THEWILL OCT. 24 - OCT 30 EDITION

THEWILL DOWNTOWN

VOL 1 NO.37 • OCTOBER

24 – OCTOBER 30,

2021

HARNESSING

UTH CULTURE THE POWER OF YO

s Fashion Week Here’s how Lago

de of fashion inspired a deca

innovation

Direct Primary, Best Option for Nigeria – Dayo – PAGE 8

Price: N350

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 • VOL . 1 NO. 37

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Keystone Bank: Undisclosed Performance Signals Depth in Doldrums

Linda Osifo: Inspired by Motherland

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T H EWI LLNI GERI A

T H EWI LLN G

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#ENDSARS

One Year After, Nothing Has Changed!

VOX POP

eNaira: The Voice of Lagosians STATE OF THE STATES

This special publication of THEWILL x-rays the potentials of the 36 states and the FCT to achieve a quantum leap in development through investment and job creation. The prevailing cash crunch in the country makes the project more compelling for policy-makers, investors and other stakeholders.

OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

moving tech products from design to market A fireside chat for women in tech Theme: Product Design and Commercialization Speakers and Panelists:

Welcome Address

Special Guest Address

Abimbola Olofure

Dr Omobola Johnson Senior partner, TLcom capital

Keynote Address Mojolaoluwa Aderemi Makinde Regional Head, Brand and Reputation, Africa, Google

Panelist

Panelist

Panelist

Panelist

Josephine Adesida

Temi Giwa

Favor Femi-Oyewole Group CISO, Access Bank

Yemurayi Chinyande

Head, UNIDO ITPO Nigeria

Head, Data Governance, Access Bank

Product manager, Terminal team, Paystack.

Panelist

Panelist

Sheila Yabo

Nonjabulo Zondi Product operations, Tencent Africa

Country Director SA, University impact, Ecosystem dot connector

October 29, 2021

Panelist

Solape Akinpelu CEO, Hervest

Senior Product Manager, YOCO

10am

Register at www.africafintechfoundry.ng

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

COVER

#EndSARS: One Year After, Nothing Has Changed!

BY THEWILL CORRESPONDENTS hima Obiozor (not real names) likes the tattoo of his mother’s visage on his right bicep. His mother’s face is etched into his right arm in headscarf displaying a comely gap-tooth and bat-wing eyebrows. Like most young men his age – he is 25 – he spots short dread locks, circling his temples to the nape of his neck.

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issues relating to the EndSARS protest.

One day recently, Chima who lives in the Abule Egba axis of Lagos state recalled he was sitting in the passenger seat of a friend’s Lexus jeep going to Agege when they met a detachment of police. “Come down,” one of the police officers barked after ordering them to park by the roadside.

“Out of the 28 States, 11 States (Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, and Rivers) have submitted their final reports to Council. Governors of other States have also indicated that their reports would be submitted soon. Following deliberations on the recommendations of the panels, NEC agreed/ resolved as follows: Payment of compensation to victims, prosecution of indicted security personnel and civilians and improved efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies architecture”.

He disclosed that on October 15, 2021, the NEC received an update on the Reports of Judicial Panels of Inquiry into Allegations of Human Rights Violations against Members of Nigeria Police Force and other Security Agencies.

There were vehicles swishing by, commercial motorcyclists, too. Human traffic was heavy. It had just rained and there was a cloying smell in the air mixed with the stench from the mountain of garbage all around.

“At first, we didn’t want to comply because we didn’t see any reason why they ordered us to disembark,” Chima told THEWILL last week. “I am a Computer Science graduate from IMSU (Imo State University) Owerri and I work as a programmer in a private company at Ikeja.”

Other actions taken by the federal and state governments to address the grievances that led to the October 2020 protest, Mohammed said, included the disbandment of SARS; broad police reforms.

Immediately Chima and his friend alighted, the police surrounded them, guns drawn and accused them of being Yahoo, Yahoo boys. How come they are driving such an expensive jeep? Where did they get the money to buy it if not proceeds from their fraudulent activities?

REACTIONS Music artiste, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, otherwise known as Ruggedman, participated actively in the #EndSARS protests last year and has remained vocal about issues affecting the youths and the nation in general. One year after, he told THEWILL that it is a big shame that the Federal Government has not met any of the 5 by 5 demands of the youths.

“Take them to the police station,” the senior among the officers on patrol shouted, his right hand caressing his holster.

It was only after Chima’s friend proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Lexus SUV belongs to his father and that they were on an errand for him. It was then the police grudgingly let them go. Of course, he had the necessary documents ready, driver’s license and proof of ownership of the vehicle.

“It was not funny,” Chima said days after the encounter.

So many young people in Nigeria, post-ENDSARS, have had the same experience with the police almost on a daily basis. From Ajah to Festac, Surulere to Ikeja, Ijesha to Abule Egba, Asaba to Onitsha, Calabar to Uyo, Ibadan to Akure and Ekiti to Ikare, it is the same story, story of arbitrary arrests and detention of young Nigerians without charges levelled against them or even duly prosecuted.

“It’s as if ENDSARS never even happened,” a disgruntled chap said recently, insisting that nothing has changed. “A uniformed man with a gun with the backing of the law still has the upper hand in any confrontation with civilians.”

One year after the ENDSARS youth protests that rocked the Nigerian state to its very foundation, anyone would reasonably assume that casual police brutality would be a thing of the past, that the police and other law enforcement agents would have learnt their lessons. It is not true, as Chima and his friend’s encounter with the police shows.

On the same day the ENDSARS protests anniversary was marked in Lagos state (October 20) at the epicentre (Lekki) where it all began last year, a Uber driver conveying a passenger from Lekki to Ikeja was manhandled by the police who had been deployed to prevent any mass outdoor gathering by young people.

Although the cabby said he parked and waited by the roadside, he bolted once his passenger did. Next thing he saw his car being towed. He gave chase and caught up with the uniformed officials – police and LASTMA – towing the vehicle. He got a few slaps for his pains.

On the same day, too, there were reports of officials of Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force teargasing the peaceful protesters marking the one-year anniversary of ENDSARS at Lekki Tole Gate. The CP himself, Hakeem Odumosu, later backed up the use of teargas on the protesters.

OLD WAYS DIE HARD One year after many states set up judicial panels to

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investigate complaints of human rights violation against the police, nothing tangible has been achieved. With the notable exception of Lagos State, which has paid N420m compensation to the victims, some, like Gombe and Enugu and Ondo States, are yet to conclude their investigations, with some even complaining of lack of money to conclude their settings as directed the National Economic Council, NEC. Commenting on this indifference, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, faulted the states’ refusal to pay compensation to the victims of police brutality.

This is just as the NBA called on the police to immediately release all protesters who were arrested on Wednesday during the demonstrations held in commemoration of the October 2020 protests.

Akpata said on Wednesday, “While most of the investigative panels have concluded their assignment in states, such as Rivers, Enugu, Edo, Nasarawa, Plateau amongst others, it is depressing to note that in most of these states, the payment compensation to victims whose petitions were established has simply not happened.

“Save for Lagos State where the panel has been most successful, in terms of the number of petitions treated, and the compensations doled out, the situation in other states has been anything but encouraging.

“The situation is indicative of the government’s less than noble attitude to the plight of citizens; as part of which may be recalled, exacerbated the protests last year.”

“The NBA unequivocally calls for unconditional release of all peaceful protesters and journalists arrested today and hereby, mandates the NBA Human Rights Committee to immediately spring into action to ensure the protection of their rights.”

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister for Information and Culture, thinks otherwise. At a press conference in Abuja on the anniversary of the EndSARS protest, he said the Federal Government has worked with 28 states and the Federal Capital Territory that set up Judicial panels on to address the

“It is a big shame that any of the demands have not been met on the part of the government.

Like I always say, you can’t shame the shameless,” Ruggedman said, even as he maintained that despite government denials and grandstanding, what is now known as the Lekki Massacre was not a fluke, but reality.

“I can say that it (the Lekki massacre) is not a theory. If you know how Instagram works, you will know that an Instagram live video is not something you can edit, which is one of the major reasons for believing it, “ he said, adding, “ Also, I did not watch it from somebody else’s phone the next day. I watched it as it was happening.”

Asked if his aspirations and visions have been met in any way and whether he really trusted the government to do the needful, in spite of the delay, his answer was quite sharp: “Any government that can allow the police to terrorise, brutalise, extort and extra judicially kill its citizens cannot be trusted.

Trust is out of the window for me and this government until they change.”

On the plans by Nigerian youths to effect the change they so much desire ahead of the 2023 general elections, Ruggedman said: “I can’t speak for the youth, I can only speak for myself.

And I can talk to anybody who cares to listen, I will not vote for any old Nigerian politician.

“When I say old, I don’t only mean aged politicians, but also those who have ruled before or have been hanging around or have held any political office before. I will not support and I will not vote for them. It is the same thing that I will tell anybody who cares to listen. From 1960 till date, they have failed us and they are still failing. They obviously lack anything positive for this nation and it is getting worse.

Nobody out there should vote or support any politician that has any kind of criminal case in court or whose case has been thrown out and swept under the carpet like they usually do.

Any politician that has been involved in any embezzlement or anything like that should not be trusted.”

The 5-5 demands include compensation for the families of those who died under police brutality, the release of arrested protesters and increments in the salaries and allowances of police officers.

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COVER The protesters demanded the appointment of an independent body to investigate allegations of misconduct in the Nigeria Police and to prosecute those indicted. Also they requested that officers of the disbanded SARS should undergo psychological evaluation before they are redeployed into other units.

The Convener of the Nigeria Peace and Sustainable Initiative (NPSI), Prof Christopher Imumolen, however, believes that the #ENDSARS protests were beyond mere agitations against police brutality, though he acknowledged that a lot has happened in the last one year.

Imumolen, who spoke with THEWILL in Lagos on Thursday, maintained that to an extent the #EndSARS Movement brought police brutality to an end, even as he insists that fixing the economy is what matters most.

He disclosed that his group is about young Nigerians who are ready to rescue the country from the present condition it has found itself.

“We are working on a movement that will metamorphose into a political party. We will be involved in the 2023 elections.

Already, we have started the registration of the party. Before now, we have been working as social entrepreneurs since 2010. The movement is about young Nigerians who are ready to rescue the country. We will be sincere and we have the knowledge and international exposure,” he said.

The professor, who has warned that things will get worse, if Nigeria fails to get it right this time, advised both the youth and the other citizens to get involved in the democratic process, saying that is the only way to bring about the desired change the country wants.

Rinu Oduola ‘Savvyrinu’ is a young Nigerian activist, who has been playing a leading role in the #EndSARS Movement.

This made the Lagos State Government to appoint her into the judicial panel set up to look into police brutality and the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. But midway into the panel’s sittings in February 2021, Oduola pulled out over what she described as the insincerity of the government.

Oduola, who maintained that she would not want “to be manipulated into gas-lighting the people” and attaching her name to “a rubberstamped and foregone conclusion, ” said, “Justice has not been served, and as a representative of the Nigerian citizenry, my only recourse is to stay the course of justice. What I will not do is be part of a cover-up.”

Her grudge was with the decision of the Lagos State Government to return the Lekki Toll Plaza to the owner, Lekki Consession Company (LCC) while the panel was yet to conclude its assignment and submit its report. According to Oduola, who was one of the two youths appointed into the nine-member panel, “My stand on the reopening on the toll gate is clear; the state government and the private organisation operating the toll have not been cleared of collusion with elements allegedly deployed by the federal government to target citizens on home soil during a time of peace, without provocation.”

She added that “Without a final panel report or actionable steps, we are returning to the status quo,” adding “Justice has not been served, and as a representative of the Nigerian citizenry, my only recourse is to stay the course of justice.

What I will not do is be part of a cover-up.”

Popular comedian, Debo Adedayo, a.k.a Mr. Macaroni was quite active at the #EndSARS memorial rally which held in Lagos last Wednesday just as he played a leading role when the youth movement started last year. However, THEWILL could not get him to comment on the journey so far, Thursday, as his phone rang many times without any response before the line eventually went off.

Folarin Falana, a.k.a Falz the Bad Guy, is a leading voice in the #EndSARS movement and was prominent in the activities for the one-year memorial rally in Lagos. Attempt by the THEWILL to reach out to the popular musician for his reactions to the government’s stance and responses to the demands of the youths met a brickwall. His manager, Femisoro Ajayi, told THEWILL that Falz “is not taking interviews at the moment because he already spoke about a list of topics,” adding, “Now, he is taking a break”.

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THE ROOT CAUSE While the ENDSARS protests lasted, those in positions of authority in Nigeria were genuinely frightened, frightened for their own lives and frightened that they were losing or had lost control of the states under their command. No one seemed to know what to do to contain the restive youths who had staged a spontaneous and very successful demonstration across many parts of the country almost simultaneously.

The Presidency was at sea. State governors were completely stumped and stunned. A former governor with a larger-thanlife political clout and the national leader of a political party made a beeline out of the country, so it was rumoured. Or that if he was around, he didn’t dare show his face. He did not.

The police, against whom the riots were directed, wisely stayed off the street, preferring the anonymity of civilian outfits (mufti) than their much disliked uniforms. Some who braved it were gruesomely murdered by angry mobs. One or two were set ablaze; more than a dozen police facilities were torched. At least, two correctional centres were raided and the inmates set free.

Much of the country was paralysed economically during the protests. Government offices and private businesses were shut down. Markets and shops were closed for the entire duration.

Drivers and commuters were off the roads: you could see from one end to another of previously densely packed streets and thoroughfares. A formerly bubbly city like Lagos had become a ghost town. Such was the effect of the EndSARS youth demonstration that commentators soon began to use phrases like ‘people power’ to voice their dismay at both the government and the law enforcement agencies.

Although EndSARS began as a well-organised, peaceful protest, it soon turned into something no one had imagined.

Even the protesting youths themselves did not bargain for what they saw as an opportunity to register their complaint against the atrocious attitude of the police to young Nigerians.

The protest was initially directed at the excesses of the police, particularly the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that had become notorious for everything evil but crime prevention.

Like a malignant tumour, the protest soon metastasised and the youths now used it to declare something close to a vote of no confidence on the ruling elite.

SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE RESCUE It is just very possible the ENDSARS protest might never have been without the social media. Of course, cases of police brutality have been reported in Nigerian news media, mostly print and radio or television. But with the availability of the social media and its numerous platforms, young Nigerians could share messages as they come, by the minute.

So, when a video was made of two police officers roughing up a young man in Delta State late last September and making off with his car, it was widely shared and became viral. To many of the young people, it was something like: “No! We can’t take this no more.”

The country itself was a few days shy of its 60th anniversary and bracing up for a celebratory occasion. But Nigerian youths denied the ruling class the opportunity to celebrate.

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Save for Lagos State where the panel has been most successful, in terms of the number of petitions treated, and the compensations doled out, the situation in other states has been anything but encouraging

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Instead, they presented them with an unusual and most unexpected birthday gift.

Driven by a common cause and availing themselves with ample opportunities on social media, thousands of young Nigerians massed out at Lekki Toll Gate Lagos in a peaceful protest against endemic police brutality. Galvanised by the protest in Lagos, youths in more than a dozen state capitals followed suit almost immediately, staging their own peaceful demonstrations as well, effectively shutting down activities in much of the country for the period it lasted.

Taken completely unawares, the Federal Government acquiesced to the protesters’ demand by quickly dismantling the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) fingered by the protesters as their main source of grievance. Even more quickly, it substituted the reviled SARS with a new one called SWAT. The protesting youths turned it down promptly, insisting it was just a change of name and went one step further, this time to the government’s great discomfort. Now, young people all over the country were using the protest to express genuine displeasure with those in leadership positions, their anger and frustrations at a failed democratic process, unpromising economic prospects and general apathy of an elite political class to the plight of the long-suffering masses.

It was phenomenal and totally unexpected. Confronted with unforeseen situations like the October protest that has now entered into world lexicon as #EndSARS uprising, the federal and state governments reacted typically with panicky measures, what Prof Wole Soyinka once described as “herd panic” in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

In the early hours of October 20, the protesters were surprised by a detachment of well-armed soldiers at Lekki Toll Gate.

In the ensuing confrontation, shots were fired and, of course, there were casualties. Several hours later, the number of protesting young Nigerians had reduced drastically, thus bringing to a tragic end what began as a carefully calibrated demonstration.

EndSARS isn’t the first time young people will be in the vanguard of protests in Nigeria. In 1962, students protested against the Anglo/ Nigeria Defence Pact. There was also the Ali-must-go demonstration of 1978, by students. What was their grouse? A 50kobo increase in meal vouchers.

Students at the Universities of Jos and Benin sparked off the fuel subsidy riot of 1988 and SAP riot of 1989, respectively.

June 12 demonstration began for the first time at the University of Benin before it spread nationwide. There were fatalities in many of them and the protests took place during military regimes. EndSARS was different because it is the first time a civilian government would be confronted with one. The government was not amused.

Following the EndSARS protest, the government quickly set up panels presided over by retired judges to look into cases of police brutality and extrajudicial killings in the states where such demonstrations took place. If you thought some of the police atrocities were just hearsay, then Nigerians got to hear real instances of some policemen playing God with their uniforms and guns, torturing and killing innocent Nigerians.

The case of CSP James Nwafor, the Officer Commanding Awkuzu SARS in Anambra State, is one infamous example.

One year after, some of those panels have closed their sitting, made recommendations to the state governors. At least one state governor has paid compensation to the families of the victims. Some have not, insisting that since they were set up by the Federal Government, they should bear the cost of compensating the victims.

