Sunday 3rd April 2016

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SUNDAY APRIL 3, 2016 T H I S D AY

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SUNDAY APRIL 3, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY SUNDAY APRIL 3, 2016

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY APRIL 3, 2016

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

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Ahead of April 7 Deadline for Premium Offer, NNPC, Marketers Jostle for Fuel Cargoes Corporation assures shortages‘ll ease in two weeks

Ejiofor Alike and Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and private oil marketing companies are jostling to book import cargoes of petrol to take advantage of the reduction of the premium on the international market price of fuel, which will end by April 7, THISDAY has learnt.

As the last-minute rush for fuel cargoes continued, NNPC has said that the persistent fuel scarcity would ease off in about two weeks. This followed the assurance last Thursday by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, that concrete measures had been put in place to end fuel shortages soon.

This is coming as the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) denied that it was planning an upward review of the price of petrol, saying the retail prices of N86.00 for NNPC outlets, and N86.50 for private marketing companies are not being reviewed.

THISDAY gathered that the current premium on the international cost of product was much higher than what

the marketers paid in the first quarter of 2016.

The current reduction in premium has encouraged the NNPC and the marketers to book ahead of April 7, when the premium is expected to change.

THISDAY also gathered from marketers and NNPC sources that import cargoes booked between now and April 7 would be at a premium of -$15 per metric tonne, against the +$60 per metric tonne paid on some imported cargoes in the first quarter of 2016.

Some of the marketers, who spoke to THISDAY at the weekend, stated that the reduction on the premium paid on the international cost of petrol between now and April 7 would help to encourage booking of import cargoes and ease the current scarcity as planned by the minister.

“The international cost of fuel every day is the same everywhere. The premium is the money that is being charged and their own margin is there and it also includes freight. So, it is -$15 for cargoes coming around April 7. For marketers who booked about a week or two weeks ago, they are paying as much as

+$60 on top of the actual cost of petrol,” said one of the marketers.

Another marketer also confirmed that April was feasible for the scarcity to begin to ease because the marketers and NNPC were placing orders so that the cargoes would come in around the said date when the premium would be -$15 rather than +$45 paid on most of the cargoes that were imported in the first quarter of 2016.

“What will happen is that all the cargoes that were imported in the last quarter, we imported them at over +$45 and if you import starting from April 7, you are going to pay -$15 per tonne. So, you are going to get additional $60 per tonne if the cargoes come between then and now,” he said.

When asked why the premium paid on the cost of product changes from time to time, he said “that is how the market works; sometimes they charge less; sometimes, they charge high”.

“But at this time starting from April 7, it will be -$15.

No one knows what will happen towards the end of April,” he added.

As the crippling fuel scarcity continue, a top NNPC official yesterday said the

PPPRA denies plans to increase petrol price situation will ease in the next two weeks, following the completion of repairs on the vandalised pipelines supplying crude oil to Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), which they said, was now ready to commence production.

The Group Executive Director (GED) and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream Sector, NNPC, Bello Rabiu, gave the assurance yesterday when he embarked on a facility tour of the KRPC Plant.

He disclosed that the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries were also set for adequate fuel supply in the country, saying the era of shortage in supply of the petroleum product will soon be over.

"As you can see the whole country is under siege because of fuel supply, we are looking at the entire value chain to solve the problem. I come here to see the readiness of this refinery to be back on stream. We were actually having problem with the supply of crude oil to this place from Warri. It is about 640 kilometres line. That line is almost ready so that we would start pushing the crude here.

“At least in 10 days, we would bring the crude to

13 GOVERNORS, CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY STORM EMEFIELE MOTHER’S BURIAL IN AGBOR Isyaku Rabiu, Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Atedo Peterside and Chairman, Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni. Others are CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Segun Agbaje; CEO of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe; and CEO of First City Monument Bank, Ladi Balogun.

Also in Agbor to honour the Emefieles were Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Wilfred Oyo-Ita; Minister of Budget, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed; Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; and Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

President Buhari in his condolence message presented

by Lawal, described the late

Mrs Alice Emefiele as "a great mother, community leader and a peace maker.”

The President said she had in no small measure contributed to the growth and development of her own community.

He extended the condolence of his family and the federal government to the Emifiele, and prayed God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss of their beloved mother.

He urged the family members to take solace in the fact that the deceased "lived a good life and left a legacy of love and humility", While enjoining Nigerians to emulate her virtues of love which he said would lead to enduring peace and unity in the country, President Buhari advised parents and mothers, in

particular, to be hard working in order to train their children as such children in return would be pride to the family, the community and the nation at large.

Earlier in a sermon, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, enjoined the congregation to make meaningful impact in the society despite the number of years spent on earth.

Drawing inspiration from Psalm 133:1; Romans 5:24 and 1st John 3:11- 16, Okoh said today's world was increasingly filled with terror, wickedness, hatred and bitterness, but maintained that it was the responsibility of all to encourage our leaders to do everything possible to restore unity, political,

economic, cultural and social values.

“We need unity and peace in this country to make progress, we also need justice and righteousness to achieve success in the struggle against corruption in this country," he said.

The CBN Governor, Emefiele, in a brief speech expressed profound appreciation of all guests who joined his family to give their late mother a befitting burial, noting that his late mother brought them up in the way of God and taught them that hard-work pays in life.

Emiefiele said: "I enjoin mothers to bring up their children in the way of God, correct them when they are wrong and teach them to be hard working in life, they will turn out to be good citizens of the society."

WE’LL MOVE THE COUNTRY FORWARD QUICKLY, BUHARI ASSURES NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA he was very proud of them all.

The Nigerians received by President Buhari included Prof. Austin Esogbue, the only African to have served on the board of the United States’ National Aeronautical Space Agency; Jelani Aliyu, a leading car designer with General Motors; Prof. Nwadiuto Esiobu, a renowned Microbiologist and Biochemist; Dr. Yemi Badero, an Assistant Professor of Medicine; and 13-year old Muriel Oduwole, who had interviewed 18 world leaders.

In another development, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mr. Lars Rasmussen, has said investors from his country were interested in investing in the agricultural sector in Nigeria.

Rasmussen, who spoke at a bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Washington D.C., on the sidelines of the Nuclear

Security Summit, however said the Federal Government must put the right policies and conditions in place.

"We are quite experienced in agriculture. It is an area in which we can cooperate. If you pave the way and remove the obstacles, we will like to come in," the Prime Minister told Buhari.

Rasmussen's response followed an invitation by Buhari to him for investors in the agricultural and solid minerals sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Earlier, Buhari had reiterated the determination of his administration to significantly reduce the very high bill for importation of food products to Nigeria.

The president also reaffirmed his administration's commitment to the rapid diversification of Nigeria's

economy.

"We developed a monoproduct economy and lost opportunities to diversify in the past.

"We have great potentials for agriculture and solid minerals.

We are now determined to exploit them to the fullest.

Addressing the past neglect of these two sectors will help to reduce unemployment and make us a more productive country.

"We will welcome more investment in our agriculture and solid minerals sectors from countries with expertise in the two sectors. We abandoned them for petroleum. Now, we have to go back.

"Our bill for the importation of food and dairy products is very high. We want to cut it as much as possible by developing our local potentials," the president told Rasmussen.

Buhari assured the Danish Prime Minister that the Federal Government would continue to work in partnership with other countries to further improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

The president said his administration was determined to stop the huge loss of revenue from crude oil theft and has received assurances of international support to curb illegal shipments of Nigeria's crude oil.

Remarking that his country was a major shipping nation, Rasmussen thanked Buhari for Nigeria's current efforts to enhance security in the Gulf of Guinea.

He assured the President that Danes would be very interested in investing in the development of Nigeria's agricultural sector if the right policies and conditions were put in place.

Kaduna, and about two or four days we would make everything ready.

"We want to make sure that in the next two weeks this refinery will be ready to start producing fuel. If that is done, the entire part of this country will be serviced with fuel,” Babura told journalists in an interview shortly after touring the KRPC plant.

Babura noted that the plant was in good condition, adding that production will begin and nothing will stop it again.

"They will be ready to receive the crude soon and if the crude comes, we believe that everything will run smoothly.”

Meanwhile, PPPRA has denied alleged plans to increase the pump price of petrol, saying that the retail prices of N86.00 for NNPC outlets and N86.50 for private marketing companies have not been reviewed upwards.

The pricing regulatory body has also stated that the pump price of kerosene also remained unchanged from what it was in the last quarter and advised marketers to ensure that there is no price distortion in their respective retail outlets.

Acting Executive Secretary of PPPRA, Mrs. Sotonye E.

Iyoyo, said in a statement yesterday that the agency would “continue to monitor the global oil market performances, and come up, at appropriate time, with reasonable changes consistent with the newly-adopted price modulation principles.”

She appealed to all depot owners to strictly adhere to the prevailing truck-out policy put in place by the agency, to ensure that petroleum products get to their designated retail outlets across the country.

She also warned that adequate sanctions await any depot-owner found to be hoarding products.

In carrying out its regulatory functions of sustainable supply and distribution of petroleum products into the Nigerian market, the agency also confirmed that with the approval of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, it had released the Second Quarter allocations for the supply of petrol.

“In the latest release, the national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has 41.73 per cent of the total allocation while the rest of the oil marketing companies got a total allocation of 58.27 per cent,” the statement added.

AMCON GOES AFTER DEBTORS, SEIZES AA OIL BOSSES’ ASSETS billion, that of James was estimated to be about N3 billion. The two debts were bought over from Union Bank.

A judicial source in the know listed the seized properties, located in prime places in the nation’s capital, as “No 32 Mediterranean Street, Maitama, Abuja; No 42, Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja; plot 101, Cadastral ZONE B09, Kado, Abuja; and plot 1189, Cadastral Zone A05, Maitama Abuja.”

THISDAY investigation revealed that the legal battles to take over the choice properties were long drawn and ended at the Supreme Court. It was learnt that the apex court entered judgement against Aliyu when it was convinced that he could not pay up the debt.

The EFCC source, who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity, said, “We have several pending cases that were instituted

by AMCOM bordering on loan recovery besides that of Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu. I can confirm to you that we have arrested Managing Director of Avian Specialty, Gbenga James. He was arrested in his Ibadan residence and is currently being detained in our office pending his arraignment in court next week (this week).”

Following the appearance of the new management of AMCON at the National Assembly recently, the lawmakers had tasked the management of the corporation to recover all loans owed by its obligors.

This was followed up with publications in national dailies of the names of debtors.

THISDAY gathered that after spirited efforts by the corporation to get some of the debtors to work out a workable payment plan failed, the Ahmed Kuru-led new management of AMCON commenced enforcement action against its debtors about three weeks ago.

“Some of the debtors, particularly the big boys, thought it was still business as usual and ignored several demand notices by AMCON for the non-performing loans.

That was why the corporation swung into a full loan recovery mode, the source said.

It was gathered that several properties belonging to some notable Nigerians have been taken over by the corporation, though THISDAY could not obtain the details of the properties and their owners.

It would be recalled that AMCON recently took over Aero Contractors following the inability of its original owners to offset its indebtedness to the corporation.

However, information gathered from authoritative sources in AMCON shows that the corporation is still open to negotiation with debtors who are willing to honour their obligations. It was gathered that AMCOM is open to various financial structures that guarantee its value-enhanced exit within a reasonable period of time.

Efforts by THISDAY to get AMCON’s officials to on the ongoing enforcement efforts were unsuccessful, as several telephone calls to their line of the spokesperson did not connect as the line indicated it was switched off.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

RELIABLESOURCES How Operatives Compromise Security at Airports Chinedu Eze

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ecurity operatives and other aviation officials are becoming major obstacles to enforcing security at Nigeria’s airports, thereby creating a strong possibility of security breach.

At the international gateways observed, officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Customs, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and Quarantine and Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) connive to form a profiteering racket that enlarges their pockets but weakens airport security.

An official of FAAN told THISDAY that these operatives work like mafia, sometimes using sign language among themselves to compromise security by allowing prohibited goods to pass through X-ray machines into the aircraft and foreigners without adequate documentation to gain entry into the country.

In the face of possible terror attacks after the Brussels airport bombings last week and the recent successful hijack of Egypt Air airliner that was flying from Alexandra to Cairo on Tuesday, there are fears that the attitude of security operatives at Nigeria’s airports, especially the international airports in Lagos and Abuja may expose the facilities to terror attacks.

THISDAY investigation revealed that the joint security personnel made up of the Nigeria Air Force, the Nigeria Police and Aviation Security (AVSEC) compromise security at access control points, which could allow unauthorised persons access to the terminals.

THISDAY observation revealed that the security operatives at the entrance gates to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport terminal extort money from passengers who are not willing to queue to access the terminal at peak hours.

Last year, FAAN installed X-ray machines at the entrance gates of the international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt to screen passenger luggage before it is taken into the terminal.

But security personnel have now turned this laudable effort to money making venture whereby they deliberately delay the screening of the bags until passengers crowd the gates and then seek gratification to allow passengers who are in a hurry to go into the terminal. There are instances where passengers who resisted such extortions end up missing their flights in the process.

THISDAY learnt that FAAN management made efforts to end extortion at the gates, but because the security personnel at these gates come mainly from the Nigeria Air Force and the Nigerian Police, such efforts have not yielded positive results as these security officers tend to defy the directives given

by FAAN, claiming to be answerable to their bosses outside the airport.

The AVSEC operatives also solicit money from passengers and in doing so weaken their power to enforce security regulations concerning the passengers and their luggage.

A senior official of FAAN told THISDAY that the agency had made significant efforts towards the fortification of the airports under its management but “the police and the Air Force at the access control have questionable attitude.”

The source said there should be regular change of guards and profiling of all officials that work at the airports and those who are no longer familiar with the system at the airport should be brought in in the face of the terror attacks in Brussels which may have emboldened the terrorists to extent their evil plots to other countries.

The source also condemned the operatives for turning the drop off zones at the front of the international wing of the Lagos airport to car park for ‘VIPs’ from whom they collect money and allow their vehicles to be parked there, noting that such vehicles could be laden with bombs which when exploded would have devastating effects on lives and property.

The source also noted that the warning, which FAAN issued recently to passengers to be weary of suspicious movements and to come to the airports in time when travelling and not leave their bags

Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos

unattended is immaterial if the security personnel do not change their attitude.

“You can have the best of equipment but it comes to nothing without a change in the attitude of security personnel. There should be effective security oversight of all the areas of the airport; there should be proper surveillance. All these were effectively done during the audit of the international airports by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) last week but what we want is continuity.

The period of the audit has helped us,” the source said.

THISDAY also learnt that Abuja airport is porous and could be accessed through various areas by unauthorized persons.

“In Abuja there are so many entrances and the officials of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) drive to their radar facility at the airside of the airport with their cars, which should not be allowed. In Lagos, people are not allowed to access the airside with their cars. Ideally, people should not stay too long in one beat, covering one terminal, they should be moved around so that they would not be too familiar with other airport users and compromise security. On duty card (ODC) must be issued after proper screening of the person requesting it. If the issuance of ODC is abused there will be security breach at the airport,” the source said.

Aviation security expert and CEO of Scope, Adebayo Babatunde, said the passengers cannot be prevented from accessing the airport but there should be proper access control, adding that the most potent instrument to check terror is intelligence, “so all the security operatives must share intelligence across airports and across nations.”

He said that if intelligence fails then technology should be deployed to screen all airport users and the airside of the airport and the terminal must be rendered sterile.

“We must follow international security procedures; there should be no compromises. If a bag is unattended remove it and destroy it and government should urgently acquire explosive detection system (EDS), which has been recommended for all international airports,” Babatunde said.

He noted that due to economic crunch, Brussels may not have acquired modern, hi-tech security equipment at the airports and the terrorists took advantage of that.

Former Managing Director of FAAN, Richard Aisuebeogun, said the challenge in airport security is the ability of a security programme to avert persons with bad intentions from gaining access to sensitive areas of the airport and the overall prevention of any kind of security breach.

So it is the responsibility of airport managers to ensure that certain security elements are in place and this includes airport perimeter control.

According to Aisuebeogun, African airports within the limit of resources available to them have secured the perimeters of the airports by providing both Perimeter and Operational fences in some airports.

The World Bank is also assisting African countries with some perimeter fence work.

“We have also provided access control at designated gates/entry points to ensure strict access control to the airside so that only genuine passengers and staff gain access.

“African airports are equipped with perimeter roads to enable security patrol and aid emergency operations. All entry points/gates are also manned and access control measures put in place to prevent intrusion; during periods of red alert, aircraft may also be escorted to holding points by security agents.

“The introduction of the machine-readable travel document (MRTD) programme by most African countries Immigration Services which became a mandatory global standard by April 2010 is also a vital tool in addressing aviation terrorism. This programme has been acknowledged as one of the most important available tools for enhancing the security of global civil aviation and promoting global inter-operability, and an essential tool for preventing terrorist movement across borders,” Aisuebeogun said.

But it has to be noted many of Nigeria’s airports are yet to be fully fenced to stop unauthorised access by criminals and potential terrorists. The incidents of stowaways, which gained frequency in recent times, indicate that the airports are still very porous. The physical fencing must be done before the protection of individuals from accessing the airports could be effectively enforced.

“It is pertinent here to state that security at the airport is multilayer and multi-agency, consisting of the military, the police and other Para-military agencies like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs, Immigration, Directorate of State Security (DSS), etc. And we rely on timely intelligence for the success of our security operations.

“Terminal security also involves; management of public areas and restricted areas, access control, security checkpoints and the separation of arrival and departure flows. Terminal buildings are targets in many countries - if not necessarily the target of terrorists, certainly that of criminal elements attracted to the presence of large gatherings. Passengers themselves present additional security challenges to the terminal operation,” Aisuebeogun said.

The federal government must have to rejig the security system at the airports and provide the needed funding for the acquisition of security equipment and ensure continuous training of personnel in order to ensure that terrorists do not have access to the nation’s airports.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08023117639 (sms only)

Boko Haram: Nigerian Army Kills 9 Terrorists, Rescues 21 Hostages Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

GOOD TO SEE YOU President Muhammadu Buhari exchanging pleasantries with President Barack Obama as participants alongside

President Obama and other World Leaders at the Scenario-based Policy Discussion during the Nuclear Security Summit at the Walter Washington Convention Centre in Washington, US...recently

UNHCR Official: Agatu Massacre Worst Ever in My History of Covering Crises • As groups warn FG over herdsmen, grazing reserves Abimbola Akosile in Lagos and George Okoh in Makurdi

The Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mrs. Angele Dikongue Atangana has stated that the level of killings and destruction perpetrated in Agatu local government by herdsmen is the worst in history.

Also, the Federal Government has been enjoined to handle the matter of grazing by Fulani herdsmen objectively, in order to avoid a crisis in the country.

Atangana, who was led on the tour of the area by the Deputy Chairman House of Representative Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and North East Development Initiative, Ezekiel Adaji, also described the damage as unimaginable.

The UN Representative, who said the plight of Agatu people deserved both national and international attention, stressed that it would be difficult for the affected people to rebuild their communities with external help.

“In my 20 years of working as a humanitarian, I have never seen such a level of destruction. If steps are not taken, the crises can affect the country as a whole,” she said.

She noted that the damage caused by the herders was similar to what was happening in the North-east, and assured listeners that her commission would aid in the rehabilitation of the displaced persons.

Addressing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Ugbokpo camp, Mrs. Atangana disclosed that the commission had donated non-food items worth over N20 million to the IDPs, stating that the items were already with the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA in Makurdi.

Meanwhile, some prominent groups have condemned the inaction of the federal government to

the recent killings by Fulani herdsmen in the state.

The groups, including Mdzough u Tiv (MUT), the Idoma National Forum and the Omi Igede condemned what it termed as “The Barbaric Killing and Wanton Destruction of Property of Benue Indigenes by Fulani Herdsmen”.

Also, another group called Think Tank for The Body of Christ (Edo & Delta States) recently released a position paper titled ‘The Politics and Economics of Grazing Reserve’, where the federal government was urged to avoid favouritism in the issue of grazing reserve in the country. The leadership of the Benue groups observed with dismay the inability of both the Federal and State Governments to prevent the escalation of the occupation of their lands since it started manifesting several years ago.

They also blamed the escalating crises on the delay in the take-off of the Presidential Investigation Panel promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The proposed Town Hall Meeting by the Federal Government is not only diversionary, but a deliberate ploy to downplay the degree of attention and seriousness that should be accorded the invasion of our land. We wonder why the same Government that promised to set up an investigation committee is now resorting to a mere ruse called ‘Town Hall Meeting’.

“We observed that the Town Hall meeting held on the 24th day of March, 2016 in Abuja by 1 Idoma Initiative with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) during which some major decisions were taken as detailed in a communiqué did not have the mandate of major stakeholders in the crisis.

“The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps are poorly managed, and the IDPs are living in very deplorable conditions, with inadequate security arrangement and acute shortage of relief materials.”

In their demands, the groups called on the federal and state government to set up a Judicial CommissionofEnquirytounravel the root causes of the gruesome massacre of Benue people.

“While we appreciate the efforts of various concerned groups at resolving the Fulani crises, the invasion of our land by people under the cover of Fulani Herdsmen should be classified as an act of insurgency and the perpetrators labeled as terrorists to be routed out by the military. The perpetrators and sponsors of such heinous crimes against humanity must be brought to justice”, they said.

They also demanded that all herdsmen in Benue State should relocate immediately to allow farmers go to their farms without fear of being attacked as the farming season approaches in order to avoid severe famine next year; and added that a Victims Support Fund should be established for rebuilding destroyed communities with adequate compensations to families of victims.

In the position paper by Think Tank for the Body of Christ, the groupnotedthatduetopopulation growth of both humans and cattle, creating grazing reserve is not a sustainable project.

“Rural and urban sprawl, commercial ranching, river basin projects, wildlife reservation, and the construction of roads, railways, schools, airports, research stations, state, and local government headquarters have all made provision of grazing reserve an impracticable project.

“If Nigeria is a country of laws; if the Nigerian government does not want to be an accomplice in the pogrom of inestimable proportion that will certainly result from its irrational knee-jerk approach to solving the Fulani aggression and assault on innocent Nigerians, then, the resolution to provide grazing reserve across the country should be quietly withdrawn”, it added.

They described a recent sug-

gestion made by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, in Ilorin as a novel approach to the problem, where grass would be grown in the South and taken up North to feed cattle there.

“The new approach can put an end to contact between the herdsmen and their cattle on the one side and the farmers on the other side.

It can bring to an end the constant conflicts and the human and material losses. It can bring about the elusive peace along the various grazing routes.”

“The government should mobiliseSouthernfarmerstogrowthe grass which it should come back to buy from them on agreed terms.

The grass should also be supplied to the cattle owners in the North on agreed terms. It is by so doing that the government can be fair to all concerned.

“It is high time the government ceased to give the impression that the breeding and rearing of animals take precedence over other occupations. This new idea can bring the incessant conflicts between farmers and herdsmen to a decisive end. Its success or failure will, however, be determined by the mode of implementation.”

The group enjoined government to facilitate the settlement of the nomads and modernise livestock farming, which can then be integrated with the rest of the agricultural industry. “If the livestock industry would play its rightful part in our economy, the problem of the nomadic system must be addressed.”

“The creation of ranches will solve the lingering herdsmen/ farmers crises in the country and create employment for thousands of jobless youth roaming the streets of the country in search of jobs. The Federal Government should borrow a leaf from USA, Kenya and other countries with zero grazing policy to stop incessant farmers/ herders clashes in the country and create employment for our teeming youths who would be employed to manage the ranches”, the group added.

The Nigerian Army in the ongoing mop up operations against Boko Haram in parts of the North-east, has killed nine of the terrorists, rescued more hostages and cleared more of their hideouts in Borno State.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday said the troops of 155 Task Force Battalion, 21 Brigade, Nigerian Army on Thursday, during clearance operations discovered and destroyed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory and cleared terrorists’ hideout in Wulwuta village, ahead of Jere, Bama Local Government Area (LGA).

During the operation, Usman noted, the troops also killed nine terrorists while one of the soldiers was wounded in action.

He said: “The troops recovered a laptop, solar panel, a pair of Nigerian military desert and woodland camouflage uniform each, as well as bandolier vest and six ready IEDs pressure plates. Other recoveries include a loaded pistol with registration number D557954, 3 rounds of 7.65mm, 13 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunitions and combat boots, amongst others.”

The Army Spokesman disclosed that the unit also rescued 21 persons held captives by the terrorists, comprising eight men, four women and nine children. According to him, the suspects have been moved to the Brigade Headquarters for further care, screening and eventual hand-over to the appropriate agencies.

“It is significant to state that

the vigilant and professional troops noticed that the terrorists were determined to cause maximum casualty on them by stuffing two empty artillery shells and other cartridges with IED and batteries ready to explode. They were however safely detonated by the Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) team attached to the unit.

“It is heart-warming to state that the troops’ morale remains high and fighting efficiency is equally unprecedented,” he stated.

In another development, Usman said attention of the Army has been drawn to a news story on the online page of a daily, alleging that angry soldiers blocked and later released General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, over food and water shortage.

While acknowledging that indeed troops that captured the strategic forest of Alagarno experienced some logistics problem that include water shortage, due to some unforeseen circumstances which is normal in war situation, he said it was not true that the troops behaved in the manner stated.

For the avoidance of doubt, he said the GOC, 7 Division, Brig-Gen. VO Ezugwu indeed visited the troops and also supplied water to them but did not leave the troops as insinuated.

According to him, the troops hailed the GOC for his empathic disposition towards the soldiers, adding that Ezugwu “actively participated in clearance operations along Bulablin-Alargano axis with the troops and was with them in their defensive location throughout.”

Police Uncover Ritualists’ Den in Ogun Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta

Sango Divisional Police Headquarters, Ogun State yesterday uncovered ritualists’ den in Iyana-Ilogbo area of Sango-Ota, Ogun State where two middle-aged men were said to have been arrested by the Police in connection to the den.

Following a tip-off by members of the public, the policemen attached to Sango divisional station uncovered the den said to have been located at an abandoned filling station at Iyana Ilogbo area of the state.

It was, however, gathered that victims who were captured by the ritualists escaped from the den which led to its discovery while prompt attention by the police led to the arrest of the suspects.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi who confirmed the incident said the incident hap-

pened at about 7.00am.

He said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sango Division and men of the Anti-Robbery Squad, immediately swung into action; having received the information.

He said one Babatunde Taofeek and one Hammed Hassan were found at the scene with the lifeless body of a man suspected to have been killed by the criminals.

According to Adejobi, items recovered from the scene included a cutlass, clothes, shoes and caps.

He added the suspects were at an abandoned filling station (Ayokunnu), Iyana-Ilogbo, noting that effort was on to arrest the owner of the abandoned filling station.

Adejobi added that state Commissioner for Police, Abdulmajid Ali, has ordered that the case be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Command for further investigation.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

NEWS

HONOURING ISSOUFOU L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, arriving at the venue of the inauguration of President Mahadou Issoufou of Niger Republic in Niamey...yesterday

PROMOTING BUSINESS L-R: Founder, Grace Lakes Partners, Ladi Delano; founder Ciuci Consulting and DG, Delta Economic Summit Group, Chukwuka Monye; Enterprise Services Director, Microsoft, Wale Olokodana; CEO, House of Tara, Tara Fela-Durotoye; Professor of Public Policy at Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Mthuli Ncube, and Chairman/CEO, Genesis Electricity, Akinwole Omoboriowo II, at the Oxford Business Forum Africa, United Kingdom…recently

Amaechi: Wike’s a Threat to Democracy, Free and Fair Elections

Abducted Enugu Girl Saga: Ugwuanyi Pledges to Rehabilitate Her

• Says Ikwerre LGA elections inconclusive because thugs carted away election materials before collation

Anayo Okolie

Olaseni Durojaiye

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has promised to assist in rehabilitating the Enugu-born 14 year-old SS-2 student of Government Secondary School, Apo Resettlement, Abuja, Miss Ifesinachi Ani, who was abducted about six months ago and converted to Islam.

Ifesinachi, the daughter of one Mr. Sunday Ani from Ani-Chime family, Umunachi Ngene, Amaechi Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu State, was reported to have been taken to the Central Police Station, Uwani, Enugu by the abductors, after alarm was raised in the media over the abduction.

The development prompted Governor Ugwuanyi, to dispatch a delegation of top government functionaries, led by the state commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development, Princess Peace Nnaji; her counterpart in the ministry of Health, Dr. Sam Ngwu; the Special Adviser to

Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has described the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, as a threat to democracy, free and fair elections devoid of violence.

He was reacting to comments made by Wike in an interview published in THISDAY, the Saturday newspaper in which the governor said Amaechi and his All Progressives Party (APC) lost election in Ikwerre Local Government, which is Amaechi’s homestead.

Amaechi who is the immediate past governor of the state said the governor lied on the outcome of the re-run elections in Ikwerre Local Government adding that elections in the LGA were disrupted by thugs allegedly loyal to the governor.

The minister further described Wike as a “loose cannon” and lamented that his comments were “riotous,” “disgraceful” and “shameful.”

He also noted that Wike issued death threats to INEC workers ahead of the re-run elections and indeed a Youth Corps member was “murdered” during the elections and blamed it on the governor.

His reactions were contained in a statement issued on

Saturday by his Media Office and signed by him.

The statement read in part: “Wike’s riotous comments in THISDAY of Saturday are disgraceful and shameful. His resort to blackmail, threats and more violence is a clear danger to the practice of democracy, to free and fair elections in Rivers State. He’s a clear danger and threat to the practice of democracy, and free and fair elections in Rivers State. If he’s not threatening crisis, fire and war against Rivers people, he is orchestrating and organising violence against the people, the same people he swore to protect.

This is condemnable, utterly reprehensible and unacceptable”, the statement read.

According to Amaechi, “You would recall that Wike has been threatening INEC and INEC officials. Before the re-run elections, he threatened INEC officials coming to conduct the elections to write their wills before coming as if they were coming to die in Rivers State. Sadly, an INEC ad hoc staff, a Youth Corps member was killed, murdered. This is a classic case of the owl crying in the night and the baby not waking up in the morning. He threatened INEC before the elections and an INEC official

sent to conduct election was murdered on elections day, what other evidence do we need to know who is responsible for the death of the INEC official?”

In the statement, accompanied by a handwritten report of the INEC collation officer for Ikwerre Local Government in which the electoral officer lamented that thugs disrupted elections in the local government, Amaechi further stated that “No democracy can survive with Wike’s kind of attitude and disposition to elections. Wike can’t just go on and on threatening crisis, war and more violence just because of his desperation to win elections.”

Reacting to the governor’s claim on the conduct of elections in the local government, Amaechi said “The problem in Ikwerre LGA elections was caused by the same Wike who sent his goons to the LGA collation centre to disrupt the collation. The collating officer for the LGA, Dr. Allwell Egeonu told the press and it is on video, that he was lucky to escape alive as thugs, hoodlums invaded the Ikwerre LGA collation centre in Isiokpo that they were shooting for over 30 minutes and everybody had to run for their lives. The

Wike goons took away all the materials.

“According to the INEC Collating official, nothing was collated in Ikwerre LGA. And this man’s story is on tape.

He spoke to the media. The Collating Officer for Ikwerre LGA also went to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers State, reported what happened and also wrote about it to the State REC. A copy of the letter is available for all to see. The video is also available online.

Many media houses reported it and showed the video.”

“So what result for Ikwerre LGA is Wike talking about?

The man INEC sent to collate the results for the LGA, Dr. Egeonu says there is no result for the LGA because he didn’t collate anything, yet Wike is all over the place disgracing himself that Amaechi lost his LGA. “He’s all over the place, threatening crisis, threatening INEC with fire and brimstone, for INEC to release a result that does not even exist, in the first place. You can now understand the kind of desperate fellow we are dealing with here. This must not be allowed to continue. Wike cannot hold an entire state, hostage,” he added.

Africans Migrate More within Africa, Says UNECA Report A report unveiled by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has revealed that Africans migrate more from one African country to another, contrary to belief that almost every African migrates beyond the continent.

The revelation was made yesterday by the Director, Social Development Policy Division, UNECA, Mrs. Takyiwaa Manuh, who gave highlight of the report entitled ‘Challenges of International Migration in Africa’ at the ongoing African Development Week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Manuh said the situation contained in the report was

contrary to popular belief that Africans migrated more to other continents, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.

“Media coverage and research on irregular migration and high death toll amongst those crossing the Mediterranean have falsely reinforced the belief that Africans migration is essentially directed towards Europe. Migration streams within Africa are much larger than those out of Africa. About 31 million of the continent’s population has migrated internationally.

“This is little more than three per cent of the continent’s

population. More than half of those migrating internationally do so within Africa, with only about 28 per cent of migrants from Africa going to Europe.

Of the total migrant stock in Europe, less than 12 per cent are from Africa,” she said.

Manuh said UNECA research also showed that remittance inflows to Africa quadrupled between 1990 and 2010, reaching nearly $49 billion in 2010, equivalent to an average of 2.6 per cent of Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The proportion of remittances invested in food, health and education ranged from 30 per cent in Kenya and 37 per

cent in Nigeria to 47 per cent in Burkina Faso and 67 per cent in Senegal. Thus, international migration has tremendous potential to improve development and welfare in origin countries,” she said.

Manuh urged countries to embrace regional integration and border management to facilitate migration and visa-free travel for Africans in Africa. She further appealed for consultative processes in the designing policies to secure the benefits of migration at global and regional levels. According to her, designing policies should involve countries of destination and origin.

the Governor on Gender Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Mrs. Felicia Ikpeama, and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Louis Amoke, to pay a solidarity visit to the family on the reported abduction of their daughter, Ifesinachi.

Addressing members of the family, Ugwanyi, who spoke through Princess Nnaji, said his administration was touched by the news of the unfortunate incident of the abduction of Ifesinachi, adding that he would do everything possible to ensure that the girl was fully rehabilitated and taken adequate care of in line with the government policy on Child Right Act. She said the governor as a man of kindness, cares and has the interest of every citizen of the state at heart, no matter where the person resides, adding that the visit was also to rejoice with the family and thank God for the efforts made so far to release the girl from the hands of the abductors.

Queen Mother, Osiberu, Dies at 96 The death has been announced of Chief (Mrs.) Juliana Mogbonjubade Osiberu, the mother of the Elepe of Epe, Sagamu in Ogun state, Oba Adewale Osiberu and his siblings Chief (Mrs.) Folasade Ogunbiyi (the Iyalode-designate of Remoland) and Engineers Oluremi and Bayo Osiberu.

Chief Osiberu, who died on January 22, 2016 at the age of 96, was married to the late Prince Emmanuel Osiberu of the Olasibo Ruling House of Epe, Sagamu, who had died in 2003, after 56 years of blissful marriage.

Born in June 26, 1920 as the fifth of six children, into the family of Simon and Sarah Adeosun of the Ologbenla Ruling House of Ife, Osiberu attended both St. Luke’s School Okeigbo and St. Peter’s Primary School, Ifetedo, between 1930 and 1940, when she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate.

She proceeded thereafter, to a Grade II Midwifery course at the Egba Native Authority Centre in Abeokuta which she finished in

1942 and over a 45-years period, she worked and lived in Burutu, Warri, Jos, Sapele, Zaria, Ibadan and Kwale, along with her late husband. She had worked as Midwife at the Bida General Hospital in 1943 and at the General Hospital Zaria between 1946 and 1948 and between 1968 and 1976, she was a senior medical aide at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.

Chief Osiberu will be buried at Sagamu on Friday, April 8, after a funeral service at the St. John’s Anglican Church, Ijoku, Sagamu.

She is survived by her children, many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

NEWS

COMPLIANCE ADVOCATES L-R: African Chair, State of the Union (SOTU), Mr. Okeke Anya; Chairman, House of Representatives UNITED FOR WILLIAMS L-R: PR Consultant, Mr. Aramide Tola Noibi; Chief Medical Officer Unity Hospital Group Ltd, Dr. Michael Peters; Committee on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on North-east, Hon. Sani Zoro Mohammed; SOTU Programme Advisor, Caroline Waiganjo from Kenyan, and Executive Director, Partners for Electoral Reform, Mr. Eze Nwangwu, at the launch of the 2015 report of Nigeria’s country compliance with the African Union instruments in Abuja...recently

former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Ibidapo Obe; former Principal International School, Unilag, Mrs Olusola Peters, and elder statesman, High Chief Doja Adewolu, at the 80th birthday of CEO, Unity Hospital Ltd, Lagos Sir Charels Williams, at the Wesley Cathedral, Olowogbowo, Lagos...recently

Time Not Ripe for Currency Devaluation, Says Expert James Emejo in Abuja

An economist and ex-banker, Dr. Chijioke Ekechukwu has said despite some inherent benefits in the devaluation of a country’s currency, the time was not yet ripe for Nigeria to devalue the naira.

He said any attempt to devalue the local currency would only pass a huge burden over to the ultimate consumers, a situation which could worsen the hardship already experienced by Nigerians.

Speakinginaninterviewwith THISDAY, he said explained that the impact of devaluation would be particularly hard on manufacturers who would have to repay foreign creditors at a value higher than initially envisaged.

Ekechukwu, who is also the Managing Director, Bristol InvestmentsLimited,saidproponents of devaluation had hidden

the negative consequence of such move from the people.

He said: “The same people advocating for devaluation did not let Nigerians know the demerits therein. One of the demerits is that the burden will be passed over to the ultimate consumers. From the first day, inflation will creep in. The demerits are enormous. Various manufacturers today may have borrowed money from foreign creditors.

“If such was borrowed when the rate of naira was N150 per dollar for instance, and you are paying your debt at N300 per dollar, it means even if you have done well with the money you borrowed, you are going to incur losses of over 200 per cent”, he said.

“Therefore, borrowers of foreign loans are at a heavy disadvantage during devaluation; government inclusive. The real

sector of the economy can only grow when there is a local capacity being built in electricity. When there is no electricity or so much is being paid for it, how will the real sector grow? Under normal economic situations, these things are supposed to be provided.

Continuing, he said: “The interest rates of banks should be single digits for local manufacturers to even start manufacturing.

As far as Nigeria’s electricity remains at its comatose stage, as well as high-interest rates of banks, manufacturing sector cannot take advantages of a devalued economy. There are essential goods and services that we cannot produce in this country.

“And because we have those essential commodities that we must import, such as drugs, machinery, vehicle spare-parts, the benefits we would have gotten in devaluation will be lost during

importation. We also know that duringdevaluation,professionals go outside the country because it will pay them more to earn their salaries in foreign currencies, and return to change them. Hence the country will lose her human capacity.”

Ekechukwu also argued that current exchange rate fluctuation was beyond the control of the Nigerian monetary authorities.

He said: “The cause is not something that Nigeria has control over, so we have to live with it.

We can only forestall the effects of this decline through identifying the items being imported into the country that form 80 per cent of our importation. We then have to find the alternatives to these items. I have mentioned the petroleum products. We should also identify products that we ought not to import, such as rice.

We need to form commissions that will grow other areas.”

MAN Tasks Agency, Monsanto on GM Cotton Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

The acting Director-General of the Textile Manufacturers, an arm of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Hamma Kwajafa, has called on the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) and Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Ltd to engage Nigerian farmers in high level education on the management and cultivation of the Genetically Modified (GM) Bt-cotton soon be released into the market.

Kwajafa cited Burkina Faso, United States of America (USA), Brazil, India, Argentina, and Greece, as countries where the genetically modified Bt-

Cotton is commercially being cultivated and a major source of revenue.

In a statement signed by him and made available to the media in Abuja weekend, he said the application submitted by the agricultural company was for the consideration of environmental release and placing in market of genetically modified insect-protected (Bt) cotton in reviving the textile industry.

Underscoring the need for the revival of the cotton sub sector in the country, he said: “The textile industry in Nigeria is a strategic non-oil industry and the largest industry in the country after oil and agriculture.

“In addition, it is the largest

in sub-Saharan Africa. Its potential is derived from it being located in Nigeria, a country blessed with abundant raw material potential and especially cotton and polyester chips (petrochemical). The industry has a high potential for added value generation from raw material to finished goods and is a major employer of urban and rural populations.”

Kwajafa said about 30,000 Nigerians are employed in the textile industry and an additional one million small farmers and labourers are both in direct cotton production and within the value chain, supporting five million more people, adding that this is a sharp contrast from

over 400,000 people employed across over 250 textile mills in the country in the 80s.

