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NIGERIA @61

Stil in Search of Peace,Unity,Good Governance

ANOTHER OIL LAWSUIT AGAINST SHELL ALLEGES FRAUD, DECEIT, MISREPRESENTATION

OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

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COVER

Nigeria @ 61: Still in Search of Peace...

BY THEWILL CORRESPONDENTS

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igeria’s 61st Independence Anniversary marked on Friday, October 1, was no doubt an occasion for sober reflection. It was also an occasion to reflect on the gains made so far and to explore ways of fostering a better Nigeria.

However, the absence of the beautiful parades and colourful ceremonies that used to characterise that day in virtually all the states was a sad reminder of the sorry state that the country has, unfortunately, found itself in.

Although the leadership at the various levels is still basking in the euphoria of yet another Independence Day anniversary, the bitter truth is that, despite all the grandstanding and denials, it is not yet Uhuru for the largest black nation on earth.

With the economy almost at ground zero, hunger and imminent famine in the land and senseless killings and general insecurity across the country, to say that Nigeria, a once prosperous country that was aptly referred to as the ‘Giant of Africa’ and a ‘Big Brother’ to other African nations, is, sadly, still searching for peace and unity at 61, would be an understatement.

And despite all the assurances given in the presidential speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari to mark the occasion, the reality on ground is that Nigerians have never been as divided as they are presently.

The political elite is not helping matters as they have consistently failed to deliver on promises, singing discordant tunes on matters of national interests. Instead, they are mostly pre-occupied with the pursuit of personal gains and that of their regions and ethnic groups, instead of fighting for the general good of the country.

Things are so bad that what one hears daily are resounding calls for division of the country into its primary constituencies in the event of the failure to democratise, run a federation and restructure it to meet the yearnings for peace, progress and prosperity.

THE BACKGROUND In his 101- paragraph, 37 minutes Independence Day address that focused on the topical issues in the country, ranging from insecurity to the weak national fabric, social media and remedial policies being undertaken by his administration, President Muhammadu Buhari raised a serious point in paragraphs 27 and 31.

He said in paragraph 27, “I will therefore take this opportunity, on this special day that symbolises the unity and oneness of our great nation, to ask all Nigerians to embrace peace and dialogue, whatever your grievances.”

In paragraph 31, he said, “Nigeria is for all of us. Its unity is not negotiable. And its ultimate success can only be achieved if we all come together with a common goal of having peace and prosperity for our nation.”

Embracing peace and dialogue and coming together with a common goal of having peace and prosperity for our nation recognises the potential for disagreements with full blown crises if dialogue is hardly embraced and a common goal is missing in a diverse and multi-ethnic country such as Nigeria. But then, this has been on the front burner since Nigeria gained political independence from Britain 61 years ago.

Carrying them out has been the bane of our underdevelopment and stunted growth with the collateral damage that has led to calls for resonating separation and succession in the land.

Consequently, like a domino effect, lack of transparency and due process in governance; weak institutions and loss of value for life; corruption and absence of virtue in public and private places as well as almost complete breakdown of law and order, rule the day.

The politicians and the military have ruled the country almost equally for the past 61 years, with the politicians taking 32 years and the military 29 years, intermittently. Both groups have claimed growth and developmental infrastructures aimed at the well-being of the people.

But the verdict today lays bare those claims. Everything is in the public domain; the banditry and bloodshed currently going on in the northwestern part country; the terrorism going on in the

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North-East; the calls for secession in the South-East and SouthWest added to the downward spiral of the economy punctuated by the free fall of the naira at almost N600 to a dollar, leading to a fall in the aggregate demand for manufacturers and small-scale business, with a record unemployment rate, high cost of living and falling standards, high youth unemployment and general insecurity.

WHY DIALOGUE AND COMMON GOAL HAS ELUDED US Leadership failure came tops in an investigation conducted by THEWILL by sampling opinions nationwide. Many blame the political leadership because of the primary role it plays in the allocation of resources and giving direction to state policies.

“The ruling elite, particularly the leadership of the ruling party has failed this country,” said Chief Willie Ezugwu, Secretary General of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, in an interview with THEWILL. He said,“We blamed the People’s Democratic Party for running the country aground after 16 years in power and massively voted in the opposition All Progressives Congress. Has anything changed? Both parties look like Siamese twins. That is why any member can defect from one to the other when they feel like it. That is why at 61 Nigeria still cannot get it right and there is corruption, insecurity, as well as a complete breakdown of law and order.”

In the views of Chief Olabode George, members of the political class did not get their acts right during the military era and brief period of civil rule.

He told this newspaper, “When I listen to the people talking, I keep wondering if I am in the same country. Let them go and read what led to the collapse of the First Republic. We, the military came to rule, but we found out later that it was not our role to manage politics and we rushed out. The founding fathers came up. The constitution we are running is still not very effective.

We have an opportunity to revisit it. We revisited it through the National Constitutional Conference of 2014. We said there will be a need for changes. Why are we behaving as if we are already in Eldorado? We are not there yet.”

Taking an economic view of the topic, Dr Olu Fasan, an economist and Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics said the problem is structural and leadership. Answering questions put to him during the week, he said, almost, annoyingly, “Look, we do this review every year at Nigeria’s independence anniversary. It is a futile exercise because there is no willingness to change for the better. Nigeria is 61, but what can anyone point to as progress in this country? “The economy is comatose, the politics is broken and socially life is miserable for the people with extremely high

levels of unemployment and poverty.

“The first problem is that Nigeria is structurally flawed and you can’t build an edifice on a flawed foundation.

“That brings me to another point: leadership and the quality of those holding political and public offices in Nigeria. To be honest, the quality of leadership and public-office holding in Nigeria is extremely poor. That is partly because the right people are not being elected or appointed into public offices and partly because of the lack of accountability and checks and balances.”

Dr Nnaemeka Obiaraeri, a certified financial engineer and investment banker faults what he calls the ‘1999 feeding bottle constitution.’ According to him, an analysis demonstrates clearly, how impoverished, unproductive, beggarly and useless 99 per cent of Nigerians have become under the fiscal, socioeconomic, governance and resources production and distribution framework of the current 1999 feeding bottle constitution Obiaraeri, who is the Managing Director/CEO, Taurus Capital and Advisory Services and Taurus Oil and Gas Limited, said the country has a large unproductive population , a large number of people contributing little or nothing to the economy, whose potentials are not being utilized.

“Everyone is looking at one source of income/revenue: oil. As a result, we have many factors of production lying below. Look at this analysis: “The value of the total goods and services produced and captured formally in Nigeria (domestically) in Q1 of 2021 was N2.99 trillion or $5.66 billion. If you annualise these quarterly receipts (all things being equal), it will come to annualised productivity value of N11.99 trillion or $22.6 billion.

“Note that the total domestic production of goods and services in Nigeria in 2020 was formally captured to be N10.17 trillion or per capita productivity of N50,800 or N139 a day. Extrapolating from the latest 2021, Q1 numbers (based on the phoney population figure of 200million), this simply translates to the very pitiable domestic per capita productivity of N59,960 or $113.

“This simply means that the total value of domestic goods and services produced by every Nigerian in the whole of 2021 will amount to N59,960 or $113; or N164/$0.30 per day.”

THE WAY FORWARD Economic diversification, restructuring, reorientation policy reforms, equity, accountability and rule of law featured most in many responses from our respondents.

George said the teaching of history at all levels of education in THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER the country would play a major role in getting the country back on track because of its reformative and teachable quality. Indeed, it was for this reason that President Buhari in 2017 directed the Federal Ministry of Education to make History a stand-alone subject and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo added his voice at two public meetings to give further push to the presidential directive.

Findings by THEWILL at the National Research and Development Council, Yaba, Lagos, show that while a curriculum has been developed for schools, particularly from primary six to JSS 1 and through to SSS3 in respect of Buhari’s directive, many schools across the country are yet to be led in that direction. Even then, it is only public schools that are slowly embracing the directive.

Many private schools are feigning ignorance.

It is such negligence that makes George to wonder, “I don’t know why the government cancelled the teaching of History in schools.

It is a fundamental error and that is why you see us committing the same mistakes as we move from one term to the other. Is this the way we will continue to do things? God bless this nation.

Is it human resources, mineral resources, agricultural resources that we don’t have? Go to other parts of the world and see how our younger generations are being sapped away. Why are we still fighting the tribal nonsense?

“Is there any human being who can perpetrate himself? These things we are doing will be on the pages of history books. If you don‘t teach History, you are telling the younger generation that there is no need to look back. So if you don’t look back at the problems of the past, how do you avoid them in future? You will keep on making mistakes. But I will keep on shouting at the top of the mountain because some people will read them in the future.”

Former Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran, called for attention to priorities and values. He said the ruling elite need to pay attention to the leadership recruitment system in the country.

“Our process of leadership recruitment is faulty. We need to get it right and we need to concentrate more than ever on the younger generation, our youths and encourage them to key into the core values that used to define us as a people and as a nation. Hard work, love of our neighbours, be our brother’s keepers, aspiration to excel, trust worthiness, devotion to duty and of course, the determination to make Nigeria proud of us as a people and for us to be proud of our country as a nation.”

On restructuring, Obiaraeri said that the current bad shape of the economy makes a mess of everyone in the system by deliberately pushing a majority of Nigerians to parasitically leech and depend mainly on the crude oil from the Niger Delta and VAT from Lagos State. He urged the 36 state governors, President Buhari and members of the national and state assemblies to quickly lean on the High Court ruling on VAT collection by states to totally restructure Nigeria and return her back to the 1960/1963 republican constitutional, socio-economic and governance architecture.

He said, “If we are truly honest to ourselves, we have to agree on how to devolve more powers, resources and authority to the constituents units and the people and checkmate the massive roguery and political banditry going in Nigeria since 1999; This will be done in such ways and manners that can enable us to have a daily per capita productivity of goods and services of at least N2,000 a day or N720,000 per annum by 2023/2024.

“If we restructure today and return Nigeria back to the 1960/63 fiscal and governance framework that engenders productivity and healthy competition amongst the constituent units by 2023/2024, Nigerians at home will be able to generate about N79.64 billion or $150.2billion if all the estimated adult working population of 110 million Nigerians are put to active productivity of goods and services within the system.

“At a worst case scenario, even if we are able to put 50 per cent of the working population to active productivity of goods and services, Nigerians at home will still be able to generate at least N39.8 trillion/$75.13billion annually.

“10 per cent income tax on these worst case scenario numbers will give us about N4.00trillion /$7.5billion and N2.97trillion in VAT alone.

“Nigeria has the capacity to grow her economy annually by over 35 Trillion / $80billion YoY. If we put in place that contemporaneous and productivity engendering constitutional and fiscal architecture that our forebears, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Anthony Enahoro, etc signed onto in 1960.

“If we cannot agree to work together, let us go their separate ways and stop this atmosphere, culture and fiscal framework of THEWILLNIGERIA

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destitution, death and misery we have created for a majority of us.

Dr Fasan supports devolution of power to what he called regional economic powerhouses. He suggests that Nigeria must be restructured so that governance can be decentralised and manageable.

“My vision is of regional economic powerhouses, where each region can generate economic prosperity and improve the welfare of their people. In the current situation, where most constituent parts of Nigeria look up to an over-powerful central government, progress will continue to elude Nigeria. No country succeeds by over-centralising economic governance. The Federal Government should focus on ensuring financial, monetary and exchange-rate stability; essentially, making sure that the macroeconomic fundamentals are right. Microeconomics should be utterly devolved.

According to him, that does not only mean devolution to regional governments, but it also means that the private sector must be the real driver of economic growth.

He maintained that Nigeria must be a free-market economy where the private sector can flourish, an economy that is able to export high-quality, value-added products and services, and that can attract high-quality investment in the productive sectors.

“Being a devolved and open economy and taking advantage of AfCFTA would help to make Nigeria an export-led and investment-driven economy, instead of an oil-dependent, monoproduct economy that it currently is.

“Restructuring must also aim at engendering national unity and political stability. Of course, without national unity, internal cohesion and political stability, economic progress is not possible.

To that extent, Nigeria needs a new Constitution that can ensure power is shared and exercised in an inclusive and equitable manner.

“If, for instance, some ethnic groups appear to enjoy political hegemony, while others feel they are consigned to servitude that will not engender national unity and political stability. So, restructuring must ensure that significant power is devolved to the regions, but also that power at the centre is shared and exercised equitably. I am, ordinarily, not a fan of zoning, but if zoning is the only way to achieve that, in the interim, until every geopolitical zone or region feels a sense of belonging, so be it!”

Like Chief George, Fasan raised the question of education, again saying that the citizens need to be educated and told about the principle of ‘garbage-in, garbage-out.’

“If you elect the wrong people to power, you get the wrong kind of governance. Secondly, we need to create the right accountability mechanism and incentive structure that generate good performance from elected and appointed office holders.

There must be an effective system of holding people accountable for poor performance, and, of course, of rewarding outstanding performance.

“In short, Nigeria needs radical transformation. It needs

“

The youths of this great country remain propellants for our today and provide guarantees that we would have a secure tomorrow.

It is for this reason that I remain focused on expanding opportunities for their participation in politics and governance

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root-and-branch reforms. It won’t make progress unless it is properly restructured. That’s my message at the country’s 61st anniversary,” he added.

Dr Yemi Farounbi, former Ambassador to the Philippines said best way to halt what he called the aimless drift into the oblivion and quench the desire of many people to leave Nigeria by migration or participating in separatist movements, is to have both the National Assembly and the Federal Government give the country a new hardware, that is a new Constitution that clearly defines a common dream for us all.

“We need a Constitution that reduces the burden of resources and functions at the Centre, a Constitution that makes the Federating units coordinate with the Centre and not subordinate, as a Constitution that enables optimum good for a maximum number of people.

“Secondly, there’s also the need for a spiritual and cultural renewal and rebirth of the country. There has to be enthronement of those values of our society such as hardworking, integrity, honesty, godliness, good neighbourliness, self discipline, humility,etc.

“Would be leaders must be examined on the basis of their vision for the country. They must be made to explain the content of such vision, in measurable terms of quantity, quality, time and cost.

Speaking on Channels TV programme, Sunrise Daily on independence day, Prof Khalifa Dikwa, lecturer at the University of Maiduguri, said political parties must uphold discipline like it happened in the first and second republics when even the president could be censured on party matters by the party’s national chairman. That showed how institutions were more powerful than their appointed and elected officers.

“That way values have a way of filtering into the society and the mindset of respect for institutions, every other ethnic nationality and consequently the rule of law and order happens in society,” he submitted POLITICAL PARTIES AND 2023 Following Dikwa’s argument, political parties need to uphold their roles as agents of mobilisation, education and aggregation of the views of their members and the public for implementation by government. Giving voice to the yearnings of the people is one of the best ways to run inclusive governance with all its attendant impact on equity, fair play and justice.

Already the two major parties are waking up to that responsibilities.

With the ongoing crises in the country, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are responding to the yearning of the public.

The APC was forced to halt its open-door policy of embracing defectors perceived by its members as persons of questionable character into its fold, ahead of the 2023 poll.

In that light, the PDP, whose constitution recognises zoning, zoned its national chairmanship position to the North against the run of play. The Southern Governors Forum, sensitised to the need for self-preservation in the region in the face of general insecurity in the country, as well as the general mood in the country and their personal calculations, called for a power shift to the South. To assuage that call and mood, particularly in the South-East whose leaders are fighting for consideration for the presidency, both parties looked prepared to bell the cat.

For President Buhari, who said in paragraph 96 of his independence address tht “as we begin to celebrate 61 years as a nation, we need to be conscious that Nigeria does not start and end with the Federal Government. This country is a great collective where government at all arms and levels, as well as the private sector and more importantly individuals, have a role to play,” the youths of this country may be the answer in the long term to the divisive, corrupt and iniquitous system the elite have colluded to run in the past 61 years.

When he noted in paragraph 98 of his address, “I fully understand the anxiety of many Nigerians on the inability of this country to go beyond a never-ending potential for becoming a great nation to an actually great one,” he offered a solution that every Nigerian may find hard to disagree with.

He said in paragraphs 86, 87 and 88, “The youths of this great country remain propellants for our today and provide guarantees that we would have a secure tomorrow. It is for this reason that I remain focused on expanding opportunities for their participation in politics and governance. The recent appointment of young people to positions of authority and their track records so far gives me the confidence that we need to bring more of them into governance and this I promise to do.”

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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

FEATURES OTAGCCIMA Celebrates First Ever Female President

BY JUDE OBAFEMI istory was made at the 9th Annual General Meeting and Investiture Ceremony of the Ota-Agbara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OTAGCCIMA), an affiliate of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). The ceremony took place on Thursday, September 23, 2021, with the investiture of the first female President of OTAGCCIMA in the esteemed person of Deaconess Cynthia Titilayo Saka, FCAI, and under the distinguished chairmanship of Alhaji Oladotun Shokunbi, FCA.

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The theme of the ceremony, which held at the tastefullyfurnished hall of Alarco Hotel and Suites at the OPIC Industrial Estate, was “African Continental Free Trade Area - Impact and Competitiveness for Nigeria Market” was well-attended and was witnessed by the representatives of the Ogun State government, the top echelon of NACCIMA, Ogun State royalty, experts of the African Free Trade Area, eminent business personalities, big players in the commercial, industrial, mines and agricultural sectors of the economy and the general public.

The Welcome Address was delivered by the immediate past president, Dr. Kayode Bowale, who welcomed everyone present to the very auspicious ceremony in the annals of the history of OTAGCCIMA, which was witnessing the first ever investiture of a female president. Bowale expressed gratitude to God for the successful tenure he had irrespective of the scourge of the pandemic, the socio-economic factors and widespread insecurity that posed serious challenges to businesses in the country while appreciating the distinguished guests and invited attendees who honoured the invitation to be part of the historical ceremony.

The outgoing president Dr. Kayode Bowale highlighted the accomplishments of his administration as president of OTAGCCIMA especially with regards to capacity building of members which included entrepreneurial training programmes with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the drive to encourage more youth participation in the chapter through seminars, the paradigmatic focus on micro and small scale businesses around the Ota and Agbara axis while resolving all issues associated with erecting the Commerce building.

Furthermore, Bowale added that his administration was able to initiate collaborations with institutions and agencies such as Covenant University for research-based workshops on sustainable development; with SMEDAN for micro and small businesses and have reached an advanced stage in collaborating with the Zone Management of Ogun-Guangdong to organise a Trade Exhibition. He added that the Chamber played an advocacy role in improving the business environment in the area, made some donations to the vulnerable during the pandemic while keeping up to their financial obligations to all bodies and the hosting of the OGUNCCIMA Management retreat.

Bawole rounded up by expressing his appreciation to the Board of Trustees led by Prince Ikunjenyo, past and incoming presidents, Engr Akingbade and Deaconess Saka, the outgoing Executive Committee and all members of the Chamber who cooperated and supported his administration and all that they set out to accomplish.

Speaking on the importance of trade and investments, Odo expanded on Nigeria’s strategy to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) by being a major player on the continent.

Odo contrasted Africa’s overabundance of potential, natural and human resources with the standard typification of Africa in the media as poverty-stricken, dependent on aid, a region of widespread migration and underdevelopment.

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Outgoing President, Dr. Kayode Bowale (left) decorating incoming President, Deaconess Cynthia Saka (right) with the insignia of office, during her investiture as president of OTAGCCIMA on 23/9/2021.

“

We shall build upon the successes of previous administration to increase the membership of the chamber by actively embarking on membership drive activities and incorporating other business associations as members of the chamber

Odo hinged Nigeria’s comparative advantage on the creativity, industry and intelligence of the typical Nigerian. This can be exploited in the creation of content and services sector to give Nigeria a leg up in the intra-Africa Trade.

Next to speak was Alhaji Shokunbi, representing NACCIMA President Udeagbala, and on behalf of the organisation. He appreciated the invitation of the OTAGCCIMA while hailing the achievements of the previous President and encouraging the incoming President to continue the giants strides so far achieved including the involvements of Private Sector Participation to improve the fortunes of the State for the good of all.

Mrs Longe, the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, delivered the message from the state governor, Prince Abiodun. On behalf of the governor, she thanked the OTAGCCIMA for their support in the development and transformation of the state to Nigeria’s preferred investment destination of choice, while also commending the timeliness of the AFCFTA lecture. The governor encouraged commitment to accelerated adoption of the AFCFTA to fasttrack intraAfrican trade. The governor expanded on infrastructural progress made to facilitate businesses together with the Ogun-Invest initiative to help investors with best investments choices in the state. The investment focus of the government on small and medium scale enterprises was highlighted with

the government’s automation of business registrations. Also highlighted were steps taken by the governor to demonstrate unreserved determination to help businesses in the state grow.