This is paying lip service to the situation one year after EndSARS, Prof Imumolen told THEWILL. He said, “We have fantastic policies, but they are not properly implemented. We have seen evidence of families who were affected, but the government has not opened up. We need to do more about the implication of 5 by 5.

“The massacre theory is there and there is video evidence.

Let’s see what we can do to regain the trust of the people.

“This time around, it is not going to be political as usual. We are going to move the youths to ensure they engage in the political process.”

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NEWS #EndSARS Memorial: NBA President Wants Detained Journalists, Protesters Released

BY JOY ONUORAH

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R-L: Chairman of the occasion and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar; High Chief Raymond Dokpesi; Chief (Mrs) Moji Dokpesi, and Senator Ben Obi, at the public presentation of the book on the founder of Daar Group Plc, as part of the activities marking his 70th birthday celebration, at the Yar’Adua Centre, in Abuja on 21/10/2021.

Gov Lalong Presents N106.9bn Plateau’s LG Polls a Hoax – Chris Hassan Fiscal Proposal To PLHA FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

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overnor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has submitted a budget proposal of N106, 807, 267, 642.12 for the fiscal year 2022 to the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Christened, ‘Budget of economic recovery and consolidation of inclusive infrastructural growth 2’, Lalong said the main objective of the budget is to complete ongoing projects and execute new ones that have direct bearing on the lives of the people.

The picture of the appropriation statement indicates that recurrent expenditure will stand at N76, 263, 701, 644.62, representing 71.4 per cent of the entire fiscal package, while capital estimate stand at N30, 543,565, 997.50, equivalent to 28.6 per cent of the total estimates.

According to Lalong, the 2022 budget shows a drop of N40, 730, 552,208.88 when compared to the total approved

budget for the corresponding period 2021.

Funding the budget, he added, will be from internally generated revenue estimated at N24, 199, 475, 222. I2 during the period, and statutory earnings from the federation accounts put at N55, 000, 000, 000.00 only.

Other sources , he noted, include aids and grants of N982, 339, 584.00, and Capital Development Fund of N3, 625, 452, 836,.00, and domestic loans summing up to N20, 000, 000, 000.00.

Governor Lalong said on the occasion, “We intend to break the grounds with new projects. Among them is the construction of the British-American Junction flyover, and a dual carriage way to Lamingo Junction Roundabout.

Similarly, we shall carry out the design of a master plan for some select urban areas in Plateau state namely, Heipang, Mangu, and Shendam.”

Abiodun Sympathises With Victims of Makun Fire Outbreak FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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overnor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Thursday sympathised with the victims of the recent fire outbreak at Makun in the Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.

The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Femi Ogunbanwo, during an inspection of effected shops in the area, described the incident as unfortunate.

He promised that his government would look into the issue and assisted the victims where necessary.

Also describing the extent of damage caused by the inferno as alarming, Abiodun called on members of the public to ensure that electrical

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appliances were switched off when not in use to prevent power surge.

Responding on behalf of other victims, Mrs. Rukayat Taiwo appreciated the governor for his concern and prompt response to the scene of the incident.

Members of the assessment team included a member of the House of Assembly, Sagamu 11 Constituency, Hon. Adeniran Adeyinka, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr. Rotimi Akinlesi, Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Hon Adewale Aka, Directors of State Fire Service and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Engr. Fatai Adefala and Mr. Fola Ige, respectively.

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n a meeting with journalists in Jos, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau, Chris Hassan, said there is so much confusion in the All Progressives Congress-dominated state government that “they do not know what to do day to day, and this confusion and lack of direction led them to desperately keep the PDP out of the last local government election”.

“You can also see the shameless manner they conducted what they called ‘congresses’. Did you see any ballot papers there? Even if you have to affirm, you have to cast vote to know how many people accepted and participated in the affirmation. In their case, there was no voting process, no ballot paper”, Hassan queried.

Hassan said, adding, “The contraption called APC is not a political party on the minds of the people of Plateau State.

And what they did in the name of local government elections recently has completely dampened the morale of our people, who do not want to hear about anything called APC because they have nothing to show for all these years. As I told you, it is the worst government ever in the history of Plateau State.

“Let me tell you, even the poverty situation among our people has worsened in the last six years because no work is going on. If you are building infrastructures like roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, etc, you are also creating wealth because of the multiplier effect of money changing hands among water and food vendors and other services. When we were constructing this dual carriage way from Airport Junction to Mararaba Jama’a, you could see more than 5,000 people working as labourers.

This was wealth creation because money was getting into the hands of more people!

“Under the Lalong administration, nothing is working. People are not selling cement or building materials, nobody is selling pure water or vending food and people are poorer, as compared to the immediate past when citizens were engaged productively. You can see that this is the fourth month we have been in a curfew.”

he President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, has called for the unconditional release of all peaceful protesters and journalists who were harassed and unlawfully detained during the #EndSARS one year memorial.

Akpata, in a statement, said the arrest of peaceful protesters and journalists on lawful duty showed that the country and its security agencies had not learnt from last years’ experience as symbolised by the arrest and detention of peaceful protesters exercising their fundamental human rights, and journalists going about their lawful duties at the Lekki Toll Plaza on Wednesday.

He consequently directed the NBA Human Rights Committee to immediately spring into action to ensure the protection of the rights of those arrested, while frowning at the failure of the various governments to compensate victims of police brutality, whose petitions have been upheld by the various #EndSARS panels.

Speaking on the #EndSARS panels, the NBA President noted that a sustainable improvement in the quality of the policecitizen relationship must consist of robust legislative intervention that addresses the structural problems of the Police Force itself as an institution, with particular concern to the welfare and discipline of the rank and file.

To this effect, he stated that the Nigerian Bar Association is collaborating with the House of Representatives in its legislative response to the underlying issues.

That intervention crystallised into a Bill repealing and re-enacting the Police Service Commission Act, which is due, now for Third Reading at the National Assembly, a part of the statement read.

It would be recalled that the protests began as a social media campaign against the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, an elite unit of the Nigeria Police reputed for its excessive use of force, cruelty, unlawful arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and flagrant abuse of the law.

In response to the protests, the government disbanded SARS but almost immediately replaced it with another agency, the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) team.

The determined protesters, however, refused to be fooled as that was the fourth time the SARS unit of the police was disbanded but continued to operate afterwards. As the protests gained ground both locally and internationally, the arguments became broader, accommodating the general state of the nation’s insecurity, widening poverty, corruption and poor governance.

It took a short while for the protest, which continued as a mass demonstration against the age-long police brutality, to shake Nigeria and climaxed in an unwarranted clampdown on the protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate, Lagos State on October 20, 2020.

The first anniversary of the #EndSARS protest, tagged, #endsarsmemorial, was recently observed in commemoration of the movement and those whose lives were cut short during the protests.

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Ayu

Fintiri

POLITICS

PDP Set For National Convention

BY AYO ESAN

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to hold its National Convention, which is scheduled for October 30 and 31, 2021 in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State is the Chairman of the Convention Committee.

Speaking late last week, Fintiri stressed the importance of holding the convention, particularly at this period in Nigeria’s history. He said, “As a nation, we are at a crossroads. We have to do the needful, beginning from this convention, to ensure that we get our best hands to steer us with their skills, their experiences and their integrity, so that Nigerians can move forward.

“We need to revamp, re-engineer and position this party into a winning spirit. This, I believe we will achieve.”

The governor disclosed that the screening committee had completed and submitted its report, adding, “About 31 candidates have indicated interest to contest for all the elective positions from the National Chairman to the least. 27 of them have been cleared, one has withdrawn and three have been disqualified.

“If they have any reason not to agree with why they were disqualified, this party is very democratic and they have the opportunity tomorrow to appear before the Appeal Committee.

They may be considered or not, depending on the reason they bring forth. But I’m satisfied with the job done by the Screening Committee. It has paved the way for us to move forward. I assure you, we will have one of the best, open, transparent and democratic conventions in the history of this country.

“We’re still working on the list of delegates. There are some litigations coming along with this. So we have to be sure that we have a clean list of delegates. It will be very difficult at the moment to talk about the actual number of delegates that will be attending this convention, but the basic information I can give you at the moment is that not less than 4,000 delegates will be in attendance.”

To ensure a hitch-free convention, it was gathered, PDP governors are constantly meeting and monitoring the activities of various committees set up to make sure everything is going smoothly.

At the end of one of such meetings last Wednesday in Abuja, the Chairman of the PDP-Governors Forum, Governor Aminu THEWILLNIGERIA

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Tambuwal of Sokoto State, confirmed that preparations towards a successful conduct of the convention had reached an advanced stage.

He said, “We have just finished our meeting where we received briefing from the Chairman of the Convention Planning/Organising Committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, that we are on course and by the grace of God, they have almost concluded every arrangement and plan for a very successful, free and fair convention for the PDP coming up on the 30th and 31st of this month.”

Tambuwal expressed confidence that the party would come out of the event stronger and united.

Those at the meeting include Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ahmed Fintiri (Adamawa) Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).

Governors Darius Ishaku and Samuel Ortom of Taraba and Benue States, respectively, sent representatives.

It would be recalled that as a way of holding a successful convention where a new executive of the party will emerge, the party appointed about 15 sub - committees.

Most of the committees are headed by the state governors.

Governors Nyesom Wike, Emmanuel Udom and Ishaku Darius of Rivers, Cross River and Taraba States are chairmen of Special Duties, Constitutional Amendment and Contact and Mobilisation sub-committees, respectively.

Other appointments as announced by Senator Duoye Diri include Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), Ifeanyi Okowa and Solomon Arase as chairmen of zoning, screening, screening appeal, accreditation and security committees.

Others are Ahmadu Fintiri (electoral), Godwin Obaseki (publicity), Bala Mohammed (venue), Mariya Waziri (welfare and entertainment), Ibrahim Dankwambo (transportation), Biodun Olujimi (protocol), Nuhu (medical) and Ibrahim Tsauri (secretariat).

Political analysts believe the PDP Convention will be rancourfree because of the successful agreement on consensus candidates, especially that of the national chairmanship position,

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which is the flagship of the party’s executive.

It would be recalled that in 2017 the national chairmanship of the party was fiercely contested. The emergence of Prince Uche Secondus then led to the defection of prominent foundation members of the party, such as former Governor of Rivers State, Donald Duke; Prof Jerry Gana and former Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran, among others.

Speaking further on the convention, Fintiri said the leadership tussle in the party had largely been addressed, even as he came short of saying the PDP had moved on from the crisis.

The convention is an election one where delegates have to vote for a new set of the party’s executive, but its leaders are said to be working hard to ensure that consensus is achieved before the date of the convention.

The submission of nomination forms for aspirants contesting for party offices was closed on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. The screening of aspirants by the Mohammed Adoke-led Screening Committee followed at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.

It would be recalled that the position of national chairman was zoned to the North. The three geo-political zones in the North – the North-West, North-East and North-Central – had agreed on the choice of former Senate President, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, as the National Chairman of the party. So what will need to be done at the convention may just be an affirmation.

For other positions, the party had done zoning, while the regions had further done micro-zoning of the positions.

It was gathered that the position of National Secretary has been zoned to the South-East, while Deputy National Chairman (South)has been micro-zoned to the South-West with former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as a leading contender.

THEWILL gathered that efforts are being made by leaders from each geo-political zone to ensure that the convention is free of rancour.

Also state governors elected on the platform of the party may have endorsed the northern consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman, Senator Iyiorchia Ayu and the consensus candidate of the South-East for the position of National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu. The duo were seen in a meeting with the PDP Governors in Abuja last week.

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

Direct Primary, Best Option for Nigeria – Dayo Engr. Bayo Dayo is a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on issues affecting his party and the country as a whole. Excerpts:

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The Zoning Committee led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State zoned the national chairmanship of the party to the North. The party accepted the recommendation of the committee, but threw open the position of president to all the regions. What is your take on this?

The committee is not in charge of zoning executive positions. So when it comes to the executive positions, the party will meet again and we will know what to do about it. This is because our thinking is that no matter what you do, you need to make a northerner presidential candidate of the party because we are not in government. When a political party is not in government, it must be very careful about what it is doing, particularly when it comes to the northern part of Nigeria where we have millions of people that do not understand the full situation of voting for a candidate. All they know is to vote for a northerner like themselves and we should not play into their hands. So we should throw the presidential candidacy open at the appropriate time so that we would have a very good candidate that would be acceptable to both the North and the South.

Your position differs from that of the southern governors, including those from your party, who said the next president must come from the South Yes. When you think of it, the southerners are saying a different thing from what the northerners are saying.

They are all trying to protect their tribes, which is not good. We must look at politics of PDP as a national party. The party ought to look thoroughly into the candidature of whoever is going to represents us, whether he comes from the North, South, East or West, it shouldn’t matter to the leaders. We just need PAGE 8

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our party’s national convention will take place in Abuja between October 30 and 31. How do you see the preparation for the convention?

The Convention is going to be peaceful. You know we moved the time from December to October. We are all working towards the success of the national convention. All the necessary committees have been set up and people of good pedigree are in these committees. So we are expecting a good outing and there is going to be no problem.

to make sure that we put a round peg in a round hole.

But in a situation, where you think because you are a Yoruba man, you want to put a Yoruba man there by all means and if he is not acceptable to both the northern party members and the southern party members, then we would have a problem.

We don’t want to have problems in 2023. We want a candidate that will be acceptable to both the northerners and the southerners. What the governors are saying is that the position is very good for southerners.

Yes, but it is not only the southerners that are going to vote. They must put into consideration that most of our votes are coming from the North. Whether it is true votes or not, we do not know until we have a genuine census in Nigeria. But, for now, majority of the votes come from the North. So we must put them into consideration in whatever we do.

My advice to PDP governors of our party from the South is to allow the party to throw the presidential candidacy open to all regions and let us take the best candidate for that good position. Whoever can win the national primary election for the position of the presidential candidacy will be strong enough in all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. If you are popular in the six geo - political zones, then it will mean that you are popular enough to win the election. This will be better than having a person that is popular in a section of the country. We should choose a candidate and another section is not happy about it. We want everybody to be happy with the candidate of our party for 2023 What is your expectation from the forthcoming convention of your party?

My expectation is that we are going to have a very THEWILLNIGERIA

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW everybody know what is going on, let them be part of the process and let them have a say in whatever the party is doing. That is a very good option for this country

“

We don’t want to have problems in 2023. We want a candidate that will be acceptable to both the northerners and the southerners. What the governors are saying is that the position is very good for southerners.

Yes, but it is not only the southerners that are going to vote

successful convention. The people we have in this convention committee are thinking of what we have not been thinking about before. They are putting everything into consideration. When you think of how to arrange the convention, we have a good committee looking at that. We have a good committee in the planning and electoral committees. We have good committees in all the aspects of the committees that are required for the convention. And I am sure that we are going to have a successful convention this year.

Two weeks ago, the Senate adopted direct primary as the mode of choosing candidates for election by political parties. How do you see this decision?

I honestly think the direct primary is the best bet for all political parties in Nigeria. This is because a situation where we selected few people to go and represent thousands of people is not good enough. Let THEWILLNIGERIA

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But some people are saying that political parties should have been allowed to decide what method to adopt Of course, it would have been better for the party to decide, but that option is a very good option, particularly for people to be aware of what is going on at the ward, local government and state levels. It is not good enough while we have few representatives doing whatever they like when they are to take decisions.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is supreme to a political party’s constitution. If that is the provision of the Constitution, so be it. All the members of political parties can go out and make their choice. Although it looks a bit cumbersome and very expensive than having the indirect primary, it is a good option and good decision by the Senate. I really like it.

The Senate also made a U-turn by okaying electronic voting and electronic transmission of results. What is your take on the Senate’s new position?

It is a very funny issue. When a committee at the National Assembly presented a report that this is what is very good for the country and the members of that committee voted against their recommendation, you know something fishy is going on. The best thing for us is the recommendation to transmit the results from the polling units to the place where they are doing collation. It is better for us to be sending our results directly to the Collation Centre, rather than moving it manually between the polling units and collation centres and the figure changes along the way. The government in power should not use its power to change the decision of the people. Electronic transfer of results is the best option for a great country. And that is what happens in the advanced countries of the world. That is what happens in England. If you want to vote from home, they will send you your voter card. You want to register as a voter, you just fill the forms from your house and send it to the people in charge of elections. They have been doing that in foreign countries for many years. It has been ongoing in various countries. If you don’t transmit the election results directly from the polling units in America, it will take almost one year to conclude an election. So direct primary is the best option for our country and I must commend the Senate for its new position.

Many people are looking up to the PDP, especially those who feel dissatisfied with the President Buhari’s government. How prepared is the PDP for the 2023 Election?

It is always very difficult to control any party that is well known and has spread all over the country, especially a party that was in government for 16 years. You have many well-to-do people in such party. And when you have very many people who are intelligent, you must have different opinions all the time. But we thank God, we have put our house in order. All our people are now united and they have submitted themselves to genuine reconciliation. PDP is now reconciled. I can tell you we that are going to win the general election in 2023. What is happening in the APC now is what happened in the PDP. We are beginning to see the beginning of the end of the ruling party. The PDP will win the general election in 2023 because we are one. While members of the APC are still going to court to fight themselves, PDP will consolidate and win the election in 2023 by the Grace of God.

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Nigeria celebrated 61 Years of Hunger, Insecurity, Hardship – Ogun PDP STORIES BY SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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eoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has berated President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Party over the recent Independent Day Celebration in country.