He admitted that the lack of confidence by participants across the cotton value chain over the years was restricting much-needed investment, and that one of the root causes of this was tied to the most important input in the industry, the cotton crop. According to him, cotton farming has suffered over the years because the opportunity cost of planting cotton has remained high, adding that cotton does not compete favourably against other lower risk crops which has led to a dwindling of farmers involved in cultivating the crop over time.

2018 Poll: We Won’t Allow Fayose to Rig Us Out, APC Vows Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti Sequel to revelations made by the embattled Secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Dr. Tope Aluko alleging that the 2014 governorship poll in Ekiti State was rigged, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Mr. Olusegun Osinkolu, has vowed that the party would resist attempt to subvert the will of the

voters in the next elections.

Osinkolu, said the whole world was already aware of how PDP deployed military personnel and other security agencies to rig ex-governor Kayode Fayemi out of office, insisting that every machinery of government would be positioned to ensure free and fair poll in 2018.

The APC senatorial aspirant also warned those resisting the

conduct of primaries for the selection of governorship candidate in APC to bury the thought, saying the party members would frustrate efforts by a clique to impose its own preferred candidate; rather than what Ekiti wants.

Osinkolu made the statements in Ayede Ekiti weekend while meeting with the coordinators in the five local governments that constitutes

Ekiti North senatorial district to reignite his senatorial aspiration for 2019.

The APC chieftain expressed joy that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is incurably committed to the conduct of free, fair election, devoid of any form of manipulation, urging the PDP ruling party in the state to forget having its way through rigging in the coming election.

Mining Sector: C’ttee on Roadmap Submit Findings to Minister Kasim SumainainAbuja In an attempt to revitalise the Nigerian minerals and mining sector, thereby exploring natural deposits scattered across the nation, the ministerial committee set up a month ago to chart this course has submitted its final findings to the sector Minister.

The Roadmap committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. Ibrahim Garba and fourteen other eminent Nigerians was inaugurated on March 1 to formulate a course that will stimulate the rapid growth of the sector.

Receiving the deliberations, conclusions and recommendations of the committee recently in Abuja, Minister, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said, “This event marks a significant milestone in the development of the mining and minerals and metals sector, with the submission of the mining and metals roadmap by the committee which we set up about four

weeks ago.”

According to him, “I am impressed with the quick turnaround by the committee in concluding this assignment.

You will recall that the roadmap committee was inaugurated a month ago to formulate a course that will stimulate the rapid growth of the sector.

“The mining industry is a key area of focus of the current administration, and it excites me that we are already charting the path for sustainable growth in the sector, with the involvement of representations from the spectrum of stakeholders within the sector.

Speaking further, Fayemi said, “We have tried at the time of setting up this committee to ensure all stakeholders are appropriately represented. I am aware that the committee has consulted far and wide. This is quite encouraging. It is obvious that we are ready as a nation to embark on this journey of sustainable development for the Nigerian mining and metals sector.”

Edo Guber: APC Denies Doctoring Delegates’ List for Primaries Adibe Emenyonu in Makurdi Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied allegations that it planned to doctor the list of delegates that would participate in the party primaries billed to select candidate that will represent it in this year governorship election.

It said it was difficult for anybody to alter the delegate list even though the party constitution provided ways for changing any executive member.

The denial was in response to the furore raised by some aspirants that the leadership of the party in the state party led

by Anselm Ojezua, planned to alter the party’s delegates’ list.

State Publicity Secretary of the party, Godwin Erhahon, who stated this at a press briefing said a vote of confidence was passed on Ojezua, after the party executive discovered that the alarm raised by the aspirants was false. Erhahon said they were convinced by the explanation of the party chairman that no fresh attempt was made to alter the list.

He stated that all state officials of the party were barred from participating in the political activities of any governorship aspirant so that no aspirant would blame the party executive for failures at the primaries.

According to him, “We have resolved as part of our preparation to set up machineries for holding primaries reconciliation for all the aspirants. We believed we have this division among us because of the aspirants; once a candidate emerges, he becomes candidate for all the party.”

“There was no such attempt to alter the delegate list. The National Chairman that received the petition is yet to respond and the aspirants went on air without waiting for investigation. They were overreaching selves.”

Ojezua who expressed disappointment at the action of some aspirants said the party need a united front to fight its opponent.

He said old aspirants in the party should have clarified issues with him instead of demonising his name.

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SUNDAYNEWS

ALL FOR MONEY FIGHTING POLIO Group Head, Retail Banking North, FirstBank Plc, Mr. Shehu Aliyu (second left); FBN Quest offi- L-R: Member Rotary Club, Ikeja GRA, Sylvia Abdalla; President, Bukola Bakare; Epe Local Government cial, Aisha Wanka (right), with students of the African International College during an excursion to FirstBank’s Coomasie House branch as part of events to commemorate the Global Money Week in Abuja...recently

Immunisation Officer, Mrs. Alice Egbayelo; State Technical Facilitator, Epe LGA, Mr. Gbadamosi Gbadamosi, and Polio Field Coordinator for Rotary International, Mr. Gbenga Olawole, at the donation of 30 life jackets by Rotary Club of Ikeja GRA to Epe LG in support of polio Immunisation in Lagos...recently

Bayelsa: Niger Delta Varsity Unions Decry Unpaid Salaries, Blame Govt

BATN Foundation Revamps Cassava Processing Cottage to Boost Productivity

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

Abimbola Akosile

Four workers’ unions at the Bayelsa-state owned Niger Delta University on Saturday condemned the failure of the state government to pay their salaries for about three months.

Specifically, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the National Association of Technologists in the university, blamed the state government for being ‘insensitive’ to their plight.

In a communiqué jointly signed by the branch Chairman, ASUU, Dr. Stanley Ogoun; Chairman, SSANU, Wilcox Fakidouma; Chairman, NAAT, Ekipre Dienagha; and Chairman, NASU, Kenneth Akpofagha, the

unions described the government’s inaction as inhuman.

Lamenting the conditions of the affected workers, leaders of the unions noted that none of their members have been able to meet their obligations to their various families in the last few months “It is inhuman to expect our members to exercise further patience when three months into the new year, salaries have not been paid. The development has resulted in families of our members going hungry, our children being driven out of school in the last term, the sick uncared for and eviction by landlords due to expiration of house rents.

“Also, there is increased rate of hypertension and related diseases arising from members’ inability to provide food on the table and worsened by no means of credit facilities’’, the

unions said.

While declaring their support for the state government’s staff verification as a means of exterminating payroll fraud in the system, the groups, however said the action was ill-timed.

They contended that the timing was a calculated attempt to further worsen the already critical state of the people, particularly against the backdrop that those who spent the last four years to do the last verification exercise did not achieve any meaningful result.

The workers called on the government to use the last exercise earlier submitted, to pay them while the current verification exercise was ongoing.

“Our Visitor (His Excellency, Governor Seriake Dickson), should be bothered by the cries of children whose working parents are no longer able

to provide food and medical care for them or by the fact that people can no longer transport themselves to their places of work arising from the scarcity of petrol.

“By extending the period of no salaries beyond the third month, our Visitor to the university is vicariously liable for systematically compelling genuine workers to indulge in criminality to keep their families alive”, the unions said.

They added that, “the misguided notion of university autonomy as held by only the Bayelsa State Government in the entire country should not be used as a guise for abdicating her responsibility to the university.”

The unions however promised to stay further action until after the burial of the founding father and first visitor to the NDU, late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, later this week.

Bishop Berates Buhari over Fuel Scarcity

•Says attack on Kachikwu misdirected Charles Onyekamuo in Akwa

The Bishop of Niger West (Anglican Communion) in Anambra State, Rt. Rev. Johnson Ekwe has joined issues with Nigerians who are attacking the Minister of State, Petroleum and Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu over the scarcity of fuel in the filling stations, saying the attack is misdirected.

Bishop Ekwe who spoke weekend while dedicating a new church building donated to the Anglican Church of UmuatuoluUmueri Community of Anambra East by some illustrious sons of the community led by Senator Emma Obi Anosike said it was wrong to ask the min-

ister to resign over lapses in the supply of fuel.

This, he said, was because President Buhari is the substantive Minister of Petroleum from who Kachikwu takes directives and should be held directly responsible for any lapse in the supply of fuel.

He also took swipes at the activities of Fulani herdsmen who while carrying sophisticated AK 47 rifles, maim, rape women, rob and destroy farm lands in some parts of the country only to get shielded from federal security agencies when the victims of their nefarious activities confront them.

He cited a recent incident at Awgu in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State where two women were raped and

killed by the herdsmen who also destroyed their farm lands. But when they were confronted by the owners of the farm lands, the police at Zone 9 Umuahia ironically came and arrested about 76 farmers from the community, adding that they were getting protection from the federal government.

The Bishop said his worry was that the activities of these herdsmen directly impinge on both national and international security and wondered who arms the herdsmen with such sophisticated weapons.

“The whole thing borders on national security.

Security of Nigerians. The country is becoming volatile. What we are talking about here is national and international security as

it relates to cattle herdsmen. The question is, who has armed them with sophisticated weapons as AK47?”

The Bishop also picked holes with the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for his discriminatory policies against Christians in his state and urged the federal government to call him to order.

He described the law made by the Kaduna State government banning Christians from preaching or spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the state as obnoxious and sentimental, stressing that the Church is averse to religious bigotry. He further alleged that some churches had been marked for demolition in Kaduna State by the state government.

In continuation of its policy of investing in communities to positively impact the lives of smallholder farmers across Nigeria, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) recently rehabilitated the Cassava Processing Cottage at Ago-Are, in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The Executive Director, BATNF, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Ashade, said “The rehabilitated cassava processing cottage industry was initially commissioned and handed over to the community on December 3, 2004. Due to expansion of agricultural activities, especially the cassava valuechain enterprise, a request for facility expansion, to increase cassava processing into various derivatives, was made by the Ago Are agrarian community in 2015 which the Foundation honoured.

“Our work in supporting smallholder farmers in rural communities in Nigeria is our answer to the challenge of poverty and our approach to transforming the society to self-sufficient people who can feed themselves, earn an income from their farms through processing and feed the larger population.

So far, the Foundation has established community development projects in all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, some of which have resulted in wealth creation and food security.”

According to Ashade, the rehabilitation of AgoAre Cassava Processing Cottage signposts the foundation’s commitment to supporting efforts targeted at alleviating poverty among smallholder farmers.

Urging the smallholder farmers to take advantage of the initiative to enhance their livelihood, Ashade added: “With the handing

over of these facilities, it is our belief that the beneficiaries and the community at large will put the equipment into proper use in order to increase their productivity and income, thereby making life more meaningful to them, their household and the social-economic life of the community.”

The Aare of Ago-Are, HRH Oba Abodunrin Oyetunji Kofoworola Olakanla II, while unveiling the Cassava Processing Cottage, said: “Because agriculture is very key, it therefore becomes necessary to support and encourage smallholder farmers through periodic incentives that would enable them earn a better living.

“In this regard, the exemplary role of BATNF in alleviating poverty among smallholder farmers is noteworthy and what we have witnessed today is not surprising as the Foundation is reputed for its wealth creation agenda among smallholder farmers.”

While acknowledging the Foundation’s giant strides in agricultural development in Ago-Are, the monarch urged BATNF to also extend its interventionist schemes to the area of provision of potable water so as to enhance the livelihoods of all members of the community.

Director of Rural Community Development in Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture, Pastor Yode Ayanlowo, who represented the State Governor, said BATNF’s impressive agricultural interventions and development agenda have given Oyo State indigenes a renewed sense of hope.

He reiterated the government’s willingness to continue to partner the Foundation in its transformation drive by engendering an enabling environment.

Since its inception in 2002, BATNF has implemented over 157 community development projects across the 36 states and the FCT in Nigeria.

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SUNDAYNEWS

Probe Petitions Before Arrest, Group Tells EFCC The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has been asked to desist from illegal arrests and detention of innocent persons based on fictitious petitions until it has conducted thorough investigations to establish the authenticity of accusations.

The warning came on the heels of last week’s arrest and detention of the former managing director of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Marketing Company, Mrs. Esther Ogbue-Nnamdi by the EFCC. She has since been released.

Ogbue-Nnamdi was recently appointed to head the newly created Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s Retail Limited (NNPC Retail Limited) that will oversee the development and building of NNPC filling stations nationwide.

Her arrest was described by a political group: Young Professionals Alliance for Change based in Delta State as illegal, unacceptable and at variance with both the EFCC Act and the 1999 Constitution; as amended.

In a statement issued yesterday, titled: ‘EFCC: How Not to Fight Corruption’, the group said the arrest of Ogbue-Nnamdi and the ransacking of her office and residence were based on a fictitious petition written by some desperate contractors who believe that her dueprocess adherence at the PPMC has deprived them

of opportunity to carry out business as usual.

The group noted: “We know as a matter of fact that EFCC, in the performance of its functions, depends partially on petitions submitted to it by members of the public. We also know that EFCC operates under a law that authorises it to investigate such petitions before arresting and prosecuting the accused. Unfortunately in recent times, EFCC has been operating in reverse order.

“The anti-graft agency is now best known for arresting suspects and detaining them even before carrying out any form of investigation. And when this is done, the exaggerated story of the arrest is immediately released to the media while the accused is instantly branded guilty.”

It stated that the principal reason for the arrest of Ogbue-Nnamdi was due to what it described as “the falsehood” contained in the petition that she built and furnished a N1.2 billion mansion in Maitama within two months.

“This is absolutely untrue because it is on record that the building in question is the official residence of the accused rented for her by the PPMC. It is not her personal property,” it revealed It stated further, “one would have expected the EFCC, on receiving the peti-

tion, to take steps and crosscheck with the appropriate agencies of government, including the Federal Housing Authority, the ownership of the property. This was not done.

“It is not our duty to interfere in whatever the EFCC does but we owe a duty to Nigerians and this administration to ensure that only the right thing is done. EFCC must not be desperate to make news.

It must be desperate to do what is right in line with the law establishing it and in line with the 1999 Constitution.”

It stated that arresting and detaining innocent people before carrying out the required investigation was wrong and unacceptable.

“It is wrong to assume that anybody who serves in public office is a thief. In this country, we still have some patriotic citizens who value their names and professional ethics more than illegal wealth. From records available to us, Mrs. Ogbue-Nnamdi is one of such Nigerians.

“Without doubt, some of the people behind this distracting petition are the real fraudsters who should be a subject of EFCC investigation. Our position is that EFCC should first investigate petitions before carrying out arrest. That is the lawful thing to do; in line with global best prac-

Most Governors Spend So Much on Frivolity, Says Akeredolu Gboyega Akinsanmi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu yesterday said most state governors “spend too much on frivolity,” which he said, contributed to why 27 states of the federation could not pay salaries.

Akeredolu, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), therefore canvassed massive cut of security vote and reckless spending as part of strategies to manage fiscal crisis the states of the federation had been facing.

He expressed the views in a statement his media office issued at the weekend, noting managing a state economy at a turbulent period purely “requires the service of a man, who has vision and who can see beyond today.”

He explained that the prevailing economic situation which over 27 states of the federation could no longer pay salaries demanded the need for the chief executives of the affected states to be creative and make sacrifices.

When the economy continues to nosedive, Ak-

eredolu explained that what was required of a leader was “to manage the affairs of the state within the resources it has and cut some spending to stabilise the economy.”

He observed that there “are many things in terms of security vote to cut. There are many things in terms of reckless spending to cut.

Some governors still go out with a number of entourage.

What do you need it for when we are in a state of crisis? The problem we have is that we spend too much on frivolity.”

But the aspirant noted that the chief executives of most states of the federation “have refused to cut their spending. If this crisis gets worse, what stops a governor from buying his food in the Government House?

“At least, you are able to feed yourself in your house.

Why can you not feed yourself in Government House?

Till tomorrow, President Barack Obama pays for his food in the White House?

The one the United States Government takes care of is the state banquet.”

Akeredolu urged the state governors “to cut off all these excesses. It does not have to continue this way. If it is a crisis period, you must

call your people to prepare to make sacrifice so that we can move forward.”

He, however, expressed optimism that he did not see the crisis getting “to that point because we have not prioritise in respect of what we need to do. We are not looking at agriculture properly.

He thus canvassed a cut of the country’s foreign taste, saying there “must be a way that if anybody that comes to the Government House, the only rice you can eat there is ofada. We get to point we eat pounded yam or amala.”

Akeredolu said whatever might be the challenges of the states – whether economic crisis or inability to pay salaries, it “is what any courageous person will be able to tackle. How do will tackle it?”

He referred to when he was running for the office of the President of NBA, pointing out that his campaign mantra was prosecuting and conviction with courage. He thus argued that the fact that most states of the federation could no longer meet primary obligation would not deter him from contesting the governorship election in Ondo State.

tices,” the statement added.

The group disclosed that the on-going anti-corruption crusade initiated and spearheaded by President Muhammadu Buhari deserves support from every Nigerian because “suddenly, Nigeria has gained a better standing in the comity of nations. In addition, the billions of naira so far recovered and others still coming will surely stimulate the economy and create employment opportunities for Nigerians.

“However, as a group that totally supports this administration and particularly the anti-corruption crusade, we have noted sadly, the unguarded desperation by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in the execution of the mandate given it by the Nigerian people.”

It concluded that “this is not how to fight corruption.

Such approach is not only absurd and unacceptable; it is at variance to the EFCC Act, and of course, the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

Seaman’s Schnapps Revamps 40 Hand Pump Boreholes in Four States Clement Danhutor

Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps, the leading drink from the stable of Grand Oak Limited, recently partnered Tulsi Chanrai Foundation to empower communities to take responsibility for their safe drinking water sources.

The company did this by establishing an effective village level operation and management system of hand-pumps in four focus Local Government Areas of four different states in Nigeria.

The project commenced in October 2015 and was concluded in November 2015.

The communities that benefited from the CSR initiative were Anambra West LG of Anambra State; Tarka LG of Benue State; Obanliku LG of Cross River State, and Ekiti West LG of Ekiti State.

The hand pumps were handed over to the benefiting communities to manage with their own resources by building capacity at the community level with massive support from the State and the respective benefitting Local Governments.

In addition to the water project, sanitation and hygiene practices were also encouraged in these communities.

In each of the LGAs, a Technical Officer with expertise in

repair and maintenance of hand pump boreholes and community sensitisation skills was positioned for a period of one year. The officer would coordinate with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs) in the communities to develop capacity of the communities by training inhabitants in preventive maintenance, environmental sanitation and promotion of hygienic practices within the communities.

At the launch of the borehole hand-pumps in Ado Ekiti, the media and market research manager, Grand Oak Ltd, Linda Temienor said. “Since the handover is complete, we intend to do periodic checks and follow-ups to ensure the water remains safe for drinking; by conducting half-yearly bacteriological and pathological analysis of the water focal water sources”.

Grand Oak Limited is a FMGC company responsible for distribution of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages in Nigeria. It is also home to Seaman’s Schnapps, St Lauren non-alcoholic fruit drink, Swagga alcohol variants (Bitters, Gin and Schnapps), Black Mystique Whisky, Lord’s Dry Gin, Bacchus Tonic Wine, Apperito, Dark Sailor Rum, Calypso, Regal Dry Gin and Super Crown Schnapps.

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APRIL 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION Nigeria’s Dangerous Liaison

Nigeria should resist being conscripted into the Saudi sphere of influence, argues Chris Ngwodo

R

ecently, President Muhammadu Buhari announced Nigeria’s enlistment in the Islamic Military Alliance against Terrorism convened by Saudi Arabia with the stated aim of combating terrorism. Buhari’s decision has been criticised in Nigeria where Christians are sensitive to international affiliations that obscure Nigeria’s secular or multi-religious character or which project her as having an Islamic national identity.

However, a more cogent critique would question the geostrategic utility of this alliance. A Saudi-led war on terror is a dubious proposition. The desert kingdom is the world’s biggest purveyor of extremist ideology. After the 1973 oil boom, Saudi Arabia spent billions of dollars building mosques and forming Islamic associations all over the world. The Saudi ministry for religious affairs distributed millions of Qurans in Europe, Asia and Africa, along with doctrinal texts written from the extreme perspective of Wahhabism – a violently ultraconservative theology of medieval austerity conceived in 18th century Arabia and based on a harshly legalistic and literalist interpretation of Islam (known as Salafism in Saudi Arabia) and which became the foundational ideology of the modern Saudi state.

In Nigeria, Wahhabi evangelism fanned a revival of fundamentalist fervour most notably in the form of Jama’at Izalat Al Bidi’ A wa Iqamat Al Sunna (JIBWIS) otherwise known as Izala but also in an amorphous movement of madrassahs and groups across Northern Nigeria. Saudi missionary exports have been so successful that more tolerant and pluralistic versions of Islam have been supplanted to the extent that Wahhabism is now deemed synonymous with Sunni Islam in many places. Most contemporary jihadist terror groups are directly or indirectly influenced by Saudi sponsors. Al Qaeda, Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) and Boko Haram (otherwise known as Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP) are all ideological progeny of Saudi missionary foreign policy, guided by murderous ideas with their roots in Wahhabism.

As the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II once remarked, “Muslims who are unduly influenced by the puritanical ideology of Wahhabism are…a major source of instability in plural societies. The equilibrium established among adherents of various faiths through the agency of a common citizenship

based on respect for each group and equality of individuals is undermined by the call to a superior and exclusive religious identity rejects common citizenship.” Thus, Wahhabist ideology is an existential threat to the Nigerian state.

This new global anti-terror alliance is likely part of the Saudi strategy to counter the resurgence of its arch-rival, Iran – which is excluded from the coalition. With the lifting of nuclear sanctions against Iran, the Islamic republic is pursuing its longstanding goal of becoming the world’s preeminent Muslim power. Saudi-Iranian rivalry is coterminous with the Sunni-Shia struggle to shape Middle Eastern politics and global Islam at large and has fuelled proxy conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

Like Saudi Arabia, Iran has impacted Nigerian society. The 1979 Islamic revolution radicalised many young Nigerian Muslims and led to the formation of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria headquartered in Zaria. Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, the Izala and the Shia embodied the broad currents of radical Islamist militancy in Nigeria. Clearly, Saudi Arabia and Iran are two major radicalising (and potentially destabilising) influences in Nigeria.

Nigeria must exercise extreme caution in her dealings with these two rivals. Nigeria’s large Muslim population makes her an important prize in the Saudi-Persian struggle for primacy. Our posture should be one of strategic non-alignment, engaging with Riyadh and Tehran on the basis of a reasoned calculus of our national

Given her large Muslim population, Nigeria can offer the world an alternative portrait of Islam’s compatibility with democracy and pluralism. She can serve as a laboratory for the sort of sociopolitical experiment direly required but stridently forbidden by repressive regimes in the Middle East

interests, which it must be stressed, are not coterminous with Saudi or Iranian interests.

There is a broader geostrategic imperative that the Nigerian foreign policy establishment should be cognisant of. Given her large Muslim population, Nigeria can offer the world an alternative portrait of Islam’s compatibility with democracy and pluralism. She can serve as a laboratory for the sort of sociopolitical experiment direly required but stridently forbidden by repressive regimes in the Middle East. Nigeria can be a model of ecumenical coexistence, civic mutuality and social democracy.

This requires us to chart a course away from Levantine strife, Saudi religious tyranny and Persian theocratic totalitarianism.

At this point, the lines between foreign policy architecture and domestic nation-building must blur. We must wrestle with Northern Nigeria’s peculiar vulnerability to Middle Eastern extremist currents – a debility to which Southern Nigerian Muslims seem immune. The root cause of this plague in Northern Nigeria is Arabophilia – a pervasive racist inferiority complex which idealises Arabian culture as the sole authentic repository of Islamic values and posits Arabs as the highest manifestation of Muslim piety. This perspective renders Northern Nigeria extremely susceptible to subversive influences from the Arab world. Nigeria must tackle the crisis of governance that enables these influences to thrive.

For ideological, historical and strategic reasons, Nigeria should not allow herself to be conscripted into the Saudi sphere of influence. Nigeria’s national security interests are best served by a measured, rather than an uncritical engagement, with the Saudis. A definite priority should be strengthening cooperation with regional neighbours to adequately police the chaotic ungoverned spaces in the Sahel and the Maghreb. A more robust (and perhaps less servile) relationship with the Saudis would necessitate a close interrogation of the financial and moral support flowing from the Gulf States to anti-establishment actors in Nigeria. It is doubtful that tackling these channels of support for extremism is part of the Saudi-led alliance’s mandate. The National Assembly, which is constitutionally tasked to ratify international agreements, should scrutinise the particulars of this alliance and spare Nigeria possible geostrategic embarrassment.

––Ngwodo is a writer, analyst and consultant

So What Has Changed?

F

Paul Okolo argues for patience with the Buhari administration

ollowing the improvement in power supply after the swearing in of President Muhammadu Buhari last year, many Nigerians attributed the development to the president’s body language. When queues for fuel suddenly disappeared, some people shouted “hope rising.”

The new broom also said he belonged to everybody and to nobody, raising expectations that he’s perhaps the man to take the people to the Promised Land.

Nigerians praised his resolve to carry the battle against Boko Haram terrorists to their stronghold in the northeast. Hope was equally rekindled when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) revved back to life from a curious comatose state.

Almost a year later, the pervasive feel good factor in those early days of the All Progressives Congress’ federal government seems to have vanished. Power supply has returned to its previous dismal level. The outages, coming at a time of record high temperatures and a recent 50 per cent hike in electricity tariffs, are making life unbearable for the long-suffering populace. Revelations of stomachturning treasury looting then hit the newsstands, causing more and more people to despair.

The very people responsible for cleaning out the treasury quickly returned to the drawing board and launched a damaging attack against every move made by the new government. “So where is the promised change?” they are asking sarcastically. As President Buhari had accurately predicted, corruption is fighting back. Consequently, a gullible segment in the country is beginning to say there’s no hope after all, and concluding that the APC is no different from the Peoples Democratic Party-led government it had replaced.

But despite the barrage of criticisms, change has indeed come to our shores. One or two examples will suffice. The federal government-owned radio and television networks that toed the PDP-led government’s line during last year’s general election campaigns have become more balanced in reporting the news under the new administration. An independent observer will also notice that the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Television Authority are not being unduly influenced in editorial matters by the government in power. Another undisputed fact is that we’re now enjoying far more freedom of expression than under the former government. Critics may point at the wobbly economy as evidence of failure.

But nobody should expect the mess created by the PDP in 16 years to be cleared overnight. That sort of change only happens in

home movies. That’s not going to happen in reality. Change takes time just as building a house takes time. You start by laying the foundation, and then you mount the blocks on the foundation, fit the windows, doors, the roof and finally the accessories or something like that. So it is with steering a nation back on the right track after years of derailment. It would be unhelpful for people to be hoodwinked by paid propagandists into believing that nothing is working. By now, one year after the polls, partisan politics ought to have given way to the serious business of running a complex entity like Nigeria. So whether it’s APC or PDP, what should be of the greatest concern to the country is the wellbeing of all Nigerians.

The country has a lot of catching up to do in the area of human development with former peers like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. These Asian nations have since overtaken Nigeria by most yardsticks while we opened the gate for thieves to roam.

Nigeria, for goodness sake, has no business being poor, giving the huge revenues that it has earned in the years of plenty. For example, between 1999 and 2012, the country earned no less than $475 billion from oil sales, according to Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives. Sadly, much of it can’t be accounted for.

It could have been used to build modern houses, hospitals, standard primary, secondary and higher institutions in each of the country’s 774 local government areas. The whole country could have been connected with road and rail networks that could have been the envy of other nations. We could have become a net exporter of electricity, fuel and agricultural produce such as rice, maize and palm oil. A list of what could have been is endless. If you’re in doubt, see what the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar – fellow members of the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries -- have done with their own oil receipts in recent years. Unlike in Nigeria, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis no longer kill millions of citizens of these countries because of the heavy investment they’ve made in the social sector. Rather than thinking upon these missed opportunities and finding the way forward, some people want us to believe that the bad old days were actually a golden era. I beg to disagree.

That said, correcting the wrongs of several decades is not for the president alone to do. He needs as many change agents in all areas of the administration as he possibly can get. One local adage says one hand is incapable of carrying a load on to the head. The fight against corruption and everything else responsible for our

current pitiable position must be a collective effort rather than a one-man show. Other people in positions of authority in key establishments must be enlisted immediately. President Buhari will be the symbol of the campaign but all of us must support him in our own interest.

So to make this change irreversible, ministers, permanent secretaries, state and local government administrators as well as technocrats have to proactively begin dismantling the old order where they’ve not already done so. It’s about time people started to justify their pay by rendering satisfactory service to the public.

For example, the change we need in the process of obtaining our national passport ought to be apparent to all by now. Getting this travel document should be relatively easy today without applicants having to part with any amount of money above the official price as is currently the norm. The head of the department should, without waiting to be directed, put transparent measures in place to ensure that applicants are able to get this document within a stipulated period of time. If for any reason there’s a delay, the officer in charge must provide satisfactory reasons or be sanctioned. The point must be made to public officials under this government that they are employed to serve the public and not to subject citizens to all sorts of indignities.

Public places like post offices, police stations, airports must also be seen to be rendering quality service without demanding and receiving any gratification. The work places should be made uncomfortable for those who insist on carrying on as in the past. Those caught taking bribes or extorting helpless citizens must be stopped and made to face the music. We must employ technology in this fight. Closed circuit televisions should be installed in public offices not only to boost security but to enhance transparency and reduce shady deals. Unscrupulous people who have been shortchanging the country for years must be told in plain language that they have no place in the new Nigeria we’re building. Points of entry to the country need to be sanitised. A road trip to Ghana takes almost forever because of corrupt practices perpetrated at the borders, keeping travellers stranded for endless hours. If we confront these bad habits with determination, our little efforts will begin to gather momentum and eventually become unstoppable. But if things continue unchallenged, then we’re in serious trouble. To drive home the point that it’s no longer business as usual, the president needs to make an example of one or two uncooperative public servant.

After firing somebody, others will sit up.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

LETTERS

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Promoting Values and Growth System in Nigeria

t is exhilarating to see the House of Representatives honour the first class graduate from the University of Lagos, Mr. Ayodele Daniel Dada, who made a grade point of 5.0. In other words, the young man scored A in all his courses from first year to final year. A great feat indeed! It is noteworthy to add that there are many other Ayodele Daniel Dadas walking the streets of Nigeria without any hope of getting even a minimal education. Suffice it to also say that there are many more brilliant students in our citadel of learning, far brilliant than Ayodele Daniel Dada who will graduate with the least grade because the system will oppress and suppress them, dimming the light in them. Mr. Dada is one of those students who have been able to wriggle out of the decaying university system with good grades either by hook or crook or by playing by the rules. But without any doubt in my mind I would be bold to assert that those students

A

Ayodele Daniel Dada

who play by the rules find it difficult to excel with flying colours. This is so because education has been mortgaged long time ago without government caring to do anything about it.

Maybe, Ayodele never had those lecturers who would insist that you grease their palms with N5000 (I don’t know how much they collect now) or above before you can pass their courses. Generally,

public university system is run on the unscientific basis of the more difficult, the better. I am sure Ayodele did not have those lecturers who will purposely fail you because you crossed their part one way or the other. I had a lecturer who insisted that no student will ever score A grade in his course and there was no question about that. Given every opportunity, every Nigerian

student can excel.

You will know what a nation will become by the values she promotes. Since the news broke about the young man from Unilag, encomiums have been pouring in for him culminating in the standing ovation he got from the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

The corporate world went silent as if nothing was going on. If the bloke were a musician who had dropped a single album which skyrocketed to the number one on the musical chart list, all the corporate institutions would have been fawning around him with mouth-watering contracts as an ambassador. Don’t you see how they ran around the bread seller who became a sought after model? We promote vanity in Nigeria, not those things that will engineer national growth and development. Apart from the NLNG and Etisalat that have shown much interest in the education and intellectual industry, the corporate entities in Nigeria are only interested in how to

WHAT MANNER OF CHANGE?

lot of events are unfolding in the country by every passing day and there is no gainsaying the fact that the ‘Change Agents’ are putting in much effort towards ensuring that the misdeeds of the past are corrected and other necessary things are done to move the country forward.

However, it is worrisome that despite all efforts, the situation on ground is a far cry from all expectations.

Thus, it will not be out of place to say that the masses are in ‘a state of confusion’ as a result of the fact that, what is happening to them is beyond comprehension. At the early stage of the administration, a lot of positive changes were experienced. Presently, the case has suddenly changed: endless queues have returned to the filling stations; electricity is now meant for the affluent and privileged few; the cost of living has sky-rocketed; many organisations are folding up and laying-off workers; societal vices are on the rise again and there seems to be no end to the suffering of the masses.

Consequently, the people are gradually losing their patience and faith in the system because they now have misgivings about every step taken by the government. Some of us who called for the patience and support of Nigerians to enable the administration make positive impacts have now become subject of mockery in the society.

Numerous reasons and excuses have been adduced ranging from the

global fall in oil prices; the looted treasury and bastardised economy ; activities of some unpatriotic elements in government’s establishments; persisted activities of Boko Haram; corruption in high places; battered image of the country to distractions from opposition. In as much as I want to sympathise with the government for all these inherited problems, the fact remains that things are presently not working out as planned and the best way out would be to re-strategise and prioritise objectives. There is need for Mr. President to put measures in place to ensure that majority of the people can afford to fend for themselves. It is only then that you can make them understand and buy the idea of sacrificing their quotas to making the country great again. Any other efforts or project that does not prioritise this key and most important aspect of the relationship will amount to efforts in futility. There is need to tackle the most pressing problems first before thinking of solving other secondary issues.

Projects that will have immediate positive impact on the lives of the masses must attract urgent attention and be pursued vigorously.

It is very important for our leaders to always have it at the back of their minds that, ‘there is a limit to human endurance, because nature is bound to react’. The people opted for change because their affairs were not

properly handled in the last dispensation, which made life very difficult and unbearable for them.

Consequently, they used their voting powers effectively to change the government. Thus, it was not as if the people in APC performed any magic or that they were tactically or strategically better than those of the other parties during the elections. The situation in the country then was so hard on the people and the future very discouraging that it became expedient to salvage their existence and future by voting out the then leaders and giving a new set of people the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, if our leaders take the people for granted again, the consequences are very clear and predictable.

In as much as I want to agree with the government that there is need for all and sundry to make sacrifices for the country to get to the desired destination, it must not be sacrifices of avoidable deaths through hunger and rising societal vices.

In as much as the old saying that, ‘there is no gain without pains’ is still relevant, it does not make sense when the people are made to suffer without justifiable reasons. At least, they should know what they are set to achieve at the end of the sufferings or trying period. It is no longer news telling them that change is slow to come because of the state of hopelessness the last administration plunged the country into. The

people knew that something was fundamentally wrong and that was what informed their resolve to vote in the ‘Government of Change’ to alleviate the situation and not to worsen it.

Raymond OiseOghaede, Surulere, Lagos

I

make profit. Our corporate institutions must invest in things that add value to the society. I will like to see national honours instituted which would be awarded to those who have excelled one way or the other in sciences, medicine, engineering, law, public administration and humanities. This will aid research and give the upcoming generation of students what to look up to and improve their areas of interest. We have engineers who can build robots that can be used in factories and even to combat the so-called insurgency in Nigeria. Our engineers can build military hardware, except that the Nigerian environment is so hostile that surviving in it is a herculean task. Corporate institutions like NLNG and Etisalat should expand their yearly prizes on literature to the sciences. Who knows?

They may be the ones to discover Nigeria’s Albert Einstein.

The government nonchallant attitude to education must stop. Education should be seen as a basic right of every Nigerian child. Our citadel of learning is in rot and must be cleaned up. Ninety per cent of the lecturers there cannot in the real sense of it be called academics. Some of them are unemployable and will remain so if they dare come out from their cocoon. They dish out hurriedly written handouts to students and you must buy or fail the exams. I am sure that Ayodele did not fail to buy any! Otherwise,

we will not be celebrating him today. The days are gone when university lecturers are known for their research work. Even those lecturers who still research, it is disheartening that their research works are below expected standard and cannot withstand peer review. This has resulted in capital flight. Yes, those who can afford it now send their wards abroad for studies.

Mark you, some employers of labour have preference for degrees obtained abroad than the one been paraded

by Mr. Ayodele. If Mr. Ayodele does not go for his master’s degree abroad, he may discover after the whole pomp, the first class degree is a mere paper.

There are some employers who will never employ you unless who have a master’s degree. Where will poor Ayodele get the money to pursue a post graduate study? Normally, students like Ayodele are placed on automatic post graduate studies by the university without any dime coming from them. Normally, the universities retain students like that, but gone are the days. Some have called for national economic summit to marshal out ideas on how to solve the economic problems bedevilling Nigeria. I also call for national education summit which is long overdue if you ask me.

Let us sit on a round table and discuss ways to revamp the education system in Nigeria.

––Chimezie Elemuo, Port Harcourt

THE SENATE AND THE GENDER PARITY BILL

watched with rapt attention on national television few weeks ago the reaction of our ‘most distinguished senators’ particularly Senator Yerima from Zamfara State to the proposed Gender Parity Bill initiated

by Senator Olujimi from Ekiti State. I was bewildered at the former’s lack of intellectual insight on the issue of gender parity which has been adopted by developed nations and most recently the Catholic Church with the introduction of women in the traditional feet washing spiritual exercise.

I find it cynical that Nigeria as a nation state which is signatory to many global conventions centered on gender equality which includes but not limited to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing Plan of Action, yet fail

to adopt the recommendations of these laws demonstrates a lack of commitment to gender equality and affirmative action by the Nigerian government which is currently reflected in the number of women in the federal cabinet.

Many nations in the Global North and quite a few in Africa have made demonstrable efforts to elect quite a number female members of parliament and even females heads of state as even in the richest country in the world, the current front liner in the presidential debates is a woman.

For a nation state which is aspiring to be one of the developed nations by year 2020 be not interested in passing a bill to promote gender parity in the name that it negates the principle of sharia law/ the Christian religion which advocates for the woman to be submis-

sive to the man is a statement I find very hard to comprehend.

May I then inquire if Sharia/Christian law support the marriage / coitus of a man to a girl young enough to be his grand child or does any religion support corruption or even the begging of alms by young boys whose counterparts in civilised societies are obtaining education?

The time has come for all women irrespective of social status, political affiliation and educational background to come together to fight for the passage of this bill as this is the right time for the Nigerian woman to fight for her rights to be respected in the market, society and political space.

––Oluwatoyin Olabisi Oloruntola – Taiwo, CEO, Women and GirlChild Capabilities, Enhancements and Empowerment Organisation

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

BUSINESS/MONEY

Global Oil Crisis, Harsh MacroEconomic Environment Put Banking Sector in Dire Straits

Nigerian banks are now contending with the spiraling negative effects of global oil crisis, challenging macro- economic environment, coupled with fiscal and monetary headwinds which have taken significant toll on the banking system and forced some of the operators to issue profit warnings, writes Kunle Aderinokun

I

ndications that banks are having serious challenges became rife recently when some of them issued profit warnings. The profit warnings by the banks, quoted on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) may be confirmation that they are already bearing the brunt of the slump in oil prices at the international market. Indeed, the banks have become the latest to feel the unfriendly harsh realities of the price slump as it appears the overarching adverse effects of the oil crisis are by and large reflecting on their bottom lines. The indications, economic watchers observe, point in the direction of the banking system exposure to the oil and gas sector.

One of the consequences of the current scenario is that about N5 trillion loans granted to energy firms might have been impaired due to the prevailing oil crisis, which has also led to a 53 per cent drop in NNPC cash call payments to Joint Venture operations between 2005 and 2015. Besides, the low price has also led to a 62 per cent drop in Joint Venture (JV) production.

While the size of exposure to the oil sector of individual banks could not be ascertained, there are indications that loans totaling about N2trillion granted to oil and gas firms are stuck as the oil prices fall below the loan threshold of $45 per barrel leading many of the banks to re-price the loans and reschedule the tenor from as much as five years to 10 years.

Apart from the adverse impact of the volatility in the oil market on the nation’s foreign earnings (as evidenced in the retarded accretion to the foreign reserves), the scarce foreign currencies - especially the United States dollar, which has forced federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to discourage importation, particularly of goods that could be produced locally- and the attendant pressure on the naira has continued to haunt the commercial banks in the country.

