Sunday 5th February 2017

US Justice Department Appeals Court's Stoppage of Travel Ban Homeland Security complies with court order Demola Ojo with Agency Reports The US Department of Justice has appealed against the suspension of President Donald Trump's travel ban on people

from seven mainly Muslim nations. The move seeks to reverse Friday's ruling by a federal judge in Washington state. Judge James Robart ruled that there were legal grounds to challenge the ban which came

into effect through an executive order by President Trump.

Judge Robart, who was appointed by George W Bush, granted a temporary restraining order after hearing arguments from the states of Washington

and Minnesota that President Donald Trump’s order unlawfully discriminated against Muslims and caused unreasonable harm. His temporary restraining order on Friday halted the ban with immediate effect.

The state department said it was reversing the cancellation of visas that took effect after President Trump's order which bars citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US for 90

days, all refugees for 120 days and indefinitely halts refugees from Syria.

The reversal of the revoked visas means tens of thousands Continued on page 6

Multilateral Funding for Transmission Projects Averages $1.3bn ...Page 10 Sunday 5 February, 2017 Vol 21. No 7962

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Ibori Returns to Rousing Welcome by Kinsmen Met with DSS on arrival in Abuja

Omon-Julius Onabu in Oghara, Dele Ogbodo in Abuja, Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City, and Sylvester Idowu in Warri In an extraordinary demonstration of affection, friends and relatives of Chief James Ibori came out in their thousands yesterday to receive him as he returned to Nigeria after serving a jail term in Britain.

His arrival was greeted with wild jubilation at his Oghara home, in Delta State, in an emotional

welcome home event organised by his kinsmen, supporters, and political associates.

The former Delta State governor met with the Department of State Services in Abuja on his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard a British Airways plane. DSS director-general, Lawal Daura, who confirmed the meeting, told newsmen, “He met me for a short debriefing session and way forward. Also, to welcome him Continued on page 6

NDDC MD: Despite $40bn Expenditure, Commission Failed to Realise 15-Year Master Plan Ndoma-Egba urges more partnership with states Olawale Olaleye The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere, at the weekend said, notwithstanding the expenditure of a whopping $40 billion on capital projects, the commission has failed to realise its 15-year master plan.

The $40 billion represents 80 per cent of the $50 billion required to implement the vision for the oil-rich region.

See THISDAY Style Inside…

Ekere gave this revelation at a three-day retreat of the commission in Onne, Rivers State, where the chairman of the NDDC Board and former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, advised the NDDC to cease seeing member-state governments as competitors but as development partners in the overall interest of the region.

He, however, contended that for the commission to maximally realise its potential, it must firstly confront and tame what he described in his paper as the “dangerous beasts” that Continued on page 6

IBORI RETURNS Former Delta State Governor James Ibori acknowledging cheers from well wishers ...yesterday

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

PAGE SIX NDDC MD: DESPITE $40BN EXPENDITURE, COMMISSION FAILED TO REALISE 15-YEAR MASTER PLAN are stalling development and progress at the commission.

“The NDDC master plan originally required 15 years to implement at a cost of $50 billion. The region has received $40 billion over the past 10 years and sadly, there is little evidence to show for the sums spent. Poor governance of self and institutions are at the heart of public sector delivery challenges,” he said, adding that the result of such a posting was disheartening.

Giving some practical approach to tackling the NDDC challenge through his power-point presentation, Ekere, who claimed to have drawn inspiration from JK Rowling, author of the Harry Porter franchise, who recently released a movie, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, identified

seven vices he reckoned were at the root of the NDDC challenge.

He listed the vices to include pride/humility, gluttony/ temperance, sloth/diligence, envy/kindness, greed/charity, wrath/forgiveness and lust/ chastity, arguing that the impact of these vices on development was evident in the parity evaluation amongst Nigeria, China and South Korea, with the two other countries leaving the nation behind in terms of development indices after 50 years of starting at a competitive level.

He also identified some of the implications as “poorly delivered infrastructure that decays rapidly; lack of social services to the citizenry; pervasive poverty and resurgent militant attacks on oil and gas installations, which leads to pollution of

the environment and reduced income to the government and the NDDC.” These elements he described as the beasts at the commission, he further noted, had affected majorly, the organisational performance, financial performance as well as the NDDC master plan, the three of which he further broke down into smaller and comprehensible sub-headers.

But to tame the menace, he came up with a 4-R cage solution that could help address the challenges faced by the board. They are Restructuring, Reforming, Restoring and Reaffirming. All of these, he claimed, would help control the debt offspring, constrain daily operations in line with the rules, chart a new course for the board and ultimately,

reiterate its commitment to doing that which is right at all times.

Ekere also said with about N1.2 trillion contingent liabilities on its balance sheet, the NDDC needed to find ways to free funds for urgent development projects and programmes in line with new strategic focus, in addition to effective deployment of the 4-R cage.

Corroborating Ekere’s position, the General Manager, External Relations at the Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mr. Igo Weli, said contrary to insinuations that Shell was not paying what it should for the development of the region, it had so far paid N135 billion and $1.1 billion with the current exchange rate differential.

He also mentioned other areas the company had played its support part like the joint

reconciliation of statutory payments, which comes up once in two years; project/ activity specific partnership and collaboration like the Ogbia/ Nembe road and the support work of National Assembly committees on the region.

In the same vein, representative of NEITI Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, also hinted at some of the remittances the agency had paid to the NDDC, a majority of them not accounted for. According to NEITI FASD report of 2007 to 2011, he said about N7.4billion funds allocated to 9 states were not accounted for.

In addition, he said about 22 projects were duplicated and valued at N1.188 billion, even as he claimed companies were underpaid by $390 million in the years under review. He,

therefore, urged the commission to embrace cooperate governance that is built on openness, efficiency and accountability.

In his remarks, however, Ndoma-Egba said, “We must be partners, development partners to state and local governments, and not competitors. Therefore, our vision should be the creation of a regional economy with drivers that will be youthfriendly as a motivated, educated and empowered youth remains the real source of any nation, not oil or mineral resources.”

On the flip side, he said “An ill-motivated, uneducated and un-empowered youth, on the other hand, will be a curse and a danger to the nation.

We, therefore, have a sacred responsibility to make our youth a real resource and a blessing to our region and country."

IBORI RETURNS TO ROUSING WELCOME BY KINSMEN John Nani; chairman of Sapele council area, Ejaefe Odebala; chairman of Ethiope West, Solomon Golley; chairman of Okpe council area, Prince Godwin Ejinyere.

Others were the managing director of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, William Makinde; a commissioner on the board of DESOPADEC, Pius Ovbije (POC); senior special assistant to the governor, Chief Emmanuel Ighomena; national president of the UK branch of Urhobo Progress Union, Chief Emmanuel Ganiga; chairman of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Moses Ogbe; and member representing Okpe constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori.

Apparently, the crowd of relatives and friends awaited a rousing speech from Ibori.

But on arrival at his residence, he entered his sitting room to acknowledge thundering cheers from the people, including children who had managed to squeeze themselves into the notso-spacious living room. He was taken inside shortly afterward by some close associates, who pleaded with the people to let him have some rest after a tedious journey from the United Kingdom.

There was a conspicuous absence of PDP national officers in all the reception for Ibori, who wielded a lot of influence in the party before his troubles started.

But an aide of Ibori, Chief

Ighoyota Amori, who was senator for Delta Central senatorial district, said the return of the former governor was an important development for Delta politics.

Amori said, "We are happy that Ibori is back, people are jubilating, the crowd you are seeing here, the enthusiasm that has been displayed today show that we really missed him.

"This is the only way for us to appreciate that our leader who left us long ago is back. His coming is the beginning of so many good things to come. By his presence today, l am sure, we are gaining back all we have lost.

"Ibori remains in the Peoples US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT APPEALS COURT'S STOPPAGE OF TRAVEL BAN Democratic Party, but it is not time to discuss politics, all his of people whose visas were not implementing the affected agree with the ban. They know Washington and Minnesota, were followers around are members physically canceled after the sections of the executive order,” if certain people are allowed in likely to succeed. Washington of PDP." issuing of the executive order said acting press secretary Gillian it’s death & destruction!” The state Attorney General Bob Also speaking to newsmen, may now travel freely. A justice Christensen. “DHS personnel Trump administration argues Ferguson argued the ban was Mr Lovett Idisi, member repredepartment official said 100,000 will resume inspection of travel- that the travel ban is designed unconstitutional. senting Ethiope East and Ethiope "Folks who had visas, folks visas had been revoked under ers in accordance with standard to protect the US. West Federal Constituency, Following the judge's ruling, who were allowed to travel were the ban. State department figures policy and procedure.” thanked God for the safe return Of Ibori. "We prayed that all our However, in a series of tweets the International Air Trnsporta- denied that right without any put the number at 60,000.

PDP fateful should be steadfast The US government moved yesterday, President Trump tion Association, a worldwide due process whatsoever - that's now that we have pure political swiftly yesterday to comply wrote: “The opinion of this airline industry trade group, un-American and unconstitudirection. Their support has not with the federal judge's order so-called judge, which essentially cited US Customs and Border tional," he told the BBC. been in vain, I believe now that Washington Solicitor General halting the immigration ban. takes law enforcement away Protection in telling its members our leader is out, we will now The Department of Homeland from our country, is ridiculous to follow procedures "as if the Noah Purcell said the focus of have a sense of direction, we executive order never existed." his state's legal challenge was Security announced the suspen- and will be overturned!” are sheep with shepherd right Customs officials told airlines the way the president's order Trump also wrote: “When sion of all actions to implement now. In my constituency, we the immigration order and said it a country is no longer able to that they could resume board- targeted Islam. now have somebody to consult Courts in at least four other will resume standard inspections say who can, and who cannot ing banned travellers. Qatar without travelling overseas."

Ibori was governor of Delta of travellers as it did prior to , come in & out, especially for Airways, Air France, Etihad states - Virginia, New York, MasState from May 29, 1999 to May reasons of safety &.security – big Airways, Lufthansa and others sachusetts and Michigan - are the signing of the travel ban.

29 2007. He was arrested by the also hearing cases challenging said they would do so.

“In accordance with the trouble!”

Economic and Financial Crimes Judge Robart found that President Trump's executive He added: “Interesting that judge’s ruling, DHS has susCommission on December 12, pended any and all actions certain Middle-Eastern countries legal challenges launched by order.

2007 and charged with theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering. However, in December 2009, a federal high court sitting in Asaba discharged and acquitted him of all the charges of corruption brought against him by EFCC. But in 2010, about three months after former President Goodluck Jonathan came to power, Ibori was again accused of embezzling N40 billion while serving as governor of Delta State. In April 2010, he, reportedly, fled Nigeria, prompting EFCC to request the assistance of Interpol. He was arrested on May 13, 2010 in Dubai by Interpol following an international arrest warrant issued by the United Kingdom.

Ibori fought against his extradition to the UK and sought political asylum in Dubai, which he was not granted, prompting his extradition to the UK in 2012 to face corruption and money laundering charges. He was on April 17, 2012 sentenced to 13 years imprisonment by Southwark Crown Court, which were to run concurrently and the period he spent in L–R: Bride’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; the couple, Dr. Mekam and Mrs. Chinazo Okoye; include jail in the United Arab Emirates.

Groom’s mother, Lady Okoye, Chairman, Quits Aviation (Execujet), Sam Iweajoku; former Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti; and Groom’s father, His houses, luxury cars and other Sir Vin Okoye, at the wedding reception for Dr. and Mrs. Mekam Okoye at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos ...yesterday properties were also confiscated. back to his fatherland. We are also meeting soon to discuss issues of interest affecting the nation.”

Oghara, the capital of Ethiope East Local Government Area, had been electrified since the people got wind of Ibori’s imminent return following his release from prison last December 21.

But his appearance yesterday in the town about 3.30pm, in a convoy, brought the community to a fever pitch. The town was agog with jubilation as the crowd of kinsmen and associates of the former governor sang and danced from Oghara junction,

along the Warri-Benin expressway, where they had waited for him, to his country house. The crowds erupted into a loud and long session of praise songs and prayers as the convoy entered the palatial compound.

Leading the praise and prayer session were the pioneer chairman of Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Pius Sinebe, and other PDP members in the state. Among them were Chief Ighoyota Amori, Chief Ben Ibakpa, and Chief Ejaife Odebala, who is the chairman of Sapele Local Government Area. As they

sang, prayed and praised, they shouted, “Our great leader is back!”

There were musicians and musical stands at different locations to entertain people.

Security operatives, especially the police and youths wearing blue-and-white uniforms specially designed for the occasion, had a hectic time controlling the crowd.

Although, Ibori was earlier rumoured to be arriving home via the Osubi Airstrip at Okpe near Warri, he came through the Benin airport from where a long motorcade accompanied him to

his Oghara residence, passing through the Oghara Township Stadium to Ibori Road. A large crowd that had been waiting for hours at Osubi Airstrip immediately dispersed after learning that the ex-governor had flown to the Benin Airport.

Those who were at the Osubi airport to receive the former governor included council chairmen, members of the state House of Assembly, appointed office holders, traditional rulers, and youths. Among them were the Secretary to the State Government, Victor Ovie Agas; Commissioner for Environment,

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SUNDAY COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

ON CJN, PRESIDENT BUHARI MUST ACT NOW! It’s time for the President to name the Chief Justice of Nigeria

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nlike the heads of the executive and legislative arms of government who are elected into office, the head of the judiciary is by appointment. And to avoid undue politicisation, the constitution provides that “if the office of Chief Justice of Nigeria is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until the person holding has resumed those functions, the President shall appoint the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court to perform those functions.” Such is only done in acting capacity pending the substantive appointment to the position, which “shall be made by the President on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), subject to the confirmation of the Senate.”

Meanwhile, in line with the provision of section 231 of the constitution, the NJC, headed by the immediate past Chief Justice, Mahmud Mohammed, had recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari the appointment of Justice Walter Onnoghen for the position.

But instead of forwarding the name to the Senate, President Buhari decided to exercise his constitutional powers by appointing Justice Onnoghen as the acting CJN. The appointment, which is for a mandatory period of three months, will lapse this week Friday, February 10, 2017 although Section 231(5) of the constitution states that an acting chief justice can still be reappointed for another three months by the president on the recommendation of the NJC. While the delay has been blamed by the Presidency on the ongoing investigation of the nation’s judges, including Supreme Court Justices, allegedly linked with corrupt practices, the explanation has been rejected by many interest groups who believe that the investigation, which commenced with the dramatic arrest of some judges in October last year, ought to have been concluded by now.

That perhaps explains the widespread speculations that the presidency is scheming not to forward Onnoghen’s name to the senate for confirmation.

In as much as we do not support corruption, whether in the executive or judiciary, the vacancy in the post of the CJN should not be made to wait endlessly for some so-called security clearance

Letters to the Editor

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S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITOR VINCENT OBIA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

ll the CJNs since 1979 were appointed on the basis of seniority. It is particularly noteworthy that all the eight appointed since 1987 were Northerners. This has led to the unfortunate conspiracy theory being widely propounded by senior lawyers that President Buhari may be plotting to reject the nomination of Justice Onnoghen so as to pave the way for Justice Mohammed Tanko, a northerner who is next in rank in the Supreme Court.

First, we must state that there is nothing unprecedented in appointing a CJN in acting capacity as President Buhari has done. In 2007, former Chief Justice Legbo Kutigi acted briefly due to the deferment of his confirmation by the senate. Section 231 of the constitution makes provision for such appointment but even that cannot excuse the tardiness with which the Buhari administration handles practically all critical appointments.

In as much as we do not support corruption, whether in the executive or judiciary, the vacancy in the post of the CJN should not be made to wait endlessly for some so-called security clearance. We cannot afford to treat the appointment like that of Mr. Ibrahim Magu who was allowed to hold the post of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in acting capacity for over six months before sending his nomination to the senate for confirmation only to be followed by a damning letter from the State Security Service (SSS) a few months later. Unfortunately, the federal government has not learnt any lesson from that embarrassing debacle that is yet to be resolved.

Coincidentally, Justice Onnoghen is the only serving senior judge to have ruled in favour of Buhari in his long march to the presidency. In 2008, Onnoghen joined Aloma Mukhtar and George Oguntade (both retired) in dissenting the outcome of the 2007 presidential election, in which the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was declared winner. The only other judge to have ruled in Buhari’s favour, Justice Sylvanus Nsofor of the Court of Appeal, now also retired, was recently nominated to the ambassadorial list, along with Oguntade.

Therefore, in view of the unnecessary controversy which the delay in the appointment of the CJN has caused, we call on President Buhari to send Justice Onnoghen’s name to the senate for confirmation this week. Even though the senate is on recess, we appeal to the senators to convene an emergency session for the confirmation hearing. And the federal government must put its house in order by ensuring that the nomination is not frustrated in the senate by any diabolical security report.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

IN PRAISE OF KWALI AREA COUNCIL

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n this era of recession, most government agencies, departments and ministries are experiencing hard times as they solely depend on federal or state allocations for their projects, salaries and other services to their citizens.

Surprisingly, the situation is different in Kwali Area Council of FCT where the proactive approach to governance and ingenuity of the Area Council Chairman, Mr. Joseph Shazin have enabled them to stay afloat, and meet basic obligations.

Having realised the difficulties associated with the current recession, mainly from the fact that federal government’s allocation to the council have dwindled, Shazin along with his team adopted several strategies aimed at generating revenue internally. The major reason is to supplement the meagre resources they receive on a monthly basis from the federation account.

To achieve this feat, the Kwali Area Council adopted several strategies, and one of them is to identify internal revenue sources. In doing this, market fees, business premises fees, liquor fees, sand drainages fees, forestry fees, environment fees, development and land fees are being charged and utilised for developmental purposes. Other areas they have identified towards rejuvenating the council’s economy include animal husbandry fees and health services fees.