The Chairman of the Party, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele maintained that the Nigeria was only celebration hunger, insecurity, and hardship at 61, saying that nothing had improved in country since Buhari took over the reigns of power in 2015.

Ogundele who spoke with The Will in an exclusive interview, said that he would not call for the president’s resignation, but accused Nigerians of selling their votes and conscience to Buhari and APC in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

He, however, urged Nigerians not to complain about the current hardship and insecurity bedeviling the nation, insisting that they brought current situation on themselves for voting Goodluck Jonathan and PDP out in 2015.

According to him, Nigerians should continue to endure Buhari and his party till he ends his tenure,.adding that PDP would come back stronger and take over the reigns of power in 2023, advising them to vote out APC for PDP to relief themselves of their difficulty.

He said” What are we celebrating? We are celebrating hardship insecurity, hunger, government of lies and propaganda. Must we continue in our crying and smiling? Although, i don’t support Nigeria calling for the resignation of the president because Nigerians have enter into contractual agreement with the president Buhari and they had sold their conscience, votes to Buhari. They cannot come within the game and request for the change of the game.

“So, Nigerians deliberately requested for a change which they did not specify. Have they forgotten that they have sighed a contractual agreement with APC to run for another four years, they should just wait till the expiration of the contractual agreement they have with APC and vote them out in 2023.”

“The government of the day are just full of empty lies, look at the economy of the country, we cannot continue to build the country on propaganda and lies. Now that they had tasted the hardship of APC they should just wait till 2023 and vote for PDP” he added

Advocate for Special Constituency Bill at N/ Assembly, Ogun Speaker urges Women Society •We’ve Employed Services of 300 Lawyers to Push Bill - President

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he Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt.Hon Olakunle Oluomo has asked Nigerian women under the auspices of Stand Up for Women Society (SWS) to advocate for a bill seeking to create special constituencies for women at the state and the National Assembly.

Olumo said that the bill if passed into law would make women in the country well represented both at the state and at the national level to stand up for their rights and that of their children for the betterment of their lives and their future.

He spoke exclusively with The Will shortly after the SWS Investiture of Patron & Patroness, with the theme:” The Future of Feminism” held at Valley View Auditorium, Isale Igbein, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The speaker, said that it was high time the women embrace politics more to save the country from her current challenges of insecurity such as kidnapping, banditry, economic hardship among others so as to change the fortune of the nation Oluomo, who used Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United State of America, as an example of a good woman, admonished the women to fully support the struggle in making the passage of the bill into law a reality at the National Assembly.

He said “There is a bill before the National Assembly that we are trying to make as part of the constitution that we want to amend.

The bill says they should create a special constituencies for women in state and National Assembly.

“I want SWS to please do advocate in this respect show the national assembly that you are part of that struggle and you want them to achieve it for the betterment of women in Nigeria.”

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POLITICS

BY AMOS ESELE

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s the politics of 2023 dominate the public space, the stock of political parties will continue to rise and many Nigerian voters will be faced with counting the numbers: Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressive Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APG), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Where Are Smaller Parties?

The others are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Boot Party.

All of them are represented in the upcoming November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, although five appears to be making their presence felt: As usual, the governing All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), rival PDP and APC take the front row with two others, namely Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP), also well represented. Dr Obiora Okonkwo, founder of United Nigeria Airlines and the Dome in Abuja and Ifeanyi Uba mount the saddles of the ZLP and YPP, respectively. Given the crisis plaguing the APGA, court cases tearing the PDP apart and the image problem of the APC, the ZLP and YPP are making inroads, making it hard to predict with certainty who will carry the day on November 6.

Reduced from 92 to 18 in February 2020 by the Independent National Electoral Commission on the strength of the Section 257 of the Constitution (as amended) which empowers it to deregister 74 parties for their lackluster performance in the 2019 general elections, the remaining 18 are still a number, but for two major ones, the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, and the opposition People’s.

Reality check by THEWILL, however, shows that the two dominant parties are actually not different ideologically but only in personality. That is why defectors can swing from one party to the other with easy of social conscience and comradeship.

The General Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Chief Willy Ezugwu, puts the problem all down to bad governance, impunity of the two major political parties and hunger in the land.

Speaking to THEWILL in an interview, he asked, “How can it be explained that only two parties, the APC and the PDP, are functional in the country?”

Ezugwu went on, “There is bad governance, there is hunger in the land. Before now, political parties used to generate their funds. Not anymore. We were as many as 97 at a time, but after INEC deregistered parties we became less than 20.

Many of them are finding it hard to cope.

“But are the two strong parties providing the leadership and opposition?, he asked rhetorically.

“Due to the continued indulgence in anti-democratic tendencies, internal democracy in Nigeria’s political parties has continued to nose-dive in the last 22 years of our democratic experiments.

“The two self-acclaimed biggest political parties in Nigeria, the APC and the PDP have continued to clench on practices that negate the core tenets of democracy globally, leading to stagnated growth of Nigeria’s democracy and the sustenance of bad governance at all levels of government.

“As a result of lack of interest in such cornerstones of democracy like freedom of speech and rights to hold divergent opinion, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed in decision making, and trampling on their rights to choose their leaders, among others, Nigerians have continued to wallow in wants and penury in the midst of plenty.

“This is why the two parties have continued to manipulate the country’s political space, exchanging members and elected officials who decamp at will and maintaining a high

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The presence of big wigs that are crowd pullers, big spenders and grassroots mobilizers make the big parties to outshine the smaller ones in any contest.

level of disregard to their own party’s constitution such that the courts have become the last resort for most aggrieved members who can afford the cost of litigation.

“The internal conflict resolution mechanisms in both political parties are either hijacked by competing godfathers or such mechanisms are comatose, merely existing in their party constitutions.

“As impunity has continued to thrive in the two political parties, the consequence is the unending emergence of factions and cliques of aggrieved members at the end of every internal election, including congresses and primary elections.

“Nigeria’s democracy cannot advance beyond where we are as the country will continue to recycle corrupt politicians and their cronies that end up impoverishing the populace. This will remain our experience if the bar of internal democracy and adherence to the cornerstones of democracy are not raised and given priority by the two dominant parties.

“We therefore challenge the APC and the PDP, as leading political parties, to live by example of standards of democratic parties as we approach the 2023 general elections.

This will not only deepen democracy in the country but also ensure that the people’s rights to choose their leaders within the parties and at general elections are upheld without manipulations, rigging or impositions” Mr Tope Fasua, the 2019 Nigeria Presidential candidate for Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, one of the deregistered parties stated that INEC was as undemocratic as it was punitive in its action on the parties. Fasua, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the Inter-Party Council

(IPAC), said the action was be challenged in court because it infringed on the right of citizens who pay tax and contribute to national development to be denied a platform to express and canvass their views on national development.

Presidential candidate of the YPP in the 2019 election who recently joined the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2023 polls, Prof Kingsley Moghalu supports Ezugwu’s views.

He said, “The political status quo and its two major parties have failed Nigerians. To vote for them again is to waste your vote. The results, for the past 22 years, include rigged elections, Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, 4,000 megawatts of electricity for 200 million people, 33 per cent unemployment, terrorism, and our lives today cheaper than the naira to the dollar. We must now focus on governance beyond politics if we are ever to escape from today’s mess and the misery it will surely continue to generate if the same recycled politicians remain in charge.

Nigeria, like many democracies in the world, is multi-party. Again, like most of them, it has two dominant parties with fringe parties. In the U.S.A where the Democrats and Republican dominate, Liberals occasionally make forays into the system just as often happens in the UK with its Conservative and Labours parties and Liberals; Christian Democratic Union and Social Democratic Party in Germany amidst the Greens and four others; the National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party in Ghana among 27 others.

The big difference between what obtains in Nigeria and other multi-party democracies, is, perhaps, what Ezugwu, CNPP General Secretary said: impunity, lack of due process and rule of law.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 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]

President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha Buhari (right) and President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu (2nd right); his Lawyers, Ifeanyi Ejiofor (2nd his wife, during their visit to the State House in Abuja on 20/10/ 2021. left); Maxwell Opara (left) and a lawyer during Kanu’s arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 21/10/2021.

L-R: Usman Abdullahi Usman, Chairman, Kano Diary and Livestock Husbandry Cooperative Union (KADALCU); Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, Artificial Insemination & Diary Specialist; Bilkisu Mahe Wali, Branch Controller, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kano; Manish Khede, Regional Manager, Outspan Nigeria Limited and Dr Bala Bello, Director, Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Kano State, during the flag-off of the Artificial Insemination Programme for 100 Dairy Cattle by Outspan in partnership with the KADALCU in Dawakin Tofa LGA, Kano State on 19/10/2021.

L- R: Former Acting Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Chioma Njoku; Chairman of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar; representative of the Vice President and the Minister of State for Power, Mr Jeddy Agba; Managing Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Mr Chiedu Ugbo; Managing Director of Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company, Dr Nnaemeka Ewelukwa and Executive Director of ICCI Policy Centre, Mr Olawale Rasheed, during the World Energy Day conference, in Abuja on 21/10/21.

L-R: Country Head of Human Resources, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr. Shakiru Lawal; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka; Nestlé Nigeria’s Flowergate Factory Manager, Mr. Gbenga Oladunjoye; Chairman, Royal Initiative for the Development of Sagamu Community (RIDSCO), Olootu Omoba Oyedele, and Executive Secretary, Ogun State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, during the commissioning of the newly renovated Ajaka Health Centre in Shagamu, Ogun State 19/10/2021.

L-R: Maryam Daramola, National Corporate Relations Officer, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria; Damilola Adeniyi, Corporate Affairs Manager, Olam Nigeria; Eghosa Erhumwunse, National Director, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, and Datti Danjuma, General Manager, Human Resources, Crown Flour Mill (CFM), during CFM’s commemoration of the 2021 World Food Day with the donation of food items to the SOS Children’s Village in Lagos on 16/10/2021.

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EDITORIAL

Nigerian Military: Winning War Against Bandits, Insurgents F

or more than four years the security agencies were unable to get a handle on the murderous activities of armed bandits who have been on the rampage across the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones, killing, raping, kidnapping for ransom, stealing livestock and imposing illegal taxes on farmers.

Like locusts from the pit of hell, the criminals foisted a reign of terror across the areas where they operated, forcing thousands of Nigerians to desert their once serene and peaceful communities.

The effects of their brazen activities on the social and economic landscapes of the North-West and NorthCentral are obvious. Vast swathes of agrarian land have been left uncultivated for too long, thereby causing an inevitable slump in food production and unprecedented hikes in the prices of basic food items.

Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Thousands more were living in fear, their economic lives totally disrupted and uncertain about the future, until Providence deemed it fit to turn the tide against their tormentors.

Hitherto reeling under a crisis of confidence, the military was suddenly galvanised into greater action after the hallowed premises of the Nigerian Defence Academy was desecrated by a gang of bandits who shot two officers and abducted one for ransom.

Realising the direct implication of the criminals’ audacious attack on the institution, which until then was generally believed to be the safest in the country, the military rose like the truly wounded lion it should be and launched a massive offensive aimed at wiping out banditry and restoring sanity to the affected parts of northern Nigeria and more important, free-

dom to the people who have borne the brunt of banditry all the while.

Backed by aerial support from the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army does not look like it is going to relent in its efforts to wipe off banditry. A total shutdown of GSM communications in the states most affected by the activities of bandits, especially Zamfara State, has taken the war to another dimension, a potentially devastating one for the criminals.

In the words of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya, Nigerian troops are currently winning the war against banditry in the North-West and North-Central.

The Army recently claimed its troops eliminated no fewer than 391 bandits and arrested about 60, including bandits’ informants and collaborators, in various operations across both geo-political zones in one month.

Giving an update on the military operations in Abuja, the Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, BrigGen Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed that between September 2 and September 30, Nigerian troops under Operation Hadarin Daji, killed 240 bandits, while aerial bombardment on enclaves of the criminals at different locations in Zamfara led to the deaths of no fewer than 53 bandits, while several others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

Onyeuko also said that troops recovered 125 assorted arms including AK-47 and FN rifles, dane guns and 1,166 rounds of 7.62mm special/NATO ammunition.

According to him, apart from leading to the arrest of scores of bandit collaborators and informants, the operations had also drastically weakened the opera-

tional capability of the criminals, denied them the freedom to act as they wished and frustrated their efforts to move arms, ammunition and other illegal items around. This is joyful news, no doubt and such that gives cause for celebration across the country.

The Nigerian military deserves to be applauded for these uncommon achievements and for its gallant efforts at ridding the country of the menace of bandits.

Of course, buoyed on the successes achieved in the battlefield, Nigerians can now look forward to the restoration of sanity to those parts of the country that have been under siege from these criminals.

It is also sweet news to the ear that the war against Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents in the NorthEast has begun to yield some positive results. There have been reports about scores of Boko Haram fighters surrendering to Nigerian troops. Whether they did so voluntarily or were forced by the relentless firepower of the latter does not matter. What matters is that the military has finally shown it is capable of dealing effectively with actions that constitute a serious threat to security and peace.

There is no denying the fact that ever since the military stepped up its efforts to fight insecurity on all fronts, there have been far less kidnaps than witnessed in the past across the country, especially in parts of the North. There is also an indication that public confidence in the military is gradually being restored.

We salute the courage and bravery of Nigerian troops who are daily sacrificing their lives to ensure the security of lives and property. At the same time, we urge the military not to relent in its efforts to totally secure Nigeria from terrorists and other dangerous criminals.

AUSTYN OGANNAH

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief 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 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] PAGE 12

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OPINION Erelu Bisi Fayemi: The First Lady We Know T

BY MARY OSO-OMOTOSHO

here is this unusual saying that when a tree brings forth good fruits all round the season, people will also constantly haul stones at it to get the best and most from it.

The more fruits they get, the more they think they can get and the more stones they haul. Per adventure they have the feeling that some other persons are getting more fruits from the tree that produces for all, they will start bellyaching, not the people getting more in their assumption, but the fruitful tree itself.

wondered if they were talking about the same woman that we know.

Let me tell whoever cares to listen that the Ekiti First Lady we know will never attempt to outshine her husband, the governor. While she is not politically naive, she defers to him all the time.

Rather than compete with him in any way, she is his number one cheerleader and would always line up behind him.

elected into positions of authority, as a form of affirmative action, she hardly has anyone in particular in mind and would leave the selection of the right candidate to the leaders of thought in the area.

My advice therefore is that people should perish the thought that Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, the humanist-activist will impose any candidate on Ekiti State in the forthcoming governorship election. The only person she would love so dearly as to want him in the saddle is her husband, who is already wrapping up his second and final term as the governor.

This saying goes well for the personality of Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the First Lady of Ekiti State and Chair of Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum. She is one tree that bears wonderfully attractive fruits. Just like one of her recent critics has observed, she is, of course, smart. She is astute, clever, bright, quick, witty, fashionable and chic. Her core strength is her affability.

She knows her worth and she is driven by an energy that goes beyond the physical.

Yes, Erelu Bisi Fayemi is a feminist, but not at the risk of her role as a mother and a wife. Yes, she believes in affirmative action, the policy of favouring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously, specifically her womenfolk and girl-children, but not enough to want to impose anyone on the other. She would rather let things be process-driven than smother anyone. She is too honest to a fault. She carries this virtue into her relationship with other people in both her political and social lives.

But she will be the last person to bully or exploit anyone’s weakness. She would rather use it to protect as many as will run for cover with her and she knows when to set boundaries.

Erelu Bisi Fayemi has high socio-political skills, yet she follows the appropriate rules of etiquette in her dealing. This means that she will be the last to jump the gun.

We dare summarise thus that the Erelu Bisi Fayemi we know lives a balanced life. Her life, like everyone else’s, revolves around four major categories: family and friends, health, empowerment and spirit. Balancing them allows her to think clearly with imagination and optimism. That is the Ekiti First Lady that we know and care to talk or read about.

I have recently read some articles accusing Erelu Fayemi of taking position against some people, most especially against the decision of her husband, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, and I

Let me take you into some secrets that show how politically vulnerable Erelu Bisi Fayemi can be: While she advocates that a substantial number of women should be appointed or

• Mary Oso-Omotosho is Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Ekiti State

Erelu Bisi Fayemi lifts people up, builds trust and strengthens relationships between team members. She improves the quality of work being done and she drives accountability, collaboration and cooperation. This is the same person they all run to for help. So, what exactly is the problem now?

Budget 2022: Beside Broadcast Bombast And Benighted Breakdown

BY ISIDORE EMEKA UZOATU

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has once again tabled the draft of the nation’s budget for 2022 before a joint session of the National Assembly.

More than anything else, it further strengthens what his critics would point to as another proof that he really doesn’t want to leave office as a failure.

The President had initially made the assertion as he changed the service chiefs. Back then he had evidently heeded to the clamour of the nation as to the alarming security lacuna beclouding his numerous other achievements. This time around, the due presentation of the budget means that he wants to carry the economy along in this march to a successful end of his presidency in 2023, a year in which, all things being equal, the presentation of the budget will be done by his successor.

The truth is that, in a remarkable departure from the shenanigans of his immediate predecessors, since assuming office he has tried his best to see to it that the budget is never presented out of time. That way, unlike the practice before him, the budget is given time to flow in tandem with its calendar year, thereby making it possible for any accruing inconsistencies to be redressed before it is too late.

This is doubly laudable as it affords all the opportunity to look at its proposals before the dawn of the year.