So far, five quoted banks, namely FCMB Group, First Bank Holding, Diamond Bank Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Skye Bank have sent notices of profit warning to the stock exchange, and there is likelihood that more will do so, for compelling reasons given the prevailing unfavourable economic condition. Profit warning is a statement issued by a company advising the stock market that profits will be lower than expected.

Just last week, Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV Consultation with Nigeria and noted in its report that the “Nigerian economy is facing substantial challenges.”

It was also noted that: “Exchange restrictions introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to protect reserves have impacted significantly segments of the private sector that depend on an adequate supply of foreign currencies. Coupled with fuel shortages in the first half of the year and lower investor confidence, growth slowed sharply from 6.3 percent in 2014 to an estimated 2.7 percent in 2015, weakening corporate balance sheets, lowering the resilience of the banking system, and likely reversing progress in reducing unemployment and poverty.”

Banks Send Notices to Stock Exchange Earlier in the year, specifically on January 16, FCMB Group, ahead of its third quarter 2015 results, issued a profit warning that the earnings for the quarter will be “materially below earnings for the same period in 2014.”

According to the managing director of the Group, Peter Obaseki, the warning was as a result of two factors, namely an increase in impairments particularly in the energy sector and the significant reduction in trade finance-related revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity.

“This trend continued in 4Q15 and largely emanated from wholesale banking activities, while retail banking showed greater resilience and earnings momentum. 2016 will be characterised by continued growth in retail contribution, stabilisation of wholesale banking revenues and increased focus on cost efficiencies (opex, funding and risk) in order to restore earnings levels,” he however added.

For First Bank Holding, on February 24, it forewarned shareholders and investors that its earnings for the year-ended December 31, 2015, will be “materially below that of the prior year.”

According to the group, “the reduction in earnings is as a result of the recognition of impairment charges on some specific accounts resulting from a reassessment of the loan portfolio within our commercial banking business. This reassessment was driven by the challenging macro environment, coupled with fiscal and monetary headwinds which have resulted in a marked reduction in domestic output.”

The bank group, however, added that “this is a prudent measure being taken while the bank has commenced active remedial action

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele on the specific impaired accounts. Our Merchant Banking and Asset Management as well as Insurance businesses remain strong and resilient.”

Similarly, on March 11, Diamond Bank told its shareholders and investors on both NSE and London Stock Exchange (LSE) that “the continuing deterioration in Nigeria’s macro-economic conditions has resulted in Diamond Bank Plc recognising higher than expected impairment charges on loans made to the Energy and Commercial Business sectors. In the light of these deteriorating conditions.” Consequently, the bank warned that following “the review Diamond Bank Plc’s management accounts for the financial year ended December 31, 2015, preliminary indications are that earnings will be lower than in 2014.”

Besides, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), parent company of the Ecobank Group stated that it “expects to report materially lower profit for the year ended 2015, driven by a number of factors.”

The factors, according to ETI, included, “the macroeconomic challenges faced by most African economies, lower crude oil prices, depreciating currencies, monetary and fiscal bottlenecks, due to global developments, negatively impacted expected revenue growth. Thus, revenue growth for 2015 will be below our target guidance. Also, higher impairment losses on loans were recognised in the last quarter of 2015 across our loan portfolio.”

The pan African bank added: “Key actions have been implemented to strengthen our credit risk management processes. As a result, our revised growth targets communicated during our third quarter 2015 analysts and investor conference call for deposits and loans will not be achieved. We also expect our efficiency and asset quality metrics to be worse than targets. Based on the aforementioned, we expect our full year 2015 profit in US dollar terms to be lower than the nine-months to 2015 reported profit.”

The previous Friday, Skye Bank Plc informed its shareholders and investors of “anticipated material decline in its profits for the full year ended December 31, 2015 compared with that of 2014.” The expected decline in performance is attributable to Management’s decision to recognise increased impairment on loans to sectors severely affected by the prevailing economic headwinds which are yet to abate, especially the lull in Oil & Gas and Real Estate Sectors,” it pointed out.

Analysts Not Surprised Economic and equities analysts, some of whom were not surprised, stated that the profit warnings by the banks were necessitated by the prevailing economic realities One of them, Managing Director of Dunn Loren Merrifield Asset Management Ltd, Tola Odukoya, who saw the profit warnings coming, noted that it came out of the banks because of “the exposure of many banks to the oil and gas sector” and “the effect of TSA on most banks’ revenues and profits for the 2015 financial year” as well as due

to “some of the CBN’s currency policies in 2015.”

He believed that, “depending on the bank, an admixture of these issues provided strong headwinds to revenue and profit growth in the sector; hence the flurry of profit warnings.”

Likewise, Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital Ltd, Femi Ademola, holds the same position. According to him, “the profit warnings given to investors by some banks are expected given the current economic realities. The most common reasons adduced to the poor or decline in performance are the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the complete phasing out of the COT, and the oil price decline. However most of the issues highlighted were expected by the banks except the oil price decline which led to the volatility in foreign exchange.”

He explained: “The TSA was mooted in 2011 and preparation towards it started at that time. Although it wasn’t implemented until recently, most of the banks have been preparing scenario analysis on its impact since 2012. The likely impact is in the increase in interest expense as banks compete vigorously for liability generation.

“The phasing out of the COT was also not new. It was discussed and agreed at the Bankers Committee and the implementation that started since 2013 has been well prepared for. And to cushion the effect, the CBN has graciously agreed (although not agreeable to customers) that banks should replace the N1/mille COT with maintenance fee of the same amount (negotiable). Hence that part is also well covered.

“The oil price was definitely unprepared for. Although Nigerian banks lend to oil companies based on cash flow rather than reserves, the average benchmark of $45/barrel has been breached which could mean that some of the assets may become non-performing. And the size of their exposures to the sector despite concentration limits appears to be very significant.

“The continuous decline in oil price also resulted in foreign exchange volatility with the Naira suffering a huge devaluation. This will mean that banks with huge exposures to foreign currency liabilities such as on-lending facilities or other types of Tier 2 Capital would suffer significant balance sheet effect. Those that grant loans in foreign currencies to local businesses with earnings in Naira would also suffer asset deflation as Naira falls in value. However, I don’t expect such exposures to be significant.

“Overall, I expect banks’ performance for the year ended 2105 to decline but do not expect them to make losses. I also expect that they will make appreciable profit that can be accepted as fair. A decline of up to 40 per cent from 2014 figures appears to be fair in this regard.

However, this will be considerable lower than the previous year, profit warnings from some of the banks mostly affected are in order.”

To the Head of Equities Research of FBNQuest Ltd, Bunmi Asaolu, who said it was “not a complete surprise given what has happened to oil prices.”

The former chief economist of the African Finance Corporation (AFC) and chief executive officer of Nextnomics Advisory, Temitope Oshikoya, gave four reasons why some banks issued profit warnings.

“First, the unfavourable global macro environment encapsulated in the precipitous decline in oil prices by more than two thirds and capital outflows from emerging markets recorded at $735 billion in 2015 have both affected Nigerian economy and banks negatively.

“Second, some banks have been over exposed to the oil and gas industry, the power sector, and trading sector, all of which have weighed heavily on the banks with rising NPL especially in these sectors.

“Third, several banks are over exposed with the proportion of loans in foreign exchange nearly doubling to 40 per cent in some banks over the past 5 years, with a large size going to the oil and gas sector.

“Fourth, macro-prudential and regulatory pressures in the past few years have taken their tolls on bank earnings from the introduction of AMCON levy, tighter rules on capital requirements, reduction in some fee incomes, and the CRR volatility.”

Nevertheless, Oshikoya, who is a former director-general of West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), noted that “the Tier 1 banks are showing better resilient than most Tier 2 banks as the former benefit from economies of scale and scope, pricing power, and execution.

Possibility of Another Round of M & A The former director of Research, African Development Bank, therefore predicted that, with the ensuing scenario, “we might see another round of merger and consolidation within the banking industry, especially if profit warnings among the Tier 2 banks linger for too long and the oil prices and the economy do not sustain an upward trend in 2016.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Non-oil Export Sector Receives Boost as NEPC, LBS, Bank Collaborate

As the discourse to diversify the economy lingers, Olaseni Durojaiye writes on a tripartite collaboration that may turn out to be the intervention that the non-oil export sector needs to contribute to economic growth

T

he nation’s current economic challenges largely caused by the southward dive of oil price which the ongoing forex crisis and double-digit inflation signpost has, no doubt, continued to engage the attention of observers and analysts just as a few options have been touted as possible solution. Among the panacea that has been thrown up are import substitution, forex liberalisation, devaluation or revaluation of the naira as well as diversification from over dependence on oil.

While the tempo of debate over whether or not to devalue the country’s currency, which trended for weeks appeared to be receding, that of diversifying the economy in the way of non-oil export appeared to be gaining traction just as its proponents cut across diverse sectors of the economy.

These include operators in the real sector to financial analysts and capital market operators among others.

Observers were in agreement that the nation’s non-oil exports have great potential. They insisted that the sector had the potential to boost employment generation and gross domestic growth through foreign exchange earnings, among others.

“Diversification of the economy”, according to a Lagos-based economist, Rotimi Oyelere, “is of paramount importance if the economy must shift from its over dependence on oil sector as the mainstay and the largest contributor to the total government revenue and GDP. Agricultural, manufacturing and industrial sectors all have great potential that should be adequately funded and equipped to ensure good outputs and contributions,” he posited.

However, THISDAY findings revealed that a lot of encumbrances have continued to bedevil the non-performance of the non-oil export sectors of the economy.

Challenges THISDAY investigation identified infrastructure, funding and know-how among others as challenges bedeviling the non-oil sector of the economy. Another challenge borders on compliance issues with destination which led the European Union to suspend food exports from Nigeria to European countries. This is as they also noted that there is huge market for Nigeria’s agricultural produce especially in Europe and North America.

THISDAY gathered that government is not oblivious of some of the challenges.

That was why the government came up with the now suspended Export Expansion Grant (EEG) scheme.

President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Jacobs, in a recent interview told THISDAY that, “the EEG scheme was introduced to provide incentives and rebates needed to reduce the high cost of production in Nigeria, boost production, stimulate and diversify non-oil exports. EEG will reduce the burdens of the high operating costs.”

Oyelere also added that, “Federal Government should strengthen and revise the credit guarantee scheme as well as reinforce legal and supervisory framework so as to track the use of these funds as well as identify loan defaulters.”

Analysts argued that doing this will boost the productive capacity of the economy and enhance export both in the non-oil and oil sectors. Relevant agencies overseeing the non-oil sectors should institute mechanism

Segun Awolowo

that will ensure good corporate governance among managing directors in the industry.

NEPC’s Giant Ambition The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is however not discouraged by the myriad problems facing the sector as it recently disclosed that it had come up with plans to increase the country’s earnings on non-oil export to $30 billion from the current $2.7billion.

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the agency, Olusegun Awolowo, had revealed the plan during a courtesy visit to the office of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, in Abuja.

According to him, ”the plan identifies 11 strategic products/sectors, and 21 countries, for Nigerian goods, to grow non-oil foreign exchange from $2.7 billion today, to $30 billion in five years. It will be recalled that the country’s total non-oil export volume in the first three-quarters of 2015 was 612.73 million dollars.”

He also disclosed that, “statistics of nonoil exports dipped a little in 2015, when compared to the preceding year. This can be attributed largely to two major reasons, which are – 2015 being an election year, there were plenty of uncertainties surrounding political activities and that of the insurgents in the North-east.

“However, some marginal impacts were made though only statistics of the first three-quarters are captured for now. For the first quarter, we have gross weight of 516, 428. 63 metric tonnes with export value of $664, 638. 89. The second quarter has gross weight of 368, 529. 64 metric tonnes with export value of $391, 602,161. 02, while for third quarter we have gross weight of 311, 769. 10 metric tonnes with export value of 220, 460, 728 dollars respectively,’’ he said.

Awolowo stated further that the council was working on a Zero Oil Plan that would enable it to achieve its objective in the current year. He said the plan was “in addition to implementing the National Strategic Export Product (NSEP) targeted at replacing oil and to shore up the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

A Welcome Intervention It is against the backdrop that observers described the tripartite intervention between

Founder LBS, Pat Utomi

Fidelity Bank, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Lagos Business School (LBS) which birthed the Export Leadership Institute as a welcome development. THISDAY learnt that while Fidelity Bank will provide the needed funding, LBS will provide the capacity building for prospective exporters while NEPC compliments with the needed government backing being the agency saddled with the task of promoting export in the country.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative in Lagos, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo, explained that the bank had seen the need for the diversification of the economy and the opportunities it portend for MSMEs and to that end long before the global oil price debacle and had renewed its focus on the MSME segment. He noted

Statistics of non-oil exports dipped a little in 2015, when compared to the preceding year.

This can be attributed largely to two major reasons, which are – 2015 being an election year, there were plenty of uncertainties surrounding political activities and that of the insurgents in the North-east

Nnamdi Okonkwo

that Nigeria’s economy is facing severe headwinds on account of the falling crude oil prices and the direct consequence of increasing value erosion of the Naira.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday in Lagos, Okonkwo stated that, “foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria are largely from oil exports which account for over 90 per cent of total export receipts. The current currency debacle hinges on supply side dynamics as we have lost over 70 per cent of our US$ revenues in the last 18 months due to the falling crude oil prices.

Hence, it is quite obvious that the key to growing the value of the Naira is the diversification of Nigeria’s United States dollars revenue base via non-oil exports.

“As further proof of our strong commitment to the growth of the Nigerian economy, we are collaborating with the NEPC and LBS to establish the Export Leadership Institute, a flagship export capacity development programme, the platform under which the Export Management Programme will run. To this end Fidelity Bank has earmarked N30 billion export finance line to support Nigerian exporters. The goal of the programme is to deliver impactful and world-class export management education to equip Nigerian MSMEs with the knowledge and business know-how required to compete effectively in international markets,” he explained.

Speaking further, he added that, “beyond this, we will also support MSMEs that have gone through the programme with appropriate financing solutions to enable them meet their export financing needs.

We will also assist them in the area of market access through our expansive linkages and partnerships with various Multilateral Institutions. Our choice of LBS as strategic partners in this project is deliberate as the institution is the undisputed centre of excellence for enterprise development in Nigeria. In the same vein, our choice of NEPC as a partner to this initiative is informed by the overarching role it plays in export promotion in Nigeria,” he stated.

Also speaking at the event, representative of LBS, Dr. Frank Ojadi, said: “The EDC which is an arm of Lagos Business School is the leading centre for support and development of export businesses in Nigeria.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

BUSINESS/VIEWPOINT

Tracking Buhari’s Economic Policy Direction Tobi Soniyi

I

t is clear to everybody of cognitive age that Nigeria is going through a storm economically.

Inflation hit 11.4% in February and growth has fallen to 2.1%. At the start of the year, financial pundits projected that businesses will need to brace up and devise means of hedging the inevitability of a weaker naira in 2016. As at the time of writing this article, the naira has continued its unprecedented free fall in value against the US Dollar, trading at N352 to USD1 on the parallel market but remains pegged at N197 to the doSo, when MultiChoice announced that it would not be increasing subscription fees on its DStv bouquets this April, many heaved a sigh of relief. That would be one less cost to worry about in light of the present economic strain.

However, some wondered why MultiChoice would make such a decision knowing full well that most of the company’s costs are incurred in dollars and high inflation rates have put enormous finan In the face of government’s seemingly unclear economic policies, many have said that the All Progressives Congress’ led government does not have a clear vision of how to transform Nigerian economy into one that would benefit most people. I disagree.

While conceding the fact that government has not done enough to articulate its economic policy clearly enough, it is not difficult for a discerning mind closely monitoring government’s actions and inactions to identify the key strategies driving government’s policies on the economy.

Out of many other key indicators, three stand out:blocking wastes through fiscal discipline and control, widening the tax nets and diversifying the economy.

Among these three, the first appeared to have received the greatest attention from the government and would also form the basis of this review.

Beginning with the implementation of the Treasury Single Account which President Muhammadu Buhari said had led to the recovery of over two trillion naira to the ongoing war against corruption, this government is making spirited efforts at blocking wastes and sending a clear signal to those who are still bent on engaging in wasting government’s resources to desist from doing so.

But as recognised by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, the steps already taken and those still being taking must be complemented by routine audit of all ministries, agencies and parastatals.

According to her, there is actually need to strengthen internal audit across government.

She said: “So, in the interim we have agreed to do the presidential initiative on continuous audits which will give backing to the work that we are currently doing and will allow us to extend this work beyond payroll to other areas of expenditure.

“The control framework over finance and spending of government’s money needed to be strengthened especially in anticipation of the approval of the budget, which is an extended budget.

“If we don’t strengthen our controls then there is a risk that money would leak or would be applied to the wrong things and therefore, the ability to go into various agencies without notice and check and do audits and updates to make sure that public money is being spent in accordance with our expectations and objectives.”

Through this scheme, 23,000 ghost workers had been removed from the Federal Payroll and saved the country a whopping N2.29 billion. The finance minister said another 11,000 of such non-existing workers had been detected. This discovery, she explained would also save the country a yet to be determined huge amount.

By auditing payroll alone, government is able to save a couple of billions, one can only imagine what will happen when the audit is extended to all departments.

No one is in doubt as to the importance of eliminating waste. Prior to now, Nigeria was known as one of the wasteful countries on earth. That disgraceful status may be changing.

While Adeosun should be commended for pulling this initiative through, she needs to do more in this regard. She should generate a memo to the President to impress on him the need for public officials to be frugal with public resources. For instance, she should advise the president to issue a directive banning all ministers and other senior government officials from flying first class. The country will save a lot of money from this.

Figures released by the ministry reveals that travel was the single biggest government line item from 2012 to 2014, at N248bn for the three years. This, according to Financial Times, is equivalent to an extraordinary 18 per cent of total government spending.

Buhari

Adeosun

It rings hollow in the public ears when the citizens are called upon to tighten their belt while public officials live in opulence and luxury.

It is delightful to know that the minister is already thinking in this direction. The finance ministry already said it could save N4bn a year from travel costs by negotiating discounted airfares with carriers, or just under 5 per cent of the approximately N85bn yearly average.

“The Efficiency Unit has engaged in negotiation discussions with local and international airlines for discounts commensurate with the large number of ticket purchases made by government annually.

“The savings generated will increase funding available to the government for capital investment,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to Financial Times, the high cost of travel for government officials is unsurprising.

“The Nigerian elite has a taste for luxury travel, shown by the proliferation of private jets in the country,” it added.

Nevertheless, Financial Times believes that If Nigeria’s finance ministry is serious about cutting costs, targeting the government elite’s private air fleets might be a good place to start.

Still, the minister should be bold enough to advise against flying first class or better still she should lead by example by also refusing to fly first class.

Another area the finance minister should look at to block waste is to closely scrutinise what Nigeria doles out to helping countries in Africa. Charity is good, but not at the expense of the people. At a time when Nigeria is finding it difficult to look after her own people, it makes little sense to keep pumping resources into a country like the Gambia.

If we do the right thing, the potential for growth is enormous. Among other measures, we have to declare a state of emergency in employment. For too long, we have paid lip service to job creation. The time has come to start rolling out the job or to stimulate the sectors that will create the jobs.

For those who are losing hope, I commend a report

by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PwC which said the Nigerian economy could rise to $6.4 trillion by 2050 to the ninth position among the world’s leading economies with policies and programmes aimed at diversifying the economy from over-dependence on crude oil.

At that level of growth, PwC said the country’s economy could potentially surpass that of Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia before that year.

The report said potentially, Nigeria’s global agriculture exports could take-off at a rate similar to Brazil’s, with about $59 billion in export revenues by 2030.

“Nigeria’s intrinsic potential lies beyond oil and harnessing this potential has become an imperative given the expectations of lower oil prices and heightened competition in the oil market,” the report said.

Based on recent trends, the report reviewed the impact of low crude oil prices on key economic indicators and

the real sector, particularly on priority sectors that should be targeted for diversification efforts.

It identified the priority sectors to include agriculture, petroleum, retail and ICT, with the most dominant transmission links to the overall economy.

“Forward linkages to agro-processing and other services such as logistics as well as backward integration to input supply sectors could improve farm incomes, increase employment and improve domestic food security,” the report noted.

Besides, it said value added to oil and gas output need urgent improvement through the diversification within the sector, pointing out that this demanded investments across the downstream sector to develop petrochemicals, fertilizers, methanol and refining, industries relevant in both industrial and consumer products currently being imported in the country.

Country and Regional Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria and the West Market Area, Uyi Akpata, said consumer spending was the largest driver of the economy, accounting for about 70 per cent of gross domestic product, GDP. He said this was expected to be the boost for the retail sector growth, even as the country’s population continues to expand, with household consumption expenditure projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2030, from $317billion in 2014, about compound annual growth rate, CAGR of nine per cent through 2030.

Akpata said with the country’s tele-density at 107.87, a large population of urban, young people and massive improvement in internet broadband penetration, Nigeria was likely to see accelerated growth of its digital economy.

PwC Partner and Chief Economist, Andrew Nevin, said the review of the business environment of some foreign companies in Nigeria, revealed four challenges, namely corruption, inadequate infrastructure, low skill levels and macroeconomic uncertainty.

These challenges, the report said, emphasized the need for the economic and regulatory environments to be transparent and conducive for business, by simplifying complex regulation and processes, and eliminating the hurdles to a bigger and more productive private sector.

“Significant reforms across the labour market, business environment and fiscal management will be required.

A skilled workforce is critical to improving Nigeria’s productivity and efficiency,” the report said.

PwC Partner and Head of Tax & Regulatory Services, Taiwo Oyedele, said a well-structured tax system was important in the diversification of the economy.

According to him, Nigeria needs to ensure sustainable fiscal management that is resilient to the global oil price cycles. Improving tax collection and administration have become imperatives for achieving national growth objectives.

It called for a review of the framework for tax exemptions and advised that approvals should target growth inducing sectors even as the government improves collection.

He proposed that efficiency in government spending has to improve as there is room for substantial savings in capital outlays and operating expenditure across the three tiers of government.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

BUSINESS/AWAY FROM THE BOARDROOM

The Okoyas

SHADE OKOYA

Outside Work, I Hang out with My Husband and Children

In this encounter with Funke Olaode, Shade Okoya who is the deputy managing director of Eleganza Industrial City Limited says beyond work, she relaxes in the company of her husband and children

A

t a glance, she has a physique that can compete favourably with super models, while her girlish look and fashion statement could make many young girls green with envy. Fair, tall, elegant and a head turner anytime any day, Shade Okoya could be passed for a 25-year-old damsel. Alas! She is a mother of four growing up children.

There is no doubt that she has enjoyed and continues to enjoy good life. She is indeed living life to the fullest. Her sprawling abode tagged Oluwa Ni n Sola on Lekki Epe Expressway attests to her husband’s deep pocket. But what comes to mind when her name is mentioned?

She is billionaire’s wife. Period! Folashade Okoya, the youngest wife of business mogul, Chief Rasak Akanni Okoya, is a woman of many parts. She is beautiful, brilliant, industrious, hardworking and a resourceful individual whose entrepreneurial spirit is compared to none. Though because of her affiliate to the business magnate, she is somewhat misunderstood as one woman whose life revolves around fashion. No doubt, she loves jewelry, and has some of the best collections – gold, silver and diamond.

She is also a good dresser who can’t be found wanting by fashion police. But beyond opulence and affluence, here is a woman with business acumen having learnt the rope under an industrious husband whose items under Eleganza conglomerate have become household names in Nigeria nay West Africa.

She has been married to Chief Okoya for over 16 years. Shade, in the early days of her marriage, was busy raising her young children. Her first daughter is 15 and the last one is nearing 10. She has plunged herself into the Eleganza business fully

and she is currently the deputy managing director of the newly established Eleganza Industrial City Limited while her doting husband serves as chairman.

Eleganza has been around for over four decades controlling Nigerian markets and even extending its tentacles to other West African countries. But the new Eleganza industrial city which is built on 35 acres of land in Ibeju-Lekki is new, big and better. The whole idea of the newly established EICL according to her is to have household items in one compound.

Not only that, they want to be able to give Nigerians and the West African countries what they produce locally at affordable price. “One of the dreams of the Chairman, and my husband, Alhaji Rasak Okoya, is to see that items being produced in the new industry become a household name. We produce luggage/ bag that can be branded for companies, pilgrimage, government parastatals and family trip. We also manufacture over 68 different designs of standard chairs for churches, parties, eateries, hotels etc. We also have sets of coolers and food warmers in different shapes and design,” she said during an encounter with THISDAY. Having learnt the rope of business under an industrious husband, she is no longer a stranger to the terrain even as she attests to the fact that consistency, not compromise on standard and quality have been the guiding principles that have kept the company going in the past four decades. And for the new company which is less than three years, she gives kudos to a forward-looking husband.

“My husband who is the chairman is a workaholic and he is passionate about what he does. What keeps him going is to see his products in every household.

This keeps him motivated to do more. I

Shade

shop in Europe and I know sometimes it costs 200 Euro to get a chair. You can imagine getting the same standard for less than N3,000 locally. So, Eleganza is about touching lives positively,” she said.

Shade is gradually becoming a business mogul. How would she assess Nigerian career women? Adjusting her bangles as if looking for an answer. She said, “I am impressed with the way women are going. They are wonderful, hardworking and industrious. Nigerian women of these days don’t sit at home like the women of yesteryears. I am lucky to belong to the generation of hard working women.

It means you can become somebody if you are focused and work on your dreams. With little or nothing, if you have passion for something and you do

it with dedication and commitment, sky is just the beginning.”

Her effort as a business woman has not gone unnoticed. She was recently awarded the Honorary Doctor of Science in business management and corporate leadership from the European American University. The award, she said, came as a result of what she is doing in Eleganza.

“It was a worthy recognition and I am grateful for it.”

When Shade is not busy in the factory with workers, she enjoys the company of her husband. Her children also keep her busy. And when she is not in the company of her children, she loves to sleep a lot.

How is life being married to one of the richest entrepreneurs in the country?

“It’s been awesome. It’s been wonderful.

The marriage has been smooth. I have been enjoying my marriage. He is my best friend. One good thing about him is that he doesn’t lie. When I met him he said if you want the marriage to work I have to learn the ropes. Learning the ropes means I have to imbibe and embrace hard work. As you know he is a workaholic and every moment with him has been wonderful. I pray to God to spend many more years together.”

And how would she describe a man she has spent 16 years of her life with?

“He is my husband, my friend, my role model. He is a wonderful man. He actually employed me because if he didn’t have the foresight I won’t be here doing what I am doing now. He is a very hardworking man who has contributed his quota and still contributing to the socio economic development of the nation and reducing unemployment.”

Often referred to as brain and beauty by people, she says she is just a workaholic who creates time to look after herself.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

BUSINESS/MARITIME

Auto Policy, Forex Take Toll on Vehicle Importation, Present Opportunities for Local Production

A combination of the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan, otherwise known as the auto policy and the forex regime of the federal government has had a drastic effect on importation of vehicles into the country, including diversion of RORO (Roll On Roll Off) vessels to the neighbouring port of Cotonou, but also presents opportunities for local production, writes Francis Ugwoke

T

he controversy over the auto policy appears to have come and gone, but not without leaving bruises on the faces of many. Between 2014 and early last year when the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan was to introduce the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan, government was advised to exercise caution for obvious reasons. Some politicians wanted such policy to come after the general election to avoid robbing the administration of votes.

Government had planned some incentives for the local auto manufacturers, including what would have been duty free on production materials and higher tariff on vehicles import.

The manufacturers were granted zero per cent tariff on Completely Knocked Down (CKD).

While appearing to put the implementation of the policy on hold, government cleverly increased the tariff on importation of vehicles.

The full policy was to come up later, but for the fall of the administration. However, about a year after, the tariff on vehicles has continued to take a huge toll on importation of either new vehicles or fairly used vehicles as the case may be. It is one policy that has affected all, from the importers of vehicles to the operators of Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) terminals who specialise in vehicles imports handling. Operators of some of the RORO terminals, importers, car dealers and also freight forwarders have all been hit by the high tariff on vehicles. Some of them have had to lay off some of the workers. To worsen the matter is the foreign exchange (forex) policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which has seen the value of Naira drop against the Dollar. Equally affected are final consumers, particularly those who have to struggle hard to buy a car for the first time or change an old one as the prices appear to be heading too high.

Tariff on Vehicles For vehicles coming into the country, the new tariff regime requires the importer to pay 35 per cent duty, 5 per cent VAT, 1 per cent inspection levy and 7 percent port surcharge.

For new vehicles, the importer will have to pay additional levy of 35 per cent. A customs source said that the current tax regime was illegal as it had not gone through the National Assembly nor did it get the approval of the President.

The source said the current tax regime could only be found in customs system as against the one published in the hard copy in which customs duty on vehicles is between 20 and 30 per cent. It was gathered that the 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy on vehicles import were decisions taken between the Ministry of Finance and the Customs Service.

Drop in Vehicle Imports Since the policy came into force, there has been a drop in importation of vehicles. For instance, records show that 15,031 new vehicles were imported by Nigerian auto dealers in 2015 as against 45,618 in 2014. Apart from the RORO terminal, the Customs Command of the port was also affected. For instance, the revenue generated by the PTML Command of the Customs in 2015 fell by 32 per cent to N63.18 billion. Mr. Steve Okonmah, who is the Public Relations Officer of the Command, disclosed that the Command had recorded N91.45 billion in 2014.

Okonmah attributed the short-fall in revenue to the 2015 election and the auto policy. Describing the auto policy as having a devastating effect on the economy, he said it had not been so bad in the history of the command.

He said: “PTML is strictly a RORO vehicle

Imported vehicles in a Nigerian port port and the short fall in cargo throughput accounted for the decrease in revenue in 2015.In 2013, RORO vehicles were 172, 174 units; in 2014, there were 129,361 units and in 2015, the RORO vehicles were 66,823 units.

Also in 2013, the command received 111,414 containers, had 99,706 containers in 2014; and 38, 343 containers in 2015”. Apart from the auto policy, he identified other problems of the port as bad access road, adding that many people spend a lot of time while coming to the port. He added that many clearing agents now have nothing to clear at the ports as many vehicles are being diverted through the neighbouring port of Cotonou. A retired senior customs officer, Mr. Chinedu Ogbonna, who spoke to THISDAY said the auto policy had had very negative effect on importation of vehicles. He said in the past, between 60,000 to 100,000 vehicles came into the Tin Can Port/RORO port on monthly basis. But he lamented that the current situation is one in which less than 2,500 vehicles come through the seaport monthly.

Worried about the situation, the management of the PTML recently opened up to the federal government during a visit to the terminal by the Transportation Minister, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi. The terminal said it was worried about the diversion of Nigeria-bound vessels bringing vehicles to Benin Republic.

The Managing Director of Grimaldi Group, which runs the RORO terminal, Tin Can Island Port, Mr. Ascanio Russo, told Amaechi that the implementation of the auto policy affected traffic in the terminal as many vehicles meant for Nigeria were being diverted to Cotonou port. He kicked against allowing vehicles come through the land borders to avoid smuggling.

According to him,“We are of the opinion that vehicles should be allowed to be Customsreleased in Nigeria only if they are discharged at Nigerian port and not at the borders. So any importer, who wants to clear vehicles for Nigeria should do so at a Customs command in Nigerian port and not at the border.” In

response, Amaechi who explained that the auto policy was to save foreign exchange had promised increased security at the border posts.

He said: “What you should ask government to do is to protect our borders to ensure that the goods smuggled in through the borders are not allowed. Part of the remedy will not be to remove the duty on imported vehicles but to enhance security of the border posts to ensure that all vehicles coming into the country come through the appropriate channel”.

Prices of Cars Hit High Roof For low income earners wishing to buy fairly used cars, the prices have gone up by more than 50 percent. A market survey showed that a car which was sold at N1.2 million now sells for over N1.6million. For instance, Lexus SUV L300 which was sold for N1.8million early last year now sells for N2.7million. Other latest versions of the car, such as L330 and L350 are now sold for N3.5million and N4million respectively. Before they were sold for N2.7m and N3.2million respectively depending on the state of the vehicle. An auto dealer, Mr. Tony Oromi, said apart from the auto policy, the price of any car is now determined by the foreign exchange rate of dollar to naira. He said many importers had been on the waiting game, hoping that the exchange rate for dollar would improve before placing new orders.

Smuggling on the Rise Determined to remain in business, many importers now use the neighbouring ports as ports of destination. While some try to pay duties at the border posts in order not to run into problem with the Customs, others still dare security agents and take to smuggling. About two weeks ago, the Federal Operations Unit of the Customs seized 23 different vehicles from smugglers. There had been regular seizures of vehicles from smugglers in the past one year.

However, industry sources said the Customs Service did not have the capacity to stop all smuggling activities involving vehicles because

of the porous borders throughout the country.

Besides, many of the officers are accused of having strong accord with the smugglers. Such arrangement, a source alleged exists between some unscrupulous security operatives at the border routes and smugglers.

Local Automotive Industry Gains Since the National Automotive Industry Plan was announced by the government in 2013, the Nigerian automotive industry has witnessed serious interest from global and local automobile brands.

Following independence in 1960, Nigeria experienced significant increase in automobile sales. And with this, it also recorded growth of dealerships like Leventis, R.T. Briscoe and UAC, who provided sales and aftersales services to customers. Assembling of cars did however not commence until the 1970s when government entered into partnerships with the French company Peugeot to set up Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) in Kaduna. The establishment of Volkswagen of Nigeria (VON), Anambra Motor Manufacturing Limited (popularly called ANAMMCO) and Steyr Nigeria Limited led to increased production of locally assembled cars.

The economic crisis suffered by the country in the 1990s which led to a slump in manufacturing sector, hit the automobile industry badly as local assembling and manufacturing of vehicles came to a halt. Though there had been several efforts to revive the automotive industry such as the 1993 Auto Policy, such efforts were hindered by the new dynamics in the global auto market, as reflected in the rise of Japanese automakers due to their fuel efficient technologies.

The 2013 Automotive Industry Plan which is aimed at stimulating investments in domestic vehicle production and assembly is however recording some significant successes. With several major global automobile companies setting up assembling plants in the country for local production, the sector is forecasting a positive outlook already.

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BUSINESS/ MEDIA

Dufil’s Commitment to Nutritional Standard

Raheem Akingbolu writes on how the effort of DUFIL Prima Foods Ltd, manufacturers of Indomie instant noodles, is helping Nigeria to uplift the nutritional standard

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ood nutrition and sanitation are essential for good health and a healthy society, yet they are beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population. In 2002, Nigeria launched its National Policy on Food and Nutrition, with the overall goal of improving the nutritional status of all Nigerians.

This policy sets specific targets, which include reduction of severe and moderate malnutrition among children under the age of five by 30% by 2010, and reduction of micronutrient deficiencies (principally vitamin A, iodine and iron) by 50% by 2010. Today in Nigeria, malnutrition remains a great challenge, particularly for mothers and children. It contributes to the deaths of about half a million children each year — or about 1 out of every 2 child deaths — and imposes a staggering cost to the nation.

Diseases like diarrhea, tuberculosis, cholera etc. have become prevalent owing to deficiency in proper nutrition. It is equally important to note that while Nigeria is grappling with the challenge of under nutrition, the incidence of obesity and related manifestations of over-nutrition are beginning to emerge at relatively significant levels.

With all these challenges, the United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition is of the opinion therefore that, investing in nutrition makes economic sense because it reduces health care costs, improves productivity and economic growth and promotes education, intellectual capacity and social development for present and future generations.

As pointed out by the UN on how to solve the nutrition challenge in the world, the organization advised specific nutritional interventions directed at particular problems or groups. It is in line with this necessity that DUFIL Prima Foods as part of its commitment in building capacity and assisting in training high level Nutrition and Dietetic manpower in the country is shouldering this responsibility by investing in manpower development in this regard.

Since 2009, DUFIL Prima Foods had been awarding twelve MSc students of Nutrition and Dietetic, from several universities spread across the country, on a yearly basis, scholarship opportunity worth millions of Naira to support their academic pursuit. The objective of the award is to nurture the Nutrition and Dietetics students

Deepak Singhal, CEO of Dufil Prima Foods Plc

to be competent, innovative, responsible, and providing a broad based functional and practical solution that will foster dynamic professionalism in foods processing sector of the country. To date, a total number of 84 Nigerian students studying Nutrition and Dietetics at masters’ degree level have been awarded.

Speaking during the 2015/2016 cheque presentation ceremony for the newly shortlisted 12 students, the Brand Manager, Indomie, Mr. Amber Yadav, stated that the scholarship scheme is a noble cause the brand is pleased to be associated with, as it serves as a means to give back to the society, and most especially in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics where the brand is a major player.

Adding his voice, the Group Public Relations and Event Manager, DUFIL Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, also re-emphasized that DUFIL

is a socially responsible brand that is committed to the development of improved expertise in the field of nutrition. According to him, “Aside from the company’s desire to build manpower and impact positively in the health sector, owing to the fact that a lot of sicknesses and diseases are caused by malnutrition and intake of the wrong diet, DUFIL is recognised as one of the foremost health-friendly food companies in Nigeria, and in order to maintain this, the organization would need the services of well-trained nutritionists and dietitians, which we hope this initiative will go a long way in achieving.”

The coordinator of the DUFIL M.Sc. Nutrition Award, Prof. Tunde Oguntona of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, commended DUFIL Prima Foods for sponsoring the scholarship award, which

Konga Launches Same Day Delivery

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leading online platform, Konga. com, has unveiled a same-day delivery service for orders placed same day within Lagos. This is even as it launched the ‘Keep On Shipping’ KOS Delivery Service which liberalises Konga’s hitherto exclusive logistics service, K-Express, allowing Konga ship orders for other businesses and individuals besides Konga.

Speaking at the media launch of the two services in Lagos, Konga’s new CEO, Shola Adekoya, said: “Konga is launching two game changers, same day delivery and rebranding our proprietary nationwide logistics service from K-Express to KOS built to improve delivery capabilities. With Same Day Delivery, when you place order on Konga for an item before 11am, rest assured that your item will be delivered to you the same day. When you order after 11AM, the item will be delivered to you on or before 12 noon the next day. This service is available from Monday through Saturday in Lagos metropolis for now but will expand to other locations across the country shortly.”

Also speaking, the company’s Director of Fulfilment Operations, Wale Adisa, said with the experience built over 18 months and with reach in all the state capitals in Nigeria, Konga has been repositioned to grow the ecosystem by opening up its ability to deliver promptly and in good condition to corporate bodies, e-commerce and individuals in all the 36 states in Nigeria.

he said had recorded huge success and growth since its inception in 2009. Explaining the aim of the scholarship, Prof. Oguntona said the scheme is meant to promote the study of Nutrition in Nigeria.

The 12 recipients of the scholarship grant, which were drawn from a pool of over a hundred entries received nationwide, were selected from five different universities and twelve different states that cut across the six geo-political zones of the country for the 2015/2016 academic session. Each of the awardees received a total sum of N450, 000, covering tuition, research grant, study materials and stipend for the duration of their Post-Graduate programme.

Indomie, one of the products from the stable, has made a remarkable impact on the Nigerian culinary landscape in its twenty years in the Nigerian market. It has grown to become a trusted household name, synonymous with quality, taste and value. The Indomie range of products command a substantial degree of brand loyalty and an enviable “top of mind” status amongst its consumers who cut across all demographic segments in Nigeria.

Currently, the Indomie brand of instant noodles holds approximately 70% market share of the Nigerian market, which has an estimated annual growth of 40%. Until 2006, the figure was close to 100% market share. There are currently 17 instant noodles producers contending for Indomie’s market domination, with more expected to commission production in Nigeria. Notwithstanding, the Company has continued to leverage its strong brand equity in order to maintain its competitive advantage and sustain the growth and profitability of its business activities.

Satisfying consumers’ demands for healthier products is essential to meet the needs of the market and DUFIL has demonstrated this with its support once again with the Nutrition empowerment for post graduate students. It is no doubt that, Nutrition remains a bedrock of development. It’s only healthy people that can make significant contribution to the development of the nation.

Reducing malnutrition requires attention to the three areas of food, health and care. And as pointed out by the United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition, to achieve sustainable improvements in Nutrition, capacity development is essential in food and healthcare delivery.