Prince Ikujenyo, chairman Board of Trustees, Alhaji Shokunbi, Alhaji Olaleye were all on hand to guide the investiture ceremony. Ikujenyo thanked Bowale and the outgoing EXCO for their leadership before forthrightly dissolving it and welcomed the incoming EXCO to be led by Saka and prayed for greater accomplishments for the new EXCO. She is the National Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the United Waste Recycling Association of Nigeria and has mentored several youths and young entrepreneurs in waste recycling business in a bid to contributing to the development of the society as well as keying into the initiative of converting waste to wealth.

Deaconess Saka is also the Ogun State Coordinator of NACCIMA Business Women Group (Ogun NAWORG) and member of the NACCIMA Business Women Group (NAWORG). She is also a member of the Ogun State Council of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture where she once a Treasurer. She is currently a member of the Ogun State Technical Committee and the Chair of the Igbesa Technical College. Deaconess Saka is an administrator and member of the Institute of Corporate Administration.

Speaking of her investiture she promised that her administration was prepared to “enhance the visibility of the Ota-Agbara Chamber of Commerce by engaging with relevant people, government and other businesses.” inisisting that “our members’ participation at government activities, trade missions both locally and internationally. We shall build upon the successes of previous administration to increase the membership of the chamber by actively embarking on membership drive activities and incorporating other business associations as members of the chamber.

“This administration will also build the capacity of the Chamber Secretariat to function optimally. As we are all aware, the Chamber need a befitting accommodation, consequently we shall work towards completing our Chamber building at Agbara to enable the chamber take its pride of place. We shall build on the successes of previous administration to strengthen our advocacy and build stronger relationship with all stakeholders”.

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NEWS

Taleveras Resolute to Pioneer African Participation in LNG Trades – Igho Sanomi

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s global markets recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, LNG markets globally are tightening, with demand growth led by anticipated surge in Asian and Latin America demand.

According to key Industry participants at the recent Gastech summit held in Dubai, the longer-term outlook is robust, driven particularly by markets in Asia as gas provides about one-quarter of the world’s energy supply and continues to play a critical role in the global energy system.

Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, right; Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State and His Royal Majesty, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, Gbong Gwom Jos and Chairman Plateau State Council of Emirs and Chiefs, sitting; during Gen. Yahaya’s visits to critical stakeholders in Plateau State.

Another Oil Lawsuit Against Shell Alleges Fraud, Deceit, Misrepresentation •As DPR Awards Kugbo West Marginal Field In OML 29 To 7 Waves Petroleum •Aiteo Seeks Over $2 billion in General, Other Collateral Damages

BY OLAOLU OLUSINA

In a suit, FHC/ABJ/C8/738/2021, dated 27 July 2021 and filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, Aiteo is accusing Shell of not fully disclosing the true position of the oil wells to it at the time of the sale, despite receiving the full amount required for the sale.

Describing Shell’s action as “fraudulent, deceitful” and a “misrepresentation,” Aiteo is seeking, among others, the payment of over $2 billion from Shell in general and other collateral damages as a result of the alleged lies and deceit at the time of the sale.

Trouble started with a letter dated September 16, 2021 and titled, ‘2020 Marginal Field Bid Round Award Of Kugbo West Marginal Field Located In OML 29 to 7 Waves Petroleum Limited’, from 7 Waves Petroleum Limited, informing Aiteo that a section of the controversial OML 29 now belongs to 7 Waves, courtesy of the 2020 Oil Bid Round conducted by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

The letter signed by Mr. Daniel Alabi, Managing Director, 7 Waves Petroleum Limited, stated in part: “7 Waves Petroleum Limited actively participated in the 2020 Marginal field bid round conducted by the Department of Petroleum Resources [DPR] and emerged as the awardee with 100 per cent equity interest in Kugbo West Marginal Field in OML 29 upon payment of the statutory signature bonus. The field would be jointly operated with our partner ‘Multiplan Nigeria Ltd’.

“Our firm would be glad to discuss and engage with Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited being the lease holder for OML 29 with the underlying objective of executing the required Farmout Agreement thus (to) enable our firm commence field development activities essential to meet the timeline set by the DPR. “We would be glad to set up an introductory meeting to discuss the next steps, kindly notify our firm of a suitable date and time. Thank you for the assistance, we look forward to a mutually beneficial and long-lasting working relationship.”

Aiteo had earlier received the rude shock when DPR notified it of the new development in a letter dated 3rd August 2021 and signed by Edu Inyang for Director/CEO, DPR. The letter titled, ‘2020 Marginal Field Bid Round Award Of Kugbo West Marginal Field Located In OML 29 to 7 Waves Petroleum THEWILLNIGERIA

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Limited’, copy of which was sighted by THEWILL, stated in part: “Kindly be informed that Kugbo West Marginal Field located in OML 29 has been awarded to 7 Waves Petroleum Limited (7 Waves) following the 2020 Marginal Field Bid Round exercise . The award was accordingly communicated to 7 Waves through our letter DPR/ tt86/vol.1/269/98 dated 3rd May 2021.

“The award letter, among others, specified that the awardee negotiate and conclude a Farm-out Agreement with the lease holder of the Oil Mining Lease {OML) 29 within ninety (90) days.

“Consequently, you are hereby requested to commence negotiation of the Farm-out Agreement of Kugbo West Marginal Field with 7 Waves , as the company has met the conditions for the award of the field.

It is expected that the negotiation will be concluded within the time specified in paragraph 2 above.”

Responding to the development, Aiteo moved to the court, accusing Shell of not informing it that part of the OML 29 had actually been ceded to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), its joint partner for the oil wells, as settlement for other undisclosed obligations.

Apparently miffed by the disappointments it has been meeting with the entire OML 29 since its purchase from Shell in 2013/2014, Aiteo is seeking not only the payment of the sum of $2,135,250,000 that would have been accrued from commercial exploration and other activities if the deal had gone well but also a refund of the sum of $46, 200,000 being the payment made to Shell for the controversial portion of the oil wells that has now been allocated to 7 Waves.

Sanomi said, Taleveras in the last 5 years, have taken a long term view on the future of Gas and pursued itd business plan aggressively.

“This greatly propelled our pursuit and development of a strong LNG portfolio at a time when most market participants had little belief in the future of LNG. In essence, we called the LNG market correctly and still continue to keep a long term view. It has been a challenging Journey so far, primarily due to extreme levels of market volatility, coupled with disruption and supply challenges in Nigeria, but overall we remain firm, resolute and optimistic in our strategy to pioneer the involvement of Nigerian and African owned establishments in global LNG trades”, he added.

The Company said it is still looking to cement its role as Africa’s leading independent trader of Liquefied Natural Gas, the fastest growing fossil fuel.

It added that plans are on to increase and expand its supply sources of LNG in other to maintain a vibrant portfolio to super such demand growth.

“As the world continues to deal with the severe impacts of market demand and the impact of Covid-19, the fundamentals are supported by a growing population and energy demand, LNG will continue to remain a high growth industry based on a growing economy worldwide”, Taleveras Senior Trader on LNG, had said during a presentation.

To many industry watchers and analysts, Taleveras, which has enjoyed success since its incorporation in the late nineties, has had to navigate innumerable challenges in the ever-volatile Oil and Gas industry.

Today, the company is increasingly gaining a respected position as a resilient company that keeps thriving in the Gas Markets.

Efforts to get the Media Relations Manager of Shell, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, to comment on the latest development proved futile when filing this report on Friday as phone calls made to his phone number did not go through.

Recall that bubble had burst for Shell as a court in The Netherlands, early in the year, compelled it to compensate two Nigerian farmers for damages over 2004/2005 oil leaks. Its alleged age-long game of cheating and exploiting technicalities in the production and evacuation of crude oil to allegedly short-change not only the Federal Government, but also local operators in the oil and gas business, were also busted.

And despite all justifications and defence, Shell was also fingered in a messy missing crude oil scandal by local regulator, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) through unapproved metering system, which it allegedly used to misappropriate crude and and shortchange local operators.

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Sanomi

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he controversy surrounding the sale of OML 29 by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited in 2014 may be far from being over as Aiteo has again dragged Shell to court over what it alleged as “fraud, deceit and misrepresentation” in the sale.

Global demand for LNG has witnessed a significant jump in recent times. While speaking on the sidelines of Gastech 2021, Taleveras Global Head of Gas, Igho Sanomi, said: “There is hardly any other energy source that provides such broad wins, being that gas is used for heating, cooling and cooking in our everyday lives. It energizes heavy industries, contributes to key economies and keeps emissions at very impressive minimal levels.”

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NEWS A’Ibom: Stakeholders Applaud Police Arrest Suspected Attackers of Edo Social Media Influencer Urban Renewal Initiative

FROM UDEME UTIP, UYO

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takeholders have commended the Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for its urban renewal programme.

The local government area had commenced programme, aimed at beautifying and expanding the urban areas to reduce ruralurban migration, in 2020.

The Chairman of the local government area, Mr Etetim Onuk, hinted that the programme was a Public Private Partnership initiative with Ndon Manufacturing Industries as project consultant.

Explaining the aspects of the programme, the council boss had said, “The initiative involves data capturing, systematisation and re-organisation of street names and house numbers, street naming and enumeration of all houses, shops, kiosks, market stalls, timber market and motor park facilities.

he Police Command in Edo State has arrested three persons suspected of assaulting a TikToK social media user identified as Olivia.

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Community in the Upper Mission Extension area; Smart Ogbeide (29) and Tajudeen Afesume (30), who was arrested in his hideout at Owina Quarters, also in Uteh Community.

Following the viral video clip showing some young men assaulting and dehumanising a young woman, the Commissioner of Police, Philip Aliyu Ogbadu, directed a discreet investigation of the incident and an intelligencebased approach to unravelling those behind the dastardly act.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Kontongs Bello, said the three suspects arrested confessed to the crime and further confessed to being members of the Aye Secret Cult. They are presently cooperating with police investigations and are already providing useful information that will lead to the arrest of other cult members on the run.

During the cause of information and intelligence gathering, the following suspects were arrested at different locations in Benin City, the state capital. They are Omozejele John (29), who was arrested on September 26, 2021 at Uteh

He said that the Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspects should be charged to court, vowing that cult groups and other criminal elements will not be allowed to operate in the state.

“Also sophisticated street signage and stainless steel aluminium house/shop number plates would be distributed.

“In addition, the project will undertake the opening, naming and renaming of streets, roads, lanes, ways, avenues, boulevarda, drive and highway in honour of respected and illustrious sons and daughters of Itu, as well as to produce a master plan for the development of our local government area.”

However, the project consultant, Mr Emmanuel Ndon, in an interview with journalists in Uyo said the project started since October 2020 with the engagement of communities and relevant stakeholders.

According to him, the urban renewal programme model designed by my company for Itu Local government is a novelty.

“It is a bottom up and grassroots-driven community-based development model that checks rural-urban migration and encourages rapid economic development of the area.

He described the project as a source of revenue generation, which would be shared between the community and the local council to enable communities within the council area to have a source of funds to take care of minor expenditures without necessarily depending on government.

Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, Chief of Training (Army), and Professor Saadatu Liman, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Nasarawa State University during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Security and Strategic Studies Development between the Nigerian Army (NA) and Nasarawa State University, Keffi, at Army Headquarters Conference Room, Abuja on 30/9/2021.

Insecurity: Expert Seeks Collaboration With Govt Party Offices Deserted As Unidentified Gunmen Invade Anambra

FROM JOSEPH AMEDU, LOKOJA

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Security Expert, Mr Austine Ogaga, has advised the Federal Government to partner with the private sector and individuals to curb insecurity in the country.

Ogaga gave the advice in an interview with our correspondent on Friday in Lokoja, as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 61st independent anniversary.

According to him, as the nation continues to grapple with kidnapping, killings and other related security threats, the best way to tackle insecurity is through the use of technology.

The security expert, who is a US-based Nigerian, said that he recently developed a soft ware that could prevent, respond and investigate crime digitally.

He expressed his willingness to collaborate with the Federal and State Governments and other relevant stakeholders towards curbing insecurity in Nigeria.

He explained that his organisation, WestZone Services Limited, is a software development company, interested in partnering with the Government to manage insecurity through tailored security apps, trackers and monitoring systems both online and offline.

FROM CHARLES OKEKE, AWKA

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head of the Anambra State Governorship Election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021, offices of political parties and their respective campaign directorates in Awka and other major towns are now deserted as unknown gunmen invaded parts of the state last week.

Residents reportedly pulled down posters of political parties and campaign billboard of the contending candidates to avoid incurring the wrath of the invaders.

The development came on the heels of reports that unknown gunmen attacked some communities and in the state, including Agulu, Nnewi, Nnobi, Nkpo, Ajali, Oko and Ezinifite, among others, killing some people and destroying valuable property and burning down police stations.

It was learnt that the gunmen had in the course of their operations last week set fire to a campaign vehicle belonging to the Labour Party in Oko, after shooting the driver in both legs.

campaign programs of PDP, APC, APGA, Labour Party, ADC, Zenith Labour Party and other less fancied parties designed for open places were reportedly put in abeyance due to the threats from the gunmen.

It was also gathered that the governorship candidates of all the parties participating in the election have been advised to avoid public outing for now.

Already, the Commissioner of Police, Tony Olofu and Governor Willie Obiano, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission have reacted to the sudden upsurge in the activities of unidentified gunmen in Anambra.

In an advisory statement, which he issued through the spokesman of the Anambra State Police Command, Olofu called on political parties to make available to the Command details of their campaign activíties and outings for the purpose of providing adequate security during those anticipated events.

Ogaga reiterated confidence in the ability of President Mohammadu Buhari, as well as the Yahaya Bello administration in Kogi, in addressing security threats and enjoined them to adopt technology as a way out.

That same week, they went to other towns to carry out similar attacks. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the violence that rocked Anambra in the past one week.

In his reaction, Governor Obiano condemned the unprovoked attacks in their entirety while announcing a reward of N20 million for anybody who could volunteer useful information on the hideout and identity of the gunmen.

‘’The software developed by my organisation will go a long way in complimenting the proposed community policing and promoting Digital Policing System in the country.

Checks madé in Awka and feelers from Onitsha, Nnewi, Nnokwa, Ihiala and Ekwulobia, as well as various communities, also point to the fact that most scheduled

The INEC had, on their part, requested the deployment of about 24,000 security personnel to ensure a hitch-free election on November 6.

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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS APC Set For State Congresses Amid Anxiety, Protests Political observers believe the cracks within the party’s hierarchy may widen after the state congresses, if care is not taken.

Speaking with THEWILL, a member of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), a group loyal to Tinubu, who doesn’t want his name in print, said the group has gone to court and that nothing has changed.

“We are still in court to stop further congresses. We are just watching them. Let them go ahead with the state congress in Ekiti. We are going to conduct our own congress and we will produce our own executive,” he said.

It would be recalled that in Ekiti State, the agreement reached during the ward and local government congresses by the group loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi was opposed by Senator Dayo Adeyeye-led SWAGA. Speaking on the Congress, Adeyeye said the Ward Congress was nothing but a charade. “We are hereby telling the CECPC, our party members nationwide and indeed, all Nigerians, that there was no congress in Ekiti State. What happened was a charade that cannot pass the test of democracy and it is totally unacceptable,” he said.

Dissatisfied with the conduct of the July 31 ward congress in Ekiti State, SWAGA, had dragged the All Progressives Congress to Court, calling for outright annulment of the election.

In a Suit Number FHC/AD/CS/21/2021 filed at the Federal High Court, Ekiti State Division, the group sought an interlocutory injunction stopping the conduct of the local government congress or an order declaring the outcome illegal.

Buhari

The suit deposed to by 36 SWAGA members and contestants in the ward Congress on behalf of over 3,650 members of the group in Ekiti was filed by their lawyers, Barrister Ayodeji Odu and five others for the plaintiffs.

BY AYO ESAN

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to conduct its nationwide state congresses on October 16,2021. The date for the congresses, which was earlier fixed for Saturday October 2, 2021 was shifted by two weeks.

In announcing the decision to change the date, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, who is the National Secretary, APC Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), did not give any reason for its postponement.

He only said an updated timetable and schedule of activities and guidelines for the conduct of the State Congresses would be released to the public in due course.

It would be recalled that the party had carried out its ward and local government congresses on July 31 and September 4, 2021, respectively.

The successful conduct of the state congresses will precede a national convention of the party where a new set of executive will emerge for the party at the national level. No date has been fixed yet for the national convention.

In both the ward and local government congresses earlier conducted by the ruling APC, there were reports of protests resulting in parallel congresses in many states of the federation. There were reports of parallel ward congresses in almost 14 states. Several factions in the state chapters held parallel congresses as against the directives of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) which kicked against such.

While the leadership of the party is looking for the means to address these problems that arose from the congresses, especially through the setting up of an Appeal Committee, which has already paid visits to the affected states, reports reaching THEWILL indicates that the committee’s report or intervention didn’t meet the expectations of aggrieved members of the party. Hence these, aggrieved members across the state chapters have expressed the determination to give whatever it takes to challenge the authorities in their state Caretaker Committees.

A group in Ekiti State APC is already in court calling for the cancellation of the ward congress in the state.

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Political observers have said what made the situation critical was that the party went into local government congresses without resolving the crisis that emanated from the ward congresses.

The appeal committee visited most of the states where there were agitations, but the resolution of the disputes was not done before the local government congresses were held. In the same way, the party is yet to resolve the crisis that emanated from the local government congresses before the new date for the state congresses is fixed.

“The CECPC just carried on as if there was no serious agitation on ground, but in reality there were agitations,” a public affairs commentator in Abuja, John Ojo, told THEWILL. THEWILL has further gathered that the seeming silence in most states is just artificial and temporary as an implosion may soon occur by the time the state congresses are concluded.

As the party gets ready for the state congresses, the states where parallel congresses and two sets of state executives of the party may emerge include Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ondo, Enugu, Imo and Kwara States.

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In both the ward and local government congresses earlier conducted by the ruling APC, there were reports of protests resulting in parallel congresses in many states of the federation

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Joined in the suit are the following: APC (1st defendant), Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni (2nd defendant); Ekiti APC Chairman, Paul Omotoso (3rd defendant); Chairman, Ekiti Congress Screening Committee, Samuel Abejide (4th defendant) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (5th defendant).

The plaintiffs sought an order declaring that the congress of the 1st defendant purportedly held on July 31 and organised and conducted by or under the instruction/supervision of 2nd and 3rd defendants in Ekiti State as unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

They also prayed the court to declare that the congress of the 1st defendant purportedly held in Ekiti-State on July 31, 2021 was in total breach of democratic norms and practices and violation of the Constitution and guidelines issued by the 1st defendant for the conduct of the 2021 ward congresses.

Others include a declaration that “no congress was held in the Ekiti State chapter of the 1st defendant as no result has been declared in respect of the congress as at the date of filing this case.

“A declaration that the 2nd defendant cannot hold the position of Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee of the 1st defendant as such appointment/role is a constitutional violation of section 187 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and article 8 of the 1st defendant’s constitution.

“A declaration that all actions or steps taken by the 1st defendant under the control, supervision, direction of the so called caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee of APC, headed by the 2nd defendant, including the conduct of ward congresses across Nigeria and Ekiti State on July 31, 2021 was illegal and unconstitutional on the ground that the 2nd defendant under whose such steps or actions were taken was ineligible to superintend over 1st defendant party affairs while still serving in office as a Governor.

“A declaration that all committee/Ward congress committees set up by the 3rd defendant pursuant to the Ward Congress of July 31, 2021 was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and in total violation of the guidelines of the 1st defendant on conduct of the congress”. *Continues on Page 13

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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS/INTERVIEW

‘Solving Problems Confronting Us Is Our Greatest Challenge’ A former Minister of Education and co-founder of ‘The Rescue Nigeria Project’, Prof Tunde Adeniran, speaks on Nigeria’s 61st Independence anniversary and other issues of national interest in this interview with AYO ESAN. Excerpts:

With regard to the security challenges, which represent our greatest problem, we should not leave everything to the military and police alone. Citizens should also be alert and whatever role the community will play should be played, so that we can collectively overcome the challenges. It is unfortunate that the resources we should be using to develop and improve the quality of lives of our people are being spent on maintaining security. Of course, without peace and security we cannot develop. That is why Nigerians must come together and fix the challenges. And not pass the blame here or there. We have gone past that stage.

There are things we ought to have done in the past, which we failed to do. But it is too late now to agonise over such things. The challenge before us now is to fix whatever is confronting us and overcome it. And God, who has given us all the resources, particularly the human resources, will enable us to use those talents to confront and overcome the challenges.

