THEWILL NOV 14 - 20 EDITION

VOL 1 NO.40 • NOVEMBER

2021 14 – NOVEMBER 20,

cious Into the viva ing -ris world of fast

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Baby Ecobank Expends Hot Mamas of N2.24bn Investors’ TOP Funds on 73 NIGERIAN Penalties CELEBS

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Price: N350

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DIRECT PRIMARY:

Why NASS Wants Governors ‘Caged’ ● NGF Plays Last Card ● Lawmakers threaten to Veto Buhari...

FEATURE

TOILING FOR AGBERO Pitiable Story of Lagos Commercial Vehicle Operators

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COVER Why NASS Wants Governors ‘Caged’

women with respect, integrity and political maturity,” he said.

BY AMOS ESELE WITH AYO ESAN, UDEME UTIP, ANIEKAN BASSEY, SEGUN AYINDE & UKANDI ODEY

A

For the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Akwa Ibom, Bassey, the bill on direct primaries was an imposition on political parties, which, he said should be allowed the freedom to decide which method to adopt, according to peculiarities and circumstances.

head of the 2023 general election, there appears to be different voices to the same challenge: No party position satisfies the rank and file, the major and minor. Since the debate broke over the provisions in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, with specific reference to the sections on direct primaries as the mode for choosing candidates for future elections, the federal legislators seem to have fallen out with political parties, party officials, lawmakers and state governors.

He pointed out that direct primaries for election of party candidates is cost intensive and would raise the budget of primary elections higher than realisable, a concern he noted was capable of causing various degrees of corrupt practices and logistics crisis during the exercise.

While the state governors are up in arms against the National Assembly and party officials are crying blue murder, the lawmakers are resolute in their decision and threatening to override the President, should he fail to sign the bill into law.

Emerging reactions from members of political parties across the country to the ongoing debate over the adoption of direct primaries for election of candidates align with the positions of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and the National Assembly on the matter.

The pioneer secretary of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC), Elder Okon Okon, condemned the opposition by state governors, arguing that in law making, the National Assembly had the right to decide what would favour the majority of the people and not governors.

Commenting last week, the Speaker said, “If I want to be selfish, I would push for Indirect Primary because my delegates are intact in my constituency, but it is important for this generation to open the door of leadership to the next generation. We must allow every Nigerian to participate fully in the process of leadership. Therefore, I stand with Direct Primary...”

Investigations by THEWILL, including reports from our correspondents, show that the generality of party officials and members across many states are as divided in their opinion as some state governors on the amendment bill that was recently passed by the National Assembly, with provisions in five sessions spelling out the details on direct primaries. A cross section of respondents drawn from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Labour Party (LP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) disclosed their preferences, with many in support of direct primaries.

REACTIONS A former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP and current Chairman of the party in Cross River State, Mr Venatus Ikem, told this newspaper that he was shocked to learn that governors were opposed to the bill.

He said, “For me, I am very comfortable with the process because it will entrench democracy and encourage participation. I have listened to all the arguments between the state governors and senior legislators, but they don’t make sense to me. What we are worried about is the abuse. Well, for some of us that have been involved in politics for a long time, it is not a strange thing. That is the process we used in the 1998/99 governorship primaries at that time.

“Unfortunately, over time, political parties evolved a process that made it become indirect, which we are familiar with. We used it before and we won and that’s how Donald Duke emerged as governor.

We are very comfortable with it and believe it will expand, intensify and broaden the base, making it easier for any candidate who wins the primaries to win in the general election.”

“From my experience, I can tell that direct primaries are less capital intensive because the party will not need to buy anybody, as against the case in delegates elections,” he said. higher than realisable, a concern that may give room to corrupt practices and a crisis of logistics during the exercise.

“We are talking about a system where every member of a political party votes in a primary election and in this state, we have seen a party adopting direct primaries and people fighting over the authentic party register, as well as allegations of hijacking the process by certain pay masters who fund the party.”

A chieftain of the APC in Ekiti State, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, applauded the lawmakers over their recent decision to ensure a return to the direct primary as the mode of selecting who becomes governor of a state in future elections.

The Ikere-Ekiti-born politician posited that a return to direct primary, which he also described as synonymous with giving back power to the people of Ekiti, in the forthcoming governorship election slated for 2022, would lend potency to democracy.

He said political activities in Ekiti have frustrated the majority of APC members in the state, due to intolerance and the decision of a few to have their way over the rest, by all means and at all costs.

Oluyede urged the people to be calm and consistent, just as he admonished the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to see the light and don the cap of wisdom by creating a friendly environment that would produce a resourceful, people-oriented candidate that can secure victory for the APC in coming poll.

Sharing a personal experience with party processes for choosing candidates, a political leader in Ini Local Government Area of the state, Mr Michael Ene, said that democracy in the country had always been guided by the elite for control and exploitation of resources.

He said victory can only come the way of the party when people eschew divisive politics by bringing every member into a formidable fold that can go all out with requisite strength to retain victory on the side of the party.

“This tendency is entrenched deeper into the system, which is repugnant to clear democratic ethos. There was a period in this state that those who bought forms to contest in elections could not even vote for themselves. Well placed persons maintained deceptive silence.

Once you have advantage, that is your brand of democracy. Let the followers define what they want, but are they willing and available?

No!”

According to him, lingering political maneuvering by a division of the APC loyal to the governor, smacks of an attempt to throw away the political fortune of the state on the altar of petty politics and selfaggrandisement. He noted that the tilt towards a direct primary will make participatory democracy a lone choice for APC and as such the only option for Dr Fayemi, should he desire victory for the party in the forthcoming election.

Curiously, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Borono Bassey, kicked against what he called, “imposition of direct primaries on political parties by the Senate through the amendment.”

“The National Assembly is bent on treading the path of honour by approving a direct primary, which is the best thing that can happen to our democracy at this time. As a friend and stakeholder in the state, I am of the opinion that your (Fayemi) engagement in our forthcoming elections would be critical to restoring normalcy back to our beautiful land.

Bassey said the Senate’s posture ran contrary to “ideal democratic practice”, adding that parties should be given the freedom to decide which method to adopt, according to peculiarities and circumstances.

He stated further, “The direct primaries for election of party candidates is cost intensive and it will raise the budget of primary elections

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“There is no doubt that our state, has gone through difficult times in the past, which resulted in the destruction of the lifelong brand of our state and the entire Western region as the home of men and

In Ogun, the Chairman of the Labour Party in the state and Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the South-West, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, disagreed with the federal lawmakers posture on direct primaries as the mode for political parties to choose candidates for election.

Arabambi, who described the passage of the bill as anti-democratic and anti-people, said, “The adoption of direct primaries in the passage of the Electoral Reform Act at the National Assembly is antidemocratic and anti-people. It is also illegal. They want to hand over the Nigerian political space to rich men.

“Why do they want to decide for a political party how they are going to run their affairs? How many motions have been moved by this crop of legislators who want to strangulate the political class or Nigerians who have a mission to rebuild the country so as to remain in power.

“Must everybody come to APC and must they tell other political parties how they have to run their internal democracy? Why will anybody sit down and tell us this is the way that we should conduct our primaries. We are saying no to that nonsense.

“How do they expect INEC to cover you when you are conducting primary elections? Many parties may be holding their primaries on the same day. Where is the Adhoc staff, who will fund INEC and the staff that INEC will use to monitor the direct primaries? We have 236 wards in Ogun State now. So you expect INEC to mobilise 236 x5 to go and monitor those primaries, where will they get that staff from?”

But the Chairman of the NNPP in the state, Comrade Olaposi Oginni, described the passage of the bill to adopt direct primaries as the best mode for elections in the country.

Oginni, who faulted the state governors’ opposition to the Electoral Reform Act bill on direct primaries, stated that the governors were afraid that they would not make it back for another term or have power over the party’s structure to impose the candidates of their choices for election.

He, therefore, appealed to President Muhamamdu Buhari to assent to the bill for the sake of the people, hinting that it was the best mode for political parties to present good candidates to contest in elections in Nigeria for a better democracy “What they have done is the best for our democracy because it makes every member of that political party a decision maker in the affairs of those parties and then it makes it more difficult for state governors to impose their candidates.

“What happened in Anambra State has shown that anybody can be the governor of the state. It is going to be a kind of process that shows the best of the candidates with less rancour in the party. Although it THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER may be time consuming and the costly in terms of funding, it is the best.”

Apart from the position of their political parties on the matter, some governors have voiced their opposition to direct primary.

Governor Fayemi of Ekiti State likened the development to digging a mountain out of a molehill or storm in a tea cup and expressed surprise over reactions to the bill.

In an interview on national television last week, Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, said he was interested in good governance and indifferent to which mode of election, direct and indirect or consensus, that was adopted by parties to choose their candidates for elections towards that end. Even so, he made a veiled opposition to it. He said he does not see any governor who would be afraid of any mode to elect candidates for elections. Laws, he added, “should be made for the future benefit of others, not just for the moment.”

Similarly, his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, while vouching for the indifference of “any governor on the platforms of the APC, PDP or APGA,” to direct or indirect primary options, however, warned, “I am not afraid of direct primary, but they lawmakers should not try and set the people against the government. It may backfire. We are not mature to that point yet where democracy is government of the people for the people or by the people otherwise every Nigerian would be at the National Assembly. Governors are ready, but the decision must be democratic.”

Then he dropped the reasons being used by some of his colleagues opposing the bill, saying, “I will caution that when we are making laws, we should not use our emotions.”

Reacting, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State said the issue of direct or indirect primaries should be the exclusive decision of the political parties in the country. For him, the National Assembly was interfering in the internal politics of the parties by prescribing how political parties should conduct their primaries.

“A party could adopt a method and procedure in electing who represents them at various levels. It is not the duty of the National Assembly to dictate that you must do it by direct or indirect method. That is not democracy. That should be an internal affair of the party,” he said, adding, “The National Assembly should realise that doing that is interfering in the internal politics of the parties and that will not augur well.”

The APC and the PDP are on the same page in their opposition to direct primary. Both parties have described as unacceptable the approval given by the National Assembly for the adoption of direct primary election by political parties in the nomination of candidates for elections.

Speaking on behalf of the ACP, Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, who doubles as the Chairman of the Progressives Governors of the governing party, said the National Assembly’s idea of direct primary was undemocratic and an interference in internal affairs of parties He said, “We discussed the pros and cons. There was concern that political parties are voluntary organisations. We express the concern that political parties be allowed to choose from the options that they so desire. There is an Executive Order, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari against large gatherings. These are issues we discussed and hope that the best will be achieved for Nigeria.”

Bagudu continued, “Direct primary involves a supervisory role by INEC. So, if multiple political parties are doing their primaries, INEC’s resources will be overstretched. I think the chairman of INEC has even commented on that.”

In a statement released last Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said, “It is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of our constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices, including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.

“The PDP also believes that no political party should force its own processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the APC, sought to achieve.”

‘CAGING’ THE GOVERNORS? The arrow-heads of direct primary appear to be some members of the Senate who have disagreements with their governors and those who have governorship ambition, particularly Senator Adamu Alero of Kebbi State, who deployed the appropriate words to support direct primary. He said direct primary would discourage money bags from taking over and determining the outcome of elections in the country, strengthen the electoral process and give Nigerians more power to select their desired leaders.

Its adoption, he added, would help the electorate to ensure that questionable characters were not elected in governance.

On his part, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who once contested in a governorship election in Ekiti State and currently eyes the plum job, said, “Direct primary is a way of giving power to the people since every THEWILLNIGERIA

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member will enjoy that right of selecting a candidate.”

Bamidele said that if democracy must grow, direct primary should be adopted.

He stressed the importance of the recommendation in Clause 87 (4), which gives room to the submission of guidelines for the conduct of the primary to INEC, and added that sub-section 7 stated that every aspirant was entitled to have a copy of the guideline at least 14 days to the primaries.

A remote example of what faces governors upon adoption of direct primaries is presented by what happened in Lagos State in 2019.

APC members and leaders, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, banking on the alleged disaffection of the members with the incumbent governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, adopted direct primaries for the election of their governorship candidate. The use of an indirect primary, as the party in the state had earlier planned, would have meant a window for Ambode to control the delegates usually made up of commissioners, assistants, local government chairmen and many senior and junior lawmakers.

For a political party whose constitution adopts both direct and indirect primaries, this Lagos example was a convenient strategy to deal with a potential rival, who was ready for a showdown with his opponent but with the pending legislature becoming a law, the possibility of such manoeuvres and manipulation may fade with time, with the people growing to assert their power to choose and be chosen.

The Secretary-General of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu, paints this picture in his response to an interview with THEWILL: “There is nothing wrong about the direct primary. It actually returns power back to the people. It may not fully achieve its intended purpose immediately because politicians will find ways to manipulate the process, but in the long run, Nigeria’s democracy will be better for it,” he said.

The Anchor of Journalists Hangout on TVC, Babjide Otitoju, spoke on this from his experience as a journalist. According to him, the amendment bill is an idea and its time has come.

“Senators are often quarantined by governors and they cannot vote.

Some governors are interested in seats occupied by senior lawmakers. Look at the way Senator Shehu Sani was booted out by Governor Nasril el-Rufai. The idea behind the law is that everybody will have his vote, uncontrolled. Direct primary will strip governors of their power of controlling and sponsoring delegates. It is democratic, participatory. Governors are selfish by saying INEC will need more money and manpower to conduct primaries,” he said.

Ezugwu weighs in on the likely motive of the senior lawmakers. “I don’t think the intention is to cage the governors or anybody. The lawmakers merely yielded to the demands of citizens across the geopolitical zones, who made their input during the period of the presentation of memoranda. However, it will limit the level of manipulation on the choice of candidate during indirect primaries where delegates are easily bought by politicians,” he said.

DIRECT PRIMARY: WHAT THE BILL TO AMEND THE ELECTORAL ACT SAYS Clause 87 in the bill to amend the Electoral Act speaks on Nomination of candidates by parties.

Subsection 1: A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Commission.

Subsection 3: The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions by direct primaries

“

I can assure you that many of my colleagues are, on a bi-partisan basis, committed to this and we will not fail Nigerians. If the President fails, we will not fail Nigerians

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shall ensure that all aspirants are given equal opportunity of being voted for by members of the party and given the opportunity to have agents for the purpose of monitoring the primaries.

Subsection 4: The procedure adopted for the direct primaries shall be spelt out in a guideline to be issued by the political party and filed with the Commission at least 14 days before the primary election.

Subsection 5: A political party shall maintain a register of its members and provide in the guideline for the conduct of the primaries that the register of its members shall be used for accreditation for the primaries.

Subsection 6: The Commission shall deploy personnel to monitor the primaries in all the centres where the direct primaries are held.

Subsection 7: Every aspirant cleared by the party to contest at the primary not later than fourteen days to the primary shall be entitled to a copy of the guideline for the conduct of the primaries in which he or she is participating.

These seven sections address the fears being raised against and for direct primaries. None of the options had been safe from strife, fairness, rancor, violence and ballot snatching, which the two major parties, APC and PDP are battling with crisis after the conduct of some primaries.

ARGUMENTS FOR DIRECT PRIMARY Scholars who have researched the subject say that those who argue for primary elections tend to say that: •Direct primary elections help the political party select the candidate that is most likely to win a general election by consulting a considerable number of those who are likely to vote for the party’s candidates.

•Direct primary elections start the democratic process, even before the general election.

•Direct primary elections give the candidate(s) a clear mandate and legitimacy, since the decision has been taken by party members in general and not only by the leadership.

•Direct primary elections give a party, its candidate(s) and perhaps its platform significant public visibility.

•Direct primary elections empower the ordinary members and engage them in party strategy and key decisions.

•Direct primary elections help members overrule unpopular but entrenched party elites.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST DIRECT PRIMARY •Direct primary elections do not produce the candidate(s) most likely to win the general election, since only a small fraction of party members (usually hard-liners) tend to vote in primary elections. Strategically, it might be better to choose candidate(s) who can also appeal to other parties’ members or supporters rather than only to the party’s own core members.

•Direct primary elections are very expensive and unless organised and paid for through the public purse (which they are in some cases) take funds away from the general election campaign.

•Direct primary elections encourage internal party strife, instead of fostering an environment of negotiation, consultation and compromise at a time when efforts need to be focused on defeating external challengers, not internal ones.

•Direct primary elections take the decision away from the most experienced, the office holders, and party leadership. Instead, ordinary party members with little or no experience of running for or holding public office get to decide.

•Direct primary elections weaken the party structures by putting the focus on individual candidates rather than on the party manifesto or policies.

WAITING FOR BUHARI Following the resolution of the meeting of the APC trip-partite committee, a conflict resolution body of the party, in State House last week, it is highly likely that President Muhammadu Buhari may sign the Electoral Act intact, despite indications that the Progressives Governors Forum supported by Malami, have perfected plans to scuttle it.

“Acting on the President’s mandate, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo called today’s meeting to allow for all parties to ventilate their voices in a no-holds-barred manner. It was a family meeting. At the end, a common ground was reached, direct primaries was upheld and aspirants under our party can now go back to the people and seek endorsement rather than giving a few delegates the power to decide for all,” said Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Office of the Vice-President.

CNPP’s Ezugwu said, “I think that if the President means well for the country’s democracy, he will sign it into law.”

He may have to. According to him, the senior lawmakers, who appear determined to have their way, would veto the President if he fails to sign it.

Speaking on this, the Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence and lawmaker representing Plateau North Senatorial District, Istifanus Gyang, said,“I can assure you that many of my colleagues are, on a bi-partisan basis, committed to this and we will not fail Nigerians. If the President fails, we will not fail Nigerians.”

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NEWS A’Ibom: LG Chairman, Stakeholders Clash Over Senatorial Seat FROM UDEME UTIP, UYO

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he Chairman of the Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Hon Aniekpon Ekpo, was recently summoned before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on allegations of mismanagement of funds, diversion of council grader and sound proof generating set, as well as for appropriating internally generated revenues of the LGA without routing the money through its bank accounts, among others.

In a petition to the state House of Assembly Committee on Local Government And Chieftaincy Affairs signed by 10 out of 15 councillors, the councillors urged the Assembly to approve the impeachment of Ekpo as offences listed were contrary to the local government administration laws of the state.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN, (right), receives World Bank’s Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, Dr. Mari Pangestu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on 12/11/2021.

Buhari Calls For Objective Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

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resident Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Paris, France, urged world leaders and global health institutions to follow a regime of enabling access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

The President’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari, who stated this while delivering a keynote statement at the Paris Peace Forum (PPF), admonished that sidelining countries in terms of reach would undermine the entire effort for safety.

Buhari said export restrictions that encourage needless hoarding of vaccines needed to be lifted, while welcoming the pledges by industrialised countries to share vaccines.