Expert Makes Case for Speed Limiter

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renewed call has been made to the Federal House of Representatives to allow the Speed Limiter implementation intended by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from April 1, 2016 beginning with all commercial vehicles, take effect in order to save more lives that are lost due to uncontrollable high speed by motorist on our highways.

This renewed warning was made by the Head of Operations, Peace Mass Transit, Mr. Chidubem Timothy, who spoke in Lagos, while reviewing the state of the Nigerian roads vis-a-vis incessant accidents that have claimed many lives in recent times.

He said: “Nigeria is overdue for Speed Limiter device implementation now. In this modern age where speeding is a very impulsive behavioral trait, controlling speed by a modern technology fitted to work per vehicle is more important rather than installing a technology that is not feasible to limit vehicle speed in any way.

He also stated that the measure also contribute to safety as well as reduce fuel use and tyre wear, adding that even if an accident L-R: Wale Adisa, Director Fulfilment Operations Konga.com; Mayowa Adebayo, Director Customer will be inevitable, its impact will be very Experience and Marketing Konga.com; Shola Adekoya, CEO Konga.com significantly reduced.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

TRAVEL

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Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Wakanow: Taking African Destinations Global

Nigerian online travel company, Wakanow, launched four new web portals on the occasion of its rebranding last week. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, the company’s CEO Obinna Ekezie elaborated further on the reasons behind the new innovation and Wakanow’s vision. Demola Ojo reports…

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ast week, Nigeria’s leading online travel portal, Wakanow, held an event in Lagos to announce major developments in the company’s evolution. First was the unveiling of a new brand identity meant to reflect a more mature, aspirational outlook that resonates with its global intentions and with the dynamic nature of its target market.

According to Wakanow CEO Obinna Ekezie,“The brand we had was a reflection of what we had been doing and have done up to this point. But we felt that the new brand and the simplicity and richness of it, and the new direction, which is we are about to go to the world and show the world what Africa is about… a true, very strong African brand that can compare with any global brand, that’s why we felt that we should also rebrand, to be able to show the world that we’re ready to compete and to show Africa in a different light.”

The second major announcement on the day was the disclosure of a new partnership with Zenith Bank. Ekezie remarked: “The most important thing for us as a company is to have a banking partner that will help us go global.”

In partnering with Zenith Bank for its global rollout Wakanow found a bank if sees as nimble, forward –focused and with the capacity to take on the rapidly expanding portfolio of the Wakanow brand.

“We’re establishing new goals and targets every day. We are looking at how to deploy Wakanow across the continent and the technology to enable the payment gateway.

That is why we’re working with Zenith Bank because of the spread they have on the continent,” Ekezie explained.

Wakanow has grown from humble beginnings in 2008 to one of the major players in the travel industry in Africa today. Launched in 2010, the company has over 600 employees, and is looking at getting bigger and taking on more challenges. Which is why the third announcement of the day was arguably the most important.

Multiple Web Engines Over the years, Ekezie - a former basketball player in the NBA – has repeatedly stated that the company he cofounded is a technology company more than anything else. The Wakanow web portal is driven by the power of technology to help customers get the best deals in real time. However, during the brand’s relaunch last week, Wakanow revealed that rather than one website, it would have four.

One for Africa, another for the US, a separate one for the UK and yet another for the UAE. “As a company, we had a vision of going global two years ago,” Ekezie said.“Just like the initial Wakanow platform, these platforms took the better part of two years to build.

These platforms are not just websites, they’re engines.”

Stating that the company has been getting so many bookings from the UK and US without having dedicated websites for those markets, he explained that the platforms will make it easier for those outside the continent, including Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora, to choose travel packages tailored for them.

“To give you an example, Wakanow UK is focused on the UK market with special deals on UK flights, hotels, and other stuff for people coming to Africa. It’s the same that we sell here, hotels, flights, visas, but specific to that market.

“For the US, people in the US will have the best deals coming out of the US. Wakanow

Waknow CEO, Obinna Ekezie and Executive Director Zenith Bank, Sola Oladipo, during the announcment of Wakanow’s rebranding, during the week will sell you the best deals coming out of that market. Before, we had people booking from the Wakanow Nigeria website. Now, on each of those portals, you have independent deals from what you have on the Nigerian website.

“For the UK it charges in pounds, for the US, it charges in US dollars, and for UAE, it charges in dirhams. So we will be able to earn different revenues and foreign exchange from these markets.

“Nigerian companies, not just Wakanow, should be able to offer services that will help the country earn foreign exchange,” Ekezie said, against the backdrop of the renewed talk about diversification of the economy “which should happened about 10 years ago when the price of oil was at its peak.”

The Big Picture With the slowdown in the economy, the travel industry itself has slowed down with the price of tickets much higher now. But as a company, we’ve still been able to grow, because we’re a technology platform and more people are now trying to embrace technology,” he revealed.

“People are becoming more price sensitive and looking for the best deals, and because we offer the best deals, we’re still experiencing growth.

“While Nigeria has felt the adverse effect of oil prices, other countries have gained, like the US and China. They’ve benefitted from cheaper oil prices so their economic outlook is much stronger. That’s why it’s important that we go to those markets so we can sell them African destinations, so we can grow as a company and also try and create more jobs.”

Ekezie believes that right now, Nigeria has no other option than to produce. His company has held consultations with the

Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank MDs and other players in the financial sector to explain its vision.“We are selling African products to the world. It doesn’t mean we’re selling rice or what have you. We’re selling Africa as a destination which will help us earn foreign exchange so we will contribute to the Nigerian and African economy, because we cannot not be totally reliant on commodities which is what we are suffering from today.

“Those selling commodities are experiencing a downturn which is why African economies are suffering. We should start to export refined products, finished products asides from just exporting raw materials and we’ll start to see a more positive impact on the economy.”

African Tourism and Visas Speaking on how to sell African destinations better, Ekezie said,“We’re going to the World Travel Market in Cape Town and we’re having a session there discussing tourism in Africa.

This issue about Africans having to get visas to go to other African countries is old. We have to scrap it. It would be easier for people to move around within Africa. Obviously we should make sure that the security issues are being addressed.

“An example is Dubai. Today you can get a Dubai visa without visiting an embassy but they have very serious security. So the issue of having to go get a visa makes it harder for people to visit your country and if you want your country to develop, you need to allow people to come in, visit your country, experience the tourism aspect and look into the investment opportunities.”

This is what has helped Dubai diversify their economy from oi to a tourism-based economy with many Nigerians buying property in the Arab Emirate.

“We’re pushing with the tourism boards,

immigration and foreign ministries, to have a discussion about how to use technology to enable easier visa processing that would spur tourism, which is what Dubai has done.”

The Past, the Future…

The Wakanow CEO is enjoying every bit of birthing a new company and seeing it grow as he talked about challenges and surmounting them.

“You must understand that as the first company in the online travel space, we are breaking ground. And when you’re looking at partners; airlines, hotels, banks, nobody really understood what we were doing, so it was always difficult trying to convince people.

“What we did was work extremely hard and create a platform focused on the customer, with exciting products and exciting deals. When costumers started understanding the value we were creating, in terms of the technology platform and customers started to adopt it, all our partners knew it was the future and that Wakanow was here to stay.”

Now, besides its online presence, Wakanow has over 25 travel centers across Nigeria with plans to make that a hundred by the end of the year. Wakanow also has offices Ghana as well as in the countries with the new portals; the US, the UK and the UAE. The company has also gone into the ground transportation business with the acquisition of oya.com, a local bus, cargo and car hire services company.

Wakanow isn’t done yet.

“As we speak, the next global platform we’re going to build is China. Today China is leading the rest of the world in global tourism numbers. The last report that we received showed that over 100 million Chinese travelled outside China. One hundred million!

Those are tremendous numbers.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 3, 2016

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Marriot Sole Bidder for Starwood Hotels as Chinese-led Consortium Withdraws Stories by Demola Ojo

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nbang Insurance Group Co. has walked away from its $13 billion bid to buy Starwood Hotels, a surprise move that caps off a three-week bidding war with Marriott International. Starwood had been in discussion with Anbang and its partners—private-equity firms J.C. Flowers & Co. and Primavera Capital Group— over the possibility of an improved offer despite plans underway to merge with Marriot.

However Anbang said in a statement two days ago that they decided to abandon their Starwood bid “due to various market considerations.”They didn’t elaborate in the statement.

This took place just a few days after Starwood announced the likelihood of “an improved offer” from Anbang. The merger between Starwood and Marriot was earlier derailed at the eleventh hour by the offer from Anbang only for Marriott to make an improved offer.

Starwood Hotels confirmed mid-March that it received an “Unsolicited Acquisition Proposal” from the Chinese-led consortium, valuing the group at around $13 billion or $76 per share.

The abrupt withdrawal appears to end a topsy-turvy bidding war that highlights both the newfound muscle of Chinese companies in the high-stakes global business of mergers and acquisitions, and questions surrounding their ability to close such deals.

So far this year, there have been $92 billion of foreign takeovers announced by Chinese companies, according to Dealogic, excluding the erstwhile Anbang bid for Starwood, a pace that far exceeds that of any prior year.

But US regulators still must sign off on

Four Points by Sheraton Lagos is one of the hotels in the Starwood group many of the deals, and there has been a swirl of political opposition in Washington.

Anbang, an insurance company founded in 2004, has an opaque ownership structure, with multiple layers of holding companies registered across China, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Some insurance analysts have warned that the company’s recent acquisition spree, which includes paying nearly $2 billion for the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, could be straining its balance

sheet, and it is unclear whether Chinese authorities approve of it.

Starwood will now stick with Marriott’s most recent offer, a cash-and-stock bid currently worth $77.94 per share. At the new price, Anbang effectively forced Marriott to pay more than $1 billion extra for Starwood.

Under the revised Marriott deal, Starwood shareholders would receive $21 in cash and 0.8 Marriott share for each Starwood share.

Marriott and Starwood stockholders are

scheduled to vote on the transaction on April 8. If approved by regulators and shareholders, the deal could close in mid-2016, the companies have said.

Marriott hopes to double in size as a result of the merger. The proposed merger will see the combined group have over 123,000 opened or signed rooms when Marriott’s 61,000 open rooms join with Starwood’s 40,500 open rooms, and the combined pipeline totals 21,500 rooms.

Dubai to Introduce Airport Tax

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ntil last week, airport taxes were almost unknown in the Gulf region. In contrast to other areas of the world, and especially in Europe and Asia, travellers do not expect to pay for the privilege of using an airport’s facilities.

But that has changed. Dubai has announced it will start to levy airport fees for flights taken on or after July 1. The fee will be included in the cost of the tickets. It will be applied to tickets issued from now for travel taken on or from July 1.

Fee per passenger will be AED35 or roughly US$9.50. It will be applied both to departing passengers and those who are in transit. The latter is unusual. Why? Because most airports want to encourage transit passengers so they either waive fees or, at worse, levy a lower charge. That’s certainly the case in the UK where APD is not applied to international passengers in transit. In the case of Dubai it means that a passenger flying Emirates from Dubai to,

say, London or Singapore will pay the same fee as would a passenger using Emirates to fly from London to Bombay (via Dubai) or from Singapore to Rome (via Dubai).

The exception is where the passenger is taking a through flight which has a single flight number and is merely stopping in Dubai.

Ironically, only last October the CEO of Dubai was quoted in Arabian Business as saying his airport had no plans to introduce a tax.

Dubai is the world’s busiest international airport. It expects to handle 86 million passengers this year.

Based on that number the tax would provide Dubai with a revenue stream worth several hundred million US dollars every year. That’s a sum that’s not to be sneezed at.

According to reports, the revenue from the fee will be passed to Dubai Airport and from there to the Dubai government public treasury. Some or all of the revenue will be used for improving and expanding Dubai airport.

BA Reduces Business Class Luggage Allowance

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ritish Airways is making changes to its checked luggage allowance for business class passengers.

Customers in Club World and Biz Bed (business class on the carrier’s Openskies transatlantic service) can currently check in three pieces of luggage, each weighing up to 32kg.

But for any flights booked after May 10 this will be reduced to two pieces. The existing allowance will be honoured for any bookings made

before May 10, regardless of the date of travel.

Gold cardholders in BA’s Executive Club scheme are entitled to an additional free bag, effectively meaning they will be able to check in three bags instead of the previous four on Club World and Biz Bed flights.

Under the changes business class passengers will also be able to check in a third bag where required, at a cost of £120 ($180 or €140) if pre-booked online, or £140 ($200 or €150) when purchased at the airport.

Travellers through the Dubai AIrport will start paying taxes from July 1

Emirates Extends Online Checkin to 48 Hours

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mirates has extended its online check-in to 48 hours before departure, from 24 hours, effective immediately. Customers around the world can check in online on both desktop and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure.

For flights to and from the United States, while online check-in is available 48 hours before departure, boarding passes will only be issued 24 hours in advance.

Emirates says that for members of Emirates Skywards, the airline’s frequent flyer

programme, the extended check in time will also mean better availability of upgrades.

“We have always taken into account feedback to improve the customer journey and the extension of online check-in is a result of that.

By allowing check-in from 48 hours before departure we are providing our customers added flexibility to choose their preferred seats for a more comfortable journey. This is just one of the many initiatives we are implementing to enhance our customers’ experience online,” explained Alex Knigge, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications Marketing & Brand (Digital).

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

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Mudi Africa

CLEMENT MUDIAGA ENAJEMO (MUDI)

A CLOTHIER WITH A DIFFERENCE From a humble beginning, staying true to his craft has elevated Clement Mudiaga Enajemo, who is better known by his trade name, Mudi Africa, into the company of global citizens. Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes on his immense evidence of successes which include membership of the super exclusive clique of connoisseurs with an unapologetic passion for expensive classic cars

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ong before he built the eye-catching edifice at Anthony Village area of Lagos, Clement Mudiaga Enajemo found fame through his single minded pursuit of one goal – to sit on the pinnacle of the fashion industry.

Planting that architectural masterpiece strategically at a corner of town inhabited by the upper middle class only served to draw more attention. It is hard to pass by that building without doing a

double take. Not that it is painted in bright colours. If anything, grey and black should make it appear dour and unappealing, but not if you have the artistic masterstroke to create motifs and designs on the wall, cut-out a walk-way lined with shiny white stone and lush green grass that amplifies the landscaping.

Then you deliberately tease passersby by refusing to hide this spectacle behind a wall. That way, you can be sure the building will get more than a passing glance.

Cars don’t speed past; pedestrians ease-off on their pace. Depending on what side of the street they are approaching from, they keep their eyes to the left or right, to ogle the Mudi Africa head office, like soldiers in obedience to their parade commandant.

Fortunately, he does not have to hire an artist. Art was the subject, in secondary school, that he always hit the top mark. If he was not a fashion designer, he could easily have made as much money and fame, perhaps as a visual artist.

Apparently, his knowledge of the arts comes very handy in creating distinct fashion.

Of course, even the blind can hear people who drive or walk by comment. From the mundane to the insightful, all are intrigued by the purpose of the building.

The interest assumes a different colouration when it is revealed that it is a tailor’s shop. More often than not, eyes widen in amazement. “A tailor?!”

This is where Mudi leaves his desk and comes to sit next to the

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Mudi and Salif Keita

Mudi in his showroom

Mudi in a pose

Mudi’s office

reporter on the couch in his office.

Grabbing his arm softly as if to ensure he was listening, he told this writer how these reactions always box him into a corner of sadness.

His worry sometimes assumes a communal dimension, when he extends it beyond himself.

“It makes me think why the black man underestimates himself, so much. Does it mean the black man is not supposed to succeed or do anything good?” he asked.

That question is at the root of Mudi’s continuous quest to outdo himself. He is driven by a burning desire to prove that Africans are as equally talented and can reach the same height in any profession as members of other races.

This self-appointed burden has not been an easy task. The path to where he is today has been lined with vestiges of triumphs and failures. Every time he found himself in the valley of despondency, he is always quick to remind himself of his carefully chosen goal.

Although, Mudi has the kind of validation he needs already, he is nonetheless disturbed by the wrong impression in some quarters that he could not have made the kind of money he is perceived to have from a legitimate business. The weight of these accusations annoy him greatly.

Mudi is normally soft spoken, but the thought of people trying to smear his name brings out a speech defect that is not easily noticeable.

He stuttered as he spoke. “I have heard all sorts of things. They say

THE OFFICE FLOOR IS THE MASTERPIECE THAT FURTHER ANNOUNCES MUDI’S INGENUITY. EVERY PIECE OF ADORNMENT IS A WORK OF ART. FROM THE SEATS, TO THE MIRROR AND THE WALL CLOCK, ALL ARE SHAPED TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN ATTENTION. A GRAND PIANO SITS IN THE CORNER. RESTING NEXT TO IT IS AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR; BOTH ARE BATHED IN OLIVE GREEN COLOURS. MUDI EXPLAINED THAT THE RECEPTION AREA IS SOMETIMES CONVERTED TO A LOUNGE WHEN HIS HIGH PROFILE GUEST AND BRAND AMBASSADORS VISIT

I launder money for politicians.

Others say I am into drugs. I have even heard that I am the gay partner of some affluent men.

Laughable as these insinuations are, I am pained. They don’t know the amount of hard work that I have put into this business these past 23 years. That said, I must acknowledge that I am not the most hard working person in the industry. I have enjoyed God’s grace and patronage from people who value my creative talent.”

The God-factor in his affairs sounds like fable. He chose the example of how he acquired his office at Anthony. “I got the hint that the house was up for sale from a lady who supplies fabrics to me.

She lived there. She linked me up with the agent in-charge of the house, and the day I met him and was told the asking price, I knew all the monies in my account could not buy it. However, I made a nonrefundable commitment.

“I told him I was serious and requested that he gave me the right of first refusal before talking to somebody else. He agreed. I cleared all the monies I had in my various accounts, sold one of my flats at Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos, sold one of my plots of land in Warri and although the money was not enough, it had grossed over 60 per cent. I approached GT Bank and they gave me the rest of the money to buy the house. That is how this house came to be.

“We don’t have faith in ourselves. There are 774 local government chairmen in Nigeria.

Many of them wear clothes made

by Nigerian designers. Suppose you have 20 members in the state houses of assembly who patronise Nigerian designers. Multiply that by 36 states. Add members of the National Assembly, commissioners, governors, actors, businessmen and the like. The market is big. There is so much money to be made. I don’t know why we think small.

The richest black man is a Nigerian.

The richest black woman is a Nigerian. So why don’t we believe in ourselves?”

Coming down to a communal level, Mudi posits that trying to make a good impression with one’s dress is native to his Warri roots. He reeled out a number of names who always appear spick and span, and incidentally have a nativity tied to Warri: Chris Okotie, Richard MofeDamijo, Ali Baba, Obaro Ibru, Tex Egbedi, Eunice Efoli, Eyimofe Atake and Stan Mukoro. “In Ughelli and Warri, we have that upbringing.

We dress well without putting it in your face”, he said.

The Mudi Africa corporate headquarters has as much a marvelous exterior as it presents an enchanting interior. A one-story affair, you are welcome by a smart looking security man in white uniform and ankle-length boot.

A flight of stairs leads to the first floor, which houses the reception, the showroom and Mudi’s office.

The ground floor is the engine room where the cutting, ironing and sewing takes place. For many guests, their visit is limited to the first floor.

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

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coveR

Mudi (3rd left in white) with Salif Keita and his cronies

The office floor is the masterpiece that further announces Mudi’s ingenuity. Every piece of adornment is a work of art. From the seats, to the mirror and the wall clock, all are shaped to attract and retain attention. A grand piano sits in the corner. Resting next to it is an acoustic guitar; both are bathed in olive green colours.

Mudi explained that the reception area is sometimes converted to a lounge when his high profile guest and brand ambassadors visit. The walls are alive with surreal paintings. As you approach his office, the riveting image of a pot filled with flowers is creatively buried in the wall. The showroom is where Mudi was most tested to show his artistic trait.

It is there in the way he displays complimentary cards that identify his trade through the years. It is there in the relic of his first sewing machine. It is there in the type of hangers that showcase the clothes.

All of these combine with the mellow lighting and more motifs on the wall to fire the visitor’s imagination and play on the senses.

By now, you should know that Mudi doesn’t come cheap. His clients understandably occupy the top echelon of society and they cut across all walks of life. Due to the diligence and excellence with which he approaches his work, Mudi keeps the company of global citizens like presidents, business leaders and superstars in the entertainment industry and sports.

Mudi has inspired a lot of fashion designers to add value to their work environment. A recent documentary on him on a global television network celebrated him as one with the most beautiful, purpose built fashion house in Africa. But he is not at all shy to show the crowded house in Ketu where it all began in his dingy

MUDI DOESN’T COME CHEAP. HIS CLIENTS UNDERSTANDABLY OCCUPY THE TOP ECHELON OF SOCIETY AND THEY CUT ACROSS ALL WALKS OF LIFE. DUE TO THE DILIGENCE AND EXCELLENCE WITH WHICH HE APPROACHES HIS WORK, MUDI KEEPS THE COMPANY OF GLOBAL CITIZENS LIKE PRESIDENTS, BUSINESS LEADERS AND SUPERSTARS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND SPORTS

Mudi

one room. Today, he flies around the world and has become an ambassador of sorts for Brand Nigeria, gaining a foothold in business in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

Mudi may be better known for his extraordinary success in fashion, but he has also found his way into the super exclusive clique of connoisseurs with an unapologetic passion for expensive classic cars. When he wants to make an impression in the right circle, he cruises around in a 1957 Mercedes Benz or a 1971 Peugeot 504.

Enveloped in this cloud of immense evidence of successes, Mudi has few regrets, chief of which is that he doesn’t seem to be getting the desired working

relationship from his home state Delta.

“Former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, unveiled this building. I felt honoured that he would accept my invitation to attend and perform that ceremony in person. A few days after, I was pleasantly surprised when the chairman of Kosofe Council called to tell me of a decision to name the adjoining street after me.

“I have a dream that is bigger than me. I have been trying to enter a working relationship with the Delta State government to establish a fashion academy. It is an institute that can bring about a revolution, so I don’t understand why my proposal keeps hitting a brick wall,” he intoned.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

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FOCUS

Cast of a Passion for Revenge

Riveting Tale of Betrayal, Love and Rejection Adebayo Adebola

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elenovelas have always been about the romance, love, quirky flirtations, betrayals, suspense and melodramatic scenes. The latest telenovela, A Passion for Revenge, which hit Telemundo channels on DStv and GOtv recently, opens with a tragic scene that seems to suggest the drama will go against the grain. But we know that the true telenovela spirit will play out sooner than later.

The drama opens with the discovery of the body of a young girl floating in a river.

It later turns out to be Alma Gallardo, who was pregnant for Ignacio del Junco, head of a very powerful family in the country.

The telenovela employs flashbacks to show the series of events that led to Alma’s death. Ignacio, a wealthy rancher with three beautiful grown up daughters, Sofía, Andrea and Irina, has fallen out of love with his cold, hard, snobbish and overbearing wife, Cayetana. He finds love with Alma, his employee, and seeks to end his marriage with Cayetana. Ignacio’s love affair with Alma must remain hidden though pending the divorce. In the meantime, Alma becomes pregnant for Ignacio.

Meanwhile, Ignacio discovers, through a private investigator he employed, that his son in-law, the hedonistic, licentious, treacherous and malevolent Leonardo Montalvo, is deliberately sabotaging his ranch to make it become insolvent and therefore force him to sell it to a rival businessman.

He confronts Leonardo with the finding and orders him off his ranch. Knowing his departure from the ranch will jeopardise his devious plan to rip off the Del Junco family, Leonardo arranged to have Ignacio assassinated.

So, when Alma suddenly shows up at the ranch shortly after Ignacio’s death claiming to be expecting the dead man’s baby, Leonardo sees her as a loose end that if not tightened could ruin his carefully worked plan. The solution? He murders her and makes it look like suicide.

His action sets the tone for the drama as Alma’s brothers, Arturo, Samuel, and Flavio,

believe the family of Ignacio Del Junco is to blame for her death and thus, thirst for vengeance. The brothers disguise their identity by taking the surname Rey and going to work as labourers at the Del Junco horse ranch to get closer to their enemy, Ignacio’s widow, Cayetana.

When three handsome striplings work in constant contact with two equally attractive single girls and a third with a lousy marriage, there is perhaps only one outcome. You could have betted that a romantic relationship will develop among some, if not all, of them. It didn’t take long for that to happen though.

Irina, the bold, fun-loving, carefree youngest sister, triggered the romance chain. She falls for Samuel and pesters him for a relationship. It gets complicated when Andrea, the shy, cold and bossy middle sister, secretly becomes attracted to Samuel too. Then the big ones, Arturo and Sofia, start to make out. The story line is very engaging and highlights the fractious relationships between the haves and havenots in societies.

It is interesting watching how the Gallardo brothers try to deny and resist their budding affection for the Del Junco sisters, as they try to remain focused on their mission on the ranch. But when love strikes, self-control becomes difficult. When it becomes clear they couldn’t resist the girls any longer, they come up with the laughable idea that they will deliberately stoke the girls’ passion for them and then break their hearts, as part of the grand revenge scheme.

To further complicate matters is the opportunist Leonardo, Sofia’s scheming husband, and an arms smuggler, Emilio Valverde, both of whom are determined to bring down the Del Junco family. What exactly is Leonardo’s grouse with the Del Juncos? Is there a story behind his determination to ruin the family or is it simply a case of excessive greed?

His marriage to the eldest Del Junco daughter is clearly a ruse; he has no feelings for Sofia. By killing Ignacio, the only man at the Del Junco ranch who could stand up to him, Leonardo may have thought the coast was clear for him to have his evil ways. But then the Gallardo brothers arrived

Sofie and Arturo

and Cayetana’s crippled father, Don Felipe Belmonte, also became more suspicious and apprehensive of Leonardo, making his plans a little harder to achieve.

We have seen some very interesting conflicts already, which will likely escalate, and we can expect far more interesting ones.

Leonardo has managed to throw a wedge between Cayetana and her father and another one between her and her daughters.

Soledad, the clingy, distrustful maid to the Del Juncos who brought in the Gallardo brothers, is against any romance between the brothers and the Del Junco sisters and is determined to scuttle it.

Samuel’s growing reputation as a ladies’ man will lead to other complications.

Patricia Rubio, Beatriz ‘La Nena’ Alcázar, Andrea and Irina all want a relationship with him. Leonardo is gradually exploiting Cayetana’s obvious admiration for him as a son-in-law. They will most definitely become lovers.

What makes A Passion for Revenge so exciting are the story line and characterisation. The themes on love, romance, infidelity, exploitation, betrayal, vengeance, greed, wickedness and evil are easily relatable and plausible enough, though in true telenovela fashion these

societal ills are sometimes overdramatised to the point of incredulity.

You sometimes ask yourself if someone as cold and hard as Cayetana could be so gullible and easily manipulated by Leonardo or how Arturo, whom Cayetana considers very rude and confrontational, continues to keep his job. Or even more implausible is the fact that only the three brothers, who we know are just tradesmen/ labourers, are engaged to construct a building for Leonardo and Sofia, which Cayetana insists must be topnotch.

Some of the best well-loved actors in telenovela world featured in A Passion for Revenge. If you have watched Where is Elisa, then Sonya Smith’s (Cayetana’s) stiff and cold persona in this drama will probably shock you.

Kimberly Dos Ramos (Irina) is quite familiar with her spoilt, fun-seeking, capricious role, which she has pulled off previously in The Face of Destiny and other telenovelas.

Aarón Díaz’s (Arturo’s) acting has been solid and his handsome suave personality continues to give female viewers the thrills.

Fabián Ríos (Leonardo) is no stranger to evil roles – remember Elena’s Ghost and/or My Heart Beats for Lola? He is a natural.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

67

ON THE COUCH

BEATRICE ABEL UBEKU (ADMINISTRATOR)

My Husband’s Last Moments Interviewed by Funke Olaode there but not to see doctors because he believed so much in Nigeria. I was full of hope that he would overcome. The doctors tried their best but God said his time was up. I was so shocked that when it happened, I didn’t believe it because we were so close. The shock was much that I said to myself ‘Betty, you are now alone.’

I remember his words ‘you can’t be alone when you trust the Lord.’ I am banking on that Lord he believed in.

Does your calmness reflect your personality?

With God and a husband like Abel Ubeku, a fine, handsome and disciplined man you would exude calmness. I lived with him for 45 years before he passed on in 2014.

Why have you been quiet lately?

I nursed a deep pain with the sudden loss of my husband when I was looking forward that we were going to live together till the end. So it was like a blow from nowhere. He was a good man that I can’t forget easily. He was good to me, tutored me and encouraged me. I may be out of public glare but I am still very much involved in philanthropy works. I once worked with UNICEF in the past on HIV/AIDS and exclusive breastfeeding.

My state, Delta, came 6th when it was rated by the Federal Ministry of Health then.

I was a vocal person for West African Women Association (WAWA) which comprises of 16 African countries. I have a team of women and school children working with me. I played a key role with one-day governors under Lions Club. They were part of the international exchange programmes that involved 22 countries and Nigeria participated. This makes me happy that I am touching lives.

How has your husband’s death affected you?

I was devastated because he was a good man. He encouraged me and some other women whom he came across through my networking. Some of these women are lawyers today. He believed a woman who is empowered will assist her home. He pushed me and it came to a stage he said ‘Betty you have to go to school’. When I married him I didn’t have a degree. It was a setback for me because I met him early when he came to teach in my school City College, Lagos and his older brother was our next door neighbour.

During our time there was no girlfriend and boyfriend. Once you had a suitor your parents take a decision but my uncle insisted that I must go to the university. This uncle of mine was a lecturer in Ibadan and took me to live

Did you have the premonition that he was going to die?

with him on holiday. From there, he took me to Adeola Odutola College in IjebuOde. I forgot about my suitor, Ajegunle and Lagos.

How did your path cross again?

My parents were working with the Nigerian Port Authority at the start of the Nigerian Civil War and they had to relocate to Port Harcourt. I found my way back to Lagos and got a job with the Pay and Record Office. I stumbled on this man again and he was all over me.

Family members who knew about his earlier moves intervened and we got back together.

What were the fond memories you have of him?

We loved ourselves to bits. In the face of challenges, this man gave me his words that I shouldn’t panic. I had only

school certificate but he encouraged me to go to the university. I enrolled at the University of Lagos where I studied Business Administration. I registered for my masters which I later put on hold. By virtue of his position in various places he had worked, I was exposed to the world. He became the first indeginous black man to head Guinness. When I left my banking career to focus on my charity works, he supported me. I was in Beijing ’95. I was one of the women who spoke on behalf of Nigeria. Those are the legacies of Dr. Abel Ubeku for me.

How would you describe his last moments?

My husband was never a sick person for many years that we lived together.

In 2012, he had a health challenge and before we knew it was getting severe.

Abel would never go abroad. He goes

Not at all. He was well taken care of and he had been discharged. We were preparing to come back to Nigeria. We had planned to go for thanksgiving in our church. Less than 24 hours before we left Dubai, there were complications and he was taken back to the hospital. His end had come and I was so traumatized that I held him and was weeping. If money could buy life, Abel would have survived. Money is useless. If you have the money do what you can do because when the chips are down, it can’t help you. My husband never worshipped money. He never believed in acquiring wealth. He was a disciplined man. With all his connections and contacts, he had only one beautiful house in Lagos and in the village. He said God has been good to him. He came from a swampy village in Araya, he trekked to Warri. From that nowhere he became somebody. If there were to be another world, I would marry my ‘Mr. handsome’ all over again.

What lesson has life taught you?

I learnt that your background shouldn’t be a barrier to attain greatness.

My husband grew up in Araya and I was raised in Ajegunle. From my background I have realized that it is only God that elevates.

Are there plans to immortalize his memory?

Dr. Abel Ubeku impacted lives because he believed strongly in education.

The two books he wrote which were approved by the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) is impacting lives.

I have re-activated his chair in the University of Lagos to reward the overall best student.

EVENT

Resort Owners Unite as Ooni Comes to La Campagne Tropicana

A

significant milestone in Nigerian holiday culture was achieved when Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the Ooni if Ife spent his honeymoon with his newly wedded wife (Olori) Wurola.

The Ooni who opened an important window of opportunity for a working relationship with Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, owner of La Campagne Tropicana since his ascension to the throne, sent a timely message on patriotism, unity and cooperation by jettisoning his own resort in Epe or the lure of travelling

abroad.

Although his predecessor the late Oba Sijuwade Okunade Olubuse II had also visited La Campagne Tropicana in August 2009 with an entourage of about 28 Yoruba Obas, the royal visit of the Ooni led to unprecedented inflow of visitors to the resort with many of his subjects in Lagos and even in Ile Ife and environs as well as the residents of Ikegun and adjoining communities trooping to the resort to hold court and catch a glimpse of the Ooni who graciously played host to everyone that came calling.

Ooni of Ife and Olori Wuraola

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 3, 2016

ARTS & REVIEW\\ENCOUNTER

BSESSED WITH JAZZ to meet him at his hotel where he lodged. That was how my partner and I got the media pass into the main festival. That was also the year I met the Commodores and Roberta Flack.

Normally, accreditations are done online but we managed to bypass that with Lekan Babalola’s influence.’’

It was hard to interrupt him especially as he was making so much sense with his narration. But then the narrative changed for Shadare the moment he stepped into the venue of the festival. You can tell he is a Femi Kuti fan with his next line.

“When I got to the venue, my head was about to scatter,” he continued. “It was one venue, five stages and on each stage an artist was playing. Then I spotted Rashid. He was just so cool.

I introduced myself. He didn’t have security personnel with him. He said I should see him after the festival. But all through the festival, we would be seeing ourselves and I would wave at him. He would just shake his head perhaps thinking that ‘oh this young man won’t kill himself’. Even his partner was amazed that Rashid would come to Nigeria because of me.”

Shadare had a serious disagreement with his partner on the festival replication in Lagos. As 9ice would put it, “photocopy ko easy”, that is, “duplicating is not an easy task’’. Segun thought it was silly of him to want to take on that project with the scarce resources at hand. But Shadare, bent on grooving this event, held one at a studio in Victoria Island in 2008 with just two stages.

“After that, I was introduced to the Lagos State Tourism board because the festival was too big for me to manage. But the festival rested for a few years, not because I was discouraged. I was called to produce the Smooth Luxury Concert and other shows. But in 2014, I decided to do the International Jazz Festival. In all those years when I didn’t do the festival, I had learnt so much. Immediately, I entered Freedom Park, I knew that was my venue. I knew I could do four stages. I have been attending the Cape Town Jazz Festival and I learnt. Every time I went, I would meet with the artists themselves. Not their managers. I have met Najee, George Benson and others.

Rashid would hold my hand and introduce me as his boy in Nigeria. He mentored me. That gave me good leverage.”

What particularly impressed Shadare about the Cape Town Jazz festival was the spiral effect it had on the South African economy.

“Half of the people who went for the festival were from outside South Africa. It was a festival that had about 35,000 people. That meant that at least 17,000 are obtaining visas to go to South Africa every year and they would buy flight tickets, book hotels, hire taxis, spend money and impact the economy.

That is what the Cape Town jazz festival got the mandate to hit 1million rand to affect the GDP of South Africa. Even though there are years when it seemed as if the festival was having setbacks, it had become too important to let lack of funding not let it happen. The model was unique: one venue, five stages, 40 international artists. No other festival does it better in the continent. The Johannesburg International Jazz Festival has just adopted that model and they have moved from Newtown to Johannesburg Convention Centre. At the festival, if you turn to the left, you see someone from Japan. If you turn to your right, you will see someone from Britain. We can do this in Lagos. This is my own contribution to Lagos, my own legacy,’’ he said.

Shadare said that with the right resources, he can activate ten stages in one venue. Now, that sounds crazy. But with the success of three seasons of the festival, he deserves the boasting right. He had given his life to promoting music and his obsession with Jazz and everything around it is no private affair.

“You should have met me ten years ago. Everybody knew Rashid in my house. I could call the name 30 times in one day.

And you know what, Yinka? He would respond to every call for the past ten years. Nobody, I mean, no big man that I know has done so. If he missed your call, he would call you back.

And he would not complain. He is a god-sent. I see what I am doing as a divine mandate. When he came to Nigeria with his partner, it was like fireworks and they came on their own account to give me support. I believe that this festival will work well for Nigeria,” he enthused.

The dynamics had since changed in the Nigerian entertainment scene, inspiring and energising start-ups. With Shadare’s show, green room managers, multi-media equipment service providers, set designers, stage managers, stage hands, makeup artists, travel agents and others can smile to the bank. That’s what Shadare’s mind is set on, namely, developing a major attraction for tourists while revitalizing the economy.

“During the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, sometimes I would get to Johannesburg and all the flights to Cape Town are booked,” he recalled. “I have had to pay the cost of my flight from Lagos for a Jo’burg to Cape Town trip. I had been forced to return to Lagos when I couldn’t get a flight to Cape Town from Jo’burg. But the city of Lagos has become more sophisticated online and entertainment is getting more recognition. This festival is a package that has loads of benefits for this economy. I think people should be looking at events with a tourism bias. In 2009, I went to Cape Town with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism officials and from there I went to Maputo for the Maputo International Jazz festival. Eric

Hugh Masekela at The Bayelsa International Jazz Festival, produced By Inspiro Productions

Femi Kuti at The Bayelsa International Jazz Festival Clapton had been in Maputo.”

It’s no news that some unscrupulous persons have given Nigeria a bad name in the diaspora. Once you introduce yourself as a Nigerian, you’re either received with apprehension or outright rejection. Nigerians in diaspora contend with this daily and it is not up to them alone to give Nigeria a good image abroad. Shadare thought that this international festival will serve as the needed eye-opener to foreigners who visit Nigeria to have that firsthand experience of the people and tell others that the good in us outweighs the bad.

“When you are chatting with South Africans, once they know you are a Nigerian, the conversation goes south. They call us crooks. They have not come to Nigeria to see that we are not crooks. It is just a few of them. I thought if we create something that would make them come to Nigeria, they will know who Nigerians really are. That was what developed my relationship with the South African High Commission. Nigerians are very hospitable. They are ready

to help. Nigerians are in your business, in a good way. The SA High Commissioner once said it is only in Nigeria that you’d be exercising on the street and passersby would greet you, ‘Oga welldone’.

So we have a good thing we are not tapping into.’’

The plans towards the 2016 Lagos International Jazz Festival look rock-solid. Having recovered from the abysmal spate of a lingering fuel scarcity situation that began last year, Shadare has some strategic ideas for a better edition of the festival.

“The 2015 Edition was not as good as 2014,” he admitted. “This year, the festival starts on April 29 till May 1. The festival is dedicated to Benson Idonije, the veteran broadcaster and music critic who turns 80 this year. We will bring some of his favourite bands on stage. I believe we have a good event. The core of our event is predominantly Nigerian, whether indigenous or international.

That makes it organic. We are still working on one or two international artists. We are looking at getting another venue in Lekki but we are still working on that. In collaboration with Inspiro Productions, the Lagos International Jazz Festival will hold in culture café, Sugar Lounge in Lekki and Ayo Bankole Centre in Surulere.’’

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APRIL 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\LITERARY CAFE

A NARRATIVE SO ENRICHING, SO INSPIRING...

George Chijioke Amadi A History of Biu, Bukar Usman, Klamidas Communications Limited, Abuja, 2015

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History of Biu is the third book of the Biu Emirate Studies Series (BESS 003). The other two are: Girl-Child Education in Biu Emirate: The Early Years (BESS 001) and Language Disappearance and Cultural Diversity in Biu Emirate (BESS

002).

When the author, imbued with candour went to work, in earnest, more than 10 years ago, he was guided by due diligence, with the sole objective of unearthing the customs, beliefs, traditions, occupations, arts, and crafts of a people who have lived together, and still, do live together, in the same place for over 400 years. His hard work, passion, and tangential, inspiring revelations, no end, are some of the pleasant surprises that I discovered in my heart-warming task of drilling through Dr. Bukar Usman’s 693-pages book, A History of Biu, page by page, with excitement, in 120 hours.