More than anything else, it is indeed arguably the most cogent reason in support of this auspicious timing of its delivery. Unlike when the whole exercise ends up playing catchup, thereby giving room for umpteen malpractices and what have you.

But still, though the budgeting process is inevitable in the democratic setting, it is often disparaged in these shores.

Like most other obligations of our government functionaries, they are mostly seen as routine exercises. To some, it is often seen as undertaken by them to justify their incumbency and fat remunerations. Thus, other than studying them for scrutiny’s sake, they are mostly disparaged - even without proof.

Take this just-delivered one. Already many are the voices being raised for and against it.

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Even before its expected easy passage in the National Assembly, tongues are already wagging. To most in this encore, nothing would sway them from the belief that our National Assembly is a rubber stamp of the executive arm.

Citing many instances afore, they all argue that the only difference they can add to the proposals will be to pad it in their favour, a conclusion, which is decipherable as coming to the fore on account of their disparity from their immediate predecessors.

Back then, most bills from the executive arm were subjected to a thorough scrutiny. Much so that it often saw the President refusing to grant assent to them. A development, those in this clique argue, that has since vanished from the lexicon of the current assemblage.

So where does this leave the ordinary men and women counting down their steps on the cobble less roads of the nation’s streets and highways? Probably they had taken time off their vicarious duties to hear out every phoneme of the President’s speech and this with a view to see how they would contribute to the budget’s success.

Do you blame these doubting Thomases in their number when, more often than not, their hopes end up being dashed to smithereens on the altar of legislative timidity? A truism provable by the way and manner the legislators have often passed the President’s earlier bills without as much as the doubt of a vet, sometimes even to their own detriment.

Take the just-passed Petroleum Industry Act, for instance.

Under Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate-past president under whom the bill was indeed initiated, its passage had been stalled and infinitum. Then under the new man, it was just resurrected and passed, even with outstanding issues.

So much so that it was only after its - also expeditious signing into law that the executive had to re-send it back to them for the necessary amendments.

Anyway, concerning the current budget, it is hoped that our people in the green and red chambers will - at least - live up to the enormous responsibilities thrust upon them by the constitution. For it sure shivers timbres that people should shirk their god-given responsibilities for a mess of pottage.

The more so, in a time like this when the onus lies squarely on all and sundry to contribute their quotas - however little - to save us from imminent crumble.

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Sans pontification, the handwriting on the wall should by now be legible to one and all. The time is nigh to re-target our arrows at the easily decipherable causes of our present malaises. Yes, for all our previous aims had been at its effects. All said and done, a continuation will only serve to worsen the matter.

With the budget at stake, it sure behoves all to hearken to the first line of our national anthem. O yes, including the rest of us massed outside the red and green chambers of the National Assembly. At least for once, all must rise to our beleaguered nation’s call. Big or little, we should all play our parts to see that the proposals are well vetted and implemented to the betterment of the country and its long suffering citizens.

This is because, heading to the delivered estimates proper, from Mr President’s bombast - budget of growth and sustainability - to the finance minister’s breakdown, one finds that it does not in any way deviate from its predecessors.

Although it is avowedly presented in good time, as always, there still lies the problem of funding. Though the non-oil sources of revenue appear to be rising up to the occasion, its petroleum components are still slacking.

Yet, they used to be almost the sole source in the good, old times!

Therefore, that it has once more left the onus for the balancing of the budget in the laps of external loans should be a cause of concern to all patriots. That we are taking loans at all should ordinarily raise eyebrows. Not to talk of when they are taken with an abandonment that amounts to recklessness so much that as at now more than 70 per cent of the present budget is spent on their service.

Finally, unless budgets have morphed to mortgages like some have posited, this has to come to a stop. We have played this macabre game of thrones enough. Like our elders say, the blacksmith that doesn’t know how to fashion a gong has a wayfaring kite’s tail as a ready aid. After all, a goat is only left to suffer parturition in tethers on account of no elder being at home.

And as long as we have not checked out, a la Andrew - remember him? - we can’t let this pass without throwing a stone.

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O CTO B ER 24 – O CTO BE R 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

•

w w w. t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .1 N O.3 7

Operating Income March-Sept. 2018

Olayinka

Cost-to-Income Ratio (Y-t-D) 2018

Source: Proshare

Keystone Bank: Undisclosed Performance Signals Depth in Doldrums

BY SAM DIALA

figures in previous reports.

K

eystone Bank Limited is visible in the Nigerian banking space, but little information is available about its operating performance. Unlike its peers, the bank’s Annual Reports and Accounts are not available on its Website and not obtained at its branches. Therefore, assessing the impact of the various regulatory and operating policy environments on the lender is difficult, notwithstanding that it receives and transacts businesses with depositors’ funds.

The bank’s website indicates that the annual reports could be accessed on the platform: “Please find below links to view a history of Keystone accounts and reports over the years”, but attempts to access the documents yielded no results. The links did not open to any document at the time of filing this report.

Several attempts proved unsuccessful, suggesting that the documents had either been deleted or did not exist. “Keystone Bank provides services for our esteemed clients with a focus on wealth building and investment security”, the bank added on the website.

Search showed clips of a few newspaper reports on the bank in 2018. The stories made reference to the bank’s first, second and third quarter performance in that year. However, the reports could not be traced to published financials or comparative

Addressing Manpower Challenge In NAMA ANTHONY AWUNOR writes on the manpower challenge at the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)

G

lobally human capital development is fundamental to sustainable development of aviation. As a result, there is need for competent manpower

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to drive the industry at all times.

From reports, the international Air Transport Association (IATA) expects significant growth in aviation jobs, but the challenge lies in the shortage of talent acquisition, training and retention.

Continues on next page

In a news report titled, ‘Keystone Bank returns to profitability with N3.7 billion’ and published by The Guardian newspaper on May 28, 2018, the newspaper noted that the feat was achieved after many years in the doldrums. It also stated that it happened after the acquisition by Sigma Golf-Riverbank consortium following the successful completion of AMCON’s divestment from the bank.

“The bank for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, recorded a profit before tax of N3.72 billion, compared with a loss of N2.79 billion over the same period in 2017.

“Deposit grew 42 per cent or N84 billion to N283 billion at the end of the quarter March 2018 “The bank had recently posted its first quarter financial results, which indicated significant profits in just eight months of taking over the helm of affairs after many years of struggling to stay afloat,” The Guardian reported.

The newspaper also quoted the then Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Obeahon Ohiwerei, as saying, “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and resilience of the management and staff of the bank. From inception it

MORE INSIDE Sterling Bank Goes Solar, Powers HQ with Hitech Energy PAGE 39

Entrepreneurs Hail Bank of Industry on UN Agency Deal PAGE 39

Continues on next page

NDIC Boss, Hassan Hosts Finance Journalists, Business Editors

BY SAM DIALA

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he Managing Director of Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Mr Bello Hassan, will lead top management of the Corporation to host a contingent of media professionals at its workshop for Business Editors and members of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN), holding in Gombe this week. A document about the event seen by THEWILL and signed by Continues on next page 39 THEWILLNIGERIA

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AVIATION/BANKING Addressing Manpower Challenge In NAMA

Keystone Bank: Undisclosed Performance Signals Depth in Doldrums Continued from previous page

Continued from previous page

has been our vision to restore the confidence of all our stakeholders with tangible results and we are indeed pleased with this start.” But there was no report to corroborate the narratives.

Similarly, in its report titled, ‘The many headaches of Keystone Bank – Underlying pressures persist’and published on December 28, 2018, Proshare, a renowned financial information services outfit, outlined the following excerpts from the bank’s 2018 quarterly reports:

“

The regulators in Nigeria are not helping matters. Even an unquoted company is bound by the laws governing limited liability investments. Yes, Keystone Bank is not quoted, but rendering open their results is beneficial because they deal with public funds

Highlights: •Profit After Tax (PAT) of N5.3bn, N79.2bn and loss of N1.3bn recorded in March, June and September 2018, respectively.

•From the N5.3bn PAT declared in March 2018, the previous two months’ losses were subsumed under the profit, while there was a quarterly bonus taken by directors.

The aviation industry has continued to evolve and it is adjusting rapidly on multiple fronts.

As a result, the demand for talent within the industry, according to experts, will assume corresponding dynamics.

In Nigeria, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), an aviation training institution located in Zaria, Kaduna State, was established by an Act of parliament and charged with the responsibility of training pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance engineers, aeronautical telecommunications engineers and several aviation specialists for the nation and the African aviation industry.

Since inception, the college has churned out graduates, but, even at that, there is still manpower gap in most of the aviation agencies, a situation that has created vacuums in the system.

In the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), for example, less than half of the required number of air traffic controllers (ATCs) is available. As at 2016, the Air Traffic Navigation Service (ATNS) of South Africa’s total personnel was a little over 1,000, air traffic controllers were 500, while only two area control centres existed.

There were only 22 airport control towers.

Whereas the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) total personnel was 2,500, the number of ATCs was 300, while only two area control centres was recorded. The number of airport control towers was 32.

In order to bridge the manpower gap, NAMA decided to convert non-technical staff in the system to technical, specifically to address the shortage of ATCs. This occurred as the management also took steps to further engage retired ATCs to complement those converted and also promised to enhance the allowances of aeronautical workers in line with the situation in the country.

The Managing Director of NAMA, Capt Fola Akinkuotu, who disclosed this at the 50th Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) in Abuja recently said that NAMA was worried over the dearth of qualified ATCs in the last few years.

He noted that the management was alive to its responsibilities in the area of workers welfare.

Akinkuotu stated that government had provided funds for the upgrade of safe towers in the country and commended members of NATCA for their commitment and sued for dialogue in cases of disagreements to ensure amicable resolution of pending labour matters at NATCA. THEWILLNIGERIA

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In his remarks, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Captain Rabiu Yadudu, applauded the role of ATCs and urged other stakeholders to appreciate them.

Capt Yadudu also stressed the need for effective communication between the cockpit and the ATCs. NATCA president, Abayomi Agoro, while welcoming the guests at the event said they were happy that the industry was coming back on track from the scare of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He reiterated their MAYDAY call for the review of the ATC scheme of service as the matter had lingered for too long, adding that it would be appropriate to revisit the issue to draw the attention of the relevant authorities towards resolving them finally.

Agoro stressed the need to improve the CNS facilities in NAMA and to review ATCOs’ retirement age as well as their length of service.

He observed that matching the length of service with age would mitigate the shortage of ATCs, especially with emerging airports and airlines.

“Going by the recommendation of a committee set up by NCAA as captured in the communiqué released at the last AGM, NATCA in conjunction with the Directorate has formally requested an upward review of the age validity for ATC licence holder from 60 to 65 years. This has been granted by the DG and we sincerely thank the Authority for it”.

Agoro, however expressed concern over the seemingly stalled NAMA Condition of Service (CoS) stressing that, a major stakeholder in NAMA, NATCA drew the attention of the appropriate authorities to challenge of professionalism. He said this threatened industrial harmony within the Agency in the negotiated draft of the staff Condition of Service (CoS).

“We raised these concerns purely in the interest of justice, equity and fairness. The roles of every professional in NAMA and the nature of licences held by them are clearly stated in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR) Part II. We therefore urge NAMA management and all the relevant unions to urgently address this issue”, he observed.

He urged the Management of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria to create the enabling environment to iron out the welfare issues raised by NATCA with the former rector.

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•Capital Expenditure growth was above the bank’s net working capital, substantial increase was noticeable in fixed assets, mostly vehicles.

•Excessive growth in administrative and general expenses depressed the bank’s operating income and increased the erosion of equity by way of accumulated losses.

•Steady increase in the bank’s nonperforming loans.

Background/Context: Pried from the grips of a bank undertaker, the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), Keystone Bank, a successor institution to defunct Bank PHB, is coming to terms with the cold realities of a difficult economic environment.

A cursory review of the bank’s recent Q3 2018 financial statement showed the following: 1. Operating expenses grew from N2.04 billion at the end of March 2018 to N2.4 billion at the end of June 2018, and then rose further

by N400 million at the end of September 2018; representing a leap of 17.64 per cent. On a year to date basis, it grew consistently from N6.3 billion in Q1, 2018 to N13.7 billion in Q2 2018 and N22.4 billion in Q3 2018.

This may be attributed to the illadvised expansion in its capital and administrative expenses which appears to be the result of the bank’s new owners and

Operating Cost March-Sept. 2018

management taking early bonuses unjustified by immediate corporate performance.

2. Non-financial costs spiraled out of control rising by 17.4 per cent between March and June 2018 and then by 18.8 per cent between June and September 2018. This contrasts sharply with falling operating income which declined by 66 per cent between March and June 2018 while income dropped from N7.35 billion at the end of March 2018 to N2.50 billion at the end of June 2018; after which operating income declined by 38 per cent from N2.50bn in June 2018 to N1.55 billion in September 2018.

Proshare further stated, “A lot of the trouble comes from the bank’s high capital expenditure which has hurt its operating cash flow and thinned down what analysts have called its ‘free’ cash flow. The bank’s huge expenditure on motor vehicles in 2018 at a time when a multiplicity of electronic banking platforms has conveniently reduced the face time needed to service corporate and private customers is difficult to understand.

“The bank also gets into some difficulty where its current liabilities exceed its current assets to deliver negative working capital.

Governance and risk management standards require that capital expenditures should be constrained by the extent of the positive size of a bank’s capital.”

The 2018 reports appears to be the last of the bank’s ‘disclosed’ performance report. Yet, these narratives could not be traced to published financials as is the practice.

Besides educating the public on its performance, published reports would help to show the impact of several regulatory policy initiatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to strengthen the financial services industry and to boost economic growth. The extent the CBN financial inclusion policies have impacted on the operations of Keystone Bank, especially its customer base, could also not be ascertained. The same goes for the several CBN intervention funds which are channeled through the deposit money banks. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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VOX POP

eNaira: The Voice of Lagosians!

Ahead of the planned launch of Nigeria’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), eNaira, THEWILL went downtown to feel the pulse of Lagos residents (Lagosians) on the novel project described in some quarters as the ‘mystery money’. JOY ONUORAH conducted a random survey in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, where she posed three questions to the respondents: Have you heard about Nigeria’s planned digital currency, eNaira? What do you think about it? Should the government go ahead with it? Below are responses from the field work that produced feelings of the good, the bad and the ugly – about eNaira. eNaira is good, but let’s tackle some critical issues …

I

have heard about e-Naira, Nigeria’s digital currency. It works like a digital version of the physical naira more or less like Bitcoin; it is the representation of the naira itself. Since it is not going to replace the physical naira or lower Nigeria’s ranking as Africa’s largest economy, I consider it a plus; as I said, provided it is not going to reduce the value of the physical naira. We should be thinking ahead since the world is transiting to the digital age. The government should go ahead with the eNaira launch. But, how ready are we in the face of rising cybercrime, which is the major disadvantage of the digital currency? We are faced with power supply and connectivity issues. If the government can invest in the right people to fight cyber security crime, then we should go ahead.

Ityohuna Augustina Civil Servant

I

know about eNaira. It is the digital currency initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It will really expand our payment system and make delivery of goods and funds transfer easier. But we must consider the limitations, mainly low infrastructure, poor connectivity, Internet outage, unstable electricity, and other things. It looks good on the surface, but when you consider the limitations, you can see it will not favour those in the rural area. It may end up another urban-centred project.

Grace Amaugo Logistics Officer

Let eNaira flow I’m a fan of digital currency, but …

I

have heard about e-Naira. It’s not a bad idea actually. There are over 3,000 digital currencies across the globe with 195 countries across the seven continents. With these facts, it is crystal clear that individuals, companies and others own digital currencies. The question then is why can’t a country have it? I’m a fan of digital currency. However, the government should not go into it because it’s not a priority for now. There are many things to look into in the Nigerian economy. For example, capsizing upper, middle and lower classes and a lot more. It’s not wise for the country to jump into digital currency at the moment; it could be made a project-in-view.

Oyebade Festus Entrepreneur

The project is dead on arrival!

I

know about eNaira. Although, I haven’t read enough about it to form a well-informed opinion. I don’t think it’s something Nigeria should give attention to now.

I belive the idea was hurriedly conceived to replace the banned cryptocurrency. The Nigerian financial system currently does not look like what is capable of sustaining eNaira. The naira does not hold much value in the global financial system. The citizens do not particularly value the currency. So there would be no enthusiasm to trade with eNaira and this makes the entire project dead on arrival.

I

am aware of the digital currency, eNaira, which the Federal Government is about to launch.

As a student of Finance, I know it has a lot of advantages. It is a welcomed idea because it will facilitate trade, enhance financial inclusion and reduce the cost of handling paper naira. The world is moving rapidly fast into technology in all ramifications, including digital means of exchange. I endorse it. Let eNaira flow.

Testimony Chinaza (Tessy Dee) Student

Corruption, incompetence will kill it

Y

have not heard about eNaira or digital currency. I do not believe in it because whatever our government does in this country will purposely be for their benefit. It is not something that will favour the ordinary citizen. Of all the challenges facing the country, is digital currency the best thing to think or talk about at this time? I do not consider it a good and well-planned project. Absolutely, I do not support its implementation.

es, I know about eNaira.

Like any other thing done by the government, the project will fail mainly due to corruption and incompetence. I do not think they should go ahead with it. They can invest the funds for the project elsewhere. The PR for eNaira is bad already, with trust issues and all that.