Though they encountered initial challenges after the chairman came with the innovative ideas, the decision of the area council to provide mobility for the revenue department towards enforcing the new policy has substantially improved compliance by residents of Kwali Area council as most remote areas are now accessible.

Similarly, in a bid to meet the target already set by the chairman

a deliberate effort was made to sensitise the residents on the need to support the internal revenue generation drive of the area council.

Today, most of the residents have come to terms with the imperative of discharging their obligations to enable the area council reciprocate in the provision of basic amenities.

On assumption of power, Hon. Joseph Shazin demonstrated sufficient political will by reiterating the need for all the council personnel to redouble their efforts to raise the revenue profile of the area council. First, he ordered the renovation of the Kwali town hall and the resultant effect is increased patronage and revenue for the area council.

Apart from setting up a revenue generation committee, Hon. Shazin has ensured close and regular supervision of the revenue committee’s activities and this has enabled the council chairman not only to

meet his target for the council, but is now well-positioned to deliver on his campaign promises to the Kwali residents.

Another unique approach adopted by the council is the involvement of the council’s senior personnel, including the elected councilors, in addition to the provision of adequate working tools for the implementation.

The willingness to utilise the internal revenue generating capacity of local governments has been a herculean task in the country, and with the single-minded effort of Hon. Shazin, Kwali council is now in the forefront of changing the dynamics.

In addition to his other initiatives, Shazin’s administration has established a timber market, cattle market at Yangoji, a mechanic village, and the totality of these efforts have led to 100 per cent increase of the area council’s internally generated revenue between 2015 and 2016.

Therefore, it is remarkable, and

indeed commendable that Kwali Area council under Hon. Joseph Shazin is a shining example for other local governments in Nigeria to emulate. By doing so, they will serve their various communities better.

It is important to state here that over the years most local governments in Nigeria have become drain pipes that hardly fulfill their obligations to the citizens. Now with the leadership being provided by the Kwali council in showing the way, there is no further justification for other local government councils to fail in their responsibilities.

In a nutshell while the Kwali area council is feeling the impact of recession like other public institutions and Nigerians generally, the fact remains that the innovative policies of the Shazin administration has greatly helped to cushion the effects on the residents.

––Chukwudi Enekwechi, Abuja.

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SUNDAYNEWS

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

Your Plans to Retake Power in 2019 Won’t Materialise, APC Tells PDP Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

FOR A BETTER NAVY R-L: Chief of Policy and Planning, Naval HQ, Rear Admiral JA Ajani; Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki; Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral IE Ibas, and Naval Secretary, NHQ, Rear Admiral SAG Abbah, at the 2017 budget defence for the Nigerian Navy in Abuja...recently

Multilateral Funding for Transmission Projects Averages $1.3bn Chineme Okafor in Abuja

Multilateral funding windows currently available and used by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to upgrade existing, as well as build new electricity transmission networks are now about $1.364 billion, the company’s former acting Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Atiku has said.

Atiku, who the Federal Government last Friday failed to confirm as the substantive ManagingDirectoroftheTCN, told reporters at a recent press briefinginAbujathatthemultilateral funding mix were from the World Bank, Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD)/French Development Agency, Eurobond, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

HisreplacementwithUsman GurMohammedbythegovernment as the head of TCN may however lead to an industrial action by workers of the TCN who through their two labour unions - the National Union of

Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), opposed the decision of the government and threatened to fight back.

Speaking at the briefing before his removal, Atiku said the multilateral funding mix included $130 million from the Eurobond, $170 million from AFD, $200 million from JICA, as well as $200 million from AfDB and $664 million from the World Bank.

He said the World Bank’s funding were though divided into $300 million which the TCN has almost exhausted and another $364 million being expected. The AfDB loan, he noted included $150 million whichTCNhasused70percent of it and another $50 million it has also used 10 per cent of. For the JICA’s $200 million, Atiku saidtheTCNwouldbegintoaccess it in 2018, while it has spent 70 per cent of the $130 million funding from the Eurobond.

According to him, the TCN would from the multilateral finance window, fund some

transmission projects in 2017.

Some of the projects, he noted arelocatedinAfamRiversState, Daura in Katsina State, Kafanchan in Kaduna, Maiduguri in Borno,OsogboinOsun,aswell asDamaturuinYobe,amongst others.

He explained that when the projects are completed by the end of 2017, the TCN would have been able to increase its wheeling capacity to 7,200 megawatts (MW).

“In order to complement the federalgovernmentfundingof our projects, a framework for contractor financing had been approved for rollout in 2017. A pilot scheme of $200 million is expected to be advertised for interested investors towards reinforcement and refurbishing of our existing lines and substations.

“In addition, some concessionarymultinationalloansand grants are being accessed by TCN which had contributed to the completion of our projects as well as those targeted for completionin2017andbeyond.

The funding windows have

been provided by the World Bank, Eurobond, AfDB, AFD and JICA,” said Atiku.

Meanwhile, state chapter leaders NUEE and SSAEAC havestatedthattheywouldmeet with their national leadership to determine the appropriate response to the government on itsappointmentofMohammed as TCN’s new head.

NUEE’s FCT chapter chairman, Wisdom Nwachukwu said the unions were against the appointment of Mohammed on both professional and ethical grounds. He said Mohammed as a former junior cadreemployeeoftheTCNand anaccountantwasnotqualified to head the TCN. On the possibility of an industrial action which could affect public electricity supply in the country, Nwachukwu stated that the chapter would wait for a meeting of the national leadership on which a decision on next line of action wouldbemade.Theunions,he added, have however written to the government asking for a dialogue on the development.

DSS Kano Director is Dead Another Female Youth Corps Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

The Director of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Kano, Mr. Abdullahi Bello Chiranchi, is dead. Chiranchi died at the age of 56 in Kano yesterday after a brief illness.

The late director was admitted at Aminu Kano teaching hospital after falling sick over stomach ache, THISDAY learnt.

Confirming the death, the Kano state police commissioner, Mr. Rabiu Yusuf confirmed that the state director of DSS is dead. Yusuf said already the remains of late Chiranchi has since been transported to Chiranchi local government in Katsina state for burial according to Islamic rites.

Kano State Governor Dr.

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also attended the funeral prayer of the late DSS director alongside the members of the executive council including representatives of the Kano Emirate.

THISDAY also learnt that the late DSS director left behind one wife and many children.

Security sources revealed that the Kano office of the Security Service was thrown into mourning over “the death of the most intelligent and simple director of the service.”

THISDAY also observed that the news of Chiranchi’s death shocked the entire Kano community, with several people describing the late director’s period in office as the most successful of all.

Member Dies in Bayelsa Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

About three months after Miss Chiyerum Elechi, a newly deployed female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) died at the orientation camp in Kaiama, KolokumaOpokoma, Bayelsa State, another young woman, identified simply as Jumoke, has also lost her life at the same camp.

But unlike Elechi, 27, who died after bleeding profusely from some openings in her body, it was gatheredthatJumoke,a2016Batch BStreamIICorpsmember,diedof an asthma attack on Friday.

Thedeceased,whoundergoing thecompulsoryorientation,acore programmeofthescheme,wassaid tohavebreathedherlastattheClinic Departmentofthecampafterefforts by health workers to save her life

failed.

However, it was learnt that the deceasedcorpsmembermayhave developedtheconditionbeforeresumingforthecompulsorynational serviceasshewassaidtohaveearlier reported in camp with an inhaler.

Itcouldnotbeimmediatelyascertainedwhetherthedevicemeantto wardoffanysuddenasthmacrisis, hadbeenexhaustedbeforethelatest attack that ended her life. A source who was close to the victim, who pleadedanonymity,howeversaid the victim suffered her first attack a week after she arrived the camp, but was assisted by her colleagues at the time.

Thesourcesaid,“Myfriendtold methatwhenthedeceasedsuffered her first attack in camp, she helped hertoovercomeit.Butwedon’tknow whathappenedwhenasimilarattack that took her life happened”.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to stop hallucinating over the possibility of staging a come-back to power in 2019.

Thepositionoftherulingparty camejustasitawaitsthereturnof President Muhammadu Buhari from his leave abroad so that its plan to hold its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and subsequently the national conventioncantakepropershape.

Thepartysaiditisunfortunate forthePDPleaderstobeharbouring the intention of returning to officeevenwhenNigerianswere yettoforgivethemfortheirterrible misdeeds of the past.

InanapparentresponsetoPDP’s statement on Friday indicating that it has begun re-alignment withpoliticalallieswithaviewto retakingpowerinthenextelection, theAPCsaidtheissuesthatmade NigeriansrejectthePDPinthelast general elections are still fresh in their minds.

Thepartynotedthatmostofthe dauntingchallengesthatNigeria iscurrentlyfacinghavetheirroots from the 16 years of PDP maladministration,addingthatitwould amounttomereday-dreamingif the discredited party thinks that people have forgotten what happened in the recent past.

TheNationalPublicitySecretary ofAPC,MallamBolajiAbdulahi, whospoketoTHISDAYyesterday ontelephonesaidwhilethemove to revamp the PDP is welcomed bytherulingparty,suchgoodwill mustnotbemisconstruedtomean thatPDPcanbecomeasolutionto

the problem it caused.

The APC Spokesman said “those leaders of the PDP nursing the ambition to retake power must be thinking that Nigerians have short memory of their past misrulethatbroughtthecountry great pain that we are currently passing through.

“It is not as if the APC is going to be sleep and allow the PDP to retakepower,butthefactisthatno matterhowwescreamitwhatever thatishappeningnowinthecountrythatiswronghasitsrootsfrom thedaysPDPadministrationsheld sway,thatisthepast16yearsthey held power. “There is no way an objective assessment of the presentchallengesfacingthecountry will exempt the PDP, whether in termsofunemployment,inflation or foreign exchange problem; all thesedidnotstarthappeningless than two years ago. So the truth is that it is under the misrule that Nigerians witnessed in the last decade and half under the PDP thatmadeNigerians torejectthat party and to vote for change.

“Wearenotdenyingthatthere are some challenges now but the PDPshouldstopposturingabout comingbacktopowerandstating thatNigerianshaveshortmemory in remembering where we are coming from.

“However,wewishthemgood luck in their restructuring and in theinterestofdemocracy,wishthat they recover.

“EveryNigerianwillliketosee PDPrecoverasacollectiveandto becomeastrongoppositionparty.

We must not misconstrue that desire to see the PDP come back withthenotionthatitwillnowbe the solution that to the country’s problem,” he said.

Ishaku, Ortom Insist on Ranching as Solution to Herdsmen, Farmers’ Clashes Wole Ayodele in Jalingo Governors Darius Ishaku of Taraba State and Samuel Ortom of Benue state have reiterated that ranching is the only solution to resolve the recurring clashes between herdsmen and farmers that have claimed several lives and rendered thousands of people homeless.

Inthesamevein,thegovernors maintainedthatherdsmenmust besupportedbythegovernmentto establishranchesparticularlyinthe areaofprovisionofinfrastructure.

Addressing a crowd of people thatattendedapeacemeetingthey initiated to resolve the lingering communal clashes along the border lines of both states at Kashimbila yesterday, both governors stressed that they are advocatingranchingbecauseitis theglobalbestpracticeofbreeding cattle.

Inhisownspeech,Ishakunoted that the trend all over the world isranching,sayingmovement of cattle from one place to the other is no longer encouraged.

CitingChile,whichisoneofthe largest producers of cattle as an example, Ishaku stated that land wouldbeprovidedforherdsmen to establish ranches where they would be provided with special grassesthatwouldmakethegrow faster, bigger and healthier.

To this end, he revealed that

he’s already in discussion with the Minister of Agriculture to procureeightspecialgrassesthat wouldbeplantedontheMambilla plateauandsoldtoranchesacross the country thereby generating more revenue for Taraba state.

“Thetrendallovertheworldis ranching.Movingcattlefromone placetoanotherisnotencouraged all over the world. We will agree with one another to give land for ranchingandI’malreadydiscussingwiththeministerofagriculture to get about eight special grasses to be planted at Mambilla.

“Machines would cut the grasses when they’re matured and they’ll be put in bales to sell to ranches. It makes cattle grow faster,biggerandhealthier.Itwould be another source of revenue for Taraba”, he stated.

Alsospeaking,governorOrtom notedthatNigeriacannotaffordto live in theforties andfiftieswhen grazing was the norm but must bepreparedtoembraceranching which is the global best practice.

He noted that the usual call in some quarters to reverse back to the grazing routs that were designated in the forty’s and fifty’s is not possible considering population explosion with its attendant activities such as road construction,schools,marketse.t.c thathassignificantlyreducedthe available land mass.

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SUNDAYNEWS

COMMITTEE ON HARVEST 70 CHEERS FOR AZIKIWE L-R: Barr. Femi Akinlolu; Moses Ayankola, Paul Olafaju, Mrs. Bola Ayansiji, Rev Paul Oladosu, L-R: Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion) Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma; wife Moses Kolosi, Mrs. Funmi Adegbite (chairman of the committee), and Mrs. Adedoyin Adebanjo, all members of the 2016 Harvest Committee, Progress Baptist Church, Elewedu, Ijoko, Ogun State...recently

of Nigeria’s first President, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Prof. Uche Azikiwe; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Anglican Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rt. Revd. Aloysius Agbo and his wife during the service marking the 70th birthday of Prof. Azikiwe at St. John’s Anglican Church, Onuiyi, Nsukka...yesterday

Finally, FG Establishes Military Base in Southern Kaduna

Jumia Report: Nigeria Earns More Tourism Revenue from Domestic Travel

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Nigerian hospitality report 2017, which has officially been launched by Jumia Travel, has shown that the country generated 97 per cent of its tourism revenue from domestic travel in 2016 while foreign travel accounted for 3 per cent.

The Managing Director of Jumia Travel Nigeria, Kushal Dutta, stated this while overviewing the content of this year’s report at a press conference held at Four Points by Sheraton in Lagos.

Dutta mentioned that despite the security challenges in the country and the fall in dollar exchange rate, a lot of Nigerians preferred to travel within the country to spend their holidays at exciting tourist destinations.

“This is a good sign that we need to encourage a lot more travels within the country by designing attractive holiday packages that will be exciting enough for Nigerians to want to spend money on tourism within the country. As a company, we

The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, yesterday laid the foundation for the establishment of a military unit in Kafanchan, headquarters of Jama’a local government area of Kaduna state, to tackle the security challenges that have bedevilled the southern part of the state.

The Federal government, had in the wake of the latest killings in the troubled area, promised to establish a military battalion in the area.

Speaking at the ceremony, which was attended by the

state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Buratai said the establishment of unit was informed by the outcome of a threat assessment analysis. He said the unit, which will later be upgraded to a battalion, is aimed at providing internal security to southern Kaduna.

Buratai disclosed that the army will be coming to Southern Kaduna for a special military exercise between March and April to consolidate on the achievements recorded in the area of security. “The exercise is a basic military exercise that will further consolidate our achievements recorded in internal security”, he

said.

The Army chief appealed to the people of the area for support during the exercise. He explained that the unit would first serve as an operating base, to be upgraded later to a battalion.

He said, “We are committed to the overall peace in Southern Kaduna”, adding that some of those causing the problems are not Nigerians and therefore people should not allow foreigners to cause conflicts among them.

Tukur, who had earlier visited the chief of Kagoro, Dr. Ufuwai Bonet and the Emir of Jama’a, Alhaji Mohammed Isah Mohammed II in their places in

Kagoro and Kafanchan respectively, called on the people to live in peace with one another.

“We know there are issues; we hope the issues will quickly come to an end. It has started coming down. There is need for a more lasting solution to the problem which all the stakeholders are working to achieve.

“We are not supposed to be seen among the civil populace unless if there are internal security challenges to be contained. I just came from Ninte (the village where the current crisis started), I saw the people there and I spoke with them on the need to live in peace with one another.”

FG to Raise Bonds to Settle Billions Owed States on Rehabilitation of Federal Roads Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN has disclosed that the Federal government would raise bonds to refund billions of naira owed states which have spent their money in rehabilitating federal roads in their respective domains.

He spoke during his courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi at the weekend in Enugu, where the governor appealed to the federal government through him (minister)

to refund over N25 billion which Enugu State government expended in rehabilitating the federal roads across the State.

The governor, represented on the occasion at the Government House, Enugu by his deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, told the minister that in the face of the dilapidating federal roads infrastructure in the South-east region, the people of the area continued to suffer untold hardship.

The minister, who was in Enugu to inspect some federal roads in the State, stated that the

federal government has carefully assessed the various claims by the concerned state governments and has concluded arrangement to refund the money through the said bonds.

Fashola shed more light on Enugu government’s intervention on federal roads, adding, “we have also been briefed about your intervention on certain roads that are our roads and I and your Commissioner have discussed about the outstanding claim from the federal government, and my message from the federal

government is that we have completed the assessment of all these claims and the total amounts owed the States far exceed the total amounts as to the whole country.

“The plan of the federal government is to issue bonds to pay those monies and then we pay the bonds back over time”, he stated.

He urged the State government to assist the contractors handling federal roads in the State to secure the right of way, informing that they have been re-mobilised to sites.

Amaechi: Dredging of River Niger Completed, River Benue to Commence Soon Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed that the dredging of River Niger has been completed, and assured that work will soon commence for the dredging of River Benue.

Amaechi, who made the disclosure while fielding question from members of the Senate committee on Maritime weekend, said what the River Niger needs now is constant

maintenance work to allow for unhindered flow of goods to different parts of the country.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ahmed Rufai Sani, who expressed satisfaction with the defence of N1.3 billion as part of overhead to run the ministry, immediately approved the appropriation for the ministry.