Many people believe that at 61, Nigeria still has a lot of problems to worry about. Do you think the country should have been better than it is? What can we do to improve?

We have to pay more attention to our priorities and values. Instead of pursuing the core values that used to define us as a people, we seem to be pursuing material resources. I believe at this point, we need to pay attention to three important things. Number one is the issue of leadership at all levels. Our process of leadership recruitment is faulty. We need to get it right.

We need to concentrate more on the younger generation and encourage them to key into the core values that used to define us as a people and as a nation: Hard work, love for our neighbours, being our brothers’ keepers, aspiration to excel, being trustworthy, devotion to duty and of course, the determination to make Nigeria proud of us as a people and for us to be proud of Nigeria as a nation.

We also need to focus on those things that will add value both to us as a people and to our country. They PAGE 10

are the things that will make our life more meaningful and worthy. For instance, we have neglected agriculture, which ought to have remained the pillar of our development. Because God gave us oil, we abandoned the other natural resources, the mineral resources that should have been developed for future generations. Because of oil, we have also forgotten the essence of production and the clamour has shifted to sharing, sharing, and sharing.

Instead of being productive as a nation, we have become a people and a nation that concentrates on sharing. Once you concentrate on sharing you cannot extend the scope of production. That is what we should have focused on and people began to struggle and to clamour over limited resources, whereas God gave us unlimited possibilities to produce, to grow and to develop.

I believe that we need to work on two major things as our immediate challenges, aside insecurity. These issues are germane and we should do something about them. One of them is the issue of population. We seem to be paying less attention to our population. There is population explosion in Nigeria. Nobody wants to talk about it and nobody wants to do anything about it.

When we do not control our population growth, it will be very difficult to control other things. Our planning will be meaningless. We should pay attention to it, make sure we produce and reproduce humanity to the extent that we can cater for them. Individuals may feel free to procreate endlessly, and boast about having dozens of children. The country has the responsibility to perform since the country is going to provide for the security of those children, for the future well-being of those children and the infrastructure they are going to use.

The government has a responsibility to control and make sure that citizens restrict themselves or are restricted to what the government can cater for. If there is no control, there will be chaos. Nothing is more harmful to an underdeveloped country than a chaotic population that is uncontrollable. From the way things are going, the greater percentage of Nigeria’s population is youths and those below them. If that trend continues, it will be disastrous for our country.

We are starting rather too late now, but something can still be done about it.

Decisive steps should be taken by government at all levels. People should be encouraged or guided not

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hat is your assessment of Nigeria at 61?

Well, thank God for Nigeria that in spite of our challenges, God is faithful. He is keeping us and I pray that we will rise up as a nation and face the challenges with vigour, with determination to fully overcome the problems. And we should stop the blame game. This person was responsible for this and that so that our leaders will guide us in facing these challenges. And we the followers will also play our part.

to politicise the issue of population explosion. This is a subject that can affect the well-being of future generations of Nigerians and the quality of lives they will live.

Why you have to place more attention on this population control is because we have to limit population to what we can give education and medical services to. In other words, we must be able to produce for the children we are bringing to the world. So that we just don’t give birth to people whose welfare we won’t be able to cater for.

The other issue to be confronted is the issue of climate change. The song now is about climate change and related matters. Why our governmental policy should identify with the issue. We should also find ways to not neglect or abuse our environment. That is why we end up with massive flooding in all places, leading to loss of lives and properties. That is why we have terrible pollution all over the place and parts of the consequences are diseases and deaths. We have to pay necessary attention to these areas.

How will the Rescue Nigeria Project help the country to overcome some of its challenges?

Well, it is a patriotic duty, something we see as an urgent call. We have been drifting aimlessly and members of the political class have been playing politics of convenience. You have seen the way they cross the carpet, the way they move without remorse, consideration or conviction. Once they see THEWILLNIGERIA

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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS/INTERVIEW 61st Independence Celebration: Nigeria Not Yet a Nation - SNF

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BY AYO ESAN s Nigeria commemorate the 61 years of independence, the Southern Nigeria Frontier, SNF, has commended Nigerians for their resilience, as the nation struggles towards experiencing the actualization of the promises of government at various levels in the country, 61 years after the country attained Independence from colonial rule.

SNF said “years after attaining Independence, our country still grapple with the failure of successive leadership, to actualize the dreams and aspirations, of our founding fathers, towards building a Nation from the country called Nigeria, bequeathed unto us, by the colonialists”.

In a release signed by its Spokesman, Olufemi Lawson, SNF said “ 61 years, we have continued to spend a greater part of our productive national life and government focus, on issues of cattle grazing, grazing reserves and cattle routes. The federal government rather than preoccupying itself with issues that promotes national unity and cohesion, has been busy with mundane issues, that have polarised the country, in a manner, unprecedented in our history. “ As we commemorate this 61 years of Independence amidst our continued quest for nationhood, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari must commence a deliberate state policy, that will immediately end the serial violations of the Federal Character principle through skewed appointments, failure of obligation in line with the constitutionally mandated state policy of the security and welfare of the citizens, and take adequate measures, towards decisively bringing an end to the fastly growing trend of all manner of insurgency, in the country.

We have to pay more attention to our priorities and values. Instead of pursuing the core values that used to define us as a people, we seem to be pursuing material resources. I believe at this point, we need to pay attention to three important things. Number one is the issue of leadership at all levels THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

We have to play politics that is rooted in ideology. Our politicians should be made to appreciate not just the role of ideology, but also the essence of principles.

Politicians should be able to guide the people, their followers, based on some core values. People should know where they stand on a particular national issue, which should determine what position they take, because this country is drifting in such a way that we are becoming more divided as a people. We believe there is a need across the various divides.

We need to reconcile our people, reconcile Nigerians and unite the nation and move on as a united people so that people will be guided less by ethnicity, religion and selfish pursuits. Our actions should be grounded on principles and clear indices of patriotism. We should have a country that is run by a leadership based on capacity, competence, courage and the will to move it in the right direction. We believe in people of like minds from various zones and persuasions. We even have some people within the leading political parties who have the type of orientation that could help in rescuing the country if they worked together with others and are not suffocated within the mass of their present grouping that does not give room for the manifestation of the types of ideological orientation that we are talking about.

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It also restates its commitment, to the collective aspiration of Nigerian people, which support the prohibition of the antiquated Open Grazing system and the popular demand, that the principles of equity, fairness and Justice be respected by political parties in the 2023 general elections, by ensuring that the Presidency of Nigeria, returns to the Southern part of the country.

Buhari

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that Party A is the one that will provide the avenue for personal aggrandisement, they move in and when that opportunity is not forthcoming, they move again. That is not right. It is not good for our system.

SNF said the time we are, is so sensitive, that the administration of President Bwuhari should halt every tendencies, which undermines democracy and encourage a totalitarian government, which does not regard the role and powers of the federating units, particularly the states, in decision making, revenue generation and the promulgation of laws, that can allow the smooth operations, of the Constituent units, that make up the federal republic of Nigeria.

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POLITICS Reacting to the judgment, the PDP in Plateau, in a statement by its publicity secretary, John Akans, expressed shock, noting that “it was disappointing as we watched Justice Kunda deliver a most ridiculous judgment in the history of the Nigerian judiciary.”

The PDP further said, “It is obvious that this judgment has unveiled the government as a true enemy of the people.”

Lalong

Many believe Governor Lalong, troubled by the bourgeoning popularity and acceptability of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state and a purported security report that the people of Plateau have become disdainful of the APC, especially with the increased insecurity, hunger and hardship in the land, used the PLASIEC to factor into seeming internal crisis in the main opposition party and manipulate it out to make the polls easier for the APC. But the ouster of the PDP from the local polls prefacing 2023 and the outrage that has greeted the judgment are being viewed by many as a huge insecurity threat that may explode and throw the entire state into another round of sectarian violence and crises. It is being argued that the substance of the development is that it has, beyond the PDP membership, disenfranchised thousands of voters who are willing to determine the leadership of their councils by expressing their will on the PDP platform.

Plateau LG Poll: October 9 And Looming Crisis As the residents of Plateau State look forward to the Local Government Council Election, which is scheduled to hold on October 9, 2021, UKANDI ODEY previews a walk-over scenario orchestrated by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission and the All Progressives Congress-led government of Governor Simon Lalong

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istory is about to repeat itself. This time, it is flavoured with politics of exclusion and extreme exhibition of winner-takes-all greed, as the local government council election in Plateau State comes up on October 9, 2021.

After several postponements, the first LG council election conducted by the Simon Lalong administration was held on October 10, 2018. The same election went into the history books as the most controversial and disputed. Four local government areas were excluded and denied on the strength of a contrived ‘security report.’

Even the worse for it, the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) announced results for the other 13 local government areas, while voting was still going on in voting centres across the state. The mischief and underhand tactics were completed with a nocturnal swearing-in ceremony held in the dead of night at Government House, Rayfield, on the same day.

For next Saturday’s elections, the trajectory, convoluted and rich in political land mines and intrigues against the opposition parties, has been reviewed and skewed to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress. The stage is now set to declare the party winner of the election in all the local government areas, except Langtang North where the tenure of the chairman, who was declared winner at the Tribunal, is yet to run full circle.

With the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)as the main opposition, and veritably a political force to contend with in the state, PLASIEC earlier declared that the opposition party will not be participating in Saturday’s elections, citing a court judgment of December 20, 2020, which nullified its congresses and ordered fresh congresses to be conducted to elect its state working committee.

In suit number PLD/J250/2021, the PDP engaged

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PLASIEC in a legal battle in which it prayed the Court to determine, among other things, whether the commission, “in view of the provisions of sections 40, 197, 221, and 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), sections 8 and 16 of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2016, Paragraph 2a, and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission Guidelines for 2021 Local Government Elections, the PDP as a registered political party in Nigeria does not have the constitutional right to and is not entitled to hold primaries to nominate candidates to obtain nomination forms from the defendant to participate and canvass for votes, present and sponsor its candidates in any election, and in particular the election into the various seats of chairman and councillors of all the local government areas in Plateau State”.

Giving judgment on the matter last Wednesday, Justice Ishaku Kunda, refused to grant the orders and declarations sought by the PDP, as he posited that the PLASIEC was right to exclude the party because, based on the letters and spirit of judgment Justice SP Gang of a court of coordinate jurisdiction dated November 20, 2020, the party had not conducted fresh primaries and the plea of the party being run by a caretaker committee could not be sustained.

According to Justice Kunda, all the steps and actions taken by the PDP Caretaker Committee, including the conduct of the primary election to determine the candidates for the local government election, were null and void. To that extent, he said “the entire claims in the submission of the claimant are hereby dismissed”.

Although the judgment has been faulted by many as it has been described variously in a lot of places as a travesty of justice, a fumbling judgment and a judicial charade, it has had severe implications on the mood and mode of the people of the state as the countdown thins towards October 9.

In Jos South, Barkin Ladi and Ryom Local Government Areas, where there has been no election since Lalong came to power, political pundits say there is no chance of the APC winning an election in any of these places because the Berom ethnic group, who are the inhabitants of these areas are enthusiastic PDP faithful. With the judgment against the PDP, its opposition and platform have been effectively neutralised to enable Lalong foist APC political leadership on the people. It is feared that what the governor has conceived to do here is to turn the people against themselves and revenge his claim and anger that they did not vote for him in the 2015 and 2019 general elections.

The situation in Langtang North Local Government Area presents another potential for crisis as the APC and Lalong appear desperate invoke constitutional abuse to enable the party forcefully take over political control of the place. The present chairman, Johua Laven Ubandoma of the PDP, was declared winner by the local government election tribunal and sworn to serve a three-year term more than a year after the 2018 council election.

From discernible moves, Governor Lalong is festering trouble in the area, using the forthcoming elections, as he has endorsed his commissioner for housing to resign and contest the council’s chairmanship seat on the platform of the APC. With last week’s judgment against the PDP, it is yet to be seen how Lalong will circumvent constitutionality and constitutional order and remove PDP’s Ubandoma and inaugurate an APC council.

The curfew that was imposed in parts of the state, particularly in Jos North, Jos South and Bassa LGAs, is still in place as the return of peace is still suspect, with the latest reports of neighbourhood ambush and killings in Bassa LGA. As the University of Jos remains closed, there is no news yet about the return of students who were hurriedly evacuated from the state in the wake of killings that gripped the state capital and its environs, in which even travelers were reportedly killed in a massive attack.

Two weeks ago, the Plateau State Polytechnic was embroiled in a crisis leading to a disputed number of deaths of students, to the effect that the school had all its campuses closed down and overdue semester examinations deferred indefinitely, just as leisure and hospitality businesses are at an all-time low.

There is apprehension around the state about concluded plans to rig the elections. Most of the political parties represented in the State merely have nominal presence and thy are too weak to win even a councilorship seat. For this obvious reason, they are only alive in the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and did not field candidates for the local government polls. Thus, vaulted ambition of the APC under Lalong to take over political leadership at the grassroots, the infighting and internal contradictions that infested the PDP in Plateau State and the judicial system that thrives whimsically on technicalities rather than substance, have conspired to misrepresent the political picture of Plateau with a high propensity to trigger crises if not properly managed.

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POLITICS

APC Set For State Congresses Amid Anxiety, Protests mode that the congress went through. Oyetola who is a member of the CECPC and Caretaker Chairman of APC in the state, Prince Gboyega Famodun, had insisted on using consensus for the ward congresses. But the state’s Caretaker Committee Secretary, Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile; Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji and former chairman of the party, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi led other notable members to demand direct elections and rejected the consensus arrangement.

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They also sought an injunction restraining the 1st and 3rd defendants from conducting any further congresses into local government and state offices of 1st defendant in Ekiti State pending the determination of the substantive matter.

The plaintiffs asked for an injunction restraining the 5th defendant from recognising or dealing with any ward executive or officers purportedly produced from the purported ward congress of July 31, 2021 in Ekiti State.

There was violence when the Ward Appeal Committee visited Osogbo, the state capital, to receive appeal from the aggrieved groups. This eventually led to the arraignment of some leaders of the TOP for allegedly causing a breach of the peace in the state.

In Lagos State, four parallel congresses were held on July 31.

They are Tunde Balogun-led States Caretaker Committee, which was recognised and supervised by representatives of the CECPC; Moshood El-Salvador faction, Abdul Azeez Adediran and Fouad Oki factions, who all organised parallel congresses.

Each of the factions has since submitted its results to the CECPC.

Speaking to THEWILL, a chieftain of TOP, Barrister Gbenga Akano, said the group was still awaiting the verdict of the Appeal Committee that visited the state after the ward congress.

He said, “It is unfortunate that the situation within Osun APC has degenerated to the level it is now.” But he absolved members of TOP of any blame saying the governor’s camp were the perpetrators of violence.

The other factions accused the Balogun-led caretaker committee of not following due process in line with party guidelines before the congresses. But this was dismissed by the Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, who said forms were put on sale for days at the state secretariat of the party. He said the group led by Adediran, Lagos4Lagos, decided to constitute themselves into the opposition within APC and they refused to identify with the state secretariat.

Buni

He said, “Abuja definitely will not deal with a caucus within the party, but with the duly recognised executive at the state level. The forms were sent to the state and if they refuse to go to the secretariat, they only have themselves to blame. This is politics, not activism. When you belong to a political group, you must adhere to the guidelines in its constitution.

Akano further confirmed that the meetings and mobilisation of TOP members are ongoing in all the 30 local government areas of the state.

“What he did to the best of my knowledge is that his group boycotted the congress because they did not buy forms and follow the guidelines. The ward congress committee was duly constituted and the committee from Abuja set to oversee the congress in Lagos, it also held a stakeholders’ meeting, which everyone attended, they agreed to a consensus.

procedures and guidelines of the party.

“If they go to court, we expect that there will be fair hearing and we also have every right to defend our position.”

He noted that the idea of consensus means the aggregation of opinions of majority members of the party, stressing that consensus does not translate to a 100 percent agreement.

“As party members, we have every right to fight for any of the party positions, which is what we are doing. This is our right.

But, as preparation for the state congress is in top gear, a group in Lagos All Progressives Congress, known as Lagos4Lagos, penultimate Thursday unveiled a 36-member executive to participate in the forthcoming state congress of the party.

Lead Visionary of the Lagos4Lagos Movement of Lagos APC, Dr Olajide Adediran, popularly called “Jandor,” unveiled the executive members, chaired by Prince Sunday Ajayi, at a media briefing held at the Liberty House, Secretariat of the group at Adeniji Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

Jandor, who was confident that the executive members would be recognised by the national body for the state convention when duly elected, said,“There is no going back on this. It is better for them to join us in contest or lose out at the end of the day.”

According to him, due diligence had been followed in line with the guidelines and constitution of the party.

On being in tandem with the party’s constitution, Jandor stated, “The answer is that the party called for congresses at all levels and they brought out a guideline of what they wanted us to do.

If you are interested in applying for any position, this is what you need, there is a set of forms which you must buy.

“The party said, this is the approved number where to pay, if you pay us and present your nomination we are going to give you forms, which we did.

We paid, collected tellers, so when somebody hijacks the form, we understand the question of the law, the most important thing is that you asked us to pay and we have evidence of payment.

“Those are the things we presented before the appeal and we went ahead to affirm the appeal. These are still parts of the THEWILLNIGERIA

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“So, if the party at the national level doesn’t recognise us, they won’t invite us to come to the appeal committee. They know there is a dissenting voice in Lagos, which enables us to be carried along in other processes.

“Now, of course, our party allows for consensus, but where that fails there must be an elective congress. We don’t canvass people to say you must buy into this. The party’s constitution and guidelines are already clear. There is nothing wrong in us sitting together and saying this is how we want it done.

“If we all agree with one problem, even if we agree at the round table, the provisions of the constitution say that we should take it to the view for all other members or delegates as the case may be, to affirm that truly we did this. So this is what we have been following.

“We will continue to follow, so that at the end of the day, if they refuse to change or show repentance we can take them to court. I believe we have done the needful. We are only waiting for them also to do the needful.

In Oyo State, the July 31 ward congresses across the state were conducted under the leadership of Alhaji Gambo Lawan. Although the Chairman of the Elders’ Advisory Council of the party, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), denied that there were skirmishes and parallel congresses at Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun zones.

The issue of manipulation being raised by some groups within the party is putting a question mark on the integrity of the exercise. Whatever grievances expressed during the congresses at the Ward and Local Governments have not been resolved, THEWILL gathered.

In Osun, the Congresses so far conducted brought to the fore division within the party. Parallel congresses were held in some of the local government areas by a group loyal to the former governor and current Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola which tagged itself, The Osun Progressive, TOP and another group controlled by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, known as the Ileri Oluwa group.

There were records of skirmishes because of the unresolved

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In Ogun State, the unresolved war of attrition between the former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and incumbent, Prince Dapo Abiodun, which played out in the ward and local government congresses as their supporters held parallel congresses is still there. Reports have it that party leaders from both camps stormed their wards with a prepared list of executives, which was later adopted after the headcount of party members in attendance during both congresses in the state.

It was also noted that during the ward and local government congresses, parallel congresses were held by former Governor Gbenga Daniel’s group and a group loyal to Governor Abiodun.

Political observers also believe that the Kwara State Chapter of the APC may produce two sets of state executives after October 16. It would be recalled that the state chapter of the party has been divided into two: Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak’s faction and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s faction. The two factions produced parallel executives at the Ward and Local Governments level.

In Enugu there is also a crisis between members of the APC foundation Legacy and former Governor Ken Nnamani’s group.

The Publicity Secretary of the APC in Enugu State, Mrs Kate Ofor, said members of the party had resolved to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to save them from Senator Ken Nnamani and Co, who she alleged desired to shut out APC foundation legacy members in the state.

“Foundation members of APC in Enugu State have gradually improved the electoral fortunes of our great party from 2015 to the 2019 general election. We need to improve, especially with the registration of new members. However, we wish to appeal that the flagrant breach of Article 20 of the APC Constitution

by Senator Ken Nnamani’s imposition called consensus be urgently addressed before the October 16, 2021 State Congress.”

Speaking after their virtual meeting, on behalf of the party, Ofor added, “Our core resolution in the meeting is to call on Mr President who is the leader of our great party to Save Our Soul.

Our understanding is that Senator Ken Nnamani and Co.’s devious plan is to shut out APC foundation legacy members in Enugu State.

“His Excellency, M.M. Buni, as a foundation legacy member, knows how we toiled and sacrificed to build the brand APC, while Nnamani and Co were in their PDP comfort zone. We also need Buni’s deft reconciliation tactics. Nnamani and Co did not bring anything to the table, neither electoral value nor people nor money.”

Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country are however saying that to avoid a deepening crisis, the leadership of the party should look into genuine grievances arising from the ward and local government congresses before the conduct of the state congresses on October 16, 2021.

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EDITORIAL Insecurity, Ailing Economy And Nigeria @61 T

he Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, aptly captured the prevailing public mood in a security alert he issued on Friday, September 26, 2021 in Abuja, preparatory to the celebration of the country’s 61st independence anniversary.

The Minister, in a brief three-paragraph statement, had alerted the general public to the heightened insecurity around the country and urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory and its environs not to panic and to go about their legitimate business.

“Residents are enjoined to report suspicious persons and movements to the security agencies through the following numbers: 09-6305396, 08031230631, 08032003557 and 122,” Mohammed had said.

As realistic as it was, especially coming from the government’s chief spokesperson, who had on different occasions told his countrymen and women that terrorists operating within the country had been technically defeated or neutralised and rendered incapable of inflicting maximum damage, Mohammed’s statement was an open admission of the magnitude of Nigeria’s biggest challenge at the moment.

The statement foreshadows the Federal Government’s preoccupation with insecurity – a sorry business for the giant of Africa, indeed.

The implication of the worsening insecurity in the country on food security, business, travel, livelihood, unemployment and mutual ethnic distrust, is already in the public domain and calls for more dialogue.

Suffice it to add that making a point of insecurity on the occasion of Nigeria’s independence anniversary shows that government needs to do more to uphold one of its primary constitutional duties, which is to secure the country from marauding terrorists, kidnappers and

insurgents and to create a safe haven for Nigerians to work, live and sleep without any form of worry.

sequences for inclusion and good governance are being treated with levity.

We got to this point because the Nigerian economy has been import- dependent for many years, a situation that resulted in low demand for the naira and a subsequent fall in its value.

For example, crisis-ridden Kaduna State has twice conducted local government election through e-voting and transmission of results, yet Nigeria’s senior lawmakers are fishing for excuses to frustrate the Independent National Electoral Commission from performing its constitutional duty in spite of the commission’s readiness to replicate the Kaduna experience nationwide.

This has led to a continuous rise in the prices of goods and services, to the detriment of many Nigerians who have had to cope with a falling standard of living, especially those with fixed incomes.

The impact on manufacturers and small scale businesses that experienced a fall in aggregate demand, leading to unemployment, can best be imagined. The two recessions that the country has witnessed in succession tell the whole story. What this picture simply paints is that the desired policy reforms are yet to pull Nigeria out of the woods.

Even so, we think that in the midst of uncertainty, there is still cause for celebration. For one, our dogged commitment to democratisation for 22 unbroken years, particularly with the sustenance of the broken jinx of a civilian to civilian handover of power, is commendable despite the crises bedeviling the country on many fronts.

Moreover, the renewed commitment of the military high command to take the battle to terrorists is yielding results with the reported surrender of many of the outlaws, elimination of their hideouts, detection and arrests of their informants.

As a way forward, we think the ongoing constitutional amendment and electoral reform should provide a window of opportunity for our lawmakers and policy formulators to think of the country and their compatriots first before their egoistic, selfish desires, as it is currently playing out at the National Assembly where matters of election and electoral reforms with all its attendant con-

While congratulating Nigerians for their resilience and patriotism in the face of continuous failure of the ruling elite to devise and support a national agenda on good governance that would deliver sustained growth and development, we wish to remind our leaders that a multiethnic and diverse country like ours need sustained political engineering with a committed, disciplined and visionary leadership to override divisive forces.

The thinking that a 61 year-old country is still young, in comparison with older democracies that took 200 years to mature, should be discarded. This reasoning is insincere because countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea, which gained independence about the same period as Nigeria, have since joined the league of developed nations.

If anything, the clamour for separation and secession in many parts of the country should indicate to those still thinking in that manner that it’s time for the country’s managers to involve the people in governance and pursue policy reforms that build institutions and make the rule of law, as well as due process, the cornerstone of every aim and objective of government. Policies, infrastructure and governments are made for the people’s pleasure, not for their fancy.

On that note, we wish all dogged and resourceful Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora a happy 61st independence anniversary celebration.

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 14

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OPINION Altruism: Scarce Human Virtue in Contemporary Society

BY PATRICK OGBE ltruism is a human act that is best described, defined, identified, or easily identified or easily recognised by actions and deeds, rather than by word or verbal definition. Whenever somebody does something-or carries out an act or deed that is altruistic in nature, on-lookers can easily recognise the act or deed as being genuine altruism in action or not.

A

Altruism does not require too much “grammar” in describing what it is and what it is not. It is by the acts, deeds and actions of particular people, exhibited towards other people, in particular circumstances, scenarios and situations, that one can label an act as altruistic or otherwise.

Not minding all that have been hitherto said, or rather scribbled out before now; altruism, in a layman’s word-or definition-simply means: “Regards for others-both natural and moral without regards for oneself.” It is also “devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness, selflessness.”

Wikipedia defines altruism, as the “..principle and moral practice of concern for the happiness of other human beings or other animals, resulting in a quality of life, both material and spiritual.”

Altruism, according to Wikipedia, is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religions, traditions and secular world views, though the concept of “others” towards whom concern should be directed and it can vary among cultures and religions.

Contrasted with egoism or selfishness, altruism, is also defined as “action, or behaviour that benefits another or others at some cost to the performer”. In an extreme case, altruism may become a synonym of selflessness, which is the opposite of selfishness.

The word, ‘altruism’, was made popular {and possibly

BY UZOR MAXIM UZOATU

T

o become recognised as a highly exalted owner of knowledge, you must acquire the highly coveted PhD.

People are dead ready to cross the valley of the shadow of death in the bid to get the ultimate diadem known as PhD attached to their names.

It then goes without saying that if you’ve got it you do need to advertise it everywhere thus: Dr Okoronkwo Olowokere, PhD. In the drive to earn the coveted PhD some ambitious students are made to stretch from three years onto eternity by haughty supervisors.

My bad temperament tells me that the task of writing a socalled PhD dissertation can ordinarily be completed over a cool beery weekend.

In my own University of Mushin, the choice is for the student to choose whether he is capable of writing his PhD in a week or over donkey years.

coined} by the French philosopher, Auguste Comte, in French as “altruisme” for an antonym of egoism. He derived it from the Italian word, altrui, which in turn was derived from the Latin word, ‘alteri’, meaning “other people”, or “somebody else.”

Altruism, in biological observation in field populations of the day organisms, is an individual performing an action at a cost to themselves {e.g. pleasure and quality of life, time, probability of survival or reproduction}, but benefits either directly or indirectly, another individual, without the expectation of reciprocity or compensation for that action.

Based on all the above cited definitions of the word, altruism, one would easily associate the word with an act or action of readily “laying down one’s life” for the well-being or good of others.

Altruistic acts and deeds, however, do not all the time necessarily mean sacrificing one’s own life for others to live. In contemporary times, a little effortless act like giving alms to the poor and needy on a street qualifies as an altruistic act or deed. Also giving out of one’s old clothes or foot wears etc to needy people in the society can also qualify as an act-or action-of altruism.

Try to conjure up these images in your mind: One, rain showers are falling in a particular environment liberally. Then in a particular bird’s nest in the said environment, an adult female bird spreads out her wings over her young ones that are nestled in the said nest. The dripping rain showers drench the female, adult-mother bird. The young birds, covered under their mother’s fluffy wings, are kept dry and warm. (It is actually an altruistic action on the part of an adult, female winged birdor hen-to spend long hours, culminating into days, incubating her eggs until the eggs hatch into young chicks).

Two: A contemporary, true life scene: A house is on fire. Some helpless children are trapped in the said house. Fire fighters arrive. A particular fire fighter breaks into the burning house and

Even as Funto had lost her job in the civil service, she is full of hope that there is a solid future for her as Dr Funto Oyewole, a joy shared with her daughter Deyemi who had just gained admission into secondary school.

Immediately she sets foot on the campus in Abuja everything literally turns upside-down. To get a supervisor for her literature studies proves well-nigh impossible as the Head of the Department (HOD) informs her: “It’s fairly difficult to find a PhD supervisor due to a mirage of problems confronting universities in Nigeria. The number of academic staff in every university is grossly inadequate; hence, what has to be done is left in the hands of few academics who can only struggle to cope.”

When she tries to get the lecherous Dr Durojaiye as her supervisor the man asks for sex upfront: “All I ask of you is a piece of the ‘action’ and you’ll get my consent to supervise you in return. Fair bargain, isn’t it?”

Funto then goes in search of a lady, Prof. Lara Owoyemi, as a would-be supervisor, and gets the shocker thus: “If you are serious about becoming a PhD candidate under my supervision, you must have thirty thousand naira to get the consent letter you are required to submit at the PG School. After your registration, I will spell out other terms of engagement to you.”

Lola Akande’s novel, What It Takes, published by Kraft Books, Ibadan, lays bare in cold print the shenanigans underpinning the earning of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) epaulette.

Funto in the end ends up with Prof. Charles Ephraim as her supervisor who according to the HOD demands three things from his students: “The first one is patience, the second is patience and the third is patience.”

According to the plot, back in September 1998, the somewhat vain middle-aged single-mother protagonist, Funto Oyewole, could not contain her joy when she procures the PhD admission letter to the National University of Nigeria (NUN), Abuja.

Funto Oyewole is reduced to tears by the evil machinations of Prof Ephraim, an ethnic jingoist who orders her against her wish to fill in as a part-time student while brazenly registering the lady of his tribe, Agnes Ellen Noah, into the full-time programme.

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Three: A time of insurgency, security breaches and violent up-risings in a particular nation or region of a particular country. Citizens of the affected nation-or region that are civilians hide in fear in their homes. The citizens of the said embattled nations, who are soldiers or members of the police in the affected region, are sent out to tackle the raging insurgency or up-rising.

In both scenarios the civilian citizens of the affected area are shielded from trouble, while the uniformed personnel go out to risk their lives so that peace, harmony and orderliness will reign in the said troubled society.

Then again, conjure up a scene in your mind, whereby a particular patient in a hospital is sick and requires blood transfusion. The blood type required to save the patient’s life is a particularly rare one. The person whose blood group is compatible with that of the patient, who can serve as a blood donor, is incidentally not related to the patient in any way.

In such a situation it is only genuine altruism on the part of the individual with the special blood group type that will stir such a person to donate his or her blood to save the life of a patient in a hospital bed, when both are not related to each other-biologically.

Many such emotionally touching circumstances and situations abound today, whereby many individuals are challenged to render seemingly undeserved acts of kindness to other people. At times, the people to whom one is called upon to render acts of rare kindnesses do not reciprocate the act of kindness.

On many occasions, beneficiaries of acts of kindness will not even say a “thank you” to the altruistic fellow. Not minding this stance of ingratitude on the part of many, however, whenever we are opportune to carry out altruistic acts and deeds, we should do so. Altruistic actions on our parts will ensure a safe, secure and harmonious society for all and sundry to live in.

You Gotta Die To Get PhD

Nobody needs to die in installments over the indeterminate years required to earn a PhD in these accursed shores.

It’s totally against my constitution that the sad professors who supervise the doctoral candidates in the universities almost always turn the poor wannabes into quivering servants and genuflecting slaves.

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manages to save the little children. However, in the process of doing so, the boldest of the fire fighters loses his life in the act.

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Prof Ephraim also insists that Funto must spend an entire year in understudying her project before writing a word of the dissertation.

She learns the hard way what PhD actually means, as she is told: “In Nigeria, PhD means, Prostrate, Hard work and Dobale. You are Yoruba; you know the meaning of Dobale. It means you will prostrate to them, you’ll work hard and you’ll prostrate again. It also means you’ll do more prostrating than hard work.”

By September 2001, three years into her programme, she had finished writing the thesis, but there was the fear of submitting the entire work to her insufferable supervisor.

When she eventually reveals that she had written all the chapters, Prof Ephraim replies: “I have misplaced the chapters you gave me.”

He then recommends a new list of books to be found in South Africa, USA, Canada or England which will entail rewriting the entire thesis.

Funto is as ever reduced to tears. Her attempt to find part-time work at Clamorous University is a disaster writ large.

Funto somewhat succumbs to the use of fetish prophets, spiritualists and shamans in the struggle to get her PhD programme back on track.

It all comes to naught. In the end, Prof Ephraim agrees to resume the supervision of Funto’s thesis.

It is not until December 2009, after more than a decade, that the dream manifests in the freshly-minted Dr Funto Oyewole, a glorious happy-ending shared with her daughter Deyemi who had graduated from the university and was serving the nation via the NYSC in the Presidency.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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O CTO B E R 3 – OCTOBE R 9, 2021 www.t hewillnigeria. c om VOL .1 N O.3 4

FCMB Struggles As Tumbling Profits Threaten Earnings Outlook

BY SAM DIALA

F

irst City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB)’s 2021 half-year result was a reversal of the meteoric performance it recorded in 2020, which many analysts had described as unsustainable.

Given the performance trend in recent years, the ‘exceptional’ result in 2020, a year ravaged by COVID-19 and marked by a sluggish environment, was one that attracted curiosity.

Although many banks recorded a boom in 2020, investigation showed that they had a legacy of ‘climbing’ performance that achieved the topmost results that year, unlike FCMB’s which hit a sudden peak, now making a reversal, as most of the key fundamentals reveal.

“FCMB’s 2021 half-year result is like a climber who reached the peak of the mountain, announced his appearance and began to descend, but the bank is stable, notwithstanding the awful moral scandal that eventually consumed its former MD,” a leader of a major shareholders association said, on the condition of anonymity.

The tier-2 lender’s 2021 half year report showed a dip in profit after tax, from the peak of N9.7 billion to N7.56 billion, representing 22 percent. Profit before tax recorded a similar deep slope of 19.8 percent from N11.1 billion in the 2020 half year to N8.9 billion in the review period.

Gross earnings which climbed steadily from 2017 to hit its peak of N98.2 billion in H1 2020, slumped slightly to N94.2

Funding Aviation Infrastructure Deficit in Nigeria ANTHONY AWUNOR writes on the challenges, prospects and ways to fund aviation infrastructure deficit in Nigeria

N

igeria is ranked 23rd out of 54 countries in Africa in terms of infrastructural development, scoring less than 30 per cent by the African Development Bank (AFDB) rating.

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According to the AFDB study, the country will require $3 trillion in infrastructure spending over the next 30 years. This translates to $30 billion per year over the next Continued Next Page

billion representing 4 percent. The net interest income that recorded a significant rise of 17.3 percent to N45.4 billion in 2020, from N38.7billion in 2019, dropped to N43 billion in H1 2021 representing 5.2 percent.

While the total operating expenses climbed to N48 billion in the review period, from N44 billion in the preceding period, or 9 percent, the bank showed resilience in some areas where it recorded positive results, though moderate.

Its total assets rose to N2.24 trillion from N1.97 trillion, or 27 percent, while total loans and advances increased from N794.6 billion in H1 2020 to N916.7 in H1 2021 or 15.3 percent. Similarly, customer deposits rose from N1.1 trillion in H1 2020 to N1.3 trillion in H1 2021 or 18.1 percent. Earnings per share which climbed to 49 kobo in 2020, from 38 kobo in the preceding year (H1 2019), dropped to 38.1 kobo in 2021, representing 22.1 percent.

Equity analysts at CardinalStone Partners, have been consistent in their less than positive outlook about FCMB performance since the beginning of the year.

In its March 2021 report entitled “FCMB Downgraded as Liquidity Pressure Threatens 2021 Earnings”, the multi-asset investment firm noted that FCMB’s weak liquidity position will impact its core earnings after a solid outing in 2020. On that note, CardinalStone analysts cut the bank’s target price by 10.45 per cent due to a weak earnings outlook.

MORE INSIDE BEDC Begins Network Clean-up to Boost Service Delivery PAGE 35

FCCPC Tasks Oil Marketers On AntiCompetitive Conducts PAGE 35

Continued Next Page

Identity Challenge Impedes SMEs Financing – Heritage Bank MD

BY SAM DIALA he Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank Limited, Mr Ifie Sekibo, has urged the Federal Government to resolve identity management system challenges in the country so as to empower commercial lenders to extend credit to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with less worry.

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AVIATION Funding Aviation Infrastructure Deficit in Nigeria

FCMB Struggles As Tumbling Profits Threaten Earnings Outlook

Continued from previous page

Continued from previous page

“On the projected earnings drop in 2021, the financial service boutique in the Tier-2 category started off the year on a weaker note as profit dropped. Specifically, FCMB profit after tax shrank 24 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021 when compared with its Q1-2020 result after a meteoric growth recorded in its audited scorecard for 2020,” the report stated.

Aliu

Olowo

Commenting on the bank’s H1 performance in a report of September 23, 2021 entitled, “FCMB: Key metrics worsen as debits, funding pressure prompt profit meltdown,” the analysts noted that the bank’s key performance indicators worsened in the first half of 2021.

30 years in infrastructure spending.

To fix the infrastructural needs at airports alone across the country will require over N1.5 trillion or $5 billion, according to the survey. The estimate is in line with the Federal Government’s aviation development roadmap, which is aimed at transforming 24 airports to world standard through the public and private sector investment model.

A few years ago, the African Development Bank (AfDB), following the survey of the infrastructural gaps, disclosed that the country’s needs were indeed huge and the Federal Government could not afford the cost amid other competing social obligations.

Also, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on member states to improve their airport infrastructure in order to secure the aviation industry for the future.

According to IATA, due to the fast growing passenger traffic projected to rise to 7.8 billion in 2036, there is a need to urgently address infrastructure challenges in order to secure the industry’s future.

But stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation industry have called for private capital investment and good corporate governance as factors that can address the huge aviation infrastructure deficit in the country.

Speaking at the Business Breakfast Meeting of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) held recently, with the theme, ‘Financing Aviation Infrastructure Deficit In Nigeria Using Private Capital: Challenges and Prospects,’ the Chief Executive Officer of Quorum Aviation, Mr Abiola Lawal, said that, going by the AFDB study, it was obvious that this could be equated to spending six times the size of the projected 2021 budget of about N13.08 trillion.

Regretting that Nigeria depends heavily on oil and gas earnings for most of its foreign exchange earnings, which is over 70 per cent, Lawal identified the factors hindering infrastructure funding as lack of proper sustainable fiscal incentives; concerns about continuity of government policies and transparency concerns.

Other challenges, according to Lawal, include inconsistent legal framework, contract enforceability and extremely long circle to put contracts together.

Citing an example with the Asaba Airport, the aviation expert said, “Asaba Airport concession took us almost 5 years. The current government concession of four airports will take a similar timeframe.”

Listing other challenges of employing private capital funding infrastructure, Lawal added, “In Nigeria, there is relatively low Return On Investment (RoI) THEWILLNIGERIA

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and relatively high risk. There is also limited access to equity capital, in addition to lack of specialised domestic Private Equity (PE) firms with aviation focus and capacity.

Others are high cost of capital in form of high interest rate, which is 20 per cent average with banks. Even intervention funds High Single Digit (nine percent).

Also, there are short tenure facilities, which are too short for infrastructure funding in the long term.

There are difficult collateral requirements”.

Proffering solutions, Lawal stated that there is a need for massive private equity funding in aviation infrastructure, viable PPP structure and incentives.

According to him, there should also be an access to a very low single digit debt of 2.5 per cent and a long term debt tenure of 10 to 20 years.

Explaining further, he said, “There should be specialised instrument to derisk investment, Sovereign Wealth Fund investment in infrastructure.

Others are Ease of Doing Business, p to multilateral DFIs, such as the World Bank, AFDB, and AFC. There should also be focus on viable airports to develop and attract private capital”.

In his presentation, President of ASRTI, Dr Gbenga Olowo, emphasised the need for the country to begin to address the existing infrastructure challenges and take advantage of existing improvement prospects.

Prof BamideleBadejooftheDepartmentofGeography, Olabisi Onabanjo University said that although there was a need for private capital investment in aviation infrastructure, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) should collaborate with the industry to first, identify specific existing deficits, while private capital entrepreneurs must make full disclosures of their assets and liabilities and prove their competence before approval, as against what has happened over the years that contributed to failure of Public Private Partnerships on infrastructure.

While presenting his paper, the former President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and current coordinator of International Partners For Aviation Development, Innovation and Sustainability (IPADIS), Dr. Olumuyiwa Aliu, noted that corporate governance had become a cultural problem in Nigeria, considering the fact that Nigerians are in the Diaspora helping other countries with their infrastructure challenges and getting applauses.