Olamilekan Kazeem

Oluyemi Daniel

Student

Tech Expert

Mudashiru Rukayat Businesswoman

I do not think it is meant for the ordinary citizen

I

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It’s good, but let’s not overlook the limitations

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com

LINDA OSIFO

INSPIRED BY MOTHERLAND THEWILLNIGERIA

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Popular actress and humanitarian, Linda Osifo, spoke to SHADE METIBOGUN about her foray into entertainment and her experience since returning to Nigeria.

Excerpts:

Osifo

I HAVE NO REGRET RELOCATING TO NIGERIA - LINDA OSIFO Y

ou lived in Canada before relocating to Nigeria.

Why did you decide to return to Nigeria?

I was at a very sensitive point in my life when I left Canada for Nigeria. It was that stage of becoming a young adult. I had to pursue life. No more living on mom and dad. It was a stage where you go into the world to find out who you truly are. I had just graduated from the university and I was 22 years-old. I had to ask myself questions to know what I really wanted to do. I had to make my own decisions at that point. My parents could not help me. I had to search deep within me to know what I really loved to do. I had to search for the things that came effortlessly and gave me utmost joy. In relation to entertainment, it was not acting alone because I was engaged in everything as a young child. I have participated in a beauty pageant, hosted an awards show and hosted a television show in Toronto, Canada. I have also gained some experience from my first movie set in New Jersey, USA. I have all those highlights and of course, growing up in church, I was involved in the drama department. I was living my life. I was engaged in some community work as well. You know, those kinds of stuff. It is those kinds of community work that truly define who you really are. I just had to choose when I got the opportunity to come to Lagos to host a show. I decided to take the opportunity and see what it brings. However, coming to Nigeria was not what I expected.

What show was this?

I had the opportunity to host a fashion show that was quite big in Lagos. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to host

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“

Osifo

I would love to hear that Linda Osifo donated ten thousand desktops to an orphanage. I have the desire to spread knowledge as much as I can. I hope that someone will continue from where I stopped the show again. Things changed. That was how I got my first introduction to Lagos. I wasn’t conversant with the way things are in Nigeria then. I was so young and I didn’t have any family members, acquaintances or friends to stay with in Nigeria. That made things tough. I couldn’t decide the next step to take because I was already in Lagos. My ticket was for two months, after which I was supposed to go back to Canada. I just had to evaluate the situation. I asked myself: if I had to go back to Canada, what exactly would I go back to do? I was only going back to the health

sector with my psychology degree or continue doing my entertainment stuff in America. At that point, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I just knew that I was in a state of exploring who I am. For me, it was a journey that was about to start. I told myself that no matter the situation, I had options. I am a Canadian citizen; my life is actually there and I was educated there. My family is there, too. It wasn’t a do-or-die affair, but I pretended as if I had no option. If not, I would have given up on every opportunity that frustrated me. Not even the opportunity to get a good job or career, the cultural differences or environmental differences and lifestyle. I didn’t consider the suffering. The mosquito bites were enough to send me back to Canada. I didn’t try use those excuses. I tried to stay focused without considering a Plan B. Looking back at your decision, would you say you have any regrets?

I have no regrets. At the level that I am now, I do not use such words like regret. I have a better understanding of what motivates me and what inspires me to make certain decisions. I relocated to Nigeria in 2013. I made my final decision to stay through thick and thin in 2015. That was when I got my first major television break on a series, Desperate Housewives Africa. When I got my first official break, I was seen as an actor, which was an amazing feat to me. That was when I thought that I had a reason to keep pressing and keep going.

You stated once that you studied psychology because of THEWILLNIGERIA

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your parent’s influence. What was their reaction when you told them that you were going into entertainment instead of practising what you studied?

I will be very honest with you. I can recall the time I spoke with my mother about it. I had a heart-to-heart conversation about it with my mother, who is actually my number one fan. I asked her to tell me what she thinks I should do. And she said she sees me being in the public eye, speaking in entertainment and performing. I was already doing well as a performer. She said that is what she sees me doing. When I got that response, I felt that I had gotten the answer that I needed. She told me that she was aware that I did not like psychology. She also asked me how I was going to do it, who I knew and who would help me. It was just the way that you would ask yourself that she also asked me. My parents believed in me. The reason they believed in me was because of all the things I did at a tender age. For instance, in church, I was the vice president of a youth group, the drama, and dance group. I was coordinating their activities.

They had seen me in leadership positions and seen how I handle things. For me, they were experiences that shaped me and would help me later in life. Those things made my parents trust me and know the kind of child I was; the kind of personality I have. When I made the decision to go into acting, it was so easy for them to trust and believe in me and also give me their support.

Which role in a movie has been most challenging for you?

I will say one of the most challenging roles I have acted in was in a movie titled The City of Bastards. However, it is yet to be released to the public. We shot that movie in a city called Makoko, which is known as one of Lagos’ poverty-ravaged areas. It is a ghetto. We were there for one month and got to live there. The character I played had to go on a canoe. We experienced the lifestyle of people in that community. A person would want to use the toilet and it is on the water. It was their regular lifestyle. That made me see life differently and the way it truly is. It was a tough one for me. From the character to the location and also the experience. Everybody fell ill at the end of the day. It was indeed a city of bastard, just like the title.

What is your beauty routine?

I try not to use too many things on my skin. That is the problem we have. We use too many unnecessary things on our skin. The more you complicate things, the more errors you make. I believe that we all have this natural ingredient in our skin. We should leave it the way it is and try to eat right. I try by all means to stay away from chemicals. I use natural substances for my skin. I love coconut oil. I love shea butter. Any good oil that goes with the skin, and Nigeria is a good place to live in.

Are you under pressure to get married?

I will consider the question from two perspectives: The family that I come from and the society that we are living in. I come from a different background. My parents are exposed to different cultures and orientations. My family lives in Canada and the mindset over there is not as serious as it is on this side of the globe. I have not been pressured in that regard by my parents. However, on this side of the world where I am, I see some pressure. They are not directly in my face. They can be in the comment section screaming “go and marry oo”. But I haven’t been pressured.

What is your opinion on women being single and successful?

One thing about my personality is that I have always been a goal-oriented individual. Because of that mindset, I have not had this notion about being successful and being single.

I believe each individual should be goal-oriented. Before you decide to be someone’s wife, you should make sure that you have your own life. That is how I see things. Until you are ready and until you are in the mood to carry extra luggage, don’t allow anyone to pressure you. If you see that you are not ready, I don’t see the reason you should be

If you had to do something outside the entertainment industry, what would that be?

Another passion I would have loved to pursue outside entertainment is law, then real estate.

You could run a real estate with your career. Are you planning do that?

Yes, I am.

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There is a new trend in the entertainment industry that requires people go for body enhancement. What is your take on it?

Naturally, I always tell people to do what would make them happy. I was going through some things today and I wrote some words down. One such word is confidence.

Confidence is what brings out the true beauty in you. It is not your shape or your colour, but confidence. Confidence only happens when you feel happy with yourself. If what makes you happy involves enhancing the physical appearance and how you look, please go ahead. The truth is if you are given a paper and a pen in secret to write down the things you would want to change about yourself, there is no one that wouldn’t have something to write down. Unfortunately, there are certain things that you cannot change, such as your genes and your genotype.

However, you could change the way you appear. If you can change those things and you feel they would increase your confidence to be the best that you can be, by all means, do what makes you happy.

Which procedure would you prefer?

If I was to do any body enhancement, it would be to increase my height. I would love to darken my skin colour more, get my woman bosom to be firmer. I would love to make my lips plumper to have that African look. I would definitely work on my front hairline.

You run a foundation called Love and Oneness Foundation. How far would you say that you have gone in achieving your set goals?

I started my NGO in 2018. I started it because I have always been involved in community work growing up.

In high school, I was very much involved in community work. We would go to the neighbourhood and feed homeless individuals. I wanted to continue with such in this part of my world. It was tough because I didn’t know where to start and how to get help. I told my family my plan and they supported me. We started with a small initiative, which is to go out to eliminate poverty and also eradicate illiteracy. That is the basic idea. I started it in my home town, which is Benin City, and I continued it in Lagos. Each month we would pick two orphanages and distribute items to them. I also thought to myself that there are things I could do to eradicate illiteracy. So I started off in a small way. I believe that if you work hard and learn, society and individuals would be better. What we now do is to donate desktops that are installed with e-learning activities from Mathematics to English, Science and the likes for children to learn and participate while they are on break. Each desktop comes with WIFI installed for one year. We are looking at expanding. I would love to hear that Linda Osifo donated ten thousand desktops to an orphanage. I have the desire to spread knowledge as much as I can. I hope that someone will continue from where I stopped.

What are some of the most important things you consider before accepting a script?

I would love to know the impact the story would make.

When I started, it wasn’t about the story itself but about the opportunity to showcase what I could do. However, it is now about the impact I can make with the story. How would the story impact my life? How would the story impact the person watching it? How would the story impact my culture and Nigeria as a whole? The storyline is the most important thing for me, and what is different about the story compared to previous ones that I have done.

It is rare for actors to keep their skin colour like you do.

Have you ever been tempted to make your skin lighter than it is?

I tried to do that in my early 20s based on the influence I was exposed to in the western world. I was surrounded by different shades of colour, different shades of Caucasian.

I was surrounded by different shades of black. That is, the Caribbean and Africans. Over there, you would feel that racism effect, especially in schools. I felt that impact and I wanted to bleach. It was at that stage that I relocated to Nigeria. I would say that Nigeria has shaped me so much.

I started seeing more people who looked so much like me.

I saw more dark-skinned people. I saw more young ladies like myself. That made me embrace my colour more and I started loving myself more. I have been looking for ways to darken my skin more if I can. With my career, I started seeing a different respect being given here, which is a different ball game in the western world. That mentality affected my skin colour and the way I saw myself back then. I had low self-esteem because of where I was coming from. I had to turn it around and use it as my strength now that I am in Nigeria.

pressured. Don’t let society pressure you to get there too.

Success is something everyone should attain. Excellence is something everyone should attain, irrespective of their gender. I have always encouraged both males and females to pursue success. If you are a successful woman, it is based on your hard work and not based on your gender.

If you are a successful man, it is based on your hard work and not based on the privileges you would get.

The project involves a lot of money. How do you raise funds to do it?

We do it annually for now because we have not been able to raise enough funds. I try to save a lot and I try to get families to help, too. We also try to get sponsorship. We gave out seven desktops recently, which is more affordable for me. We are hoping to be able to give out more when we get more sponsorship.

Osifo

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Who is your ideal man?

If I was to define my ideal man, I would want to create him out of clay. He must be an individual that is very supportive. That does not mean financially. I learnt such support from my parents. I have such amazing role models in the area of marriage from my parents. They have been married for years now. I believe that support is the number one thing. I would love such a person to have a great character as well. He must have a great personality and must be God-fearing. He should be able to seek the heart of God first and teach his family to do the same if he is God-fearing. He must be a good person, basically.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Shade Gbadamosi Kicks Out Husband, Takes Over Amen Estate

MEET ABOLO BECKHAM WHO MADE TIWA SAVAGE’S SEX TAPE W

hen super star singer Tiwa Savage revealed about two weeks ago that she was being blackmailed over a sex video she made with her lover, many were surprised to learn that she didn’t waste time to move on barely four months after the death of her lover, Habeeb Othman, otherwise known as Obama DMW, an aide of Davido who died of a heart related ailment. Naturally, many were eager to learn the identity of this mystery lover boy.

Several days before the sex video went public, THEWILL had exclusively revealed the name of her lover.

Popularly known by many as either Bolo Beckham or Abolo Beckham of Warri, he is a ‘wealthy businessman’ whose source of wealth is reportedly questionable. This perhaps explains why he spends most of his time in Ghana.

In his 40s, Abolo is a married

man who also has a baby mama that lives in London.

He has been spotted visiting her and some of his children who live with her in the city.

Despite having a baby mama, Abolo is well known within the social circuit of Ghana, not only for hosting high octane parties, but also for bedding quite a number of prominent high-profile Ghanaian ladies who he spoils silly with his generosity.

But having a wife, a baby mama and sleeping with many other women did not stop Abolo from chasing after Tiwa whom he swept off her feet and began a hush-hush relationship with.

Quite smitten with Tiwa, Abolo spares no expense to keep her happy. He is responsible for her lavish lifestyle, paying for her trips in private jets, picking up the bills for whatever luxury item catches her fancy, including a recent purchase, a diamond

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Beckham

encrusted wristwatch worth N75m, which he got from a New York jeweller, Benny The Jeweller, who has Mary J Blige, Diddy, Soulja Boy, Jake Paul, French Montana and even Davido as his clients.

Abolo is also responsible for the recent subtle body upgrade that Tiwa allegedly acquired. Surprisingly he is not visible on social media, having erased his footprints about three years ago. But he recently resuscitated his Snapchat social media account, with which he used to record the video he made with Tiwa and deleted the app after the video was ‘mistakenly’ posted.

Before his relocation to Ghana, Abolo was a known baller in Lagos who could comfortably spend millions of naira at a sitting in a night club, as well as on the women he dates for short periods at a time. He loves fast cars and has all kinds of luxury cars in his garage, one of which is a Rolls Royce Wraith.

he union between Folashade and Babatunde Gbadamosi, the Lagos State governorship candidate for Action Democratic Party in the 2019 general election, as well as the candidate of the People’s Democratic party in the October 2020 Lagos-East Senatorial District bye-election, has allegedly ended on a sad note.

While sources close to Shade claim that the marriage ended due to infidelity on the part of Babatunde, others close to Babatunde insist the marriage ended because of Shade’s overbearing and nagging attitude while also running him down continuously, such as alleging that he was a post man in the United Kingdom who had nothing to his name before she agreed to marry him.

But the marriage ended

when Babatunde allegedly impregnated a Nigerian lady based in the UK named Yinka Balogun, an accounting and finance specialist. Unable to stomach the betrayal, Shade kicked him out of their matrimonial home and the business they both ran together. She has since taken full control of the business and has been asserting her authority as the owner of the business.

Before the crash of the marriage, the couple projected the image that Babatunde was the brain and the financial muscle behind the business as the chairman and CEO of Redbrick Homes International Limited, promoters and developers of Amen Estate where Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, who has been the face of the estate for several years now, lives.

Now that the marriage has

allegedly collapsed, Shade now refers to herself as the Chairman/CEO of Redbrick Homes International Limited. To further assert her authority and show that she is now fully in charge, Funke who happens to be related to Babatunde, now acknowledges only Shade in promotional materials for Amen Estate unlike in the past when she would acknowledge both husband and wife.

The erstwhile couple’s union was Shade’s third attempt at marriage and Babatunde’s second. The marriage was blessed with a set of twins, in addition to Shade’s three children from previous relationships and one from Babatunde’s previous relationship. However, Shade is yet to revert to her maiden name, Balogun, and still retains Gbadamosi as her surname.

The Gbadamosis

How South-West Governor Shunned Movie Executive at Fashion, Music Event

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ast weekend, one of the SouthWest states organised a fashion, music, dance and food festival, which featured quite a number of artistes, fashion houses and dance enthusiasts. The one-day show which took place in Lagos was actually the brain-child of a popular movie executive executed in collaboration with the government of this SouthWest state under the Ministry of Tourism. But, unlike most of the events this movie executive had organised in the past for the same state government, the executive deliberately didn’t publicise the event for obvious reasons. There was

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a deliberate attempt to avoid raising eyebrows or causing tongues to wag about an ‘illicit affair’ between the movie executive and this south west governor, an allegation that pervaded the public sphere sometime last month. This time, the executive stayed in the background and allowed the state government to take the shine as the sole originator and organiser of the event.

But something happened on the night of the event that made the executive realise that it will no longer be business as usual. As the governor walked into the venue of the festival, the executive made to

receive and welcome the governor but got blocked by the governor’s security operatives, preventing the executive from going anywhere near the governor. This was a shocker as the executive had in the past had access to this South-West governor, related freely enough to invite the governor to social events without his aides and security personnel acting as stumbling blocks. But on this very day, it was as if the universe conspired against this executive. The governor, who arrived with his wife in tow, was surrounded by his numerous aides, kept a straight face all through the period he stayed at the event and

did not for once look in the movie executive’s direction.

When the governor made to leave, his aides again formed a ring around him just in case this executive made another attempt to reach him. Sources close to the governor are of the opinion that the lengthy expose on the ‘illicit affair’ between the executive and the governor, no doubt, infuriated his wife, who obviously gave him hell at home for causing her such embarrassment.

This hell was all the more necessary because of a previous and most recently alleged affair that almost ruined the home of this governor.

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Well, he was quick to put himself in check this time to prevent another tsunami from happening under his roof.

The governor’s aides and his security personnel see this movie executive as one who has little or no regard for them, a tightfisted person who never greases their palms, very unlike other visitors who always puts them into consideration. They felt this was payback time and they paid the movie executive back in the kind of coins the executive never expected.

Perhaps this may be the beginning of the end for the governor and the movie executive. Time will tell.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Obong of Calabar Honours Ozekhome with Chieftaincy Title

KEMI ADEWUNMI THREATENED FOR EYEING EKITI GOVT HOUSE

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Lagos-based socialite and humanitarian, Princess Kemi Adewunmi, has her eyes set on occupying the Government House in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, come 2022 and she hopes to achieve this on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. Kemi, the president of Soroptimist International and the Women Initiative for Advocacy, Social Justice and Empowerment, among many other organisations and groups she heads, is the widow of a former Chief of Air Staff, late Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Alfa.

She will be slugging it out in the primaries with 14 other contenders, eight of whom are also women.