Sani however said the committee would critically look at every item in the 2017 proposed budget of govern-

ment agencies, adding, “And we shall not hesitate to express our dissatisfaction to any agency that is not up and doing.”

Also, the minister said the country has received the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to re-contest the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) seat this year.

According to him, the ministry’s contribution to the regular participation of Nigeria at the IMO meetings,

coupled with its achievement in the implementation of the ISPS code regulations, has the country in good standing to re-contest for the International maritime Organisation category ‘C’ membership of the council.

He said Nigeria lost the position to Liberia in 2011, stressing that for the country to fully exploit benefits within IMO, the President has approved Nigeria’s bid to re-contest the election in November.

Demola Ojo

are interested in collaborating to encourage more Nigerians to enjoy their holidays within Nigeria”, he added.

The report, which is the second edition, captured the development, impediments, and impact of technology on the country’s travel industry between January and December 2016.

“We have captured relevant data on the percentage of online booking over offline; most used tool for hotel searches; most preferred payment method; average price of hotels from highest to lowest demand in cities; percentage of hotel bookings by star ratings, as well as percentage of hotel bookings by amenities,” Dutta said.

Similarly, Mr. Bruce Prins, a renowned hospitality consultant in Nigeria who was featured in the published report stated that the hospitality industry in 2016 suffered extreme pressure as a result of a reduction in foreign visitors and local corporate expenditure.

Navy Takes Delivery of $1.2m Medical Equipment from US Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Nigerian Navy (NN) Medical Services yesterday took delivery of medical equipment worth about $1.2 million, even as it pledged some part to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east.

Among the donated equipment and medical supplies were microscopes, opthalmoscope, thermometers, nebulizer, centrifuge, stethoscope and many others.

Facilitated by MedShare International, a non-governmental organisation, the items were handed over to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas, by the company’s representative, Mr. Ephraim Inameti.

The handover which was done at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, Lagos, was witnessed by the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Ifeola

Mohammed and his Western Naval Command counterpart, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, who was represented by the fleet commander.

Others present were the Director Medical Services, Rear Admiral Edward Enechukwu and the Commander Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar, Rear Admiral Abubakar Yusuf and other senior officers.

In his speech, the CNS, who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola, said the medical equipment would be distributed across all navy’s medical facilities to enhance medical care delivery.

He said, “The Nigerian Navy has always considered the health and well-being of its personnel as key to the optimum fulfillment of its constitutional roles. It is for this reason that the Navy established its own hospitals and medical centres across various commands of the Nigerian Navy.

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2017

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NEWS Unravel Mysteries in DFIs CJN: Respect the Constitution on Justice Anohu Promisesfundtoallocated to the DFIs, ing in mind that the present they are yet to achieve the pur- MDs were merely appointed Onnoghen, Fayose Urges Osinbajo The ad hoc committee investi- pose of especially now that the for a period of twelve months Anayo Okolie

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

As controversy continues to trail the confirmation of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has called on the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN to as a matter of constitution send the name of Justice Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation.

The Governor said, “Prof Osinbajo, a lawyer himself should know that it is dangerous to the unity of Nigeria and sustenance of democracy that it is now being insinuated that Justice Onnoghen is being denied appointment as substantive CJN on the basis of ethnicity and politics.”

The governor also said he and other Nigerians agitating for the appointment of Justice Onnoghen as the substantive CJN were not fighting for Onnoghen as a person, but for the sanctity of the office of the CJN, which the All

Ambode Petitioned over Seizure of Property Nseobong Okon-Ekong

A Lagos-based company, Nibuk International Limited has sent a petition to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State over an alleged wanton abuse of power and demolition of its property at 15B Luggard Avenue, Ikoyi-Lagos by a combined team of officials of the state government.

The petition, which was signed by the CEO and a director of the company, Mrs. Ngozi Nnaedozie raises several complaints against the Lagos State Park and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) and its agents who demolished the fence of the property, ejected the security guard on duty and forcibly took possession of the property.

Nnaedozie, in her appeal to Governor Ambode, said the property originally belonged to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) but that she put up a bid when it was offered for sale by the Federal Government.

Having been successful in her tender, she subsequently regularised the title deeds with the statutory agencies of the Lagos State Government.

She said she was in the process of procuring a building plan which had been amended several times due to government regulations, when a combined team of Lagos State Government officials including LASPARK, Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Civil Defence and Task Force bulldozed their way into her premises, ejected her security guard on duty and demolished the fence. They have since forcibly remained on the premises.

Progressives Congress (APC)led federal government was allegedly trying to rubbish.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was strange that President Muhammadu Buhari chose to appoint Justice Onnoghen as acting CJN despite that the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended him to the President since October 13, 2016, 28 clear days to November 10, 2016 that the immediate past CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed retired.

The governor said; “As a lawyer, acting President Osinbajo should do the need-

ful by simply sending Justice Onnoghen’s name to the Senate as recommended by the NJC.” Reacting to Onnoghen’s plea that Nigerians should not pressurise President Buhari into making him the substantive CJN, and that the president does not need any threat or ultimatum to perform his constitutional duties, Fayose said; “We are not fighting for Justice Onnoghen as an individual. Rather, we are fighting for Nigeria and the sanctity of the office of the CJN which for the first time in the history of judiciary in Nigeria is being used to play political and ethic games.”

gating the activities of the federally-owned Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) has promised to unravel and expose irregularities going on in some of the DFIs. The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Chukwuemeka Anohu and his colleagues, who stated this during an investigative interaction with NERFUND in Abuja, disclosed that the primary function of the DFIs is to boost the economy and bridge the gap in sustaining and financing small, medium enterprises but that the goal of the establishing the DFIs is yet to be actualised.

The committee, however, disclosed that despite huge

country is in recession.

The Development Banks in question are the Bank of Industry, the Bank of Agriculture, the NEXIM Bank, NERFUND, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and Infrastructure Bank.

Anohu and his committee members had engaged the banks in their interactive sessions, which they said are so far yielding results. According to Anohu, the committee, however, have demanded extra documentation from most of the banks in question, as further scrutiny commences.

He said the banks’ former MDs would also be invited to clarify some of the spending done within their tenure, bear-

or so.

Anohu also questioned the rationale in the proposed emergence of yet another new Development Bank named Development Bank of Nigeria as stipulated, saying that the new bank will also be performing the primary activities of other existing financial institutions.

He expressed belief that restricting and putting the right tools on ground would strengthen the ones already established for optimal results. He further stressed that the regulatory body of these institutions would be called equally to account for discrepancies that may arise from the committee’s findings.

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ͳ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION Why Buhari Should Not Die Now (1) As humans, we should all wish the president well, writes Emmanuel Ojeifo

I

used to be very fond of Muhammadu Buhari before and shortly after he became president. I am not too sure if that pristine fondness is still intact. Photographs of his days as a lanky, young military head of state portrayed him as a very handsome but stern and disciplined army general. His calm mien, stoic reserve, asceticism and austere lifestyle made a deep impression on many people, including me. During the 2015 presidential election campaign, many of Buhari’s compatriots spoke about their perception of his personal integrity, asceticism and incorruptibility with saintly pride.

When he was ousted as military head of state in 1985 – at a time of oil boom – he had barely anything in his bank account.

The man was said to own only a modest house in Daura his hometown, another in Kaduna, and a few herds of cattle to his name. This was in a country where being head of state is like being the head of a massive wealth distribution and patronage agency. His successors must have considered him a fool when they seized power, amassed so much wealth, crippled the country and became some of the richest African leaders in history. But of Buhari, we can affix this searching wisdom, “I came into this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing.

Why should I steal?”

When after his inauguration as president on May 29, 2015 his office sent some of his official portraits to the residence of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, I didn’t hesitate to quickly hang one of those beautiful well-made portraits on my wall. The strategic position of the portrait in my apartment, up till this moment, reminds me of my civic responsibility to pray for my leaders. Even though in recent time I have lost much of the deep admiration and affection I had for him, I am not one of those Nigerians currently wishing and praying that President Buhari should die.

Over the last couple of weeks, President Buhari’s state of health has been a subject of intense public controversy. Rumours making the round have it that he is lying critically ill in a London hospital. Some of the rumourmongers even went as far as saying that he is dead. To be sure, this is not the first time that Buhari has been declared dead by social media spin-doctors. During

the build-up to the 2015 election, Buhari’s state of health became a matter of intense public discussion and a subject of political smear campaign. The ferocity of the rumour mill that went to market with the news of his death was helped by the general perception of his frail physique.

Sadly, this almost infinite human capacity for lies, falsehood and untruth has been greatly accentuated by the combustible nature of today’s social media where millions of people read only headlines before broadcasting trending news, without bothering to ascertain the veracity of their claims. I have seen on social media the great rejoicing among a cross section of Nigerians who wish Buhari dead. To carry their mischief to the supreme level of comic spirituality, some Nigerians have proceeded to circulate obituary posters of the president. This typical Nigerian attitude of making a comedy out of everything should be deplored. When it comes to the fragility and precariousness of human life, we are all victims.

That is why we need to show sensitivity to people bogged down by ill- health.

Rather than pray and wish that the president should die, I commit myself to pray for his good health so that he may more effectively discharge the onerous responsibilities of his high office.

Neither of the two major religions in Nigeria encourages their

Rather than pray and wish that the president should die, I commit myself to pray for his good health so that he may more effectively discharge the onerous responsibilities of his high office

followers to pray that their leaders – or anyone for that matter – should die. So which God are those who wish President Buhari dead worshipping?

Addressing his Pastoral Epistle to Timothy his spiritual son, St Paul implored: “First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for rulers of states and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and respect. This is good and pleases God” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

In another place, St Paul preaches submission to authority. He notes that “There is no authority that does not come from God, and the offices have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). He goes further to say that those in authority “are the stewards of God for your good” (Romans 13:4). Speaking to Titus, another spiritual son of his, St Paul rehashes his firm teaching about respect for those in authority. “Remind the believers,” he told Titus, “to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and to take the initiative in doing good. Tell them to insult no one; they must not be quarrelsome but gentle and understanding with everyone” (Titus 3:1-2).

I am quite sure that those Nigerians who wish the president dead may be using his health condition as an avenue to ventilate their frustrations with a leadership that has driven the country aground, but even if President Buhari should die today, his death will not conversely translate to liberation for the Nigerian people. What is the point of hoping for someone’s death when no one of us is beyond mortality? However, the present circumstances call for introspection and a deep examination of conscience on the part of our leaders. Over the years, Nigerian politicians have shown their deep disaffection for the people they govern through their insensitivity to their plight. Nigeria is one of the handiest contemporary versions of the Hobbesian state of nature where life is solitary and poor, brutish, nasty and short. Human lives are decimated in big numbers and our leaders do not seem to care. It would appear that for them the lives of ordinary citizens do not matter much.

––Ojeifo is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja.

Osinbajo’s Task Force on Food Prices Idang Alibi argues that the task force is not in the best interest of farmers

L

et me begin this piece on an honourable note by making full disclosures. Apart from my work as a public servant, I am also, quite proudly, a small-time farmer. My dream is to become a billionaire through farming and my simple plan is that after my public service career, I will spend the rest of my days on earth growing rich and wealthy, producing food to feed God’s hungry children wherever they live on planet earth! A part of my motivation is that whenever I go abroad and see Murtala Nyako’s Admiral Mango in shops, I feel so proud seeing that it is from my country. I dream of one day seeing ‘’Idang Alibi Pure Palm Oil’’, for instance, in grocery stores all over the world.

As a testimony to my involvement (not yet prowess) in farming, last farming year, I put about 20 hectares of land under cultivation and produced, from my labour and sweat and ingenuity, a variety of food produce: yams, rice, beans, cassava, soya beans, assorted vegetables and peppers. Chances are that you may have eaten some of the stuffs produced from my farm! I feel justly proud of this attainment.

This disclosure is necessary because as a farmer rich in practical experience about how food is produced in Nigeria especially by millions of small holder farmers, I am going to argue here that the task force constituted last Wednesday by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to see how rising food prices can be contained is bad for all concerned- the government, the citizens and the farmers- if not in the short term, but surely in the long term. My stand may offend some people who want food cheaply regardless of the consequences. My principal argument is that food prices in Nigeria are not high enough (at least for the farmers) to act as an incentive for them to produce more and as such, no attempt should be made to reduce food prices ‘artificially’ as Osinbajo’s Task Force may attempt to do.

Others in the food chain, such as the middle men, may get high prices but the farmers who actually produce the food do not get anything commensurate with their labour. As far as I have seen, Nigerian farmers are the unacknowledged philanthropists of the federation.

While as I said, I got very rich in experience about food crop farming in Nigeria, I became poorer for my involvement as I lost about a million naira last year. And this happened not because of inexperience on my side or any flaw in my character or a costly mistake on my part or a lack of sound agricultural practices. It happened simply because it is just not profitable to engage in certain kinds of farming in Nigeria. Farming can only be worthwhile for non-peasant farmer if he has the means, the machines and

the connections to capital as well as overseas market. Nigerians still get food to eat today essentially because we have millions of peasant farmers who are stuck to the only trade they possibly know and must farm whether they make profit or not. Egg is selling for N50 in certain parts of the country today because many middle class farmers who have gone into poultry, which is even far more profitable than crop farming, have abandoned the business because of the rising costs of inputs.

Let me tell you the truth, farming in Nigeria as presently undertaken, is not a profitable business. It is wiser, cheaper, and far more economical to get your money ready and buy foodstuffs to hoard and release when the prices are sky high than to actually go into farming.

During the last planting season, quality seed beans used to cost about N550 a mudu. As I am writing this, a mudu now costs N300 which retailers buy from farmers. If you calculate the cost of transportation to and fro your farm, the cost of clearing the land and tilling it, the cost of planting the seeds, the cost of weeding the farms to allow the plants to grow well, the cost of spraying the beans so that pests do not destroy them, the cost of spraying them with growth fertilisers so you can have a good yield, the cost of harvesting it, the cost of processing it, the cost of bagging them, the cost of transporting your produce to your storehouse, the cost of applying chemicals to preserve it from weevils, the cost of transporting it to the market, you will agree that you cannot recover your cost of selling your beans at the current rate of N300 per mudu even if we agree that the one mudu you bought at N550 last year may have given you about two and a half mudus later.

This explains why Nigerian farmers are perpetually poor and their status is not likely to improve any time soon unless we constitute a panel of knowledgeable and involved men and women who are mandated to look at agriculture in Nigeria and how it should better be organised as a profitable business for all concerned. I want to repeat for emphasis that apart from the big time farmers like former Heads of State, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar, Admiral Murtala Nyako, and other rich farmers, who have the means, the machines and the markets abroad for their produce, no middle class man or woman who produces food for the domestic market can make it.

It is desirable that citizens should get food to eat at affordable (not cheap) prices. What happens in other lands is that government comes in to ensure that. It will have a mechanism for buying food at fairly reasonable/ profitable prices from farmers and sell at subsidised/affordable rates to the citizens. This way,

all concerned are happy. The government is happy that it does not have to contend with hungry and angry citizens; the citizens are happy that it has a caring and concerned government and farmers are happy and feel incentivised to continue to produce more or else the food security of a country is mortgaged. If things continue the way they are in Nigeria today, many who have gone into farming expecting to make something from it will surely beat a quick retreat and live a life of idleness. And if that happens, we will no longer be complaining about the high cost of food but about not seeing food to buy at all at any cost!

That will be a disaster.

The Osinbajo task force should not try to demonise farmers, the middle men or anyone else involved in the food production, distribution or manufacturing chain. Rather, what is missing in our agriculture is government. I believe that government should step in big and boldly into our agriculture and organise it to be practiced as a profitable business. What to do are so many that I cannot seek to itemise them here. But one thing I think must be done urgently is that the government should seek out a former Peruvian diplomat turned ‘’public economist’’ called Hernando de Soto Polar. We direly need the expertise of his consultancy outfit which has helped many nations, to come help us organise our agriculture. As things stand today in our country, agriculture is on auto-pilot and it should not be so. A big hand must organise and guide it because otherwise, we are courting a national security challenge that will be in far greater ferocity than Boko Haram, Niger Delta insurgency and IPOB combined.

If hungry people across the country unite in their fury against government, dissolving their differences in faith and region and ethnicity, where can government hide from such a hungry horde? I am a great fan of Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon and would want to say in his manner that if Osinbajo Task Force on Food Prices is allowed to take measures to reduce food prices to the detriment of Nigerian farmers, ‘’The enormity of their crinkun crankun will bring about Armageddonrial end to food crop farming in Nigeria and that would mark the death nail on the coffin of the fiscal polistikum edificacy of the Nigerian nation’’.

In many conferences on farming in our country, many presenters and keynote speakers often choose to present a sexy, glamourous picture of agriculture. The reality on ground is otherwise. Agriculture in Nigeria is great torture with no gain.

––Alibi is an Abuja-based journalist, public servant and a farmer

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

LETTERS Female Genital Mutilation and Women’s Right

F

ebruary 6 of every year has since 2003 been designated by the United Nation as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Countries across the world have continued to commemorate the day through a range of activities aimed at putting an end to the brutal and gruesome procedure that is considered as a violation of person’s right to health, security and physical integrity as well as the right to be free from torture and the right to life when the procedure results in death.

World Health Organisation (WHO) defined female genital mutilation as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons. It is a practice whose origin and significance is shrouded in ambiguity and mystification.

Its origin is also fraught with controversy, either as an initiation ceremony of young girls into womanhood or to ensure virginity. It is erroneously seen as “calming” of woman’s personality and a form of cultural identity, which is an ethnic initiation into adulthood. This dangerous tradition and women’s right violation has been so widespread that it could not have risen from a single

F

Aisha Jumai Alhassan, Minister for Women Affairs

origin.