The importance of good corporate governance was emphasised by all the speakers at the event, including Mr. Raphael Kuuchi, Consulting Director, African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Mrs Adebimpe Ajimotokin of Guarantee Trust Bank and Engr Femi Adeniji.

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“In a messy earnings meltdown, despite a strong economic recovery in Nigeria, FCMB group profits for the first half of the year tumbled more than 28 per cent, from N9.7 billion in the first half of 2020 to N7.5 billion. In its earnings forecast for the fourth quarter of 2021, FCMB is expecting to deliver N8.51 billion on a gross earnings projection of N48.22 billion.

“Its net operating income is expected to berth at N35.921 billion, from which operating expenses amounting to N20.402 billion would be subtracted as the group also plans to book more than N6.2 billion impairment charge on credit losses,” the report stated.

Shares of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) posted a six per cent loss on the first day of trading on Monday, January 4.

The institution was in the eye of the storm following an allegation of adultery and paternity scandal involving its former Managing Director, Adam Nuru, According to data on the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s website, the bank’s shares lost 0.20k from the N3.33k it closed at on Thursday, December 31. The data further states that the tier-2 bank which had a market capitalisation of N65.94 billion, had 19.8 billion shares listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange but was ranked the top loser on the market on the first trading day.

It was further reported that the last time the bank’s share price suffered a decline of that magnitude was on November 13, 2020, when it suffered a 10 per cent decline from N3.80 per share on November 12, to N3.42 per share on November 13.

The loss may not be unconnected with the scandal involving Nuru, with many Nigerians calling for his sack while a petition sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and posted to change.com which garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

Reacting to the bank’s profits slump, reports revealed that a growing number of equity analysts and investment bankers have downgraded forecasts for the year while management deems it fit to

“

Shares of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) posted a six per cent loss on the first day of trading on Monday, January 4

lower guidance for 2021.

“FCMB group is dragged from both ends,” CardinalStone Securities said in a mid-year outlook for 2021.

“Following its leadership fiasco, its new Chief Executive, Yemisi Edun, has a lot to do to sail the bank ashore.”

“Edun’s corporate strategy skills set will be put to an acid test in the latter part of the year as FCMB profit has been negatively impacted and analysts are projecting low earnings beat for the year,” the analysts stated in their report of September 23, 2021.”

Supporting lower earnings expectation projection, analysts at Vetiva Capital stated that despite reporting a 22 per cent decline in interest expense to ₦11.8 billion, FCMB’s net interest margin (NIM) shrank 43 basis points to 6.9 per cent from 7.3 per cent in the financial year 2020. It observed that the decline in interest income was solely due to weaker yields on investment securities – income from loans and advances actually increased 12 per cent.

“With short-dated securities likely to continue to return low yields in the medium term, we expect this to negatively impact the bank’s net interest margin for the rest of the year”, they said.

When contacted, a source at the Group’s Investor Relations department who pleaded for anonymity, said the analysts’ views represent a mere opinion, adding that they do not give the true picture of the results, “FCMB is a strong brand; it will deliver good returns to the stakeholders at the end of the year and at all times,” the source said.

Ahead of the 2021 Customer Service Week, FCMB has lined up a series of exciting activities to celebrate and reward its customers and employees during this year. They include a 10 per cent bonus for purchase of N500 airtime and above via the bank’s *329# USSD platform, transaction free day for business account holders on the Bank’s Business app and a game tagged, “Scavenger Hunt”. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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BUSINESS INTERVIEW

Why Govt Must Support the Mining Sector - Prof. Adekoya

As someone who has worked in the public and academic circles, why do you think the Federal and State governments have been unable to exploit and export the discovered mineral resources in commercial quantities in the face of dwindling revenue from oil?

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n view of the ongoing VAT war between the Federal Government and Rivers and Lagos States, isn’t it timely for the states to find a way to exploit the mineral resources in their localities to raise Internally Generated Revenue?

In this case, what would you advise the government to do?

In the case of gold, which was discovered in Ilesha in the 1950s, people like the late Odutola invested in it in a small scale. If you are going to do large scale mining, you require large scale capital. What the government can then do will be to give incentives to miners. Tax drove a lot of people away from the mining sector many years ago. Government can encourage investors by buying shares in companies to encourage their owners. I remember working as a consultant with the late Prof Sam Aluko when he was heading the National Intelligence Committee during the military era. His idea was that state governments, say, in the South-West, can collaborate to set up a refinery. They can contribute money for it. But I suspect that the governors will not be interested in such projects that have a long gestation period.

They want quick money.

What do you say about the state of Ajaokuta Steel Company today?

It is the tragedy of our country because, incidentally, during our civil war years under military Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, when Britain failed to support Nigeria because of the Biafra war, Nigeria had to turn to Eastern Europe to make friends with Russia, then the Soviet Union. The Russians came to Nigeria and signed a MoU. Then there was iron ore around Lokoja and Koton Karfe area, but the metals were phosphorous and was not good for iron production; it made iron brittle and the Russians did not have the technology to remove phosphorous.

They had to search for new deposits. That was how we came to Itakpe, hence they had to set up the iron and steel industry around there. They spent a lot of money and completed 95 per cent of the work, but because of corruption the Russians got angry and left. The government, during the civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, said it had no money to

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When you said the government survey department where you once worked conducted a geological survey of the country, what exactly did that mean?

Geological survey is the principal function of the Geological Survey of Nigeria, a department of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power. The principal survey is to carry out geological mapping of Nigeria, first on a small scale and then on a larger scale, to discover the water potential of the country and geological rock types and mineral resources in all the rocks. It highlights the map of Nigeria, showing the distribution of rock types.

Former Dean of the School of Earth and Mineral Sciences at the Federal University of Technology, Akure and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof John Adekoya, speaks on a compendium of metallic and industrial minerals of Nigeria recently published to showcase a neglected goldmine waiting to be explored and exploited for the country’s economic self-sufficiency and other issues in this interview with AMOS ESELE. Excerpts:

It is one thing to discover mineral resources, it is another to explore and exploit them. It takes a lot of money and effort to evaluate the minerals, to do a mapping of the mineral that has been discovered first on a small scale and then on a large scale. Exploitation involves digging pits and to sample them in different places, depending on the site you are exploiting. Government does not have the money to do it.

Adekoya

This issue was in contention many years ago when the Federal Government urged the states that wanted to invest to go into mining. Ondo State set up a company to exploit bitumen in the state. That was during the military era. It needed partners to bring in their money, but it did not succeed.

with inadequacy of government in handling the mining sector. The colonial government introduced the Mine Police to monitor and inspect the mines and arrest illegal miners.

On this, there was a suggestion to use the National Security and Civil Defense Corps, but I don’t know if this has crystallised.

complete it. There is a terminology we use in economic geology that the steel industry is the backbone of development and industrialisation. All the equipment we use are made with iron and that include machinery, cars, industrial equipment, buildings, even roads. Government should try and revitalise it.

Why do you think state governments are reluctant to explore these goldmines in their localities?

Like I discussed in Chapter 28 of my book, part of the problem is lack of capital and courage. If you want to go into mineral exploration and exploitation, you need a lot of nerves because you can put your money into it and not get your expenditure back.

An example of such courage is Shell, which finally hit oil in Oloibiri in 1956. Before that breakthrough, the company had spent close to 30 million pounds in the present Ondo State and in the Sokoto basin and still did not strike oil. It was the discovery in the Niger Delta that helped the company to recoup its expenditure. So the mining business is discouraging to people. Unless businessmen like Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad of BUA Group of Companies come in, we will continue to find artisanal, smallscale miners in the business.

You talked about inadequate government control of mineral resources. Is that why there are illegal miners in the country?

In the 1990s there were West African agents from Guinea, Senegal, Ghana and The Gambia who swooped on Nigeria to mine tin, columbite and tantalum, which is used in ICT. They mined illegally and took billions of dollars away from Nigeria.

They did that during the military era, between 1989 and 1995. Then, there was a lot of massive illegal mining going on and the government could not contain it. That is what is going on in Zamfara State. The illegal miners and bandits are cooperating and depleting Nigeria of revenue.

What is your advice to stakeholders in

“

Why? If not the government then who has that kind of money?

We made some recommendations on how to stop illegal mining and benefit from its exploitation. First, we recommended that illegal artisanal miners aided by their allies from Senegal, Guinea and Ghana, should be licensed and then taxed

view of illegalities everywhere?

It is the same suggestion that we made in the past. I was a member of a National Policy Committee set up in the 1990s and headed by the late Dr Pius Okigbo. We made some recommendations on how to stop illegal mining and benefit from its exploitation. First, we recommended that illegal artisanal miners aided by their allies from Senegal, Guinea and Ghana, should be licensed and then taxed. In response, the government set up a Federal Government Mining Initiative headed by a lady whose name I have forgotten. She was supposed to meet the agents, buy their takings and sell them officially to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Secondly, we recommended that the miners be organised into a cooperative so that it would be easy to control them.

They can take mining titles to mine for a fee and carry out corporate social responsibility in their area of operations. The government is aware of this suggestion, but I am not.

They actually enforced it. There was even a time I learnt the government took a World Bank loan for this, but I don’t know if they used it for the purpose.

There is a third recommendation that deals THEWILLNIGERIA

The private sector. Because they are interested in it, they will go into it with all their investment capital. The International Oil Companies (IOCs), such as Shell, Chevron, Mobil which invested in the oil sector in the country, have the capital and courage. They can bring in their money, conduct the study of the entire basin and geology costing as much as $20 million, particularly when they are doing it off-shore. At times the cost can go as high as $100 million. In spite of the investment, you may still not find enough minerals. In the case of the Niger Delta, there are certain wells that are yet to be harnessed long after work has been completed on them. They are called marginal fields which smaller, indigenous companies like Seplat and Niger Delta Oil Development companies are taking over.

In the early 1990s, the World Bank organised a mining conference during which they advised the Federal Government against setting up mining corporations as it was doing with the Niger Coal Corporation.

They discovered that except for Brazil, the experiences from other parts of the world had shown that government was inefficient in running mining companies. I remember arguing that if Brazil could succeed, why not Nigeria. Maybe they were right because the Nigeria Mining Corporation soon packed up due to nepotism. One of the principal officers, I learnt, is now in detention over embezzlement of funds.

Some companies are exploiting the minerals in many states reportedly without permission. What do you say to this?

Yes, artisanal miners are taking over with some negative effect on the environment.

In the last seven or eight years, the artisanal miners, particularly in the North, are doing that. Larger companies are also involved like what we have in the Ilesha area of Osun State where Canadian and Chinese companies are investing in the mining of gold.

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BUSINESS NEWS FCCPC Tasks Oil Marketers On AntiCompetitive Conducts

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

T

he Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has charged oil marketers to shun anti-competitive conducts due to the downstream sector’s importance to the economy.

Mr Babatunde Irukera, Executive Vice Chairman, FCCPC, gave the charge at a workshop organised by the commission in collaboration with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

From left: Mr Ramon Nasir, Head, Media & External Relations, United Bank for Africa (UBA), receiving the award for UBA ; Dr Waheed Olagunju, former Managing Director, Bank of Industry; and Mr Chima Titus Nwokoji, National Chairman, Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN), during the 30th Anniversary & Awards of FICAN, in Lagos on 25/9/2021.

Identity Challenge Impedes SMEs Financing – Heritage Bank MD Continued from page 16

BY SAM DIALA

Speaking at the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria’s (FICAN) 30th-anniversary conference and awards event, themed, ‘Financing infrastructure and SMEs for inclusive growth in the post-COVID-19 economy,’ which was held in Lagos at the weekend, Sekibo noted that until the country developed an identity management system that delivers value to the citizenry, SMEs will continue to grapple with financing challenges.

Sekibo, who was represented by the Divisional Head, Strategy and Business Solutions, Olusegun Akanji, explained, “Although the banking industry has financed a lot of SMEs in terms of count, it is the sector that has the largest numbers of bad loans and frauds in terms of count.”

According to him, the government needs to also put in place enabling policies that will support the private sector to complement the government’s efforts at bridging the country’s infrastructure deficit.

He added that the government alone cannot solve the country’s infrastructure challenges, noting that it is the private sector that will deliver the solution.

“We need the global private sector’s intervention to help us achieve a vision of infrastructural development,” Sekibo added.

More so, the Managing Director/ CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, who was represented

by Osaigbovo Omorogbe, Divisional Head, SME Banking, said that though commercial banks are willing to support SMEs, many of them lack capacity.

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BEDC Begins Network Clean-up to Boost Service Delivery

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He argued, “Commercial banks are not running away from supporting SMEs, but joining hands with the government and other stakeholders to refinance all of what you see around infrastructure which is critical to the economy.

“I think the questions that should be answered for every proposal are, ‘Is it bankable? If you are going into this, what structure should be in place to ensure that the funds we are going to put in will be recovered back because we have stakeholders and investors who are also looking towards a good result’?”

The former Acting Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BOI), Dr. Waheed Olagunju, called on the government and the private sector to boost the capacity of the SMEs sector.

“We need to build the capacity of our people; the government and the organized private sector have a role to play,” he said.

Olagunju added that there must be a way of helping the SMEs as the engine of growth in the economy, pointing out that the demand side and the absorptive capacity of the SME must be looked into.

“I believe that the government and private sector development partnership will help. We need to work on the ecosystem, looking at what other countries have done: they invested in industrial parks and technology as a short-term measure”.

A

s part of efforts aimed at improving service delivery in line with the Service Reflective Tariff (SRT) regime in the electricity supply industry, BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) has begun a major network clean up exercise which entailed mass disconnection of illegal consumers and those with other infractions that could hinder its smooth operation.

The network clean-up which started recently with a mass disconnection in Government Reservation Area (GRA) and Boundary road in Benin city, Edo state saw the company’s team comprising; business unit and service centre officers in these locations, combing the network for illegalities, while also interacting with customers to identify the problems being experienced as a feedback for service improvement, with a view to resolving such complaints/issues to enable legitimate customers continue to enjoy improved service.

During the clean-up process, the team, led by the Chief State Head, Edo, Mr Abel Enechaziam, directed customers to its Customer Complaints channels to resolve complaints/issues and encouraged indebted customers to partake in the newly introduced the Debt Rescheduling Scheme, developed as a palliative for customers, who owe electricity bills and are unable to instantaneously pay such debts, given various challenges which has reduced their ability to pay.

He said the world is awash with investable funds of more than $17 trillion, stressing that Nigeria is one of the best investment environments in the world.

The scheme provides the opportunity or possibility to restructure the terms and conditions for them to be able to settle their outstanding consumption bills on a longer payment period of up to 60 months.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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Irukera noted that the petroleum industry was very important to the development of the country and any form of volatility in prices of petroleum products affected other sectors of the economy.

He said anti-competitive conducts such as restrictive agreements (cartels), abuse of dominance and mergers violate the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018.

According to him, the commission has a duty to protect consumers from any form of exploitation by marketers and will continue to engage with MOMAN to enforce compliance.

Irukera said the workshop was an opportunity for the commission and the marketers to develop a regulatory map that will guide the market going forward.

Also, Mr Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, MOMAN, said the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act presents limitless opportunities for the downstream sector if properly implemented.

Adeosun said MOMAN members were committed to adhering to the objective of the FCCPA which included promoting and maintaining competitive markets in the Nigerian economy and promoting economic efficiency.

He said they were also committed to protecting and promoting the interests and welfare of consumers by providing consumers with a wider variety of quality products at competitive prices and contributing to sustainable national development.

The MOMAN chairman also reiterated that the association was not a cartel and was not involved in the manipulation of the prices of petroleum products especially Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country Adeosun said MOMAN was working towards the development of a sustainable downstream sector with members sharing infrastructure such as depots and pipelines for cost optimization.

On his part, Mr. Clement Isong, Chief Executive Officer, MOMAN, said the overall goal of the workshop was to sensitize marketers on what constitutes anti-competitive and antitrust behaviour within the sector.

Isong said the FCCPC exists to protect consumers, adding that collaboration between both parties would help improve service delivery in the petroleum industry.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

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

L-R: General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Rev Dr. Supo Ayokunle, President, Christian Association of Nigeria; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN; Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, and Pastor Mrs. Folu Adeboye, during the 61st Nigerian Independence Day Thanksgiving Service, held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja on 26/9/2021.

L-R: Mr. Efiong Akwa, Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission; Senator Omotayo Alasoadura, Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (upstream); Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Deputy Governor, Mrs Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, during the inauguration of Nigeria Police Special Protection Unit, Base 6, named after President Muhammed Buhari in Omagwa, Rivers State on 28/9/2021.

L- R: Country Human Resources Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Shakiru Lawal; HRM Oba Lukman Jayeola Agunbiade, the Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom; the Olori of Agbara Kingdom, Olori Adeola Agunbiade; Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Olalekan Kuye, and Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Victoria Uwadoka, during the commissioning of Nestle PLC newly renovated three-classroom block, at Salvation Army School 1, Agbara, Ogun State on 24/9/2021.

L-R: Ekiti State Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi; recipient, Africa Initiative for Governance, Barr. Femi Onipede; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and recipient, Africa Initiative for Governance, Oyinade Olatunbosun, during the presentation of the two Ekiti State civil servants that qualified for the AIG Public Leaders Programme at Oxford University, United Kingdom on 25/9/2021.

L-R: Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Engr. Elias Mbam, and Speaker, L-R: Obi of Onitsha, HRM. Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe; Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, and APGA House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, during a courtesy visit to the Speaker by a delegation governorship candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, at the meeting with traditional rulers held at the from the Commission at the National Assembly on 28/9/2021.

Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, Anambra State on 28/9/2021.

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SALMA PHILIPS

FEMINIST WITH A DIFFERENCE THEWILLNIGERIA

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She has been fondly referred to as the face of television in northern Nigeria, but Salma Nabila Philips is much more than that. She is a fierce and bold activist who has taken it upon herself to champion the plight of northern Nigerian women, among other things. She is unraveled like never before in this interview with IVORY UKONU

Philips

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT PLIGHT OF NORTHERN NIGERIAN WOMEN – SALMA PHILIPS Y

ou once ran a talk show, The Salma Philips Show.

Why did you stop it?

Although I am a lawyer and I ran a management company, my passion for journalism and the media kept burning, prompting me to start my own talk show. I didn’t think it was achievable but my husband encouraged me to go for it. I did a pilot episode, took it to DSTV for assessment.

Unfortunately, it didn’t make the cut. I was asked to try again.

What did you talk about in the pilot episode?

Basically, about the downtrodden. I went to Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle where people live in shacks on dirt. I interviewed a few talented people, including a fashion designer and a dancer.

I wanted to do something different from interviewing famous people, but it was rejected. They said it was better suited for Channels TV. They wanted me to do something bordering on lifestyle, an entertaining stuff. So I went back to the drawing board, did a second pilot by interviewing a few famous people and it was rejected. At this point, I became frustrated. This was in 2014. But my husband kept encouraging me to try one more time. So I called a friend who is a spoken word poet and a writer. She is more American and combined with me, a typical Nigerian. I felt we could create magic particularly because we had a good chemistry. We interviewed regular people and we did five episodes. I was so sure that it wouldn’t be rejected.

But to my shock, they rejected all five episodes.

What was the problem this time?

They wanted me to just be myself without coming off as anyone’s replica. Also, they felt my friend sounded too American for Nigerians to relate with. For a whole year I did nothing. I felt I needed to move on to something else as the talk show thing wasn’t working out.

Did you shut your management company while you were trying to create magic for DSTV? Yes, for a while. My husband then suggested that I take time

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Philips

off to do a short course at the BBC Academy in London on television presenting, writing, broadcasting, directing and producing, since I didn’t have the basic skills on presenting.

I eventually got a six months certificate in all of these, came back to Lagos with renewed vigour and confidence. I shot 13 pilot episodes because I was so sure it wasn’t going to be rejected, because of the knowledge I had acquired. This was in November 2015. They played just one episode, watched 18 minutes of it and offered me a deal instantly. Within two to three months, I was on the Africa Magic Showcase.

How long did the talk show run?

Three years.

Why were you bent on having a talk show?

I grew up watching Femi Oke on CNN and loved what she did. She was first and foremost, a Nigerian and that meant what she was doing was attainable and it made me fall in love with television and aspire to do something along that line. But, coming from an Islamic home, my dad, being a northerner from Kano, had already told me it was not going to be possible.

My mum studied and practiced law and for whatever reason, she imposed it on me to study law as well. And so my dream to study Mass Communication or Journalism the way I would have loved to, didn’t happen. But I always had it at the back of my mind that one day, I would have my own talk show and I made sure it happened.

Why did you rest the talk show?