The book’s four sections, A to D, Geographical Overview; Pre-Colonial History of Biu; Biu Under Colonial Rule; Biu After Independence respectively, constitute one coherent, mighty whole that is as resplendent as the strength of a people leading a Spartan life whose never-say-die determination to be productive, and yet remain law-abiding, stands them in good stead, through thick and thin, in their struggle for survival.

Bound in a thick, black, hard cover clothed in a silky wrap-around decorated in quiet colours, for a smooth-touch effect, the invaluable document is enriched, on its front cover, with the picture of Tilla Hill, one of the notable features in Biu Borno State, North-Eastern Nigeria. At the back, is excerpt from the Foreword written by Sa’ad Abubakar FHSN, OFR, Professor of History at the University of Abuja. The front and back inside folds contain a writeup with the heading: About the Author.

Masterfully crafted, the publication’s consummate story-teller spared no effort towards enriching his captivating narration with requisite annotations; sharp pictures, black-and-white and coloured; and illustrated diagrams, making it a must-read for anybody enamoured of imbibing historical facts presented with objectivity, and in full, leaving the reader ample evidence with which to draw his, or her, own conclusions.

Folktales, widely used in Biu, in days of yore, as instrument of education and platform for entertainment, long before the arrival of the British colonisers, had, in no small way, inculcated morals in Biu children, as well as, instilled good virtues, loyalty, hard work, and honesty, to mention a few, in their parents. Folktales according to the author, plays an essential role till this day, in their much-cherished Emirate of Biu. Unscathed by colonial rule which presence in Nigeria, finally got felt in Biu, circa 1900, Chief Yamtarawala, the Emirate’s founding father (1535-1560), strategist, soldier, educationist, administrator, with dogged determination, anchored on valour, exhibited discretion in every socio-political decision he took, and many there were, and, at no time, it must be noted, did he take Biu citizens for granted, the book explains. Word, from the treasure trove of Biu tradition, has it that he came from the

Palace of Ngazargamo, the former seat of the Kanuri Royal dynasty.

The administration of his domain, as the 1st Kuthli of Biu in Biu Royal Dynasty, at every level, enjoyed the backing of his subordinates chosen for their honesty, and zeal to serve the people, without fear or favour. With such a solid foundation laid by a hands-on patriotic leader, it is no surprise that even after over four hundred years of existence, the unity of the people of Biu, now ruled by the 28th Kuthli, His Royal Highness Mai Umar Mustapha Aliyu, since 1989 till date, has continued to grow from strength to strength.

But to get a sense of how things evolved from the moment that the British cavalry, with a gun in one hand, and a Bible in the other, arrived in Biu, the Emirate’s reigning monarch, Mai Garga Kwamting, who had been on the throne for about 10 years, in 1904, moved the capital of Biu Kingdom from Pelaminta to Biu Town.

This step coincided with the beginning of formal British rule over the Biu Kingdom. He reportedly pledged his loyalty, and the British, recognising him as the Kuthli of Biu, appointed him a 3rd Class Chief in 1908. He was granted a Staff of Office at a ceremony in Magumeri in present-day Borno Emirate.

Kuthli Kwamting was instructed to make Biu his permanent abode, and headquarters.

Since then, it has continually served as the headquarters of Biu Kingdom.

The year 1908 was a landmark date for Biu. It was the year that the Biu Division, as a formal administration, was given its own Emirates. It was the year that Western Education began in Biu. It was the year that the Chief of Biu was promoted from 3rd Class to 2nd Class grade, thereby beginning the suzerainty over petty chiefs in the Division.

The 20th of January, in 1920, was the first time the Governor-General, Sir Hugh Clifford, and his deputy, H. W. Goldsmith, visited Biu, and that day, also, marked the first time that a motor-car was driven into Biu. It was not until the second half of 1955 that an aeroplane landed in Biu. But it is sad to note that twenty-two years, after Nigeria’s Independence which took place on the 1st of October, in 1960, when the Borno State Governor Mohammed Goni administration designed a dam towards providing potable water to Biu, and 35 other towns, and villages (an estimated popula-

tion of 300, 000), within a radius of three miles, or four kilometres, the construction of the dam is yet to go beyond its first phase, thirty years (in 2014) after work had started on it in 1982. The project has, according to the author, ran into turbulent political waters suffice it to say.

Provision of good roads, electricity, hospitals, schools, and markets, just to mention a few of much-needed social amenities, till date, suffers a similar setback that continues to dog the abandoned dam project.

As for the tangential revelations that for me pleasant surprises threw up scouring through this hard-to-put-down, historic, reference treasure, an interesting discovery awaits any curious mind looking out to find if historical and cultural parallels exist among the various tribes that make up this magnificent country that Nigerians call home.

A History of Biu has but one flaw: Because it is such an inspiring story that was researched with acumen, illustrated with aplomb, and written with dedication, perseverance, not forgetting accuracy, one cannot but, like Oliver Twist, ask for more of such stories, from the author, to be written about other parts of the country, in no distant future.

- Amu Nnadi is a renowned poet

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 3, 2016

ARTS & REVIEW\\MUSIC

Lala-Akindoju

MEET MY MANAGER…

Emem Ema

I

t was a typical Lagos afternoon, and I had an appointment to meet with a new artiste who was garnering fame and a bit of fortune trickling in from shows thanks to his debut single, which was at the time enjoying massive airplay on mainstream radio and television stations. I had recommended him for a major event in Europe primarily because I liked his sound it was different and I have a penchant for encouraging young artistes who I believe have potential, by offering them opportunities any way that I can. Anyway, my company was saddled with ensuring his papers (valid passport, work permits etc.) were in order and he was ready for this event, which was a month away. As I waited in this bistro in Lagos nursing my second Chapman and mentally organising the rest of my day, I was reeled into reality by a little commotion, I chuckled softly as I realised the reason for the commotion; this young cat was acknowledging and taking in his new status in a magnanimous manner alongside a newly acquired veil of humility. What was even more amusing was the posse he came with, as he approached our table he instructed the others to sit at another table and motioned to a burly-looking guy to accompany him to our table; “Good afternoon Ma, this is my manager.” I was impressed that he had thought to get a manager, we exchanged pleasantries and got to the business of the day. I felt it was necessary to brief them again on what the event was about and what was expected of them, from the way they were nodding, I figured we were all on the same page and I proceeded to address “manager” as this was his purview (in hindsight, I honestly wished I hadn’t because I wasn’t expecting the response that followed) “So I will need the rider…” before I finished my sentence, he crumpled his face into an indescribable expression, like I asked him to sacrifice his first born son in exchange for five naira; as he brazenly said “No!” I looked at my colleague to know if I had said something out of line, it was obvious from the look on his face that he too was as confused as I was. I mustered all the patience that I could from the universe and I calmly asked him “No to what? Manager” he adjusted himself as if he had been given the sole privilege of reading out the names in the book of life and replied, “We cannot give

you awa driver, you must…” I missed out on the rest of his statement as I had to control the roaring laughter that was about to come out of my being, but I had to be professional and the laughter transformed into a cough, at least that would be more forgivable. This guy had no clue what a rider was but he is the manager!

Who is a manager? A manager is an individual or company who guides the professional career of a talent whether an artiste, a band, an actor, producer, director, writer, a creative individual. A manager needs to be able to see and nurture the diamond in the rough. He or she sees the potential a talent has, knows how to turn this potential into reality (or money) and ensures that this talent either reaches or fully utilises this potential using his/her talent. A manager is your buffer and protector, they always look out for their client’s best interest.

Managers normally have a talent sign a three-year contract, can take anywhere from 15–25 percent depending on how much work being done for the talent and even more if their responsibility is combined with being an agent as well. Managers are instrumental in developing a talent/actor’s career, as they have relationships with producers, promoters, casting directors, brand managers (in Nigeria), show runners, and directors.

Managers are in charge of overseeing your career as a talent in the long term.

A manager is present and involved, he/ she is more likely to sit down with you and pick out your headshot with you, sit in studio and tell you when you’ve gone off key, read your lines with you, listen to the same song a thousand times till you get it right, and until you can afford a stylist they can be your stylist; tell you what to wear to your audition, get feedback for you.

You want to know if your manager is the right fit for you? See if he or she has or is any of the following: Trustworthy: Manager client relationship is a relationship built on trust. I cannot over emphasize this; if a talent trusts you with their career you owe it to them to guard it jealously. We have heard recently artistes accusing their handlers or managers of duping them of their hard earned money (manager worked hard too na), sometimes it is true other times, it is just someone’s imagination running wild. I always advice that a manager keeps records of their spending, and give account of same every 60-90 days so that each party is abreast of what is going on (revenue made, how it is being shared and on what it is being spent on).

Most times, a manager acts as a therapist they see the talent at their most vulnerable

and have to be there for them, talk them off the ledge and reassure them of their abilities and rein them in when they go off kilter.

Responsible: Never underestimate the influence of a manager in a talent’s career.

Dear talent, your manager can make or mar you; be careful who represents or speaks on your behalf. I know of a couple of artistes who lost out on juicy deals because of their demi-god managers. To be honest, it is only in Nigeria that I have seen where some managers believe they are the talent and celebrities; so while their talent jumps on a table at the club, guess who’s holding the bottle of bubbly and smiling like a newly roasted Christmas goat? Uncle Manager!

Knowledgeable about the Industry: There are certain things that are no-brainers in this industry of ours, terms that should not be strange to you as a manager. Get familiar with terms like ‘call time’, technical rider, sound check, indemnity, waiver, agreements, binders, schedules, commissions, press kit, profile, headshots, lawyer, accountant, gross and net earnings. A manager needs to know how to read, understand and explain a contract to their client, know what obtains in the industry, have a very good business sense as well and know how to speak ‘the language’ of investors, potential clients and who they go before to represent you. A manager can help in putting the right team around the talent together; he/she should know how to make their clients visible and relevant. Does your manager know how to use the internet to boost your career?

Highly Connected/Network Heavy: Who does your manager have on speed dial?

Can they make a ‘problem’ go away and if they can’t, do they know who can? As a manager you need to know the right people, so you can plug and attach your clients to the right projects.

Charismatic: Make sure your manager has some charm and if he/she does not? Buy them some! Managers are marketers, they need to be good negotiators and dealmakers; they make sure their clients are being submitted for and are in the right projects, seen with the right people in the right places. They romance the decision makers and make them believe that their client(s) is the best thing since sliced bread and has the potential to make their project or product the ish. A good manager should be able to make his demon of a client seem like an angel (insert smiley face).

Confidentiality: Manager-Talent relationship is very delicate and it takes a responsible individual to see the ‘human-ness’ of a celeb-

rity, not judgmentalor get blinded by this celebrity not to be able to call one to order.

At ONE, our clients are advised to be honest with us so we don’t get any surprises, so we know how to handle delicate situations should they arise. Even when a client leaves our stable, we neverhave and will never use information we posses, against them.

A manager needs to know how to handle delicate or sensitive information.

Visionary: I remember sitting in the CMO management office in London and speaking with Chris Morrison himself, as my eyes were taking in the array of awards on the wall and closet strewn with MTV moon men, NME and several other awards, he shared with me how they came about the concept for the Gorillaz, a virtual rock band made up of Blur front man, Damon Albarn.

I felt it was ingenious and an amazing idea, guess what? The Gorillaz also known as, the Most Successful Virtual Band went on to win a Grammy and even performed at the 2006 Grammys. Gorillaz was ‘packaged’ like any other band, they had merchandise, their own figurines, there were talks of a movie which never happened, they went on tour have played major festivals like, Glastonbury, Coachella, etc. and featured other musicians, had their own music app on itunes, Gorillaz branded converse shoes, thanks to a clear vision and thinking outside the box.

Some exceptional managers I have had the privilege of shadowing are; Benny Medina (Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez), Ari Emmanuel, Kevin Liles, Guy Oseary (Madonna’s manager), Chris Morisson (Blur, Gorillaz) There are some managers doing it right in Nigeria, like; EfeOmorogbe of Now Muzik, List Entertainment, and even more excited that management companies run by females are making an impact in the industry like M. Et. Al, Isioma Osaje of Agency 106 and many more.

I must say this! MANAGERS ARE NOT GLORIFIED PAs! Their job is not to carry your handbag, procure girls for you, get you your choice of poison or tell your numerous toasters, groupies, sugar daddies/mummies (if you are into that sort of thing) ‘he/ she not araind’ Finally, I dare say, managers are ‘felt’ and not necessarily seen; the degree of the work they put in and their impact is felt, you see the result of their power moves and they know how to make their way in the board room and on the streets when necessary.

Emem is the CEO of ONE Management, a Nigeria-based media strategy and support company. dealmaker@ one1mgt.com

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IMAGES

L-R: Mr. Thomas Asakpa and King Hector

L-R: Adebayo Adeyeye and Babs Fagbuyi

Sola Abel Famakin and his wife, Sade

L-R: Mr. Gbenga Fatoki and his wife, Modupe

L-R: Dr. Dele Fatoki and Bode Otunla

L-R: Chief Oriloye Ayeni and Chief Dare Ilori

L-R: Representative of Ooni of Ife, Lowate of Ife, Oba Adebowale Olafare; Olomo of Omo, Oba Adeyemi Oladosu Apata; and Elerinmo of Erinmo-Ijesa, Oba Machael Odunayo Ajayi, Arowotarapa 11

L-R: Oba Akin Adeyemi, Oyoyo 11, Owa Ooye of Imesi-Ile and Oba Folorunso Ayemiju, Mojolosun 11, Adominasi of Idominasi

L-R: Alapeju of Ilupeju-Ijesa, Oba Aderogba Akinbayobade and Ejisun of Ipo, Ikeji-Arakeji, Oba Ajetomobi David

L-R: Awaraja of Iwaraja, Ijesa, Oba Sunday Isola Ibironke, Samoyegun 1 and Olowena of Owena, Ijesa, Oba Olasoyinbo Ayelabola

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

80

CICERO/INTERVIEW

El-Rufai

El-Rufai: Religion, Ethnicity Among the Biggest Challenges Kaduna State Faces The Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has been in the news lately for some controversial reasons; from disagreements with elements within his All Progressives Congress to the bill he proposed seeking a law to regulate religious activities in his state. In this interview with some journalists in Kaduna, the first since he became governor, El-Rufai expatiates on the issues. John Shiklam, who was at the session, presents the excerpts.

O

n his experience so far as governor of a complex state like Kaduna.

I think it has been an interesting journey; I want to say that we are grateful to the Almighty God for His intervention in the state, which led to our election. We got elected because the majority of the people in the state wanted something to change. Many of them were not sure what should change, but clearly, the way the state was going was not something that was acceptable to most people and that was why they all came out to vote for us on that day and we are very grateful.

It has been tough for many reasons. I recently visited a friend of mine who contested the governorship and told his wife that she should be thanking God he lost because this is the toughest time in Nigeria’s history to be a state governor, particularly, a state that has been ruled by the PDP for 16 years.

Taking over from a system that has institutionalised itself for 16 years and trying to change direction is always tough. In addition, we are taking over at a time prices of crude oil have collapsed by 70 per cent. We inherited a machinery of government but, more importantly, an attitude in the public service within the larger political community of a country that was selling crude oil at $100 per barrel.

On the challenge of religion and ethnicity.

So expectations are very high but the revenues are very low. The other reason, of course, is that I never appreciated that running a state was very different from being a federal minister. I always thought that I had run the FCT, a sort of state, and things were not going to be different. I have found to my surprise that things are quite different and one of the challenges that we are facing is that everything in this state tends to be politicised or ethicised, or religionised, if there are any such words.

Very simple problems that can be discussed and resolved by logic and facts become converted into issues of ethnicity or religion, and so on. So these are some of the challenges we have had to face, but we are doing the best we can. As far as governance is concerned, we have addressed frontally, what we felt were the issues.

On cost-saving measures.

The first month we got here in June 2015, we got about N5 billion from the Federation Account. In the last two months, we got N2.8 billion. So even from the time we came to now, there has been a massive change, but we have taken steps. We knew that oil prices were sliding and we had to do something that’s why from day one, the deputy governor and I said

we will give up 50 per cent of our salaries as contribution because we are going to ask public servants to make a similar sacrifice. We also reduced the size of government. We reduced the number of commissioners from 24 to 13, all with an effort to cut cost. We inherited 38 permanent secretaries. We are now operating with 18. We are looking at ministries, departments and agencies that have similar functions or duplicate to merge them just to cut cost because if your revenues are collapsing, you have to cut cost.

We reduced the length of convoys. For instance, the convoy of the governor before me was 21 vehicles. We have five or six cars now.

And they are all essential, whether security or whatever. I don’t go round with ambulance, I do not expect to drop dead anytime.

On revenue generation We are raising revenues. I will give just one example. In December 2015, we collected N224 million as internally generated revenue.

In January 2016, we started plugging leakages, we said no cash payments, we deployed POS to hospitals because some people go to the hospitals and they were told they had to go to the bank to pay. So we deployed point of sales, so you don’t pay cash in all our hospitals.

In January we raised N1.2 billion. In February, it got closer to N2 billion. It’s looking like this year, we are going to be raising something

between the region of N3 billion and N4 billion a month by the time all the policies we are putting in place are settled. So we are reverting more into internally generated revenue than depending on the Federation Account and we hope to do more.

We have a new tax code, which enables us do all that, we centralised tax collection. We are doing that because we believe cutting cost is not enough, there is a limit to how much you can cut cost. After all, you cannot cut personnel cost. You can verify, you can remove ghost workers, you can reduce fraud in the pay roll, but salaries are a fix cost, you have to pay that every month. Unless a pensioner dies, the pensions keep increasing. So we have to ensure that we raise enough revenues to at least, cover our fixed cost and also leave some resources for development.

So that is what we have essentially been doing. It’s been tough. As you know, 27 states in Nigeria had to be bailed out by the Central Bank of Nigeria. We were not one of those, but we went and got similar financial support.

We inherited N14 billion in pension liabilities.

We are just verifying pensioners to be sure that they all exist. But we have borrowed enough money from the CBN to pay all accrued gratuities and pay pension. It’s really been difficult, but we are lucky, we have a good team in Kaduna, hardworking team. We tried to bring the best people we know that can

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CICERO/INTERVIEW • MANY STATES NEED LAW TO REGULATE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES AND CURB VIOLENCE • Continued from Pg. 80 deliver and we are making progress in many areas in spite of the challenges.

On whether there is a timeframe for the workers’ verification exercise, which is still on-going in the state.

The reason why I don’t want to say it will end is practical. First of all, an employer should be able to once in a while check how many employees he has. It is normal, so it doesn’t mean that once we verify fully, we will not do it again, but not every other month, as we have been doing since we came. Our hope is that this last verification that we are doing will cover all the loopholes. The thing has been continuously shifting goal post and when you are about to score, the goal post moves. We are dealing with crooks and staunch criminals that don’t want to give up this revenue from ghost workers. So as we plug one area of abuse, they open another. We think now that we have moved, we have a new payment platform. We have a new financial management platform for the state - State Integrated Financial Management Information System (STIFMIS). It is a $2 million project that was financed by the World Bank and completed two years ago, but the system refused to allow it go on stream. We came and revived it in October and we paid our salaries in January using the system.

Earlier on, there was a consultant that was preparing the payroll. Now it is our own people doing it on this platform. With the verification we are now doing with Bank Verification Number (BVN), everyone must have an account in deposit money bank, I think we will be 99 per cent comfortable, unless if in the process, another new vista of abuse is opened, we do not expect to do any verification anytime.

May be once or twice a year, we will do it just to check our staffing. But we are comfortable with this one. I have apologised before, I apologise again to all those that have been victims of this verification because their names got omitted. You get paid, the next month; they remove your name from payroll.

It doesn’t make sense for someone that was paid last month for his name to disappear the next month. But this is what the staff in the Accountant General’s Office are doing. They are doing it intentionally. It is all to cause confusion.

But my hope is that with what we are doing, we have plugged all the loopholes and we will not need to do verification again.

On the controversy over the form designed by the state government, which requires workers to indicate their membership of trade unions.

Let me tell you where we started. When we came to Kaduna, I wasn’t paid for about three months. When I finally got an alert of three months’ salary, I asked for my pay slip because it is normal to have a pay slip that shows your basic salary, deduction for tax, loans and so on.

It took about three or four months before the Accountant General’s Office could give us pay slips because they were not giving. You will just get an alert and if the money you got from this month is different from last month, no explanation. We said no, give everyone a pay slip. That is when the trouble started. Muyiwa here (his Senior Special Adviser on Media) got his pay slip and there was a deduction of N2, 000 for union dues. N2, 000 does not sound much money, but we have 87,000 employees in the state and local governments. It is a hefty amount of money when you multiply it.

Now, is Muyiwa a trade union member?

I don’t think so. One of our commissioners, Professor Nok, also got a deduction on his pay slip. He said when did I join union? This is how the conversation started. We called them to ask what was going on. They said it was automatic. So we asked the Attorney General to check the laws and give us an opinion.

She came back and said it was compulsory for every employer to deduct union dues and remit to the union. She then went on to say the membership of a trade union is not automatic, it is voluntarily; you have to say I am a member of a trade union before deduction can be effected.

I know neither Muyiwa nor our commissioner said they were trade union members.

Why was their money deducted? That is why we invited the unions and told them that we will not be automatically deducting for trade union dues until we know those that

El-Rufai

are members and those that are not members because our commissioners are not members and their money was deducted.

I believe that trade unions are important. I believe that they offer services to their members and if I am an employee, particularly lower level employee, I will join trade union so that if there is any problem, they will take it up as a group. Personally, I support it; however, the law is clear. You have to first indicate your membership before we can legally deduct and send it.

We can’t just deduct because we assume. That was when our argument with the NLC and TUC started.

On the attitude of the unions.

I was traveling out of the country, the president of NLC met me at the airport to say, we are your friends, why are you doing this? I said, what am I doing? I told him, I am merely complying with the law. We want to give Kaduna State government employees the opportunity to just say deduct, I am a member of a trade union. Then we can deduct and those that are not interested can keep their N2, 000 or whatever it is that they are deducting.

They didn’t like that because, of course, automatic means 100 per cent deduction of everybody. If we give people a chance, may be it will come down to 90 per cent and they can see a revenue loss. But we must learn to respect laws in this country even if they appear to be against us. One day, it is that same law that will protect us. One of the problems we have in this country is selective obedience of the law.

I believe that law is the foundation of every civilised society. If the law is not good, go and change it, there is the legislature. But if there is an existing law, just comply with it. This is my basic principle in life, which I have practised in every assignment I have been given.

But there is another dimension to this. One day, the chairman of Jaba local government called me. She said her bank account had been garnisheed, frozen by a court order, so

One of the challenges that we are facing is that everything in this state tends to be politicised or ethicised, or religionised, if there are any such words

the entire local government cannot function.

She said National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), took a loan from Guarantee Trust Bank and somehow got the Jaba local government council to guarantee the loan on the basis that the beneficiaries of the loan are employees of the local government.

They gave out the loans and refused to pay back, so the bank went to court. The local government didn’t even know. We had to call the bank to negotiate an interest waiver and settle the loan before the account was unfrozen.

We called NULGE and we froze the remittance of their dues until we recover our money. I am giving you this example to show you the need to have boundaries.

How can a union borrow money guaranteed by the government? It is wrong. These are some of the things we are struggling with and, of course, the unions don’t like it. But we are trying to do the right thing. I have nothing against the unions; they are very supportive of us.

On the religious bill sent to the House of Assembly by his government, which has generated a lot of controversy.

Let me start with the history. Kaduna State, more than any state in Nigeria, if you take out the Yobe, Borno axis and Adamawa that suffered from Boko Haram insurgency, I think Kaduna State has suffered the most from death and destruction of property due to misuse and abuse of religion. More people have been killed in Kaduna from the words people have said than any other state. I think if you go back to history, many of you were not old enough, but I was, when Maitatsine happened. Maitatsine was a Cameroonian who came to Nigeria and started preaching. The Emir of Kano, the grandfather of the current emir, had him deported to Cameroon. Afterwards, he managed to smuggle himself back to the country and continued preaching. He was preaching a version of Islam that was intolerant, that called all other Muslims pagan, etc. In spite of what he was preaching, he began to have followers and we all know what happened. People were killed, property destroyed, a military operation had to be mounted to flush them out.

So when you have these kinds of things happening in your country, I think as leaders, we have to examine ourselves and our society and find out what we can do to prevent that.

In my opinion, it is the lack of regulation of religion that led to all these circles of deaths and destructions.

Just recently, we had the Shiite problem in Zaria, similar pattern. I believe that before you start preaching in any religion, you should have gone through a system of education, training and some kinds of certification because even doctors have to be certified, doctors are regulated – those who only deal with the physical life. What about those that deal with the spiritual?

On the initiation of the bill.

We initiated this bill from the Kaduna State Security Council based on strange sects emerging in the state. There is one around Makarfi called Gausiya. They do their Zhuhur prayers around 11am. They have different prayer times from other Muslims; this is how these things start. If you don’t resolve it quickly, they grow.

Two cases: there is one woman in Makarfi who said that Prophet Mohammed, May Peace be upon him, had been speaking with her and people started coming with their problems, sick people, and her husband just sat down in one corner collecting N1,000 consultancy fee. This is how it starts, It starts like a joke but we have to take steps to end that movement, because before you know it people will start coming from far and wide and the woman will become a problem. I think it was the report of two or three of these that compelled us in the security council to ask the question, isn’t there something to regulate preaching? Then we were told that there is a law since 1984. After the Maitatsine problem, the administrations in most states where the risk existed passed such an edict. It was a military government; Air Vice Marshal Usman Muazu was the governor of Kaduna.

It was subsequently amended several times to increase the fine or the imprisonment term because the original law had two years imprisonment. I think Col. Dangiwa Umar raised it to five years because this is a problem, we all know it.

Christian priests go to seminary, the ones I know. You spend years of training and you serve under a more experienced reverend, and so on, and learn what to say and what not to say.

Religious leaders don’t preach hatred. They preach peace, unity and tolerance in both religions. But today, we have got to a point that in my religion of Islam, anybody can wake up and start a sect, no control. In those days, from Islamiyya school, if you choose that line (to become a preacher), you have to study certain books. When you get to a certain level, they will say, go to “Gabas” (East), that is Borno.

While there you spend some years in training.

You come to a mosque, you first start by calling prayers before you even become an Imam of a mosque; and before you become an Imam of a Friday mosque, the mallams in that community must agree that you are truly learned and competent. But now, somebody can build a mosque and call himself imam and put loud speakers and start disturbing people at night.

Catholics, Anglican, Baptist, Methodists, you go to seminary. By the time you become a Catholic bishop, you have an equivalent of a PhD. Beyond your religion, you must know about other religions, philosophy and so on.

Those kinds of priests will not go and preach

Continued on Pg.82

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CICERO/INTERVIEW • THE BOND BETWEEN ME AND MY DEPUTY IS MAKING DETRACTORS UNCOMFORTABLE • Continued from Pg. 81 and we will use some of those mansions as student’s hostel and housing. We will not demolish them. So nothing is lost. By September this year, we will admit students to boarding school in Rimi College. We want to restore it to the old St. John’s glory.

hatred or ask people to kill one another. No, they are trained men of God. But in Christendom today, you all know, somebody will drink something the night before and say he is an apostle, God has spoken to him. You can’t prove God has not spoken to him and he begins to collect followers and when he starts preaching hatred, what can you do? Is that the society we want? This is the question!

The logic behind this law is to strengthen the 1984 law so that we regulate and ensure that those that are given the opportunity to preach at least know what they are doing, have a level of responsibility to develop society rather than divide it. This is our goal; we don’t have anything against anybody or any religion.

On the alleged contravention of religious rights.

Some people have argued that there is freedom of religion. Of course, section 38 (of the Nigerian constitution, as amended) is very clear; that we must not have a state religion, every Nigerian must be allowed to practice his faith or even have no faith at all.

In my speeches, I have made it very clear that I am the governor of Kaduna State, everybody that lives here, whether he is a Muslim, Christian or pagan, has a right over me as governor, to give him his rights, to protect him, to protect his religion and I will do that with every drop of my blood.

However, those that are quoting section 38 (of the constitution) conveniently forget section 45, which says that you can regulate any human right; you can restrain it if it will affect the rights of others.

You cannot say you are the only one with rights because the next man also has rights. You can practise your religion, but you cannot do so in a way that abuses the right of another. So there is nothing in this law that is not in conformity with the constitution.

There is nothing new about it rather than expanding the scope slightly and, in fact, after we sent it to the House of Assembly, I saw an article that showed us one thing that we didn’t include – blocking of highways. But that is because in the Penal Code we have a provision that we can get you. But it is good to put it there because every Friday mosques will block roads, why? We had to call them for a meeting and so that the police will be there to guide traffic.

In my opinion this is the law that we need, not only in Kaduna State, but in many states in Nigeria. I want to assure you, we just came back from the Economic Council meeting, a handful of governors asked me to send them our own law because they feel they also need it in their states, everybody is watching to see how we will handle our own.

On the allegation that the bill was inspired by the recent Shiite clashes in the state.

We sent the bill to the House of Assembly in October 2015.

Some people are saying we sent it because of the Shiite problem, no.

Honestly, we do not have any ulterior motive other than to put a frame work that will ensure Kaduna State citizens live in peace, with every one practising his religion, but disallowing every Dick, Tom and Harry to come and say he can preach.

We do not regulate as such, we are forming two committees to issue the license. It is not the government that will issue the license. It is a committee of an umbrella Christian body and an umbrella Muslim body. We will just have an Inter-ministerial committee checking once in a while and be keeping records.

For us the reaction was just disproportionate and many of the people that are talking about the law have never even read it. If you read that law, it is very short, it has 16 sections. Read it; tell me what you don’t like. Don’t say you don’t like the entire law because we know we have a problem and I am the governor and I need a solution. So don’t say the solution is not to have the law, tell me what you don’t like, we can discuss it.

Tell me what is against your religion, we can discuss it. We want to find a solution that will bring peace; we are not fixed in our position. What we are fixed about is that Kaduna State people must live in peace. Everyone must be allowed to practise his religion without let or hindrance.

We are fixed about that, we can’t negotiate that because we swore we will do that. Other than that, everything can be discussed. Are you telling me it is ok for a person to put loudspeakers at midnight and start blaring Islamic or Christian preaching and stop people from sleeping? Which verse in the Bible or the Qur’an says Jesus did that or Mohammed did that?

Are we not trying to copy them? Are they not the perfection of our various religions? Jesus says give unto God, God’s, and give unto Caesar Caesar’s. Government is Caesar.

Anyone who comes to preach, we check him and give him a permit. Those that live permanently in Kaduna, we give them license.

On the allegation that the bill is targeted against Christians.

The point is, we have enemies, we have political opponents, we have adversaries, we have people that were making money from the business of religion and we have ended it. We have said, tell us what is wrong with the bill. Even if I withdraw that bill today, the 1984 law is still there, I will still enforce it. So we don’t understand really what is going on.

The way some sections of the media had made it appear was as if the law was drafted against Christianity. For people like that, I have nothing to say except to leave the matter to God. God knows our heart, God knows what we want to achieve.

That is all I have to say.

El-Rufai

On the controversial school land recovery exercise embarked upon by the state government.

We want to recover school lands for obvious reasons. Our population is growing. We need more land for schools. Every year, Nigeria’s population increases by six million people and, already, the schools that we have are congested because the land earmarked for schools has been encroached upon by communities largely because of our carelessness because if you fence a school land, it is difficult to encroach on, but previous governments did not do that.

We started with Alhudahuda College, Zaria. Zaria is my home town. Those living in Alhudahuda College are mostly Fulanis and Hausas like me. That is where we started because Alhudahuda exhibited the most serious forms of abuse and impunity and we started from there. Now the school is clean, we are fencing it to prevent future encroachment. We moved to Rimi College and we found that most of the people in Rimi College, unlike Alhudahuda College, have titles. Alhudahuda College cost us nothing because they didn’t have title. The Nigerian Regional and Planning Act say you are only entitled to compensation if you have certificate of occupancy and development permit.

So if you have a structure without KASUPDA (Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Authority) approval, it can be taken down without compensation. You need both.

In Alhudahuda College, they didn’t have any because it was essentially some village heads or traditional rulers giving the places to people to build. Rimi College was more difficult because we found that they all had Certificate of Occupancy. So recovering the land in Rimi College cost us N380 million. We had to pay compensation because they all had titles and we had to give them alternative land. That is the law and we complied with the law even if the beneficiaries are PDP people. Most of the buildings in Rimi College will be staff housing or hostels because we want to make the college a boarding school once again. I think it is a tragedy that one of our most important boarding schools, established in 1946, was converted to a day school. So we are restoring Rimi College to be proper boarding school

The logic behind this law is to strengthen the 1984 law so that we regulate and ensure that those that are given the opportunity to preach at least know what they are doing, have a level of responsibility to develop society rather than divide it. This is our goal; we don’t have anything against anybody or any religion

On the issue of Kaduna Polytechnic.

There are other places that have not caught your attention but work is going on. The one that I am sure you will ask even if I don’t comment on is Kaduna Polytechnic and Gbagi Villa. That was not in our programme because Kaduna Polytechnic is not one of our schools.

We didn’t even know there was a problem there. The rector of Kaduna Polytechnic paid us a courtesy visit and complained that land earmarked for the polytechnic had been encroached upon.

So we asked him to write and give us the details. He wrote and gave us the details. They were given the land in the 70s, it was properly acquired. Compensation was paid; we have the records and names of those who collected compensation.

When Kaduna Polytechnic was taken over by the federal government, it became a federal property. No state governor can touch federal land. Even if I want to give land in Kaduna Polytechnic, the law does not allow me.

So these people that encroached have picked a fight with the federal government of Nigeria. When Kaduna Polytechnic approached us, we said ok, we will go and mark the buildings that encroached. The first time we tried, the people became violent and chased away our staff. We went back with the Nigerian Army and marked the houses.

This issue had come up during the tenure of late Governor Patrick Yakowa. Kaduna Polytechnic had complained to him and he went to see the extent of encroachment. He drew a line and asked them to stop it there. He drew a line and a fence was built and he appealed to Kaduna Polytechnic to leave with the encroachment since the remaining land was still significant. An interim agreement was made. The polytechnic did not quite accept. There was nothing in writing, but you cannot look at the governor in the face and say you don’t agree. But they broke the fence and continued building. Tell me, should that be allowed to stand. When we marked that, the community made a strategic mistake. The Kaduna State government has no interest in this thing other than enforcing the law, because within our territory, we have a duty to enforce the law. But we are not benefiting. It is a federal land; we are just enforcing the law and ensuring that people in Kaduna State comply with the law.

They decided as usual to Christianise it, they said El-Rufai is attacking Christians. I said they are guilty, no discussion. If they had come to meet me and say, sorry we made a mistake, let’s go back to that land, we can discuss it. But the moment you say what is being done to you, you built without development permit and you’re saying because you’re a Christian. I will demolish it! Christianity does not condone illegality, neither does Islam. You can’t hide behind a finger and say it is because you’re a Christian. The moment you put that argument with me, you failed. So, I said go and mark it. We will recover the polytechnic land for them.

Millennium City is slightly different. Compensation was paid to some of the customary title holders. In this state, as long as I am the governor, nobody will engage in illegal development and get away with it. Illegal development means building without title and building plan approval. However big you are, if you do it, we will take down the building.

On the rumour about a faceoff between him and the deputy governor, Arc. Barnabas Bala Bantex.

I have known Arc. Barnabas Bala Bantex since 1976 at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and we never even argued once. We have never had an argument because to a large extent, we think alike and we act alike. I think the problem that we are facing is that some people feel that we are getting along too well in a state where deputy governors are supposed to be spare tyres. They don’t chair executive council meetings; they don’t become acting governor when the governor is not around. Anytime I am traveling, I write a letter to the House of Assembly to say my deputy is the acting governor and he signs everything. Every letter that comes goes to him. When I am not around he chairs executive council meetings. Our cabinet secretariat told us that no deputy governor in Kaduna State had ever chaired an executive council meeting.

We operate as partners and some people don’t like it. Today with the Internet, you can manufacture any story and it can get traction. People like these kind of things. I have between my Twitter and Facebook handle over 1.5 million followers. If I want to create and mull rumour, I am in the best position to create any rumour.

Remember, some months ago, the same PDP online platform said that I insulted the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and he walked out of a meeting. It is completely false. I have never had a meeting with the president and the vice president in the same room. I always meet the president one on one and the vice president one on one.

These kinds of stories are meant to cause division and problems. I read the story talking about us having an argument over the retrenchment of workers. We have never discussed retrenchment of workers in Kaduna. People are just being mischievous, but we leave everything to God. I have never slapped anybody in my life. I am not a physical person. I have not slapped anybody, may be one of my sons who misbehaved. I don’t slap people, I fight with words. I am small, if I tried to fight with my hand, I will suffer, but with words.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

Kaduna: El-Rufai’s Controversial Religious Bill John Shiklam, in Kaduna, writes on the contentious executive bill seeking to regulate preaching and other religious activities in Kaduna State

A

n executive bill by the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, aimed at checking the activities of preachers in the state is generating controversy among Muslims, Christians and legal practitioners. The bill, titled “ABill for a Law to Substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984,” is currently before the House of Assembly for consideration and possible passage into law. It is at the Committee Stage awaiting public hearing and final presentation for Third Reading.

The bill is said to be a replication of the 1984 law enacted by the military, with some slight additions. The military government in the state at the time was said to have enacted the law to check the activities of preachers following religious riots, particularly, the Maitatsine riots, in Kano in the 1980s.

Rationale

The bill is made up of 15 sections and the promoters say it seeks to prevent both Muslim and Christian preachers from acts that could cause crisis in the state. Explaining the reason for the bill when he met with officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state, the deputy governor, Mr. Barnabas Bala Bantex, maintained that it was necessary to curb religious extremism and hate speech, adding that the government has a duty to ensure that religious violence no longer threatens the state.

Kaduna State has witnessed much bloody religious violence, which had led to the killing of many people and the destruction of property.

Bantex said the law been sought was not new but had existed since 1984, with amendments in 1987 and 1996 by the military governments, which enacted it to respond to outbreaks of religious violence such as the Maitatsine in 1983 and the riots in Kafanchan in 1987.

He maintained that there was nothing in the bill that suggested any effort to abolish, stop or limit the freedom of religion and religious beliefs, stressing that it merely seeks to ensure that religious preaching and activities in the state are conducted in ways that do not threaten public order and public safety, and to protect the rights and freedom of other persons.

Contentious Aspects

The controversial aspects of the bill, which both Christians and Muslims are kicking against, include the setting up of a kind of regulatory bodies for the two religious groups. The bill proposes the establishment of two committees, one from the Jama’atu Nasir Islam for the Muslims, and the other from CAN for the Christians. It also proposes the establishment of an Inter-faith ministerial committee, which shall exercise supervisory control over the JNI and CAN committees.

The two committees are to issue licenses approved by the ministerial committee to preachers, which shall be renewable every year, while a visiting preacher not based in Kaduna shall be issued a permit for the period of the event that brought him to the state.

Similar committees are to be set up in the 23 local government areas of the state with the aim of screening applications for licenses in the local areas and making necessary recommendations to the ministerial committee for approval.

The bill also empowers the Kaduna State chapters of JNI and CAN to keep records of all the churches and mosques, including the data of all preachers in the state. This provision does not exist in the 1984 law.

The bill restricts the playing of all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers to one’s house, inside entrance, inside the church, inside the mosque, and any other designated place of worship. The 1984 law only restricted the playing of such gadgets to one’s house and porch.

The religious bill further prohibits the playing of cassettes containing religious recordings that use abusive language against any person, religious organisation or religious leaders. It makes it an offence for any person to preach without a license; play a religious cassette or use a loud speaker for religious purposes after 8pm in public places; use a loud speaker for religious purposes other than inside a mosque or church and the surrounding area outside the stipulated prayer times; abuse religious books; incite disturbances of the public peace; abuse or use any derogatory term in describing any religion; or carry weapons of any description, whether concealed or not, in places of worship or to any other place with a view to causing religious disturbance.

Anyone found guilty under the bill shall be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine of N200,000 or both; and may, in addition, have his license revoked if he is a licensed preacher.

Mixed Reaction

The religious bill has attracted mixed reactions – while it is being condemned in some quarters, others have applauded it as a step in the right direction.