He said the pledges should be fulfilled in a timely manner, appreciating some countries, like France, that had donated vaccines to developing countries.

“Resolving supply-chain constraints

would require better coordination within the manufacturing process; and between manufacturers and end-users.

“There is a clear need for the expansion of vaccine production capacity in Africa. ”In this regard, African countries already have a roadmap: the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) developed in 2007 by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) on the basis of an African Union Summit decision taken in 2005.

“Licensing agreements should be reached with pharmaceutical companies for the transfer of intellectual property and technology to support the production of vaccines in Africa. ”If global vaccination is the only way to end the COVID-19 pandemic, then all stakeholders must act in a coordinated manner to plug the vaccine supply gap in Africa,’’ he said.

Gov Yahaya of Gombe Presents N154.6bn Budget For 2022

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

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overnor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State on Thursday presented a N154.61 billion appropriation bill for the 2022 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

Presenting the proposed appropriation tagged, “Budget of Consolidation,” Mr Yahaya said his administration intended to consolidate on the gains made over the past two and half years in the service to the people.

He said the proposed budget comprised N69.11 billion recurrent expenditure and N85.49 capital expenditure.

According to him, the proposed recurrent expenditure represented 44.7 per cent of the total budget size while the capital expenditure is 55.3 per cent of the budget.

He said that the budget was expected to be financed by an estimated recurrent

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revenue of N73.63 billion and the capital receipts of N79.86 billion.

The governor said his administration had developed and launched the maiden Gombe State 10-year Development Plan (DEVAGOM), adding that the 2022 proposed budget draws heavily on the aspirations of this development agenda.

He said the development agenda was initiated on five strategic pillars of governance and administration; social, economic and infrastructural development as well as sustainable environment.

On revenue generation, Governor Yahaya, said in view of the challenges in the global oil market and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy, there was the need to “look inward and improve our internal revenue drive.”

ANAP Canvasses For Employers Association Forum

The councillors claimed that the chairman had not accounted for more than N2m generated by the council every month and urged the House of Assembly to ratify the impeachment process after its findings.

THEWILL investigation showed that the embattled chairman complied with the Speaker’s directive to return all the items belonging to the LGA that allegedly had been taken away by him.

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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he Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) is calling on the federal government to establish Employers Association forum for the aviation sector, so as to correct the ills in the system.

The general secretary of ANAP, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, who made this call in his office at the union’s secretariat in Ikeja, noted that the absence of a joint meeting forum for all employers of labour in the aviation sector has led to so many abnormalities in the system.

Saidu explained that both the Minister of labour and that of Aviation ought to have met and discuss ways to set up the association, so as to serve as a centre for decision making.

He noted that various organisations in the aviation sector do not have forum where issues are discussed and resolved stressing that when established, it will also act as centre for negotiation Saidu again remarked that there will be no room for betrayal and inefficiency but noted that pride had made it impossible for private sector operators especially the airlines not to participate as they were not ready to concede to their colleagues.

On the part of government agencies, Saidu noted that some agencies proved to be superior to others.

He however, accused the Ministry of Aviation for not setting up the forum, saying it was a deliberate act.

According to Comrade Saidu, setting up the body will lead to easy coordination of activities in the sector.

Saidu noted that the issue of Condition of Service (CoS) and Boards of Directors (BoD) of agencies would have been resolved but the absence of the employers forum has affected such plans.

According to a source close to Government House, Governor Emmanuel persuaded the leadership of the House of Assembly to discontinue the trial of the council Chairman and proffered a political solution to the crisis.

Salem’s Death: NUJ Demands Independent Inquiry, Autopsy

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he Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council has charged the Federal Government to empanel an independent probe into circumstances surrounding the death of Vanguard Newspapers reporter, Tordue Salem.

Salem went missing on October 13 in Abuja and was reported dead on November 11 by the newspaper he worked with for several years.

In a statement, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche and Ochiaka Ugwu, Chairman and Secretary of Council respectively said the union was disturbed by the death of Mr. Salem and the account of the police was not in sync with credible investigation.

“The death of Mr. Tordue Salem opens another dark chapter for journalism and journalists in Nigeria and we are grievously saddened by it,” the statement laments.

“While the NUJ appreciates the effort of the police in finding the corpse of Mr. Salem, as a union we are not persuaded by the account of the police as it poses more questions than answers.

It is in this regard that we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to order for an independent inquiry into the tragic end of Mr. Tordue.

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FEATURE

Toiling For Agbero

Pitiable Story of Lagos Commercial Vehicle Operators

BY SAM DIALA & JOY ONUORAH

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r Kolawole Balogun is an intra-city commercial vehicle operator in Lagos. He drives an 18-seater bus that plies First Gate, a popular bus-stop near the Lagos State University (LASU) to Badagry – a distance of about 40 kilometres. The fare is N500 per passenger, amounting to N9,000 per trip. But he parts with N2,000 at the garage, which is paid to the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) referred to as Agberos, a street name for a lawless group that extorts commercial vehicle operators – buses, tricycles and motorcycles (Okada). The fee is called “owo-load” (loading fee) or commission. No receipt is issued and no argument is entertained about it. It is “statutory”.

Balogun buys fuel at N2,000 or N2,500 per trip, depending on the traffic situation. He pays N50 at 10 road blocks erected by transit ‘agberos’ and 10 checkpoints mounted by policemen on the same route, making it N1,000. This leaves him with N3,500 per trip. He makes between three and five trips a day. With an average of four trips, Balogun goes home with N14,000, one way, or N28,000 return trip representing 38.8 percent of the total fare he realises per day either way. Sometimes, the motor park ‘agberos’ impose special levies of up to N2,000 on the drivers per trip for a “project” or for an “emergency”. The number of road blocks created by transit agberos and security agencies also increases, sometimes up to seven, within the route.

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Mr Balogun’s vehicle broke down recently and he did not operate for three working days. Besides losing the daily income, he spent N108,000 to fix and service the vehicle before resuming work. “The cost cleared my savings because it happened when my vehicle particulars were due for renewal and I spent about N50,000 on that. The agberos were not concerned about my plight. If they could, they would tell me to pay arrears for the days I did not work because all they want is the money,” Balogun told THEWILL last week.

At Egbeda in Alimosho Local Government Area, Francis Ikhazobor, who operates the 10-kilometre route explained to THEWILL that he and his group labour for ‘agberos’ and that their case is helpless. Ikhazobor drives a 7-seater minibus that earns him N1,400 per trip with a passenger fare of N200 each. He pays N400 to agberos on loading, buys fuel at N2,000, gives N100 to Police and N200 to Ikeja agberos.

The operator parts with N700 out of N1,400 realised in the trip.

no mercy. They are the law themselves and what they say must be done. It is foolish to argue with an agbero or Alaye because they can snuff life out of you and nothing will happen,” Kenneth Korie, a tricycle operator, told THEWILL at Agege. He said the level of extortion by ‘agberos’ against his group is pitiable because “the roads are killing our machine, agberos are taking the little left to maintain the machine. Little is left to pay the owner for the day’s returns,” Korie lamented.

“Transportation would have been a lucrative business in Lagos, but there are many challenges, the worst being the extortion by agberos. The money they take from us is what we need to maintain our vehicles. If the road is bad, the cost of living is high, cost of maintaining the vehicle is high, yet the little you earn you share with someone who contributes nothing but pains to your business, it is clear that you are working for them,” a middle-aged man, Thompson Bakare said, during an interview with THEWILL at Yaba.

Balogun and Ikhezobor represent the experience of Lagos commercial vehicle operators. THEWILL visited various vehicle parks and interviewed tricycle (Keke) and Okada operators who lamented their ordeal in the hands of agberos that conduct themselves like an alternate government in a manner that makes brutality a way of life.

He said many of his colleagues cannot maintain their families because of lean resources. He added that the pressure the job exerts on them affects their health and that many of them break down easily. “When you take ill, you are on your own. The agbero who reaps where he has not sown does not care about how you feel”. Yet the motor vehicle operators are eager to do their job even when it is

“They are above the law. They are red-eyed and know

*Continues on Page 8

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FEATURE

Toiling For Agbero

*Continued from Page 7

“The [motor park] chairman takes the huge chunk of the money, shares the rest to his subordinates and leaves little in an account operated by his union,” it stated.

The ICIR report revealed that more than 60 tricycle drivers in 21 Local Council Development Areas LCDAs disclosed that they paid at least N1,800 to Agberos each day.

“This, therefore, means that each day, agberos walk off with N90 million from transport taxes collected from tricycle drivers. Every month, their pay reaches N2.7 billion, rising further to N32.85 billion every year.

“The average collection, however, is higher in Mushin (N2,500 – N3300), Isolo (N1,900-N2,200), Oshodi (N1800-N2,300), Coker/Aguda (N2200-N3,000) Itire/ Ikate (N2,200 -N3,200), Iru-Victoria (N2,300-N3,200), Ikeja (N2200- N2500), and Onigbongbo (N2200-N3,000) LCDAs, among others,” the report revealed.

“They often collect the money by force. Sometimes you pay in their make-shift offices, at other times you hand them the cash,” ICIR said, quoting a tricycle operator in Mushin.

The brutality that underlies the activities of NURTW in all parts of the country exceeds comprehension. The ease with which they have their way in their nefarious activities baffles well-meaning Nigerians who marvel at their level of impunity and abuse of power. Of more concern is that NURTW is an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), meaning that it is organised by the government. “It is a misnomer to categorise them among the affiliates of the NLC given their lawless culture and crude behaviour”, said Isaac Marizu, a legal Practitioner.

the agbero that takes the greater portion of the proceeds.

Bizarre Revelations A recent research report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) revealed that agberos in Lagos generate an estimated annual revenue of N123.078 billion, amassed from daily road fees and levies they impose on commercial vehicle operators – buses, tricycles and motorcycles. The extortion in the name of ‘fees’, ‘commissions’ and ‘taxes’ are carried out in the following way: Levies on commercial buses (Danfo) Each commercial vehicle driver pays at least N3,000 to ‘Agberos’ as ticket fee.

There are an estimated 75,000 commercial buses operating in Lagos, according to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

Estimated daily total collection: N225 million Estimated monthly total collection: N6.75 billion Estimated yearly total collection: N82.125 billion Levies on commercial tricycle operators (Keke NAPEP) Each tricycle rider pays at least N1,800 to Agberos per day.

There are an estimated 50,000 tricycles operating in Lagos, according to TechCabal.

Estimated daily total collection: N90 million Estimated monthly total collection: N2.7 billion Estimated yearly total collection: N32.85 billion

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Transportation would have been a lucrative business in Lagos, but there are many challenges, the worst being the extortion by Agberos. The money they take from us is what we need to maintain our vehicles. If the road is bad, the cost of living is high, cost of maintaining the vehicle is high, yet the little you earn you share with someone who contributes nothing but pains to your business, it is clear that you are working for them

Levies on commercial motorcycle operators (Okada) Each Okada rider pays at least N600 to Agberos per day.

According to the report, there was no trace that much of this revenue gets into government coffers as the money was not accounted for in the state’s annual financial statements.

There is an estimated 37,000 ‘Okada’ riders operating in Lagos, according to the Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State (MOALS).

Estimated daily total collection: N22.2 million Estimated monthly total collection: N666 million Estimated yearly total collection: N8.103 billion

The report further revealed that “although the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) says on its website that ‘road taxes’ are among the 25 taxes that are collected by the state government the government agency provides no evidence on the website that road taxes are being collected by the state government.”

The total annual revenue from the three major modes of transport in Lagos State amounts to N123.078 billion.

The ICIR report admitted that these figures may yet be underestimated as daily levies on the transporters are much higher in some parts of Lagos.

The report further revealed that although part of the revenue was being remitted to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and to the rival union, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, the bulk of the money being generated ended up in private pockets.

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Marizu told THEWILL that giving official recognition to thugs as organised labour is disheartening. But officials of NURTW take exception to members of their groups being referred to as thugs or agberos. A national official of NURTW, Segun Falade Emmanuel, who spoke to THEWILL from Abuja, frowned against associating their members with extortion , stressing that sufficient evidence should be provided to support the allegations of extortion against their members in Lagos.

“Those shouting extortion should come with evidence.

What is the evidence – a video image? A picture? Is there a petition from anybody alleging extortion? A person who claims he is a victim of extortion should come up with a proof. You cannot judge another man’s case and claim you stand on the part of truth when there is no evidence,” Emmanuel told THEWILL on telephone. Marizu said NURTW and its sister groups, Road Transport Employers Association (RTEA) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) often engage in acts of lawlessness which suggests that they are made up of people with less concern for human dignity.

When contacted, the National President of NARTO, Alhaji Lawal Yusuf Othman, was said to be in a meeting according to his aide, Fatai Afolabi. Calls made to RTEAN office were not answered.

A visit to the popular vehicle parts market at Ladipo in Mushin LGA showed there is high demand for spare parts for public transport vehicles, especially buses. They are also more expensive than before, according to vehicle operators who spoke to THEWILL. “Lagos roads are bad, very bad. This is a major cause of vehicle breakdown. Yet, Agberos continue to milk us dry, Ikhazobor said.

Investigation by THEWILL showed that some Lagos vehicle park chairmen go home with about N20,000 daily, and their lieutenants pocket about N10,000 – all tax free. “While they increase, we depreciate”, said Funsho Akinlade, a bus driver at the busy Ojuelegba park in Surulere. Akinlade said they are labouring for agbero to earn a living.

Lagos State IGR as of December 31, 2020 was N148.96 billion out of which road tax accounted for N12.13 billion (or 8.25 percent of IGR) as against estimated annual N123.07 billion amassed by agberos.

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Soludo

POLITICS

Anambra Governorship: Buhari, INEC, Security Agencies Receive Kudos

BY AYO ESAN he 2021 Anambra Governorship Election came to a climax last Wednesday when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, winner of the election, polling a total of 112,229 votes.

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Almighty God and an overwhelming sacred mandate of the people…”

Continuing, he said, “The election itself tested the integrity of our federal institutions. Many times there were tensions, especially as one party boasted that it must take or ‘conquer,’ but the judiciary stood for the integrity of the judiciary”.

This was after APGA had scored the most votes in the Ihiala supplementary election that was held on Tuesday.

The governor-elect also thanked the incumbent governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, and President Muhammadu Buhari, amongst a list of persons.

THEWILL recalls that the election was extended to Tuesday to allow voting to take place in Ihiala Local Government Area which was the only local government left.

He extended the olive branch to the people of the state and his co-contestants.

According to INEC, Soludo won in 19 local government areas, scoring 25 per cent in all the 21 local government areas of the state.

His closest rival, Mr Valentone Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 53,807 votes, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Andy Ubah came third with 43,285 votes.

Anambra has a total of 2,466,638 registered voters, while 253,388 were accredited for the election. Before the election, deadly violence threatened to overwhelm the state, but President Muhammadu Buhari vowed that the election would hold.

In his acceptance speech, Soludo described his victory as a “Divine journey whose time has come” and said, “Let me say with utmost humility and gratitude to God, I accept the results of the 2021 Anambra Governorship Election as declared by INEC. This reflects the supreme will of the THEWILLNIGERIA

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He also promised to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people who freely elected him.

Soludo is expected to be sworn into office in March 2022 after the expiration of the two-term tenure of Governor Obiano, who is also of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country have adjudged the election as free and fair.

However, the Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organisation last Thursday rejected the result of the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The campaign organisation described the outcome of the election as “a charade” that did not “reflect the wishes of the people of Anambra State.”

In a statement signed in Abuja on behalf of the campaign organisation, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe, alleged that the candidate of the APC, Senator Andy Uba, was a victim

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of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation by INEC in cohorts with the Willie Obiano administration and the security forces deployed to oversee the election.

He said, “the elections were characterised by widespread irregularities, intimidation and voter suppression in order to clear the path for the inglorious ‘victory’ of APGA in the polls.

“For instance, in polling units where the Biometric Voters’ Accreditation System malfunctioned, INEC went ahead to conduct the elections manually. There were numerous cases where votes announced by INEC exceeded the number of accredited voters in polling units.

“Another clear manifestation of collusion between the Obiano Administration and INEC was the publishing of results on the Social Media handles of APGA even before official announcement by INEC. Yet mysteriously, the votes announced in advance by APGA always corresponded correctly with the official figures released by INEC. The statement read in part, “It is inconceivable that our candidate, who polled over 200,000 votes in the APC primary election would be allocated a slightly above 43,000 votes by INEC. “It is surprising that APGA that lost almost 80 per cent of its stalwarts through defection to the APC before the election came out ‘victorious’. A sitting APGA Deputy Governor, seven members of the House of Representatives, 10 members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, the APGA Board of Trustees member, many serving SA’s, SSA’s, in addition to a serving PDP Senator all defected to the APC before the election, yet APGA emerged ‘victorious’. This is quite *Continues on Page 13

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

Anybody Above 70 Years May Not Be Effective As President – George Chief Olabode George is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on the recent convention of the party held in Abuja among other issues of national importance. Excerpts:

What is your charge to the newly elected members of the National Working Committee of your party?

My charge is simple. You know there is a tripod: justice, fairness and equity. It is a three legged body and any three legged body is a steady platform. The experience we had with the outgoing ones – though not all of them – calls for attention. I worked at that the headquarters of the party for 10 years, but because it is my party, I don’t want to go out to the market place to undress them. It won’t be right. But all I can say is that those who are coming have a lot of work to do to stabilise the platform and to bring back honesty of purpose, commitment, dedication and love for the party.

Also, I want to also tell them that they should ensure that the goals of the party must be higher than individual goals. If they do that, this party will bounce back. There is nothing that should be personal. If you want personal things, go and start your enterprise or your private company. This is the company of so many heads. So justice, fairness and equity must be embraced.

People will leave their states and head to the party’s headquarters in Abuja to manipulate results and so many things. Where are you going to hold elections, is it in your states or in Abuja?

If you cannot control your people justifiably at home and somebody gives you the telephone numbers of people at the headquarters and you say you are the one that has been elected, who is going to vote for you? Those kinds of things must stop.

You don’t resolve the problem from the outside, it has to be from home.

Some people are saying the PDP has never won elections in Lagos State under your leadership. Is this true?

Yes, it’s not my private company. Can I be at every polling station? Were they (members) not given enough materials and tools to be able to manage their areas? It is the people multiplied that makes the party.

Then somebody comes and says look, I must apologise to you people in Lagos, when we won in all the other parts of South-West, we also won in Lagos. That he was responsible for thwarting and manipulating the results. Since then they have all kept quiet. But these are the experiences of life. I have put my total being into the party. When we were working for Baba, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, what did I gain? I was locked up in Kirikiri Prison for no justifiable reason. If one didn’t believe in God, one would have run mad and would have lost the capacity

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to reason. Leadership is something that is God-given. Like the saying, some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness bestowed on them.