Though still practiced in more than 28 countries in Africa and a few scattered communities worldwide, the burden of FGM is seen in Nigeria, Egypt, Mali, Eritrea, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Northern part of Ghana where it has been an old traditional and cultural practice of various ethnic groups. FGM is also said to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Nigeria has the highest

absolute number of female genital mutilation worldwide, accounting for about one-quarter of the estimated 115-130 million circumcised women in the world. The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2013 showed a prevalence of FGM among adult women by geopolitical zone to be highest in the South-West with 56.9 per cent; South-East 40.8 per cent; South-South 34.7 per cent; North-Central 9.6 per cent; North-East 1.3 per cent; and North-West 0.4 per cent. As reported in the NDHS, 45 out of every 100 adult women liv-

ing in Lagos State for instance have undergone FGM at one time or another. This is largely due to migration from those states where the prevalence is much higher.

It is ironical that the southern states that have higher literacy levels are also the most involved in this primitive socio-cultural practice. Reasons range from a belief that it reduces sexual desire and promiscuity; promotes chastity and helps young ladies attract husbands early. It is also wrongly ascribed to religious beliefs and traditional norms of female rites of adulthood.

To discerning minds, promiscuity largely stems from orientation and societal values. So, knowledge about the issue could help people make logical decision. As of now, much of the accumulated knowledge about FGM and fistula indicates that FGM and fistula have negative health implications. Medical experts and studies by WHO, UNICEF and other world bodies assert that, unlike male circumcision, FGM has no medical benefits whatsoever.

On the other hand, UN Population Fund affirms that “FGM does irreparable harm.

It can result in death through severe bleeding, pain and trauma and overwhelming infections.” WHO adds that it also results in problems with urinating, could cause

IN SEARCH OF AN IGBO PRESIDENT

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo while hosting the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Ogun State chapter led by Bishop Tunde-Akin Akinsanya, threw weight behind a possible Igbo President for 2019. He proclaimed: “Irrespective of the thinking of the people ahead of 2019, I personally think that South-east should have a go at the Presidency too.”

Is it time for the Igbo to be President of Nigeria? Do Ndigbo have credible and detribalised personalities who have the capacity to preside over the affairs of Nigeria? Would an Igbo presidency guarantee the unity of Nigeria in the wake of continuous agitation for the Sovereign State of Biafra?

These questions have been recurring since after the civil war, about 46 years ago.

In addition, since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, the South-east region has remained an appendage for the production of presidents of Nigeria from other tribes of the country.

Simply put it, the presidency has been rotating amongst the South-west, North and minority South-South. That is why Obasanjo ‘personally’ thinks that the South-east should produce the next president, maybe after the north has had its eight years as generally accepted, though not constitutionally documented.

In 1999 and 2003, former

vice-president Alex Ekwueme contested the seat on the platform of the PDP and lost. In 2007 former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who has defected to the APC, contested for the presidential seat on the platform of the party he founded, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). Governor of Imo state, Chief Rochas Okorocha has continued to nurse the idea of becoming the first Igbo President of Nigeria through the ballots.

But the Obasanjo’s quest is coming at a time when the polity is so much enmeshed in controversies. The incumbent president is barely two years in office, with rumours of ill health and death. There are reported cases of attempts by politicians even within and outside the ruling APC to outsmart others in the build-up to 2019 general elections. Obasanjo is joining the likes of former military heads of state, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and General Yakubu Gowon, who had also called for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. IBB said the agitation for Biafra republic was a distraction and setback.

“We do not need this distraction now. I will vote for an Igbo president in 2019, if I find one.” Gowon in March when he delivered a lecture entitled “No Victor, No Vanquished: Healing the Nigerian Nation” to mark the 6th Convocation ceremony of the Chukwumeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU),

said it was wrong to conclude that the civil war broke out following the failure of the Aburi Accord but was the direct result of a unilateral decision of independence for Eastern Nigeria. “If there was no secession, there would have been no war. It was a reluctant war waged to unite the country. An Igbo president would help heal the civil war wounds. The idea of rotational presidency is good.”

Controversies have trailed the proclamation for Igbo president. Youth groups in the South-east hailed the idea. In a joint statement, the National President of the Igbo Youth for Good Governance (IYGG), Dr. Benjamin Okeke and the National President of Igbo Youth Initiative (IYI), Comrade Wilfred Eze, thanked Obasanjo for extending his sympathy for the Igbo cause and described him as the new father of democracy. This support for Igbo Presidency, the groups noted has given Ndigbo hope for realignment and fairness within a united Nigeria. They urged other elder statesmen and national figures to support the national call for a president of Igbo extraction.

But the ex-governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, believes Obasanjo’s call was because he understands the dynamics of the nation’s politics. A governorship aspirant of PDP in Imo State, Brady Nwosu, said the call was “a very bold statement”. But Chief Maxi Okwu of APGA chided the

idea. Also, the founder of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko berated Obasanjo whom he described as enemy of the Igbo people.

In the Sun Newspapers of October 27, 2016, Acho Orabuchi wrote on 2019: A strong case for Nigerian president of Igbo extraction saying that the Igbo have a pool of qualified people more than any other ethnic group.

They have a vision that encompasses the entire nation and not a section of it. “A case in point is the Jonathan and the Obasanjo administrations that were replete with credible and qualified Igbo people whose records of service were impeccable.”

In its reaction, the Northern Progressives Youth Initiative (NPYI), carpeted Obasanjo and warned against ‘playing God’ in the nation’s scheme of things. Secretary-General of the NPYI, Malam Gazali Abdullahi, noted that with so much fuss over the President Buhari’s medical examinations, it was sad that a former president would be canvassing a successor to a sitting president.

He described Obasanjo as an enemy of the North, recalling that in the trying times of late former President Umaru Yar’Adua, it was the same Obasanjo who released statements against the late president who was battling for his life on his hospital bed.

––Muhammad Ajah, Abuja

cysts, infections, infertility and complications in childbirth.

“Women with FGM are significantly more likely than those without FGM to have adverse obstetrics outcomes including prolonged or obstructed labour, obstetric fistula, postpartum (after delivery) haemorrhage and extended maternal hospital stay.

For the infants, young girls and women who are subjected to the dehumanising practice, it is routinely traumatic and has been linked to cervical cancer, a major killer of Nigerian women.

At the same time, it is more often also undertaken by local birth attendants or untrained “surgeons” using crude and un-sterilised instruments. It is reported that FGM victims go through extremely painful menstrual periods when they reach puberty and painful sex in marriage. Given these facts, FGM constitutes violence against women and it is about time it is stoutly resisted and completely eradicated.

While Nigerian government, in the last decade, has recognised the practice of female genital mutilation as harmful and has embarked on corrective measures aimed at addressing the practice through the formulation of policies/programmes, legislation and behavioural change, the practice is still common.

FGM is contrary to Child Rights Law of 2004, the 1999

constitution and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015. Major challenges have emerged regarding the enforcement of the law, with some claiming that the illegality of the practice has served to push it underground.

Now, where do we go from here? The way forward is usage of communication for development. There is need to resort to and prioritise reverse flow of communication.

People should be ready to change their behaviour when they understand the hazards and indignity of harmful practices and when they realise that it is possible to give up harmful practices without giving up meaningful aspects of their culture.

To stem the tide of this evil practice, governments at various level should work with and empower the custodians of the people’s culture and tradition, faith-based organisations, teachers, youth groups, women group and town union executives among other stakeholders. Empowerment in this context is in form of effective communication and sharing of strategies that will allow the social actors and custodians of custom and religion to be in a position to educate their people on the evils of FGM. Perhaps, what the law could not achieve, enlightenment will do.

––Rasak Musbau, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy

IKORODU AND CRIMINALITY IN LAGOS

I

n its editorial of January 31, The Punch Newspaper painted a gloomy picture of how crime has taken the centre stage in Ikorodu and its surrounding communities, putting to question the commitment of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration in fulfilling a basic component in the social contract he signed with the illustrious people of the ancient city when elected in 2015. It is the primary duty of government to provide security within the confines of its territory, but like the editorial rightly said, “Ikorodu area of the state is an island of insecurity”, a community abandoned given the unhindered display of criminality by some unscrupulous elements in the state. The Lagos State Government willingly or unwillingly by its action of near silence has seceded the town to the criminal bandits or so it seems.

It is worrisome that it is taking this while for Lagos State Government to know that the continuous neglect of the security situation in Ikorodu will dent the good image Governor Ambode is putting up for himself for obvious reasons. For the uninitiated, Ikorodu is the fastest growing community amongst the foundational communities (Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos Island and Epe (IBILE), constituting the Lagos of today – Lagos Island and Ikeja are saturated and landlocked. The town also housed one of the biggest industrial estates in Nigeria -

Odoguyan Industrial Layout, generating billions of naira for the government annually and conveniently serves as an alternative route to Epe where Lekki Free Trade Zone, the largest free trade zone in West Africa is being built. Ikorodu is the second most populous community in Lagos State rivaling the title often accorded Alimosho Local Government. This is attested to by the daily human and vehicular traffic in and out of the town. Thus, Ikorodu is a town filled with socio-economic potential which ought not to be neglected by the government.

Sadly enough, it is not that Lagos State Government is oblivious of the situation; it just didn’t prioritise arresting the situation.

Recall that during the 2016 One Lagos Fiesta held in Ikorodu, while the governor was talking about improving infrastructure, tourism and economic layout of other divisions in the state, it was giving amnesty to criminals that dominated the governor’s speech in Ikorodu. Meaning the governor knew the situation of criminality in the town and how precious lives and business were brought to a halt each time the “boys” struck. For the record, Ikorodu returned the third highest number of the vote counted in favour of All Progressives Congress in the last governorship election; so the residents believe in progressive, responsive and responsible governance.

––Sulaimon MojeedSanni, Abuja.

16

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͳ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

INTERNATIONAL Removing Taiwan as a Major Impediment in Nigeria’s Strategic Partnership with Mainland China

W

hat Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China is, can be likened to the relationship between the Casamance province and the Dakarois authorities in Senegal. It is also not different from the relationship between the separatist movements (Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB; Independent People of Biafra, IPOB; Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND; etc) and Aso Rock in Nigeria. It is a relationship of struggle for autonomy by the component parts of the various countries but which their legitimate governments in place do not agree with. In other words, the way Nigeria is hostile to self-determination by any constituent part of Nigeria is not different from the hostility of the Beijing authority to Taiwan’s quest for sovereign autonomy.

Taiwan became an issue in Chinese foreign policy following the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949. Before then, it was the story of Old China in which the people of China were ‘tragically bullied, humiliated and plundered by big powers’ following the Opium War of 1840. The new China wants to do away with the humiliation, and particularly with the sour inspirations following the War of Resistance against Japan, the Chinese War of Liberation or the opposition to the ‘US aggression and interference’ as a result of the ‘US pro-Chiang (Kai-shek) and anti-Communist activities carried out under the disguise of mediating the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China.’

And true, the sour inspirations have prompted and strengthened the resolve of the New China to defend the values and principles of national unity and independence, sovereignty and internationalism, friendly cooperation and international justice, human progress and peaceful coexistence. To a great extent, however, Taiwan remains a general irritant in the foreign policy calculations of the PRC. Therefore, the PRC has to fight tooth and nail for the integration of Taiwan and international understanding in global politics, including in its relations with Nigeria.

And true enough, Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. However, as a result of the defeat of China during the China-Japan war of 1894-1895, the Qing Government was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. In the eyes of the West, the cession of Taiwan was a theft. For instance, on 1st December, 1943 the Governments of China, United States and Britain clearly stated in their Cairo Declaration that ‘all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, the Pescadores shall be restored to the Republic of China (ROC:Taiwan). More important, on 26th July, 1945 the Potsdam Declaration which articulated the conditions of surrender of Japan ‘reiterated the terms of the Cairo Declaration.

As noted by the New Horizon Press in 1990, ‘on 25 October 1945, the Commander of the Japanese 10th Area Forces and Governor of Taiwan Kikichi Ando surrendered to China, and thus, Taiwan and Penghu Islands (the Pescadores) resumed their original status as part of the Chinese territory de facto, as well as de jure.’

Even though US President Truman made it clear that the US ‘had no predatory designs on Formosa or any other Chinese territory’ and that ‘the US will not pursue a course which will lead to involvement in the civil conflict in China,’ the truth is that the US would act to the contrary following the outbreak of the Korean War: President Truman ordered the Seventh Fleet to prevent any attack on Formosa and subjecting the determination of the future status of Formosa to the restoration of security in the Pacific, peaceful settlement with Japan and consideration by the United Nations.

Taiwan’s Ambassador receiving governor of Bauchi State

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

In fact, the Seven Fleet began invasion of the Taiwan Strait from June 27, 1950. US control of Taiwan was stepped up with the establishment of US naval and air bases. With the US intervention, Taiwan became a double-edged issue to be addressed: sovereignty over Taiwan and withdrawal of American forces from Taiwan.

This prompted not only Chairman Mao Zedong to call on ‘people throughout China and the world to unite and make adequate preparation to defeat the provocation by American imperialism,’ but also why the Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou en Lai had to declare that American intervention was an aggression and gross violation of the UN Charter and that ‘no matter what obstructive action the American imperialists may take, the fact that Taiwan is part of China will remain unchanged forever.’

Without any shadow of doubt, the change in the policy stand of the United States cannot be separated from the then Cold War politics: there was strong rivalry between socialism and capitalism. Mainland China (PRC) was, and still is, socialist while Taiwan (ROC) was, and still is, Capitalist. The US wants Taiwan to be distinctly capitalist, sovereign and independent. China says unconditional ‘no.’ In ensuring this, it is stated in the Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States that the United States accepted the Government of the PRC as the sole legal government of China and that Taiwan is part and parcel of One China. However, this recognition did not prevent the US President, Jimmy Carter, from proposing on 26 January, 1979 legislative adjustment bills on US-Taiwan relations which would help to maintain commercial,

cultural and other ties with Taiwan on non-official basis. An American Institute was also to be set up. Indeed, the US Congress passed the bills to the dislike of the Chinese, especially that the Taiwan Relations Act would continue to provide Taiwan with defence articles and defence services.

In an attempt to find an enduring compromise to the question of Taiwan, particularly the Sino-American political lull, the ‘One Country, Two Systems,’ was formulated and promoted. This is precisely the formula Nigeria’s foreign policy has always defended theoretically right from the time Nigeria and China established diplomatic ties in 1971, but which has had no relevant meaning in practice.

Taiwan in Sino-Nigerian Relations Nigeria’s policy on the issue of Taiwan appears to be that of unintended double standard, but the Chinese authorities have generally not taken kindly to this, even though they have continued to show understanding of Nigeria’s many problems in the hope for better days to come when there might be a change of policy. In the course of China’s policy tolerance, Beijing has been conscious and not quick in acceding to Nigeria’s quest for development assistance mainly because of the visible contradiction between Nigeria’s declaratory policy of support for ‘One China, two systems’, that is One China, politically speaking, and Two Systems, economically speaking, and acquiescence of the Trade Mission of Taiwan as an accredited diplomatic mission in Abuja, the political capital of Nigeria.

In general diplomatic practice, only recognised sovereign states can accredit diplomatic missions and consular missions to another country. In some cases, the consulates are integrated part of the mission. In some others, they operate in other parts of the receiving state. All depend on the extent of importance of the relationship, the population of nationals involved, the territorial size of the receiving country.

What is noteworthy here is that, grosso modo, under no circumstance is a constitutive member state of a country allowed to operate as an accredited mission where the sovereign country is itself recognised. Put differently, no component group of whatever kind can enter into international relations as another sovereign state. The presence of Taiwan in Nigeria, the manner it operates in Nigeria clearly gives the wrong impression that Taiwan is an independent and sovereign country. It gives the impression that the Government of Nigeria has also recognised it as such. More importantly, it also gives the wrong impression, particularly at the level of the Chinese, that the Government of Nigeria is not a worthy and trust-worthy country to probably take serious. If the Chinese hold this view, they may not be faulted because the actions of the people of Nigeria, the official action of Government lend much credence to the inconsistency in Government’s policy declaration and what it does in practice.

For instance, during the recent visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister to Nigeria, Nigeria and China agreed in a joint statement that ‘the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are committed to strengthening the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries to the benefit of their peoples.’ The statement was released by Xinhua on Wednesday, 11th January, 2017. Perhaps more significantly, the Xinhua also has it that ‘the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reaffirm their respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.’

It is quite good to express commitment to the need to strengthen the relations but it is better to translate the commitment into action. It is also quite good to reaffirm respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Nothing could be more interesting than Nigeria’s plain truth in the Joint Statement when ‘the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes that there is only one China in the world, that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reiterates not to have any official relations or engage in any official contacts with Taiwan, and supports all efforts made by the Chinese Government to realize national reunification.’

As explained by Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, ‘Taiwan will stop enjoying any privileges because it is not a country that is recognised under international law and under the position we have taken internationally, we recognise the people of China... Taiwan will not have any diplomatic representation in Nigeria and also they will be moving to Lagos to the extent that they function as a trade mission with a skeletal staff.’

There is every reason to believe the position of the Government of Nigeria for various reasons: Nigeria does not have any diplomatic mission in Taiwan. No Taiwanese ambassador has presented any Letters of Credence to the President of Nigeria, meaning that there is no Letter of Withdrawal and no fresh Letter of Appointment. In fact, there is no evidence of any third State acting on behalf of Nigeria in Taiwan. All observers and students of Nigeria’s foreign policy are agreed that Nigeria maintains that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Mainland China.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

BUSINESS QUICK TAKES

Airports Certification

TheInternationalCivilAviationOrganisation (ICAO) in conjunction with the NigerianCivilAviationAuthority(NCAA) has commenced the implementation of the Africa, Indian Flight Region (AFI) Plan Aerodrome Certification Project for Abuja and Lagos airports.