I don’t want to ruffle feathers and step on toes, but I went into the media without any prior knowledge about the way things worked. I had a lot of expectations but once I was in the industry, I realised that people aren’t what they claim to be and the industry is not what I thought it was. I assumed that your talents will take you places and speak for you. One day I will tell my story, not now. When I realised this, I didn’t think I could continue. There was a lot going on at DSTV and

I just pulled out because my name and reputation was more important to me than fame or a show.

Were they placing a demand on you?

Absolutely and there is a lot of tribalism in the industry that I didn’t know about. And me, just thinking I was coming into the industry to do my show and everyone was going to love me, I was going to make friends, network, get sponsorship and endorsement, etc. It was the direct opposite and I was shocked the more by certain people I looked up to. I was burned and I pulled out. The women in the industry are horrible and fake. They talk about women empowerment, girl power, women supporting women, it’s all bullshit. No one is supporting nobody without an agenda. If they can’t get something from you, you mean nothing to them. They hate you for absolutely no reason. Just from the way you look, they just don’t like you. Some of them see your potential, become terrified and get bitchy with you.

When you say tribalism, was it against you in particular as a northerner?

Yes. So many times, I tried to network with certain people and on one occasion, I was somewhere trying to get introduced to a particular lady. She didn’t know I could hear her and she was telling my then publicist to tell me to go to Kannywood. “What does she want from me?” she asked. “We are going to pick 10 Yoruba people and 10 Igbo people before we even pick her,” she added. She was being very bitchy and that really shocked me. Another one said it wasn’t about my beauty or because I am yellow or a northerner or Fulani woman, then think I can just come in and everyone will drop what they are doing for me. I was only trying to network, work with other women. That rubbed me off the wrong way.

It pulled me into a shell and I completely stayed away from everyone in that industry. I felt the industry wasn’t for me because I am a straightforward person and too blunt. I won’t take any disrespect and won’t kiss ass. And that is why I had THEWILLNIGERIA

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to take a very long break because if I don’t kiss ass, I will keep having problems and I can’t be having misunderstandings with everyone because it would look like I am the one who has a problem.

Did you try other platforms beside DSTV? Yes, I did actually, but I realised that if you are not from money, then you have to get yourself out in front of people by causing a controversy. Also, as a northerner, I didn’t have friends in the industry and that affected me. I tried African Independent Television, Television Continental, Nigerian Television Authority, etc. NTA had a problem with my show because I opened the show in Hausa and closed in Hausa.

It irritated the lady in charge, but all I was trying to do was showcase a part of my culture and get people to understand that I am a northerner hosting an English talk show. I tried, but it didn’t work out. I had the opportunity to put my show back on DSTV, but I wasn’t willing to do certain things. So I let it slide. I wasn’t going to compromise on who I am, my morals, values, etc.

You are also a filmmaker. How did that aspect of you evolve and why haven’t you explored it more?

It was a passion I developed when I was doing the talk show.

I decided to hone it by getting certification from the New York Film Academy. I noticed that things started coming to me and I started being creative with ideas for movies, television series or even a book. I had tons of synopses for different projects. I decided to start off with something about girls in northern Nigeria. I am passionate about young girls because I have two teenage daughters. Two years ago when I turned 35, I felt something was missing. I felt that I wasn’t making proper use of the platform I have for a good cause. I felt that I could do more. While thinking of what I could do to give back to humanity, I thought about girls. Immediately I floated a foundation and named it Mina Shehu (My mum and dad’s first names) for women and girls in the north which is where we have the issues. I took a trip thereafter to Kano and Katsina and in the process of going from house to house, I realised that there was a high case of minors being raped. I am talking about two, three, four year-olds. It was shocking and unbelievable, coupled with the high rate of illiteracy among women, lack of formal education for girls, early marriage for minors and vesico-vaginal fistula. I wanted to document these for the foundation’s website, but there were so many cases that I decided to make a documentary. We read about these things, we hear about them, but no one has really gotten the stories from the victims via a northerner who is a Hausa/ Fulani woman. I was a bit worried because northerners don’t like publicity and would rather shield the atrocities. I began to document them from November 2019 and completed the documentary in March 2021. My crew were traumatised by the time we were doing. And don’t forget we went deep into the northern region where terrorists are on rampage.

We put our lives at risk, but it was worth it. The stories were unbelievable and horrible. Girls in the north are going through a lot and people are behaving as if it is normal. It is like a new normal in the North. No one takes it that serious anymore. We submitted the documentary to some film festivals and three of them picked it for consideration. We are shopping it to three of the biggest streaming companies worldwide and the feedback from it has been good.

and blind loyalty. Even within my own family, when I speak out against certain things, they shut me up because they think I talk too much. Some members of my extended family don’t like me because they think I am too vocal. I don’t understand how they can see all of these things going on and remain quiet. The people who get killed on a daily basis are the same ones who support their craft. The least they can do is to use their platform to spread awareness once in a while. But people who should use their platform, wealthy northerners carry on as if all is well.

Why are you different from the average northerner?

My mum was partly Igbo, partly Kalabari. I was raised by a South-South woman. My mum didn’t raise me like a typical Hausa/Fulani lady. I was raised in such a way that my mindset, my values are totally different from the average northern woman. It doesn’t make me special or better than a Fulani, a Kanuri or Shuwa Arab woman. I have always been a rebel in the family, the black sheep, because when you tell me to dress a certain way, to live my life a certain way, to navigate my way through life in a certain way, just the way the average northern woman would, I am sorry I won’t. I would do the exact opposite of what you are asking me to do.

I think they have accepted me now for who I am. Growing up, they will say, tie your hair because as a Muslim, you are supposed to wear the hijab and I would counter them because the Holy Quran didn’t say I should have the hijab or niqab on.

Are you a practising Muslim?

Yes. There is nothing I do not know about my religion. I was tutored on the holy Quran, I am versed in Islamic religion. It is the culture of the Arabs to cover their hair always, but not as an African, a Nigerian for that matter. Before Islam came to Arabia, Arab women were covering their hair, but it isn’t written in the Quran for a Muslim woman to cover her hair.

Islam talks about modesty in dressing; don’t show your leg, your arm, nothing about covering your hair like a ninja. And so I would argue back and forth with my Islamic teachers then who wanted me to do the exact opposite of what the Quran says and my dad would just be wondering what was wrong

THEWILLNIGERIA

THEWILLNG

Does Islam teach that men and women are equal at the home front?

There is no where it says in the Quran that men and women are equal in the sight of Allah, but it also doesn’t say that men are superior to women. But it does acknowledge the importance of women and give them a lot of leverage. The Quran says one can only get into paradise through their mother then their wife. But people use religion and twist it to suit what they want to put out there. They make it look like women are supposed to be suppressed. I have been married for over 10 years and I tell women, even as a feminist, when you are respected in your home, loved properly and there is understanding and friendship, you start to do things for your husband out of love. You find yourself wanting to do more, it comes naturally. My husband married me as a feminist and he is also a feminist. There are many things my husband does that most men will never be caught dead doing but he does them because he enjoys doing them. He doesn’t impose things on me. It is a give and take relationship and it has been amazing. We have our differences like any normal couple, but he allows me to be myself as long as I don’t disrespect him.

And I tell feminists that if someone doesn’t agree with your feminist belief, respect her decision, don’t bash her and call her weak. If she wants to bow to her husband as the head of the home, respect her decision and her belief because it is her choice.

Your mum married a northern Muslim, but you chose to marry a Yoruba Christian. Was this deliberate?

I think that because of the experience my mum had with my dad and his family she put it in my head not to settle down with a northern man. She was not tribalistic, but her experience with them left a bad taste in her mouth. Seeing how I related with others, which wasn’t how a typical northern woman would, coupled with my strong views as a feminist, she kept telling me that I wouldn’t survive with a northern man. The culture alone is suppressive. So when something has been put in your head for so long, you begin to gravitate towards men who aren’t northerners. I never dated a northern man but once I started dating a Yoruba man who shared the same values with me, it became easy. I don’t see any of my daughters getting married to a northerner. I won’t impose it on them the way my mum did, I would do it subtly.

There is nothing wrong with them, I just don’t agree with their culture and tradition. It is very chauvinistic.

Besides you, are your siblings married to non-northerners as well?

I am the only one married to a non-northerner and I do not have a lot of northern friends. I am not trying to bash any woman but I have never looked up to any northern woman.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Lagos then we moved to Jos. My younger brother and I moved to Port Harcourt after our parents got separated. My older brother stayed back because he was already in the university.

You are also a UNESCO ambassador. How did that happen?

My manager organised a private screening of the documentary for some officials at UNESCO. They were so impressed with it and wondered which organisation funded the documentary.

They were surprised to learn that I did it all by myself. So they offered to make me an ambassador for education, to enable me to use my voice and my platform to raise awareness for girls, not only in northern Nigeria, but also in West Africa.

I was beyond happy, especially because I have tried so hard to penetrate certain brands, organisations, people in Lagos and I wasn’t given a chance to work with them. So for an organisation like UNESCO to say, come on board. It made me realise I was doing something right.

Why do you think a lot of prominent northerners are hesitant about using their influence, platforms to raise awareness about the plight of women, young girls, even young men in the North?

To be honest, I do not know. I have spoken to one or two Kannywood celebrities to use their platforms with huge following to raise awareness about what is going on in the North. I think most of them are scared of a backlash. Their market is northern Nigeria. Their affiliation is with politicians and wealthy northerners. If they start to speak against these things, it is like they are speaking against the same people they are affiliated to. One thing most people do not understand is that northerners have a big problem, one of which is hypocrisy

with me. And let me shock you. I am a proud feminist, not the typical Nigerian feminist. I think a lot of Nigerian feminists mistake feminism to mean men haters. Feminism is about our rights as women, equality for both sexes in all aspects of life including the home.

How do you unwind when you are not busy shooting documentaries or writing?

I like to spend time with my daughters, dine out and travel to exotic destinations with my husband. I am currently writing a book about women and girls in northern Nigeria and I will be exposing a lot of people.

Are you nursing a political ambition?

Absolutely not. My mum died from politics. Her car tyres were shot at and her car somersaulted seven times. Of the five people in the car, my mum was the only one who died.

The other four barely had scratches on their bodies but my mum looked like she had been in a gun and knife fight. She was at that time, the South-South women leader during the administration of ex-governor Peter Odili of Rivers State.

She was also a member of the Obasanjo Solidarity Forum and they did absolutely nothing for me and my brothers, after promising us heaven and earth. So no, I won’t go into politics, it is a dirty game.

Philips

THEWILLNIGERIA

Will you turn down a political appointment, if offered one?

I am indifferent. Maybe, if the appointment has to do with women and girls, empowering them and changing their lives. As long as I am approached, based on merit and my past work, I may accept. But, to contest for elective position, never. God is my witness.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

For Mo Abudu, The Beat Goes On

OONI DECLARES FOLORUNSHO COKER BABA ETO OF YORUBALAND T

he Director-General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Folorunsho Folarin Coker, who was only a few weeks ago installed as the Baba Eto of Ilara Kingdom by the Alara of Ilara, His Royal Majesty, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, in commemoration of his first anniversary on the throne, has once again been honoured with another chieftaincy title.

This time, His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, declared him as the Baba

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Ooni & Coker Eto of Yorubaland during the celebration of the annual Olojo Festival in Ife. Explaining why he bestowed the NTDC boss with the title, the Ooni described Coker as one of the finest and cosmopolitan Yoruba men, who never allowed his aristocratic background and exposure to becloud his robust sense of cultural value, respect for tradition and appreciation of humanity.

The monarch also described Coker, who is the son of the late Baba Eto of Lagos, Chief Nathaniel Folarin Coker, as a

first-class administrator and an expert when it comes to planning, organising, execution and branding of any event to drive home economic profitability, awareness creation and public acceptability of any potent idea or concept via his performance as the DG of NTDC, where he has not only been marketing and enhancing Nigerian tourism potential to the world, but also strategically and consistently packaging and branding Nigerian foods on a global scale.

How Mercy Eke Celebrated Her 28th Birthday

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ercy Eke, winner of the Big Brother Naija reality television show, Season four, recently

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clocked 28 and got people talking about how she chose to celebrate her birthday.

A few weeks to her birthday, the

Imo State born beauty launched her own fashion outlet called M & M Luxury. Situated in the Lekki area of Lagos, the fashion outlet stocks mostly the kind of items she likes to wear. The launch of her very own brand happened 11 weeks after she was signed on as the face of Payporte, an online fashion brand.

Then on her birthday proper, she showed off her newly acquired house, the second since she emerged first female winner of BBN show. The house is situated on Lagos Island. In addition, her army of fans gifted her a $10,000 scholarship fund to attend Harvard Business School in the United States, amongst other gifts.

Also, she and Multichoice announced that the season two of her reality television show will be returning to DSTV this October. It doesn’t get any better.

To finally round off her birthday celebration, she hosted her friends and some ex-BBNaija housemates to a shindig at Prive Bar and Restaurant situated in Victoria Island.

ovie producer and boss of EbonyLife Media, Mosunmola Abudu, has once again shown that she is bold, fearless and not one to give up easily in any situation she finds herself, as evident in the manner she reacted to ‘haters’ who launched a campaign of calumny against her about two weeks ago.

Mo, who had to shield herself from social media attacks by going private on her social media handles, has since reopened them. At the same time, she is channeling her energy into posting cryptic messages directed at her ‘haters,’ celebrating her milestones while also getting the much needed support from her close friends.

Besides celebrating a unique article on her in the New York Times about her mission to sell Africa to the world through

Mo Abudu storytelling, her EbonyLife Media Group is partnering with Sony Pictures Television to set up a writers’ initiative targeted at Africans, called ‘Alo’. It is a platform for African writers to submit their stories, documents and scripts for assessment by EbonyLife and SPT executives.

Shortlisted writers will be opportune to create a pilot script in agreement with the

organisers and upon successful completion, pitch their projects to recognised international broadcasters.

Only last month, Abudu’s EbonyLife TV partnered with Universal Pictures and Will Parker Production to get the adaptation rights for a movie on incarcerated fraudster, Ramon Abass, otherwise known as Hushpuppi.

Former Oyo Governor, Olunloyo, Loses Son

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former Governor of Oyo State, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, is in a mournful mood. The 86-yearold octogenarian lost his son, Akintayo Olumide a few days ago to a brief illness. He died at his Ikolaba residence in Ibadan where he lived. He was aged 51.

Until his death, Akintayo who was the only son of the former governor, was a quadriplegic, paralyzed waist down. He initially lost the use of his left hand but it was later restored after a series of surgical operations were carried out on him.

His ordeal began during the

#AliMustGo riots of 1978 where Nigerian University students protesting increased tuition attacked government vehicles.

Akintayo and members of his family which included his sister, the controversial Kemi Olunloyo, were travelling in a government vehicle and drove straight into the riot with no prior warning.

Rioters pelted their car with rocks and set the car’s petrol tank on fire.

Akintayo was badly injured.

He suffered severe brain injury but his life was saved by a team of brain surgeons. He however remained confined to a wheelchair. Akintayo’s bereaved father on hearing news of his son’s death exclaimed, “He is gone now, he has left me. He was brave and brilliant. He suffered so greatly after the incident that confined him to the wheelchair.”

Caroline Danjuma Dumps Acting For Corporate World

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aroline Danjuma has finally left Nollywood, an industry where she found fame and through which she met her estranged husband, Musa Danjuma. This is not surprising, considering that the mother of three hasn’t been active in Nollywood for some years now. She started out in 2004, acting in a few movies before taking a break after she got married to Musa and began to raise children.

She returned in 2016 after releasing Stalker, her first and final movie as a producer. Later, she established an upscale hair and makeup salon.

Obviously not interested in nurturing and growing the business, Caroline has now shown a preference for the

Danjuma corporate world and has ended her career as an actor and producer with no plans to return to it in the nearest future.

THEWILLNIGERIA

She is currently focused on her real estate firm via her company Hutchings Ltd. and her work in the oil and gas industry.

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THEWILLNIGERIA

OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE METIBOGUN

Odukanmi & Daramola-Salako

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ollywood actress, Iyabo Kudirat Odukanmi, also known as Iyabo Oko, has been battling ill-health for some years now. The versatile actress took a long break from the movie scene when she suffered Ischemic stroke about five years ago.

Odukanmi was promptly taken to Military Hospital, Yaba, Lagos for treatment by one of her daughters, Adebisi.

The actress recovered, but later took ill again and was flown outside the country for further treatment. She was in the United Kingdom for some weeks before

she was flown to China. She stayed for seven months in China before she was given a clean bill of health.

Unfortunately, she suffered yet another relapse and became a regular visitor to the hospital. This time around, she lost the use of her limbs and was on admission for some days. While she was on her sickbed, the rumour of her death surfaced on the Internet but her children refuted it.

The actress recovered and was discharged on Monday, 20th September, 2021. While her illness lasted, she sold her two cars in order to raise funds for her

treatment.

Earlier, while some notable artistes, such as Mercy Aigbe, Bolaji Amusan, Iyabo Ojo and Biodun Okeowo contributed money to ease Odukanmi’s financial burden, Nollywood actress and founder of Passion against Rape and Abuse in Africa (PARA) Foluke DaramolaSalako, took to her social media space, after she was discharged from the hospital, to also solicit funds for her.

Daramola-Salako also begged other well-meaning Nigerians not to relent in their effort at ensuring that the actress gets on her feet again.

Shade Thomas-Fahm Celebrates 88th birthday

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n Wednesday, September, 22, 2021, fashion icon, Shade Thomas-Fahm, clocked 88 years. She was serenaded by her children, fashion designers and guests as she marked her birthday. The aged woman also launched her Shade ThomasFahm Legacy Project (STFLP) at the Capital Club, Victoria Island. The event featured an exhibition. A larger exhibition has been scheduled to take place before the end of the year and it will feature 30 Nigeria designers, who are expected to display their wears and talents.

Project STFLP tells the largerthan-life story of Thomas-Fahm and her iconic fashion label, Shade’s boutique which proudly flew the Nigerian flag both Thomas-Fahm locally and internationally. It also includes the public launch of the 15th edition of Faces of She studied at the St Martin’s She, the Shade Thomas–Fahm College of Art and Design, United memoir and a publication of Kingdom where she qualified as a a coffee table book of vintage fashion designer in 1959. photographs, w hich is a catalog Upon her return to Nigeria in of Nigerian styles that were 1960, she became the first popular back in the days. modern fashion designer in Shade Thomas-Fahm, was a force Nigeria. She is also one of to reckon with in the Nigeria Nigeria’s first women industrialists fashion scene of the 1960s to establish a clothing factory and 1980s. Her influence and in Yaba, Lagos, which had creativity laid the foundation of equipment for embroidery. She the Nigerian fashion industry was also the first Nigerian to make as she scored many firsts as a use of mannequins in her shop designer of repute. at the Federal Palace Hotel. Her A former president of the Fashion work revolutionised women’s Designers Association of Nigeria way of dressing in Nigeria. She (FADAN), Thomas-Fahm started glamorised the use of locally a modeling career abroad and woven materials and dyed textiles acquired fame as a black model. to make contemporary styles THEWILLNIGERIA

Upcoming Actress Claims Junior Pope Slept With Her

FOLUKE DARAMOLASALAKO, OTHERS SEEK FINANCIAL AID FOR AILING IYABO OKO

THEWILLNG

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t appears that upcoming Nollywood actress, Esther Nwachukwu, popularly known as Esther sky, is bent on tarnishing the image of her colleague, Obumneme Odonwodo, also known as Junior Pope, till she gets public sympathy.

The actress who once embarrassed Junior Pope after his wife, Jennifer Awele, blocked her on social media for tattooing the actor’s initials on her chest, recently posted a message on social media claiming that he slept with her.

According to Esther, Junior Pope slept with her after begging her to make a video showing how she tattooed his name on her body in order to gain popularity. She also claimed that the father of three ignored rather than sympathise with her when her social media account was disabled.

Esther’s outburst is coming

Oshin

TOPE OSHIN’S HERE LOVE LIES SHINES AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

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worn by the Nigerian elite back in the days. She transformed iro and buba into wrapper skirts and originated boubou, a style she created when she feminised the male agbada for women. She also adapted the gele tied by women into a pre-tied head-dress.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London will also be celebrating the style icon as a fashion vanguard in an exhibition titled ‘Africa Fashion’. The event will run for four years around the world.

After the event, six of her designs will be stored at the museum as part of their permanent collections so that historians, academics and fashion designers can study her works.

THEWILLNIGERIA

a few months after the actor and his wife decided to keep their distance from her. A few months ago, she displayed Junior Pope’s initials, which were inscribed on her chest, to the public. She stated that she tattooed the initials because of her love for the actor. She also threatened to snatch Junior Pope from his beautiful wife and make her “husbandless” while daring his fans to do their worst. The angry fans in turn ensured that her social media page was successfully deactivated.