Having had a successful convention, how convinced are you that your party will take over the leadership of the country in 2023?

We still have about one year, you know. The convention has been successful. The quality of people elected is very inspiring.

But as you know, power is a very tempting and dangerous thing. I will always pray for them. Remember I talked about a tripod earlier. If they make that tripod the main thrust of their administration, we will defeat the APC. This is because APC is a contraption and a congregation of strange bedfellows. There is no depth and no taproot. Therefore, our people must work with the commitment to respect the constitution of the party. They should be fair to all. They should not think that they are ‘Mr Know all’ because that leads to perfidy. I am praying for them.

Dr Iyorchia Ayu, for instance, is an old horse. And I know that he is somebody that cannot be swayed by money. The Deputy National Chairman ( South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja was Baba Adedibu’s boy. I have known him since 1999. All the others should just make sure justice, fairness and equity are their guiding principles. If they keep to that, our platform will be stable.

The Lagos State PDP congress was stopped midway in October for fear of violence. How soon will the congress hold in Lagos?

We requested it. We wanted it stopped because they had created so much tension. Whichever way it would have gone on that Saturday, if we hadn’t postponed the congress, people would have killed themselves for no reason.

Now we have witnessed the carnival-like atmosphere at the recent national convention. That is what I’ve known to be our convention, a peaceful gathering. The party leaders said they wanted to come penultimate Saturday to hold the congress in Lagos State. I asked what the urgency was for? We decided to have it postponed, so that we could have a long time to calm our nerves. Whatever they came up with would have been okay.

Let the conducting of the congress in Lagos State be a litmus test for the new managers of the party. Let the outgoing managers go, we don’t even want to see their tail lights anymore. The new ones should come and conduct the Congress. As you know the new broom sweeps cleaner. I am not talking of the APC broom, not that kind of broom. We are in touch with the leader of the party now in the South-West, Engr. Seyi Makinde. Let us do it properly.

I want to say this now: We have a big problem in Yorubaland.

See what happened in the North; immediately they said the party had zoned the chairmanship to the North, it took only five days to bring one person. The person has even said that if the next President comes from the North, he is ready to resign. That is deep rooted politics. Can it happen here, where one person wants to be everything?

You once said that you would quit the leadership role in politics after the 2023 general election. What led to this decision?

I was discussing it with my first child and while we were talking, he said, look daddy, we need you more now. You know I just had a surgery. Maybe after the surgery he is beginning to think differently. He said daddy you spent 25 years in the Navy.

By 2023, you would have spent 25 years in politics. That is 50 years of your life in service to this country. He said he thinks that is enough and that they need me more now. When I looked at it, what he said made a lot of sense to me. I am even 76 now. If

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our party had its convention in Abuja a few days ago. How was it?

The convention of our great party, which was held barely two weeks ago, has demonstrated so vividly the great possibilities that the Peoples Democratic Party is indeed the party that can break and remove the various afflictions halting our democratic process at present.The Convention was a celebration of peace and goodwill. It was one sweeping carnival, full of celebration and gaiety. There was no rancour, no violence and no ill will. And that is the way it should be.

I congratulate all the newly elected officers who will manage the affairs of our party for the next four years. From Senator lyorchia Ayu to every member of the National Working Committee, I salute them all for their dedication, vision and selfless efforts to reposition our party to its winning ways. I equally congratulate the selflessness of all our state governors and leaders who ensured that the necessary cordiality and efficiency that resulted in the success of the convention. They are all now the new brave men and women given the privilege and mandate to re-strategise, restructure, overhaul and rebuild the party as one giant behemoth that will champion and lead our nation towards a peaceful, unified and indivisible democratic journey.

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You know this body when it comes to a certain level, it tells you to take it easy.

You can see the American President, Joe Biden now, sometimes when he is talking, he would just flip.

He would have forgotten what he said earlier. That is why his rating is dropping

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW PLHA Crisis: Member Denies SGS’ Claim UKANDI ODEY, JOS

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ember representing Jos North East in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Esther Simi Dusu, has denied as false claim by the Secretary to the Government of the State, Professor Danladi Abok Atu, that she was one of the signatories for the ‘impeachment’ of the House Speaker by seven members.

Hon Dusu, PDP, and the only female member of the House, said she is embarrassed by the claim made by the SGS, noting that it is even disappointing that a person as highly placed as Professor Atu “will condescend so low and tell such a barefaced lie”.

The House member who wondered why the SGS abandoned the subject matter of why the Afizere Youth Parliament visited him, said she has never been party to any discussion to impeach the Speaker, let alone being privy or signatory to any paper or document to impeach the Speaker.

She said as a member of the House on the PDP platform, the Speaker, Honourable Abok Nuhu Ayuba, was not impeached, because majority of the members have confidence and belief in the House leadership under Ayuba, and the majority of them cannot allow a few persons to take decisions for them.

In a statement titled “distance me from mischief makers”, Hon Dusu said “I strongly dissociate myself from a report from “representatives of Afizere Youth Parliament in which my name was mentioned”.

According to her, “the said report claiming to ge the outcome of a meeting the Afizere Youth Parliament and the Secretary to the Government of Plateau State, Professor Danladi Atu, was said to have discussed many issues including the unlawful and undemocratic attempt to illegally remove the Rt. Hon Abok Ayuba as Speaker”.

She also said “I would have dismissed the report with a wave of the hand, but I am constrained to correct the wrong impression and dispel tissues of lies about my person, as representative of the women, youth, and the good people of Jos North West State Constituency”.

Cross River: Keep Off Our Party Secretariat, PDP Warns APC BASSEY ANIEKAN, CALABAR

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he Cross River State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has warned the All Progressives Congress in the state to keep off its state Secretariat.

I have put such a number of years into the service of the nation, I think that is okay. I will remove myself from partisan politics.

So I will not be for Party ‘A’ or Party ‘B’ and I will be the father of all. If there is anything that is not going right, we will proffer solutions and discuss. By 2023, I will be 78 years- old. Well, Generals don’t retire, we only fade away. But my body system is sending me an alarm. I was a state governor when I was 42.

Now I am 76 years-old. So from 2023, I won’t be participating in partisan politics and you know another person will emerge.

So it is not because you are discouraged or you are being pushed out?

No. Do you know the beauty of it? My participation in politics and in PDP has been a good one. I spent almost 10 years at the National Secretariat of our party. And there is no part of this country that will hear Bode George and will not say that PDP man. That is the glory of it. Nobody can push me out. It is my decision. You know I think I am getting to my zenith in politics.

That wealth of experience is still there because they won’t leave me. Of course, the press will be there until God calls me back home. In 2023 I will be 78, what else do I want to do in politics? You know this body when it comes to a certain level, it tells you to take it easy. You can see the American President, Joe Biden now, sometimes when he is talking, he would just flip. He would have forgotten what he said earlier. That is why his rating is dropping. You know it can’t be like when he was younger. So if you love yourself, when you get a telephone call from your body system, you need to take it easy.

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Are you saying President Muhammadu Buhari is being slowed down by his age too?

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that. You know he is struggling with his health, he is struggling to cope with the enormous duties. To read the memos alone is a lot of work. Now Nigeria has so many ministries and he must read, approve or disapprove. As President, he hardly sleeps. How will he sleep?

He keeps working on defence, economy, agriculture, education and so on. The ministers must come and discuss with him in memos. I worked closely with the presidency twice during the Abacha/Diya regime and when Baba Obasanjo was president, he didn’t sleep. So when you get to President Buhari’s age, it is very difficult to cope.

Do you agree with General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd.) that whoever wants to succeed Buhari should be below 70 years?

I know Oga must be talking from his own experience. This is because this job is very demanding. If you are serious about serving your people, that is the best bracket. Once you pop above that, you will be there, but you won’t be effective. And the more you struggle to say you want to be effective, the more alert you will be getting from your body system that the heart, the liver is complaining. That the food is not going through properly or there is one ailment or the other. You don’t deceive yourself. It’s the way the Almighty packaged the human body.

I now believe He is the greatest scientist. For me I don’t know what anybody is looking for at that age. You just need to be playing with your grandchildren at that age.

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The warning follows a renewed attempt by the new State executive of the APC in the state to resume its activities in the Secretariat.

The controversial Secretariat located along Murtala Muhammed Highway in the heart of Calabar has been under the possession of the PDP for over two decades but the APC in the state took over the Secretariat following the defection of the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade, to the APC. The APC claimed the PDP dissolved into the APC alongside the Secretariat and also alleged that the rent for the property was renewed by the defecting PDP members.

The property was rebranded into the colours of the APC but has not been occupied by either of the parties as the matter was said to be subjudice.

However speaking in Calabar, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prince Mike Ojisi, called on security agencies to intervene and stop the planned action of the APC. “As law-abiding citizens, we hereby, without any form of equivocation call on the AIG Zone 6, Commissioner of Police, Civil Defence and heads of all Security Agencies in Cross River State to expeditiously intervene and help restore the rule of law in the face of this brazen and evasive rape of the law by the APC. “ We hereby demand an explanation into this unlawful invasion of our Secretariat by the overzealous SWC of the APC. As a party, we are very much aware of the APC’s incurable craze and penchant for lawlessness both at the National and State Level, an obvious tragedy all rational Cross Riverian nay Nigerian, must speak against.

“We call on the APC to respect the rule of law and redeem her image in the eyes of the people, at least for once.

“As a party with the inalienable right to freedom of association as enshrined in our nation’s constitution, we shall continue to resist any attempt by the APC to gag, victimize or subjugate members of our great party,” he said.

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POLITICS

Gov Lalong: One Man, Many Battles opportunity of the state elective congresses were one in which Lalong performed the undertaker’s role for the APC in Plateau State. Aspirants to the various offices, including those who paid to purchase nomination forms, did not get to see the forms. The entire process was bungled by the governor and leader of the party.

Since the controversial party congresses that left the Plateau State APC fractured and in disarray, Governor Simon Lalong’s political battles are expanding and extending on all fronts, with the anomaly in the State House of Assembly and injustice he is foisting on Langtang North Local Government Area threatening the peace of the State, writes UKANDI ODEY

Reports say ‘consensus’ candidates emerged from a list endorsed by Governor Lalong – as a matter of fact, their nomination forms were filled the Monday after they had been affirmed as members of the State Working Committee on Saturday. It was another sweet victory for Lalong, except that this one came with critical corollaries rich in the propensity to drain the party. A parallel APC in the state is a living exemple.

The conduct of the local government elections was a major battle waged by Lalong against the people and the state.

The elections were programmed from the APC primaries to the secondary elections in which the main opposition party, the PDP, dreaded by Lalong who was scared by field reports indicating that the party’s overwhelming popularity and acceptability, did not participate.

Eventually, Lalong’s APC had a false walk over, in what critics and commentators have put down as the most embarrassing and compromised political exercise using public resources.

Momentarily, Lalong won this time what looks like a pyrrhic victory against his people to the amusement of his oppressive gallery.

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ear the Polo Field junction in the heart of Jos North Local Government Area, a two-sided board placed in the middle of the dual carriage way bears an uncanny message, which however consummates a bourgeoning sentiment and diatribe of many people in Plateau: ‘Plateau under siege: Five caliphates, two Judas want to impeach peoples’ speaker.’

He is not showing any signs of recovery in local opinion polls since the sharp drop he incurred with his poor and noncommittal response and handling of the killings in Bassa, which culminated last July and August when villages in Rigweland were wiped out in organised attacks and villagers had to contend with mass burials and destruction of whole farms, as well as a looming food insecurity.

But the governor’s road to these self-effacing battles have been underway since last year when his government appeared to have narrowed down everything about governance to the expediencies and exigencies that came with the global emergency called Covid-19. In the course of that year, he got the State House of Assembly, under the undisputed leadership of Speaker Abok Nuhu Ayuba, to suspend the Chairmen of Kanam and Qua’an Pan Local Government Councils, in circumstances that were as curious as the grounds of charges against the duo were controversial and flux.

In the ensuing days of the ambush against the two chairmen, it became clear that the chairman of Kanam was a mere collateral casualty on the way to the main target in Qua’an Pan, Isaac Kwali, whose profile and guts – some include arrogance – had become detestable and intolerable to Governor Lalong. The succeeding intrigues and power play sorted out the Kanam LGA boss and he was reinstated. But the Chairman of Qua’an Pan, Isaac Kwali’s situation degenerated. The Councilors in the local government council eventually removed him from office and rewarded his deputy by making him the substantive chairman of the council. Although Kwali would proceed to the court, decrying blue political murder, Lalong , no doubt, had won that battle of necessity to demobilise and push him into political oblivion, such that his plans to contest the Plateau South senatorial bye-election could remain anything but a farce. Lalong’s anointed is now representing Plateau South in the Senate.

What goes around comes around, as the hand of time moves.

That was how the battleground shifted, this time to the door step of the then state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Leteb Dabang, reputed by his peers and associates as a ‘masquerade’.

Having put in more than four years as chairman of the party, Dabang had erected his own political structures and followership, appearing dangerous and menacing on the way to 2023. The local government elections were approaching by last Octobe, and the earlier the better it was to cut Leteb to size and whittle down his influence within the party. Instances of altercation and loud, unfriendly exchanges were reported between Gov Lalong and Leteb, especially as it had to do with delegates and the mode of party primaries to choose the chairmanship and councillorship delegates. Lalong again

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It is a victory, however, that may have been ambushed by the law and the long hand of justice. The PDP in the state is in the Appeal Court to review the decision of a High Court that excluded it from the elections.

Lalong

Governor Simon Lalong may not be walking a tight rope, but his political noose is tightening gradually with prospects that he could run out of steam as he engages in war in many fronts, with huge cost implications for the people and scarce public resources.

“

The Lalong battle that has put the state and its sensibilities on the edge is the subsisting debacle in the State House of Assembly, which was initiated when seven out of 24 members met during unofficial hours and ‘impeached’ the Speaker, Abok Nuhu Ayuba pulled a sucker punch here – an upper cut, and Leteb was down and out, while the governor coasted home to victory by emasculating the entire state APC and reducing it to a fiefdom.

With Leteb taken down, the battle changed gear and the Enfante Terrible entered cruising mode, with his foot soldiers, stooges, and moles dominating the rungs of the party’s ladder.

This was also the beginning of internal bleeding in the party.

The flounder and decay of its internal organs were not far away as internal democracy exited the party. The eventual party congresses to elect councillorship and chairmanship candidates were a sham and at best the orchestration of a dictatorship.

The congresses were bungled by Government House. They did not really take place in the various local government areas. All the governor’s candidates emerged by ‘consensus’. Aggrieved members and aspirants are ruing or, like the Langtang North aspirant, they are in court in the quest for justice. The Party bleeds, but Lalong won.

If the injustice of the chairmanship and councillorship primaries was small and decried by only the affected few, the

On the eve of the elections on October 8, a long drawn legal engagement between the PLASIEC and PDP lawyers generated such apathy that grated on the mood and response of the people to the elections the next day. The PDP appeal is yet to be determined; which translates also that the fate of the elections as held on October 9 is suspect and hanging on a balance of probabilities.

Yet, Lalong appears to be warring where war and battle are either unnecessary or avoidable. The battleground this time is Langtang North where the Governor is superintending over a forgery and travesty of democracy.

The tenure of the elected chairman of the council is due to expire on October 9, 2022. In a brazen demonstration of power and arrogance, PLASIEC went ahead and conducted elections for the chairman’s seat when the vacancy did not exist. The current chairman, Joshua Ubandoma Laven, challenged the PLASIEC in court.

In his judgment, Justice Ishaku Kunda described PLASIEC’s decision to hold elections in Langtang North last October 9 as “rascally’, knowing that there was no vacancy existing there until October 9, 2022. Accordingly, Ishaku entered a declarative judgment in favour of Ubandoma of the PDP, and warned the APC mistaken candidate not to parade himself as Chairman of Langtang North local Government Council.

Used to ‘winning’ battles, Lalong, a lawyer, is encouraging aberration in Langtang North by enabling his APC candidate to flout the rule of law and obstruct the course of justice, including engaging touts and thugs to violently overthrow Ubandoma.

The Lalong battle that has put the state and its sensibilities on the edge is the subsisting debacle in the State House of Assembly, which was initiated when seven out of 24 members met during unofficial hours and ‘impeached’ the Speaker, Abok Nuhu Ayuba with the support and enablement of Government House.

For the Third week now the House of Assembly complex is under security lock while the members are split along two lines – one loyal to the Speaker Abok and the other subservient to Lalong. It was one crisis that is really threatening the peace and continuity of the state and the greater danger being that except the governor puts the interest of the people and the state above his own, there is no end in sight.

With Plateau elders departing him and keeping a studied distance, the reverberating question in public places in the state is ‘whatever is the size of his war chest, is it a legacy of crises he wants to bequeath to the state?

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Buhari

Yakubu

POLITICS

...Buhari, INEC, Security Agencies Receive Kudos *Continued from Page 9

ridiculous.”

According to the statement, the only people left in APGA at the time of the election were Governor Obiano and his household and a few staff of the Government House, as well as Prof Soludo and his household. The majority of the electorate had moved to the APC. “There was definitely no way the carcass of the APGA could have defeated the APC without the active collusion and manipulation by INEC and the Obiano Administration.

“What happened on November 6, 2021 fell far below the acceptable standard of a free and fair election and can best be described as an electoral fraud perpetrated by the INEC, Willie Obiano Administration and the security forces.

“We have noted that starting from the appointment of INEC Adhoc staff, who mostly came from Calabar, to the distribution of electoral materials and the retention of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, who supervised the second term election of Governor Obiano, it was crystal clear that the game plan was to overturn the popular wishes of the people of Anambra State in the biggest electoral heist of all time in Nigeria’s political history,” it said.

The campaign group appealed to APC supporters in the state to remain peaceful and calm, saying, “We will not relent in pursuing our stolen electoral mandate to the limit of the law through all the constitutional means available as the facts on ground did not in any way reflect the outcome of the elections as announced by the obviously compromised INEC.” Meanwhile many Nigerians have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who supervised the APC primaries where Senator Andy Ubah scored 230,201 out of total votes of 349,490 to come out and explain how he came about the figure. This is coming on the heels of Uba scoring a paltry 43,285 votes in the governorship election.

With the conclusion of the election, many prominent Nigerians, including the winner, Chukwuma Soludo, have given kudos to President Muhammadu Buhari for noninterference in the election.

The results of the poll, which placed APC, the ruling party at the national level in the third position, is seen by analysts as a demonstration of the President’s good intentions and a fulfillment of his resolve not to intervene in the election.