The objective of the certification is to ensure that the airports, which are the busiestinthecountry,meetinternational safety standard. None of the nation’s airports has been rated by ICAO and other international aviation safety organisations because they have not been certified, and this has lowered the overall safety rating of Nigeria by the international aviation body. The certification process was disclosed by theDirectorGeneralofNCAA,Captain Muhtar Usman, while addressing his counterparts from the ICAO Western andCentralAfrican(WACAF)duringthe pre-certificationmeetingattheNCAA Conference Room.

Whiledisclosingthatthetwoairportsare theMurtalaMuhammedInternational Airport (MMIA), Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja addedthatthetwoairportswerechosen due to the volume of traffic in Nigeria, whichhasthelargestpassengertraffic in the African continent.

Trading floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange

Stock Market Sheds 4% from January to Date Kunle Aderinokun

Trading activities on the floors of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) closed last Friday with the NSE All-Share Index (ASI) plunging 3.99 per cent year to date.

The stock market had been posting rather unimpressive outing since the beginning of the year, culminating in a negative year-to-date return and all but two indices closing in the red at the weekend. A year-to-date return is a return, which extends from the beginning of the year.

As at the end of trading last Friday, the NSE All-Share Index (ASI) and market capitalisation shed 2 per cent and 1.84 per cent, closing the market at 25,802.54 and N8.892 trillion, respectively.

The only two of the exchange’s 12 indices that moved up namely, NSE Premium Index and NSE Industrial Goods Indices, appreciated by 0.15 per cent and 4.37 per cent respectively.

While a total of 1.153 billion shares worth N8.032 billion were traded in 12,783 deals in the week under review, it represented a significant drop in value when compared to a total of 990.584 million shares worth N18.823 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 14,917 deals.

A breakdown showed that the Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 841.221 million shares valued at N3.065 billion traded in 7,102

CAPITAL MARKET deals; thus contributing 72.93 per cent and 38.16 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Services Industry followed with 91.826 million shares worth N139.497 million in 265 deals.

The third place was occupied by Industrial Goods Industry with a turnover of 67.010 million shares worth N247.141 million in 510 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely, Continental Reinsurance Plc, FBN Holdings Plc and Medview Airline Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 381.262 million shares worth N788.588 million in 1,008 deals, contributing 33.05 per cent and 9.82 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

As for the Friday trading, investors traded 144.61 million shares worth N1.22 billion, which translated to a decrease of 11.51 per cent from the previous day’s trading value. The bears (losers) overran the bulls (gainers) on this particular trading day.

Specifically 22 companies dropped in the share prices compared to eight that gained. The loss in the market was driven mainly by: UACN (-4.94 per cent, N15.20), Nestle (-2.86 per cent, N680.00), GTBank (-2.46 per cent, N23.02), Nigerian Breweries (-1.06 per cent, N133.11), FBNH (-0.85 per cent, N3.50), UBA (-0.40 per cent, N5.00), Access Bank (-0.29 per cent, N6.80), Zenith Bank (-0.26 per cent, N15.56),

Presco (-0.18 per cent, N44.12), and Forte Oil (-0.11 per cent, N61.00).

Meanwhile, top 10 stockbrokers traded1,490,748,430 shares on the floors in the last one week, which ended on Friday. The amount represented 64.62 per cent of the total volume of shares traded on the exchange in the review week.

Analysis shows that Cordros Securities Limited topped the table of 10 stockbrokers by volume with 412,941,306 shares representing 17.90 per cent of the market volume; Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited While a total of 1.153 billion shares worth N8.032 billion were traded in 12,783 deals in the week under review, it represented a significant drop in value when compared to a total of 990.584 million shares worth N18.823 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 14,917 deals

followed with 192,590,002 shares ( 8.35 per cent), Trust Yields Securities Ltd with 158,491,304 shares (6.87 per cent) and ImperiaI Asset Managers Limited 148,867,572 shares (6.45 per cent) occupied the third and fourth positions respectively on the table as well as Rencap Securities (Nig) Limited with 129,892,904 shares (5.63 per cent) on the fifth position.

The remaining five brokers were in the following order: ARM Securities Limited 105,739,186 shares (4.58 per cent); Meristem Stockbrokers

Limited 104,220,332 shares (4.52 per cent); Cardinalstone Securities Limited 90,063,083 shares (3.90 per cent); APT Securities and Funds 81,550,963 shares (3.54 per cent) and Fundvine Capital & Securities Limited 66,391,778 shares(2.88 per cent).

Looking at trading in terms of value, top 10 stockbrokers transacted deals worth N11,222,495,451.17 representing 71.19 per cent of the total value of trading for the week.

Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, which was on top of the table transacted N2,982,359,879.72, accounting for 18.92 per cent of the total value for the week. Following, Bestworth Assets & Trust Ltd recorded N1,966,208,572.50, which translated to 12.47 per cent of the total value. Whereas Rencap Securities (Nig) Limited with N1,712,753,787.76 (10.87 per cent) placed third on the table, Chapel Hill Denham Securities Ltd trailed behind having transacted N1,041,143,619.42 (6.60 per cent). Others that followed sequentially were Cordros Securities Limited N859,798,873.82 (5.45 per cent); CSL Stockbrokers Limited N717,848,552.11 (4.55 per cent); A.R.M Securities Limited N584,795,031.06 (3.71 per cent); EFCP Limited N546,893,753.04 (3.47 per cent); Cardinalstone Securities Limited N411,438,858.40 (2.61 per cent) and Readings Investments Limited N399,254,523.34 (2.53 per cent).

Power Sector

TheAfricaDevelopmentBankhassaid it approved a loan of $155million for Economic and Power Sector Reform Programme in Nigeria.

The Senior Communications Officer of AfDB, Fatimah Alkali, in Abuja said the loan became effective in October, 19, 2012. Recent media reports had indicatedthattheremightbeaface-off between the Senate and the Federal Governmentonplanstosecureafacility of $174 million from AfDB. The media reports also revealed that part of the security for the loan was the handing over of the management ofTransmissionofCompanyofNigeria toAfDB.ThereportshintedthatAfDB would second three of its staff to take over the management of TCN for six months and would terminate the appointment of current management of TCN. To this end, the AfDB, in its statement,saidthattheappointmentofthe managementofTCNwasaprerogative oftheNigerianauthoritiesandnotthat of AfDB.

Manufacturers

Despite all the efforts on the part of governmentandstakeholderstorevive the manufacturing industry and set it backonthepathofgrowth,thingshave instead become worse for the sector.

ThePresidentofMAN,Dr.FrankJacobs, hassaid.“Therehasnotbeenmuchgoing on in the manufacturing sector for some time. Most of our members are battling foreign exchange challenges, among other issues.”

AlthoughtheCentralBankofNigeriahad directed banks to allocate 60 per cent offorextomanufacturers,Jacobssaid thebankswerenotcomplyingwiththe directive,addingthatthesituationhad compelledmembersoftheassociation to start souring forexfromtheparallel market. He said, “The CBN’s directive had stated that 60 per cent of the forex should go to the manufacturing sector but that is not the reality. Our membershavenotbeengettingaccess totheforex.“Justrecently,someofour members called me to say they had resorted to sourcing forex from the blackmarketandthepracticeismaking theirproductsveryexpensive.”Jacobs, however, noted that one year was too short a time to assess the impact of government’seffortstorevivethesector.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

BUSINESS/ENERGY

Nigeria could ramp up crude oil production with peaceful Niger Delta

Steadily Growing Crude Oil Production Last Tuesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, reiterated that through a series of dialogue and properly worked out resolution of the development challenges of the Niger Delta, Nigeria could maintain a steady growth in her oil and gas production. Chineme Okafor writes

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n a renewed attempt to continue with the peaceful resolution of the Niger Delta development challenges and stem the tide of its derivative militancy and disruption of oil production in the region, the federal government, last week, convened a meeting of stakeholders in the region’s agitation for good governance and resource management.

Perhaps a continuation of what started in 2016, the meeting had the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and other key government officials involved in the enlarged dialogue, which Kachikwu started to get the Niger Delta militants stop their troubles and come to the table with the government on their issues.

Like he stated in 2016, when he had several meetings with Niger Delta stakeholders, Kachikwu repeated at the resumed meeting that Nigeria could produce up to three million barrels of crude oil per day from the Niger Delta region.

He, however, explained that the insecurity in the region had been undermining Nigeria’s capacity to realise its potential in oil production, thus indicating that a holistic peace in the Niger Delta could be an effective means to improved oil production and revenue generation for Nigeria.

According to Kachikwu at the meeting: “It is important we continue to sustain the institutional engagement and negotiations which are key to the development of the region.”

“Our target is zero militancy by the middle of 2017, and an incident reduction in the region by 90 per cent by 2018.

“We must resolve current militancy problems

and bring back oil production to 2.2 million barrels per day,” he added.

The minister, though claimed that over $40 billion had been spent in 12 years to develop the Niger Delta without credible infrastructure to justify such huge expenditure, stated that a lot of development in the region could have been achieved if there were real commitment to its challenges by its stakeholders.

A Peaceful Niger Delta Urging stakeholders to commence immediate action in this regard, Kachikwu said there was need for stakeholders to create stability incentive schemes, jobs and investment opportunities, to strengthen the region against the attractions of militancy.

He said to push this further, government would introduce a joint account with oil companies to foster transparency in cash calls and ensure that revenue inflows were clearly understood by all.

He also explained a collaborative development reserves for the region would be initiated.

“We are targeting 30 per cent cost savings, which we can link to transparency. What is most important is not the amount of the fund; it is the conceptualisation of that funding.

“Governors will have to come together as a regional block to look at cross-state investments in roads, railways, town facilities or specialist hospitals.

“We are going to pool in energy and ensure we look at cross border investments to strengthen the region,” Kachikwu stated.

Notwithstanding, the minister’s declarations

at the meeting were part of the suggestions he offered in 2016 to the government and militants in the Niger Delta when the activities of the latter pushed Nigeria’s oil production to about 1.1 million barrels per day, and affected revenue generation for the country.

Kachikwu at that time said it was necessary for all parties involved to separate genuine agitation for good governance and resources management from criminality, which he said was denying Nigeria the benefits she should derive from stable oil production from the region.

But in reaction to the development, the government then opted for a military action against the militants, one, which Kachikwu felt was excessive and incapable of yielding the right results. He, thus emphasised then that a peaceful Niger Delta was downrightly needed to grow and stabilise Nigeria’s oil production.

During one of his 2016 meetings with stakeholders in the Niger Delta, Kachikwu said: “The Niger Delta is not an easy terrain to deal with, both in physiography and in terms of its politics. Obviously, what is happening over the last one year has been turbulent for the country, its resources and even the sustenance of the oil industry.

“What we did in terms of that meeting was to be able to bring them (stakeholders) to see the president so you can remove the level of trust deficit that had existed. The president is committed to finding solutions to these problems; but he is committed to finding lasting solutions, not one-offs that would come to haunt us again afterwards.

That is why he is taking his time to understand

how these people operate.”

“As we are doing that, we are also embarking on a series of actions, like actions related to the university; actions related to business opportunities in the area; actions related to clean-up operations.

We are continuing to do this, while we are putting together the faces to have some negotiations and some conversations.

“Even at that, on a quarterly basis, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources is going to be on a roadshow, having Niger Delta stakeholders, opinion leaders meet with the governors, with ourselves and the oil companies to continue to deepen resolutions to some of the issues that you see,” he added.

On the impacts of a troubled Niger Delta on Nigeria’s oil production, he stated then that, “Counter accusations have never solved the problems. The reality about the Niger Delta is that no matter what you do, you never forget your base or you will be planning in vain and so we need to reach out to that base. We set a zero militancy target in 2017 and we want anything that needs to be done should be done.”

An oil industry expert, who spoke with THISDAY but craved anonymity, underlined the importance of keeping the Niger Delta peaceful. He stated that Nigeria’s realisation of its 2.2 million barrels per day oil production budgetary benchmark was hinged on a peaceful Delta and minimal or zero militancy.

He thus urged the government to improve its on-going dialogue with the region’s stakeholders straight away to avoid the risk of being held to ransom by its delays and alleged tactlessness.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Implementing Trade Facilitation Agreement for Economic Recovery James Emejo examines the relevance of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which the country recently endorsed at the World Trade Organisation to economic rejuvenation

L-R: Minister of Water Resources , Suleiman Adamu; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland…recently

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ecently, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, on behalf of the Federal Government, ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) to make Nigeria the 107th World Trade Organisation (WTO) member state to do so.

Nigeria’s instrument of acceptance of the TFA was submitted to the WTO during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the minister further held useful talks with WTO Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo.

Essentially, the TFA contains the rules of trade and aims to simplify trade, eliminate barriers, reduce red tapes and customs clearance time, among other lofty objectives.

The agreement further defines measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues and highlights provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.

In specific terms, Enalemah believes the implementation of the TFA would radically increase the volume and value of trade in goods, pointing out that, “the greater the volume, the greater the revenue generated, the more jobs are created and the more the economy expands.”

Furthermore, the minister believes such economic activity had the potential to actualise the economic diversification plan of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as more jobs would inevitably cause the economy to

grow and expand, a development that would naturally aid expansion in industrialisation and diversification.

And in a move, which attests to the seriousness of the current administration to implement credible reforms to turn things around, the Senior Director for Trade and Competitiveness at the World Bank, Anabel Gonzalez, recently visited the ministry of trade with her team to engage in concrete discussions to commence the implementation of the TFA. As a matter of fact, Enalemah said, “We have started implementation in earnest.”

Experts believe that with the several trade barriers which the country was confronted with before now, the TFA should reverse the ugly trends, especially in the areas of the vexatious rejection of Nigerian goods.

Government had also been working on a functional National Quality Infrastructure to address issues on standards.

According to Enalemah, on the series of meetings with partners, “We discussed the single window and one-stop shop; raising the quality of Nigerian products for export; setting up a trade infrastructure at the ministry; assistance in training staff; assistance with World Bank diagnostic study and analysis that will help us in negotiations for the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).”

He said the TFA broke new ground for developing and least-developed countries in the way it will be implemented.

“For the first time in WTO history, the requirement to implement the agreement was

directly linked to the capacity of the country to do so,” he said.

The minister further explained that Nigeria’s ratification of the TFA was a reflection of its commitment to the WTO and a rules-based economy.

Essentially, the TFA contains the rules of trade and aims to simplify trade, eliminate barriers, reduce red tapes and customs clearance time, among other lofty objectives. The agreement further defines measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues- and highlights provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area

According to him, “It is evident of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to rapidly implement his presidential initiative on the creation of an enabling environment for business. Nigeria would like to see a strengthened WTO that reflects the development principles of developing countries like Nigeria and we praise the effectiveness of DG Azevêdo in this regard.”

Meanwhile, it is worthy of note that Azevêdo had been on a campaign to help countries including Nigeria pursue economic diversification and create job opportunities for citizens.

Most of the country’s existing trade agreements are believed to be unrealistic and outdated in view of new realities in the global front, prompting efforts for renegotiated agreements to reflect present conditions.

The recent federal government’s directive on all its foreign missions abroad to commence a 48- hour visa issuance programme to those willing to do business with Nigerians was no doubt a direct fallout of the trade facilitation effort.

Nigeria’s Chief Trade Negotiator, Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, had also said trade remedies were being drafted to tackle disruptive trade practices particularly dumping of substandard products in the country.

“We need to use trade policy to correct imbalances in global trade,” he stated.

No doubt, the successful implementation of the TFA could reset the economic fortunes of the country and aid its recovery from the current recession.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ FEBRUARY 5 2017

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BUSINESS/TRANSPORT one place every ‘bad agent and importer’ used.

The war against fraudulent practices was waged at the port by the former Controller, Alhaji Jibrin Zakare. The present Controller, AlhajiYusuf Bashar, has also been involved in maintaining sanity at the port. The two mapped out strategies to check fraudulent importers and customs agents who champion every effort to clear bad goods. In the past few years and more, the Command has recorded seizures of a number of contraband that would have passed through the system undetected because of the crafty nature of the importers and their agents. Perhaps, the importer behind the arms import may have decided to use Apapa to avoid the kind of searchlight that is on Tin Can port now. However, with the latest discovery, bad importers are certainly going to retreat.

Some of the seized 661 rifles in Lagos

How Interception of Arms on Lagos Highway Exposed Corruption at the Ports

Reaction from Stakeholders The news about the interception of a container of arms was a big shock to many industry stakeholders. Many of them had also expressed surprise as to how such consignment could have passed through the port system undetected by all the agencies of government who are stationed there. Those who spoke to this writer said the interception shows how important the FOU of the Customs could be. Over the years, the unit has been criticised for intercepting containers that had already been cleared at the ports. But the Customs management has always defended their actions as a check on the activities of those at the port. Most times, the FOU uses informants, known as ‘kelebe’ to monitor clearance of most goods leaving the ports. The‘kelebes’could play double game. If they are identified and settled, they keep their mouths shut; if not, they will simply give information to the FOU who will pay them.

One thing is certain about this. Sometimes, an importer, who commits minor offence such as low duty can settle his way when caught on the highway. Even if it is contraband, he may still settle his way. This explains the presence of banned frozen food items and other goods in the market. Some of these goods are smuggled container may have been ‘flown out’ of the port through the border routes. Some come through by a mafia group, who have their men on the the seaports. It is alleged that some customs ground at the port level. Sources said a syndicate officers and other agencies of government at the specialises in‘flying’contraband which cannot be border posts arrange with the smugglers on the cleared officially from the system. Yet, this was safest time to smuggle. This perhaps explains in the days when the seaports had not been why the National Association of Government concessioned. A source said the era of ‘flying’ Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has container may have gone with the concessioning called on the customs leadership to expand the of the ports. This is with tightened security in scope of investigation on the seized arms. The the terminals. Incidentally, the seaport is under Deputy National President Seaport (NAGAFF), tight security 24/7, particularly inside the terminals Mr. Obums Anene, advised the customs to and at the exit gate, a situation that makes it ensure that the scope of investigation on illegal imports should be expanded to include every difficult for such ‘flying’ container to pass. stakeholder, including every carrier, representatives A Big Blow to Apapa Customs Command of the shipping operation, among others. According As the Federal Operation Unit, Ikeja, celebrates the to the association, it would amount to injustice to seizure of the container, it is indeed a big blow the customs officers, if investigation and action to the entire officers of the Apapa Command. on illegal imports were limited to them only.