One of the groups opposed to the bill is the Kaduna State chapter

el-Rufai of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. PFN described it as an infringement on religious freedom. The state chairman of PFN, Professor Femi Ehinmidu, said the organisation was opposed to the bill in its entirety and shall do everything legally possible to ensure that the right of Christians to preach the gospel was not curtailed.

According to Ehinmidu, “The Bible commands Christians in the book of Mark 16: 15 to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature. This is the foundation and life wire of the Christian religion. We will rather obey God than man…

“Taking away our rights to preach and evangelise is telling us not to practise our religion as we are commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He maintained that even the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of worship and the “rights to propagate our religious beliefs,” stressing, “The Kaduna State government cannot claim to be wiser than the whole lot of eminent Nigerians who gave the nation the constitution.”

The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Most Reverend Dr Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, also asserted that the law was unnecessary, noting that there are many laws available to handle the issues concerning religion.

“The bill will create confusion and disharmony. Therefore, our stand is that our existing laws are enough to deal with people who use religion, tribe or sentiments to create confusion, discord and make people to commit violence against each other,” Ndagoso said.

JNI, in its reaction, said the bill was not new. Its chairman, Alhaji Ja’faru Makarfi, maintained that preaching activities were being regulated since the days of the late Sardauna. “JNI has been regulating public preaching since the era of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello,” he said, stressing that when former Governor Ahmed Makarfi tried to make a law on preaching, he was told of an existing law regulating preaching.

The JNI chairman declared support for the present administration in trying to regulate public preaching, adding that the position of JNI has not changed.

“We are solidly behind the regulation of public preaching because as Muslims, we are taught to follow rules and regulations. A Muslim preacher should not go out in the public and start abusing the citizenry all in the name of preaching,” he maintained.

Also reacting, chairman of the Kaduna State Council of Imams and Ulamas, Sheikh Abubakar Usman Babatunde, said the government ought to have consulted stakeholders over such an important issue before coming out with the bill. He said the council had met with the lawmakers, who promised to look at the bill very carefully.

“This is why, presently, we cannot say anything with regards to the bill because we have a lot to say about it. First of all, there are many grey areas in the bill, which we feel needed to be amended,” Babatunde added.

He frowned on the provision of the bill banning preaching and the use of loudspeakers after 8pm in places of worship in the state.

Legality

Legal practitioners have also given different perspectives on the legality or otherwise of the bill.

Lawyer and Executive Director of the Kaduna-based Human Rights Monitor, Mr. Festus Okoye, argued that the bill was an affront on the Nigerian constitution. He said the bill should be withdrawn, properly aligned, and represented to the Assembly for passage into law.

Okoye said almost all the provisions of the bill were contrary to

constitutional order, maintaining that section 38 of the constitution guarantees that every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in a community with others, and in public or in private, to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

According to Okoye, “This particular bill fails all constitutional tests and cannot for all practical purposes be said to be a bill which, when passed into law will be justifiable in a democratic society in the defence of public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons.

“What the bill does is to effectively recognise what it calls two major religions in Kaduna State and it is these two major religions that will determine acceptable religion, belief, worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

He added, “It is patently illegal and unconstitutional to elevate the Jama’atu Nasri Islam and the Christian Association of Nigeria to a preeminent position over and above every other religious group or association.

“The Jama’atu Nasril Islam and the Christian Association of Nigeria enjoy the same incidents of registration and incorporation as any other association registered under part B and C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act. They are associations just like any other association recognised by the constitution and the bill cannot confer them with a special status over and above any other groups similarly registered.

For the CAN, there is nothing that makes it mandatory that every Christian denomination must belong to the association.”

However, another legal practitioner, Mr. James Kanyip, insisted that the bill was constitutional. He noted that the proliferation of religious activities was worrisome, adding that public order and peace are being seriously threatened by uncontrolled religious activities.

Kanyip explained, “Many precious lives and property worth billions of naira have been lost as well. Kaduna State had in the past witnessed carnages as a result of religious intolerance. Presently, peace is fragile and relative in the state.

“Aside from the foregoing, religion is also being employed by some dubious and unscrupulous persons or preachers to perpetrate fraud on innocent and unsuspecting people. The need to balance between religious freedom and public order/peace becomes very necessary in a religiously plural and volatile state like Kaduna.”

He emphasised that though freedom of worship was a fundamental right enshrined in the constitution, the right cannot be used to suppress other rights. “One’s right ends where another’s begins,” he said.

Kanyip added that even the right to life, which is the most important and cherished human and fundamental right, is not absolute. “It is our view that if people were to practise their religions truthfully, there would not be need for the entrenchment of human rights in man-made laws like the constitution, he stressed, saying, “The religious preaching bill of Kaduna State will find constitutional anchorage under the above provisions if ultimately passed into law.

The bill is not seeking to abolish, stop or derogate the freedom of religion and religious beliefs. No, that is not its purpose. It merely seeks to control religious preaching and activities in the state for purposes of public order, public safety, and to protect the rights and freedom of other persons.”

Justification

However, justifying his decision to initiate the bill, El- Rufai explained there was no any ulterior motive to the bill other than to put a framework that will ensure Kaduna State citizens live in peace with every one practising his religion. He regretted that the state had suffered untold deaths and destructions due to misuse and abuse of religion.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Kaduna, El-Rufai said the logic behind the bill was to strengthen the 1984 law, “so that we regulate and ensure that those that are given the opportunity to preach at least know what they are doing, have a level of responsibility to develop society rather than divide it. This is our goal; we don’t have anything against anybody or any religion. “ The governor also dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the bill was proposed because of the Shiite crisis, disclosing that the bill was sent to the House of Assembly in October last year.

El-Rufai stated, “Honestly, we do not have any ulterior motive other than to put a framework that will ensure Kaduna State citizens live in peace with every one practising his religion, but disallowing every Dick, Tom and Harry to come and say he can preach…

“Many of the people that are talking about the law have never even read it. If you read that law, it is very short, it is 16 sections. Read it; tell me what you don’t like. Don’t say you don’t like the entire law because we know we have a problem and I am the governor and I need a solution. So don’t say the solution is not to have the law, tell me what you don’t like, we can discuss it.”

“We want to find a solution that will bring peace; we are not fixed in our position. What we are fixed about is that Kaduna state people must live in peace. Everyone must be allowed to practise his religion without let or hindrance. We are fixed about that, we can’t negotiate that. Other than that, everything can be discussed.”

El-Rufai stated that nothing in the bill was purposed to hurt Christians. “There is nothing in that law that prevents or infringes on the practice on religion. It seeks to ensure that those that preach religion are qualified, trained and certified by their peers to do it,” he said, emphasising, “The way some sections of the media had made it appear is as if the law was drafted against Christianity. It’s most irresponsible! For people like that, I have nothing to say except to leave the matter to God. God knows our hearts, God knows what we want to achieve. That is all I have to say.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

CICERO/ISSUE

Ihedioha

Dickson

Imo PDP Battling to Reposition for 2019 The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State is reorganising against the next general election, reports Amby Uneze in Owerri

P

eoples Democratic Party, which once prided itself as the “biggest political party inAfrica”, is today struggling to return to the position of leadership that it had occupied in Imo State for several years.

In 2011, the party in the state lost power toAll Progressives GrandAlliance, a section of which later joined other parties to form theAll Progressives Congress. PDP crashed to their worst defeat so far when at the general election last year it, again, lost the governorship toAPC.

Picking Up the Pieces

The former ruling party is trying to pick itself up after the devastating electoral outings. It is planning ahead in the hope of a possible return to power in 2019.

PDP had taken the lead in the state right from the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999. For 12 years, the party dominated politics in the state. After losing power in 2011, rebuilding the party has proved a herculean task for the stakeholders. But some ardent pillars of the party, which had controlled the soul of politics in the state, have swung into action to remove the obstacles on the way to the party’s progress.

It is a well-known fact that the level of preparation for the 2015 general elections by the party’s flag bearer for the governorship election, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, was second to none. The PDP was the party to beat in that election. But it lost at the end. The loss has largely been attributed to incompetence and anti-party activities on the part of some members of the PDP state leadership.

Overstay

Following the fact that the state working committee of PDP has outlived and even transmuted to a caretaker committee, the elders and stakeholders of the party recently decided to appeal to the National Working Committee to change the caretaker committee members, pending the congress to elect a new SEC, which comes up soon. This appeal was considered on its merits, especially as both the NWC members, elders and stakeholders of the party in the state were keen on putting their house in order.

It was widely noted that the Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie-led SWC/ CTC had overstayed in office, as its tenure ended on October 30, 2014. But due to the approaching party primaries then, the tenure was extended for three months in line with the party’s constitution.

Ordinarily, the three months’ extension expired in February last year, and since the election proper was just around the corner, the caretaker committee was allowed to function till after the election.

A chieftain of PDP told THISDAY in confidence, “But for the benevolence of the National Working Committee and plea from stakeholders from Imo State, with Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, then Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, as the arrowhead, they were converted into caretaker committee at all levels (state, local government and ward). It was reasoned then that if we go ahead with fresh congress, it would further polarise the party, especially as the party primaries at all levels (presidential, governorship, senate, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly) was around the corner.”

NWC Intervention

The PDP constitution stipulates that a caretaker committee should

stay in office for three months. In other words, the Imo State caretaker committee would have left by the end of February last year. But the NWC decided to appoint a 16-man caretaker committee, led by Hon. Vitalis Okafor, on January 29. They took the oath of office and allegiance on February 1 and commenced work immediately.

Anyaehie and his team were communicated accordingly via a letter from the PDP national secretariat signed by the national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.

According to the publicity secretary of the new caretaker committee, Dr. Chidi Onuoha, “Our activities for the past one month centred on consultations with various stakeholders across the three senatorial zones of the party: Orlu, Okigwe and Owerri. In one of our meetings at the state secretariat, Okigwe Road, Owerri, to intimate stakeholders about our findings from the various consultations and sensitisation for the forthcoming congress, the former chairman, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie, threw decency to the wind by upturning the tables and chairs with his hired thugs thereby disrupting our meeting.

“It was also a thing of surprise that Anyaehie and few of the executives took the party to Orlu High court on February 4, 2016 challenging their dissolution and the matter is now before the court.

In the magnanimity of the national chairman, he told Senator Hope Uzodinma and Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha that he will like to have a meeting with Imo stakeholders at the secretariat on Tuesday, March 8, which he did.

“On said day of the meeting, the chairman expressed his displeasure to a publication in a local tabloid in Imo purporting that he has dissolved the Imo State caretaker committee and that he has no powers to do so because they were appointed by the National Working Committee and ratified by the National Executive Committee. He listened to the views of Imo Critical Stakeholders and promised to set up a reconciliation committee to be headed by Governor Seriaki Dickson of Bayelsa State to reconcile all interests in the state. He also said that the party will set up a State Congress Committee that may not necessarily come from Imo State to liaise with State Caretaker Committee to conduct free, credible and transparent primaries for the party in the state in May this year.”

Reconciliation

Following the effort of the NWC to unite the party in the state, the state chapter last week resolved to work together in order to have a peaceful congress. The meeting midwifed by Dickson at the Bayelsa Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was at the instance of the acting national chairman of PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The chairman had on March 8 set up a peace and reconciliation committee headed by Dickson. The committee swung into action on March 9th by convening a meeting of leaders and elders of PDP in Imo State at the Bayelsa State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro. In attendance were two former governors of the state, Chief Achike Udenwa and Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Ihedioha, three serving senators – Uzodinma, Samuel Anyanwu, and Athan Achonu – former senators, former ministers and ambassadors, all former state chairmen of the party, led by the pioneer chairman, Chief Innocent Nwoga, and other leaders.

In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, the leaders pledged their loyalty to the PDP NEC and NWC. Issues discussed ranged from the leadership of the party in the state to the upcoming national convention and congresses and how to ensure peace and harmony in the party.

The meeting came up with a template for an all-inclusive- leader-

ship meeting to hold in Imo State under the leadership of Dickson.

Interpersonal issues were amicably settled and the meeting ended with a unanimous resolve by members to work as a team in moving the party forward, while noting that all feuding camps and structures would coalesce in the overall interest of party. Further, they resolved that the upcoming congresses would be conducted in a free and fair manner in line with the constitution of the party.

The meeting concluded that all members, elders and leaders of the party should unite and work for the victory of the party’s Imo North Senatorial candidate, Chief Athan Achonu, at the scheduled election.

Litigation

Not satisfied with the new caretaker committee, the Anyaehie-led SEC has taken the party and the new caretaker committee to court to challenge the powers of the NWC to constitute the committee. But the Imo State High Court sitting in Orlu judicial division a fortnight ago dismissed the application by the Anyaehie group to allow them continue in office.

Ruling in favour of the newly constituted caretaker committee headed by Okafor, the judge, Justice Ononeze Madu, held that the fact that the sacked caretaker committee was given liberty to serve for the required three months period after the expiration its constitutional tenure did not mean they should stay in office indefinitely.

The court also held that the plaintiff could not blow hot and cold, having been a product of the NWC of the party, which had decided to remove them, adding that one cannot fight the system that put him in place.

Optimism

Briefing newsmen at the party secretariat, the chairman of the new caretaker committee, Okafor, who was flanked by other members of the 16-man caretaker committee, expressed the desire to reposition the party in order to “fully apply the zoning principle of the party” and move the party to greater heights.

Okafor stated, “We are now fully ready to reposition the party, to apply the principle of zoning, and to come and take power back to the people where it rightly belongs.

“Our opponents whom I know must have joined other political parties took the party to court and by the constitution of the party, sections 58 and 59 1(c) and (g), if you take the party to court such person(s) stand dismissed. But we have decided to wave such sections aside and asked them to come back to assist in rebuilding the party.”

Okafor said, “We are not going to allow one man to control the party.”

New Caretakers

Other members of the new caretaker committee are Mr. Martin Ejiogu (deputy chairman), Mrs. Vivian Echeruo (secretary), Chief Fabian Ogbonna, Dr. Chidi Onuoha, Chief Peter Ezenwa Orji, Chief Isaac Anyiam, Engr. Innocent Ikpamezie, Chief Henry Onwukwe, Chief Eze Ugochukwu, Hon. Okechukwu Dike, Mr. Roy iwuala, Chief Ugochukwu Nnawuihe, Hon. Emma Dike, Mr. Bon Unachukwu, and Mrs. Josphine Nnoaham.

Many PDP stakeholders in the state say they are satisfied with the calibre of people selected to run the affairs of the party until the forthcoming congress. How far the new helmsmen can go in driving the party back to governance in Imo State remains to be seen.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

CICERO/ISSUE

The Ekiti Assembly Crisis Olakiitan Victor, in Ado Ekiti, examines the crisis rocking the Ekiti State House of Assembly

T

he March 4 arrest of a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Afolabi Akanni, by men of the Department of State Services has elicited much furore. It has returned Ekiti to the era of one day, one trouble, when the state occupied centre stage in national discourse.

Apprehension

About 11 members of the Assembly have fled the state for fear of being arrested by either the DSS or the police. The lawmakers addressed a press conference in Ibadan on Tuesday and claimed that some people were on their trail.

People expected that the crisis would subside after Akanni’s release on March 23.

But the crisis is exacerbating, with fierce exchanges between those loyal to Governor Ayodele Fayose and the opposition All Progressives Congress.

The first allegation from the Fayose camp after Akanni’s arrest was that an impeachment move was being plotted against the governor. Later, they raised alarm over an alleged plot to declare a state of emergency in the state. The governor himself broke the news in Abuja at a press conference.

This makes the whole crisis look intriguing and confounding.

Arrest and Rumour of Death

At first, the Assembly nearly misled the public with its declaration that four of its members had been abducted during the alleged invasion of the legislature by DSS operatives. Aside from Akanni, those listed to have been arrested and clamped in detention included Hon. Badejo Anifowose, Hon. Musa Arogundade, and Hon. Sina Animasaun. The statement created tension in the state.

The speaker of the Assembly, Hon Kola Oluwawole, while breaking the news of the alleged abduction said 18 lawmakers had been listed – out of 26 members – for arrest, so that Fayose could be impeached.

His statement sent a grievous message to members of the public, because the whole process looked similar to how Fayose was impeached in 2006 through the instrumentality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

When Akanni’s incarceration lingered and there was no hope that he would be released soon, the government of Ekiti State quickly broke a sad news that the lawmaker had died in the custody of the DSS. At an emergency press conference in Ado Ekiti by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, the government insisted that the lawmaker developed an ailment midnight, Thursday, March 16 and died at dawn.

Those that addressed the conference included the speaker, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ajayi Owoseeni, special assistant on communications to the governor, Lere Olayinka, and Akanni’s lawyer, Mr. Obafemi Adewale.

Ogunsuyi said, “We call on the DSS to immediately clarify the situation as to the status (dead or alive) of Hon Akanni by producing him physically for all Nigerians, particularly, his immediate family to see.

While we await the DSS to come up with its clarification, we urge every resident of Ekiti State, particularly the people of his immediate constituency in Efon to remain calm.”

The government added that what fuelled their suspicion was the way the lawmaker was held incommunicado, without access to family, lawyers, doctors and political associates. It said, “Information at our disposal revealed that the lawmaker developed a strange ailment at midnight and died this morning. This is a shocking news to us and we are seriously grieved.”

Ogunsuyi said the government will take appropriate steps as soon as their claim was

Akanni during the press briefing by the DSS confirmed by the DSS. But the game changed shortly after Akanni was released, as the three lawmakers alleged to have been arrested along with him resurfaced, with the speaker disclosing to the public that they were advised to go underground for their safety.

Homecoming

Shortly after the news broke out that Akanni had died, the DSS paraded him to disprove the allegation. Though, Akanni looked sickly, the fact remained that he was still alive. He was later released on March 23.

It was fanfare as Akanni returned to a historic welcome by party supporters in Ado Ekiti led by Fayose. Another arrested state official and ex-special assistant on revenue to the governor, Mr Ropo Ogunjobi, was also in the state with Fayose on that day.

Fayose came with two ex-detainees aboard a private chopper marked 5N-BRL about 3.38pm and landed at Christ’s School playground in Ado Ekiti, where they were welcomed by a mammoth crowd comprising members of the House of assembly.

Akanni, while addressing the crowd, said his arrest and detention had further fortified his loyalty to Fayose, describing the governor as a reliable leader.

He said, “What manner of democracy are we practising? How can DSS invade a House of Assembly and arrest a lawmaker with intention to impeach a governor? They even came without a warrant of arrest. Is this democracy? Is it an offence to be loyal or honest to a governor? Fayose is our leader and I can’t betray him. Ekiti people must stand behind him.”

On his part, Ogunjobi said during interrogation the DSS accused him of laundering N22 billion being amount paid on federal roads to Ekiti by the federal government into Fayose’s accounts.

“They even said I helped Fayose to launder another N1.3 billion out of the N2.5 billion ecological fund released to the state. I said all these were lies. I can’t lie against Mr Governor,” Ogunjobi said.

Fayose Condemns Dictatorship

Fayose at the event regretted that past military dictators were endangering Nigeria’s democracy, urging Nigerians not to vote them into any sensitive position to preserve democratic values. He also presented a car gift to Akanni for his loyalty.

The governor alleged, “President Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo are not democrats. They have no respect for the constitution and the rule of law. But no

matter what they do, we won’t succumb to intimidation. Today, I am excited because we have won the battle again. They took Hon. Akanni to Abuja as a captive, but he is back now as a hero, shame onto DSS, shame onto our oppressors.”

Claim of Police Invasion

Many thought the return of the detainees would put to rest the protracted crisis. But that was not to be. It took a more dangerous twist, as the governor claimed that armed policemen from Abuja had invaded the state to commence late night arrest of leaders of PDP, top government officials, and 11 members of the House of Assembly commencing from March 29.

The governor alleged that police officers, led by one CSP Mohammed Abubakar of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, were in the state in connivance with the APC, the party currently in control at the federal level, to effect the arrests. Fayose said those listed for arrest would be slammed with allegations of stockpiling arms during the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

Special assistant to the governor on public communications and new media, who made this known in a statement, said the new plot was an aftermath of the failure of the DSS to achieve the plot of coercing the House of Assembly members to impeach Fayose.

The statement alleged that the policemen were in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, with Mr. Aluko and the state APC chairman, Jide Awe. “We are aware of the arrival of policemen from Abuja to Ekiti State with the intention of arresting 11 members of the House of Assembly, two PDP leaders per local government and some other top officials of the government,” the statement claimed.

“Ridiculously, the offense for which the policemen are to embark on this indiscriminate arrest is owing to Temitope Aluko’s malicious outburst that those listed for arrest stockpiled arms during the governorship election conducted in Ekiti close to two years ago. And why is the police not arresting the APC chairman, Jide Awe, who is wanted for alleged murder and TKO Aluko, who was declared wanted by the court for perjury, and instead providing security cover for them?”

APC’s Response

But Aluko, in his response, said Fayose was only running from his shadows over his recent outburst and confessions on the rigging of the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state. Aluko, who disclosed

that he remained a member of the PDP and secretary of the party in Ekiti, said, “The APC has been petitioning me and it came as a rude shock to me when the government (Ekiti State government) said that I’m Judas.

They are the Judas anyway, because they betrayed me. I am still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. It is APC that is petitioning me over this issue I trashed out on Channels Television recently. They petitioned me, and I have stayed 12 days with SSS, five days with police and five days with the EFCC. So I’m actually on bail from these security operatives.

“During the interrogations, they asked me so many questions and as truthful as I can be, I gave them the answers, because I said I wanted to do restitution and that is what I’ve done. So if Lere is now saying that somebody is a Judas, it is Lere that is the Judas. I know what transpired between me and Lere but I won’t say it here, and Governor Fayose, if he is running away from his shadows, that is his problem.”

Aluko added, “But if Fayose is now saying all these things... I worked for him, we did everything together, he cannot deny it. And if he is now talking about glorifying somebody and calling me Judas, they are the Judas.”

Security Surveillance

APC did not take Fayose’s vituperation against Buhari lying down. The party appealed to the federal government to place the governor under security watch over his alleged attempt to bring down Buhari’s government.

The APC state publicity secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement on Monday that in the alternative, the federal government should begin a process of trying the governor for treason to prevent anarchy in the system.

The statement read, “We have heard of reports of Governor Fayose inciting the people to stone the operatives of the DSS anywhere they are seen. This is besides saying many unprintable things about the president, such as saying that he would soon die, and declaring the DG of DSS, Lawal Daura, a personal- non-grata in Ekiti State.

“It is regrettable that Fayose cannot separate his personal views as a man constantly at war with the Nigerian law from the views of lawful Ekiti people, who are ready to submit themselves to the Nigerian law where the rule of law and good governance flourish.”

“That is why the governor is wasting state resources on helicopter charter to ferry an accused person, Akanni Afolabi, from Abuja to Ekiti after which he took six pages of several newspapers on frivolous adverts to publish court records on the accused bail application and topped it with the donation of a new car to same Akanni, who is still under investigation over several criminal cases.”

Dim Prospects of Peace

On Wednesday, members of the Assembly held a special session to celebrate the return of peace to the legislature and reunification of some members. But things suddenly changed the next day with the outcry of the lawmakers in Ibadan that they had fled Ekiti over an attempt to arrest 11 of them.

As of now, the Assembly has neither been closed down nor taken over by security agents, but nothing seems to be happening there.

Members seem to be apprehensive that they could be rounded up by security agencies during plenary. What they now do is occasional press conferences. With is sordid scenario, there seems to be little hope of an early resolution of the crisis. But many blame the situation on Fayose’s style of governance and believe he must have a rethink for peace and stability to return to the state.

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CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

APC NEC Meeting of Innovations and Sober Reflection Onyebuchi Ezigbo, in Abuja, examines the matters arising from the last meeting of the National Executive Committee meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress

O

n Thursday, March 24, the All Progressives Congress held its second National Executive Committee meeting amid several contentious issues. However, whereas the build-up to the all-important meeting of the ruling party suggested an explosive encounter, what officially emanated from the leadership meeting was less controversial than generally expected.

Innovation

Some decisions reached at the meeting may have farreaching impact on the party. For instance, the party resolved to revisit the composition of the Board of Trustees and to cut down its membership. Though, the BoT was constituted several months ago with membership numbering over 100, its formal inauguration has remained in abeyance, fuelling suspicion that all may not be well with the important organ of the APC. Part of the problem was the fear about the fierce battle for control of the board, which many believed the inauguration was going to generate. The idea was to avoid anything that could compound the existing internal squabbles. Another reason for the delayed inauguration and which, perhaps, might be the main idea behind the proposal to prune down the BoT, was that it could be turned into a battle ground for 2019 political ambitions.

The idea of pruning the BoT membership was first muted at the APC National Caucus meeting at the Presidential Villa.

The party was worried about the huge membership of the BoT, which had given room for persons with various ulterior motives. The next line of action will be for the party to set up a committee to reorganise the BoT and also recommend relevant amendments to the party’s constitution.

National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke on the approval given by party’s NEC for the reconstitution of the BoT, however, did not give the number of members the party wanted in the BoT. He said, “NEC has decided to downsize our Board of Trustees in line with all other constitutional amendments. We don’t have any particular number, but it is going to be seriously downsized. The committee will be headed by the national legal adviser. We will put our heads together on that in the next day or two and there may be need to hold on a little bit.”

Another high point of the NEC meeting was the decision to approve budget limits for the operations of the party. The implications of the move by the NEC is that the leadership of the party and the National Working Committee are now to restrict themselves to approved annual budgets, against the practice of spending monies as they accrue. For some time now the party has been under considerable financial pressure with no steady means of generating income. Some APC leaders believed the party had generated huge sums of money from sale of nomination forms during the last general elections. With the approval of budgetary limits, the finances of the party will now be under greater scrutiny.

Keeping Hope Alive

The NEC meeting provided an opportunity for President Muhammadu Buhari to interface with the APC top leadership on the progress and challenges of his administration. It proved a good platform for Buhari to open-up to his party men on a number of governance issues and seek support from the party’s leaders in the effort to explain government policies and programmes.

There has been growing worries about the state of the nation, especially with the resurgent crisis in the country’s energy sector. The NEC of the ruling party is beginning to help in appealing to the people to bear with the government and promise that things would be better.

At the NEC meeting, Buhari told the party leaders to help in spreading the message to Nigerians that the change APC was working hard to enthrone might not come easy. The president restated the key promises made by the party to Nigerian electorate to the effect that it would deal with issues of security, economy, unemployment, and corruption.

Buhari said, “We campaigned throughout the country on these three fundamental issues and nobody successfully challenged us and these issues remained relevant. Again, I have to repeat myself here for you to appreciate what I am going through because you are closer to the people than myself.”

The president spoke on the state of the economy and the anti-corruption fight.

On the economy, he has said the fall in oil prices after Nigeria had made itself a mono economy was a disaster. “I wonder

Buhari

Odigie-Oyegun

why people could not believe that in Nigeria about 27 out of 36 states have difficulty in paying basic salaries of their workers. If from 1999 to at least 2003, oil was above $100 per barrel and an export of about two million barrels per day, how come Nigeria failed to make some arrangement to cushion the effect of a probably volatile oil market?” Buhari lamented.

Buhari said despite the failure of the last administration to properly manage the economy, the APC- government was ready to pick up the pieces, adding that there is no need to continue complaining. “We realised that agriculture and solid minerals are two areas that can quickly come to help us to recover economically, at least in terms of employment and feeding ourselves and more importantly, saving the hard currency to make sure that what is left of our industries remain open, employing Nigerians and producing goods and services which is very important,” he said.

Following questions among the public about the value the policy of Single Treasury Account had added to the economy, Buhari broke his silence on the matter and confirmed that over N3 trillion had been moped up in the CBN vaults. According to him, “When we insist that we have to know what comes in and what goes out, for us to make a comprehensive amendment to the economy. If you go and see the Central Bank Governor, he will tell you that in the TSA we have more than N3 trillion. Where would this money have been if TSA was not in vogue? I was made to understand that vouchers would have quickly been raised towards the end of the financial year and cheques made. Whether they are going into projects or private pockets, nobody can prove it to you.”

some new hard and soft ware and raise the morale of the military in order to secure the country. “I have said it often that as far as I know and the service chiefs who are on ground, they are not holding any local government. But they still have some capability, especially on soft targets by using technology,” Buhari said regarding the fight against the insurgents.

Another issue that the president brought before the party’s leaders was the damage to economy by vandals. He said the leaders, especially those from the Niger Delta area, where the activities mainly occur, should be part of the efforts to curb the increasing incidence of vandalism of oil and electricity facilities.

A visibly worried Buhari said the militants were sending some conflicting messages to investors by their continued sabotage of pipeline facilities.

Anticorruption Crusade

Sacrifice

Buhari further explained government’s efforts to reform the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum and track down oil thieves.

On the fight against corruption, the president expressed his frustration in trying to work within the law to prosecute suspected corrupt individuals, while at the same time acknowledging some achievements.

He stated, “I was telling a British team that came to supervise the training team they sent that when I was in uniform, you took the perceived corrupt ones and put them in safe custody and quietly told them they were guilty until they can prove themselves innocent. But now under multi-party democratic system, I see some of them ride Rolls Royce, some of them have built estates here, but they are innocent until we can prove them guilty.

“This situation is true and you don’t need to stress your imagination to find out. If you can find out, you discover that a Level 8 officer has five houses, while you, as a permanent secretary or commissioner is still living in a rented house. We have to get credible evidence to carry out successful prosecution and get judgement from the judiciary. But effort is being made to give a list of recoveries in whatever currencies so far so that Nigerians will know that it is not all about long stories.”

Security

On security, the president said his administration was making progress in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents. He said it was a courageous decision that the party took, which was executed by the executive, to remove most of the military hierarchy and appoint those to take over from them, acquire

On Election

Very importantly, Buhari used the occasion to admonish two institutions which play critical roles in the conduct of elections in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies, to help ensure that a legacy of free, fair and credible elections was bequeathed to the country. The president accepted some failings of his administration in the effort to organise violence-free elections.

He stated, “I appeal to the leadership of the military, security agents and INEC that what I want Nigerians to remember me for, even if I have to leave the Presidency tomorrow, is that I respect them. I want all Nigerians to believe and hold their PVC as personal entitlement as Nigerians and use it the way they like, and vote for whoever they like at which ever election.”

Buhari urged the leadership of APC to continue to make sacrifices and help in propagating the policies of government and the message of change, which brought them to office. In what looked like a call to also embrace transparency in the handling of its affairs, the president re-echoed an observation made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that the leadership of the party should always keep records of decisions taken at meetings.

The president said, “I know you are being harassed since the election that they haven’t seen anything on the ground. Well, if you have any explanation that could be accepted, it is that you have three more years to go. When we came in after 16 years of PDP, each government had 42 ministries. We reduced them to 24, removed 21 permanent secretaries. We sat down and reflected seriously. We were all in the process of taking over at a time of national budget. So, imagine the volume of work and with what happened in the National Assembly, the padding; it would appear that below the permanent secretaries, there are still a lot of bureaucracies that are still with them. So, you have to appreciate the position we are in.”

Challenge

What with internal dissensions and trying to restore public confidence in its change agenda, APC has been having a tough time of it lately. The party is being challenged to prove its worth in governance in the light of current difficulties confronting ordinary people. The president’s presentation at the NEC meeting was a mixture of a score card and appeal for support.

Time will tell how the issues arising from the meeting would impact on the activities of the party and the government.

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APRIL 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

Tinubu

Kachikwu

The Technocrat Versus the Godfather

Sam Akpe

A

siwaju Ahmed Tinubu is not an ordinary Nigerian politician. That is, he is not a politician in the mould of every other politician. Neither is he a businessman like all others. Wherever and whenever you place him in a crowd of politicians or business people, he stands out; not because he is physically taller then everyone in that category or that he possesses more enterprising business acumen than all of them, but because his height is commanded by uncommon values. The man is in the inside.

When Tinubu speaks, we all listen; not because we all agree with him; but because we do not want to miss whatever he has to say. His words are weighty; just like his political might; and they don’t come quite often except during political campaign era. Whether you agree with him in totality or partially, or you don’t agree with him at all, you are somehow persuaded to hear him out and perhaps make sense or nonsense out of what he says depending on your perception of him.

In the Nigerian political arena of today, Tinubu cannot be ignored. He is the godfather of many politicians; and up-coming politicians.

A few days ago, Tinubu spoke again; and even the oven started to sneeze. It was not at a political rally; nor at his 64th birthday cebration which was marked with a presidential presence last Tuesday. He spoke on the state of the nation. He did what he hardly does: he issued a statement and signed it by himself. He took on a helpless minister of state appointed by his party, the All Peoples Congress, landed him a hard knock and gave him marching orders to quit the government he (Asiwaju) laboured to put in place, if he could not deliver on the promises of the party. That is the trademark of a godfather.

For the avoidance of doubt, the big politician has done in this country what others have only dreamt of. No one can deny the fact that the present APC government at the centre is his baby. He moulded the idea of a mega party, nurtured it, brought it into being; and put it on the throne. While others sat back to speculate on who among the presidential candidates would command the ultimate national acceptance that would be forceful enough to unseat the party in power, Tinubu knew that sometimes it is not the person of the masquerade that attracts and generates applause, rather, it is a combination of the costume and the drumbeats. That is how godfathers reason.

Truthfully, Asiwaju cannot, under any circumstance be denied the credit for the emergence of Muhamadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo as President and Vice President; respectively. With a combination of both decent and foul language campaigns, he brought them to power. Unfortunately, he was denied the opportunity of crowning the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. That, according to politi-

cal observers, still remains an unfinished project. In addition, it is still not clear why none of the ministers serving in the present administration was his candidate.

It has been reliably confirmed that all his nominees were dropped for reasons that are not relevant to this discussion.

It is therefore natural and absolutely understandable for Asiwaju to be annoyed or disappointed if an administration he has played an undeniably significant role in, tends to be strolling off-course. In order to assure Nigerians that he is not in agreement with what is happening, he needed to speak out publicly and in no uncertain terms. Whether speaking out publicly in the manner he did was the right thing to do is a completely different issue. Many Nigerians have disagreed with his method of protest and the language he used, while others believe he did the right thing to publicly dissociate himself, as a party leader, from the pains the ruling party has been inflicting on Nigerians.

A little background is necessary here. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Kachikwu, had last week dropped the bombshell to the effect that the current life-threatening fuel scarcity will continue till May. He made it clear that while all hands were on deck to ensure surplus supply of the different products to the consuming public, it would only take a magician to change the situation overnight. The Harvard-trained lawyer, whose experience in the oil industry places him in a better position to handle Nigeria’s oily business, may not have known that his statement would be understood in a completely different perspective by Nigerians; particularly, the APC godfather.

Some commentators have said that the statement by the minister can be viewed from two perspectives. First, he must have spoken out of frustration; as observed

by Asiwaju himself. It was another way of saying: hey, I don’t want to make a promise and then disappoint.

This issue cannot be resolved within a twinkle of an eye. Bear with us. We are doing what we can but there is no magic about it. If the solution surfaces faster than it looks, that will be good for the nation. But no matter how long it takes, be assured that we are working hard to end it sooner than you think. We should be able to find a way out soon, very soon.

The second angle to his statement must have been an attempt to tell Nigerians the truth. For too long, we have been deceived so many times. Government is used to saying “plans are in the pipeline” to solve every emerging problem. No one knows how long the pipelines are; and when those plans will become solutions.

As someone said some time ago, such promises have often made some angry Nigerians in the Niger Delta region to start breaking the oil pipelines in attempt to sight the plans. For once, perhaps, a government officer decided to tell Nigerians the truth about the state of things.

However, Kachikwu should have been conscious of the effect that his statement would have on the populace. We all know that he is not a politician; but

as a technocrat, he should have known that every government policy determines or regulates the pace of events in the society. It is also pertinent to ask: when did telling the truth about the state of affairs become an offence? It was easy to observe that while Kachikwu, a technocrat, spoke from the heart, Asiwaju, the godfather of APC politics, spoke to gain applause. You can hardly fault the two of them. Everyone has a mission.

A few hours after Kachikwu made that statement, the cost of petrol in the ever-booming black market in Abuja went up by almost one hundred percent. Ten litres of petrol previously sold in the black market in Gwarinpa Estate at N1, 500 immediately climbed to N2, 500. All the filling stations across the city except those directly managed by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation were shut down by the owners who found the black market business far more profitable than selling the product at the official price. Thus, the negative ripple effects of Kachikwu’s innocent statement sparked a wild fire of unbearable hardship nationwide.

In a country where almost everyone has been driven into a position of fear by hunger; poverty and rampant unlawful arrests and detentions, it took someone with the guts of Tinubu to speak out. His words were stinging, tingling and scary. Some people actually believed that Tinubu was not out to intimidate Kachikwu; neither was he speaking for the masses.

The unsubstantiated feeling in many quarters, including the media, is that the former governor of Lagos State simply used the opportunity offered by Kachikwu’s unacceptable statement to express his frustrations in what is happening in the present administration, in terms of policies and directions.

Can this true? It’s difficult to prove. An incurable apolitical colleague tried to justify this assumption when he quoted Ambrose Bierce who defined politics in his The Devils Dictionary as strife of interest masquerading as a contest of principle; or the conduct of public affairs for private advantage. His thinking is that our dear Asiwaju must have been pursuing a personal agenda under the guise of fighting for public good. This however, could not be traced to his statement.

It was K. J. Parker who once said that in politics, it is what is not said that matters. In other words, you can read what has not been said from what has been said. Those who believe that Tinubu’s target was not Kachikwu but the government generally may have their own reasons. One school of thought had it that since President Buhari is the Minister of Petroleum Resources; Tinubu knows very well that attacking Kachikwu is the same thing as attacking Buhari. In addition, he knows that Kachikwu may have been merely a messenger and not the message.

Whatever the case, the political titan has made his point; and he got every newspaper screaming with banner headlines. Kachikwu has since apologised, because “to err is human.” When the godfather speaks, the technocrat bows. Case closed?

––Akpe wrote from Abuja

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

The Ironies of Oshiomhole’s Iyamo University Francis Akhigbe

W

e refer to the newspaper adverts in February for vacancies for academic and non-academic staff as well admission into degree programmes for 2015/2016 academic session of Edo University, Iyamo, in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. It would have been a thing of joy that another university has been added to the existing tertiary institutions in Edo State. But considering the present financial position of the state government and the total neglect of the already existing government tertiary institutions, one can only conclude that the establishment of Edo University, Iyamo, is not just uncalled for, it is retrogressive, untimely, a misplacement of priority and meant to serve the personal interest of the Comrade Governor. The establishment of the university is another of the several deceitful ways that the Comrade Governor has worked out.

Presently, Edo State has a university (Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma); School of Technology and Management Sciences, Usen; College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; Michael Imoudu Institute of Physical Education, Afuze; School of Health Technology, Benin City; College of Education (Tayo Akpata University of Education), Ekiadolor; College of Education, Igueben; and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Benin City.

Apart from these state-owned tertiary institutions, there are federal institutions like the University of Benin (Uniben); Federal Polytechnic, Auchi; Federal Institute of Construction Technology, Uromi; and some privately-owned ones such as Igbinedion University, Okada; Benson Idahosa University; Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa; Shaka Polytechnic; and Light House Polytechnic all in Edo State.

For a governor to even contemplate establishing another university where you already have five, three Polytechnics, two Colleges of Education, five Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, one School of Physical Education, one Institute of Construction Technology means that the governor not only lacks direction and focus, but is also clannish, wasteful and insensitive to the needs of the people.

As at today, all Edo State Governmentowned tertiary institutions are glorified secondary schools as a result of lack of adequate funding, facilities and personnel. The few capable hands in the government that would have been able to make the education sector work are not allowed to display their competence in the day-to-day running of the administration, and this is not surprising. What do you expect from an administration where the governor functions not only as the overall chief executive, but also as secretary to the state government, head of service, commissioner, accountant-general, auditor-general, and even the head of boards of parastatals?

In all the tertiary institutions owned

by Edo State Government, there are no viable projects that can be credited to the present state government.

When the management of Ambrose Alli University requested N1.26 billion from Edo State Government for the accreditation of all the courses in the university and upgrade of teaching facilities, Oshiomhole gave out a paltry N120 million. As at today, all the courses in education at AAU failed accreditation and those that were fully accredited before now have been reduced to the status of interim accreditation as a result of lack of facilities and manpower. Since he became governor of Edo State, no employment or replacement has been done in the university to fill the existing vacancies.