Speaking in an interview, the Chairman Governors Forum THEWILLNIGERIA

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and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, described the results of the election as a positive development for democracy “The results showed that President Buhari did not interfere with the election process. The fact that APGA won and the APC came third showed that President Muhammadu Buhari is a good democrat, who believes that you win some and lose some.

“We know what happened under the PDP, where the party won elections through crooked means. We in the APC leadership and President Buhari should be commended,” Fayemi said.

Also speaking on the election, Obiano praised the President for ensuring that the election was free and fair. He made the commendation in a telephone conversation with the President in the late hours of Wednesday.

“You have, once again, behaved like a statesman in truth and spirit. You pledged that a tradition of free and fair elections will be a legacy of your administration. The Anambra governorship election, which took place in a free, fair and transparent manner, is the latest example of your commitment to making this pledge a reality,” the governor told President Buhari.

Governor Obiano described as statesmanlike President Buhari’s strong opposition to the move by members of his own political party to postpone the governorship election and to impose emergency rule on Anambra purportedly for security reasons, whereas elections had been held successfully in the last two years in other parts of the country with far more serious security challenges than Anambra State.

Expressing his appreciation to the President for resisting moves to interfere in the affairs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Obiano also noted that security agents involved in the Anambra election acted professionally.

“The result is that this election has become the freest and fairest in the history of our dear state,” he declared.

Thumbs up for INEC, Security agencies The decision of the Inspector-General of Police, Baba Usman Alkali, who announced the deployment of 34,587police officers and an additional 20,000 personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to Anambra before the commencement of the governorship election,

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was highly commended by both local and foreign observers who monitored the election.

The heavy presence of security personnel, they claimed, gave the people, who were panicky before the election, the courage to come out of their homes and perform their civic duties.

Speaking with THEWILL, an election observer, James Olaniyi, commended the police and the NSCDC for their professionalism. “The members of the security agencies were very civil and carried out their election duties with professionalism. Kudos to them. The security presence gave the people the confidence to come out and exercise their civic rights”, he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) was also given pass marks by some people who spoke with THEWILL. According to them, the digital accreditation and transparent collation made a difference during the election.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System has struggled since INEC first introduced it in an election conducted in Delta State. The system was equally far from reassuring in the Anambra governorship election. For instance, in one or two polling units in Nnewi South Local Government Area, there was no voting because of the failure of the BVAS. INEC needs to improve on this as it moves to conduct the two off- cycle elections in June and July next year in Ekiti and Osun States, respectively.

It is highly impressive, however, that INEC’s deployment of BVAS makes traditional ballot stuffing and analogue alteration of results more difficult to get away with because the numbers have to align with the digital accreditation records, which cannot be changed easily.

“That system made it possible to easily land egregious cases of over-voting, such that took place in Ifite Agbaja II, in Abatete in Idemili North Local Government Area during the election. In addition, the electronic transmission of results from the polling units directly to the collation centre eliminated the usual transactions and violence for results alteration, thereby increasing public confidence in the outcome.

“It remains to be seen whether INEC can scale this up to nationwide elections in which serious technology disruptions are likely to be more consequential,” a political analyst said.

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EDITORIAL

National Assembly’s Adoption of Direct Primary

T

he National Assembly recently, as part of its efforts to amend the Electoral Act and enhance the smooth running of elections in Nigeria, amended a clause in the Act which gave political parties the option of direct and indirect primaries as the mode of selecting candidates for general elections.

The amendment by the Red Chamber jettisoned indirect primary as it restricted political parties to only direct primary.

The amended Clause 87 on Nomination of candidates by parties, now Clause 87. (1) reads: “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Commission.”

It would also be noted that the House of Representatives had earlier equally adopted the direct primary as a method for the emergence of candidates for general elections.

The Conference Committee set up by both chambers has harmonised the resolutions of both chambers of the National Assembly and passed it, along with other

amendments in the new Electoral Bill forwarded to the President for his assent.

This decision of the National Assembly to adopt the direct primary for political parties in selecting their candidates for elections has, as expected, generated mixed reactions from not only the lawmakers, but also different political parties and leaders of thought.

It would be recalled that the direct primary was adopted by the Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in electing its governorship candidate in the build up to the 2019 general election.

Direct primary, a system in which all registered members of a political party participate in the primary election to pick candidates for elections, is as opposed to indirect primary or the collegiate system in which party members choose delegates, who in turn pick the party’s candidates at a convention.

Indirect primary has been the most used system in Nigeria’s political history. However, over the years, criticism has trailed this system, as it is always resulted in the highest bidder emerging as candidates for election at party conventions or primaries. It was this criticism that made the APC in 2018 to allow its state chapters

the option of either direct or indirect primary in picking their candidates for the 2019 general elections.

The adoption of both direct and indirect modes of primary elections was also in the statutory book until the National Assembly came up with the decision to allow only the direct primary in the selection of candidates for elections by political parties.

The implication of this new development is that, if President

Direct primary will afford every member of a political party the opportunity to participate in choosing those who will represent the party in elections

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Austyn Ogannah

Interestingly, most political parties may find this option very difficult because, except for the two major political parties, the PDP and APC, other parties do not even have a register for members and may find direct primary difficult, especially for want of funds.

While we agree that the conduct of primary elections in all wards implies huge financial outlay for parties, we think it may also increase the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it would be required to present its staff in several locations to monitor the primaries of different parties.

However, we believe the essence of democracy is to achieve government of the people by the people and for the people and this will be better be put in place under this proposed system.

Direct primary will afford every member of a political party the opportunity to participate in choosing those who will represent the party in elections.

The internal democracy of the parties, which has been lacking, will come into fruition.

Members of political parties will also be required to have their membership cards and make financial contributions toward the running of the parties. This is the best way to run political parties, not through sole financing by one or two wealthy individuals.

We commend the National Assembly for this novel decision. We also agree that the decision on electronic voting and transmission of results as recently put together in the new amendment to the Electoral Act will further deepen participation.

Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala News Editor (Online) – Felix Oboagwina 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

Peoples’ participation in the various election processes, beginning from political parties down to general elections, is essential in a democratic setting and no amount of expenditure will be too much to ensure that the government in a democracy really emerges from the people rather than a few rich and opportunistic individuals.

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]

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Muhammadu Buhari assents to the bill, then political parties will have no choice than to sick to the direct primary mode of choosing their candidates.

We therefore urge President Muhammadu Buhari not to hesitate in assenting to this mode of primary in the Electoral Act. THEWILLNIGERIA

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OPI N ION

Religion, Politics and Nigerian State

BY ABIODUN KOMOLAFE

M

ahatma Gandhi once remarked, “Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.” However, Frank Herbert was of an entirely different opinion. According to him, when religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows. While Vinoba Bhave also described religion and politics as ‘obsolete’ and called for “science and spirituality to take over,” in Sam Erwin’s view, political freedom cannot exist in any land where religion controls the state and religious freedom cannot exist in any land where the state controls religion.

Arising From the foregoing, one can safely conclude that the contest for space between religion and the state for hegemony and prominence is far from being over. They are both but different institutions!

Conventionally, too, religion, as it were, is a wholesome part of culture, even as the people in politics are also ‘people of culture.’

Whereas, the state derives its supremacy and nourishment from extant laws in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is the grundnorm, religion is in a class of its own, deriving sustenance from its firm belief in the supreme extra-terrestrial omniscience force, which controls the affairs of mortal beings.

Be that as it may, the only trouble is that both institutions are products of the society, being managed by people from within the same society. Unfortunately, when people talk about institutions, they always seem to have forgotten that the society that owns the religious institution also owns the political institution. The more reason they exempt themselves as if they are not part of that society.

Beyond Edward Tylor’s description of culture as ‘the totality of the ways of the people’, it is doubtful if a society can survive without having a peculiar culture.

For instance, Chairman Mao understood the import of socialising the minds of little Chinese children and the results were not disappointing. Japan also developed because she closed her borders and ensured that, no matter what part of Japan they hailed from, the Japanese were always

willing to die in the service of the king. Stated in clear terms, a Japanese male would rather kill himself than for his country to go down. Here in Nigeria, whereas there is hardly a Yoruba man who hasn’t been preached to and has not decided, either for Islam or Christianity, only the smart ones among the politicians have succeeded in maximising the advantage of the platitudes that religion offers for their selfish reasons; of course, to the detriment of the state.

Religion exists and its focus at the beginning was the Heavenly Kingdom. In other words, religion at the outset had nothing to do with the government on earth – worldly kingdom. This implies that though religion may have a large following in the society, with most of the citizens under its influence, it does not control the entirety of the society. When the state eventually emerged as an independent entity, carrying along with it the power of sovereignty, not only did it attract more people to its fold but also the influence of religion upon the society became weakened.

Whereas the state also has the monopoly of the use of violence, it is not so with religion. In most cases, the state operates on the principle of legal rational order while religion operates on a largely restricted order, prescribed only by the deity. Besides, the state must be seen as religion-neutral and it must give all citizens formal and secular benefits, irrespective of their beliefs.

Regrettably, in the modern situation, the state has overreached its limits of prescribed obligations and responsibilities.

Therefore, is it any wonder it is now faltering in what, originally, were the responsibilities of religion before it (the state) came into being? How then do we separate the huge frustration within the society, which, for instance, led to the #EndSARS mass protests in Nigeria, from how the state has so far fared?

Looking at the issue as it affects our world, religion is now a two-edged sword. As the compromised religion becomes depleted, both in capital and strength, the state, which thinks it has succeeded in decapitating religion, is also wounded.

Not only that, as values are being attenuated by religion, so also is corruption being entrenched in the state. Thus, using the needle of religion as the oxygen to capture votes became another challenge on its own. Tragically, those who spoiled the

show for religion neither went back to the river where they left their clothes nor did they contemplate the consequences of squandering its capital.

Right now, in the minds of the people, ‘omo rere kan ko si ninu ibon (there’s no righteous being again) In the olden days, those who went into politics did so with their religious beliefs and inward attitudinal disposition. In modern Nigeria, the general belief is that every other person who is in politics is a thief. After all, nobody comes into the political arena empty, only that the smart ones play to the positive side of religion with a view to helping themselves. In those good old days, you wouldn’t come to God’s House with stolen money.

Nowadays people steal from the government, then go to the church for thanksgiving. In the time of old, we were told that, if you didn’t have nice apparels, you could still go to the church and worship your God and you must not be disrespected. Not anymore. Anyone who attempts such in this computer age will most likely have himself or herself to blame. What’s more?

These days, it is not uncommon for a religious leader who speaks the truth to become an enemy to the government. Of course, that is why most of our ‘Lords Spiritual’ now find ways to accommodate the government, even when its excesses are quite obvious.

Basically, when we say that politics is about seeking the good of the majority, it does not mean that the interests of the minority should be jettisoned. What it simply means is that the objective interests of the majority will, first of all, be satisfied – to boost the legitimacy profile of the local politician within a given geographical spread – before considering the demands and agitations of the minority. That said, the threatening reality is that compromise is now the rule of the game: the state extends the proverbial olive branch to the religious institution and the latter reciprocates with its cup of goodwill messages to the masses, urging peace and unity.

Apparently, the interests of the government and the religious institution are coterminous – peaceful co-existence among the people so that both parties can prosper!

•Komolafe contributed this piece from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

2023 Presidency: Nigeria and South-East Imperative

BY ISIDORE EMEKA UZOATU

H

owever it turns out, the 2023 general election will be a watershed in the annals of Nigeria’s Rirutanian history. If for nothing else, it will mark the end of President Buhari’s tormentous two-term watch over the affairs of the country. A tenure that has seen the fiercest tugs at the strings that bind us as a nation from all the cardinal points.

Yet another landmark – more emblematic, if I am to say – concerns the position of the indigenes of the southeastern part of the country in the union. The truth, however coloured, is that they don’t find themselves in the rosiest of places therein. A ready pointer remains their inability to achieve a president of their extraction since independence.

Having posited this, I must quickly add, for the avoidance of doubt, that it is no original idea of mine. Many more prominent compatriots have said this before me. Most remarkable is the one by an elder statesman from the South-West. He even went to the extent of berating the favourite candidate from his region for nursing the ambition at all.

According to him, the visibly ailing juggernaut should have perished the thought as it came to him. Notwithstanding the supposed role(s) he played in the incumbent president’s election. After all, like many have also pointed out, former Military President, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) laid the same claim(s) to the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency and did not raise hell.

By all standards, the man of the moment should do better. At least he can borrow a leaf from that Caucasian American presidential candidate who withdrew from running against Obama. Asked why, the thoroughbred gentleman had replied that it was because he did not want to stand in the way of history.

It is noteworthy that our nation has achieved the ripe age of 61.

Give and take, we have not survived these divisive manifestations in the past and present for nothing. It is unarguable that something has helped glue these more than 250 ethnic nationalities together.

The fact that it has survived to this century against all odds is a thing to be thankful for.

Studied critically, more than anything else, credit for this has to THEWILLNIGERIA

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go to the mutual respect subsisting between these ethnicities over the years. In spite of the odds, these peoples have cohabited with one another in many communities scattered across the country.

In the process, they have intermarried and often joined hands to overcome the most daunting of situations.

Interestingly, over these years, a particular group has been found to be the most adventurous in the pack. It is on record that wherever you venture in the union, they easily account for the most numerous in demographic mass after the original sons and daughters of the soil. Communities apart, this has also been replicated even in the remotest of backwoods.

Also, wherever they do find themselves, they are visibly the only others manifesting their investment potential. As though they never crossed the proverbial seven seas to the destination, they would build palatial homes, offices and even markets in these otherwise strange lands. And this is, sometimes, to the chagrin of their hosts.

Rather than get due commendation for their chivalry, they are easily the most maligned in the union, a situation that has often led to them being wrongfully stigmatised and singled out for victimisation, as well as seen them pushed to the wall, which, in turn, has made them appear to be persona non grata in a cake they are joint bakers of.

These momentous happenings date back to pre-independence days. But the most virulent came about post independence, specifically when some self-styled revolutionaries in the then nascent nation’s army truncated the First Republic. Like Emperor Nero and the early Christians, culprits were easy to find after the abortive coup.

Meanwhile, not unlike what would have transpired in Anthony Hope’s novels, the politics of the time had put a group from a different quarter in charge of the nation’s affairs. Efforts to unravel the Gordian Knot they had tied the nation into spiralled into the declaration of a state of emergency in the Western Region.

Coincidentally, the political leader of that beleaguered region, rotting in jail for treason, featured prominently in the botched coup d’etat. The leader of the opposition then, the putschists had allegedly conjured the grand design to sprite him from prison to

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form a new government.

The plan was pronounced dead on arrival with the fond dream that birthed it. One cannot but point out that the greatest undoing of the takeover was the outlandish killings that they masterminded.

But in belated defence, it has to be pointed out that it mostly turned out one-sided on account of who and who were at the helm. An argument cogent enough to take care of the tinkering about who was spared and why.

Because most of the military buccaneers hailed from the itinerant region, the misadventure ended up labelled theirs. In consequence, what amounted to an organised pogrom was unleashed on their readily available indigenes in the region. Either way, a butchering only commensurate with what was to transpire in Rwanda decades later followed.

Like it turned out, repercussions from the above was to snowball into a conflagration. Torn apart, the nation’s army briefly became regionalised. Peace meetings were arranged within and without the country to no avail. In the end nothing stopped the nation from waging a 30-month civil war to make it one again.

Nothing explains what came to pass then, like what transpired between the late Cols Njoku and Ojukwu. Stuck in the east before the full outbreak of hostilities, both held a very remarkable tete a tete. Of course, the latter had become the military governor of the region, following the coup. The former, by then-recent events, ended up the commander of its army.

It was vividly recounted in Njoku’s account of the war, ‘A Tragedy Without Heroes’. Ojukwu, apprehensively, saw his sappers as never ever having anything to do with their former colleaguesin-the-trench from the North. Njoku, on the other hand, thought otherwise. Citing the American experience, he maintained that all would be gladly defending the nation at 50 years from then.

Sadly, this was to lead to Njoku’s incarceration for 29 of the 30-month duration of the war. The concluding part in the Biafran central prison stationed at St Peter’s Secondary School, Achina in the present Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

•Uzoatu wrote in from Onitsha, Anambra State.

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Akinwuntan

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Ecobank Expends N2.24bn Investors’ Funds on 73 Contravention Penalties

– 10 Years After Oceanic Bank Acquisition

BY SAM DIALA

E

cobank Nigeria, a key subsidiary of Africa’s major banking group, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), used investors’ funds totaling N2.246 billion, to settle the penalties it incurred between 2011 and 2020 for contravening 73 different banking legislations and provisions. The period coincides with the first 10 years after it acquired Oceanic Bank Plc on October 25, 2011 during the epoch bank consolidation exercise that consumed over 60 banks through mergers, acquisition and outright liquidation.

Data gleaned from the bank’s annual reports for the period revealed that the lender committed an average of seven violations (equivalent of N224.6 million penalties) annually, ranging from failure to implement internal procedures to major industry legislations violations that expose the banks to great jeopardy.

The least penalty was a total of N4 million imposed on the bank for two contraventions (of N2 million each) in 2011, the year it acquired Oceanic Bank. The highest penalty of N1.39 billion was paid in 2015 when the bank violated a total of nine legislations and provisions.

Concerns As Rising Jet Fuel Prices Mar Airlines’ Financial Recovery

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

F

uel presents a diverse role as airlines strive to recover from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The price of jet fuel has continued to trend upwards in

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recent weeks with economic activity restarting around the world and supply remains tight.

As of early November, jet fuel price was 70 percent higher against the start of the year.

Continues on next page

The penalty was higher than the total directors’ remuneration of N191 million and 12.3 percent of the year’s N11.30 billion Profit After Tax (PAT). It also contributed to the N21.79 billion Operating Expenses for the year which rose by 7.30 percent from N20.20 billion in the previous year (2014). A major penalty item for the year was N1.347 billion arising from the Contravention of Prudential Guidelines and BOFIA, followed by N38 million imposed on the bank for Non-compliance with directive on disposal of nonpermissible assets.

A further look into the reports revealed major concerns over the corporate governance attitude that ought to cascade professionalism down the organisational hierarchy. For instance, in 2012, the bank paid a penalty of N2 million for processing petroleum products importation without valid DPR import permit as at time of examination. In the same year, the bank coughed out N28 million to pay penalties for failure to obtain approval for relocation of branches. It paid N217 million for the Contravention of Refinancing and Rediscounting Scheme (RRF).

For non-approval of promotion/appointment of management staff, Ecobank paid a penalty of N78 million, and N54 million for failure Continues on next page

MORE INSIDE Ogun to Enact Law on Illegal Tree Felling PAGE 35

Emirates Group Rakes In $6.7bn In 2021-22 Half Year

FMDQ Group Launches Africa’s Premier Green Exchange

•Signs Listing Agent Agreement with Luxembourg Stock Exchange

BY SAM DIALA

F

MDQ Green Exchange, a virtual information repository platform dedicated to driving the growth of green and sustainable securities and providing reliable green data in the Nigerian financial markets, has been launched.