The shame is from the top level management He added that every person involved in physical to the least officer in the Command. There is examination and duly endorsed it should be always the saying that when one finger touches investigated for not reporting. NAGAFF also oil, it affects all. This is exactly the case here. It called on the CG to reward the officers who does not matter that few unscrupulous officers made the discovery, adding that this will go a aided the criminals. It is one incident that casts long way in encouraging them and others to aspersion on the entire command. Incidentally, do more. The freight forwarders also said the Apapa Command has over the years been rated Customs management needs to improve on the high as a no-go area for fraudulent importers intelligence gathering mechanism of the service. and customs agents. Few years ago, it was The group while expressing dismay over the Tin Can Island port that was known as very failure of the importers to obey trade regulations notorious because it was used by those who advised that the infrastructure relating to tools had bad cases. It was just few years ago that for trade facilitation at the ports and border routes the controller posted to the Command started should be strengthened to check the importation working on achieving sanity. Tin Can port was of such illegal arms.

The interception of a container load of 661 pump action rifles and furniture on the highway after it was released at Apapa port has raised concerns by stakeholders, who say the security of the country could be in danger with unscrupulous personnel at the nation’s seaport and porous border routes, writes Francis Ugwoke

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his is not the best of times for the Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). This is following the interception of a container loaded with arms that was released at the port. Operatives of the Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Ikeja had intercepted the container on the way to an unknown location at Mile 2, Apapa Expressway toward the end of January.

The container had 49 boxes of 661 pump action rifles. Also discovered were bullet proof doors and other merchandise goods in the container.

The importer had declared the items as furniture, which incidentally is under import prohibition.

For the Customs, it was a big seizure, one of the reasons why the Comptroller General of the Customs, Rtd. Col. Hameed Ali, had to fly to Lagos to see things for himself. Ali who was evidently shaken by the discovery told newsmen at a press conference that the container was cleared at the Apapa port with the aid of two officers, who are now being investigated. The arms, he said, originated from Turkey and routed through China before being smuggled into Nigeria. Apart from the two officers who had already been declared wanted, three suspects have been arrested over the seizure, including Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor and Sadique Mustapha.The custom management had declared Abdullahi I, with service number 44483 ASC, and Odiba Haruna Inah, with service number 133386, wanted. The two were said to have

fled after the interception of the container.

Ali said“these rifles are under absolute prohibition, therefore their importation was illegal. Such deadly contravention of the law is even more unacceptable considering the fragile security situation in some parts of the country.

“Already, three suspects have been arrested in connection with this illegal importation. Investigation has already commenced and I have directed that the dragnet should be wide enough to fish out all persons involved in the importation and clearing of the consignment. The customs officers involved in the clearance of this container are with the Comptroller, FOU Zone A Ikeja”.

Questions on Customs Examination For observers, the interception of the container of arms has raised concerns as to how safe the country is with criminals bribing their way to bring in such amount of arms through the ports. There is also concern that such crime may certainly not be the first time. The concern is if such container can come in through the nation’s premier port and cleared, one can imagine how smugglers could be having their way using the porous border stations. Many are of the view that there is the possibility of such consignments being released in the past by unscrupulous officers with the importers not caught. The question many also ask is: how come such consignment left the seaport without any officer detecting the content? Was the container not examined?

If not, why should it be so? Sources said that the

Corruption in the Ports The seaport is one area many people have described as a corrupt zone. The reason is that there is hardly any importer that is ready to abide by trade regulations. Most of them are involved in cutting corners by using the customs agents who liaise with resident customs officers to have their way. Most times, the customs officials are handicapped because of the pressure on them to succumb to taking bribe from the importers through their customs agents. The situation is that customs officials, who are benefiting from this corrupt practices have found it difficult to penalise offenders. Even when they do, it is not enough to stop the importers. For instance, when an importer is nabbed for concealment, underdeclaration and under-invoicing, it becomes a deal for some customs officials treating his document. How much DN that the importer gets depends on how he is able to settle. If his settlement is reasonable, he gets lower DN. This certainly encourages the same crime again and again. It is a known fact that prominent leaders of associations of customs agents have come out to admit how corrupt the system is.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

BUSINESS/AVIATION

As Airlines, Other Stakeholders Brace up for Closure of Abuja Airport...

Due to the deterioration of the only runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, there are plans to close the airport for a major work to be done on its runway. Airlines, service providers and passengers are already bracing up for the closure, writes Chinedu Eze

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any industry insiders were peeved when the Senate refused that the Abuja airport, which is the second busiest in the country, should be closed so that major work could be done on the runway.

The Senate insisted that there must be a way to get round it without closing the airport. The members cited examples from elsewhere where major work was done on airport runway while the airport was still operating.

The senators looked at the issue from the economic and political viewpoints. They noted the level of disruption that would occur if the airport was closed for even a short period. It would disrupt the movement of top government officials, businessmen and women, but above all the political leadership of the country.

But the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, assured the senators that the period the airport would be closed would be for six weeks, starting from March 8, 2017 and that it would not exceed six weeks. He told them that the alternative airport would be Kaduna airport and before the Abuja airport would be closed, Kaduna would be ready to provide the needed service. The senators later gave in because the issue involved safety.

Abuja Airport Runway The runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was built in 1984 to last for 20 years, so the runway expired in 2004 and since then it had been undergoing various levels of patch works.

According to the former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Sule Ozenua, in the Abuja airport master plan it was conceived that the second runway at the airport would be built shortly after the take-off of the airport.

According to him, “The unfortunate thing about Abuja airport closure is that we want to say Abuja is an international airport. As far as I am concerned and as the world knows, there is no international airport that will be operating with only one runway. And when you go back to the inception of Abuja airport construction, you will find out that the master plan of the airport consists of two runways and one would have expected that less than five years after Abuja came into operation, the second runway should have been in operation. But since 1984, nothing has been done to ensure the construction of the second runway in Abuja. It is as if we all went to sleep.”

There were plans to build a second runway in 2009/2010 but this project was allegedly frustrated by the then leadership of the House of Representatives, which indicated that the cost of the project at N63.5 billion was outrageous. However, the leadership had later argued that it expected that government should have reviewed the project cost and brought it back for another debate and possible approval.

Economic Loss FAAN official told THISDAY that the agency would lose estimated revenue of over N2 billion from international carriers and domestic flight operations.

Foreign airlines that operate to Abuja airport include Egypt Air, Air France, British Airways, Ethiopia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, South Africa Airways and Middle East Airlines.

FAAN generates about N800 million and $180,000 (N64, 800, 000), totalling N1.44 billion monthly from foreign carriers in Abuja, which means that if they refused to move to Kaduna as they have already stated, the agency would lose the aforementioned revenue. These include fees, which

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja contribute about 30 per cent to FAAN’s revenue.

“If the airport is closed for six weeks it means that FAAN will lose two months’ revenue. This will aggravate the impact of the current recession on the agency, which is already struggling to earn money to carry out major infrastructural projects at the airports. Foreign airlines have made it clear that they would not go to Kaduna; rather, they would move to Lagos. But government has objected to this.

We just pray that the duration of the closure will not last more than the six weeks,”the official said.

For instance, Lufthansa on Thursday reiterated that it would not operate to Kaduna airport when the Abuja airport is closed. While expressing its own decision, it reflected the collective decision of foreign carriers that operate to Abuja.

Also, some domestic carriers have estimated that they would lose huge resources during the closure but gave support to the closure for safety reasons.

Some of the airlines said they would reduce their flights to the alternate airport, which is Kaduna, because not many passengers travelling to Abuja would like to land there.

“So we expect drastic reduction of passengers to Abuja and we are also going to reduce our frequency to Abuja, now Kaduna. Although the Minister (Senator Hadi Sirika) assured Nigerians of safety on the Kaduna to Abuja road, but I know that many of our passengers will suspend their travel to Abuja during that period of closure. And many people who come to Lagos and other cities from Abuja to spend their weekend will have to stay back in Abuja until the airport is reopened,” said an operator.

But despite the fact they would lose revenue, almost all Nigerian airlines have given support to the closure so that comprehensive work could be done on the runway.

“We support the closure of the Abuja airport so that thorough work can be done on the runway,

but we know we will lose money and the closure will disrupt our operations, but for safety’s sake we support the closure. That runway was a death trap and they said there is no other alternative than to close the airport, so let them close. But it is important they start building a second runway immediately,” another operator told THISDAY. Improved Runway Many industry operators and other stakeholders had blamed the federal government for not having maintenance programme for the airport. They also accused the Senate of politicising critical safety facility, which if neglected could lead to loss of lives.

Ozenua said what should be paramount in the decision about the closure of the airport for the rehabilitation of the runway should have been safety consideration because civil aviation is defined as“safe and expeditious movement of air traffic,”which means that material losses and other inconveniences are secondary to safety. But, he said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should have been allowed to make pronuncements on the plan to close the airport.

“The regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, knows the conditions under which safety operation should take place at our international airports. One would have expected that regulatory body be allowed to do its job. With the regulatory agency, there is a lot of international involvement.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recognises the position of NCAA, the insurance covers given to airlines is undertaken by NCAA as a result of the position of the regulatory body as it affects any of the aviation units.

NCAA is also the one that is saddled with the job for classification and recognition of our airports.

So this is not an issue for anybody to dictate to the regulatory body what should normally take place,” Ozenua said.

Passengers While airlines would suffer financial loss, especially the international carriers, it is the passengers that will suffer the most inconveniences. This is why many, who spoke to THISDAY wished there would be another alternative that would not involve closure of the airport. Many passengers told THISDAY that for the six weeks that the airport would be closed, they would not go to Abuja.

But there is a positive side to it. Many people, who leave Abuja to Lagos and other destinations every weekend, would have to stay back in the capital city, which would raise economic activities during the weekends. But for the airlines, there will be depletion in their load factor.

Helicopter to the Rescue Bristow Helicopters and other chopper operators have said they would place their equipment in Kaduna to airlift passengers to Abuja airport at token fees.

The Base Manager of the Bristow’s new highbrow schedule passenger service to Abuja, Ayo Stilo Oni, said: “We have gone to Kaduna and other neighbouring airports. We will make a choice of where to go that will be convenient and safe for our passengers and we will transport the passengers for a small fee, using helicopters from the location to Abuja. We will use our helicopter to transfer passengers from Kaduna or any other location to Abuja. While the runway in Abuja is closed for fixed wing aircraft, helicopters can operate to the airport.”

Industry critics said that FAAN must have maintenance programme for airport facilities, pointing out that, if there were such programme, the runway would not have degenerated to the extent that it necessitated the closure of the airport for a major repair. The critics also said there should be urgent plan to establish a second runway at the airport.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

INTERVIEW Babaeko: 2017 is the Year to Rip the Box Apart for Unconventional Creative Ideas Managing Director, X3m Ideas, Steve Babaeko, speaks to Adedayo Adejobi on the current advertising economy, effects of in-house agencies on the industry and other pertinent issues

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ow would you access the advertising industry and the economy in 2016?

Last year was perhaps the most challenging year that I have ever witnessed since almost the beginning of my career; it was a very challenging year. The reason is not farfetched, from an economy slow down, we went into a recession. The client was badly affected, then it invariably affected the market communications industry so it was a very challenging year. It was a year that most of our colleagues found it difficult to meet their obligations to their staff, companies even event outside the marketing communications industry had to cut salaries and some others deployed a number of practical measures to survive the year, so it was a very tough and rough year for the economy in general.

Despite these challenges what can you point to as a plus for the marketing communications industry in 2016?

The good side is that a number of good works came out last year despite the challenged economy.

As far as awards are concerned, I think Nigeria has more showing at the global level than previous years.

A number of agencies including our agency, X3M Ideas, had wonderful showings winning laurels at the convenient level. This gives the industry – advertising practitioners and clients brighter ray of hope for the future while it is also a confirmation that that the practice is moving in the right direction, at least our creative can hold their own at this level.

Now budget has shrunk drastically, it’s now marketing on shoestring budget, what must agencies do to survive?

I think for agencies to survive in this downturn, as practitioners, we have to be more creative. They always tell us about thinking “outside the box”, coming from 2016 and its economy recession, this year we have to rip the box apart; there should be no box for the big idea. Beyond this, I can see the agencies now looking for other ways to survive; it will no longer be the usual routine. Agencies must review their business models and tweak their operations to evolve some innovative products line. This is necessary because as the agencies we are not going to close shop because clients’ budgets are drying or have dried up.

This does that really mean we should go out of the business. I can see serious agencies becoming more creative in terms of pushing out their own product line that will help them to survive even if the clients are not spending as before. The more they do this, the better for the industry.

Getting the agency product line up and running is just the obvious way forward; the vast opportunities in the digital space more than enhance this possible offering. This will ensure that the agency survive beyond the crushing recession. As practitioners, we travel a lot, we see what others people are doing in other markets, so Nigeria can’t afford to lag behind for so long.

In your interview with the New York Festival magazine, you decried the spate of in-house agencies by clients as a minus on the industry, why this position?

The way it will play out in the industry in Nigeria is that, it will favour the agencies at some points. In the interview you referred to, I maintained a position that agencies cannot become manufacturers of the consumable products that the client produces, also similarly, some clients have shown that they are not also good at marketing communications. Therefore, it is proper to give room for specialisation - let the agencies focus on marketing communications - creating branding and communication for clients’ products and services while the client focuses producing good quality products. It is better to keep these separate. For clients who fail to keep them separate, experience tells us that they are not any better than the clients who have the good sense to employ top-notch agencies.

Some agencies have excelled at it, especially as they are able pool resources from the established agencies?

I don’t think so, because advertising is a highly specialised profession, even when companies pool the resources, there is a corporate culture, which governs that field of specialisation if you are a client and decides to assemble “an all-star team” together,

Babaeko

yes they are good but that environment may not allow them to “fly” the way they are wont to on the agency’s side. Those are the issues, unless you are able to create that enabling environment, you find out that the in-house agency idea is not going to fly or work effectively for the client.

For almost two years, the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the governing body, which regulates advertising has been without a chairman.

How has this affected the industry?

It has affected us in a very significant ways because this is like saying may be the board of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is scrapped, who regulates the practice? Yes, the Registrar/CEO, Alh. Garba Bello-Kankarofi, is doing a yeo-man’s job, great job, I mean to keep that place running. The current President of the AAAN, Kayode Oluwasona, as an APCON board member has unequivocally stated that council chairman has to be appointed by the government to help us manage all the issues we’ve been trying to manage. This current situation in the industry is like a plane flying without a good control tower. The APCON is a control tower that makes sure plane coming in and taking off are able to do so without any kind of mishap. This is an urgent situation, I am hoping the government will look in this early enough in the year because is very important.

Why do you think the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, will ignore the industry? Is it deliberate or it’s because the advertising industry is not pulling its weight?

I want to give the government the benefit of doubt, I won’t say it’s a deliberate attempt to sideline the industry. I think it may be in the light of the current realities they have to cope with. A lot of things are happening in the country at the same time, especially, the economy, I am sure is giving the government a sleepless night, the value of the naira versus major foreign currencies, among others burning issues. So among those burning issues is also APCON, it is not less important. If we say we say we are serious about the economy, we want to get the economy out of recession, every segment has to be up and running.

As it is now, the market communications segment is running on one engine at the best, except you tackle the issue of the APCON board by appointing a chairman.

Being a Jury at the New York (Advertising) Festival, what do you say about the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival in view of the last outing and what needs to be done to restore the growing advertising award brand?

For our local LAIF award, it is still clear with the last year’s award we still have a lot of work to do in terms of looking for a better ways to organise ourselves and bring more transparency into the award especially at the jury level. I am sure those are the issues the president is trying to address and I have confidence in the present leadership of the association to make sure that all the loose ends are tied up.

How do you mean?

Get people who are good creatives but are no longer active working for any agency so that partisanship can be reduced if not totally eliminated. This is necessary because when you select the jury from creative directors of agencies with entries as its currently being done, partisanship becomes inherent in their ad ratings and judgments. There are quite a number of solid creatives who no longer work for any agency, some may have even moved to the client side but they are solid creative regardless of the changing of garbs, so if you get them involved in this process, they are much more fair and independent minded, they are likely to make a good job of the process. Secondly, most of the complaints against 2016 LAIF awards have to do with “self-promo” ads. Using one self-promo to win across several categories should be reviewed. These are just a few, when we take a more critical look at the issues, we will discover there are other areas we need to improve upon. Honestly, regardless of all the issues and protests, I still think the industry is better off with LAIF than without it. This is because we have something that inspires people to focus on creating good works.

Surprisingly, some insinuate that LAIF after its 11th edition has proved to be a failure and therefore should be scrapped. What’s your reaction to this?

That will be like throwing away the baby with the bath water. There are many things we’ve done in this country as a people; there are some that worked while we are still trying to perfect some. Our experience

at democracy, for instance, there are still so many issues with the process, we won’t because of these let go of democracy and call in the military! As a people, we will continue to improve the process. All the advanced countries you see today, they become advanced by continuously improving their processes.

This is what we should be doing as well. Yes, LAIF award has challenges, there are issues surrounding it, we should keep improving on what we have, I am sure in 20 years’ time hopefully some will sit down, look and say, “Yeah, we stumbled but we have finally made it”.