The mother of two says that since she announced her governorship ambition, she has been receiving death threats from different people, including her distant cousin who is also in the race to become governor. This cousin of hers allegedly has the full backing and support of a controversial former governor of the state.

As she forges on with her political aspirations, she has made it known that should anything happen to her, her distant cousin, the former governor and some youth leaders in the state should be held responsible.

This is not Kemi’s first attempt to run for an elective position. In 2018, she lost her bid to represent Ekiti Central in the Federal House of Representatives.

Adewunmi

Alibaba Joins League of TV Owners

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all Ali Baba a jack of all trade and you won’t be wrong. Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome has tried his hands on many things: acting, advertising consultancy, painting, photography, motivational speaking, show hosting and more. Now the foremost comedian fondly refered to as Alibaba is about to add a television station that he branded XQZ MOI, named after his once-famous events centre located close to the British International School, Victoria Island, to the list.

A dream come true, XQZ MOI has been in the making for over five years. Alibaba, who got the license for the station a while ago, has been putting finishing touches to the studio in readiness for its formal launch before the end of the year. A lover of purple, the color features prominently in the creation of the station’s logo.

Akpobome

Bukky Wright Bags Security Certification in America

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t is no longer news that Nollywood actress, Bukky Wright left Nigeria over five years ago to seek the proverbial greener pasture in America and has been working on getting her full citizenship since then. While at it, the 54-year-old mother of two young men, one of who is in the United States Army, got busy acquiring a master’s degree as well as a certification as an Information security analyst. Even though she still finds time to appear in movies once in a while, Bukky earns her daily living THEWILLNIGERIA

working in the corporate sector in America, Texas specifically. A great role interpreter, Bukky became popular after her break out role in Wale Adenuga’s Super Story, television series. She is also a movie producer with several blockbuster movies under her belt. In terms of love, the fair skinned beauty has been quite unlucky in that department having been married four times to four different men. But she has not given up on love yet and is reportedly looking at giving marriage at least Wright one more shot.

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Okoye

bout two weeks ago, a constitutional and human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Ada Idaha Ke Efik Eburukutu Kingdom—pillar of strength of Efik Kingdom—by the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V. In a colourful Efik traditional ceremony held in Calabar, the monarch said he decided to honour Ozekhome because he is a man worthy of celebration. Besides being the first senior advocate to emerge from Edo state, the Obong said he considers him a strong advocate of good governance and an activist that cannot be silenced. The legal luminary has several other titles besides the one bestowed on him by the Obong. Some of them are the Okporokpo of Oleh Kingdom in Delta State, Eno-bakhare of Benin Kingdom, (Oba’s word is final), and Ikemba 1 of Ezebe Ancient Kingdom etc.

PAUL OKOYE BUILDS SHOPPING PLAZA AMID DIVORCE DRAMA

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espite dealing with the turmoil that comes with a divorce, musician Paul Okoye appears to have resolved to move on with his life and not wallow in self-pity. The one half of the defunct singing duo, P-square, has just expanded his business frontiers with the completion of his shopping plaza situated somewhere on Lagos Island.

Named Tannkco, after his estranged wife, Anita Okoye’s kiddies clothing store, the shopping plaza is a twostorey, brick, steel and glass edifice.

Like his brothers, Jude and Peter, Paul is involved in several other business ventures, including the oil and gas, and real estate sectors.

Well Paul obviously needed to expand his business frontiers to enable him come up with the required N7.8 million his estranged wife is asking for monthly upkeep of herself and their three children, Andre and twins, Nathan and Nadia.

Paul and Anita were married for seven years after dating for ten years before Anita took off to Atlanta, Georgia, with their three children under the pretext of studying for a higher degree, only to serve Paul divorce letters a few months after.

Ozekhome

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES SHUN NKECHI BLESSING –SUNDAY AS SHE BURIES MOM S

ome close friends and colleagues of Nollywood actress, Nkechi BlessingSunday, were absent at the burial of her mother, Gloria ObasiSunday, which took place on Saturday, October 16, 2021. The three-day event started on Friday, October 15, 2021 with a Christian wake and continued the next day, Saturday October 16, 2021 with the internment of the deceased at the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State. The burial ceremony was concluded with a thanksgiving service which took place on

Investors Accuse Muyiwa Ademola of Fraud

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Blessing-Sunday

Sunday, October 17, 2021.

The event had in attendance only a few of the actress’ colleagues, such as Iyabo Ojo, Pretty Mike, Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi, Mike Abdul and Kemi Taofeek. Some of her close friends like Mercy Aigbe, Eniola Badmus, Adeyiga Olajide, Oloruntimilehin Bosede Bukola, Adebowale Adebola Seilat, Rasheedah Olatokunbo Jolaosho, Bakare Zainab, Olatayo Amokade, also known as Ijebu, were conspicuously absent at the event. Most of them also shunned the mother of one by refusing

to commiserate with her on their social media space.

A few movie producers and directors, who are on speaking terms with the actress, were also not in attendance. These are the people that the actress holds in high esteem and would always celebrate their achievements and successes at every given opportunity. The likes of Funke Akindele-Bello, Titi Jeje who have featured her in some of their productions were not in attendance and they did not condole with her publicly about her painful loss.

Lady Claims Broda Shaggi Used and Dumped Her

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Perry

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ctress cum model, Comfort Ajayi, also known as Adewale Spicy, has accused social media influencer, Samuel Animashaun Perry, professionally known as Broda Shaggi, of taking advantage of her and dumping her.

She made the accusation after he posted a statement on social media, claiming that he was still a virgin and would only sleep with a woman after marriage.

The lady said the comic actor lied to her that he was in love with her just to sleep with her. And to think that he had the effrontery to state on the social media that he was still a virgin!

She also revealed that they always made love each time they met. Adewale Spicy said she had to oblige Broda Shaggi because she loved him and was ready to do anything to keep their relationship intact, only for the social media influencer to later dump her for another lady. All efforts she made at reaching him proved abortive as he stopped answering her calls and ignored all the text messages sent to him. He also denied her access to him because he was already dating another girl.

Adewale Spicy also threatened to release the video and proof of her claims if the musician denies the allegations. She added that dating Broda Shaggi was a terrible experience for her.

Reacting to her claims, Broda Shaggi retracted his statement and said he was no longer a virgin.

He however avoided making further comments about Adewale Spicy and the allegations levelled against him. Despite efforts by his fans to compel him to reveal what transpired between him and the actress, Broda Shaggi kept sealed lips and moved on with his business.

ollywood actor Muyiwa Ademola is currently in the eye of the storm for allegedly defrauding some investors of their hard-earned money. The investors who are hell bent on retrieving their money had invested in Lagos-based agricultural investment scheme owned by Eatrich Farms and Food Limited, which the actor represents as its ambassador.

The investors, who are some of the actor’s fans, claim that the owner of the company, Sam Afolabi, made away with their dividends and capital. They were lured to invest in the scheme when the talented actor convinced them that the company was genuine in its dealings.

Some of the victims said they invested as much as N2 million of which the company promised a return on investment after six months. They were shocked when one investor, who had breast cancer and was in urgent need of treatment, cried out on social media that her money was trapped. Sam Afolabi, assured them that his company was insured with Leadway Assurance. He later took to his heels and put his office under lock and key after the insurance company disassociated themselves from the crisis.

The insurance company stated that Eatrich Farms and Food Limited used its logo without its consent as it

Ademola only insured the latter’s catfish business.

The insurance company also said it did not cover Eatrich Farms investors’ funds and their investment schemes. The victims then wrote a petition to Alagbon Police Station in Lagos and the company’s ambassadors were invited, but they never showed up.

The victims also petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the matter.

While stating his own side of

the story, Muyiwa Ademola described the situation as unfortunate. He said all efforts he made to ensure that Afolabi paid the aggrieved investors proved abortive. At one point, Afolabi promised to sell some of his properties to settle the investors’ debts, but failed do so. He only threatened to relieve the actor of his ambassadorial appointment.

The actor has since distanced himself from Eatrich Farms and Food Limited.

Bose Olubo Turns Medical Practitioner

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ollywood actress cum singer, Bose Olubo, is now into medical practice. Unknown to many, the talented actress went back to the University of Lagos to study Medicine. She specialised in Pharmacognosy, the study of physical chemical,

Olubo THEWILLNIGERIA

biochemical and biological properties of drugs and drug substances, at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy. While speaking on her latest feat, the actress disclosed that she owns a private clinic in Lagos State where she practices. She has two medical consultants who specialise in general practice assisting her to run her establishment. According to her, she is also passionate about the reproductive health of the female gender and is ready to proffer solutions to their needs.

On dumping acting for medical practice, the actress cum producer stated that she took a break from Nollywood to concentrate on her medical career, but she is now back for good and ready to grab scripts as they come her way.

Bose Olubo started out as a sound track producer before delving into film acting.

She has a few notable movies to her credit, such as Omo Oko, Omo Anifowoshe, Owo Alhaja, and a host of others. Her romantic relationship with music maestro, Chief Sunday Adegeye, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, was one of the most talked about subjects back in the day. Although they eventually parted ways, they are still best of friends.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

BUSINESS NEWS Sterling Bank Goes Solar, Powers HQ with Hitech Energy

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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L-R: Chioma Chukwuka, Royal Brand Ambassador; Chief David Ifezulike, Chairman, Nestle Nigeria; Mrs. Ngozi Ifezulike; Chief Simeon Eyisi, Chairman SIMS Nigeria Limited, and Barr. Bernadette Eyisi, Executive Director, Human Capital Development, SIMS Nigeria Limited, at the launch of Royal Signature Split Unit Inverter AC in Lagos on 18/10/2021.

NDIC Boss, Hassan Hosts Finance Journalists, Business Editors

Entrepreneurs Hail Bank of Industry on UN Agency Deal

Continued from page 14

BY SAM DIALA

NDIC Director, Communication and Public Affairs, Bashir Nuhu, showed that the three-day workshop with the theme: “Enduring Extreme Disruption – Resilince& Reinvention for Banking System Stability and Deposit Insurance,” will hold from October 26 through 28 at Gombe International Hotel, Gombe.

It will bring together participants from various media organisations in the print, electronic and online platforms across the country, together with select nongovernmental organisationsengaged in advocacy on financial system stability.

The NDIC has been conducting capacity building for Finance Journalists and Business Editors to equip them with the knowledge and tools of financial system stability reporting and to actively engage in the dissemination of NDIC policies and programmes.

This year’s edition will be the first to be addressed by Mr Hassan in his capacity as the Managing Director following the confirmation of his appointment by the Senate in February 2021. He succeeded AlhajiUmaru Ibrahim who retired last year at the expiration of his two-term tenure.

The NDIC has been at the forefront of

capacity building towards developing a sound financial service sector. In June 2020, the NDIC Academy received recertification and its accreditation was renewed as a training service provider for professionals in the banking industry for the next three years by the Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic NDIC ran series of virtual capacity building sessions, including a two-day virtual international conference with the theme ‘Financial System Stability, Fintech and Emerging Risks: Challenge for Bank Supervisors’ in October 2020.

The programme brought together speakers and participants from the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI), World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), sister deposit insurers, supervisory & resolution authorities, as well as professionals & practitioners in the financial systems across the globe.

It was part of efforts to promote knowledge and experience sharing amongst key stakeholders on Fintech, as well as provided opportunity to promote broad discussion on policy options to address emerging risks and opportunities

CSCS Board Reappoints Jalo-Waziri Managing Director

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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he Board of Directors of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc has announced the reappointment of HarunaJalo-Waziri as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for another term of five years, effective 01 November 2021.

In a statement by CSCS, the reappointment comes after four successful years of satisfactory leadership which has led to enhanced productivity and value creation at Nigeria’s Premier and dominant capital market infrastructure.

In 2017, Mr. Jalo-Waziri took over from the Interim Chief Executive officer, Mr Bola Adeeko, with a clear mandate to drive the next phase of CSCS’s strategic journey. Over the last four years, the company has seen a major boost in its revenue base as well as built strong strategic alliances with other financial market entities across Africa “With the oversight of the Board and a fully dedicated management team, HarunaJalo-Waziri led the growth of CSCS’s profit by 18% CAGR and delivered a 20% return on average equity in 2020 financial year, despite the pandemic,” the •Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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ome Nigerian entrepreneurs have commended the Bank of Industry (BoI) for signing the sustainable banking deal with a United Nations agency.

The United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking was recently signed with BoI to drive development across countries through collaboration between financial institutions.

An Owerri-based pharmaceutical entrepreneur, Obinna Nwanosike, said the deal will strengthen the role of BoI as a catalyst for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the country prepares for full implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The AfCFTA is a regional integration strategy to bring all 54 members of the African Union (AU) together in a single market. When fully operational, the initiative will collapse all trade barriers among the collaborating nations with a total population of 1.2 billion people.

The BoI’s mandate is to build indigenous entrepreneurship focusing on the industrial sector of the economy with the aim to encourage industrial production and value creation by manufacturing and processing activities of businesses. The objective is to provide the industrial sector with finance as well as business support services.

According to Nwanosike, this is the time to show the importance of BoI as there cannot be any better window of opportunity to play the role for which it was established than now. “The deal with the UN agency will really accelerate Nigeria’s industrialisation through the private sector with the backing of BoI”.

Similarly, the proprietor of a Lagos-based medium block-moulding firm, Akin Ademola, said BoI will have no reason not to come out fully to support local entrepreneurs.

Ademola told THEWILL that BoI has a history of supporting Nigerian entreprenuers who are genuinely committed to growing the economy through the production of quality goods and services and creating jobs. He noted that the deal with the UN agency will empower BoI to play its role more effectively.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

terling Bank Plc has blazed the trail as the first African corporate organization to power its headquarters with the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) energy technology as its primary source of energy.

Dele Faseemo, Group Head, Energy, at Sterling Bank who disclosed this in a statement issued by the Bank, said the major milestone is a demonstration of the Bank’s commitment to its vision of concentrating investment under its HEART of Sterling programme on five sectors that can impact the economy remarkably. The sectors are Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation.

According to him, “The building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) project is being undertaken in Lagos, Nigeria following the official nod received from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the relevant agency of the Lagos State Government; and an Agreement signed between Sterling Bank and PriVida Power Limited, a Nigerian-based international energy company.

“The specialised BIPV panels will be supplied by Onyx Solar, a solar energy company founded in Ávila, Spain, and a global leader in the manufacturing of transparent photovoltaic (PV) glass for buildings.”

A Director of PriVida Power Limited,MrOmozaphuaAkalumhe, said, “PriVida and its partners are proud to work with Sterling Bank in delivering this signature Solarization Project, deploying Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) solution. We are confident that Sterling Bank has taken the right step in strengthening its position as the undisputed Leader in promoting Renewable Energy (RE) deployment in Nigeria through this project.”

Faseemo also remarked that 3E, a South Africa-based independent technical advisor for Sterling Bank, has reviewed the design proposed by the EPC Contractor and included the assessment of the site, the verification of the contractor energy audit, the long-term energy yield assessment and the review of the financial model.

“3E’s scope was, in other words, to check that the proposed designs were fit for purpose, and that the key technical and financial risks have been taken into account and sufficiently mitigated; to ensure that the project proposal is in line with the Bank’s expectations and objectives,” Faseemo noted.

Onyx Solar said it has installed PV glasses on many skyscrapers in Singapore, convention centres in Canada and tourist attractions in Dubai in addition to railway stations in the US, hospitals in Norway, banks in Kenya, embassies in Indonesia, shopping malls in Mexico and universities and colleges in Australia.

Faseemo explained that as a result of the integration, Sterling Bank will become a reference for modernity and sustainability in the country, adding that the installation will supply just below 1MW of installed power, which will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its ecological footprint as well as demonstrate the Bank’s commitment to environment sustainability and the development of renewable energy in the country.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STATE OF THE STATES

BY SAM DIALA & OLAYEMI SHABA

our governance space while frugality assumes the back seat.

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As such, the sub-nationals are hemorrhaging huge resources in paying salaries and other emoluments of a bloated bureaucracy. To survive, they are urged to diversify their revenue base, embark on aggressive internally generated revenue (IGR) and depend less on the shrinking federal allocations.

Introduction:

here are concerns that Nigeria’s Worsening revenue challenge may escalate into a financial implosion, with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (subnationals), being the worst hit. The situation is aggravated by the nation’s escalating public debt stock (now over N35 trillion). The debt stock comprises domestic and external loan obligations of the Federal Government and the sub-nationals.

With over 70 percent of the nation’s revenue committed to debt servicing annually, governments at all levels are struggling to survive. There is little left for capital budget, pay salaries and undertake other priorities to grow the economy.

Moreover, there is a limit to which the people and corporates could be taxed. Yet, profligacy and waste take the centre of

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The purpose of the State of the States project, is to present evidence-based alternatives. These include avenues for the sub-nationals to become more viable and less dependent on the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) – referred to as Abuja handout.

State of the States, a bi-weekly publication, features two states per edition. It endeavours to unearth hidden treasures in each state and ascertain, through consultations and

OSUN STATE

sun State was created in 1991 from the old Oyo State. It’s capital and most commercially active city is Oshogbo. Osun is bounded on the north-east by Kwara State, on the east by Ekiti and Ondo States, on the south by Ogun State and Oyo on the west and northwest. The Yoruba Hills run through the northern part of the territory. It has a covering of tropical rain forest with River Osun as the most important river in the area.

Technical School: (4) Federal -1, state 2, private-1.