The event took place in a prestigious ceremony that saw the virtual and physical attendance of the

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NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 20, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

AVIATION/MONEY MARKET Concerns As Rising Jet Fuel Prices Mar Airlines’ Financial Recovery

Ecobank Expends N2.24bn Investors’ Funds on 73 Contravention Penalties

Continued from previous page

Continued from previous page to report adequately public sector deposits. Total penalties for 2013 and 2014 were N106.84 million and N58.0 million respectively. A penalty of N1.34 billion was imposed on the bank in 2015 for the contravention of Section 60(1) of BOFIA 1991 (Amended) relating to Prudential Guidelines and BOFIA. It paid N76 million for selling foreign exchange funds to unincorporated companies in 2016.

For accepting foreign currency cash deposits, the bank suffered a penalty of N20 million while it paid N18 million for non-compliance with CBN AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism) regulatory guidelines. Total penalties for 2015 and 2016 were N1.39 billion and N148 million respectively.

Consequently, airline stocks have trickled down in October amid concerns about the impact of rising jet fuel prices on airlines’ operating costs.

The fall was broad-based across all region, and was the most significant in North America.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its Airlines Financial Monitor released recently stated that initial Q3 2021 results show that financial losses of airlines at the aggregated level diminished, compared with Q2 2021, with some carriers reporting their first profitable quarter since the crisis started.

In the sample of 27 airlines, the industry-wide Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) margin improved to -2 percent of revenues in Q3.

The improvement, according to IATA, has been driven by passenger travel recovery on some domestic and short-haul routes where travel restrictions were lifted during the traditionally busy Q3.

However, some airlines were amongst the best performers, benefitting from the traffic in the US domestic market, despite a negative impact from the outbreak of COVID-19 between August and September. The US airlines’ bottom line was also boosted by a government payroll-support programme.

European carriers also recorded a robust recovery on the back of rising intra-European traffic. However, a sharp increase in jet fuel price has been putting an upward pressure on airlines’ operating costs and this represents a risk to a further recovery in the industry’s profitability during Q4.

In terms of changes in the cost of jet fuel, it has been noticed that average monthly jet fuel price and Brent crude oil price have continued to climb higher in recent weeks and they are currently well above pre-crisis 2019 levels.

For example, at the beginning of November, the price per barrel of jet fuel was at US$96.1, +70 percent. The price increase has been driven by swiftly recovering demand as markets reopen around the world and economic activity restarts.

Meanwhile, supply has remained tight since an increase in OPEC production has been slow.

In the same vein, reports have shown that the global airline share price index has been trending sideways at well below pre-pandemic levels throughout most of 2021 amidst uncertainty about pandemic outbreaks and their impact on the air travel recovery.

According to the Airlines Financial Monitor released by IATA, the metric rose by only 1.8 THEWILLNIGERIA

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percent year-to-date, compared with a 15.2 percent increase in wider equity markets over the same period.

Amongst the regions, European airlines have on average the weakest share price performance.

However, IATA pointed out that airlines’ financial positions improved in Q3, while cost pressures are rising. Emphasing further, the association observed that operating revenues continue to fall faster than operating costs.

While initial financial results indicate that passenger revenues declined by 34 percent in Q3 2021, compared with the pre-crisis Q3 2019, cargo revenues rose by 65 percent over the same period amidst robust cargo demand.

“Total airline revenues went down by 30 percent; a robust improvement on the 46 percent decline in Q2. The fall in operating costs in our airline sample was lower than the fall in revenues, at -18 percent. The rising fuel prices increased pressure on fuel costs (down 27 percent in Q3 2021 vs -45 percent in Q2 2021). However, other variable costs have also been rapidly returning with the traffic restart”, IATA stated.

Meanwhile, how the various factors affecting fuel will play out as the industry returns to normal is difficult to ascertain. Fuel has always been a significant cost for airlines. But the pandemic and subsequent recovery has blurred the picture as digitalization, new aircraft, and environmental mitigation, both mandated and voluntary, add new pressures to supply and demand.

“

Reports have shown that the global airline share price index has been trending sideways at well below pre-pandemic levels throughout most of 2021 amidst uncertainty about pandemic outbreaks and their impact on the air travel recovery

THEWILLNIGERIA

Furthermore, Ecobank paid various penalties in 2017 and 2018 for failure to notify CBN before embarking on the construction of a new branch and for leasing out a part of its property without notifying the apex regulatory authority. “This is a simple matter that an official of the bank who is paid for his job should do”, said Biodun Kehinde, an Estate Surveyor and Mortgage Banker. “Maybe, the amount is too small in their eyes, so they can simply dip their hands in their vaults and pay,” he added.

The highest penalty of N34 million in 2019 was imposed for the failure to honour bank guarantee in favour of Falcon Corporation Limited. The lender paid N16 million as penalty for breach of regulations on the risk assessment examination. The following year, 2020, Ecobank paid N60 million as a contravention penalty relating to foreign exchange examination. It also paid a N30 million penalty for infraction in the operations of domiciliary accounts.

The same year, the bank was penalised N4 million for failure to submit daily returns on sources and application of foreign exchange funds.

“Sometimes, the banks weigh the options of penalty and long-term negative impact. If it is safer and more beneficial to pay the penalty and survive the prevailing challenge, the penalty becomes the best option to take,” Kehinde explained. This could apply to the sum of N2 million the bank paid in 2020 as penalty for closing its Ecobank branch in Fegge Onitsha, Anambra State.

Mrs Bisi Bakare, National Coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria, described the penalties as outrageous and inappropriate.

She blamed the regulatory authorities and some company leadership for frequently imposing contravention penalties on the banks who use shareholders’ funds to settle the cost of their inefficiencies and the excesses of the regulatory authorities.

“The money is paid from the shareholders’ fund.

It is shareholders’ assets.

Someone

“

For non-approval of promotion/ appointment of management staff, Ecobank paid a penalty of N78 million, and N54 million for failure to report adequately public sector deposits. Total penalties for 2013 and 2014 were N106.84 million and N58.0 million respectively should be held responsible for not doing his job and not to pass the cost of their inefficiencies to the shareholders who provided the investment.” Bakare told THEWILL by telephone. She added that the penalties are part of the cause for low revenues that some banks declare. “If someone is penalised for not doing his job or for exhibiting an act of negligence, there should be no need to use the shareholders’ funds to pay penalties thereby eating into the banks’ revenue. It is outrageous and really unfortunate,” she added.

Bakare also blamed the CBN for slamming penalties on the banks without giving them room for defence. But the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Osita Nwanisobi disagreed with this view. Nwanisobi said that CBN does not go about penalising banks indiscriminately. He explained that due process is usually followed and that penalties are prescribed after proper investigation and examination in which the banks are carried along. “CBN is not an autocratic institution”, Nwanisobi concluded in a telephone chat with THEWILL. A prominent Stockbroker and Non-Executive Director at UIDC Securities Limited, Mr Sam Ndata, added a new twist. He criticised the deposit money bands for indulging in the habit of playing pranks through what he described as deliberate acts of contravening regulatory policies. The Doyen of the Nigerian Stockbrokers said it has become the culture of the banks and that they are not likely to desist from it because of the undue benefits they derive from it “They (the banks) play pranks to falsify their records. It has become their culture and they will not stop because of the benefits to them. It is not a mistake; they know what they are gaining,” Ndata told THEWILL in a note.

When contacted for comments, a member of Ecobank Nigeria Corporate Communications Department who prefer not to be maned, promised to respond before this paper goes for production; but could not make it.

Continues on page 35

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BUSINESS FEATURE

BY SAM DIALA

M

assive disruptions are gaining a strong foothold in the financial service sector of Africa’s largest economy. The robust presence of Fintech channels, the active participation of Mobile Money operators, the rapid expansion of the Payment Service Banks (PSBs) and the recent launch of the Central Bank Digital Currency, eNaira, will significantly reconfigure the sector’s landscape. While this will create a positive impact on the financial inclusion project, the competition it poses for core players, mainly deposit money banks and the struggling ones among them, is a matter to consider seriously.

At present, Nigeria has 32 money deposit banks, six merchant banks, three noninterest banks and 875 microfinance banks. The deposit money banks are classified into Tier-1 and Tier-2, based on their financial health – capital adequacy, assets base, shareholders’ funds and reserves strength. There is also the unwritten Tier-3 or struggling banks operating with weak footholds and hoping for a change in their collective destiny. Such banks are known for their perpetual life support dependency on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) borrowing window to remain in business.

But the wave of change sweeping across the sector through disruptions brought about by financial technology (Fintech) and ‘radical’ regulatory policies will alter the health status of many banks. For sure, the development would send some to the emergency wards from where they may not recover for a long time to come. It is all in the interest of the 40 million unbanked adult population, the economy and the nation at large. This is why industry watchers applaud the wake-up move by the CBN. The apex bank has taken radical steps that would help to drive its financial inclusion pace, which has run on the slow lane since the Financial Inclusion Strategy was launched in 2012 with the target of reaching 80 percent of Nigerians with formal financial services by 2020.

Financial inclusion means that people have access to basic financial services like a savings account, credit and insurance. The import of this centres on the fact that financial services have the capacity to empower people, create jobs and open up the remote areas for meaningful economic activities. The higher the inclusion, the better the quality of life of the people. A higher exclusion rate in Nigeria could lead to a poorer population, as lack of access to credit and insurance puts them at an economic disadvantage.

The CBN had in a circular issued in 2018 lamented that Nigeria was not meeting any of the agreed financial inclusion targets included in the 2012 Financial Inclusion Strategy. The Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) data showed that only 64.1 percent was financially included by the end of 2020.

This means that 36 percent of Nigerian adults or 38.1 million of the country’s 106 million adults of 18 years and above, remain completely financially excluded – a shortfall by 16 percent points from the desired target of a 20 percent exclusion rate. To underscore its importance, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in his second term agenda in 2019, put financial inclusion at the forefront of his five-point agenda. He set a target of 2024 to achieve 95 percent financial inclusion.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 pandemic altered the path of normal life across the globe and spread a wave of disastrous

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Changing Landscape of Nigeria’s Financial Service Sector

health and economic damage.

Recent developments suggest that the CBN has decided to fire from all cylinders unlike the seeming lacklustre or wait-and-see attitude it had adopted since 2018 when it rolled out the Guidelines (revised in 2020) for the Licensing and Regulation of Payment Service Banks (PSB). It embraced the PSB approach after several years of “pressure” from members of the public to tow the path of successful African countries like Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia, which have become role models in the financial inclusion project.

A PSB is defined as a category of banks with small-scale operations and the absence of credit risk and foreign exchange operations. They are regarded as a hybrid of conventional banks and fintech companies. They provide banking solutions with the flexibility, accessibility and technology tools employed by fintech companies in driving the financial inclusion project. Their leverage on technology offers them the unique privilege and capability to provide services that would easily be accessed by the unbanked population and those in areas that are not easy to reach.

The special factor that defines their operations is that they provide banking services through physical access points or internet-enabled platforms.

The Guidelines for PSB operations set out a number of permissible and nonpermissible activities. Their permissible activities include accepting deposits from individuals and small businesses which shall be covered by the deposit insurance scheme. They are to carry out payments and remittances (including inbound cross-border personal remittances) services through various channels within Nigeria. They are also permitted to sell foreign currencies realised from inbound cross-border personal remittances to authorised foreign exchange dealers.

“

With the licences given to MTN and Airtel, any Nigerian who does not have a bank account will most likely be able to ride on the infrastructure of any of the telecos or other service providers to transact through an e-wallet or mobile money account, thereby escaping the hurdles of account opening or maintenance process

Additionally, they are permitted to issue debit or pre-paid cards on the operator’s name, operate electronic wallets, render financial advisory services, and invest in FGN and CBN securities.

On the other hand, they are prohibited from granting any form of loans, advances and guarantees (directly or indirectly), accept foreign currency deposits, deal in foreign exchange markets except as permitted, and establish any subsidiaries – among others.

On November 4, 2021, the CBN granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to two of the country’s largest mobile THEWILLNIGERIA

telecommunication service operators – MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa. The AIP prepares ground for the final approval in six months’ time. This will enable them to operate grassroots financial services, especially the Mobile Money channel, which is expected to remove most of the barriers to obtaining bank accounts, such as the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other KYC (Know-Your-Customer) requirements.

The CBN issued PSB licences to 9Mobile and Globacom in 2020. While 9Mobile has launched its 9PSB in 2020, Globacom licence is still cooling off on the shelf unutilised. Incidentally 9Mobile’s PSB project did not go far before it ran into murky waters for what experts described as lack of intensity. Aside from the announced partnership with Fluterwave in September 2020, the 9Mobile PSB project has remained in the silence mode.

With the licences given to MTN and Airtel, any Nigerian who does not have a bank account will most likely be able to ride on the infrastructure of any of the telecos or other service providers to transact through an e-wallet or mobile money account, thereby escaping the hurdles of account opening or maintenance process. This will also take care of the 40 million unbanked adult Nigerians that the eNaira App has excluded because they have no access to a bank account, which the App requires.

Analysts and industry experts agree that with an AIP granted to MTN and Airtel, the coast is now clear for rapid financial inclusion expansion and quick reduction in the population of the unbanked. The financial services landscape has entered a revolutionary train that is not only moving fast, but also expediently to the benefit of those in the rural areas and in the hard-to-reach environments.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNG

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NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 20, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

BUSINESS NEWS Ogun to Enact Law on Illegal Tree Felling •Urges Industries On Workers’ COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance FROM: SEYI AYINDE, ABEOKUTA Ogun State Government has expressed readiness to enact law to prosecute illegal tree fellers especially those who plant cocoa or cocoyam in forest reserves across the state Governor Dapo Abiodun stated this in Abeokuta, during the Treasury Board Meeting on year 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the 2022 Budget.

Abiodun said that his administration would commence an advocacy programme on radio and television to enlighten the people on the consequences of tree felling on the environment.

L-R: Director-General, Debt Management Office, Nigeria, Ms. Patience Oniha; Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ Group, Mr. Bola Onadele. Koko; representative of the Executive Governor of Lagos State and the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on the Sustainable Development Goals and Investments, Mrs. Solape Hammond; representative of the Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc/Executive Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Victor Etuokwu and representative of the Chief Executive Officer, North South Power Company Limited and Senior Manager, Corporate Finance & Corporate Development, NSPCL, Ms. Kehinde Fanimokun at the Official Launch Ceremony of FMDQ Green Exchange/Exchange Signs Listing Agent Agreement with Luxembourg Stock Exchange in Lagos on 8/11/2021.

FMDQ Group Launches Africa’s Premier Green Exchange Continued from page 16 Nigerian financial markets stakeholders.

Other important personalities include the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Special Guest of Honour who was ably represented by the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on the Sustainable Development Goals and Investments, , Mrs. Solape Hammond and the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Yuguda.

Others are the pioneer Issuers of green securities on FMDQ Exchange - Debt Management Office, Nigeria (DMO); Access Bank Plc; and North South Power Company Limited (NSP), sustainability enthusiasts, as well as notable stakeholders in the global sustainable finance space, amongst others.

Mr. Bola Onadele. Koko, Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ Group, during his opening address, said “with climate change increasingly becoming one of the biggest risks facing the world today and in recognition of an even greater need to promote economic development in Nigeria through green and sustainable finance, FMDQ Group considered it pertinent to launch the FMDQ Green Exchange initiative.

“We are indeed proud to note that the launch of Nigeria’s premier Green Exchange places Nigeria, and by extension, Africa, amongst other global jurisdictions with securities exchanges and such exclusive platforms, such as the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, which launched the world’s first and leading dedicated platform for sustainable finance (the Luxembourg Green Exchange), amongst others.”

Delivering his keynote address, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, said “the value that a Green Exchange such as this brings, providing investors a transparent, effective platform for accessing the African sustainability finance market and thereby opening THEWILLNIGERIA

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the doors of deep sustainable funds for infrastructure and social development, is almost immeasurable.

“There is therefore no doubt that the FMDQ Green Exchange will assist in unlocking sustainable resiliency.”

He also reiterated Lagos State’s commitment to championing and supporting initiatives geared towards the sustainable socio-economic development of Lagos State, and the nation at large.

In an equally exciting development poised to further deepen the Nigerian debt capital market and as a highlight of the launch ceremony, FMDQ Exchange and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) executed a Listing Agent and Cooperation Agreement to facilitate the dual listing of securities issued by financial institutions and corporates domiciled in Nigeria on both FMDQ Exchange and LuxSE markets.

Speaking to this development, Ms. Julie Becker, Chief Executive Officer, LuxSE stated “we are pleased to enter into this Cooperation Agreement with FMDQ Exchange and will work together to create synergies and connections across our markets. I would like to congratulate FMDQ Exchange on the launch of the FMDQ Green Exchange and I look forward to further exploring new fields of cooperation in the area of green finance .”

Lauding this initiative, Ms. Tumi Sekoni, Managing Director, FMDQ Exchange, said “Indeed, we are excited to be executing a Listing Agent & Cooperation Agreement with LuxSE, and hopeful that this partnership will birth an avenue for FMDQ Exchange and LuxSE to achieve formidable market cooperation and promote even greater information symmetry for the benefit of the Nigerian and global financial markets”.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA

Emirates Group Rakes In $6.7bn In 2021-22 Half Year

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

“We need to enact a law that will provide stiffer penalties for those that are caught in illegal tree felling, as well as step up massive advocacy and warnings on radio and television, so that anyone caught in the act, will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” he added.

Engr. Tunji Akinosi, Commissioner For Forestry, decried the extent at which some people ring exotic trees such as the melina, to plant cocoa or cocoyam in the forest reserve.

T

Akinosi added that efforts at sensitising the people against entering the reserves for illegal activities had proved abortive.

This strong revenue recovery was underpinned by the easing of travel restrictions worldwide and the corresponding increase in demand for air transport as countries progressed their COVID-19 vaccination programmes.

In another development, the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, has called on industries operating within the state to encourage their employees to get vaccinated, following the 60-day ultimatum given to residents to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

he Emirates Group has announced half-year results for its 2021-22 financial year. In the report, Group revenue was AED 24.7 billion (US$ 6.7 billion) for the first six months of 2021-22, up 81% from AED 13.7 billion (US$ 3.7 billion) during the same period last year.

The Group also reported a 2021-22 half-year net loss of AED 5.7 billion (US$ 1.6 billion), substantially improved from its AED 14.1 billion (US$3.8 billion) loss for the same period last year.