Technology is leading media and advertising.

What’s happening in 2017?

Technology is the engine room for everything that we do, the era of internet of things, and it is going to get more intensified. There is always going to be a new dimensions to technology, the window is usually about six months so what you knew then will probably get stale if you do not update yourself. It is going to get even more rapid, changes will happen at incredible speed. Technology is going to be at the centre of all we do either we like it or not. Take a look at the music industry, no one is talking about record sales, it’s now about streaming and downloads.

The advertising sector too, is no exception. All the platforms and tools are becoming more digital. The print media too will have no option than to go digital.

I am sure if you talk to some young people they will tell you that they have not held a newspaper in their hands in the last two years.

Now, every news is consumed on their mobile, so if nobody is buying it, one has no choice than to change. If you look at what played out between Linda Ikeji and the soft sell magazines, you can see clearly that Linda did not do anything different than to take the content to the digital platform. She came there, had an early comer advantage over others and that made the difference. More so for traditional print publications, we can have good titles in printed formats with people rushing over themselves to buy it, but when it comes to online, it is a strictly different ball game. The question of how to optimise for easy use both on desktop and mobile considering that the bulk of the traffic we have to the web in Nigeria is via mobile.

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BUSINESS/MEDIA

5HSRVLWLRQLQJ $PLGVW 6WL; &RPSHWLWLRQ Raheem Akingbolu reviews the new credential campaign launched by Nigerian Breweries to reposition Goldberg and argues that ‘Your Excellency’ title given to the brand could only resonate with consumers if it is supported with relevant communications tools

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ith many business owners within and outside African continent looking in the direction of the Nigerian market, the terrain has become more competitive. Consumers too have become more sophisticated and selective.

As a result of this, each of the players is engaging the market through different positioning tools to gain competitive edge. Of course, some have come out with feedback of good results while some have failed.

Business owners are fond of publicity stunt and marketing strategies to push their brands in the marketing place. In Nigeria, two sectors – the fast-moving consumer goods and food and drinks, appear to be the most popular in this regard.

Over the years, Unilever, Nestle and Cadbury have explored various strategies to create news around products like Milo, Maggi, Bournvita and Knorr. In the Nigerian Choco beverages market, where Bournvita, Ovaltine and Milo are the major players, the competition to win consumer loyalty is strong. For some time, Bournvita, which has remained a household name for years, appeared to have allowed complacence to weaken its brand equity. In particular, Bournvita and Milo have been at ‘war’, in the quest to be crowned ‘King’ in the market for years. From any angle one chooses to look at it, the intense competition has not been helped by the incursion of other popular Choco beverages like Ovaltine, Hollicks, Richoco and Suco, which have punctured the market share of the market leader.

kinds of addresses used for occupants of certain positions of high standing all over the world that is how “Your Excellency” is a befitting address for the befitting beer, Goldberg.” He reiterated the fact that in various spheres of life, ‘Your Excellency’ connotes someone in the highest hierarchy of affairs or who controls affairs on top of the food chain. “Hence, ‘Your Excellency’ in politics, religion, education as well as other socio-cultural life means someone who’s at the apogee of affairs,” he said adding, “in the same vein, when we examine the beliefs on which Goldberg is founded, we discovered that it serves its leadership position as a social lubricator that stimulates ‘Excellence’ in people. The activation of the campaign attracted a large turnout of consumers as well as the company’s distributors in Lagos and Ibadan. The events featured colourful cultural performances as well as an appearance by wave-making Lil Kesh in Lagos and the popular Small Doctor in Ibadan. Despite the huge investment made into the activation, observers believe that the campaign could only resonate with consumers if it is supported with relevant communications tools.

A brand analyst, Mr. Ganiyu Olowu, commended the company for thinking out of the box but argued that the development could confuse consumers if not well communicated. “No doubts, this is another milestone achievement on the part of Nigerian Breweries but it must be followed up with good communication to avoid confusion,” he said.

Nicolaas-Vervelde, MD Nigeria Breweries

The beer market With last year forecast that the African beer market would grow faster than any other region in the next five years, the competition has become intense.

According to Canadean, a global market research company, the growth would be driven largely by rising population, urbanisation and increased GDPs. The report states that African consumers largely depend on the products of four multinational companies that dominate the African brewery industry – notably SABMiller, Heineken, Castel Group and Diageo. In addition, interests in premium drinks are expected to rise.

In the larger beer market, where Heineken, Star, Harp and other top players are making waves, many products are playing at regional levels and they are eating deep into the market shares of the big players. For instance, while Life and Hero are slugging it out with the big players in the Eastern market, Trophy, 33 and Goldberg are doing the same in the South-west.

cultural festivals like Osun Osogbo, Ojude Oba and Udiroko festival in Ado Ekiti. The latest was the sponsorship of the Oba of Benin coronation.

Few weeks ago, Nigeria Breweries caused a stir in the market place when it suddenly christened the product ‘Your Excellency’. Though, it was the first time such campaign would be launched in the market, few things made the Goldberg version unique. Already in the market, Heineken is being addressed as ‘chairman’ while trophy, a strong competition to Goldberg is known as ‘honourable’.

By the new credential campaign, the company appeared to be sending a message that wherever ‘excellency’ appears, ‘honourable and others should bow. To herald the campaign, the company, against all odds, located a massive restaurant called Aso Rock at Abaranje, Ikotun area of Lagos, a name that is similar to Nigeria’s seat of power, to creatively prove another point that ‘excellency’ resides in Aso Rock.

Goldberg’s credential campaign Since the year 2012, when Nigerian Breweries rolled out the drum to re-launch Goldberg in Ibadan, handlers of the brand have not looked back on their determination to make the beer brand the number one in the western market. To achieve this, they have been involved in many activations and sponsorship to connect with consumers. Top among this is the periodic sponsorship of various

Objective According to the company, the campaign of a new identity was activated to further strengthen the affinity of Goldberg Lager Beer with consumers in the South West. Corporate Communications/ Brand PR Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Patrick Olowookere, said the activation could not have been held at any other place because Goldberg is the number one brand in the South West region.

“Your Excellency” could not have commenced

its journey from any other place apart from the South-west of Nigeria where it is the favourite beer brand of the people,” he stated.

Due to the brand’s cultural affinity with the people in South-west Nigeria and the loyalty of consumers there, Olowookere said the unveiling was held at the two locations to strengthen the bond that has developed over the years between consumers in the South-west and Goldberg Lager Beer. According to him, the people of the South-west and Goldberg Lager Beer also share a common bond – respect for traditional values and institutions. That is why the brand has thrown its weight behind festivals like Ojude Oba in Ogun State; Udiroko in Ekiti State and the Osun-Osogbo in Osun State, festivals that define and capture the essence of the cultural ethos of the people.

Corroborating him, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout Brands, Nigerian Breweries, Emmanuel Agu, said as a brand that demonstrates its high regards for the culture and traditions of its target consumers, Goldberg is a befitting beer that deserves the befitting title: “Your Excellency”. “No other beer brand matches Goldberg’s respect for the people’s culture. Goldberg has demonstrated that it occupies a class of its own in adding value to the way of life of the people”, he stated.

Similarly, Senior Brand Manager, Regional Mainstream Brands of the company, Funso Ayeni, said, “Just as “Your Excellency” is at the apex of all

Other activation Knowing well that the relationship between music and consumers is like that of Siamese twins, top brands often ride on the platform to further extend their frontiers in various markets. In Nigeria, this has also remained a strong connecting tool for decades as many brands have rode on music to woo consumers. This notwithstanding, when handlers of Goldberg, from the stable of Nigerian Breweries, announced few years ago, the commencement of Fuji T’o Bam, a talent hunt initiative, it sounded unusual. This was so because the trend in the market then was to promote hip-hop and other classical music. Aside creating entertainment ground for consumers, the initiative is also a specially designed platform for young talented Nigerians who want to hone their skills in Fuji Music.

Now in its fourth edition, Fuji T’o Bam has suddenly become a good tool with which Goldberg is winning new consumers and retaining the existing ones. To this end, not a few analysts have commended the promoters of the brand for a good home work and ability to identify the hidden treasure in that genre of music.

According to findings, more percentage of youths and adults in South-west Nigeria follow and listen to Fuji more than any type of music. It has also been established to be the only Nigerian music brand that is devoid of foreign contamination.

Last year, the company took the activation up a notch with the intellectual dimension introduced to it to deepen their relationship with the patrons of the beer brand in the South-west of Nigeria.

With this, the exercise didn’t only achieve its aims and objectives; it opened a new chapter for Fuji Music.

Big Brother Naija Shoot in South Africa: An Alternative View Folajimi Bajomo

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s a people, Nigerians can be fiercely nationalistic. Positively, that is.

This involves a sense of pride in achievements and is closely linked to the concept of patriotism.

Wanting the best for your country in everything, certainly, must be a good thing.

It shows that the people care. But then, in many cases, nationalism is heavily driven by emotions which, at times, makes a people less inclined to consider positions other than theirs.

This is what I believe is at play in the furious debate provoked by the decision of MultiChoice to have the Big Brother Naija reality show shot on a location in South Africa. Big Brother is a

big deal, obviously.

The first edition of the show, 11 years ago, was shot in Nigeria and exclusively featuring Nigerian housemates, it is not out of place to request that the show be shot in Nigeria instead of South Africa. The clamour for the show to be shot in Nigeria, quite understandable, but is in many quarters wrongly framed. First, it is couched as though Nigeria is a victim of some diabolical conspiracy by South Africans.

This is a widely-held view that never fails to get our goat.

And whenever this happens, arguments against our position, however compelling, get washed away in the flood of our emotions.

Second, the agitation, which has the texture we see in labour disputes, has provoked admiration for the new US President (an overwhelming

hate figure in these climes). Trump’s “bringing American jobs back home” rhetoric, once derided as insular, is, for convenience, being advertised on the social media as inspired. The view is that jobs that should have gone to Nigerians via the Big Brother Nigeria shoot have been handed to South Africans. In a nutshell, we consider our national pride wounded, leaving us in a funk and feeling sorry for ourselves.

Our unhappiness has put pressure on the Federal Government, which has directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to probe why the shoot could not take place in Nigeria. While we wait for the outcome of the investigation, we can pause, take a breath and reflect.

These activities, I believe, could help shape our response to this raging issue. I have read

the explanation of MultiChoice and from the business point of view, it makes plenty of sense. As a small business owner and in these really straitened times, it is in the interest of the business and those who rely on it for me to cut costs where I can. The alternative is to pretend that I am still in a boom time and watch the business go bust. That is why I understand the explanation of MultiChoice, when it said it decided to stage the show in an existing Big Brother facility in South Africa (presumably purpose-built) instead of paying for a new one (rent or construction) in Nigeria. The facility has been used for all the previous Big Brother series, including Big Brother Xtremo, produced

Cont’d on Pg. 25

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

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

At Dubai’s Gold, Textile and Spice Markets Dubai is known for massive malls housing luxury outlets but the souks in Deira mean it’s a shopping destination with something for everyone, writes Demola Ojo…

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nother Dubai Shopping Festival just ended. The annual event that offers amazing discounts and exclusive deals was another opportunity for shoppers the world over to converge on the city that has taken advantage of its geographical location to become a hub connecting the world; east to west, north and south.

The Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai was a magnet for shoppers as usual. At various times, Dubai Mall has been the most visited location in the world. The largest mall in the world with over 1,200 shops was filled with those looking for quality products at discounted prices. Paris Gallery with its collection of jewelry, wristwatches, perfumes, eyewear, leather goods and accessories was one of these shops with a steady stream Gold... in different shapes and sizes of buyers.

A leading luxury retailer in the Middle costs about $40,000 per kilogramme, ginger, East, the store offers a premium collection mint, turmeric, frankincense and many herbs of over 650 international brands across used in Arabic and South Asian food. several product categories. It’s opulent Adjacent to the Spice souk is the gold souk. shopping environments, innovative retail Dubai and gold go together and many visitors concepts, service standards and signature to Dubai are there for the gold that can be Arabic hospitality practices were apparent found at this market. Many Nigerians too, when this writer passed through. and for generations apparently. The tell-tale After I pick up an Armani Oud, an at- sign? The Arab traders after finding out you’re tendant walks up, leads me to a glass table Nigerian astonishingly start speaking Yoruba. with leather seats and offers me coffee. He’s “Ba wo ni?”“Kilonshele?”“So wa pa?”There Iranian and has been living in Dubai for is a Nigerian outlet too, with a mannequin seven years. He wants me to buy a bottle of decked in traditional Nigerian attire with Music de Parfum exclusive to Paris Gallery. ‘Papa Nigeria’ boldly written on it.

“You will not find this anywhere else in the The souk consists of over 300 retailers that world,” he assures. It comes at a steeper trade almost exclusively in jewellery. Retailers price than the earlier purchase, but that’s in the souk include both well established what you get for exclusivity. global brands as well as smaller stores that I deflect. I’ll be back tomorrow, certainly. operate mainly in the gold souk. By some But there’s a burly African at the counter with estimates, approximately 10 tons of gold his teenage son. He cuts the figure of a likely is present at any given time in the souk. buyer. He’s worth a try.“He bought already,” The Gold Souk is a visual wonder. All the shop attendant says. “He’s Nigerian. A forms and sizes of gold; rings, bracelets, lot of them come here because our items chains… 21 carats, 24 carats. Again, from are unique. And they can get the best deals.” all around the world, with majority from This was just one of the many indications Italy. And not surprisingly with Dubai, the of Nigerians being regular shoppers in Dubai. biggest ring in the world, with an estimated But it doesn’t just stop at the Dubai Mall cost of $3 Million. and its luxury outlets. The great thing about Unlike the Gold and Spice Souks that the shopping festival, and Dubai in general, are close to each other, the Textile Souk is there are different places to shop. a five to ten minute abra cruise (boat ride) away via the Dubai Creek. The cruise is a The Souks great opportunity to see some of Dubai’s A Souk or souq is Arabic for a traditional skyscrapers, while also drawing breath for open-air marketplace. The vibrant Deira area another round of haggling. in Dubai has a few famous souks; the spice This is because the Textile Souk is one of souk, gold souk and textile souk are a few the few places in the world where an array of them. of colours, textures, weaves and embroidery The shopping festival wasn’t restricted to from around the world can be found. Thte the Dubai Mall; at the souks, the sellers were good news again is the pricing. willing to listen to offers and good-natured It dawned on this writer why Nigerian bargaining. traders have flocked to Dubai for years; for The Spice Souk has spices from all around gold, textiles, luxury goods and more. The the world. The souk comprises several narrow choices are wide, the quality good, the prices lanes which are lined with open and closed- right. The souks on one hand and the malls roof stores. There are bursting bags rare and on the other mean Dubai is a well-placed common spices; saffron which apparently market that has something for everyone.

PHOTOS: Demola Ojo

Papa Nigeria luxury shop at Deira market

Saffron and other spices at the Spice Souk

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BUSINESS/TRAVEL/MEDIA

Defining New Paradigms in Nigeria’s Tourism Development Sufuyan Ojeifo

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igeria’s economic outlook is gloomy.

Her overdependence on crude oil as the only veritable source of foreign exchange earnings has become an albatross due to vandalisation of crude oil pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta region. This has made it impossible for the nation to meet its projected 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil production, thereby losing big money.

While immediate remedial actions have been launched, including Niger Delta region stakeholders’ consultations, to put an end to pipeline destruction and restore the nation’s production output to the 2.2 million bpd of crude, there is a national consensus that the federal government should urgently work towards diversifying the nation’s economic base in order to create multiple streams of earnings.

This position is unassailable. Various options and propositions are receiving consideration from government. Some of the propositions that are primed to benefit from the diversification enterprise are agriculture, solid minerals, and culture and tourism development. It is, however, baffling that government has not done the needful, over the years, to bolster investments in these sectors.

While it is more surprising that government has not maximally explored the agriculture and solid minerals sectors, given the tangible yields derivable from them, with humongous potential to build the nation’s economy, it is understandable why the culture and tourism sector has been largely under-developed: lack of deliberate investments and structured development in the sector has been fingered; whereas, if properly harnessed, it can boost the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

The sector, especially the tourism component, has been adjudged, globally, as a money spinner.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), an agency of the United Nations, which is mandated to promote access to tourism, not too long ago, published figures that showed that in the last six decades or thereabouts, there has been consistent global expansion of the tourism industry.

According to the UNWTO,“international tourist arrivals increased from 25 million in 1950 to 1.13 billion in 2014 while earnings moved from $2 billion to $12.45 billion in 2014.” Arrivals worldwide, at the time the statistics were published in 2015, were expected to hit 1.8 billion in another decade or thereabouts.

Significantly, emerging economies, which capture Nigeria, are expected to get 57% of this market share. This should interest Nigeria’s federal government. Appropriate ministry and agencies of government, especially the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) should be concerned about how much percentage the nation can slice out of this 57 percent market share.

The issue becomes more pertinent considering

Iconic Lekki Ikoyi bridge... Lagos needs to convert its many business visitors to leisure tourists to generate more revenue the fact that there is competition among African countries to position themselves for the immense economic benefits inherent in exploration of latent tourism potential within their domains. Nigeria, presently, does not rank among the first ten most tourism-ready economies in Africa.

The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 ranking showed the following realities: South Africa was 48 in global ranking; Seychelles (54), Mauritius (56), Namibia (70), Kenya (78), Cape Verde (86), Botswana (88), Tanzania (93), Rwanda (98) and Zambia (107). Where was Nigeria?

Since the countries were ranked on the basis of factors and policies that were emplaced to enable the sustainable development of the sector, as well as to help countries adapt their policies towards achieving their travel and tourism potential, Nigeria has the task to rejig her tourism policies and retool the administrative infrastructure that will drive the development process through the sector.