The state’s economy is mainly driven by agriculture. Major crops cultivated in Osun include yams, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), beans, millet, plantains, cacao, palm oil and kernels, and fruits. Cottage industries produce brass works, woven cloth, wood carvings, pottery and cloth dying. Oshogbo has a textile industry, a food-processing plant and a steel-rolling mill.

Domestic Debt: N134.11bn @ 2020

Total Revenue: N50.29bn @ 2020 Total tax: N11.44bn @ 2020 IGR: N19.66bn @ 2020 (39.11% of total revenue) FAAC: N30.62bn @ 2020 (68.89% of total revenue) External Debt: $107.44m @ 2020 Unemployment rate: 11.65@ 2021

Local government: 30

We have featured Lagos and Ogun, Kwara and Kogi, Anambra and Enugu, Benue and Taraba, Kebbi and Sokoto, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

This week periscopes Osun and Ekiti.

Mineral Resources Gold, talc, feldspars, cassiterite, columbite, granite, mica, iron ore, kaolin, tourmaline, aquamarine. Although not all these are of economic quantity, they have led to further discoveries of other minerals.

Tourism Potential The numerous tourists’ attractions in the state include: The Ooni of Ife’s Palace, Ile-Nla; Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, also known as the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Woodland; Erin Ijesha Waterfalls; Moremi Statue; Osun-Osogbo Festival and Obatala Centre for Arts.

On the list also are Yemoo Pottery Museum, Ile-Ife; Niki Art Gallery; National Art Gallery, Oshogbo; Mbari Arts Centre, Oshogbo; the palaces of Yoruba rulers in Ilesha and Ile-Ife; Dharmiecoal Textile and Art gallery in Oshogbo and African Hermitage Gallery, Oshogbo.

Land area: 3,572sq mi.

Population: 4.536million @ 2019 Registered businesses: 1,006

Three-Window Development The Osun State Government is pursuing a three-pronged development approach centred on tourism, agriculture and mining. It has accelerated a programme on tourism development as a major source of revenue. Its historic location and heritage offers a window of opportunity to achieve this goal.

Public Primary Schools: 1,690 circa Public Secondary Schools: 695 circa University: (10) Federal - 1, state - 1, private - 8.

Polytechnic: (7) Federal – 1, state - 1, private – 5.

College of Education: (5) State-1, private-4

Oyetola

College of Agriculture:(2) State -1, private – 1.

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Furthermore, State of the States will examine existing realities that hinge on sector-specific areas of competitive advantage – Agriculture, Tourism, Transportation, Education and Skill Acquisition, Wellbeing and MSMEs. Ultimately, the project seeks to create the desired spotlight on the subnationals to motivate them to venture into something different for better results.

Others are Oba Hills Forest Reserve; Opa Oranmiyan; Owala Dam; Olumirin Waterfalls; Ayinkunugba Art Gallery, Oshogbo; National Museum, Ile-Ife; Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Ayikunugba Waterfalls, Oke-Ila.

FACT FILE:

Nursing School/Health & Science: (3) Federal- 1, state-1, private-1.

evidence-based survey, areas of comparative advantages and economies of scale. The publication will show-case, in no exaggerated terms, the socio-economic status of each state and highlight the opportunities and threats.

It is in partnership arrangement with Sterling Bank to implement the Osun Sterling Tourism Vision (OSTOV) 30-30.

The state government is developing six sites for this purpose.

It said it will do all that is required to create an enabling environment for the success of the tourism sector.

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STATE OF THE STATES

‘Osun is Pursuing Rapid Tourism And Agriculture Development’

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he windows of accelerated development in tourism and agriculture are being explored in Osun with strategic investments programmes initiated by the state government. Although the popular Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove developed by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre is seen as eclipsing other tourism potential, the government has said it will partner with the Centre to create other revenue earning opportunities for the state through tourism.

The state is planning an annual pilgrimage called ‘Karele Oodua’, to be built around the Osun Festival. To actualise this vision, the government has moved to partner with investors to introduce motorsport while players in the real state, hospitality and allied sectors have been invited to participate

in the scheme.

According to the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Adebisi Obawale, the state tourism development masterplan tagged, ‘Culture and Tourism for Sustainable Economy’ (CUTOSEC), targets 30 long-term projects in partnership with the private sector. The partners include La Campagne Tropicana, Goge Africa and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSUC) of the African Union.

The state government is providing an additional 1,000 hectares of land for mechanized farming to boost food production. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Adedayo Adewole, disclosed that 400 hectares

of the ploughed landwill be devoted to cocoa and cassava cultivation.

“We have been carrying the traditional rulers and other community stakeholders along to ensure their full participation in the allocation process and in identifying the real farmers.

“The objective is to serve as a catalyst for the diversification process by the government, in line with our clear vision to turn our state into the food basket of the South-West zone.

“Aside from the 1,000 hectares of land that we are working on in Ife, we have equally cleared 23 hectares in Ifon-Orolu for tomato production”.

Challenging Factors: Insecurity, poor road network, extortion by local government officials, poor electricity supply, chains of traditional rulers to ‘settle’.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Hotel & Guest House

Mechanised Agriculture

Supermarket

Tourism THEWILLNIGERIA

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Textile Dyeing

Cocoa Cultivation & Processing

Road Transport

Resturant

Real Estate (Housing)

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STATE OF THE STATES kiti State in the Southwest region of Nigeria was created on 1 October 1996. It was carved out of old Ondo state with Ado-Ekiti as the capital and major city. It lies in the Yoruba Hills, at the intersection of roads from Azure, Ilawe Ekiti, Ilesha, Ila-Orangun, Ikare, and is situated 92 miles (148 km) east of Ibadan. The state is mainly an upland zone, rising over 250 meters above sea level. Ekiti has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons — rainy (April–October) and dry (November–March) seasons.

University: (3) Federal - 1, state – 1, private 1

Temperature ranges between 21° and 28 °C with high humidity. The south westerly wind and the northeast trade winds blow in the rainy and dry (Harmatan) seasons respectively. Tropical forest exists in the south, while Savannah occupies the northern peripheries.

Technical School: (3) Federal -1, state -2

The people’s major source of livelihood is Agriculture while its major cash crops are cocoa and timber. Other produce are yams, cassava, corn (maize), rice and kolanut. The state is also known for the tradition of cotton weaving and pottery.

IGR: N8.71bn @ 2020 (17.07% of total revenue)

FACT-FILE:

External Debt: $103.03m @ 2020

Local government: 16

Unemployment rate: 28% @ 2021

Land Area: 2,453sq mi.

Natural Resources The state natural resources includes aquamarine, gold, gemstones, limestone, phosphate, iron ore, granite, baryte, cassiterite, columbite, tantalite, ceramic (ball) clay, kaolinite clays, tin ore, bauxite, charconite, granite and tourmaline among others.

Population: 3.15million @ 2019 Registered business: 407 Public Primary School: 878 @ 2020 Public Secondary School: 145 circa

Polytechnic: (3) Federal - 1, private - 2 College of Education: (2) Federal -1, state - 1 College of Agriculture: (2) Federal -1, state - 1 Nursing School: (5) Federal - 1, state - 3, private - 1 College of Health Technology: (2) Federal - 1, state - 1

The State is developing two special economic zones for Agro-Industrial activities and the Knowledge economy The recent reduction in Right of Way charges for telecommunication infrastructure was done to complement the planned Knowledge Zone; and to demonstrate a commitment to the digital economy.

The Knowledge Zone will be anchored around talent produced by universities in Ekiti and its neighbouring states; a well-planned mini-city with residential housing and offices; and reliable infrastructure, especially power and broadband.

Total revenue: N48.23bn @ 2020 Total tax: N6.42bn @ 2020 FAAC: N39.52bn @ 2020 (81.93%) of total revenue) Domestic Debt: N84.72bn @ 2020

Tourist Sites: Tourist sites in Ekiti include Fajuyi memorial park, Ado Ekiti; Ikogosi warm spring; Olosunta Hills; Iworoko Mountains; Ikere Ekiti Hills; Efon Alaiye Hills; Ipole-Iloro Waterfalls.

Broadening Horizon: The state is launching into rapid development in Agroindustrial activities and the knowledge economy. It renewed the call for investment in Agriculture when it marked its 30th anniversary recently.

Having established the enabling environment for business, Ekiti is getting encouraging responses for private partnership in many sectors.

Okuta gbokuta lori hill

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EKITI STATE

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Earlier, Promasidor invested $5 million to acquire and renovate the moribund Ikun Dairy Farm to commence operation, while JMK Foods is investing $5 million for a rice mill in the State.

Yam

Ikogosi warm spring

Fayemi

To separate action from mere words, the government has regularized the title holdings of many investors in the state.

Some investors such as Stallion Group have been issued a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for a $10 million rice mill in Ado-Ekiti. Soon to follow are Dangote Group - $5 million Mill within the same location, FMS Farms $10 million starch processing plant, cassava farm already in operation in Ikole LGA and Promise Point $15 million starch processing facility.

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STATE OF THE STATES

Ekiti Now an Attractive Destination for Investment – Fayemi

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kiti State held its inaugural Economic Development and Investment Summit recently attended by Nigerian and foreign-based investors. The Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi said he took the gauntlet in attracting private investment to breathe life into the local economy, make the state less dependent on the federal allocation and also shore up the Internally Generated Revenue.

He disclosed that work is ongoing on the Ekiti Agro Cargo Airport which he pledged would be inaugurated by this time next year to stimulate more investment and provide an opportunity for marketing products within and outside the country.

Dr Fayemi said: “Our solution to reduce the dependence

of Ekiti State on federally distributed revenues, is to enable private enterprise to thrive, by making the state an attractive destination for investors.

“Today, I am pleased to note that our weakest section, enforcement of contracts, has been addressed by the collaborative efforts of the Judiciary, Legislature, our Ministry of Justice, and EKDIPA. We have also made significant progress with our Ekiti Knowledge Zone, Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, and Cargo Airport projects, which are all designed to increase economic activity in the State.

“We have started construction of the airport, and expect it to be completed by this time next year. We have also received

a grant of $250,000 from the African Development Bank to prepare a full feasibility study for Ekiti Knowledge Zone and should announce an anchor investor and partner for the project before the end of this year. Our agro-industrial processing zone is already occupied, and we expect additional occupants over the next few months.”

Among the investment infrastructure highlighted at the event are transportation and logistics with defined targets such as achieving remarkable increase in competitiveness index, trade flows between Ekiti and neighbouring states, economic integration and enhanced globalisation processes, level of productivity and accessibility of the state to ready market.

Challenging Factors: Insecurity, poor road network, extortion by local government officials, poor electricity supply, chains of traditional rulers to ‘settle’.

ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Mechanised Agriculture

Printing, Book and Stationery

Hotel and Guest House

Mining

Cocoa Cultivation and Processing

Rice Cultivation and Processing

Tourism

Mobile and Agent Banking

Yam Cultivation and Processing

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Mama Roz’s Chronicles

by ROZ A MEC H I

Homeless in Abuja (2)

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Martha’s Story hey sat on the kerb, waiting for the philanthropist’s aide to come out as he did on most days to share money to them. Some days they receive a substantial sum (up to N20,000), depending on the number of beggars present on that day, while on other days it could be as small as N1,000 for each person which would only take care of the daily feeding.

Martha sat on the grass with several other women. The women sat on one side of the road while the men sat on the other side.

Like Martha, several of the women had small babies and very young children.

Some had spent the night there whilst others arrived early in the morning to wait for the daily distribution of alms. Today Martha is hopeful that it will be a good day and she will receive enough funds to send to her children back home. Her thoughts are preoccupied with worries about her eldest daughter as she sits and waits with the others.

Tall and dark, Martha is quite beautiful, despite the pain in her eyes that tell the story of the hardship she has suffered and the facial scarring that is a mark of her tribe. In another world she would have been considered a raving beauty and could even have been a model. Her experience is etched on her features, but with her resilience she looks like she could yet conquer the world, if not personally then through her children who she fights like a tiger to support.

Born in 1984 in Agatu village in Benue State, Martha lost her parents at a very tender age. Her grandmother raised her and her siblings after their parents passed, but she was keen to relinquish

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this responsibility very quickly as she had several other mouths to feed. So, at the age of 12, she married Martha off to an elderly farmer who already had a wife and five children.

to find work as she has a young baby. She begs on the streets and visits the house of the philanthropist in Maitama popularly known as ‘Arthur 1,000’. I met her camped out with other beggars in front of his house waiting for his aide to distribute alms. Unfortunately, these small daily handouts are not enough to send money home for the children’s school fees. Martha fought back tears as she told me that her children would be unable to join other children, who were starting school this week. Her eldest daughter was due to go into SS1, having passed her Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination, but it is unlikely that she would be able to finish her studies now. Learning a trade could be an option, but even that would cost money, which Martha does not have at the moment.

Martha’s husband was not very industrious and indeed, preferred to let his wives do the farming and trading while he stayed at home to watch the homestead.

Eventually the children started coming and with the arrival of each child, the demands increased as they needed clothes to wear, food to eat and school fees had to be paid. He was unable to meet these demands so Martha started trading in addition to the farming work she was already doing.

The first wife was also quite hard-working and had her own farm. Three of her five children died of an unknown illness over the years, but she was determined to provide education for the surviving two. It was clear to her, as it also eventually dawned on Martha, that their husband could not be relied upon to provide

“

Tall and ebony black, Martha is quite beautiful despite the pain in her eyes that tell the story of the hardships she has suffered and the facial scarring that is a mark of her tribe. In another world Martha would have been considered a raving beauty and could even have been a model. Her experience is etched on her features but with her resilience she looks like she could yet conquer the world, if not personally then through her children who she fights like a tiger to support.

When the philanthropist travels, the distribution of alms will cease temporarily until his return which is communicated through a ‘bush telegraph” involving neighbouring maiguards, attendant mobile policemen and roving beggars.

During these periods, Martha goes to Gishiri to spend time with a friend who has built her own place there and lives with her grown up son. Speaking about the friend’s success, Martha’s voice is filled with a mixture of envy and pride.

Martha

Every morning on the streets of Abuja, an increasing number of women and children rise from their makeshift “beds” to start a daily hustle of mostly begging or for the more fortunate, petty trading.

Homelessness is a global social problem caused by a myriad of reasons such as insurgency, bad choices, financial difficulties and breakdown of family structure. The Borgen Project report estimates that 24.4million people are homeless in Nigeria, which means they have no permanent or stable accommodation.

They include people living on the streets, in temporary shelters or with friends and family.

Tracing the lives of three mothers currently facing this predicament, this three-part series exposes the underbelly of homelessness in Abuja and looks at some of the causes, outcomes and potential solutions as it affects these vulnerable groups; women and children.

for the upkeep of the family. Martha wisely followed in the footsteps of the first wife and together they tended their farms and traded to maintain the family. Martha made up for the family’s lost children by producing five children over a period of 15 years and the whole family lived happily in the same compound.

Then one day, tragedy struck in their quiet farming village. Fulani herdsmen raided and burnt down their village. Everyone fled to neighbouring villages. In the weeks that followed, the neighbouring villages were also razed and the family kept moving until they found a place in Otukpo Local Government Area.

Having lost his farms, home and all his property, Martha’s husband decided to seek greener pastures somewhere in “Yorubaland”.

Travelling and settling with two wives and seven children was more of a challenge than he was ready to take on, so he packed his first wife and their two children and left Martha and her five children to fend for themselves. This was a double tragedy for Martha who was still trying to come to terms with the loss of her home, family life and successful business. To compound it all she was pregnant with their sixth child and had no friends or relatives to turn to. She was not particularly daunted by the fact that she would have to sustain the family since

she had already been responsible for providing for the children, but starting from scratch with no home was a huge challenge.

As there was nowhere else to go, they moved into an uncompleted building with no windows and no doors.

When the rain falls, they cover the holes for the windows and doors with plastic bags. The building is occupied by several families and every month new displaced people move into the surrounding area and buildings.

However, there were no jobs in Otukpo and they had no relatives to help them as all the people Martha knew back home were also displaced.

With no means of livelihood and no qualifications to get a job, Martha decided to leave Otukpo and go to Abuja to find her fortune. The eldest child, a girl, is now 17 years old and takes care of her four siblings.

Martha has given birth to a sixth child, a baby boy, who is with her now in Abuja. Unfortunately, shortly after Martha arrived in Abuja, the whole country went on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she survived on food packs delivered to the poor by kind donors. During that period, she was unable to send money to her children and they survived only through the kindness of neighbours who shared their food with them.

Almost two years since her arrival in Abuja, Martha has been unable THEWILLNIGERIA

This very successful friend who has built her own home, a “batcha” (small one room hut built of zinc or wood), is her inspiration. Her friend was selling bananas in front of Hmedix Pharmacy in Wuse 2 before the task force shut her down and confiscated her wares, putting her out of business. So, now she is also forced to beg for alms to raise enough money to start another business, but, at least, she has a roof over her head and is able to provide shelter to Martha for a few days each time until the philanthropist returns.

However, Martha is ever hopeful. “If I can find someone to help me” she said as she choked up again, “I just need N48,000 to get accommodation for my children. All of us can live in one room and then another N200,000 to start a business.”

As she said this, she looked a little unsure. Perhaps that sounded like too much money and may not quite be possible, so she quickly added, “Well it doesn’t have to be that much. This is fish season so I can go to Benue and buy dried fish to sell. I will make plenty money to bring my children to Abuja to start school.”