The Group also reported an Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) of AED 5.6 billion (US$ 1.5 billion), a dramatic turnaround from a negative AED 43 million (US$ 12 million) EBITDA during the same period last year, illustrating its strong return to operating profitability.

The Group continued to maintain a healthy cash position which stood at AED 18.8 billion (US$ 5.1 billion) on 30 September 2021, compared to AED 19.8 billion (US$ 5.4 billion) as on 31 March 2021.

Commenting, His Highness (HH) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “As we began our 2021-22 financial year, COVID-19 vaccination programmes were being rolled out at unprecedented scale around the world. Across the Group, we saw operations and demand pick up as countries started to ease travel restrictions. This momentum accelerated over the summer and continues to grow steadily into the winter season and beyond.

“Our cargo transport and handling businesses continued to perform strongly, providing the bedrock upon which we were able to quickly reinstate passenger services. While there’s still some way to go before we restore our operations to pre-pandemic levels and return to profitability, we are well on the recovery path with healthy revenue and a solid cash balance at the end of our first half of 2021-22”.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

He, however, noted that the law to criminalise activities of illegal tree fellers is currently at the stage of being passed by the State House of Assembly

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

...Ecobank Continued from page 33 Ecobank Nigeria recorded a total of N122.94 billion PAT during the period except the year of acquisition of Oceanic Bank in 2011.

Directors’ remuneration rose from N125 million in 2012 to N250 million in 2020. Total emolument of the directors was N1.96 billion for the particular period of review. Total Net Interest Income was N758.73 billion while Total Assets rose from N1.32 trillion in 2012 to N2.18 trillion in 2020 or 65.15 percent. The bank’s major credit allocations go to Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Trade, and Public Utilities.

Ecobank Nigeria was incorporated as a public limited liability company on October 7, 1986.

Its operations are supervised and regulated by the CBN as well as the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). It remains a key subsidiary of Africa’s major independent banking group, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI).

Following the successful acquisition of Oceanic Bank International by the Ecobank group in 2011, Ecobank Nigeria has become a top tier bank in Nigeria in terms of assets, customer base, deposits and branches. It had previously acquired the deposit liabilities and customers of the defunct All States Trust Bank Plc, Hallmark Bank Plc and African International Bank PLC (AIB).

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NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 20, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SHOTS OF THE WEEK PHOTO EDITOR: PEACE UDUGBA [08033050729]

L-R: Former Miss Pepeye, Bolatito Sowunmi; Marketing /Sales Consultant, Princi Wine, Nelson Ihetu; Managing L–R: Legal Manager, Nigerian Exchange Limited, Nkemakonam Isiozor; Ag. Head, Business Support Services Director/CEO, Princi in Nigeria, Dr. Emeka Chinaka; Chief Abimbola Aboderin and RaveTv Presenter, Cyndy Eze, Division NGX, Irene Robinson–Ayanwale; Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine and FCT, Senator Tolu during the unveiling of Princi Wine at Radisson Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on 10/11/2021.

Odebyi and Head, Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, NGX, Oghenekevwe Okpobia, during the ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards 2021 in Lagos on 7/11/2021.

Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma (m); the new Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Kennedy Ibe L-R: Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; the Chief Judge of Ogun State, Mosunmola Dipeolu and the United (left) and the impeached Speaker, Rt. Hon. Paul Emeziem (right), when members of the Assembly presented the States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, at the launch of Case Management and Scheduling System, held at the Judiciary Complex Kobape in Abeokuta on 9/11/2021. new Speaker to the governor in Owerri on 8/11/2021.

L-R: Pastor Dr. Olubayode Awosika; Dr Dere Awosika; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, (SAN); Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and Chairperson, Adebayo; Mrs Erelu Angela Adebayo; Dr. Tola Awosika; MD ORÍKÌ Group, Mrs Joycee Awosika; First Lady of Lagos Commonwealth Parliamentarian Association (African Region), Hon. Zainab Gimba, at the opening of the 51st State, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu and Mrs Ibukun Awosika, during the launch of Premier Training Institute and Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) African Region, in Abuja on 11/11/ 2021.

Franchising Opportunity in Lagos on 7/11/2021.

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NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 2021 NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 20,20, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P ER T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com • www.thewillnigeria.com

Osaiyemi

Rowland

Idibia

Adeleke

Banner Okanrende

Okoli

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Adedeji

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Diallo

Balogun

Onasanya

Odon

HOT BABY MAMAS OF TOP NIGERIAN CELEBRITIES PAGE 37-42

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HOT BABY MAMAS OF TOP NIGERIAN CELEBRITIES

Baby mamas, slang for mothers who are not married to the fathers of their children, are not just trending in Nigeria’s entertainment industry; they are fast becoming the norm, especially among young male music stars.

While some of these celebrities have eventually settled down with their baby mamas, others are still shying away from marriage, preferring to co-parent instead. IVORY UKONU and OLAJIDE TOGBE beam the searchlight on some celebrities and their baby mamas:

P

ero Osaiyemi, Sumbo Adeoye (2Baba) At some point in his life, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and one of the most decorated afro pop music artists in Africa, Innocent Ujah Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, had three baby mamas.

While he settled down with one of them, Annie Idibia, who bore him two daughters, his second baby mama, Sumbo Adeoye, got married to somebody else after realising that his heart is elsewhere. She is the mother of two of his sons, who are both his spitting image. But 2Baba’s first baby mama, dark-complexioned Pero Osaiyemi, has been a recurring decimal in his life. Pero, who lives in the United States, bore him three children: Rose (2006), Justin (2008) and Innocent Ejeh (2012). A renowned makeup artist, the 43-year-old beauty got her body transformed a few years after giving birth to her last child, making her to look quite sexy.

Perhaps this explains why Annie has been having heart palpitations as 2Baba allegedly jumps at any slight opportunity to see Pero on the pretext of visiting his children in America.

Although Pero, who dumped her husband for 2Baba in 2005, claims she has a new man in her life, that could very well be an old wife’s tale.

Oluwanishola Ogudu, Binta Diamond Diallo, Jada Pollock (Wizkid) The diminutive singer and songwriter, whose real name is Ayodeji Balogun, has three baby mamas: Jada Pollock, an American who also doubles as his manager; Oluwanishola Ogudu, his first baby mama, and Binta Diamond Diallo, his second baby mama.

While his relationship with each of his baby

PAGE 38

mamas hasn’t been without its own fair share of drama, one thing you can’t take away from the singer is that he makes an effort to be involved in the lives of his children, even though he is not married to their mothers.

While Shola the mother of his firstborn Boluwatife, who he impregnated before he became the international super star that he is today, has found love again with a fitness consultant named Razzle, Binta, the GuineanAmerican model, bore him his second son, King Ayodeji Balogun.

Binta had to call out 2Baba before he acknowledged his son. But he wants nothing

Osaiyemi

Adeoye

Idibia

Pollock

Diallo

Ogudu

Balogun THEWILLNIGERIA

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Lorenzo

Rowland

M om

odu

While he maintains an ‘intimately cordial’ relationship with Sophia, Davido has fathered other children: a daughter, Hailey, with an American named Amanda and a son, Ifeanyi with his now ex-fiancée, Chioma Rowland, who he met at Babcock University. Everyone thought Davido had finally found his missing rib, with the way he openly showered Chioma with affection and eventually got her engaged. But this wasn’t to be as Davido reverted to his old ways, Lola which forced Chioma to have a rethink about a future with him. Like Sophia, Davido doesn’t spare anything to ensure that Chioma and his son are well taken care of. In 2020, while still with Chioma, he welcomed another son, Dawson with an Angolan makeup artiste based in the United Kingdom, Yasmin Larissa Lorenco. He has however refused to publicly acknowledge his second son or the mum. Despite his wild oat sowing prowess, Davido appears to be a very committed dad to his children.

Unfortunately, rather than stick to one of his baby mamas, the superstar singer prefers to continue chasing anything in skirt.

Rachel Akosua Funmilola Garton (Tekno) Born Augustine Miles Kelechi, Tekno and his long-standing girlfriend, ex singer, Rachel Akosua Funmilola Garton Amanda aka Lola Rae, welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Skye Yaa Amaka Kelechi in Adeleke 2018. Of Nigerian/Ghanaian and British descent, Lola Rae put her singing career to do with her and appears to be only concerned about on hold when she got pregnant. Until a few his son. However, Jada is the one who is after his heart weeks ago when she released the video as she is the one he loves to spend more time with. An of a new single, Lola Rae was contented entertainment manager, Jada has managed top names in with spending her time taking care of her the music world, including American musician, Chris daughter and being Tekno’s baby mama.

Brown. The 37-year-old has in the past, also provided branding for many prominent football players, but Barbara Nwaokolo, Tamara, Dunnie is now focused on managing Wizkid’s career. Many Onasanya (Timaya) believe that Wizkid may have married the curvy beauty Like Wizkid, singer Inetimi Odon, as Jada’s father once referred to Wizkid as his son in-law. otherwise known as Timaya, has three baby mamas. The first one, Barbara Nwaokolo, Sophia Momodu, Amanda, Chioma Rowland, who owns a real estate company, Yasmin Larissa Lorenco (Davido) Superblachomes, was with him for some David Adeleke, otherwise known as Davido, is doing time and bore him two beautiful quite well in his quest to beat 2Baba’s record. He has Nwaokolo daughters.

She was however sent four baby mamas and is well on his way to acquiring packing after another friend of Timaya, more, judging by his recent dalliance with a lady, Tamara bad mouthed her to Timaya Vanessa, who was introduced to him by one of his with stories of her being loose. This female cousins. Davido began this journey with Sophia same friend, who is divorced with a Momodu whom he met long before he became the daughter, eventually found her way international super star that he is today. His relationship into Timaya’s bed while she was with Sophia, who is a few years older than him, was executing a furnishing contract for his fraught with controversy, harsh confrontations and home in the Lekki area of Lagos. The legal battle, which was later resolved after a DNA test relationship blossomed and she bore proved that the child she gave birth to belonged to him. him his only son.

They have had an off and on relationship with Davido Timaya spoiled beautiful and funding her very expensive lifestyle and putting her on a curvaceous Tamara silly. He bought huge allowance. He also got her a posh apartment in an her a Range Rover Evoque and exclusive neighbourhood in Lagos, bought her a Range travelled round the world with her, Rover SUV, sometimes pays for her trips in a private jet but Tamara wanted more. She did and paid for an Asian nanny to take care of his daughter, everything within her power to Imade, when she is too busy to do so.

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Kelechi

get him to sign the dotted lines with her, but he kept procrastinating for fear of being tied down eternally to one woman. She allegedly isolated him from family and friends and became a tyrant to anyone who wanted access to Timaya. So suffocating was the relationship that he sought refuge in the arms of another woman, Dunnie Onasanya and one day, Timaya asked Tamara to pack her things and leave. Dunnie Onasanya, his third baby mama is a US based visual studio artist and muralist. In late 2020, she welcomed a daughter with Timaya.

Dunnie was previously

Tamara

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married to Ibrahim Hassan, a video director. The former couple married in 2015 and ended the marriage, which produced a daughter in 2018.

Okagbue

Banner

Sandra Okagbue, Anna Ebiere Banner (Flavour) The way he serenades women is the same way that singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Chinedu Okoli better known by his stage name Flavour, swept two beauties off their feet and got them pregnant. He first met Sandra Okagbue a model and daughter of the late Obi of Onitsha, Obi Ofala Okechukwu Okagbue, during her modelling gig with Orange Drug’s Delta Soap. Flavour knocked her up and she gave birth to a daughter, Munachi. He then met Anna Ebiere Banner in 2012 during her reign as the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria.

It wasn’t until two years after Okanrende

Olamide

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he shot the music video of his single, Golibe in which Anna was cast as his love interest, did he make his move and also got her knocked up.

They both welcomed a baby girl, Sofia a year after. He would later go back to Sandra who seems to have accepted her fate as his lifelong baby mama and knocked her up a second time. They both welcomed another daughter in 2019.

While Anna has since moved on and is in another relationship, Flavour has remained with Sandra until perhaps, he finds another lady to serenade again with sweet nothings.

has just one baby mama named Davita Lamai. Davita is a 23-yearold who is based in the United Kingdom. She is also a digital creator and a 2019 graduate of the University of Kent. They both welcomed their first child, a baby boy, Shiloh Toluwalase on March 29, 2020.

Johnson

Maria Okanrende (Olamide) Despite being ‘married’ to Adebukunmi Aisha with two sons, Olamide, who was born Olamide Gbenga Adedeji, thought it wise to sire a child outside his ‘matrimonial’ home with former radio personality, Maria Okanrende. Much as they tried to shield their relationship from public scrutiny, they didn’t succeed and the backlash they both Okoli got was overwhelming.

Maria claimed she didn’t see herself as a side chick, much less a baby mama as she was under the impression that Olamide was single Adeleke and separated from his longtime partner. But when she realised that this wasn’t the case, she ended the relationship. It was too late as she was already pregnant.

They both decided to keep the child and co-parent, with Olamide in Nigeria and Maria in London where she moved out to.

Lamai

Raphael

Faith Johnson (B-RED) Having baby mamas seems to run in the Adeleke family. Davido’s cousin and singer, Adebayo Adeleke, better known by his stage name B-Red, welcomed a baby boy, Jordan, with his girlfriend turned baby mama, Faith Johnson, in 2019. A model who has a Bachelor degree in Theatre and Media Arts, Faith is the CEO of Treats by Faith, a pastry shop.

Davita Lamai (Zlatan) At least for now, singer and songwriter, Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, popularly known as Zlatan Ibile,

Kemi Ayorinde (Lyta) Lyta’s case and that of his baby mama is akin to a situation where babies decide to make babies. The 23-year-old singer and song writer, whose real name is Opeyemi Babatunde Rahim, joined the list of music stars who have welcomed a child, Aari Lawal, out of wedlock in July 2020 with his baby mama Kemi Ayorinde, a recent graduate of the University of Bolton. Their relationship hasn’t been a rosy one as Kemi on several occasions had to call out the singer on social media for not being a responsible father and also infecting her with STD. They have however resolved all issues between them and seem to be in a good place with each other currently.

Ayorinde

Rahim THEWILLNIGERIA

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION: BEHIND-THE-SCENE MOVES OF THE FAMOUS FOUR

Congress (APC) , and all it represents and, in another breath, endorse the party and its candidate. Since the election was concluded on Wednesday, Mbaka has suddenly gone into a trance, denying people of the opportunity to ask him about this vision, which revealed a different winner from the actual winner. What’s that saying about the rejected stone becoming the chief cornerstone?

Shortly after conceding defeat and congratulating Soludo, he took truckloads of food items to the people of Nnewi in appreciation of their massive support for him. The people of Nnewi were pleasantly surprised by his gesture, despite his loss, and they promised to always stand by him should he continue to seek elective political positions. No doubt, this is a far cry from how Ubah would have reacted to the loss a few years ago.

It’s been five days since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced Prof Chukwuma Soludo as the winner of the 2021 Anambra State governorship election. With some of the candidates lining up to congratulate him and some others yet to come to terms with their losses, THEWILL examines some of the intrigues that played out before, during and after the election.

ANDY UBA: The former senator’s problems are three-fold. First, he failed to get the blessing of his former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, through his own greed.

As earlier exclusively reported by THEWILL, Uba allegedly got a huge sum running into billions of naira from a cabal in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for onward transfer to the former President to get him to stop his constant attack on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his inability to fulfill his campaign promises.

Uba did not tell the former president about the money and he allegedly refused to return it as instructed when Obasanjo found out and confronted him about it. This action destroyed their friendship of many years. The former president had not only felt betrayed and shocked by this aspect of him, but he also allegedly ensured that the former senator no longer had access to him.

Secondly, several months before the governorship election, Uba succeeded in building a huge war chest, part of which came from the alleged sum of money Obasanjo instructed him to return to the cabal.

Uba had hoped to use the funds to buy his way to victory at the polls. Unfortunately his plan backfired. He had allegedly offered huge sums of money to different categories of members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to defect to APC and work to ensure he emerged winner. He allegedly offered several millions of naira to some high-ranking members of APGA and doled out lesser amounts, though valued in millions of naira, to other categories of the party’s membership.

Seeing how Uba was giving out money with reckless abandon, the people he approached to defect from their party to APC, allegedly sought permission from the Governor Willie Obiano who granted them their wish to partake of Uba’s ‘national cake,’ but not to work in his favour. So last Sunday, when it became obvious that Soludo was coasting home to victory, Uba ordered these party officials to return the money he gave them since they obviously didn’t fulfill their own side of the deal. Miffed that they all rebuffed him, he allegedly threatened to invoke the ‘juju’ he claimed he placed on the money all the way from an evil enclave in Calabar, Cross River. At the time of this publication, not one single person had made any remittance to him.

However, the real issue here is why Uba allegedly resorted to offering money to people to defect from APGA to APC to work in his favour, when the over 200,000 delegates that Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who was the head of the APC election panel, claimed chose Uba as the party’s candidate in the governorship election, could have helped him to easily win the election. Unfortunately, despite the imaginary 200,000 delegates, Uba ended up in third place with a measly 40,000 votes.

Also, Uba, like his second wife, Faith Vedelago, was disappointed that he had lost the opportunity to flaunt his designer-loving wife, who displaced his long suffering first wife of many years, Gloria Obiageli, as the First Lady and by extension, one of the most beautiful to ever occupy Government House. But his disappointment is nothing compared to that of his wife, who is an Abuja based preacher and founder of Faith Miracle International Centre, Abuja.

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During Uba’s first and very brief tenure as governor, Faith, who was then a single mother, was Uba’s mistress and so could not join her lover to enjoy the spoils of the office as First Lady. But a lot has happened in their relationship between 2011 and 2021. Two babies after and now officially his wife, Faith felt it was her time now to fully assume her position as First Lady, having been given the assurance that her husband would win the election. She allegedly went on a shopping spree and made elaborate preparations to dominate the Government House with panache and style.

But as they say in religious circles, man proposes, God disposes.

Ubah

CHUKWUMAH SOLUDO: At a time that most people were rooting for either the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria or the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Valentine Ozigbo, the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev Father Ejike Mbaka, had declared that Andy Uba rather than Soludo would emerge governor-elect in Anambra State. This he claimed to have seen in a vision.

Contrary to Mbaka’s prediction, Uba was not only trounced at the polls, but also came a distant third. Expectedly, Mbaka’s spiritual endorsement of Uba surprised many, having fallen out of favour with the ruling party and by extension, President Muhammadu Buhari. One now begins to wonder how a cleric, who should be spiritually in tune at all times, can in one breath condemn the All Progressives

SENATOR IFEANYI UBAH: The recent governorship election was Ubah’s second attempt to occupy the seat of power in Anambra State.