For the state government to establish a new university where the existing tertiary

Oshiomhole institutions are in shambles and staff salaries and allowances not paid as and when due is callous. These institutions have no potable water, no in-service training for teaching staff and no scholarship and bursary provided for Edo students.

Edo people, especially those from the Central senatorial district where AAU is located, are not taken aback by the lukewarm attitude of the governor towards the institution. He had done virtually everything humanly possible to move the university to his home town, Iyamo, but for the resistance of influential personalities from that senatorial district.

When Oshiomhole concluded the plan to establish a university in Iyamo because of his inability to move Ambrose Alli University there, he knew that it would not receive accolades from Edo people. In his crafty nature, he came up with two executive bills to the House of Assembly.

One was to upgrade the College of Education, Ekiadolor, to the status of a university to be known as Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor, and the other bill was to establish a new one to be known as Edo State University of Science and Technology, Uzairue. It is pertinent to note here that there is no particular town or village called Uzairue.

Uzairue is a clan that has about 11 villages or towns, among them are Jattu, Iriaokhor, Afashio, Afunwa and Iyamo.

In terms of population and size, Iyamo is the smallest, but that is the Comrade Governor’s village and where he chose to site the university.

Oshiomhole knew this very well, but he deliberately put Uzairue in order to douse tension or criticisms that would have trailed the siting of the university in his village. He later sent another bill to the House of Assembly seeking to amend the act establishing the Edo State University of Science and Technology, Uzairue, to Edo State University of Science and Technology, Iyamo-Uzairue (Estako West II). Within 48 hours, the amendment bill was passed into law and the university became known as Edo State University of Science and Technology, Iyamo.

In an advertorial on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 for vacancies for academic

and non-academic staff and admission into degree programmes, the name was no longer Edo State University of Science and Technology, Uzairue, or Edo State University of Science and Technology, Iyamo, as amended but Edo University, Iyamo.

The question, is when was it amended from Edo State University of Science and Technology, Iyamo, to Edo University, Iyamo? This is another deceit by the Comrade Governor. As it stands now, Edo University, Iyamo, could be considered illegal and all actions pertaining to it null and void because there is no act establishing it. It is, therefore, advisable that those that may apply for job or admission there hold on for now so that they would not be defrauded or duped.

From the outset, the Comrade had no intention to upgrade the College of Education, Ekiadolor, to a university status. The bills for the upgrade and for the establishment of a new university were passed on March 24, 2014 by the House of Assembly and the governor did not assent to the bills differently but at the same time.

How come that the Iyamo University that had no single block on ground is now ready for academic activities while the so-called University of Education(AKA: Tayo Akpaka University of Education) Ekiadolor, with existing facilities, teaching and non-teaching staff listed for upgrading, has not been able to take off as a university? Very curious circumstances that only Oshiomhole is in a better position to explain.

Since Oshiomhole changed the College of Education, Ekiadolor, to Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor, nothing has been done to reflect a university status. There are no capital projects in the institution and for the past six years, though provision has always been made in the annual budget for the college, there has been no release of the funds.

The school has a wage bill of about N86 million monthly but the monthly subvention given by the state government is N66 million, a clear shortfall of N20 million.

How would one then expect the school to survive or the workers to function efficiently when they are owed salaries and allowances? The school authority deserves

commendation for being able to forge ahead in spite of inadequate funding, lack of manpower and dilapidated facilities. It may interest Edo people to know that all the tertiary institutions in Edo State are on half subvention, hence academic activities in them are barely standard.

Referring to the passing of the Edo University of Science and Technology, Uzairue, bill, Oshiomhole was quoted to have said, “Until we have a country where the governor’s child can go to a public school, then we have not gotten there.” This was another deceit that it was a public university, whereas one of the clauses of the executive bill reads, “The Edo University of Science and Technology, Uzairue, which will operate as Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, fee-paying university will be self –sustaining and charge economic fee necessary to sustain competitive international standard.” Public Private Partnership means that the university would be managed by the state government and private investors. There is an allegation that the state government has 35 per cent interest while the private investors have 65 per cent interest in the university.

Edo people would want to know who these private investors are. Speculations are rife that there is a grand design to collapse the 35 per cent into shares of the private investor thereby making it a full blown private university.

The billions of naira so far sunk into the building of the university are more than enough to upgrade all the existing Edo State Government tertiary institutions to international standard. For Edo people not to know the contract sum and also to deprive many capable contractors of bidding, Oshiomhole adopted the Restriction Tendering Method.

In this year’s budget, N1.2 billion (about 10%) was earmarked for Edo University, Iyamo, from the total budget of N13.64 billion for the education sector.

Without doubt, the contract sums are in billions of naira and highly inflated.

We challenge the comrade governor for the sake of transparency and accountability to explain to Edo people the actual amount for the projects, who are the private investors and how much the private partners have invested in these projects.

As said earlier, the establishment of the university is a misplacement of priority and meant to serve the personal interest of the Comrade Governor. If Oshiomhole was sincere in equitable distribution of social amenities, why did he put the university in Iyamo, his home town, which is just about five kilometres away from the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi? Why did he not upgrade Michael Imoudu Institute of Physical Education, Afuze, to the status of a university?

Why did he not establish the university in the neighbouring Akoko-Edo, which presently has no tertiary institution?

Is Oshiomhole saying that Owan and Akoko-Edo people do not deserve a fair share of the dividends of democracy or is it the Comrade’s own way of telling them that they are not politically relevant in Edo State? How can it be imagined or said that Edo State Government has three universities offering the same courses?

The truth is that Oshiomhole’s purpose for Edo University is to extinguish Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma,and to make sure that the College of Education, Ekiadolor, he upgraded to a university does not see the light of day.

The Iyamo university scheme, like the Airport Road project where undisclosed billions of naira was spent on a 6.7 km road, is another conduit pipe for siphoning the state’s scarce resources. For Edo people who the governor has kept in pains of high taxation and other unholy financial assaults, it is time to act and act right.

––Akhigbe, a public analyst, writes

in from Benin City

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APRIL 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

Obiano: Two Years, Too Good!

James Eze

O

n Thursday March 17, 2016, Governor Willie Obiano marked his two years in office. There were no ceremonies. No drums. No pomp and no pageantry.

Not even the usual state banquet or the solemn high mass. In fact, the governor kept a busy schedule on that day; commissioning the House of Assembly Complex and playing host to some important Nigerians who happened to be visiting Anambra for the convocation ceremonies of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the Odumegwu Ojukwu University. He later made a cameo appearance at the presentation of a collage of reports on his two-year administration strung together by a childhood friend in a book form. The day was deliberately drained of ceremony, drained of meaning. It arrived unheralded and went by unnoticed, unmarked.

In doing so, Chief Obiano has deepened his enigma. And indeed, every-day, the governor of Anambra State makes it difficult for critics to typecast him; to pidgin-hole him. One recalls, that when he ran for election, some people had dismissed him as a mere stooge who would wait for orders from his master. But in less than three months after he was sworn in, Obiano swiftly established himself as firmly in charge; not only of the law abiding citizens but of the outlaws and the brigands, stamping out crime from the state. Obiano is like a moving target to his crictis - One moment, they paint the picture of a wasteful governor and the next day, they are forced to report that his prudence has stood Anambra out as the only state, along with Lagos, that paid March salary before Easter.

One moment they put up funny pictures of him on Faceback where he is fast asleep while standing on his feet (imagine that) and the next moment they are forced to acknowledge the three superb flyovers in Awka as worthy legacies of a hard working governor. And finally, when they hoped that he would roll out the drums to celebrate his two years of stellar performance, he withdrew into his shell and wiped away every hint of celebration in the entire state. Perplexity!

By keeping such a low profile on a day when everyone had expected him to roll out

the drums, Governor Obiano had disappointed his critics. In a manner of speaking, he had wrenched the vuvuzela of mischief away from their lips. But he had also made a loud statement with his silence. He did not only re-enforce the atmosphere of seriousness that has marked his two years in office but he also symbolically drove home the message of austerity that reflects the general mood of the country.

Indeed, to any intelligent observer, Obiano’s two years in office are steeped in symbolisms and hidden meanings. While it is easy to see the flyovers and the gleaming roads across the state, his achievements actually stretch beyond physical infrastructure. Most people who praise him for a job well done do not often remember for instance that Obiano is one of the few governors in Nigeria who have a very modern approach to governance. They may not be aware that he is one of the few who have clearly defined mission and vision statements and a concise blueprint for leading his state. Neither do most of them realise that there is not a single programme he has executed in the past two years that wasn’t conceived as a component of his blueprint. Obiano’s blueprint is so thoroughly put together that Chief Emeka Anyaoku paid glowing tributes to him in a recent function when he observed that “there are very few leaders who have strategic capacity.

And there we have in Anambra State, a leader who has strategic capacity.” The highly revered statesman didn’t end with that acknowledgment but also thanked Obiano for giving him “the reason not only to be proud but to boast.” Those who know Anyaoku will remember that he is not given to a loud praise of Nigeria’s leaders.

Again, for those who have the power of discernment, Obiano’s most memorable achievements so far may not be the massive investment inflow to the state or the agricultural revolution raging in the food belt zones or even the impressive growth in infrastructure. To this rather small group of people, it just might be in the little touches that humanise governance. It might be Obiano’s rather poignant declaration that “ana alu olu, ana alu mmadu.” This is loosely translated to “while we are building physical structures, we must also build the individual who is the ultimate beneficiary of all development efforts.”

In the past two years, he has walked this talk very well. That was exactly what he did when he donated his salaries to the poor in March last year, when he increased workers’ salaries by fifteen percent while other states couldn’t pay,

Obiano when he offered scholarship to children of Boko Haram victims, when he offered automatic employment to the first set of medical doctors who graduated from Odumegwu Ojukwu University after exercising faith for ten years to bag a medical degree, when he granted amnesty to 25 prisoners and handed each N1m to facilitate their re-integration back into the society and when he introduced the mass transit buses to ease the suffering of civil servants who commute to and from Awka to serve the state. It must be said that Obiano has shown the subtlety and nuance that elude most leaders in Africa.

Nevertheless, another silent power in Obiano’s two-year old regime is his ability to define the priorities of the people and pursue them with single-mindedness. In his Inaugural Address, Obiano had quoted America’s Max De Pree, arguing that “the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” He went on to single out the challenges of insecurity and electricity supply as the twin dragons his administration must slay to build a better state. His reading of the socio-political milieu in which his administration would function was very apt; so, was his superb handling of the challenges when he resumed duties as governor. Obiano did not waste time nor spare efforts in carving out a safer state when he launched a comprehensive crackdown on crime. He also went into credible partnerships with reputable companies like UDIPPCO, Falcon and Stanel to build independent power plants across the state that would wipe out the people’s tears over poor power supply. But while companies like UDIPPCO are busy setting

up on location, Obiano has made good his promise on security. In fact, he has done more than that. He has offered the people a new taste of freedom. Indeed, Anambra is free! The spectre of violence and fear that once ruled the state is gone. This Easter, people felt safe to roll out chairs in the open air to sip to the health of their families and friends. Elders watched with beatific smiles as their children tied the nuptials in their ancestral homes where traditional marriages are supposed to take place. Easter returnees criss-crossed the state to reunite with friends and loved ones they had not seen in decades. People no longer live in dread of what might happen if darkness caught them on the road; no longer fear cut-throat kidnappers who fleece their victims and wipe out all trails by snuffing life out of them. Freedom is here indeed!

Yet, there are also some people to whom Obiano’s most enduring legacy in two years is neither the new air of freedom nor the iconic flyovers. To this later group, the governor’s place in history was solidly earned by the re-imagination of Anambra State – the new crest or coat of arms, the new anthem, the new colours and the new flag of Anambra State. To this people, the lyrics of the Anambra anthem ignite an unusual fire in their souls and inspire a heady sense of attachment to their roots, nudging them to make a silent vow of commitment to the state. The new coat of arms on the other hand comes across as a shield of pride; embodying the intrinsic values of a proud people. To these people too; Obiano has forced a new self-interrogation and self-belief. And when they look at the rollcall of the state’s illustrious citizens, they make a silent vow not to aspire for anything less.

In all, Willie Obiano has had a phenomenal two years in office. Away from the bridges, the investments, the rise in IGR and the rating of the state as Nigeria’s safest state, there is a sea change in attitudes, in self-rediscovery and in the increasing feeling of the people that silently says ‘ oh yes, we can be great again.’ Obiano said this much in his two-year anniversary broadcast when he declared – “my Team and I have demonstrated a strong ambition for greatness. We have shown that given time and resources, we can turn Anambra State into Nigeria’s new postcard for excellence!”

––James Eze wrote from Awka (eziokwubundu@gmail.com)

Another Look at Lekki Gardens Building Collapse Raheem Akingbolu

T

he last one month has been One of the most challenging for Nigerians in recent time. At a time the government at the center is struggling to find solution to the activities of the Boko Haram group that has almost paralyzed the business and social activities in the Eastern part of Northern Nigeria, avoidable motor accidents and building collapses have begun to give Nigerians nightmares.

Before the Tuesday March 8 building collapse in Lekki, a ghastly motor accident, along Kaduna-Abuja road had killed a serving Minister of State for Labour, Mr. James Ocholi, his wife and one of his sons. Shortly after, the head of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Army, Yusha’u Abubakar, died in an auto crash along Maiduguri-Damaturu road. He was a Major General in the Nigerian Army. Then on Saturday 12th of March, the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last year’s election in Ekiti Central Senatorial District also died in a motor accident along Benin Port Harcourt road. After the Lekki Garden incident, about two or more other buildings have collapsed in Lagos recording some casualties. That all these are happening at a time the country is just having relief from frequent plane crashes that characterized the last 10 years, make the situation worrisome.

As a result of the number of lives lost in the Lekki building collapse, the unfortunate incident attracted more attention from individuals and government than other calamities that befell the country in recent time. In recent time, it was

the abduction, forced marriage and subsequent conversion to Islam of Ese Oruru, the Bayelsa State teenager, that attracted more media report than Lekki Garden incident. As Expected, the management of Lekki Worldwide Estates Limited, promoters of the popular Lekki Gardens and the contractor that handled the building were castigated for their carelessness and shoddy job.

Before the tragedy, what came to mind at the mention of Lekki Gardens was a foremost player in the growing real sector of the Nigerian economy and arguably one of the country’s fastest growing residential property developers. The fact that the company had thousands of units of houses nationwide notwithstanding, the building collapse of that black Tuesday dwarfed its growing profile. It is on record that in just four years of coming into existence, the company has redefined the concept of housing in a country with a huge housing deficit of more than 17 million. By the beginning of 2015, the company was reported to have delivered 2,500 housing units at affordable prices to owners who are not known to have issues with the houses.

Meanwhile, the company reacted instantly by regretting the accident without unnecessarily trying to shift blames. Aside issuing a press statement to formally announce the collapse, it has since followed up with advertorials in various newspapers to identify with those that lost their lives as well as those injured. In one of the commiseration messages, Lekki Gardens’ management pointedly stated their resolve to provide adequate medical care to the injured as well as paying attention to the next of kin of those that died. Though some people commended the company for the prompt reaction, many considered it a mere medicine after death.

As the Chief Security Officer of Lagos State,

Governor Akinwumi Ambode and his team must be commended for their intervention. In the interim, the governor on his visit to the scene had directed residents of the estate to relocate, pending when various test being carried on their apartments will be concluded. Before this, the governor was reported to have asked the Chief Executive Officer of the company to make himself available to the authority. An order Mr. Nyong Richard was said to have complied with immediately.

Also, the governor had on Monday announced punitive measures against officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, including the sack of the General Manager, Engr. Adeigbe Olushola, for obvious negligence and compromises they may have encouraged.

Beyond this, concerned Nigerians have urged the government to go further by ensuring that any government official found guilty of any malpractice which may have contributed to this and any other such inccident in the past is made to face the law. Despite the loss, not a few members of the public have advised government to tread with caution to avoid double standard and creation of unemployment for many Nigerians who are earning their daily bread from the company.

The question should therefore arise as to why the tragedy of March 8, 2016 occurred. What happened to a structure that was only one of the many in the area, some of which have been occupied for more than one year without complaint?

How did a company that places premium on quality and standard find itself in a situation in which it has to provide answers to the whys and wherefores of an occurrence it could not possibly have envisaged? Could the incidence that has tainted an otherwise unblemished record have

been averted?

These and several other questions become pertinent when it is considered that there hasn’t been any report of untoward developments in any of the estates developed by the same company in Ogun and Rivers states, as well as the federal capital territory. The answers to these and other questions will only be provided after a thorough investigation of the Lekki tragedy by relevant agencies of government.

Nigerians are used to stories of building collapse in areas like Idumota, Isale Eko and other thickly populated areas where old and dilapidated structures can no longer bear the weight increasingly exerted on them by the number of occupants that rise by the day. The country is by now familiar with reports of buildings that collapsed under construction in areas where unqualified contractors use sub-standard materials to minimize cost. But Lekki? And within an estate being developed by an organization that is not a new entrant?

But while observers wait for investigations to reveal what went wrong, perhaps it is worthwhile to attempt to answer an important question that may arise from the unfortunate incidence. There is, immediately, the question as to whether there was greed on the part of the owners of Lekki Gardens. This would seem farfetched, if information on the company’s operations is anything to go by.

Despite the increased attention that is being paid to provision of houses in the country today, especially by the federal and state governments, (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

90

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 3, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

RethinkingHumanitiesandSocialSciencesCurricula Tunji Olaopa

I

n an influential 1959 Redes Lecture titled ‘The Two Cultures,’ C. P. Snow, the British scholar asserts that the intellectual life of the Western society was split between the sciences and the humanities (and, we may add, the social sciences—the HSS). That is not the real issue, though. Snow’s powerful thesis is that this unnecessary rivalry is the source of hindrance to the resolution of major problems in the world. The rivalry Snow was talking about goes beyond the normal disciplinary disdain the scientists have for, say, the literary scholar. So, when asked if s/he has read Shakespeare, the scientist snorts and asks how Shakespeare’s sonnet or plays can contribute to the ongoing attempt at achieving nuclear fission for development purpose. And then the scientist counters further with the question of what the literary person knows about thermodynamics and the general law of relativity. And the predictable answer is equally that the second law of thermodynamics lacks the sublime elements that hold the society together in harmonious relationship.

What is really troublesome, according to Snow, is the perceived incommensurability between the sciences and the HSS. He calls it ‘a gulf of mutual incomprehension’ that prevents legitimate and mutually productive conversations.

C. P. Snow himself was an accomplished scientist and novelist. He ought to know what is lost in terms of values when the rivalry is allowed to get out of hand. Now translate the terms of this ‘culture war’ into the

Olaopa

context of disciplinary rivalry in Nigeria, and you ought to become immediately alarmed.

When Snow was concerned about the lack of progress within the Western society, no one can begrudge his assessment of the situation.

But a comparative analysis would reveal that Nigerian society and our development efforts are by far the worse for such a disciplinary opposition. While Snow saw the rivalry in terms of ‘culture war,’ it is appropriate for us to see it in terms of development stagnation. And this inertia is motivated by the number of polarities that populate the Nigerian society—the false binary between the mental and the manual, the university and the polytechnic, the degree and the certificate, and between the sciences and the HSS. Unfortunately, it seems not only that the

Nigerian development architecture instigated these binaries, but the latter have equally reinforced Nigeria’s overall non-performance as a developing nation. Development is about harnessing the critical mass of skills, intelligences and resources available to a nation towards economic and non-economic purposes. Each nation in the world go about such development decisions in tune with its uniqueness and contextual variables. It is interesting that all over the world today, the humanities and the social sciences are facing some really serious threat to their relevance in the age of capitalism. In essence, the HSS are not regarded as any longer relevant within the productive template created by the capitalist economic model. And capitalism stands today as the singular motivator of curricular content.

The most noteworthy example of this is the emerging STEM disciplines. STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—has been recognized, within the capitalist paradigm, as the emblematic development-oriented disciplines that any nation requires to jumpstart its national progress.

On the contrary, however, it would be a disastrous mistake for Nigeria, or any other African nation, to take the global siege against the HSS as validation for a similar action. There is a serious basis for this worry. The African policy architecture is critically afflicted by some kind of West-centric fixation that ensures that any policy direction initiated in the West gets replicated here and uncritically too. There are several such policies. We are living witness to the continuing economic effects of the Washington Consensus which those we are aping have since long abandoned.

Education and educational policy, for instance, becomes effective when they are configured within the contextual variables that make up any particular society. This, in any way, does not preclude giving regular attention to global best practices that could help us rethink educational practices in terms of research, teaching and curriculum development. Yet no nation can afford to become a slave to global best practices. And in this case, the brutal rationalization of the HSS out of development contention is not a best practice. Curriculum is critical, and that cannot be overemphasized. The calibration of social harmony as well as the instigation of the trajectory of human and national development all depends on the capacity a nation’s curricular template possesses to harvest HSS values.

The pertinent question here is: What led to the emergence of the HSS in the history of ideas? Answering this question poses a dilemma for Nigeria. This is because policy fiat has ruled the teaching of History out of the curriculum. Yet, in this instance, history has a significant lesson to impart that could orient national direction in educational matters. Essentially, history teaches that the curriculum of any educational system ought to be the very essence of cultural pragmatism.

Nigeria is a complex postcolonial reality.

It is really a surprise that we would ever imagine that it is solely the promotion of a scientific and technological education that could properly map such a complex national terrain.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

Why the Right Thing Must be Done in Saraki’s Trial Mohammed Abdulrazaq

A

s Nigerians watch with keen interest the matter involving the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on the alleged declaration of false asset, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, must do what

is right.

On December 10, 1948, in the aftermath of the World War II, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It contained this pivotal recital: “It is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law.” It went further to assert that a quality judiciary must uphold the rule of law.

Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights expressed the same principle thus: “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.” In this wise, the rule of law ensures that courts have the power to determine authoritatively the lawfulness or not of all legislative and executive conduct by the application of the written law and legal principle.

It is a known fact that the Judiciary is there to ensure that the innocent is not unjustly punished in view of his political leaning either by the opposition or within his political party.

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has made it clear that his present case before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) was not about “corruption” but “political persecution” for emerging Senate President against the calculation of some powerful forces within his own party, the APC. There is a precedent to this. When in 2011, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) considered former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a threat, they railroaded him to appear before the CCT for alleged breaches in his asset declaration forms while he was governor, without complying with mandatory procedures for such arraignment.

Nigerians read between the lines and cried

foul. The CCT did not shirk its responsibility in ensuring that Justice was done. It promptly dismissed the charges against Tinubu.

Similarly, Saraki though a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said he is being persecuted at the CCT based on the opinion of some influential party members that he emerged Senate President against their wish.

Come to think of it, Saraki became Senate President on June 9, 2015. In September of the same year, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) suddenly woke up from its slumber to discover that there were breaches in the Asset Declaration forms he filled in 2003, when he first became the governor of Kwara State.

Moreover, the CCB sidestepped a germane Section of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which provides that when such infractions, irregularities or breaches are observed in the assets declared by a public official, such an official or ex-official should first be informed of such anomalies by the CCB and be allowed to admit or deny the irregularities. It added that if the subject admits the discrepancies in writing, “there shall be no recourse to the CCT.” But in this case, as had been made clear by the lead defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, Saraki was never given the opportunity to admit or deny the alleged discrepancies in his asset declaration forms for which he is now being tried for at the CCT. He was not even made to write a statement on the issue.

This is even more worrisome in view of the fact that Tinubu had been arraigned in a similar fashion for alleged breach of the CCB/ CCT Act and the same chairman of the CCT, Justice Danlandi Umar, declined jurisdiction to try him based on the fact that the “condition precedent” for arraigning a suspect before the tribunal was not met by the CCB. This is why many Nigerians believe that Saraki has no case to answer in the present circumstances and that it will be in the overall interest of justice and enrichment of our democracy for the tribunal to strike out the case against him based on the yet unchallenged precedent it set in the Tinubu case.

For the avoidance of doubt, Section 3(d) of the CCB/CCT Act unambiguously provides that the Bureau shall: “Receive complaints about non-compliance with or breach of this Act and where the Bureau considers it neces-

sary to do so, refer such complaints to the Code of Conduct Tribunal established by Section 20 of this Act in accordance with the provisions of Sections 20 to 25 of this Act: provided that where the person concerned makes a written admission of such breach or non-compliance, no reference to the tribunal shall be necessary.”

It therefore follows that having quashed the case against Tinubu on this very premise in 2011, to rule otherwise in the Saraki case will be highly suspicious and obviously portrays the judiciary as having abandoned its fundamental role as an arbiter by conniving with politicians to nail a perceived ‘errant’ member, albeit through political persecution. If this were the case, Justice to the accused, the prosecution and the society on whose behalf the prosecutor works cannot be said to have been truly done.

Saraki has repeatedly said he is being persecuted by elements within the ruling APC for contesting and winning the post of the Senate President against the express wish and interest of an ingrained cabal within the party.

What is more? I believe that it is no coincidence that Mr. Danlandi Umar, who presided over and dismissed the charges against Tinubu is the same Chairman presiding over the Saraki case today. Therefore, the overwhelming expectation of Nigerians is that he should follow the precedent he set in the Tinubu case by declining jurisdiction to try Saraki (the tribunal has however assumed jurisdiction).

Nigerians hope that Umar would find the courage to follow his conscience and good reason in this case. For the avoidance of doubt, Justice Umar had ruled in the case between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Charge No. CCT/ABJ/1/11 on 30th of November, 2011 that “On Section 3(d), I feel compelled by the argument of the learned SAN for the accused.

It is a condition precedent for referring a charge to this Tribunal that the Accused ought to have been invited to either deny or admit the allegations against him.

“This is missing in this case as the Complainant has no such evidence of a prior invitation. It would be proper for me at this stage to simply decline further exercise of jurisdiction having held that the condition precedent to the instituting of charges against the Accused has not been complied with.

I hereby resolve this issue in favour of the Accused...” This is the right thing and proper

thing Nigerians expect Justice Umar to do despite the bandwagon of the howling mob, who will rather have the CCT reverse itself by assuming jurisdiction to try Saraki.

Why should Justice Umar do the right thing in the Saraki case? He should do the right thing by striking out the case against Saraki because it is the same type of charge, same judge, same Tribunal, same CCB/ CCT Act and same Constitution and same shirking of the condition precedent that has occurred. This is the plank upon which Saraki’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN premised his plea before the Tribunal last Friday.

Added to this is a common saying in law that it is far better for 1000 criminals to be set at liberty than for one innocent person to be wrongly convicted. The tribunal cannot afford to set a bad precedent by overruling itself.

The Tribunal must also discountenance the comments of the prosecution in this case that it decided the Tinubu case in error in 2011.

If the prosecution knew this, why has it not appealed the ruling since over five years ago?

The position of the prosecution is not only meant to set up the Honourable Members of the CCT, but to put a question mark on their past decisions in the CCT. The CCT should not also be carried away by the apparent orchestrated hypes and media trial out there shouting “crucify him, crucify him”. Though an important organ of any democratic society, the press ought to allow the wheel of Justice to grind unencumbered. It must not constitute itself into a prosecutor and judge in a case instituted before any court in the land.

To apparently blackmail the CCT in perverting justice at this time would not only jeopardize the inalienable rights of the defendant, but a gross usurpation of the powers of the judiciary to determine issues brought before them impartially and independently.

Furthermore, the press should not lend its powerful platform to be used by powerful members of the society to pervert justice by resorting to subtle blackmail of the judiciary to err in law. It must be noted that without the constant vigilance of the judiciary, our democracy, rule of law and human liberty will be greatly imperiled.

-Abdulrazaq, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Kogi State

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GAVEL TO GAVEL

Buhari

Saraki

Edited by Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

Dogara

Suspicion Trails 2016 Budget as Buhari Insists on Vetting The nation last week returned to the path of controversies which had been the hallmark of 2016 budget since its presentation on December 22, 2015 as both the executive and the legislature continued their cat and mouse game. Omololu Ogunmade and Olaseni Durojaiye write on the suspicion entertained by the executive concerning the budget passed by the legislature and also revisit the controversies trailing the budget since it was presented by President Muhammadu Buhari

W

hen President Muhammadu Buhari presented the budget estimates in December 2015, the assumption was that it will enjoy a speedy process of passage considering that the ruling party has majority members in both chambers of the National Assembly. But that was not to be. The first threat to the estimates was oil price at the international market, which at the time fell below the $38 benchmark set by the executive. But the executive allayed fears concerning that when it made known plans to improve on collection of taxes, levies, custom duties and its promise to block leakages that fuel fraud.

While the government has recorded some measure of success in blocking leakages evidenced in the discovery of ghost workers running into over 25, 000 through initiatives of the Ministry of Finance, same cannot be said of its promises to improve on tax, levies and customs duties collection. It is, however, on record that the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, promised to adequately equip the Customs Service in order that it improves on its revenue collection schedule.

Quick on the trail of that was the controversial disappearance and reappearance of the budget estimates at the Senate. The drama that followed was similar to a drama of the absurd and before long hopes that the budget will be passed by February became a mirage. As that drama reached denouement, it emerged that the document was full of errors, and all forms of anomalies leading to extension of time needed to process it.

A few days after the nation heaved a sigh of relief following the passage of the 2016 budget by the National Assembly, Nigerians last week returned to the realm of uncertainty which has characterised the budget process since inception.

The adoption of reports of the Senate and House of Representatives’ Committees on Appropriation and the eventual passage of the budget by both chambers on March 23 brought a relief to many Nigerians.

Both chambers had announced the passage of N6.060 trillion 2016 budget, the highest in the nation’s history so far. The budget had a reduction of N17 billion from the initial N6.077 trillion proposed by the executive.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, and his counterpart in the House

of Representatives, Abdulmumini Jibrin, told journalists on March 23 that the budget had been duly passed and largely cleansed of its errors, padding and duplication of figures.

In a manner that created the impression that the issue of 2016 budget had finally been laid to rest, Goje and Jibrin advised the executive to be more coordinated in the preparation of subsequent budgets. They noted that situations where ministers disowned their budgets during legislative process were not healthy for the system.

They also described the process as tedious and tough as Jibrin for instance, recalled how committee members had to shout at one another while others staged a walkout during meetings preceding passage of the budget.

The lawmakers also said the figures as presented by the executive were tinkered with, pointing out that the committee for instance, increased the budget of the armed forces, police and anti-corruption agencies in consideration of their genuine complaints.

These pronouncements were cheery news for Nigerians and they looked forward to a quick assent by Buhari and a promising 2016 fiscal year.

However, while the nation anxiously looked forward to the president’s assent and the subsequent implementation of the budget, the nation was shocked last Tuesday to see newspapers awash with stories of non-transmission of comprehensive budget to the president by the National Assembly. An unnamed source in the presidency who quoted Buhari as saying that only highlights of the budget were transmitted to him, added that the president had said he would withhold his assent from the bill until the comprehensive budget was transmitted to him.

It was learnt that the lawmakers transmitted highlights of the budget only for the president’s information with the intention to continue work on it in the background, hoping to transmit the complete document within two weeks.

It was also learnt that the National Assembly opted to quickly pass the budget just to ward off pressure from the public, having failed twice to meet its own deadlines.

Therefore, the Appropriation Bill was hurriedly passed with the intention to conclude work on it in the background, just to avoid criticisms that will trail their Easter break without passing the budget.

But there is a strong suspicion by the executive that the National Assembly has used the opportunity of the errors in the budget to pad it for their own purposes.

The position of the executive is further buttressed by the fact that the National Assembly only sent the highlights of the budget to the president without the details for assent. But the president has said he would not append his signature to the document without getting the details and proper vetting.

“Some bureaucrats removed what we put in the proposals and replaced it with what they wanted. I have to look at the bill that has been passed by the National Assembly ministry by ministry, to be sure that what has been brought back for me to sign is in line with our original submission,” the president said.

The parliament however does not see any big deal in the president giving his assent to the bill. Jibrin said it was not abnormal to send a passed budget for assent unaccompanied by the detailed information adding that it normally takes a week or two after a budget is passed for the detailed information to be ready.

“There is nothing abnormal about this practice and yet nothing abnormal for the president assenting a budget before or after seeing the details. In any case, the budget details are usually sent within a week or two after passing the budget.

“The appropriation committee needs to scrutinise the original proposal sent by the president vis-à-vis the reports of various Standing Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate to arrive at a clean copy of the budget details. This will in no way affect any envelope already passed or the aggregate expenditure,” he said last week.

How the Budget Became Mired in Controversies Since the budget was presented by the president last December, it has journeyed through several phases of controversies, a development which has continued unabated. The budget impasse began with the sudden disappearance of the budget from the custody of the National Assembly in January. The federal parliament resumed from its Christmas and New Year break on January 12 to find that the original document submitted

Cont’d on Page 92

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GAVEL TO GAVEL Suspicion Trails 2016 Budget as Buhari Insists on Vetting

Cont’d from Pg. 91

by Buhari on December 22 had developed wings. In the heat of this controversy, the presidency opted to lie to the public by insisting that the budget was intact and remained in the National Assembly.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, also made the Clerk of the House, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, to display a budget copy to create the impression that the original budget had not been swapped as the Senate had claimed.

Thus the public was held spellbound over the missing budget controversy until the Senate was forced to let the cat out of the bag some days later that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, actually swapped the original document with another. The Senate therefore insisted that it would only legislate on the original document that Buhari officially submitted to them.

Buhari Admitted Correcting Errors

The threat by the Senate worked as Buhari along with his aides who had vehemently denied secretly replacing the budget was then forced to transmit a letter to the National Assembly. In the letter, for the first time, he admitted that there were errors in the original budget that he submitted which he had now corrected. The president then asked the National Assembly to discard the first document and legislate only on the corrected one.

Eventually, the dust settled since all efforts to keep the public in the dark over the whereabouts of the budget had failed and the truth had prevailed. Hence, the National Assembly, notably the Senate, which had minced no words in telling the public the truth about the ‘missing’ budget quickly put machinery in place to commence work on the budget. Consequently, it ended debate on the budget on January 27 and suspended plenary sessions to pave the way for various government agencies and departments to defend their budgetary allocations. The Senate for instance, assured Nigerians that they would give the budget an accelerated treatment and consequently pass the document on February 25.

That announcement was unprecedented as that was the first time that any of its chambers would set a date for budget passage. While making the announcement, Goje said the decision to accelerate the passage of the budget was to enable the executive have ample opportunities to implement it for 10 full months.

Budget of Errors, Fraud and Duplication

However, little did both the National Assembly and Nigerians know that the initial controversies which forced the presidency to secretly swap the budget would not end with Buhari’s letter. The main reason which forced the executive to secretly replace the budget was the reports in the media about over bloated budget figures for State House, a situation that was said to be worse than what Buhari and his party had accused the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan of.

The presidency was said to have been embarrassed that increasing its budget above that of the previous administration sent no message of change. But in the new budget, the presidency retained the budget figure and only redistributed it to other offices. It also retained a whopping N3.9 billion budget for State House Clinic, a figure that was far higher than that of all teaching hospitals in Nigeria put together. This accounted for why a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Soludo, said the “2016 budget did not depart from Jonathan’s budget.”

After rejigging the budget, it was assumed that the document was now good to go, but hardly had the budget defence started than cans of worms were opened in the National Assembly. The budget was not only full of errors and figures that did not add up but had also been padded.

Indeed, the volume of strange figures smuggled into the budget was unprecedented in Nigeria’s budgeting history as the first budget prepared by ‘the government of change’ gave no sign of change. The situation looked so bad that many Nigerians wondered how a president who was described as a meticulous person could carry a document that he never vetted and presented it to

Adeosun

Udoma

the National Assembly and yet tagged it the budget of change.

Professor Isaac Adewole, announced that the original budget of his ministry had been distorted and loaded with strange figures. Consequently, the minister told the committee to discard the budget before it and await a new one to be re-submitted which he said would reflect the programmes of the health sector in 2016.

The revelation compelled the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, to announce an executive session with the minister with a view to thrashing out emerging issues on the budget as the minister further disclosed that there were some issues on which conclusion had not been reached by the ministry and yet allocations had been made to them without the ministry’s knowledge.

According to Adewole, the provisions of the budget before the National Assembly was in contrast with the priorities of the health sector as contained in the original budget it prepared adding that some of the votes earmarked by the ministry for some activities had been re-distributed while some important fields in the sector had been excluded.

He said: “In the revised budget as re-submitted, N15.7 billion for capital allocation has been moved to other areas. Some allocations made are not in keeping with our priorities. There is nothing allocated to public health and family health. Over the last two years, nothing has been done on HIV...

“We have to look into the details of the budget and resubmit it to the committee. This was not what we submitted. We’ll submit another one. We don’t want anything foreign to creep into that budget. What we submitted is not there. We have not reached that stage and we find the money there.”

Responding, the chairman had said given the submission of the minister, the budget before the committee was not the proposal of the Health Ministry and would therefore be of no use working on a budget that had already been disowned.

The situation continued to get messier as Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, also disclosed during the time that N398 million proposal in his ministry’s budget for the purchase of computers was a smuggled figure.

Mohammed who made the remark while defending his ministry’s budget before the Senate Committee on Information had been asked to defend the allocations of N230 million and another N168 million for the purchase of computers for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Film and Video Censors Board.

Responding, he said: “No, that is not possible. That was definitely not what was proposed. This cannot be.”

An official of the ministry then said it was actually N5 million that was proposed for the items in the original budget of the NFVCB. Responding, Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, said: “The difference between N5 million and N168m is huge.”

The case of NAN was not different. Managing Director of NAN, Ima Niboro, had expressed surprise about the N230 million for the purchase of computers as captured under “capital votes” in 2016 budget of NAN, which did not originate from the agency.

Some Cases of Padded Ministries’ Budgets

The first case of padded budget was discovered on February 1, the first day of the budget defence by the Senate Committee on Education. The committee uncovered N9,982,258,479 tucked into the budget of parastatals by the Ministry of Education.

Whereas the entire personnel cost for the ministry and all its subsidiaries including schools and colleges declined drastically when compared to that of last year, only that of parastatals increased at geometric progression by almost N10 billion. The committee suspected that the huge sum was deliberately hidden under parastatals’ personnel cost.

Thus, education parastatals’ personnel cost rose from N88.1 billion in 2015 to as high as N98.1 billion in 2016 estimate proposals while the personnel budget of universities reduced by as much as N16.245 billion, declining from N227.2 billion in 2015 to N211.0 billion in 2016.

In the same vein, colleges of education budget went downward from N40.2 billion in 2015 to N37.6 billion while polytechnics’ personnel cost which was N61.44 billion in 2015 was reduced to N58.23 billion just as unity colleges’ budget had been cut from N288.7 to N7.588 billion.

However, while the ministry itself has its own budget cut by only N244.9 million from N3.768 billion in 2015 to N3.523 billion in 2016, UNESCO Paris is the worst hit with the drastic reduction of its budget from N288.3 billion in 2015 to N7.588 billion in 2016. The discovery was made by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Sola Adeyeye, who described a situation where the personnel cost of universities had reduced by as high as N16 billion while parastatals that exist to assist the institutions had their budget increased by about N10 billion was unacceptable.

Asked to provide explanation, Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwuka, pushed it to the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Folashade Yemi-Esan, who could offer no defence but only promised that the ministry would go back and look into it. The committee therefore asked the ministry to go back and correct the anomaly and return to it.

Another instance occurred when the Health Minister,

But there is a strong suspicion by the executive that the National Assembly has used the opportunity of the errors in the budget to pad it for their own purposes.The position of the executive is further buttressed by the fact that the National Assembly only sent the highlights of the budget to the president without the details for assent. But the president has said he would not append his signature to the document without getting the details and proper vetting

Steps Taken to Clean up the Budget

The mess which characterised the budget defence compelled the National Assembly to announce a change in its initial plan to pass the budget on February 25.

Briefing journalists on the decision, Goje and Jubrin said the volume of controversies, errors and strange

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GAVEL TO GAVEL Ebonyi: A Political Storm Brews Over Speaker’s Damning Assessment of Executive

Cont’d from Pg. 93

2012 before the takeoff of the fiscal year, its implementation did not begin until July 2013 as a result of accusations and counter-accusations between the executive and the legislature.

The executive had demanded the withdrawal of a number of estimates incorporated in the budget by the legislature, saying they were not implementable. But the legislature said by its constitutional power of appropriation, whatever it did with the budget should be final. This led to a protracted battle which continued till the end of the third quarter.

