As fate had it, her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, just before the start of World War II, after a scandal involving his marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, rocked the royal family and entangled the nation’s political leaders. Elizabeth’s father, next in line, reluctantly took over as King George VI as the UK became embroiled in the war. The then princess trained as a mechanic and eventually joined the all-female Auxiliary Territorial Service toward the end of the Thewar.young royal started dating her future spouse, Prince Philip, her third cousin and a Greek royal, in the midst of the conflict. The couple first crossed paths in 1934 at a family wedding and then met again in 1939 when she was 13 and he was 18. They announced their engage ment in July 1947 after Elizabeth returned from her first trip abroad to South Africa. They wed that November, and Philip renounced his Greek title and became a Brit ish Twocitizen.yearslater,

“I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge,” the Queen said. “And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any,” said the ElizabethQueen.II,who only normally delivers televised mes sages to the nation on Christmas Day, was aware of her larger-than-life persona among her people and the uni fying power she embodied, especially at a time of grave concern. The COVID-19 address was only the fifth time during her 70-year reign that she made a special broad cast, with the fourth one being in 2012 for her Diamond Jubilee. She had also had cause to address the nation in 2002 after the death of the Queen Mother, ahead of Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 and during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. In those broadcasts, as in the 2020 address, she recognised her identity not only as Queen Mother but also as the monarch her people looked up to, idolised, respected and adored for her graciousness, her panache, her non-partisan clarity and her dedication to the long-standing ideals of the House of Windsor.

Yet, her enduring legacy will be the remarkable fashion she strove to ensure that the monarchy survived an era of rapid change and thus became a lasting symbol of the country over which she reigned for 70 years even as it changed as presidents, popes and prime ministers have come and gone, the Soviet Union collapsed and Britain’s empire no more, replaced by a Commonwealth of 56 na tions which she was instrumental in creating.

tion and multimedia era.

the couple relocated to Malta, where she lived as an officer’s wife away from the spotlight while Philip was stationed there with the British Navy. There, the Princess was free from the layers of protocol and security that came to characterise her 70-year reign. However, that period of relative independence was short lived as King George’s health, which had been dete riorating for some time, suddenly got worse. When he passed away in February 1952 at 56, Elizabeth and Philip were on a royal tour of Kenya. Philip told Elizabeth the news while they were out for a walk after word got to him. Therefore, on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth became queen at the age of 25, just as Britain was beginning to recover from the effects of World War II. Winston Churchill was the prime minister, and rationing was still in full effect. She ruled at a time of profound cultural and political changes, including the end of Britain’s era of deference and its empire and the start of the globalisa

Across the globe, reactions to her death have evoked leaders to reveal how her years of experience have been of great help, allowing them to speak candidly with her without fear of their conversations ever being made public and to listen to her wisdom and candour. There is a vast majority of Britons today that have never known another monarch, and she remained overwhelm ingly popular until her death. There were tough times that tested her reign as she and her family experienced unprecedented levels of public exposure and, at times, a fractious relationship with the media.

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