Between the time he made his first attempt to occupy the seat and now, Ubah seems to have matured politically. Despite coming 4th at the polls, Ubah who was the candidate of Young Progressive Party, still found it necessary to appreciate the people of Otolo, Nnewi, who he represents in the National Assembly, for giving him victory against his opponents during the election.

Ozigbo

In 2014 when Ubah, who is heavily indebted to the tune of N135bn, first contested in a governorship election in Anambra State under the Labour Party, he gave out more than 50 cars to some people, whom he felt could help swing things in his favour. Unfortunately, he lost the election. He then invited all those he gave the cars to his home for a bogus appraisal of his performance at the polls. When they all assembled, he quietly retrieved the keys to the vehicles from them and bade them farewell.

VALENTINE OZIGBO: He came on the scene like a swashbuckler and despite being a first timer at the polls, surprised many with his performance, trailing behind Soludo in second place.

Many have argued that the performance of Ozigbo, who is the immediate past president and chief executive officer of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, was largely due to the platform on which he contested, the Peoples Democratic Party. But the capacity of his own war chest, cannot be down played. He was ably supported by a popular bank chairman who stood behind him financially like the rock of Gibraltar. But having lost out in the race and with a lot of money gone down the drain, it is uncertain that this rock of Gibraltar will be more than willing to lend his support to Ozigbo again when and if he decides to embark on more political adventures. But then, never say never. Anything can happen at anytime.

Princess Toyin Kolade Battles Alleged Fraud Case P

Ub a

Soludo THEWILLNIGERIA

rincess Toyin Kolade, the Iyalaje Oodua is currently battling to distance herself from an alleged $32million fraud case. The businesswoman was charged alongside six others before the court by the Office of the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (AGF) in a charge marked FHC/L/407c/2019, for allegedly obtaining the aforementioned sum by false pretence.

Others charged alongside the businesswoman are four Indian nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg, Bhagwan Simgh Rawat and Mukul Tyagi, as well as two Britons, Marcus Wade and Andrew Fairie, said to be at large.

Also, four companies, namely Metal Africa Steel Products Limited, Wilben Trade Limited, Kannu Aditya India Limited, as well as the socialite’s business, Fisolak Global Resources Limited, were also charged before the court for the same offences.

But the businesswoman is refuting the allegations, insisting that she has been fully exonerated by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), which wrote to her and her company and even pleaded with her after discovering she was falsely accused.

Kolade claims that she was contacted by the foreign nationals to clear some goods on their behalf, as a clearing agent, which she did and got paid for the services her company rendered. According to her, the Indian nationals, who supposedly got loans from the bank to carry out their business activities, at no point involved her in their dealings with the bank which is now an issue of concern, as the Indians, who forfeited their properties and other valuables that the bank sold to recover their debt, have since left the country.

Kolade also disclosed that the case, which was last heard in court more than five years ago, was recently revisited because her lawyer was unable to appear in court at the resumption of hearing. Her lawyer

Kolade allegedly claimed that he and his client were not aware of the court’s last sitting that mandated them to appear in court, adding that he became aware of the proceedings through social media. He thereafter promised to produce his client at the next hearing.

Kolade however blames a certain unnamed individual who isn’t happy that the Ooni of Ife, bestowed on her the prestigious title of the Iyalaje Oodua, as well as her numerous achievements in the business world, for attaching her and her company to the case, which has absolutely nothing to do with her. Claiming that she had never been involved in fraud, she said her detractors were simply exploiting this avenue to make disparaging comments and unfounded assertions about her.

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I STARTED PAYING MY SCHOOL FEES IN PRIMARY 6 – SUNDAY CHUKWUEZE Skit maker, Sunday Chukwueze, talks about his work, the inspiration behind the Instagram character, Mama Ukamaka, and the challenges he has encountered in life, in this interview with IVORY UKONU. Excerpts:

Chuk wueze you haven’t heard of me or you don’t know about me, you will never believe that I am not a woman. So, mine is very unique and I have never been compared to anybody. The only comparison I get is that I am like Tyler Perry.

H

ow did you come about creating content on Instagram?

I started making Instagram skits when I got admission into the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu in 2016. I was inspired by a fellow comedian, Nosa Afolabi, otherwise known as Lasisi Elenu. Before then, I had a music studio as a producer and singer. When I got admitted to the institution, I was far away from my studio and I decided to do something else because I loved entertainment. That was how I started making skits, creating content.

Have you ever had to deal with negative comments or online stalkers?

I do receive negative comments. You can’t avoid it, but I don’t pay attention to naysayers because I know that no matter what you do, some people will never like you. So I don’t usually give them attention. When you come to my page and you see 15,000 comments and maybe 10 are good and five fall on the negative side, the good comments are enough for me. I don’t attack people on my page because I love and appreciate all my fans.

Why did you choose to project the average illiterate/semiilliterate Nigerian mother in your skits?

I was raised by my mum, who is a very funny person. The kind of things she does always elicits laughter. So most of the things I portray, I learnt from her.

What was growing up like?

Growing up was tough. I grew up in a very poor home. My dad was a farmer and he lived in Ondo State farming, while my mother was in the village. Life was very tough. I experienced the kind of things that children of my age shouldn’t be exposed to. I became a professional palm wine tapper when I was about 12 years- old. When I entered secondary school, I would go to the market with baskets to help people carry their goods or use a wheelbarrow to carry goods for people and they would pay me between N5 or N10 at the time. I started paying school fees for myself from primary six, although sometimes my teachers helped out when they could. I went through secondary school on a scholarship. It wasn’t easy for me growing up and I went through a lot, but I thank God for where I am today

Even the name you go by, Ukamaka, is feminine. Is there a story behind this particular name?

My name, Sunday in Igbo language means Uka. I also portray the character, Sister Uka alongside Brother Sunday and Mama Uka. What inspires the kind of content you put out?

Sometimes, I may want to pass a message the way elderly people or village women understand it enough to interpret it. My mum inspires me.

How easy or difficult is it for you to create these contents?

It’s not difficult for me because most of my contents come naturally. These are things that happen every day. I don’t create contents by forming a new story, I pick my contents from things that happen around me. So it is not that difficult. It is not so easy, too.

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

Actually, I never thought so. When I started, I thought I would just do a selfie video, the type that Lasisi Elenu shoots, where I would just complain about things, but people didn’t like it until I started doing the Sister Uka character. The first skit I did with the character was where she was giving testimony in church. People loved and received it well. I was surprised because I never knew I would come this far with comedy. I had hoped to make it through music.

How did your family react to your decision to become a skit maker?

Actually they didn’t like it initially, especially when I started doing the feminine aspect of it like the Mama Uka and Sister Uka characters. I also didn’t tell my dad. The day my state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, picked me after performing before him during the 2019 general election, somebody went to tell my dad about it.

He thought I was picked for committing a crime and said he had been warning me not to go to political rallies and all of those things.

But when he found out it was for good and my craft was bringing glory to the family and the community, they started to love it. Now anytime I travel to the village, I get a very warm reception.

What do you make of people who think skit makers that project feminine mannerisms and costumes aren’t funny without the act they project?

Actually most people don’t understand that it is not just about the costume or the character, but about the creator and the idea behind it. Anybody can dress like a woman and act something, but if you don’t have that talent or creativity, it won’t be funny. I don’t do only Mama Uka or Sister Uka characters; I also switch to male characters.

However, Mama Uka is a unique character and that is why I do more of her. I think when I started the mama concept in Nigeria, other content creators were just doing the normal feminine skits. I started the real mama character and most people couldn’t tell if I was a man or woman. So it’s not all about the clothes and costumes but about the content and the creator.

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Chukwueze Beyond the feedback you get in the comment section of your Instagram page, what kind of feedback spurs you on?

I don’t usually go through comments now unlike before when I had fewer followers and would be checking comments. When I see encouraging comments from viewers it usually motivates me a lot.

Sometimes when I am off line, some of them will send me direct messages to say that they are waiting for my skits. These types of messages encourage me a lot and they are special to me.

How about feedback from some of your older colleagues or entertainment celebrities?

We share one spirit. Everybody wants to be ahead, so we encourage and love one another. That is why you see me collaborating with other skit makers. People who are above me are always encouraging me and I in turn encourage people who I am above and advise them.

I take advice from people. That is why I am so plain and free with everybody. There is no bad blood between me and my colleagues. It has always been love among us.

Who are some of the people you look up to in the game and why?

Like I said earlier, I was motivated by Lasisi Elenu. I still look up to him because I learnt a lot from him. I like Isaac Aloma as well and we have done some work together. I like his type of content.

Internationally, I look up to comic actor and producer, Tyler Perry. He does the same thing I am doing. So I look up to him and I have learnt a lot from him. I still want to learn more and do better.

Have you thought of trying out your skills in the movie industry?

Yes, I have done two Nollywood movies, but I am not sure they are out yet, but I will still do more. It is just that skit making doesn’t give one enough time to do other things. But I am going to do more movies in 2022. I love and enjoy acting a lot.

Have you ever experienced a conflict of interest, in terms of your contents being similar to that of other skit makers?

No, many people are doing Mama and Sister characters, but mine is unique because I portray the full lifestyle of a mother. Many of my colleagues have beards, but I don’t. If you watch my skit and

What would you say has significantly shaped you to become who you are today?

The challenges of life. My initial ambition was to become a medical doctor. I got admission into Imo State University in 2012 to study Medicine. My brother, who was supposed to sponsor me in school got married that same year. So he couldn’t sponsor me. I had to wait till the following year. In 2013 things became really hard for us, to the extent that my brother told me to learn a trade. That was when I decided to learn music production. Then in 2014, I got my own studio. I was working till 2016 when I decided to go back to school, but I couldn’t attend university again because I didn’t have enough money to study Medicine. I had to go to a polytechnic to study computer science.

When I eventually got admission, I couldn’t go to my studio again because I didn’t have much time to shuttle between school and the studio. Finally, since I loved entertainment a lot and I wanted to be seen on the lighted screen, I started making skits. It is the challenges of life that brought me to where I am today. Honestly, I didn’t choose to be a comedian from the beginning. I never thought I would be one.

It has always been music for me, but things didn’t work out that way and God made me channel my creativity this way. I still believe in my music dream and I hope to start singing again, but I just want to take it gradually.

What are the challenges of skit making?

Skit making is an expensive and time demanding venture. Most of the time you may not have the resources to make a skit, especially when you’re just starting. You need a director and an editor, someone to subtitle it if you are communicating in your native language.

So many things are involved, but the most important thing is the financial aspect. Also, these days, you must post content every day and give it your best. There are times when you may run out of ideas or inspiration. It is not something you can just force because you want to do a skit. It comes on its own because it’s a natural phenomenon. And it is stressful.

Have you ever thought of quitting what you do?

Yes, it happens to everyone because of the circumstances around you.

But you can’t just quit. When I started, I faced a lot of challenges.

I would post a skit and I will just get two comments and those two comments will come from my siblings. I wasn’t getting any positive feedback and they were just commenting because I am their brother not because they liked the content. So yes, I have thought about quitting, but then gradually, I started getting positive comments and that was what motivated me to do more. Since I got to this level I haven’t thought of quitting because this is my source of income.

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Mama Roz’s Chronicles

The Long Nights (2)

BY ROZ AMECHI

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hortly after the incident with cousin Ifeanyi, Kristal left the village to live with her aunt. She started her formal education in class three while living in Ewohinmi with her mother’s sister, Anna and her live-in lover. She was very sickly and small, as she had strange and irregular eating habits. And then the next year she moved again to live with another sister, Aunt Betty. Kristal’s life was unstable as she moved from one aunt to the other depending on which of them required domestic assistance. The instability coupled with regular physical abuse from her aunts and other people she lived with made it difficult for her to form any strong attachments with anyone and therefore she became a perfect victim for other types of abuse.

he finally collected himself, he pounced on her in a blind rage and kept pummelling until he had beaten her to a pulp after which he put her in a car and sent her back to the village. A few days later, Kristal returned with her aunt and was asked to apologise to Peter. Aunt Anna spent a couple of days resolving the issues most of which centred around food and her picky eating habits.

This was resolved by arranging for Kristal to eat every day at the landlady’s restaurant nearby.

Aunt Betty was the only member of her family who showed real concern about her education and future life but living with her was not an easy experience. She was very religious, almost fanatical and extremely harsh. Every day a new offence was identified and severely punished and it ranged from wasting food to lack of proper personal hygiene. When Aunty Betty gives you a slap, she leaves an imprint of all five fingers on your face or back but Kristal preferred to be with Betty because she knew that her education would be guaranteed. It wasn’t her choice where she lived however and at the end of Primary 4, she passed the common entrance exam and went to Nsukwa in Delta state to attend a secondary school where Aunt Anna’s fiancé, Paul had a teaching job.

Paul lived in a one room apartment with his junior brother and young cousin both of whom were teenagers and attended the same school. They were two classes ahead of Kristal even though they were both nine years older. The inappropriateness of a ten-year-old girl child living with three males not related to her, two of whom were teenagers was completely lost on all the adults who made or sanctioned that decision. The situation got even worse when a few weeks later, Paul gained admission to Ekiadolor College of Education and left Kristal with the two young men.

There were several issues between them which resulted in Kristal receiving regular beatings from the boys until one day everything came to a head. Uncle Donald had done a good job teaching Kristal and she spoke impeccable English. Paul’s junior brother, Peter on the other hand had great difficulties with the language but insisted on speaking it whenever he was angry, trying to use words he could not pronounce and constructing phrases that did not make sense. Kristal who had an aversion to grammatical errors had endured this for long enough. On this particular occasion the usual scenario played out but Kristal could not hold it any longer. As if she was undergoing an out of body experience, she was shocked to hear herself correct and even admonish him for getting his tenses wrong. Equally shocked, Peter stopped in mid-speech and stared at her, initially disbelieving that those words had actually come out of her mouth. When THEWILLNIGERIA

However, the real problem that Kristal had in that house was not and could not be resolved because she did not have the courage to confide in her aunt or anyone else. Each night either Peter or his cousin depending on who fell asleep first, would attempt to tamper with her. Unlike her encounter with Ifeanyi in the village, she could neither shout nor fight back. She lived with the boys

“

With no one to talk to, Kristal turned to her diary and wrote details of her experience in it but Anna found the diary and that led to another spate of drama. Yet Paul did not stop his advances and attempts to defile her body.

Every time he got the opportunity, he tried to lure Kristal who repeatedly rejected him. The long nights became torturous as she had to be on her guard and always lock her door to prevent him from coming in

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and were at their mercy so she just lay still and submitted herself to their will. During the day, if she was left alone with either of them, he would definitely try to have his way.

Thankfully, her small frame made penetration impossible for either of the boys but the effect of having to endure the constant attempts worked negatively on her psyche. Kristal felt so alone in the world as she had no one to tell her sorrows and no way of escaping them either; she dreaded the long nights.

Over the next few years there were several more moves from one school to the other and certainly more physical abuse which Kristal had become accustomed to. After secondary school, Kristal went to live with Anna who was by this time married and living with her husband, Paul at Onicha-Olona. Kristal was 16 years old and fully grown. She was also very pretty, fair and tall with a winning smile. The last time Paul had lived with her she was a ten-year old child in whom he had no interest but now a fully formed beautiful teenager, Paul found her irresistible.

Kristal woke up in the middle of one night to find Paul breathing heavily and trying to undress her. She fought him off and screamed until his wife appeared. She thought that bringing the matter to Anna’s attention would save her but Anna was very angry with her. She began to make excuses for him suggesting that he might have sleepwalked into Kristal’s room thinking she was there. She further claimed that as a result of some fertility medication she was on, her husband was forced to abstain from sex and this might have been responsible for his sleepwalking into Kristal’s room. Kristal stared at her aunt unable to comprehend her garbled explanation. This was the reason she had never gone to her or

anyone else with reports of her earlier experiences. It was clear that her aunt would not protect her from her molesting husband.

With no one to talk to, Kristal turned to her diary and wrote details of her experience in it but Anna found the diary and that led to another spate of drama. Yet Paul did not stop his advances and attempts to defile her body. Every time he got the opportunity, he tried to lure Kristal who repeatedly rejected him. The long nights became torturous as she had to be on her guard and always lock her door to prevent him from coming in. She couldn’t get much sleep and had difficulty studying for her WAEC exams. Her aunt realising that this was going to create a huge problem for them, decided to look for an excuse to send her packing without implicating her husband.

Poor Kristal unwittingly fell into her trap one day when she walked into a room and forgot to greet Paul’s mother. Anna went berserk as if this was the most grievous offence in the world; she immediately pounced on her and began to rain blows on her face and back. She was soon joined by Paul and together they gave her a sound beating, threw her out of the house and sent her back to the village. Their secret was thus safe and Kristal told no one what she had experienced, after all who would believe a discredited and known-to-be stubborn niece against a respectable married aunt. Paul’s indiscretions and paedophilia was successfully covered up and he was

free to perpetrate his crime on some other unsuspecting child in the future.

Kristal on the other hand lived with the scars of her trauma. Escaping past abuses can be difficult and sometimes the ugly experiences could influence a person’s choice of a lifetime partner. People who have suffered abuse are often attracted to abusive partners and so it was for Kristal. After some unsuccessful relationships, having graduated from the University of Benin, she married a violent and abusive husband masquerading as a pastor.

The physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child and teenager led to frigidity which enraged him and resulted in more physical and emotional abuse. For Kristal acceptance and endurance was easier as her fighting spirit had long been quelled by years of physical and sexual abuse which had also eroded her self-esteem and confidence.

As a result of his womanising and violent behaviour, Kristal’s husband was eventually sacked as a pastor after he had impregnated a couple of women in their church. Over the years, and after several triumphs and tribulations, Kristal finally conquered the effects of the negativity in her past. Now divorced, she is a successful educator and lives happily with her three grown children.

She told her story as a means of getting closure and healing from her traumatic past.

Concluded

Re: Homeless in Abuja

If you wish to support any of the three women featured in the story, you can make donations to THEWILL Communication Company Limited, UBA Account: 1023834067. Please donation should be specified to which of the persons it is for. Email: rozamechi@gmail.com; (+234) 7087086950

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ARTS

Bayo Oduneye: Man Behind National Troupe

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

As a mark of respect, it was Israel Eboh, president of National Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) who made the announcement after the great theatre director died early last week. Even after his retirement and in his dotage, members of NTN didn’t quite forget their man. In March 2015, for example, a delegation of NTN paid the ageing Thespian a visit right in his country home in Ijebu Ode.

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efore his appointment as Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria in 1991, most of the productions focused mainly on dance and music. There was no intellectual heft to them.

Serious drama was out of the billings. But once Professor Bayo Oduneye took charge as AD, the whole scenario changed, or he changed the game.