Eventually, when the battle for supremacy ended in July after an amendment to the budget was passed by the National Assembly, there was no enough time to implement most of the projects in the budget.

Therefore, unless a conscious effort is made to avoid such a scenario, there may be a rekindling of the 2013 budget debacle this year which may compound the already economic hardship being witnessed by Nigerians.

What Analysts Say

Goje

Enang

figures trailing the budget did not make the proposed date feasible.

The chairmen said their position had been strengthened by the disclosure by the executive that the budget was laden with errors adding that the situation implied that they needed more time to do a thorough job and simultaneously ensure that the budget was implementable.

According to them, the situation required a good time to clean the budget of all its ambiguities, errors and smuggled figures so that in the end, a budget that is acceptable to all can proceed from the National Assembly.

Thereafter, the National Assembly fixed March 17 for the passage. Again, the parliament failed, saying the errors and mess in the budget were too huge to be cleansed within a short time. But the National Assembly was forced to pass the budget on March 23 because of the traditional Easter holiday to be embarked upon.

Some analysts said the lawmakers could have proceeded on vacation while announcing that the Appropriation Committee would continue with the legislative process instead of hurriedly passing the budget and then creating another impasse.

Jibrin announced last week that the budget would be ready for transmission within a fortnight. Therefore, the nation is left without any option than to give the lawmakers the benefit of doubt whether they will live up to their promise this time or not.

fected committee in the Senate will effect correction on it (if any) and send it to the legal department for thorough examination from legal perspective. After being certified okay by the legal department, the bill will be forwarded to the senate president for his signature.

The senate president will thereafter send it to the clerk of the Senate who will in turn forward it to the clerk of the National Assembly. The National Assembly clerk will then transmit it to the president for his assent.

But in the current situation, the reverse is the case as members of the committee who ordinarily should be on Easter recess were still busy working on the budget during the week. This was a clear deviation from the norm as it only confirmed that the document was an unfinished business at the time it was said to have been passed.

Where the Parliament Erred

Many analysts believe that the parliament erred by merely transmitting highlights of the document to the president without explaining to him why it did so, a development which led to immediate reactions from the Presidency that the president’s assent would not be given to the budget highlights.

It was learnt that the National Assembly could have saved itself the embarrassment if it had sent a note to the president that it was tidying up the budget and would transmit it to him soon.

But the lawmakers were said to have failed to disclose the true picture of the situation to the presidency, thus giving rise to an insinuation that the National Assembly was playing on the nation’s intelligence.

During the week, members of the Senate Committee on Appropriation were seen working on the budget. The committee chairman, Goje, also declined to speak on the issue while his counterpart in the House, Jibrin, dismissed the threat by Buhari that he would not sign the highlights, saying it was not the first time the National Assembly would transmit highlights of budget to the president.

According to him, budget highlights were transmitted to former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua in their days in power without making issues out of it. He argued that the two ex-presidents signed the highlights without crying wolf as it is currently the case.

However, his colleagues such as Leo Ogor, said it was an aberration for the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, to have transmitted only highlights of the budget to the presidency. They wondered why the clerk would do that against the norm of lawmaking process.

In normal circumstances, when a harmonised bill is passed by the National Assembly, the clerk of the af-

Another Battle Ahead?

Yet in faraway United States, Buhari fired a salvo, threatening that he would subject the budget to intense review after receiving it to ensure that what is eventually passed corresponds with what he proposed. This expression implies that another battle may be ahead even after the National Assembly transmits the budget to the executive.

It is a tradition in Nigeria for the executive and the legislature to be at loggerheads for several weeks after budget is passed as the executive always accuses the legislature of distorting budget proposals in the course of appropriation.

In 2013 for instance, when for the first time, the National Assembly passed the 2013 budget on December 20,

The parliament however does not see any big deal in the president giving his assent to the bill. Jibrin said it was not abnormal to send a passed budget for assent unaccompanied by the detailed information adding that it normally takes a week or two after a budget is passed for the detailed information to be ready

Though a good number of analysts, who spoke with THISDAY, predicted that the final budget to run with should be ready in a matter of days, a minority opinion envisaged yet another round of back and forth that may see the final budget not ready until “later in April”.

In reaching its conclusion, the minority opinion considered political reasons, particularly the power play within the ruling party and noted that only strangers to the practice of passing budget in the country will expect that the president will assent to it anytime soon. Though majority opinion maintained that the reasons why the president did not immediately assent to the budget was valid, they added that providing the required detailed information should not take the National Assembly more than days to come up with. They expressed confidence that the presidency was well aware of the urgency that the matter requires as the delay in passing the budget is almost grounding the economy to a halt.

Speaking with THISDAY in a telephone interview, Managing Director of Global Analytics, an investment firm, Tope Fasua noted that, “we are not strangers to budget delays; the back and forth is not new. Presidency’s reasons are valid considering that they’ve been embarrassed enough on the same matter, it’ll be stupid of the president to just sign the budget without thoroughly looking through what was passed by the executive; so I still expect another set of controversy and I see the budget being passed sometime later in the month of April.”

In the same vein, President, Oyo State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Adegoke Ogunniyi, told THISDAY that, “I think we should have a solution within the next week or two. It is important that the president ensures that all details are in place. There is need to get it right; any unnecessary mistake will be a setback for the whole process.”

Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, noted that the normal thing to do was for the Legislature to have accompanied the budget with detailed information when sending it back to the Presidency for assent adding that, “doing so now shouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.”

However, a government source who preferred not to be named insisted that he feared a “budget crisis” may be looming. Declining to put a timeline to when the final budget will be ready, he hinted that the executive may take some time going through what was sent back by the legislature.

“The executive need to thoroughly examine the budget, they have to be certain that there is no booby trap in the budget that was sent to the Presidency. Of course to do a thorough job requires some time. You are aware of the trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, bearing that in mind you will understand why the executive needs to be very careful and meticulous before Mr. President assents to the budget,” the source added.

Even though Senator Jibrin claimed that it was not abnormal to send a passed budget for assent unaccompanied by the detailed information and that there was nothing abnormal for the President assenting a budget before or after seeing the details, Yusuf told THISDAY that, “normally, detailed information should have been sent along with the budget; a summary note is not enough. I expect the president to assent to the budget in a matter of days. Presidency should also appreciate the urgency of the matter and expeditiously assent to the budget if the materiality is not significantly different.

“Of course you don’t expect that because of the urgency of the matter the president should not look at what was sent back to him to ascertain it is in agreement with his plans. What may pose a problem is if the material that was sent back to the president is significantly different from what he sent to the National Assembly,” he added.

According to Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital Ltd, Femi Ademola, “if it is taking the NASS so long to get the details ready, it should be expected a lot of changes might have been included in the budget that would require a careful consideration by the president before giving assent,” he reasoned.

“It appears that the nation is in for a budget crisis,” a Port Harcourt-based economist, Ezeh Wordu, told THISDAY on the telephone.

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GAveL to GAveL

Lingering Intrigues Take Toll on APC Parliamentary Caucuses

Omololu Ogunmade and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja report on happenings in party caucuses in the National Assembly in the past 10 months

A

ll Progressives Congress may be the majority party at the National Assembly, but the party is well aware that its members are not really in charge of affairs at the bicameral legislature.

That is whyAPC has hardly had things its own way at the Senate and House of Representatives since they were inaugurated in June last year.

The majority party has virtually left the National Assembly in the charge of the opposition, with the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, appearing to wield a great deal of influence. Intraparty wrangling is at the heart of this heavy irony.

Internal dissensions are preventing APC members of the federal legislature from caucusing for the interest of their party and pushing its agenda. Interestingly, however, it is in the party caucuses that the positions of political parties on issues are largely ventilated and decided in democracies.

Under normal circumstances, party caucuses meet regularly to take common decisions on the progress of the parties in the legislature. The decision of the caucus on important issues is usually communicated to the party for implementation.

In some cases, the parliamentary caucus can serve as the voice of the party in the public domain. It defends the interest of the party and forms a formidable tool for the resistance of the opposition’s moves in the legislature and the polity generally.

Party caucus is usually a forum for the formulation of detailed policies on issues affecting the country as well as the party at all levels. Some scholars have described it as a strategy for parliamentary action. It sometimes serves as the gate keeper between the party and the electorate.

Usually, if there is a crisis within the government or the ruling party itself, the legislative caucus quickly moves to arrest the situation by taking useful decisions that it communicates to the executive and the party’s leadership for application. The party and the government also from time to time consult the caucus for cross-fertilisation of ideas.

But the APC caucus in the Senate is a shadow of itself. The caucus is virtually non-existent, as it has lost the beauty and flavour of parliamentary discussion, which is usually a powerful weapon in the hands of members of the legislature.

While the caucus has been effectively crippled following the manner of emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President on June 9 last year, the Peoples Democratic Party caucus, on the other hand, meets regularly to forge a sense of unity among members. The PDP caucus has been a veritable platform for the members in the Senate. They hold common positions and pursue them.

Following the emergence of Saraki against the wish of his party, the APC caucus was factionalised before the inauguration of the eighth Senate. The divisions saw pro-Saraki’s camp organised under the Senators of Like Mind, and the anti-Saraki group operating under the aegis of Senate Unity Forum.

An APC senator, who spoke with THISDAY in confidence over the matter, said it had become impossible for the caucus to meet following the episode of June 9, when Saraki emerged while members of unity forum were gathered at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. According to him, the events of that fateful day in June may haunt the APC caucus throughout the eighth Senate.

“It is true that we don’t hold meetings as a result of the events of June 9. The events of June 9 will continue to haunt the Senate until the end of eighth National Assembly. Even the party has never called us for a meeting since then,” the source said.

APC senators are locked in a cat and mouse game, as enmity among them festers. Since the caucus lost the ground for unity of purpose, the need for caucus meetings has seemed to become unnecessary.

It is generally believed that Saraki, realising that his position is not threatened with the 49 PDP senators at his beck and call, does not seem to be keen on holding caucus meetings that may even aggravate the APC crisis at the Senate. This is particularly given the situation where some members of the unity forum, in search of relevance and committee chairmanship positions, are dumping the forum to align with the Senators of Like Mind. A manifestation of this was the passing of a vote of confidence on the senate president by 81 senators in July. Following the vote, the Senate Unity Forum, which had about 35 members at the inauguration of the Senate, was left with about 28 members. The trend was repeated in September, when Saraki was charged to the Code of Conduct Tribunal over false declaration of assets.

The formation was still considered unsafe for caucus meetings to be called, as 28 Senate Unity Forum members against 32 members of Senators of Like Mind at the time would ultimately not engender harmony in the APC caucus. So, both camps continued to hold separate meetings in pursuit of their group agendas.

But since then, the unity forum has continued to grow lean, especially after the composition of the senate committees.

Senators from both APC camps, Senators of Like-mind and Senate Unity Forum, however, met in the Abuja home of Senator Ahmad Sani recently to explore the possibility of forging a united caucus. Until penultimate week when a handful of members of the caucus met at Sani’s residence, the only time

Ndume

Ogor

the APC caucus met was when they found the need to fight a common enemy during the screening of ministerial nominees.

That was when PDP senators were vehemently determined to stop the incumbent Minister of Transport and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.

Both camps of APC had met at a hearing room in the House of Representatives on October 19 last year and resolved to sink their differences and unite for the confirmation of Amaechi against the stiff opposition from their PDP counterparts.

But since the confirmation of Amaechi, the two APC camps have returned to the trenches, acting like two parallel lines that cannot meet.

Leader of APC caucus and Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, admitted that the caucus had been unable to meet as a result of crisis, which polarised it into two different camps. Ndume said the crisis had made the atmosphere unfavourable for caucus meetings. But he admitted that regular caucus meetings were vital because they help to enhance the legislative business.

Ndume insisted, however, that the failure of the APC caucus to meet had not hampered legislative work in the Senate, even though he agreed that legislative activities would have been more effective if caucus meetings of the majority party were held regularly.

Ndume said efforts were currently being made to address the issues to pave the way for regular APC caucus meetings.

He added that the party had begun moves to revive some of its inactive organs.

Ndume said, “It is true that we have not been meeting. You know we have problems. Secondly, caucus meetings are sometimes decided when necessary, like the time of screening of ministers.

It is true that it is good for the caucus to meet regularly. But part of the reason we don’t meet is the division in APC, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. But we are working on it. As issues crop up, we will do that; not meeting does not affect the work of the parliament.”

He said the question of inability of the APC caucus to meet “will soon be history. You will start seeing us meeting regularly…

“We are building relationships. We are working on it so that we can start meeting. The party has called us for a meeting. We are going to have National Executive Committee meeting. We will also have Board of Trustees meeting.”

But unlike the case of APC, the PDP caucus said it had lost count of the number of times it had met. The Senate Minority Whip, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, said the caucus meetings being held by PDP since June 9 had served as a veritable platform for leadership.

The story is not different at the lower chamber since APC’s victory at the last general elections changed the power configuration in the House of Representatives. PDP, which had controlled the majority from 1999 to 2015, found itself in the minority. It was simply a swap of positions, as Hon. Femi Gbajabimaila, who used to be the Minority Leader, became Majority Leader, while Hon. Leo Ogor, who was Deputy Majority Leader, became Minority Leader.

In the seventh House, the APC was vocal in its opposition and criticism of the former President Goodluck Jonathan federal government. Now it is the ruling party.

The APC caucus in the House of Representatives had a shaky start as a result of the leadership tussle that rocked the House during the bid for the Speakership and other principal offices.

But after those disagreements, the APC caucus met on July 28 to try to reunite the members, who had been split behind the

two candidates that contested for the post of speaker, Yakubu Dogara, who emerged Speaker, and Gbajabiamila.

Dogara was sponsored by a section of the APC lawmakers known as Consolidation Group, while Gbajabiamila, who was the party’s nominee for the post of speaker, was backed by the Loyalists Group.

But Gbajabiamila said all groups within the party had collapsed into one indivisible caucus. “Thereafter, we have had series of engagements evident in smooth passage of valuable executive and private member bills. As a caucus we have gone through legislative issues with a fine-tooth comb, devoid of tribal or religious coloration,” he said.

He explained that the efficiency of the APC caucus could be seen in its ability to galvanise support from lawmakers across party lines during the recent debates on government policies.

According to Gbajabiamila, “As leader of the opposition, my job was to keep the government in check and on its toes and to proffer an alternative government. As House Leader, my role is more sober and less aggressive. It is to drive all government policies. In doing this I have tried to be as close to objective as possible and taken the larger interest of the country into consideration. This is a delicate balance and sometimes a tight rope to walk in almost every democracy.”

Understandably, the PDP caucus is now more vocal and has been quick to publicise its position on national issues. For instance, while the caucus expressed its support for the anticorruption fight of the federal government, it noted that the fight was onesided and seemed to be aimed at PDP members, and meant to silence the opposition.

The caucus brought the matter of the recent invasion of the Ekiti State House of Assembly by officials of the Department of State Services, who also arrested four members, to the floor at plenary. Led by Ogor, the caucus was able to get the House to unanimously condemn the action of the DSS, regarding it as a violation of the legislature’s sanctity.

The PDP caucus has also been vocal in calling on Buhari to clarify his economic policy in the face of the economic crisis occasioned by dwindling crude oil prices.

“As Deputy Majority Leader, my responsibility was driving and defending government agenda, but being Minority Leader is completely different. Now I am in a position to expose the government where I see things are not the way they ought to be, or where they are going wrong, and support the government where we think they are doing well,” Ogor stated.

He added that because it was more challenging to be in the opposition, the caucus must be active to always act in the interest of the party and its members and foster unity and strength.

Ogor said, “It is important as opposition not to be silent, because the country is our constituency and the beneficiaries of government policies are the Nigerian people. A scenario where the economy is dwindling, stock market is crashing, unemployment is high, exchange rate remains high, shows clearly that the government does not have an economic policy.

But we have elected them and they are supposed to be there for four years. We would not just criticise them, but we have to demand that they give us clarity on where they are going.

“It is not just anAPC government, but a government of Nigeria.

So as opposition, we are a part and parcel of the government, as we represent our people. So that is the politics, different from the era when we supported or defended everything the government was doing.”

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Ebonyi: A Political Storm Brews Over Speaker’s Damning Assessment of Executive Some remarks by the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly on the floor of the Assembly regarding the competence of the governor’s appointees have generated rifts between the legislature and the executive.

Benjamin Nworie, in Abakaliki, reports

A

controversial comment by Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Francis Nwifuru, on the competence of the commissioners appointed by the state governor, Mr. David Umahi, has raised a political storm.

Controversy over the alleged remark by Nwifuru that some of the commissioners are lazy and incompetent appeared to die down soon after it was publicised. But it gained fresh intensity after it was reawakened in some quarters more than three weeks later.

Probe

The resurgence of the issue may not be unconnected with the recent committee set up by the Speaker to probe the contractors hired by the administration of the former governor, who is now senator for Ebonyi North senatorial district, Dr. Sam Egwu, to construct the World Trade Centre and the Kpiri Kpiri/Nwofe road. The projects are currently abandoned.

Probing the contractors and, by implication, the secondary client, Egwu, is seen as an attempt to ridicule the former governor.

At a plenary last month, Nwifuru set up a nine-member committee led by the deputy speaker, Rt. Hon. Odefa Obasi Odefa, to investigate some projects executed by the past administrations. The speaker noted that the aim of the exercise was to find out from the contractors why the projects were abandoned since the inception of the present administration.

Projects Under Investigation

The committee was mandated to investigate, among others, two projects abandoned by Egwu, namely, the 10-storey World Trade Centre and Kpiri Kpiri/Nwofe road.

Over N2 billion is said to have been spent on the projects, yet THISDAY gathered that they were still far from completion.

The immediate past governor, Mr. Martins Elechi’s projects, being investigated include the Centenary City and the internal roads in the city, the International Market and the internal roads, Sharon/Iboko road, Offerekpe, Ukawu and Ezillo Water Schemes, and Offerekpe/Offenakpa road.

Nwifuru directed the committee to summon all the contractors that handled the projects. The committee was expected to submit its report within two weeks.

Controversy

In an uncontrolled outburst, the speaker had alleged that all the commissioners in the executive council appointed

by Umahi were indolent and inept. The statement, which raised a storm of angry reactions, resurfaced in the public domain recently, even though Nwifuru had denied it. The reappearance of the issue is seen as an indication that the Assembly is gradually drifting to another round of controversy.

Some concerned stakeholders have cautioned the speaker to desist from making statements that could heat up the polity. The stakeholders described the speaker’s denial as a betrayal of public trust, as evidences abound that he actually said the things he was accused of saying.

One of the concerned persons, who spoke in confidence because of the controversial nature of the issue, lambasted the speaker, alleging that he is not only unqualified to hold any political office, but also lacks the moral grounds to accuse anyone of incompetence because he is standing trial for corruption and was arrested recently by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

He likened Nwifuru’s comments to “pot calling kettle back”.

Others contended that the speaker was a mere political “errand boy” and an accidental politician, who smuggled himself into the corridors of power just because of some “loopholes”.

The controversy generated by Nwifuru’s comments appeared to calm after the denial by the speaker, who claimed he was misquoted. But it seems certain that he has stirred up a real hornet’s nest. There are fears that it is an issue that may culminate in Nwifuru’s ouster because many people are aggrieved, especially in his populous Izzi clan.

Outburst

The outburst is seen as a fallacy and hasty generalisation meant to tarnish the image of the state executive council.

During the plenary on March 8, after the presentation of the interim report of the oversight functions of some house

Nwifuru (left) and Umahi

committee chairmen, the speaker was furious and said the lawmakers should live up to expectation by “checkmating” the activities of the commissioners.

Nwifuru told his colleagues, “In the ministry you are the chairman. The commissioner is just like your secretary. We need to checkmate, oversee whatever they are doing and to make sure they are doing it in a proper way. I am only seeing Ministry of Power and Works doing well. Other ministries are like the commissioners are not performing.

“But the House of Assembly members are not also performing because they are not doing anything. Nobody is serious. Nobody is issuing query. They need to be properly investigated. All of them need to be properly investigated.

We should investigate their activities and make sure they are brought to book; that all of them are performing their duties and if they are not performing, we recommend for their sack.

“We shouldn’t say that we are honourable members and the commissioners are trying to tarnish the image of the state. There is no local government election as far as I am concerned and you are the ones that will pay the price. Especially in the agric, see how much the agric commissioner is getting and nothing is happening. The Commissioner for Agric will give you story from now till tomorrow.”

The speaker said the commissioners were incompetent and unable to drive the transformation agenda of the Umahi administration, despite the huge financial resources being pumped into the ministries. Since the outpouring of what some have called personal vendetta against some executive council members, Nwifuru has faced angry reactions from various quarters.

The outburst has heated the polity.

Rift

The reason behind the speaker’s damning assessment is unclear, but it has caused a faceoff between the legislature and the executive, and everyone is watching the emerging drama with keen interest.

Though the speaker exempted the Commissioner for Works, Fidelis Nweze, and his power counterpart, Emma Uguru, from the list of “incompetent” commissioners, the question on the minds of many people is why Nwifuru decided to pick on the commissioners with such ferocity. Some have wondered whether the speaker took time to examine or visit the ministries before arriving at his conclusion.

Objection

Some members of the Assembly have also condemned Nwifuru’s vituperations on the commissioners, calling it an aberration and a calculated attempt to cause political logjam by pitting the legislature against the executive. They also see the speaker’s comments as an attempt to portray the

legislators as opposed to the governor and the ruling party in the state.

The speaker’s controversial assessment came barely three months after some of the commissioners were honoured during the Annual Ebonyi State Merit Awards instituted by the governor to reward and recognise exemplary and dedicated leadership and achievement in the state. This has fuelled suspicion that Nwifuru may not be favourably disposed to Umahi’s achievements and may have used the negative assessment of the commissioners as a metaphor for reservations about the governor’s competence.

Though the Assembly members seemed to defend the speaker when the battle raged, the controversial statement also indicted them as people who do not know their job.

Since Umahi appointed and inaugurated his cabinet, he has expressed confidence in the calibre of men and women in his team. He has always described them as people of proven integrity, many of whom are renowned scholars in various disciplines.

It the constitutional responsibility of the legislative arm to check the executive through oversight functions, but jumping into hasty conclusions is what many have condemned in the attitude of the speaker. The speaker, many believe, should have been patient and allowed the legislators to carry out their oversight functions and lay their reports on the floor of the Assembly before commenting on the performance or otherwise of ministries, departments and agencies.

But judging by the disposition of the speaker, it appears he was ready for war, or there were some commissioners that he might be out to discredit.

Skirmish

This conflict between the legislature and the executive started a few months after the inauguration of the commissioners, when the speaker first summoned three commissioners to appear before the Assembly to clear some issues in their ministries. The invitation did not go down well with the governor, who retorted that the Assembly had no right to summon his appointees without his knowledge or passing through him.

Though, the invitation was not honoured, it signalled the beginning of a supremacy battle between the legislature and the executive in the state.

Having not succeeded in that effort, Nwifuru seemed to bent on fanning the embers of discord when he declared the commissioners incompetent and lazy, threatening to recommend their sack, if they continued to be a “parasite” to the government without justifying the huge sums of money being spent on their various ministries.

There are fears that Nwifuru’s comments may kick off another round of crisis in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.

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UNITED FOR OMOTOLA REMEMBERING THE DEAD L-R: Guest Speaker/Lecturer, 10th year Memorial anniversary celebration lecture of late Prof. Jelili OmoL-R: Ms. Aramide Wright; Iyalode of Lagos State, Mrs. Fatima Tinubu; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu; Mrs. Ibidun Oshodi, and Founder, Pinefield School, Lekki, Mrs. Morayo Fadipe, during the one year remembrance prayer held in honour of late Mrs. Silifat Borishade in Lagos...recently PHOTO: Akinwunmi Ibrahim

tola, Justice Chima Centus Nweze; National Legal Adviser, All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN), and the Board Chairman and former Deputy Governor of Delta State, Prof. Amos Utuama, during the annual Lecture in honour of Late Prof. Jelili Adebisi Omotola, at Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos... yesterday PHOTO: Kola Olasupo

Nigeria Still Has Heroes and Effective Civil Service, Say Mabogunje, Ofeimun Abimbola Akosile

Against the backdrop of collapsing leadership and national values which have made corruption and its allegations rampant in high places, two foremost Nigerians, poet, Odia Ofeimun and Professor Emeritus, Akin Mabogunje, have said that Nigeria still has heroes who can compare with those of other lands.

In the same vein, the Nigerian Civil Service, they said,

has prospect which would make it to go places. They made this known in separate forewords to two new books written and just released by former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications, Dr. Tunji Olaopa.

The books titled ‘Labour of Our Heroes Past’ and ‘Civil Service and the Imperative of Nation Building’ were published by Bookcraft Publishers in Ibadan.

“It (the book) is a painstaking exposition of the

travails of managing change in a society quite desperately in need of prime movers.

The desperation, as a virtual fabric of the whole society, is clearly the reason that the author is ready to grant the outstanding performers in our midst, the feat-makers, so to say, the status of culture heroes,” said Ofeimun.

In his own foreword on the book “Civil Service and the Imperative of Nation Building”, Mabogunje, who is the first African to be elect-

ed as a Foreign Associate of the United States’ National Academy of Sciences, traced the chequered history of the Nigerian civil service, and said the book “has taken on the challenge of delving into the workings of the Nigerian Civil Service.” He added that “Indeed, the structure of most of the essays in the volume is certainly a critical notch above the conventional public commentaries that populate our nation’s newspapers,” he added.

One Year after, APC Administration Has Not Fared Well, Says PDP Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

One year after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the presidential elections held March 28 last year, the leadership of the PDP has said that Nigerians are yet to reap the fruits of good governance.

The party noted that though the period is not ripe enough to pass a conclusive judgment on the performance of the current APC administration led

by President Muhammadu Buhari, it believes things are not going on well at the moment for the country.

Asides from the crusade against corrupt practices and the fight against Boko Haram which it has made remarkable impact, the ruling party is presently battling with economy and finding solutions to the

dwindling oil price. It is also faced with the crisis in the energy sector with electricity supply pummeling and fuel shortages resulting in the return of long queues at the petrol stations.

In an exclusive interview on telephone with THISDAY in Abuja yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said the APC and its administration may have brought the problems upon themselves by their “lack of focus and diversionary tactics, engaging in imaginary wars and pettiness in handling of issues.”

“We believe that there should be concerted efforts by leadership of this country to get to the bottom of the problem that they have. Some of them have been created by them through lack of focus, diversionary tactics, engaging in imaginary wars and pettiness in handling of issues. This has led to the neglect

of what is important while mundane issues are elevated and that is why we are having the problems we have now,” he said.

While commenting on the state of the nation in the last one year, since the PDP surrendered power to APC, the PDP spokesman said his party has restrained itself from taking on the administration as an opposition party should in the hope that it will provide the leeway for the government in power to put its acts together.

“Yes, they have not done well at the moment and nobody can argue that they have done well.

For us in the PDP as we are rebuilding the party, we hope and we pray that the leadership of this country, the President and the people around him, will strive to do things better because whatever they do and however well they do it will impact on

the fortunes of our country. It is not the fortunes of APC or that of President Buhari.”

On whether the present scenario is presenting the PDP with an opportunity to regroup and possibly regain power in 2019, Metuh said: “we are not in politics just to win power; we are in the business of providing good governance and rendering service.”

“So we must not insist on winning power. We must not win always. If this government performs very well and Nigerians feel they have done well they can continue. What we have been busy doing in the last two to three weeks is to make arrangements for our party’s congresses and convention and to get it ready for the challenges of the next general election 2019. So we have looked at the government as an opposition party.”

Bayelsa APC Suspends Silva, Four Others Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Bayelsa state chapter has suspended the former state governor and its gubernatorial candidate in the last governorship elections, Chief Timipre Silva.

Silva and the leadership of the state executive of the party led

by Chief Timipa Orunimighe has been embroiled in a face-off over nominations for federal appointment slots allocated to the state, with the latter accusing the ex-governor of selling the slots to

the highest bidder.

Orunimighe and other members of the state executive last week brought the complaint before the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun who asked the warring parties to hold their peace and allow the party use its internal conflict resolution mechanisms to try to resolve the dispute.

However, in a statement issued yesterday signed by Orunimighe and the state secretary, Daniel Marlin, the state chapter said: “after due consultations

with relevant stake holders and elders in the state, the Bayelsa state executive committee at an emergency meeting today (yesterday) took the painful but necessary decision to suspend our flag-bearer in the 2015 governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva pending the investigation of the following cases brought against him.”

The main reason given for the suspension of Silva is anti-party activities.

The statement said: “We have it on good record Timipre Sylva,

last week Tuesday precisely, paid a clandestine visit to one of the South-south Governors of the PDP; this is just one of the series of correspondences between them and we find it grossly unbecoming.”

“This is in direct breach of Article 21, under ‘Offences’ in the party constitution which states in section 2, ‘Anti-Party activities or any conduct, which is likely to embarrass or have adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute’ is punishable.

NIPR: Buhari’s Image-laundering Efforts Good for Nigeria Chineme Okafor in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to relaunch Nigeria’s image before the global community will be beneficial to the country’s development targets, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), capital city chapter, Dr. Tayo Hasstrup has said.

Hasstrup told journalists when the NIPR recently had its meeting in Abuja that Nigerians would have to support Buhari’s efforts in this regard by adopting characters that guarantee national integrity across board.

This, he added, would ensure that the president’s image laundering efforts do not go in vain but adds to the credentials with which she could use to attract investments and goodwill from the rest of the world.

According to him, citizens of the country would have to support the country and its government in every way, have deep trust and confidence in each other and be part of efforts

to make it work for them.

Hasstrup said on the sidelines on NIPR’s official launch of the chapter’s magazine that: “If we can’t have a national conference, what the present government is doing will be a direction for NIPR and indeed all Nigerians to support.”

“Image laundering and policy is very important, but the president is already helping us in the aspect of image laundering. He is a man of integrity, a man the developed countries believe in and you can see him travelling all over. As the number one citizen, he is helping us to relaunch our image all over the world.”

He stated that the NIPR would as a professional body, create programmes and policies that will further support the government’s attempts at laundering the country’s image, and thus called on Nigerians to support the government’s anti-corruption fight which he said would reposition the status of the country in the global fight against graft in governments.

Fire Guts Olam Nigeria but No Casualty Recorded, Says Spokesman Clement Danhutor

Olam Nigeria said yesterday that there was a fire incident at its RANONA Factory at Isolo in Lagos, which manufactures juice and dairy products. The company however added that the fire was contained and “fortunately all staff members were able to vacate the building and there were no fatalities.”

According to a statement issued by its Head Corporate and

Government Relations Ade Adefeko, ‘the fire broke out at around 2pm and we immediately alerted the Lagos State Fire Service, as well as the Federal Fire Service andLagosStateEmergencyManagement Agency (LASEMA).

In parallel, we had immediately initiated our in-house fire and safety procedures to get staff to safety. We also mobilised our fire equipment to contain the fire as far as we were able until the arrival of the emergency services.

Edo First Lady for IDPs Workshop

Edo State First Lady, Iara Oshiomhole will on Tuesday April 5, flag-off the training of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Uhogua. According to a statement by the Executive Director, Media and Public Affairs, John Miyaki, “in the first phase of the 10-day training, about 160 students would be involved, and 20 laptop computers, 20 sewing machines, and 20 cooking machines would be deployed for the training and subsequently managed by the Camp Director.

“The training will feature basic ICT skills such as MS, Word, Excel, Computer appreciation, and introduction to the internet. In the creative arts, there would be basic tailoring, bag making, shoes and sandals. There would be fish farming, snail farming and vegetable farming and lastly there would be creative and food processing while other available IDPs not participating in the training would be involved in sporting activities,”

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ROTARY FAMILY HIGH-LEVEL CONDOLENCE L-R: District Governor Nominee, Rotary Club District 9110, Dr. Wale Ogunbadejo; President, Rotary Club of L-R: Former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd); former Amb. to USA, Prof. George Obiozor; SenatorBenObi,andsonof the deceased, Mr. Olumide Braithwaite,duringacondolencevisittothefamilyoflate Dr. Tunji Braithwaite at their Victoria Island residence in Lagos...recently PHOTO: Mubo Peters

Isolo, Mrs. Lolade Tempitope-Ogungbe; Sen. Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, and Principal of Comprehensive Senior High School, Isolo, Mrs. Adeola George, at the Rotary Club of Isolo’s family breakfast session in Lagos... recently

Online Job Applications Drop by 46.44% Amid Rising Unemployment in Fourth Quarter James Emejo in Abuja The number of online job applications in the country fell sharply to 170,453 in December 2015 from 318,233 applications in October of same period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has stated.

It noted that although the number of vacancies rose slightly between October and November, from 4,620 to 4,696, the index also fell sharply in December to 2,563, representing a decline of 44.52 per cent relative to October.

Meanwhile, unemployment rate in the period under review climbed to 10.4 per cent compared to 9.9 per cent in the previous quarter.

Out of the 76.96 million active labour force in Q4, a total of 22.45 million persons were either unemployed or underemployed, compared to 20.7 million in Q3 and

19.6 million in Q2.

Nevertheless, trade and services sector accounted for the largest number of online applications which were made as well as accounted for the largest number of vacancies.

According to the Fourth Quarter Online Recruitment Information released by the statistical agency in collaboration with Jobberman, a foremost online recruitment firm, the power/energy and travel/tourism industries received the most applications per vacancy, receiving 461 and 366 respectivelymaking them the most competitive industries to apply for on the Jobberman website.

According to the report, the active online applicants were predominantly well educated male, representing 67.77 per cent - with 77.61 per cent being educated to degree level or higher.

However, this figure was only 22.34 per cent for those under the age of 20, the NBS added. It noted that Lagos State accounted for the largest share of applications and vacancies.

The NBS said there was a notable decline in the number of applications received on the Jobberman website in Q4 2015.

“From a peak of 318,233 in October, which was slightly higher than the 313,694 received in September, it fell by 69,886 in Novem-

ber, and then by a further 77,894 in December, when the number of applications was 170,453. This decline in the number of applications represents a 46.44 per cent drop relative to the peak number of applications in October, it stated.

But in spite of the reduction in online job applicants, unemployment rate further rose in the period under review and despite several initiatives by the current administration to boost employment generation.

Fan Milk Excites Consumers

As Nigerians celebrated the Easter holidays, Fan Milk Nigeria, a leading manufacturer and marketer of healthy, nutritious and safe frozen dairy and non-frozen dairy food products hosted families to a fun day out tagged Fan Milk Easter Fiesta recently at Elegushi beach, Lagos. The event was one of several brand initiatives to deepen consumer engagement and cement the leadership of the Fan Milk brand across market segments. Speaking at the event, Fan Milk Nigeria Marketing Manager, Wole Elusakin, said the Easter fiesta was a way to reward its loyal and new consumers during the holiday period. He added that he was pleased with the active participation of families in the beach games and competitions.

Mimiko Goes Tough with Oil Palm Plantation Vandals Ondo state Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has warned illegal occupants of the adjudged largest oil palm plantation in West Africa, the Okitipupa Oil palm Plc to steer clear of the plantation, declaring that the endgame has come for them.

Giving the warning at the weekend, Mimiko said with the 27.5km Ajagba-Iyansan road unveiled earlier in the week, sanity would be restored to the plantation, as the availability of the road would put paid to the activities of the illegal occupants who have been thriving on the limited access to the plantation through the waterways.

Mentioning some of the advantages of the newly unveiled road to the host community and the environs, Mimiko said the largest plantation of the Okitipupa Oil Palm Plc is sited along the Ajagba-Iyansan route.

Noting that the road actually passes through the plantation, he said the cost of transportation from the plantation which was

limited to the waterways had been a major issue militating against the smooth operation of the company. He thus warned that the illegal occupants should steer clear of the plantation.

Counselling the unwanted occupants, the Governor said they would need to engage themselves in other legal and productive activities “as no responsible government would fold her arms while the people’s collective patrimony is being brazenly and wantonly occupied with a dangerous level of desecration by criminals and vandals.”

Promising that the new road would be maintained properly, Mimiko acknowledged the various issues associated with frequent distresses and damage to roads such as high water table especially in the southern senatorial district, adding that government has come to terms with the imperativeness of a strong, virile, tractable and proactive direct labour agency.

UN to Relocate Humanitarian Coordination Centre to Maiduguri NCS Seeks End to Tanker Drivers’ The United Nations has said it duguri had become necessary nificant challenge that the crisis She said nearly 15 million ci- Menace on Port Access Roads would relocate its humanitar- considering the humanitarian presents. This will also ensure ian coordination centre to Maiduguri to enable it respond effectively to the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram insurgency in North-east Nigeria.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms Fatma Samoura, stated this at the end of her humanitarian situation assessment visit to Borno yesterday, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report. According to her, the move would also enable them have direct access to affected areas.

Samoura told NAN that the relocation from Abuja to Mai-

situation at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and communities hosting them.

“I have decided that the centre of coordination be moved from Abuja to Maiduguri and UN senior staff members will be deployed accordingly. In the weeks to come, seasoned and top-notch staff members will be deployed to really cater for the needs of the IDPs and the host communities.

“This is in order to scale-up support and enhance coordination of our humanitarian response in the light of the sig-

that they are closer to the IDPs, emergency management bodies and the state authorities,” Samoura said.

She described the situations at the IDPs camps as “appalling”, noting that the UN would scale-up efforts towards ensuring that the affected persons got first hand attention.

According to her, “the situation in Maiduguri is critical; there is the need for all development and humanitarian actors to scale-up their support to complement efforts of the Borno Government.”

vilians had been affected by the insurgency, resulting in over 2.2 million people being displaced with Borno most affected with two million IDPs. Samoura, who is also the UN Development Programme Resident Representative, said close to two million people were still residing in host communities and their coping mechanisms had begun to be eroded.

“We know that the ongoing insurgency puts the lives and livelihoods of civilians at risk; these people are in urgent need of support to rebuild their lives.

Seaman’s Aromatic Revamps 40 Hand Pump Boreholes in Four States Clement Danhutor

Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps, the leading drink from the stable of Grand Oak Limited, recently partnered Tulsi Chanrai Foundation to empower communities to take responsibility for their safe drinking water sources.

The company did this by establishing an effective village level operation and management system of hand-pumps in

four focus Local Government Areas of four different states in Nigeria. The project commenced in October 2015 and was concluded in November 2015.

The communities that benefited from the CSR initiative were Anambra West LG of Anambra State; Tarka LG of Benue State; Obanliku LG of Cross River State, and Ekiti West LG of Ekiti State.

The hand pumps were

handed over to the benefiting communities to manage with their own resources by building capacity at the community level with massive support from the State and the respective benefitting Local Governments. In addition to the water project, sanitation and hygiene practices were also encouraged in these communities.

In each of the LGAs, a Technical Officer with expertise in repair and maintenance of

hand pump boreholes and community sensitisation skills was positioned for a period of one year. The officer would coordinate with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs) in the communities to develop capacity of the communities by training inhabitants in preventive maintenance, environmental sanitation and promotion of hygienic practices within the communities.

John Iwori

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stressed the need to end the menace of truck drivers to the operations of the nation’s seaports, especially the ones situated in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos.

The service, saddled with the statutory responsibility of revenue generation, antismuggling and trade facilitation said the trucks have constituted a hindrance to effective port operations.

To this end, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Command, Comptroller Benjamin Aber has directed owners of articulated vehicles to evacuate their trucks from the access roads to KLT. The CAC also asked tank farms owners operating around the command to relocate their tank farms as their operations have over the years hindered the free flow of traffic in the terminal under the purview of the command.

He also warned against

tanker drivers using the federal road from where MTN mast is located to the jetty as a parking space for their trucks. To ensure that the directives are not flouted by those concerned, the CAC said law enforcement and securities agencies would be in place to ensure compliance.

Aber, who stated this in a meeting attended by officials of NCS, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Nigerian Army and others in his office, said the measures were taken to find a lasting solution to the roads block by tankers.

He expressed regret that the drivers parked their trucks on the road without minding the needs of other road users, pointing out that these actions have exposed KLT to hazard.

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I formerly known and addressed as MISS GINIKANWA GERALDINE NWOGA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS GINIKANWA GERALDINE EZENAGU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.