This is not the first time that the busty actress would be making provocative utterances. She is known for openly talking about sleeping with married men. She once expressed her desire to sleep with Senator Ned Nwoko and even become his ninth wife. Esther is also known for flaunting her boobs on social media.

enowned filmmaker and director, Tope Oshin, has received international recognition from the Sundance Institute, organisers of the Sundance Film Festival in the United States, for one of her latest movies, Here Love Lies.

The film, which will be premiered in cinemas across Nigeria in 2022 got a reframe stamp from the Institute for its gender balance in storytelling and crewing. The elated producer, who felt honoured to receive the stamp, appreciated the organisers of the festival for rewarding her creativity.

The movie maker cum director cut her teeth as a director while working as an assistant director for The Apprentice Africa. She has a number of works to her credit. She directed Tinsel, Hotel Majestic and Hush, all television drama series.

She is the producer of some of the highest grossing box office movies such as Fifty and the Wedding Party 2.

Odonwodo & Nwachukwu

Jane Thomas-Rogers Nominated For Humanitarian Award

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ark-skinned actress, Jane Thomas-Rogers has been nominated for a humanitarian award, Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award (DDEA) in the United States. The actress is celebrated for her advocacy for the less privileged, especially internally displaced persons in Nigeria, with focus on IDP camps

in Kaduna State.

The actress has a passion for a better society. She was one of the lead protesters that participated in a demonstration protest that took place in Kaduna a few months ago due to the insurgency ravaging the area. Jane has been visible in ‘Kannywood’ movies and she has other humanitarian awards to her credit.

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OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

Nigeria @61: Prominent Youth Advocates of Good Governance Youths, they say, are the leaders of tomorrow. As the country marks her 61st independence anniversary, THEWILL presents five young Nigerians who have remained at the forefront of advocacy and activism in order to ensure that people in positions of authority are held accountable for their actions, even in the face of extreme intimidation.

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lorunrinu Bolatito Oduala, otherwise known as Rinu, is a media strategist and human rights advocate. She was one of the organisers of the #EndSARS protest. She also made history as one of the first females to take to the streets after a video of a man allegedly being killed by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad went viral.

The video later sparked what became the #EndSARS movement. Rinu set up camps outside the Lagos State Governor’s office and demanded that the police unit be disbanded. She rallied people on social media and organised blankets for those who ended up sleeping outside the state government building for 72 hours before they were attacked by men of the police force.

The petite lady later became a threat to the government and her bank account was frozen for 90 days. As a result of her activism, Twitter recognised her and verified her account.

Rinu was also part of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of police abuse. They recommended punishment for the guilty and compensation for victims.

However, she withdrew from the panel after they granted an approval for the return of the Lekki tollgate to the control of Lekki Concession Company, an act she described as injustice. She stepped down because she was not ready to be part of the cover-up. Through her social media, Rinu has continued to lend her voice against the system. She recently commented on the injustice meted on students of Abia State Polytechnic who were shot at while protesting against the rape and molestation of one of their classmates by security operatives in the state.

Mr Macaroni Mr Macaroni igerian comedian, actor and activist, Adebowale Adebayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has always been vocal both online and in person against bad governance. He has also seen the four walls of a prison because of his activism. The young content maker was among notable entertainers whose voices were loud during the #EndSARS Movement that rocked the nation in 2020. He spent several nights out in the cold at the terrace of the Lagos State House of Assembly railing about police brutality and extortion. He was also at the #OccupyLekkitollgate protest in February this year and even got arrested by men of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (SARS) at the Lekki toll gate. Debo was whisked away after several attempts to get him out of the protest ground failed. However, the actor has continued using his social media space to speak against the institution of government frustrating Nigerians. He is also one of the few entertainers known to lend a hand of support to victims of the system. He was at Jumoke Oyeleke’s house after she was shot dead by men of the police force during the Yoruba Nation protest that took place a few months ago. The talented actor donated half a million naira to the family of the deceased.

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Falz Falz

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olarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has been a vocal entertainer from inception. His music and social media space are the vehicles with which the singer lends his voice to issues affecting humanity.

In 2018, he released a music video titled, This is Nigeria. The song highlighted some of the major issues, including corruption, bribery and insecurity, affecting the country.

Despite its success, the song was banned by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which described it as vulgar. Folarin later sued the commission for its action. Falz, who is also one of the leaders of the #EndSARS movement, encouraged other Nigerian celebrities to join the protest in 2020. A few months after the uproar, he released another music video, Johnny, which he dedicated to the heroes that were unlawfully slain during the movement.

He was later charged to the Federal High Court in Bwari, Abuja by one Mr Okeke for supporting the #EndSARS protest that was later hijacked by hoodlums who destroyed lives and properties in different parts of the country. Falz also granted CNN’s Christiane Amanpour an interview where he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise of reform in the Nigeria Police was infuriating and frustrating as he had been making the same promise for three years. The talented actor cum singer also wrote an open letter to the President asking for the reconstitution of the governing council of the National Rights Commission.

Temitope Majekodunmi emitope Majekodunmi is an administrator, transformational leader and Information Technology genius. He is also an activist who was an advocate for ending police brutality in Nigeria. He was a leading voice at the Lekki toll gate protest that took place in February 2021. He was elected by youths through an online voting as one of the Lagos Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for victims after the #EndSARS saga died down.

After being elected, Temitope called on youths who had been harassed, extorted and brutalised by members of the SARS unit of the Nigeria Police and the victims of the Lekki tollgate shooting to seek justice.

As a representative of the panel, he was tasked with listening to the submission of survivors, interrogating the accused personnel, determining the veracity of all claims, recommending punishments for the guilty and appropriate compensation for the victims.

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Rinu Oduala

Dj Switch Dj Switch opular disc jockey, Obianuju Catherine Udeh, better known as Dj Switch, added the prefix, ‘activist’ to her name after the #EndSARS movement saga. She was among thousands of protesters who called for the reform of the Nigeria Police.

Dj Switch also encouraged her social media fans to join the movement in a peaceful protest. She streamed live the shooting of peaceful protesters in Lagos state after the event took a negative turn.

Dj Switch posted it on her social media space and within some minutes, it went viral. She sustained injuries while running to seek refuge at a safe place. Days after the video went viral, she posted another video where she recounted her experience of the shooting and showed fragments of the shells that she picked up at the scene of the protest.

She later went into hiding after she was declared wanted by men of the Nigeria police force. She was reported to have sought asylum in Canada and even granted Cable News Network (CNN) an interview on the Lekki shooting incident. The singer later denied ever seeking asylum and speaking with CNN. After the protest, she continued her advocacy on her social media space.

She recently had an Instagram live show with Amnesty International’s Seun Bakare and some other organisations.

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THEWILLNIGERIA

OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2021 www.thewillnigeria.com

ARTS

Sacrificial Literary Geniuses better of him.

Byron. Fitzgerald. Marechera. Okigbo. Plath. Shelley. They were all great writers who died young, some in their twenties, thirties, only one making it past forty. They were all dreamers, idealistic, adventurous and most often geniuses but sometimes unmindful of their private lives. What is it with these writers who seemed to have been destined to die young? MICHAEL JIMOH writes on some of the world’s famous writers who died prematurely.

As for the second question, Shelley himself had foreseen his possible demise upon the waters of Italy. In his celebrated poem, “Adonais,” Shelley writes that “The breath whose might I have invoked in song/ Descends upon me; my spirit’s bark is driven,/ From the shore, far from the trembling throng/ Whose sails were never to be Tempest given;/ The massy earth and sphered skies are riven!/ I am borne darkly, fearfully afar…”

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n August 1967, a 34-year-old Nigerian poet in battle fatigues and armed with his regulation rifle went to the warfront hoping to realise his compatriot’s dream of a free Republic of Biafra.

In a publication by The Guardian of London of January 23, 2004, Richard Holmes looked into the circumstances surrounding the death of Shelley and concluded that the “sudden tragedy set a kind of sacred (or profane) seal upon his reputation as a youthful, sacrificial genius.”

Three months before, on May 30 in the same year, Lt Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had carved out Igbo-dominated Eastern Region from the Federal Republic of Nigeria leading to the 30-months civil war.

Also considered “a youthful, sacrificial genius” was the untimely death of Shelley’s contemporary, rival, friend and compatriot, Lord George Gordon Byron, an unrepentant, unapologetic sybarite. He was born privileged, a lord, in January 22, 1788 in London. Gifted beyond measure, Byron’s personality and poetry would capture the imagination of Europe for years, culminating in his teaming up with the Greek nationalist fighters where he died of fever.

Christopher Okigbo is Igbo by birth, born on August 16, 1932 at Ojoto in modern day Anambra state. At the start of the hostilities, he was teaching at Ibadan, capital of Western Region and an outstanding poet in the continent. With war drums sounding ever louder, Okigbo promptly relocated to the East and volunteered to fight in the Biafra Army.

In March 1812, Byron’s first canto – Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage – was published to wide acclaim and reception, prompting one critic to comment that the poet “woke to find himself famous.”

Of course, the federal soldiers didn’t know who he was or, perhaps, if they knew they didn’t care. To them, he was just one of the rebel enemy soldiers fighting as a secessionist in the newly declared Republic of Biafra.

Thus was the life of an otherwise brilliant career of one of Nigeria’s most promising poets cut short.

What might have been if the clarinet-playing, pipe-smoking, accomplished poet had lived much longer, up to sixty, say, seventy or even eighty? Those of his generation who did, Achebe, Clark and Soyinka were richly rewarded – a Booker, a Nobel and other highly regarded international and national prizes - for their works.

Okigbo himself had set the pace by becoming the first poet laureate in Africa after he was awarded first prize in the 1966 Festival of the Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal. He turned it down, insisting that writers should not be classified according to race or ethnicity. Writing, he famously said then, “must be judged as good or bad, not as a product of a specific ethnic group or race.”

If he had lived longer, it is doubtful if Okigbo would have been counted out of the bigger and more prestigious prizes. Indeed, literary theorists and historians have proposed that Okigbo would certainly have been one of the early candidates for the Nobel in Literature – and with good reasons.

Okigbo already had a well-fostered reputation as one of the leading poets of his time. His productive output was going swimmingly, like the Idoto River flowing steadily in his birthplace. He would have added some more publications to the already existing ones considering his creative output in his brief existence: Heavensgate (1962,) Limits two years later and Silences the following year.

Starting off as a librarian at University College, Ibadan, where he sated his voracious appetite for reading, he contributed poems to Black Orpheus and was West Africa editor of Transition, a literary magazine. His star as a literary heavyweight was clearly ascending.

But the call to patriotic duty put an end to all that. Okigbo was only 34 when he died.

Another writer who also died prematurely, though not in the course of fighting a war except battling his own demons, was the Zimbabwean, Charles William Dambudzo Marechera, born on June 4, 1952 in Vengere township of Zimbabwe then known as Rhodesia.

Dambudzo had a hardscrabble early life but was a gifted child, a special endowment that will take him to privileged institutions such as the only Catholic school for students like him and then New College, Oxford England.

Spotting short dreadlocks long before it became faddish among young men and women all over the world today, Marechera was as gifted as they come but was also reckless and without restraint in his personal life.

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Okigbo

Only days short of his 35th birthday, he was shot and killed in the battlefront by federal troops at Nsukka.

Departing Africa for Europe on a scholarship, Marechera tried to remember what he left behind at home, recalling that “I suddenly remembered that I had, in the rude hurry of it all, left my spectacles behind. I was coming to England literally blind…I was on my own, sipping whisky and my head was roaring with a strange emptiness…I think that I knew then that before me were years of desperate loneliness, and the whisky would be followed by other whiskies, other self-destructive poisons.”

A confirmed non-conformist weighed under the burden of colonial rule with all its segregationist laws, Marechera never really outgrew his disenchantment with the Western world and all that it represented.

His “Dambudzo Performance” wherein he suddenly snapped at an award night in his honour at The Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979 is the stuff of legend.

The year before, he had written and published House of Hunger, considered the Bible of visceral literature, an unvarnished creative piece straight out of his guts aptly dubbed “gut-rut.”

Like Okigbo did in Dakar eleven years before, Marechera became the first African writer ever to win The Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979.

Publishers in Europe (England and Germany) breathlessly anticipated future masterpieces from him. They never came. Parceled off from London, Marechera found his way to Cardiff, Wales, where many more whiskies followed.

It was while in Wales that a vicar in Cardiff who witnessed, firsthand, Marechera’s constant inebriety wrote to his publisher James Curry of his concern about the Zimbabwean writer. “I would doubt if Mr. Marechera will be alive for very much longer – he hardly eats and only drinks.”

It turned out to be quite prophetic. On his return to his natal country, Marechera pub-crawled shebeens there, wrote there, slept there and became destitute before dying of complications from AIDS in 1987 at 35.

Writers dying prematurely isn’t quite a novelty. Why it is so is not exactly clear. Could it be a date with destiny? Or just plain carelessness on the writer’s part?

No one exemplifies this more than Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. He was a month shy of his 30th birthday when he drowned in his own sailing boat, Don Juan, in the Gulf of Spezia Italy.

Could the boat accident have been prevented or was it a death foretold?

The answer to both questions is yes.

In the late afternoon of July 8, 1822 Italian port authorities had warned the poet and two companions of a possible foggy weather when he set sail from Lerici to Livornio. Apparently, the poet’s wanderlust got the

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Published in 1819, Don Juan, for which Shelley’s skiff was named, even had more public reception and appeal. Byron’s popularity rose correspondingly all over Europe. His scandalous relationships with men and women rose almost in equal degrees, famously fathering a child with his half-sister.

At this stage in his career and personal life, Byron was having the time of his life despite being hobbled by a clubfoot. It didn’t stop him from traipsing or boating across Europe, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and then Greece where, in his bid to aid the Greeks gain independence from Turkish rule, Byron died of fever in Missolonghi on April 19, 1824. He was just thirty-six.

Across the Atlantic from England, the United States of America has had its own share of gifted writers biting the dust early. The most famous instance is none other than Francis Scott Fitzgerald himself, famous for The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, etc.

If there was one gifted writer who had the greatest potential to become great among his contemporaries, Fitzgerald was it. He counted among his close friends Earnest Hemingway, Edmund Wilson, John Dos Passos. Born September 24, 1896 in Saint Paul Minnesota, Fitzgerald showed early promise in school before proceeding to Princeton where he became a prominent member of literary and dramatic societies.

Not unlike much gifted individuals without much focus on academic life, he soon left Princeton, joined the army and then started penning short stories. Initially, success as a writer eluded him until he published the immortal The Great Gatsby in 1925. Fitzgerald worked for some time as a script/ screen writer in Hollywood, mainly for cash. He was always broke and part of the reason was his extravagant lifestyle, a lifestyle he shared ostentatiously with his wife, Zelda Sayre. They were also great imbibers, with Fitzgerald depending on the bottle more and more as his creative output declined/ waned. He himself would later claim in an interview of the “crack up” he suffered because of his needless indulgence.

Fitzgerald died four days before Christmas in 1940 at 44.

The lone, famous woman among the sacrificial geniuses of literature remains Sylvia Plath, tortured poet, short story writer, novelist and spouse of Ted Hughes, a much senior colleague and fellow poet.

They were married briefly for six years, a union that was mostly tempestuous with Plath complaining of abuse by Hughes.

Despite that, Plath produced enough literary works to have been awarded the Pulitzer posthumously for The Collected Poems. She also wrote her most famous work, The Bell Jar. A gifted poet, Plath is credited with beginning a new genre of poetry called the confessional poem. She was born a Bostonian on October 27, 1932 and went to prestige schools like Smith College in her natal city and then Newnham College, Cambridge in England.

Though an American, Plath lived with Hughes in England for some time. She died there on February 11, 1963. She was a mere 30. *Continues on Page 46

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PERISCOPE

Aviation: Killers of Non-Oil Export Drive

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

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overnment agencies, public servants, middlemen, officials of private sector firms, touts and greedy nonstate actors are collectively and individually killing Nigeria’s non-oil export drive. The Federal Government has spoken about ‘non-oil export’ so much over the past years that it sounds like a worn-out cliché. The government almost turned the phrase to the third verse of the National Anthem. At every opportunity, government officials recite ‘non-oil export’ as an addendum to the National Pledge.

“Let us diversify. We must diversify the economy and our revenue sources. Let us embrace agriculture for food security and for export…” The chorus lingers in our speeches. But at Nigeria’s airports, brazenly corrupt and roguish individuals and groups are systematically killing the dream of robust ‘Non-oil export drive’ and practically dismantling every structure put in place to promote alternative revenue sources to oil. They exist at the nation’s airports, just as they abound at the seaports.

Following a recent media report that foreign cargo airlines often depart the Nigerian airports empty due to corruption, extortion and multiple charges, THEWILL visited the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos and observed that, indeed, there are practical and determined efforts by some people, including government agencies and their officials, to scuttle the government’s efforts aimed at promoting the non-oil export drive. For five days of the week, THEWILL found out that the cargo side of the airport is a cash cow for uncountable government officials and ‘official’ touts who milk farmers and exporters dry, leading to some exporters deciding to abandon their cargo in frustration without counting the costs.

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THEWILL confirmed that almost 20 sundry charges are imposed on Nigerian exporters of agricultural commodities, such as cocoa, sesames seed, cashew nut, coconut, garri, cassava flour, vegetables, beans and fruits. Most of the charges are created by these officials without the proceeds being remitted to the government’s coffers.

THEWILL also confirmed that most of the charges are outside the five per cent Cargo Service Charge (CSC) that is statutorily collected by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) charge of N5 to N23/kg; Customs charges of N60 – N97/kg; ground handling charges of N45 to N90/kg (depending on the produce or product) by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); and freight charges for the respective airlines.

Unofficial and non-receipted charges include the following: plant quarantine service fees for sanitary certification, put at N15,000 on average; association dues and FOU charges on the packaging, varying from N15,000 for car/van, N25,000 for bus/truck and between N45,000 and N50,000 for a trailer full of cargo.

THEWILL also confirmed earlier reports that the Anti-Bomb Squad of the Nigeria Police, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are among the agencies that collect airport charges at the cargo section – amounting to several millions of naira every month – going into private pockets.

Another illegal line charge is ‘repair and return’, as against plant quarantine.

The Guardian newspaper reports that these sundry charges, in addition to the foreign airline documentation charge of N12,500

per kg, comparatively the most expensive on the continent, explains why foreign cargo airlines often depart Nigeria empty and fly to neighbouring countries to pick export cargo.

Freight Forwarders operating at the export session of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) have cried out over what they described as low patronage from exporters due to high freight charges imposed on export goods.

According to the freight Forwarders otherwise known as consolidated agents, exporters who had the intention of exporting their products are forced to return their goods to their warehouses. Those who have enough tonnage to export are also forced to divert their goods to the seaport.

With multiple agencies stationed at the exports shed, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Quarantine officials, Bomb Detectors, Customs and others, the freight charges are said to have increased by more than 400 per cent from what it used to be during the pre-COVID-19 period to the post-COVID-19 period.

Apart from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on freight charges, scarcity of cargo aircraft remains a significant factor in the increase. THEWILL gathered that major airlines operating cargo seriously are Air France, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Ethiopia Airways and DHL. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 15 cargo aircrafts were operating full time cargo services, thereby creating room for competition, which naturally brought down the cost of freighting goods. A case in point is the non-operation of the South African Airways (SAA), which used to serve as an avenue to export goods to South Africa.

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PERISCOPE Before the outbreak of COVID-19, South Africa was Nigeria’s biggest trade partner, with yearly exports to country in excess of $3.8bn, while South Africa similarly exported $4.8bn in 2018 to Nigeria.

The stoppage of SAA flights to Nigeria, THEWILL gathered, has equally affected freight charges as other mediating airlines collect goods in the name of the airline, while the goods are exported through a third party airline. Unfortunately, Air Peace, which is the only domestic airline from Nigeria plying the South African route, has equally stopped putting pressure on exporters.

Air Peace, it would be recalled, had last year operated its inaugural flight from Lagos to South Africa. Before now, the Lagos- Johannesburg route was serviced by Air Arik and South African Airways. Unfortunately, both airlines could not sustain operations on the routes. It is against this background that Air Peace entered the market.

Speaking to THEWILL, the Chief Executive Officer of Afamdex Nigeria Limited, Mr Austin Okonkwor, stated that freight forwarders are suffering due to low patronage from exporters who, on their part, are nursing the injuries inflicted by government agencies, middlemen and corrupt officials of different organisations.