All through his tenure, Uncle B, as he is called by younger colleagues who chanced on him is hallways at the National Theatre or even under Abegi – the sylvan awning where actors, actresses met, discussed, gossiped, ate and quaffed drinks – there was never a dull moment as per stage productions of plays, musical dramas and even dance.

Of the visit, a reporter with Vanguard newspaper Japhet Alakam wrote glowingly of the retired director’s traffic on stage, his undying affection for drama. “He studied it, practised it and trained many in the field. In fact it was on the basis of his exploits in the theatre industry that he was appointed the first Artistic Director of the National Troupes of Nigeria,” Alakam noted.

“Bayo Oduneye should rightly take the credit for laying the foundation for the smooth take off of the National Troupe of Nigeria after the demise of the pioneer consultant and Artistic Director Hubert Ogunde,” Dr. Shuaibu Hussein, Deputy Director Media/ PR and Acting Head of Dance Department of NTN told THEWILL weekend.

“Before he took over in 1991, the troupe had just a crop of core artistes who were majorly dancers and an Artistic Officer, Philips Igetie who worked closely with Ogunde.

With the formal establishment of NTN via decree 47 and the appointment of Uncle B as AD, he ran a troupe with a formal administrative accounts and production support structure. So, outside the Deputy Artistic Director, and the directors in charge of dance, drama and music that were appointed with him, he recruited all the pioneer artistic, administrative and account staff of the troupe. The troupe formally took off with him and those structures he put in place have been what the troupe has operated with till date.”

The key to the continuing success of parastatals like NTN depends squarely on the pioneer heads. For instance, the success story of agencies like FRSC has a lot to do with the leadership qualities and organizational savvy of Wole Soyinka while he was chairman. So it was with Oduneye when he became AD of NTN. Such men often don’t compromise on standards, are core professionals who know their game inside out and forever devoted to what they do.

Continuing in his interview with THEWILL, Hussein said: “Uncle B led a troupe that was known for high standard and quality productions. Under him, we serviced both local and international invitations and we staged productions regularly and even went on tour with productions: America, Europe, China, Germany, Japan, Portugal, UK. There was no lull in in productions whether dance, music or drama under Oduneye. He also personally directed our major productions.”

Some of the dramas were already popular/ familiar with audiences. There was the stage dramatization of Things Fall Apart in 1991, for instance. Fred Agbeyegbe’s The King Must Dance Naked ran for seven months at the National Theatre. There were other hits: Trials of Oba Ovanramwen stageed both at the National Theatre and in Benin during the ancient’s city’s centenary celebrations.

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At the time, Oduneye was 80 but happily declared that “Theatre is my life, I will live and die with it.”

His younger colleagues cannot fault that claim. In fact, it was on account of his devotion to theatre that the visit became necessary. Led by Akin Adejuwon who was AD of NTN at the time, the delegation included high profile staff and management of NTN. Oduneye

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Bayo Oduneye should rightly take the credit for laying the foundation for the smooth take off of the National Troupe of Nigeria after the demise of the pioneer consultant and Artistic Director Hubert Ogunde

Kaffirs Last Chance, Wale Ogunyemi’s The Divorce, Ahmed Yerima’s Attahiru, staged in Abuja and Sokoto during the centenary celebration of the Sokoto Caliphate.

Born Bayo Adisa Oduneye on November 4, Nineteen Thirty-six, he attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School, then Holy Trinity Parish School, Ebute Ero, CMS Grammar School, both in Lagos. Between 1957 and Sixty-four, Oduneye was at OpenShaw Grammar School, Manchester, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Theatre directors all over the world have a special place in the hearts of those they put on stage, the actors and actresses they coax to retake an action or gesture one more time. Thus, Constantin Stanislavsky had his loyalists in the then Soviet Union. Elia Kazan had his in America. Likewise, Odunye had his teeming admirers and followers in Nigeria.

For his selfless service and legacy at NTN, Adejuwon praised the theatre legend: “We also thank God for the wonderful work you left at the National Troupe, which I found and which inspired me when I got there. If I didn’t build on that I would be lying. I thank you for your selfless service.”

Odunye was AD of NTN for nine years from 1991. Even after his retirement, theatre still ran in his blood. He was abreast with the goings on in the Nigerian theatre world.

Only one so knowledgeable could tell Adejuwon and his visitors that “the theatre is dead in Nigeria.”

Eboh noted the indelible footprints of the distinguished scholar in the evolution and blossoming of the creative industry in Nigeria, which has transformed into an avenue for fulfilling potentials, becoming a source of inspiration to many.

He was right on the beam. As he put it, “Theatre was alive in the 1970s, part of the ‘80s and gradually in ‘90s.

But funds was a very big problem, unless we get funds, we can’t match theatre in those days. Theatre, generally, in Nigeria, is dead for lack of funds. Also, the actors have turned it into something else. However, the federal government needs to come in and do something that will enhance everything about the theatre.”

It is not clear if the Federal Government got the message at the time. President Muhammadu Buhari had just won the presidential election that year but had yet to assume office. But of course, Oduneye’s passing got to presidential ears.

Last week, his media spokesman, Femi Adesina, sent a condolence to the late Thespian’s biological and professional families. PMB, Adesina said, “sympathizes with the creative industry on the loss of Professor Oduneye, who lived for the industry in various capacities as an administrator, scholar and theatre practitioner, nurturing the National Troupe of Nigeria at inception.”

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TOURISM

How Illegal Wildlife Exports Threaten Ecosystem STORIES BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

role to play in ensuring that this is achieved.”

t appears that the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) is working assiduously towards preserving nature and improving the quality of lives of Nigerians, especially Lagosians.

Sanwo-Olu, who was ably represented by his Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Engr Joe Igbokwe, expressed the belief that preventing the encroachment of these ecosystems would go a long way in protecting the species of plants and animals therein for future sustainability.

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It is believed that some of the critical players in the environment and tourism sectors across Nigeria planned to reposition the economy, with the 2021 Annual Walk for Nature, which was held in Lagos recently. A recent development points to the fact that the illegal trade in and sale of wildlife is also a major contributor to the loss of wildlife.

Speaking at a forum organised by Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources in collaboration with Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), the Governor Sanwo-Olu suggested that the state, through its plastic recycling programme, would address the issue of plastic waste pollution, which negatively affects aquatic wildlife and causes environmental degradation.

Buttressing this, he said, “It is not just in Lagos State but Nigeria as a whole. Animals such as pangolins, vultures and sea turtles are being hunted at an alarming rate and currently facing extinction.

“Action must be taken immediately to arrest this and restore their populations as they are known to help in the overall improvement of environmental health. Therefore, we all as individuals have a

He stressed, “We also realised that the protection of nature cannot be done in isolation. Therefore, partnership with organisations, who are in the forefront of nature conservation is more important than ever.

“It is in this vein that we have partnered and will continue to partner reputable organisations to ensure that these targets are met in earnest.”

Describing this Year’s Walk For Nature event themed, ‘Conserve biodiversity, Sustain humanity’ as very apt, considering the alarming rate at which the world’s biodiversity is constantly being threatened, Sanwo-Olu said the state government would continue to safeguard biodiversity through the introduction of biodiversity laws, stressing that the introduction of biodiversity laws would help to protect and better manage wetland systems and biodiversity in the state.

He also explained that biodiversity had to do with all varieties of life, which include interactions with one another and the environment, adding that human activities over the past few

centuries impacted the earth and altered the course of nature through over-exploitation of other life forms and pollution.

“Biodiversity has to do with all varieties of life, including their interactions with each other and the environment. Sadly, human activities and interactions over the past few centuries have not only impacted the earth, but also severely altered the course of nature via over-exploitation of other life forms and pollution through their activities.

“According to the United Nations Global Biodiversity Outlook Report 2020, humanity stands at a crossroads, with regards to the legacy it leaves to the future generations. Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate and the pressures during this decline are intensifying.

“The importance of biodiversity to sustenance of humans is enormous and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us how benefitting it is to live in harmony with nature. The importance of biodiversity ranges from the provision of food, medicine, shelter and fuel, including aesthetic and economic values. The loss of biodiversity may have a trickle-down effect on the ecosystem as the interrelationship amongst species of organisms are complex and the loss of one single species may lead to the extinction of one or more species that depend on such organisms for survival,” he said.

At another point in the same meeting, the Chairman of the Executive Council of NCF, Chief Ede Dafinone stated that biodiversity was the bedrock of human existence, calling on all to live in partnership with nature.

Participants at the event included groups, corporate organisations, volunteers and environmental enthusiasts. Addressing the gathering, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mrs Belinda Odeneye, said, “This outing over the years has created a great deal of consciousness among Lagosians resident on the Island, which is one of the five divisions of Lagos State. To further spread the awareness state-wide, this year’s programme has been decentralised to other parts of the state. “Humanity and nature have evolved together for thousands of years, creating unique and interdependent cultures and landscapes. Indigenous people and local communities are the primary custodians of much of the world’s most valuable remaining forests, grassland, savannah, wetlands and oceans.

Pangolin

“In failing to recognise indigenous people and local communities we weaken our planet’s resilience and reduce our ability to deliver well-being and prosperity for all. Conserving biodiversity to sustain humanity is very essential considering the fact that biodiversity is essential to human health, well-being and prosperity. Biodiversity supports the provision of ecosystem services such as food, fresh water, fuel wood, fibre, biochemical, ecotourism which are central to economic activities.

NIHOTOUR Commences eLearning in Partnership With Eureka

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he National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has commenced eLearning programmes in partnership with the Eureka Consortium, an international education initiative with support from the European Union.

NIHOTOUR’s eLearning project provides 27 specialist courses in Tourism Management, Hospitality Operation and Sustainable Development.

Kangiwa and Prof Edmund Agbo, the Coordinator of the Eureka Consortium in Africa, both gave the assurance that the eLearning programmes are highly discounted for Nigerian students, despite the world-class training provided by renowned professors and researchers. They said the objective of the partnership is to catalyse Nigeria’s sustainable economic development through the retraining of workers in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Just over a year ago, the Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Nura Sani Kangiwa, on assumption of office, promised to bridge the knowledge gap in Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sectors by ensuring that NIHOTOUR provides eLearning programmes for new entrants and professionals in the industry. He further justified his commitment to eLearning in the wake of limitations to physical learning occasioned by the rampaging Covid-19 pandemic.

Courses provided in the eLearning project include Professional Diploma in Tourism and Recreation, Diploma in Hospitality Management, Certificate in Hospitality Operations, Certificate in Cookery and Pastry Practice, International Cooperation Project, Sustainability and World Agricultural Heritage Systems, Business Administration for Sustainable Development, Technologies on Mobility and Sustainable Transport, Circular Economy, Project cycle: cradle to tomb and audit after reporting, among others.

Accordingly, the technical partnership between NIHOTOUR and the Eureka Consortium facilitates virtual learning programmes for Nigerian and international students, in English and French languages, for up to a year. Students in the eLearning programmes are trained by lecturers from NIHOTOUR, and some from European universities and research institutes.

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Enrollment for the eLearning programme has started. Interested students can register either via NIHOTOUR website or the Eureka Consortium websites. The certificates issued to students at the end of the programmes, are admissible in Nigeria and the European Union.

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“Our cravings for developmental changes, plastic production and consumption, illegal trade in endangered species have caused great harm to nature and biodiversity and as such there is the need for us to restore these priced resources.

The state is developing a sector policy on wetland and biodiversity to ensure balanced development, where the cause of nature is adequately mainstreamed into our development planning.

“Why should we walk for nature? The reasons are numerous: We get closer to nature and reduce vehicular emissions which contribute to global warming as more vehicles will stay off the roads. We experience world class bird watching, learn about varied habitats, understand the management effort needed to develop and discover more about nature through our lively interpretation.” Odeneye added that since nature had always fed, cured and protected humans, there is a need for a role switch between nature and man. “We need to feed, cure and protect nature in return, if we must secure a healthy and prosperous future for generations unborn,” she said.

Earlier in a welcome address, Odeneye had noted that conserving biodiversity to sustain humanity is very essential, considering the fact that biodiversity is essential to human health, well-being and prosperity.

She explained that the Lagos State Government, through the THEMES agenda, had addressed some of these issues to ensure environmental sustainability, stressing that the state is developing a sector policy on wetland and biodiversity to ensure balanced development.

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SportsLive

Ime Udoka’s Boston Celtics Project

BY JUDE OBAFEMI fter what seemed to be an experiential teething period for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the gamble to appoint Nigerian-American Ime Udoka to his first managerial post in American basketball after Celtics former coach, Brad Stevens, moved up to club management, has tentatively started to reap fruits.

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Before Friday’s game against the defending champions, Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics had won three of four games to position themselves among the upwardly mobile teams in the championship, enough for Udoka to look like the real deal.

Yet, it is too early to celebrate.

The latest turnaround began when Marcus Smart, the team’s starting point guard, criticised Tatum and Brown for essentially hogging the ball after a loss to the Chicago Bulls on November 1. As public as the criticism was and as directly hard-hitting Smart was when he pointedly dropped their names, all made it appear that the project that Udoka was trying to build in his debut managerial task at Celtics was in danger of spiraling toward premature dysfunction before it ever had the chance of leaving the ground.

However, to Udoka’s credit, that has not happened. Instead, it has evoked the reverse impact of becoming the turning point that has effectively seen his charges pick up the gauntlet to see that the team, the fans and their new coach celebrate a string of victories to steady their season. They can now begin to build on the grandiose plans that their Nigerian-American coach has mapped out for the challenge they are bound to pose in the championship this season, especially in the Eastern Conference, which is expected to be a lot better than the 11th position that they occupy, which is based off the poor results and initial capitulations in their shaky start to the NBA season.

A far cry from that wobbly start, the Celtics are suddenly guarding, scoring, rebounding and winning after upsetting the Toronto Raptors 104 - 88 on last Wednesday. It could not have come at a better time for Udoka, who is still getting used to his high-profile role. The Celtics’ win over the Raptors was their first at home this season. The goal now is to keep the momentum going. It is a tough call, but Udoka appears the man capable of making it happen as he begins to establish a reputation for himself no more as an assistant coach but as the one calling the shots and making the talents in his team work cohesively towards set targets and uniform objectives.

At the end of June, in the off-season, Udoka was named the head coach of Boston Celtics, an elevation that made the NigerianAmerican the 18th head coach, sixth Black coach and the first of African origin, in the 75-year history of the NBA club. At the time, the terms of the deal were not disclosed as per team policy.

What was obvious was that Celtics were betting on the former Nigerian international and seven-year NBA veteran to put his nine years of assistant coaching experience to excellent use as the substantive coach in their top position. The confidence they had in trying out Udoka, who was yet to experience the pros and cons of making the tough calls required of a coach at the highest levels of the championship, was hinged on the faith of outgoing Celtics coach, Brad Stevens, in Udoka’s potentials.

Stevens, who was going to become Celtics President of Basketball Operations, said at the time: “I would like to welcome Ime, Nia, Kez, and Massai to the Boston Celtics. Among the many outstanding qualities that Ime brings to the table are his character, humility, and competitiveness. He has a relentless work ethic and a vast array of experiences as a player and coach.

He’s a leader that is warm and demanding, and we are so excited that he has chosen to join us in pursuit of Banner 18.”

The work ethic that Stevens characterised Udoka with was developed overtime as a professional basketball player in the

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Udoka

During Udoka’s first stint as substantive coach, there were shaky times, especially in the ongoing experiment between Celtics duo of frontline talents Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Added to this, an observable instance of growth has been witnessed among the players around Tatum and Brown, all of who have contributed to the uptick in the team’s performances in their progress this fresh season.

“

Udoka’s output has seen him serve as an assistant coach in all these nine seasons with teams that have consistently qualified for the playoffs every time

NBA and painstakingly groomed with professional experience as a coach, in an assistant capacity after his active playing days were over. Before accepting the offer to coach the Celtics, Udoka had spent the preceding nine NBA seasons as an assistant coach first with the San Antonio Spurs from the 2012/2013 season to the 2018/2019 season. Leaving there, he joined Philadelphia 76ers for one season: 2019/2020; before moving to join coach Steve Nash of the Brooklyn Nets last season.

Udoka’s output has seen him serve as an assistant coach in all these nine seasons with teams that have consistently qualified for the playoffs every time. As a matter of fact, the 44-year-old already boasts of an NBA championship victory as Spurs won the title in 2014, while Udoka served as assistant coach to Gregg Popovich and they defeated the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games (4–1) for the their fifth NBA championship in franchise history. As a further recognition of his talent and working relationship with Popovich, Udoka was named assistant to Popovich for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team in 2018 and again at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo this year.

The benefit of a professional career in the NBA has reflected brightly in his managerial output. Udoka was a professional basketball player for 12 years, including seven seasons in the NBA from the 2003/2004 season to the 2010/2011 campaign. In his 316 career games with sides such as the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Udoka averaged 5.2 points on 41.7 percent shooting (35.6 percent three-point shooting), 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 18.1 minutes.

According to a 2006 report in the Los Angeles Times, Udoka and his sister, Mfon Udoka, who played for the Nigerian women’s national team and in the WNBA for three seasons, were the first brother-sister pair to play in both the NBA and the WNBA. By virtue of his father, Vitalis Udoka’s Nigerian origin, of an Akwa Ibom heritage, and by birth, as Udoka was born in Nigeria, the incumbent Celtics coach was eligible to represent Nigeria internationally while still in active duty, and that was exactly what he did. In the Green and White of D’Tigers, Nigeria’s senior men’s national basketball team, Udoka led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals at the 2006 FIBA World Championships. He also demonstrated his talents with the ball in the country’s colours while representing Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Championships in 2005 and 2011, winning bronze medals in both competitions after defeating Algeria in 2005 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2011.

As player and assistant coach, Udoka was effusively praised by his players and coaches for the qualities that make for a good NBA coach in his own right, including a strong work ethic, as aforesaid, an ability to educate, entrenched stoicism and immense patience, the latter of which is the Ibibio meaning of his first name “Ime”.

Mike Budenholzer, the current coach of NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom Udoka played and coached in San Antonio between 2010 and 2013, said of the NigerianAmerican: “One of the toughest, smartest and strongest players that I have seen around. Nobody could move him or really mess with him at all. He’s just got this quiet – everybody just knew – there was a great toughness … behind that ... a guy that’s just highly intelligent but also has a toughness, has a way of communicating and connecting with players. He’s just got a great way about him.”

That is what the Celtics aimed for when they signed on Udoka and the results may not have immediately translated this dogged determination, but Udoka’s history of tenacity and admirable work ethic recognised in his active and coaching career by those with whom he has both played and worked with, is the type of outcome that will delight the fans, energise the team and propel them towards history. It is this optimism that will keep them going, with Udoka’s guidance making it work to transform the Celtics into a winning squad.

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