Her voice faded away as she got to the end of that sentence and this time, as she thought of her children stuck in the uncompleted building in Otukpo she let the tears fall freely.

Continues next week...

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ARTS

Nigeria Unmasked

Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka

BY HELON HABILA

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obel laureate Wole Soyinka’s first novel in 50 years is a fearless satire about idealism running up against corruption and greed

Wole Soyinka won the Nobel prize for literature in 1986, the first black person to win the award.

He is perhaps the most versatile of African writers, equally at home in all genres; his dramatic masterpieces, such as Kongi’s Harvest and Death and the King’s Horseman, have been produced all over the world. His poetry anthology, Poems of Black Africa (1975), remains the most authoritative showcase of the writings of the first generation of postcolonial African poets, from Agostinho Neto to Léopold Senghor to Dennis Brutus – a generation that is fast dwindling, with Soyinka, now 87, one of the few left, still publishing books year after year.

He makes the perfect poster figure: imprisoned, exiled, perpetually seeking to reform his country by turning out books critical of the corrupt rulers who, after the euphoria of independence from the colonial Europeans, have continued exactly where they left off, using the same playbook of divide and rule.

His two novels, The Interpreters (1965) and Season of Anomy (1973), were less celebrated than his poetry and drama. But nearly 50 years later, we have Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth – written, Soyinka has said, to stave off boredom during the pandemic.

The title nods to one of those mysterious internet surveys that some years back ranked Nigeria No 1 in the world on the “happiness index”. The irony of this permeates the entire book.

Making the people believe they are happy is done in a typical Nigerian fashion, with extravagant, televised award ceremonies. Another way is to keep the public in thrall to religion – again, one of those online surveys found Nigeria to be the most religious country on Earth. One of the most energetic and enigmatic characters in the book is Bishop Teribogo, whose genealogy readers of Soyinka will easily trace back to Brother Jero of the Jero plays. Stylistically, the book reprises The Interpreters.

“

The witty anecdotes, the digressions … there is a restless intellectual energy here that belies the age of the author

age of the author.

It is largely plotless, held together by a series of incidents and characters, and their relationships and interactions with one another. The four lead characters were educated in English universities, where they first met, and returned to Nigeria with the dream of giving back to their country. Most of the book’s conflict is generated when this idealism comes up against societal indifference and material pursuit.

We meet them in a moment of transition. Duyole Pitan-Payne, a gifted electrical engineer, is on his way to the UN as Nigeria’s representative. Dr Kighare Menka, a surgeon who has just won a prestigious award, is forced by circumstances to relocate to Lagos, where he is hosted by PitanPayne and his wife. Prince Badetona is a creative accountant lured into dangerous circles of money launderers. He ends up in prison, a subplot that echoes Soyinka’s own experiences. And, finally, there is Teribogo, the self-reinventing preacher whose mission is to bring under one ecumenical umbrella, for his own personal gain, the different religions of the country: Islam, Christianity, traditional faiths and even Zoroastrianism.

The witty anecdotes, the digressions … there is a restless intellectual energy here that belies the

Chronicles is written in what critics would describe as a “late style”: a bit prolix, often dilatory and

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anecdotal. It is also courageous, and it does name names and point fingers. One of the delights is the ease with which Soyinka switches between registers, from the elevated to the absurd, along with his unapologetic use of “Nigerianisms” and Yoruba vernacular. There is a long monologue in pidgin English near the end of the book where a steward, Godsown, gives a hilarious account of a crime he has witnessed. Perhaps the writer’s personality looms larger than any character he portrays, but then, as most readers will tell you, that is exactly what they want from Soyinka: the witty anecdotes, the digressions, even the famous linguistic obscurity and bombast. There is a restless intellectual energy here that belies the age of the author.

Chronicles is a good model for what the political novel should be: fearless, disdaining formal constraints, sparing no one, leaving behind it a scorched earth littered with the burnt figures of corrupt politicians and military dictators and religious charlatans and social parasites, and even the masses who, in the name of religion and tribe, are made tools of the elite. In the end, it is a triumph of the novel as a form: its ability to accommodate all styles and approaches. How lucky we are that Soyinka has decided to give that form another go.

•Habila is professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA. •Courtesy of The Guardian of London.

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TOURISM Lekki Conservation Centre: Knotting Tourism and Environment

STORIES BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

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t a time the Nigerian economy is willing to embrace an alternative way of survival, there is one area that has received a lot of attention, which is also regarded as the nexus between tourism and environment. That place is the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC).

Over time, the centre has proved that vibrant tourism destinations and investing in environmental and natural resource sustainability can yield high rates of social and economic returns and have a direct or indirect impact on the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Environmental expert, Muhtari Aminu-Kano, recently said in an interview that facilities like the Lekki Conservation Centre would provide favourable time for inbound and outbound tourists to explore the mega fauna and flora of the country in a more unique manner.

He said, “We get an average about a 100,000 visitors normally. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the figures have completely reduced and stopped, but this is a sign that Nigerians really want to go out naturally and it is not because of our DNA and culture that we are not going out for nature-based tourism.

major player in both sectors.

“About 20 schools come to visit us here every single day and it is because we are accessible, there is infrastructure for people to come, there is no security issue, we have the professional staff who are able to guide people and the people enjoy the experience.”

He said, “Nigeria’s tourism practitioners focused mostly on culture and other forms of tourism to the detriment of promoting eco-tourism. So, most of our tourism infrastructure and agencies attended more to other kinds of tourism facilities.

Aminu-Kano advised that eco-tourism should be given a lot of attention in spite of a range of challenges affecting its growth. To further achieve this, he added, the NCF is adopting the platforms of National Parks Service (NPS) and the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), among other notable tourism agencies to attract eco-tourists.

“We are making a lot of efforts and things are happening gradually. I think that at the NTDC level we have partnership with them both at their national and zonal levels in Lagos. Together, we are on the Board of NPS and we are trying to see how that can be stimulated and need to do something about enabling policies and frameworks in that regard because most national parks, in terms of legislature, do not allow private sector participation within them, but I know the law is changing and the Bureau of Public Enterprises have something in progress to bring third party and other players to work with NPS in a sort of commercialisation system.

He described a good and healthy environment as a necessity for tourists’ attraction, insisting that human beings respond in an inner spiritual way to that kind of tourism.

Aminu-Kano also stressed the need for close partnership between people in the environmental and tourism community, noting that eco-tourism is really a

“What the tourism people keep telling us when we approach them is that the basic infrastructure for nature-

based tourism is almost non-existent because most of our national parks are in remote, inaccessible places and so access is a major issue. Our forests now are dens to insurgents, bandits and whatever. That could be a major constraint to the immediate realisation of that, but I think, anyway, that could be a genuine issue.

“But there are other parks and areas that are not remote, which are easily accessible and which are not vulnerable to those security challenges.”

According to him, government is not taking the issue of environment seriously nor giving it the focus it deserves. He added, “The Ministry of Environment at state and federal levels gets the least resources and they are not at the table where major decisions are taken. So we need to address that. How can you reinforce when you do not have the capacity and the money?

“We have a consultant, who is a tourism expert, that is developing component and we have biodiversity experts that are working together to propel the proposal for this programme jointly with the NTDC and other organisations like the World Tourism Organisation.”

Adesina, Yahuza, for NANTA Eminent Persons Award

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resident Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina and the Director-General of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Mallam Ado Yahuza, have indicated interest to be part of the prestigious National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) Award ceremony, which comes up on November 12, 2021 in Abuja.

While Adesina will be inducted into the NANTA Media Hall of Fame, Ado Yahuza, will be honoured with an ‘Exemplary Public Administrator to Watch’ award.

About 10 top Nigerian industry players and corporate organisations will be on the roll call during the NANTA Eminent Award night, which is in its second edition and remains the most influential and reputable private sector diadem, which carefully x-rays the role and achievements of operators driving excellence and competence.

At the official presentation of the nomination certificate to Adesina last Thursday in Abuja, NANTA President, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, explained that the newly introduced NANTA media Hall of Fame, was a carefully thought-out platform to record for posterity, the contributions of media

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professionals in Nigeria, who supported the association and the corporate ideals which NANTA stands for.

She noted that as a former editor and current President’s spokesman, Adesina had impacted positively on the affairs and growth of NANTA and so deserves to be inducted into the NANTA Media Hall of Fame.

On the choice of Ado Yahuza as a NANTA awardee, Akporiaye stated that he had brought the importance and desirability of Nigeria’s diverse cultural tourism attributes to the public domain, opening new vistas of opportunities for Nigerians, particularly the young persons whose knowledge of Nigerian history and culture have been ambushed by the invasion of strange foreign cultures and habits.

She explained that the enigmatic boss of NICO had shown pragmatic ability and had, through his practical cultural orientation evangelism, awakened the industry from slumber.

Responding, Adesina expressed surprise at his nomination

to the NANTA Media Hall of Fame. He promised to remain steadfast and committed to the best media practices, adding that NANTA had demonstrated exemplary leadership, which is worthy of emulation by Nigerian trade bodies and associations.

Also reacting to his surprise nomination by NANTA, Yahuza expressed the belief that culture has the capacity to unite Nigerians. He promised to continue in his reform activities without hindrance.

The NANTA Eminent Persons Award was introduced about four years ago, but it did not hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted negatively on global travel, almost grounding THE transportation, tourism and hospitality sectors.

About 10 top Nigerians and corporate entities in the industry and related enterprises, will be unveiled as recipients of the most prestigious award in the industry reputed for its careful and prophetic selection of the best of the best among operators and players in the industry.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SportsLive

Understanding Calls For Biennial World Cup Cycle that four-year gap between FIFA World Cups was now considered far too long, and the window of opportunity far too narrow, that it prevents entire generations of talent from competing. In a situation where these tournaments are the real drivers of development, there have been corners of the world denied representation in nearly a century of FIFA World Cup finals.

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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he divisive calls for a biennial World Cup format to replace a system of one world cup every four years, which has remained unchanged since the 1930s, appear to be a recent trend within football circles. Yet, as novel as it may appear, the initial strides to change the format that has endured from the time when teams needed to get on ships to travel across borders for the sake of the quadrennial tournaments was already gaining steam 22 years ago when Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, the eighth President of world football governing body FIFA, was at the helm.

As a vivid example, Asia, which is home to more than half of the world’s population, still only has 4.5 spots out of a total of 32 spots more than 90 years after the first global tournament. Only 12 Asian countries have ever made the list, excluding countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

The Asian example is not dissimilar from the African case. Only 13 of Africa’s 54 countries have ever competed in the World Cup in its nearly 100-year history. These statistics pale in significance when compared to 33 of Europe’s 55 teams.

Precisely in January of 1999, Blatter announced what was then considered revolutionary plans to hold the World Cup every two years. He based his announcement on the rationale of getting national teams the rankings they duly deserve which he reasoned was not the case with the incumbent format of qualifiers and competitions founded on one world cup every four years. He believed that system to be archaic and was looking towards a system where championships were staged at regional or continental levels during uneven years that act as qualifiers for the World Cup.

However, with the passage of time and the absence of real action towards bringing this recommended change to the table for plans to commence along the line of a biennial format, the noise to change the quadrennial system grew fainter by the year to the pleasure of football bodies in the West and in some parts of South America, whose opposition to the planned changes were overt and unabashed. The status quo remained unchanged and the tenure of Blatter, which was marked by controversies and litigation passed without returning to the Biennial subject.

It was not for long. Although the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) remains one of the staunchest forces against the proposal for a world cup every two years, the body provided the basis for a resurgence of the Blatter idea with the success of the UEFA Nations Cup, which encouraged the President of the South American Football Association, CONMEBOL, to propose to FIFA to expand the Nation’s League into a World Cup between world cups and therefore have more teams participate rather than just a continental national League for only teams in Europe.

President Alejandro Domínguez made this proposal in November 2018, acknowledging that it was good for the nations that will be involved and for the players, who will have the lifetime opportunity to play four world cups instead of two if the switch to a two-year cycle was implemented. Domínguez argued that it was possible to spread the hosting in a format that embraced countries in Europe, South America, North America, Africa and Asia without such a long wait as was currently the case in the four-year cycles.

Yet, just as it happened with Blatter’s announcement and in spite of Domínguez’s power within South American football and his friendship ties with current FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, the status quo held steadfast and not much came about from the CONMEBOL president’s proposal. The support of UEFA for the quadrennial format was deeply entrenched and the Union did not hesitate to give voice to its unqualified opposition to any alterations of the long-standing four-year cycle of World Cup tournaments.

That was the case until the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stepped in.

In May, Saudi Arabia’s football federation formally recommended that FIFA considered staging Biennial World Cups for men and women through a proposal submitted to the world football governing body which was focused on “requesting a feasibility study to be carried out on the impact” of two-year world cup cycles with their avowed belief that football was at a critical juncture that required such an overhaul carried out at this time than at any other time before.

It was significant to note that this came at a period of football competition congestion. Backlog of matches that were delayed by THEWILLNIGERIA

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Infantino

Blatter’s plans, which were opposed by Europe’s leading clubs, were tabled to what was then FIFA’S Executive Committee to be studied and considered towards amendments, ideation, formalisation and implementation. It was believed that the time involved in going over the details of working out the various modalities and structural factors in streamlining the calendars to avoid overlapping competitions will mean that whatever changes came about were not going to impact the 2006 finals, the 18th World Cup competition hosted by Germany.

According to these African and Asian federations in support of the quadrennial shift, such underrepresentation has resulted in the majority of many non-European countries being left out of the World Cup and all of the benefits that accrue from the hosting.

This goes against the grain of what ought to be a truly “world cup” rather than a competition concentrated around a set of regulars, competition after competition. This is a criticism that can be addressed with an increase in frequency, which biennial cycles can solve.

“

President Alejandro Domínguez made this proposal in November 2018, acknowledging that it was good for the nations that will be involved and for the players, who will have the lifetime opportunity to play four world cups instead of two if the switch to a two-year cycle was implemented

the COVID-19 pandemic of the previous year had been completed quickly and there were plans to add an extra competition, the UEFA Europa Conference, to the already packed European calendar of continental football.

Nonetheless, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, who has had a close relationship with Saudi Arabia since his election in 2016, found the proposal appealing, eloquent and detailed. The creation of new and larger competitions was a key theme of Infantino’s presidency, although the global players’ union FIFPRO was always wary of the increased workloads on the players themselves, which can lead to more frequent burnout and long-term, career-altering injuries.

However, FIFA had already concluded on adding 16 new teams and 16 new games to the World Cup for the 2026 edition in Infantino’s first year as president. The tournament, which will feature 48 teams and 80 games, will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and is expected to break attendance and revenue records for the world football governing body’s coffers.

It therefore was no surprise that FIFA welcomed the Saudi Arabian proposal. Unlike in the prior pair of cases, for Blatter and Domínguez, actual action was effected to consider the biennial cycle feasibility in line with the recommendation contained in the Saudi proposal. The motion to consider it was passed by FIFA’s congress with 166 national federations voting in favor of reviewing the current situation and only 22 against.

The argument for change in the format has not changed since Blatter’s announcement 22 years before. Since the inaugural tournament of the 1930s, when mostly European nations decided the structure, the FIFA World Cup has followed a four-year cycle. Yet,

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The argument of players’ well-being due to the sheer number of matches and training that will be required of them to fulfill their responsibilities with such biennial switch can be handled by an overhaul of the annual footballing calendars that will take cognisance of burnout, fatigue and periods of rest, which are all part of the feasibility study requested for by the Saudi proposal to FIFA. When FIFA’s Ruling Council agreed on Wednesday last week to hold a Global Summit on December 20 to discuss the Biennial proposals with all 211 member associations, this was a top most consideration.

To avoid being arbitrary and to forestall the opposition, especially from UEFA, FIFA is following meticulous steps to arrive at a resolution of the debate. FIFA plans to await the results of a feasibility study as well as an economic analysis of the additional World Cup’s financial impact, both of which are expected to be delivered before the December 20 Summit.

This has not quelled the fire of opposition that the European football Union plans to wage against the proposals. In much the same way as FIFA is accused of favouring the switch due to financial gains, UEFA is against it for reasons of financial loss. A report commissioned by UEFA, and presented in the videoconferencing meeting with FIFA, estimated a shortfall of between 2.5 and 3 billion euros ($2.9bn to 3.5bn) across four years for European federations if FIFA were to adopt its plan to switch to a biennial World Cup. For FIFA, whose biggest earnings come every four years, unlike the annual cash-cow of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, this opposition from the European body will sting. FIFA typically posts losses three years out of four and makes it up in World Cup years. The body took in $6.4 billion from 2017-2020, over 70 per cent of which came in 2018. But,UEFA’s revenue is much steadier. It earned between $2 billion and $3.5 billion each year from 2017-2020 for a total of $12.5 billion. This money argument will be at the heart of the fight to switch or not and UEFA has gone as far as to issue veiled threats about boycotting the tournament completely if they do not have their way.

As progressive and attractive a biennial switch proposes to be, the question remains if that is the silver bullet it is purposing to be.

However often the tournament is staged, bidding will determine the winners and those who could not win for quadrennial cycles will not be winners in biennial tournaments except something changes. If something can be changed to make it possible, why not apply that change to the quadrennial format immediately to give them a chance today? Furthermore, those countries who cannot qualify today, will still be mostly unable to do so tomorrow if the qualification system stays the same. If change is to happen, why not now too?

All of these and much more are at the heart of the calls for a robust debate and consideration of the feasibility for change in the biggest sporting event in the world and it is about as timely as it can be.

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2021 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

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