Absolving the exporters from the situation they find themselves, Okonkwor said “Part of the problem we have is COVID-19 and also the issue of multiple charges. Before COVID-19 goods are charged, say between N500 and N700 per kilo, depending on the destination. But now it has gone up to N3, 000 and more.

Consequently, the exporters in most cases return their goods or look for alternative like the seaports”.

Similarly, another operator, CEO of Fidex Cargo Services, Mr Ayo Ajayi stated that most of their colleagues are idle due to lack of job especially in the export section.

Ajayi said, “We are practically doing nothing. The freight charges have gone up and exporters are ready to spend such money. In fact we are out of business. I appeal to the government to do something urgent. We are suffering of hunger as result of idleness”.

Commenting on the situation, President, Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN) Mr Kingsley Nwokoma told THEWILL that Nigeria no longer has export out of the country.

Mr Nwokeoma listed the issues hindering export to include: Ease of Doing Business at airport which he described as being at zero level; multiple charges and inspecting agents; packaging and misuse of certain chemicals and fertilisers by local farmers.

The AFARN representative said that Nigeria which is one of the highest producers of yam find their yams in foreign countries but are unfortunately exported through neighbouring Ghana due to the situation in our export terminals in Nigeria.

He said, “Nigeria does not have export out of the country. Some of the issues militating against this is that you notice about 15 agencies looking at one single good at the terminal. In Accra for example, you have only one point where inspection is done.”

“Another problem is the attitude of our farmers. Some of the local farmers do not have GAP certification and therefore, do not know the right chemicals and fertilisers to apply. The implication

is that they fail when they are subjected to tests abroad”.

“A case in point is the activities of some farmers in the Yelwa area of Ogun State where pineapples are produced. Ordinarily, a sucker supposed to produce one pineapple but these farmers force a sucker to produce as much as 21 pineapple at a go. Such produce when subjected to test cannot pass it”.

Proffering solution, Nwokeoma said that “We have so much potentials and possibilities but we need the government to do the right thing”.

What is happening at the Airport is a replica of the rot at the nation’s major seaports in Lagos. THEWILL had reported that corruption, collusion and confusion – rolled together – produce the frustration that reigns among users of Nigeria’s foremost seaports in Lagos -- Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports. It is no news that the hydra-headed gridlock has gripped the Ports, projecting the country to the world as a place where leadership has gone on a vacation. What many people may not know is that the anomaly is being treated as a national priority that has come to stay because the wrongdoings perpetrated in the area are tacitly backed by the authorities because their officials are actively involved.

Although, the e-ticketing system introduced by the Lagos State government has helped to ease the congestion at the Lagos ports, the place remains another ‘arm’ of government with powers to make its own ‘laws’ and enforce them in the most aggressive and brutal manner. It is like an ‘arm’ of government set up to kill the economy through an insidious conspiracy that runs through the system. It operates in an environment of organised wrongdoings distinguished by its lack of sanity.

From morning to night, week to week, illegal “businesses” go on in the ports and their environment. The “businesses” are facilitated by officials of government agencies whose actions are killing the economy. They wear no masks, and their uniforms carry their name tags.

Among the organised teams of economy killers are officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Lagos State Traffic Manage­ment Authority (LASTMA), personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police, the Army and

“

What is happening at the Airport is a replica of the rot at the nation’s major seaports in Lagos. THEWILL had reported that corruption, collusion and confusion – rolled together – produce the frustration that reigns among users of Nigeria’s foremost seaports in Lagos -- Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports

the Navy. By conventional wisdom, these are security agents whose traditional role is to enforce order and provide security to ensure orderliness especially in the aspect of traffic flow. But the reverse is the case. They are agents of extortion, intimidation and corruption. Truck drivers and their Associations play complementary roles in the periphery.

THEWILL learnt that the rot at the nation’s sea and airports is an offshoot of organised corruption created by government agencies. It was obvious that the teams of ‘economy killers’ have hijacked the port operations for extortion and other corrupt activities. They are bold, wild, brutal and red-eyed. They are there to make money in uniform.

Consequently, a process designed to be seamless has turned out to be a nightmare. The teams who should be clearing the road for importers, exporters, motorists and other road users, deliberately create road blocks within short distances. That way, they obstruct free traffic flow to extort money from those doing their legitimate businesses. A Licensed Clearing Agent, who preferred to be called ‘Modern Chairman’, had told THEWILL that the security agents and officials of the NPA devised a system called ‘Fast Track’ (FT) in the Port.

THEWILL findings showed that FT is a system which grants a truck driver/owner speedy call-up and to enter the ports ahead of those on queue for days or weeks.

The truck or goods owner pays a bribe through the Clearing Agent “who knows the route and receivers of the payment”, Modern Chairman said. “With this, you are given a special pass that is recognised by the security agents to allow the truck owner to pass through the ports’ multiple gates”. The payment ranges between N250,000 and N350,000 for a 20-foot container; and N400,000 and above for a 40-foot container.

Then the multiple road blocks from the ports extended beyond Mile-2, depending on the route of exit. “This is where you meet the Customs checkpoint after the goods have been cleared by the Customs in the Wharf. If you are not lucky, your goods may be seized for a minor reason, or the truck is towed to Customs location at Ikeja”, THEWILL learnt.

Notwithstanding the continued decline in the agricultural sector as shown in the quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reports in recent times, a section of Nigerian farmers are recording huge returns on their investments in agriculture through commodity exports. Many are also accessing the various intervention funds created by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost their productivity and earn foreign exchange.

The recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) quarterly report on “Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q2 2021)” revealed that Nigerian farmers earned a total of N292.43 billion in the first half of 2021). These proceeds exceed the N205.11 billion value recorded in the corresponding period of 2020 by N82.32 billion or 42.5 per cent.

According to the report, the farmers earned a total of N165.26 billion in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021 as against N127.17 billion achieved in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, representing a 30 per cent increase during the period. The items include raw, processed and semi-processed commodities available in huge quantities in various parts of the country.

The report captured 18 various agricultural commodities that earned above N700 million during the period, with four recording over N10 billion and two yielding returns of above N5 billion.

Cocoa and cashew nuts were in two categories: ‘Good fermented Nigerian cocoa beans’ and ‘superior quality raw cocoa beans’; ‘cashew nuts in shell’ and ‘cashew nuts, shelled’. They all had different export destinations mainly in Europe, South East Asia and the United States of America The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced 37 intervention funds meant to boost productivity, create jobs, make the SME sector more viable and support commodity export. The funds include the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS); Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL); Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS); the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Fund; the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and the Small Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Scheme (SMECGS), among others.

With the corruption, extortion and multiple charges going on at the air and seaports, the laudable vision of the CBN will achieve nothing. It will also be a setback to the backward integration policy of government which has benefited the farmers and others in the agricultural value chain.

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TOURISM World Tourism Celebration Ideal Platform to Boost Nigeria’s Economy

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

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n this piece, Janefrances Chibuzor observes that Nigeria has joined other nations of the world in experiencing a fair deal of economic growth through the celebration of 2021 World Tourism Day (WTD) last Monday.

With a firm belief that the WTD 2021 celebration, using Kebbi as a host state would provide favourable ambience for tourists to explore the nation’s diverse culture, the federal government under the Ministry for Information and Culture is planning to engage foreign investors that will develop the sector.

This is more so, considering the growing desire for rural areas to play a key role in easing pressures experienced by urban residents. To achieve this, the federal government is aiming at adopting the WTD platform in advancing the natural endowments across the nation.

In his view, Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ugonna Ibe said, Nigeria is a member of the global community and signatory to so many United Nations treaties and laws, adding that the day was set aside to celebrate countries potential as regards tourism.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization has set September 27, of every year to celebrate World Tourism Day(WTD) and reflect on it.

Ibe who spoke with THEWILL noted that “We are in a better position to clamour for a day like this, because if you look at the word, tourism is all about movement of people from their place of abode to another place for the purposes of sight seeing, leisure and recreation.”

And on that note, he said, “We can attest that Nigeria is a multi ethnic society. therefore, we have so many things and each of the states in Nigeria has so many tourism endowments and different types of weather that makes it attractive for tourism destinations or sites to thrive; And so it pays as a country to be part of the world for this celebration because we have what it takes to move our nation and economy forward coming from tourism.”

To this end, he said, “Nigeria is currently experiencing security challenges, Kebbi and most of these northern states in Nigeria are somehow worst hit and tourism cannot thrive under security threat and it is natural that people should be scared and worried at the level of insecurity.”

On the other hand, he noted, Nigeria is a nation with people of diverse culture, languages, traditions and different ecosystem and Kebbi is one of the states in Nigeria and it is the interest of Nigeria to be part of this year’s celebration, because Nigerians should better identify and understand that tourism is the order of the day and would aid any economy grow.

In buttressing the claims, he added that “Kebbi has so many things to offer in terms of tourism potentials and the reason behind shifting this year’s celebration to Kebbi is to recreate the impression that there is nothing to be afraid of and Kebbi has potentials to offer as far as tourism is concerned, and as a government they have an image to protect that people should not be too frightful due to what they read on the internet because it is not often times as it is on ground when you go over there as it is reported on the internet. Kebbi has her own tourism potential and it is not out of place to showcase them using the platform of world tourism day.”

Talking on private sector engagement; Private sectors are part of the whole process because it will affect them in so many ways if tourism is thriving and making waves in the country. Hospitality, transportation, businesses in the rural communities would make profits and in which process the GDP of a nation like Nigeria will grow. The private sector should be part of the whole project of developing tourism and there should be laid down rules and regulations to that effect.

But then again, the government on their part has a duty to play in ensuring that those people who come into the industry to develop them should be given a soft landing and someone investing on a particular venture should be able to get return on investment and so in the area of taxation, the government should be able to give some sort of tax holiday for a period of years. The private sector can leverage for five years, ten years, without paying anything and that offer will make it attractive for the private sector to come in and invest. So it is

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“

WTD should give Nigerians an opportunity to reflect and not just celebrate but to make some meaning out of it that can make lives positive

a two way thing in the sense that the private sector has to see tourism as a viable business they can engage in. For example, in Nollywood today which many people are making a living through and it is about intellectual properties, these are areas the government has to create synergy with the private sector to make the tourism sector work.

Speaking on advising government to provide infrastructure; he stated, “The basic requirement of any government is to provide basic infrastructure in place such as good roads, electricity, and putting security in place, make business conducive and there is no way tourism can thrive in an insecure atmosphere, because other parts of the world making proper harvest from tourism is as a result of the government doing what is needed to be done by making sure they have good roads, good sanitization, electricity, but in the absence of these, I doubt if Nigeria will make headway. We as a country have

Ibe

“It will not be proper that we stand aloof and watch other parts of the world celebrate WTD 2021 with the ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth,” he added.

our neck deep down on oil as the main source of revenue and this has been the bane of our country as far as the social, economic and political development is concerned. Until the government begins to diversify and look into alternatives of making life worth living, we cannot look forward.

He further advised the government at all levels to provide the necessities that make life meaningful. With these, WTD should give Nigerians an opportunity to reflect and not just celebrate but to make some meaning out of it that can make lives positive.

Sacrificial Literary Geniuses

*Continued from Page 43

It must be said that Plath herself suffered bouts of depression through much of her adult life, occasioned sometimes by the loss of a loved one like her father after he died, and her disappointment at failing to meet and speak with Dylan Thomas, a celebrated poet, at a literary soiree once.

What did Plath do to herself afterwards? She “slashed her legs to see if she had the courage to kill herself.” After several unsuccessful attempts at suicide, Plath finally did take her life by gassing in her kitchen oven.

So, propelled by self-destructive forces, the environment in which they lived or circumstances surrounding them, nearly all of the writers above presented themselves as sacrificial geniuses on the altar of literary creativity.

Besides, a Nigerian novelist, poet, dramatist and senior journalist,

Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, has a word or two on the possible reasons for their abridged lives.

“Highly talented people,” Uzoatu began by telling THEWILL, “who achieved fame early enjoyed something of a blessing in disguise in dying early because most of their latter works becomes a parody of their earlier ones. A typical example is William Wordsworth. He lived so long that critics said he had the longest decline in English literature.

Back home, someone like Okigbo, because he died early people like to remember him as a genius. But if he had lived longer people would not like to see him as a plagiarist because he plagiarized so much.

Because he is dead, people will just remember the ideal.”

Continuing, Uzoatu gave the example of Johnny Rotten of the rock band The Sex Pistols who said: “Live fast, die young and have a fine corpse.”

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SportsLive

Nigeria’s Deadly Pair As Rohr’s Striking Force

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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head of the imminent international break for match days three and four of Nigeria’s Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the Confederation of African Football CAF region, Nigeria’s best front two, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Racing Genk’s Paul Onuachu, have topped scoring charts in European football to demonstrate their readiness to shine in the Green and White of the Super Eagles’ attack formation.

Of the six forwards, comprising Turkey-based Ahmed Musa of Fatih Karagumruk, France Ligue 1 duo of Samuel Kalu from FC Bordeaux and Moses Simon of FC Nantes, Chidera Ejuke in the Russian top flight with CSKA Moscow, Osimhen and Onuachu, to conclude that the gulf in quality between Osimhen and Onuachu, on the one hand and the remaining four, on the other, is to state the blinding obvious, especially when their statistical outputs are juxtaposed with particular attention to the quality of the opposing defences and the competitions they have consistently excelled in.

For 22-year-old Osimhen, who has had his first truly solid preseason in Italy and who has been allowed to deliver as his quality demonstrates what he is capable of, the striker has taken full advantage of the opportunity to excel. His high premium display this season has worked to keep Napoli on top of the Serie A such that the Nigerian became the joint-top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues in the month of September, on par with Real Madrid’s blazing hot Karim Benzema, after he found the back of the net yet again in Napoli’s match against Cagliari on Sunday, September 26.

Osimhen scored his sixth goal this season in the 11th minute, with his teammate Piotr Zieliński providing the assist once again.

And, as he has done since returning from the international break, where he scored for Nigeria against Cape Verde, he terrorised the Cagliari defenders all through his 77 minutes of play.

After another of his swift intrusions into the danger area again threatened to punish the visitors even further, Diego Godin had no other way to cope with Osimhen’s pace and physicality than to bring him down in the box leaving referee Marco Piccinini no choice but to award a penalty.

It simply was another Osimhen-inspired victory because Lorenzo Insigne buried the spot-kick allowing the hosts take a comfortable 2-0 win jump back to the summit of the league’s standings and maintain their perfect start to the 2021/2022 campaign in Italy.

With the industry of the Nigerian, only the star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side in Ligue 1 have managed to maintain a similar winning start in all of Europe’s top five leagues, even though PSG has played eight matches so far compared to the six games played in the Italian top division of Serie A. It has been Osimhen’s major responsibility to see to the goals that have kept his side ticking and making sure to match a previous record of Napoli’s for the Luciano Spalletti-led squad.

The victories this season have made it the second time that the I Partenopei have won each of their first six Serie A seasonal matches in their history, after the 2017/2018 season. The goalscoring king vacancy created with the departure of Portuguese goal-machine Cristiano Ronaldo means there exists a space in the Italian goal hierarchy for Osimhen to occupy, as he remains consistent in scoring.

The new manager of the leading side in Italy, Spalletti, was effusive in his praise of his Nigerian forward. He said: “From an athletic point of view, Osimhen is something incredible. He manages to cover a distance of twenty meters in three or four heartbeats and he makes them alone long before the midfielders come out. In addition to a bomber he is a great team man.”

This is especially high encomium coming from the manager that succeeded Gennaro Gattuso, who sanctioned the transfer of Osimhen even at the deserving high fees that his former Ligue 1 THEWILLNIGERIA

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Super Eagles Squad

The sterling displays of the pair in the 2021/2022 season for their clubs, which has largely been a continuation of the immense season they both had, prior to this, did not go unnoticed by the technical staff and crew of the senior men’s national football team.

They have been selected in a cast of six strikers to prosecute the country’s qualifier challenge in the double-header fixture against the Central African Republic, as THEWILL reported.

side, Lille, slammed on his head to discourage suitors in Europe from taking him away. With just one more Serie A matchday tie before the international break, an away fixture against Fiorentina, there is every likelihood that Osimhen and his teammates will extend their record further to maintain their start and Osimhen will bring that form into the double-header matches the Super Eagles will play against the CAR. On his part, Onuachu has made a compelling argument to start for the Super Eagles with his continued record-setting goal-scoring from last season for Racing Genk in Belgium. He has done this in the only way a striker can with a consistent supply of goals to keep Genk apace with the rest of the top sides in the Belgian First Division A. The 27-year-old maintained his reputation as the hatchetman of the side recently, when he put RFC Seraing to the sword, with a performance that could have seen him punish the visitors with four goals but for a missed penalty.

There was no better way for the imposing forward to announce his readiness for a starting XI to the Super Eagles’ coaching crew than putting their Sunday opponents to the slaughter with his Man-of-the-Match performance that ended with a seven-minute blitzkrieg, which stretched between both halves and fetched Onuachu his first hattrick of the season. It was a repeat of exactly how Onuachu began the year, when on Wednesday, January 6, he scored a hattrick as Genk started their 2021 with an emphatic 4-1 victory over KAS Eupen in a Belgian top flight tie.

Against Seraing this last Sunday, the forward scored all three of Genk’s goals between the 42nd minute of the first half and the 2nd minute of the second period to give his side a joint-second position in the early days of the 2021/2022 season. If he had not missed an earlier penalty, in the 34th minute, Onuachu could have finished with more goals. Yet, he was focused from the first whistle and vividly illustrated why he remains the most prolific Nigerian forward in any of Europe’s major first divisions.

The goals he scored in the 42nd and 44th minutes very nearly included another one in the 43rd minute which was blocked.

The argument can be had about the quality of the opposition the Super Eagles’ striker faces, week in, week out in Belgium, and how troubling it might be for him to replicate such prolific goal-scoring feat against the more astute defenders in some of the other best leagues across Europe but what cannot be denied is that the 27-year-old possesses the mental fortitude to convert opportunities to goals and the physicality to also trouble defenders of all stripes while maintaining an undisturbed composure as he very clearly demonstrated with his second penalty of the match against Seraing to console himself, the team and the fans for his initial miss.

Another quality that sets Onuachu apart is his patient confidence in the pristine efficiency of his goal-scoring prowess. He, like

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some of the best strikers in the game, may not score in every match but the capacity is not rendered blunt as a result. For example, the goals took some time to come aflame this season, as he did not score in the Super Cup final or their first game against Standard Liege. However, since then, the hattrick made it the fifth consecutive game of scoring as opposing sides Union Saint-Gilloise, Rapid Vienna, Sint-Truiden, and Antwerp can all attest to in the lead up to his demolition of Seraing on Sunday.

The imposing 6ft 8in forward is once again the highest-scoring player in the Green and White of the Super Eagles. The closest to his output is his striking compatriot Napoli’s Osimhen. Onuachu has 11 goals in 12 appearances and Osimhen has the perfect six goals in six games. Turkey-based Eagles’ captain Musa of Fatih Karagumruk has one goal in six games exactly the same as Samuel Kalu for FC Bordeaux. Moses Simon has played eight times but only scored once for FC Nantes, while Chidera Ejuke has two goals in nine appearances in the Russian top flight with CSKA Moscow. Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, who has scored five in 10 games, in a resurgence in the Bundesliga, was not invited.

The question around Onuachu now will be if all that is stacked in his favour will be enough for Rohr to give the 27-year-old a starting shirt in the October internationals. So far, Rohr has shown preference for playing Onuachu as a substitute striker to be called upon in the latter stages of the fixture. He scored an 83rd minute goal, seven minutes after being introduced in Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations AFCON qualifiers against Lesotho in Lagos in March, where he got only 14 minutes of play and also scored the lone-goal winner against Benin Republic three days earlier to break their unbeaten home run. But, he was on for only 19 minutes.

These brief features, such as the the 12 minutes he was on against Liberia on Friday, September 3, and six minutes against Cape Verde four days later, have not allowed Nigeria reap the benefits that are supposed to accrue to the Super Eagles with the advantage of having a forward of his consistency, quality and character. Even though Rohr also places striking responsibilities in Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who has repaid that confidence with goals, as he did with his brace against Liberia, Iheanacho’s lack of playing time with the Foxes has seen his scoring at the club level stunted, which cannot be said of Onuachu.

As the international break approaches, for more Group C Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers, it may be the time for the Genk giant to get a starting shirt, to strike in collaboration with the unstoppable Osimhen and let the Central African Republic, in particular, and the entire continent, in general, realise that Nigeria’s Super Eagles are set to dominate the striking department of the continent once again as in the days of the unstoppable Rashidi Yekini.

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