Retooling the administrative infrastructure entails putting an end to inconsistency and undue political influence in the appointment of outsiders or politicians to head an agency that should strictly benefit from the know-how of technocrats working within the sector to ensure consistency and organisational discipline.

The acting Director General of NTDC, Mrs Mariel Rae-Omoh, a thoroughbred tourism sector

professional, who has been a strategic player in the Corporation for more than two decades, is an asset and a round peg in a round hole to redirect focus in the sector that has incredible potential to generate growth, create jobs and spin mega bucks in foreign exchange into the nation’s coffers.

The ball is, therefore, in Rae-Omoh’s court to come up with new paradigms that will help transform the tourism sector potential into practical realities. She must define the scope of the paradigms that her leadership has packaged to make Nigeria a preferred tourism destination.

Reports from the grapevine said her leadership is committed to reclaiming the lost glory of the NTDC as a formidable rallying point for coordination, direction and implementation of tourism policies. Many moribund and still initiatives are expected to come alive. The 2006 Tourism Master Plan, whose objective was to launch the sector as a viable economic alternative, is one of such initiatives. The “Tourism House”, that has purportedly gulped millions of naira in funds mobilisation and yet has remained in the realm of imagination, is yet another.

The new leadership of NTDC has what it takes to generate funds for the nation from tourism sector development, considering the fact that the Corporation no longer enjoys the free rains of funds that President Olusegun Obasanjo made possible through the setting up of a Presidential

Big Brother Naija Shoot in South Africa: An Alternative View for the Portuguese speaking nations of Angola and Mozambique.

The cost of flying housemates and performers to South Africa, I believe, will be lower than building a Big Brother facility here. I think the less said about Nigeria’s electricity supply, which is a requirement for a round-the-clock production like Big Brother Naija, the better.

We all know the story.

I also do not exactly disagree with MultiChoice’s desire to deliver top class production, as we know it does, and meeting production timelines. And to achieve these, the company got some members of the production crew to join their colleagues in South Africa. In addition, the host of the show and many of the personalities involved, including artistes, are Nigerians. The voice of Biggie is similarly a Nigerian one.

Nigerians’ wish to cast themselves as victims of MultiChoice oppression is one, I humbly disagree with. The reasons do not require deep insight to work out. One, all the editions of the

AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), which began in 2013, have been held in Nigeria. Without fail. Two, MultiChoice’s support for and investment in the Nigerian entertainment sector, in my view, is huge and unrivalled.

Many productions, including the hugely successful Tinsel, are made here.

On the internet, I have read stories of complaints, especially by East Africans, that Nigeria gets too much preferential treatment in terms of support for Nigeria and the volume of her content broadcast on MultiChoice’s platforms, DStv and GOtv. It is also in Nigeria that MultiChoice is involved in boxing through the hugely successful GOtv Boxing Night, which in less than three years, has rescued the sport.

There is no such support for boxing in South Africa, a country that gets us red-eyed almost every time. GOtv Boxing Night, which is beamed live on SuperSport around Africa, has exposed Nigerian boxers to foreign audiences and sparked demand for their talents.

Cont’d from Pg. 23

There is also the small matter of offering better remunerations to our boxers, including the N1.5 million cash prize for the best boxer at every event.

No such thing, to the best of my knowledge happens in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda or Ghana.

The fact that Nigeria is the biggest beneficiary of Multichoice’s pan Africaness via the internationalization of our local talent from actors like Aki and PawPaw to musicians like P Square and Flavor gets easily buried in our emotional response to any action that does not, on the surface, favor our total domination of the entertainment space.

Are we really justified to see ourselves as victims or blame MultiChoice for taking a decision evidently imposed by economics and desire to deliver top-notch production?

I don’t think so.

Bajomo, a sociologist and businessman, writes from Abuja.

Council on Tourism under the superintendence of a previous leadership at the Corporation.

Sadly, there are no legacies of sustainable revenue earning initiatives in the tourism sector that can, arguably, be attributed to the previous leaderships of the Corporation. They were outsiders who benefitted from appointments to the headship of the NTDC on the altar of political considerations. Therefore, decisions were taken to suit political interests at the expense of professional and institutional interest.

Consider, for instance, the matter of internally generated revenue (IGR) from regulation, classification and grading of hotels. Under a previous leadership, the NTDC, working with Lagos along those lines, was said to be generating more than seventy percent of its IGR from the state. The NTDC and Lagos State Government purportedly agreed to share the IGR 50 percent apiece. The NTDC, for three years, allegedly reneged. Lagos instituted a court case against NTDC on the issue up to the Supreme Court and won. The Corporation consequently lost a critical source of IGR. As it is now, the Corporation is solely dependent on budgetary provisions. And this is one issue the new leadership, according to feelers, has decided to address by planning to go into Public Private Partnership (PPP) to develop potential tourism sites across the country to generate revenue. Besides, Rae-Omoh was recently reported to have set up a seven-member committee to work with the Institute for Tourism Practitioners (ITP) to facilitate the Corporation’s access to the United Nations’Tourism Intervention Funds to ensure sustainable tourism development in Nigeria.

Rae-Omoh, going by the report, said that the Corporation needed the intervention fund to facilitate adequate development and promotion of the tourism assets in the country, as according to her,“we cannot depend on the budget alone to do the needful in the industry. That is why we must maximally explore Private Public Partnership (PPP) and other international funds and grants.”

There are also feelers that the new leadership, which has promised to be transparent in the administration of the Corporation, is at the moment stepping up a number of things including working in synergy with the National Assembly for necessary legislative support; organising tourism fairs at weekends on the premises of the Corporation, and promoting youth and student tourism, among others.

All hands seem to be on deck; there seems to be leadership focus, commitment and sincere disposition to transparent administration. Is the tourism sector in for a new lease of life? The answer is in the womb of time.

-Mr Ojeifo, journalist and publisher, sent in this piece via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com

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NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

AXA Mansard Insurance PLC: Investment income and profit on investment contracts greatly drive profitability

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ansard Insurance Plc. is a member of the AXA Group, the worldwide leader in insurance and asset management with 157,000 employees serving 102 million clients in 56 countries. The company was incorporated in 1989 as a private limited liability company and is registered as a composite company with the National Insurance Commission of Nigeria (NAICOM).

The Company offers life and non-life insurance products and services to individuals and institutions across Nigeria whilst also offering asset/ investment management services, medical insurance solutions and pension fund administration through its three subsidiaries Mansard Investments Limited, Mansard Health Limited and Penman Pensions limited.

The company was listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange in November 2009 and has Market Capitalization in excess of N31 billion thereby remaining the biggest insurance company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The company released its third quarter results, for the year period ended September 30th 2016, an impressive performance in both top-line and bottom-line earnings.

INCREASE IN GROSS PREMIUM DRIVES NET UNDERWRITING INCOME

For the third quarter period ended September 2016, AXA Mansard reported an increase of 25.48% in gross premium written to N16.94 billion from N12.48 billion in the corresponding period of 2015, despite stiff competition in the Nigerian insurance sector with regards to the sales of various insurance packages and products.

The significant growth in gross premium was driven by an increase of 22.04% in gross premium income to N15.23 billion in September 2016 from N12.48 billion in September 2015.

However, reinsurance expenses also grew by 31.09% to N6.78 billion from N5.17 billion over the period.

Despite the increase in reinsurance expenses, the strong growth in gross premium income resulted in a growth of 15.63% in net premium income to N8.45 billion from N7.31 year on year.

Furthermore, the company’s fee and commission income on insurance contracts decreased moderately by 1.87% to N728m in September 2016 from N742m in September 2015; however, net underwriting income for the period ended September 2016 grew by a significant 14.02% to N9.18 billion from N8.05 billion in the corresponding period of 2015.

NEVERTHELESS, AXA MANSARD INSURANCE PLC DELIVERED AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE DESPITE HARSH AND UNSTABLE BUSINESS TERRAIN

operating expenses, pre-tax earnings increased substantially by 86.94% to N3.71 billion in September 2016 from N1.99 billion in September 2015.

Furthermore, income tax expense for the period ended September 2016 rose to N673m from N209m in September 2015; net income also followed suit with a massive increase of 71.04% to N3.04 billion from N1.77 billion over the period.

Thus, the company’s net Income margin rose to 17.94% in September 2016 from 13.16% in September 2015 while pre-tax margins also rose to 21.92% from 14.71% over the period.

The company’s return on assets (ROA) grew slightly to 5.31% from 3.47% while its return on equity (ROE) also followed suit to increase to 16.95% from 10.21%%.

STRONG ASSET QUALITY

INCREASE IN UNDERWRITING EXPENSES WANES UNDERWRITING PROFIT

The company’s gross claims expenses increased massively by 28.07% to N7.11 billion in September 2016 from N5.55 billion in September 2015 while claims expenses recovered from insurers also increased significantly by 32.58% to N1.80 billion from N1.36 billion over the period. Expectedly, net claims expenses also increased by 26.61% to N5.30 billion in the period ended September 2016 from N4.19 in the corresponding period of 2015. On the other hand, underwriting expenses increased by 12.07% to N1.54 billion from N1.38 billion over the period.

However, due to the significant rise in claims expenses and claims expenses recoverable, net underwriting expenses grew by 20.25% to N6.90 billion in September 2016 from N5.74 billion in September 2015. However, due to the higher expenses, the company’s underwriting profit decreased slightly to N2.28 billion in September 2016 from N2.31 billion achieved in the corresponding period of 2015; reflecting a slight change of 1.47%.

INCREASED EXPENSES FAIL TO IMPEDE SURGE IN EARNINGS

Finance cost for the period ended September 2016 rose slightly by 5.61% to N337m from N319m recorded in the corresponding period of 2015. However, other operating expenses increased by 7.93% to N1.47 billion from N1.36 billion over the period; despite the increase in

The company’s balance sheet shows positive changes in total assets, net assets and total liabilities, as at September 2016, when compared to the corresponding period of 2015. Total assets grew by 11.78% to N57.24 billion in September 2016 from N51.21 billion in December 2015.

The key drivers of the company’s total assets were a 127.15% increase in trade receivables to N1.56 billion from N686m, 48.70% increase in Reinsurance assets to N7.52 billion from N5.06 billion and a 42.18% rise in investment property to N13.09 billion from N9.21 billion in December 2015.

On the other hand, the company’s total liabilities shows a growth of 14.66% to N36.22 billion in the period ended September 2016 from N31.59 billion in December 2015. The key drivers of the increase in liabilities were an increase of 23.43% in insurance liabilities to N15.94 billion from N12.92 billion, and a 53.14% rise in trade payables to N2.51 billion from N1.64 billion during the year under review. Expectedly, the company’s net assets grew by 3.01% to N17.94 billion from N17.41 billion during the period under review.

WE RECOMMEND A HOLD

Nevertheless, Axa Mansard Insurance Plc delivered an impressive performance despite harsh and unstable business terrain. The potential of the insurance sector in Nigeria remain relatively huge.

We believe that the Company’s management put in place an admirable structure in terms of compliance, customer acquisition, retention and capacity building to take advantage of the identified opportunities in the sector and towards delivery of efficient performance which strengthens

Valuation Metrics 3-Feb-17 Recommendation

BUY

Target Price

1.65

Current Price (N)

1.52

Outstanding Shares (m)

10,500

Market Cap (N'm)

17,325

Rolling EPS (N)

0.28

Rolling PE Ratio

5.92

Forward EPS

0.33

Forward PE Ratio

5.02 Source: BGL Research

Q3 September 2016 unaudited Results Turnover (N’m)

16,942

Profit Before Tax (N’m)

3,714

Profit After Tax (N’m)

3,040

Pre-tax Margin (%)

21.92

Source: Company Data 2015 AC, BGL Research

2015 Full Year Audited Results Turnover (N’m)

16,574

Profit Before Tax (N’m)

2,023

Profit After Tax (N’m)

1,662

Pre-tax Margin (%)

12.21

Source: Company Data 2014 AC, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Assur Africa Holdings Ltd

76.48

Public Float

23.52 Source: Company Data, BGL Research

earnings, income generation capacity and growth in liquidity base. This creates an opportunity where the company can deliver high level of product innovation, operational excellence and create an opportunity for expansion, into other markets would boost performance significantly beyond current results.

Based on our review of the company’s financials, we revise our projected gross earnings and Net earnings to N20.02 billion and N2.92 billion respectively for financial year end 2016. This leads to a forward EPS of 0.33. Using a relative Price to Earnings Valuation (PE) and (NAV) Net Assets Valuation method, we arrive at a 3-month target price of N1.58.

Since this represents a downside potential of 5.26% on the current price, we therefore place a HOLD recommendation on AXA Mansard Insurance Plc shares.

27

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc: Increased activity in West and North of Nigeria boost revenue

N

ational Salt Company of Nigeria Plc (NASCON) engages in the refining, processing and marketing of varied salt products used for industrial and domestic purposes.The company enjoys the household brand name of Dangote for its salt products, tagged Dangote Salts. It recorded years of misfortune due to poor choice of locations and other operational bottlenecks.

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) consummated a reverse acquisition of the ailing salt company in 2007, which ultimately led to the voluntary liquidation of Dangote Salts Limited following the transfer of its assets, liabilities and other business undertakings to NASCON. In return, 2.12 billion ordinary shares were issued as purchase consideration to DIL, the largest shareholder with about 62% controlling interest. Consequently, NASCON became a subsidiary of the Dangote conglomerate.

Expectedly, installed capacity initially ramped up to 400,000 tonnes per annum for 25-50 kg bags of salt and 100,000 tonnes per annum for smaller sachets but later increased to 600,000 metric tonnes cumulatively.The turnaround also led to a substantial gain in market share, now estimated at over 60%, and surpassing the company’s aged long rival, Union Dicon Salt Plc that boasts of 700,000 metric tonnes capacity.

GROWTH IN REVENUE ON THE BACK OF CORE BUSINESSES NASCON’s revenue shows a remarkable increase of 25.53% at the end of third quarter, September 30th 2016 to N12.79 billion from N10.19 billion recorded in September 2015, after a half-year growth of 30.03% over the corresponding figure of 2015.The resultant was due to increase in the sale of edible, refined, bulk and industrial salt; as well as seasoning, tomato paste and vegetable oil over the period to its wide range of distributors and customers, especially in the western and northern Nigeria where sales rose by 66.39% and 17.87% respectively. Sales of its core products rose by a substantial 28.56% in the period ended, third quarter 2016 to N11.21 billion from N8.72 billion reported in the corresponding period 2015. Income from freight services increased by 7.64% to N1.59 billion and covers 15.56% of total revenue.The Company provides freight services to customers by transporting refined salt purchased to their destination.

Cost of sales grew notably to N8.56 billion from N6.95 billion over the period; representing a growth of 23.04%.The increment rose from the combined effect of rises in various components of operational expenditures especially: direct material cost, direct labour cost, manufacturing expenses, external haulage, depreciation and loading which increased by 23.46%, 6.39%, 25.16%, 33.52%, 13.09% and 14.26% respectively, which we believe shows partly the inflation changes caused by prevailing macroeconomic headwind in the economy.

Expectedly, due to the higher growth in generated revenue over cost of operation, gross profit grew considerably by 30.90% to N4.24 billion at the end of third quarter 2016 from N3.24 billion reported a year earlier.

IN LINE WITH OUR REVIEW OF NASCON’S CURRENT OPERATIONS, WE BELIEVE THAT THE COMPANY HAS THE CAPACITY CONTINUE TO BOOST CURRENT PERFORMANCE WITH INCREASED AND WELL PLANNED ACTIVITY WITHIN ITS CORE BUSINESS AREAS IN AN INDUSTRY WITH HIGH GROWTH POTENTIAL

liabilities which grew by 50.98%, 12.02% and 76.57% respectively as at third quarter ended, September 2016, when compared to third quarter ended, September 2015.Total asset currently positions at N25.14 billion from a N19.24 billion reported as at half-year 2016; while total liabilities stood at N17.74 billion; and N7.39 billion marks shareholders’ value.

Furthermore, with respect to returns, the company’s return on average equity (ROAE) improved to 24.35% in the third quarter from a record of 18.21% in the second quarter 2016; while return on average assets (ROAA) stood at 8.51% as at September 2016.The Company’s liquidity ratio - current ratio – maintains its 1.13x mark since second quarter compared to 1.03x at the end of September 2015. NASCON’s management shows effectiveness in the handling of operation cycle with an average collection period well below payment days to about 199.04 days.

Valuation Metrics 3-Feb-17 Recommendation

HOLD

Target Price (N)

8.46

Current Price (N)

7.90

Market Cap (N'm)

19,049

Outstanding Shares (m)

2,649

EPS (N)

0.85

PE Ratio

8.47x

Forward EPS (N)

0.88

Forward PE

8.22x Source: NSE Data, BGL Research

Unaudited Third Quarter 2016 Financial Turnover (N’m)

12,795

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

GROWTH IN OPERATIONAL COST IMPACTS ON PROFITABILITY The Company’s management increased activities towards income generation by investing its large liquid funds in money market instrument – fixed deposit; hence leading to an unexpected constant growth in investment income which grew by 4272% in the half year and at currently at a growth of 5,115% to N21.8m from N0.42m in September 2015. Nevertheless, other income as anticipated reduced by 94.64% to N6.11m from N114.17m in September 2015.This resulted from reduction in profit generated from asset disposal as well as the absence of insurance claim and profit exchange differences recorded a year ago.

Management of expenditures was adversely affected by the Company’s extensive rebranding programme and communication expenses as distribution expenses consumed N537.35m in the nine-month ended, September 2016 from N76.63m in the corresponding period of 2015; hence indicating an massive increase of 601.2%. Increase in administrative expenses was recorded at 6.09% to N950.35m in September 2016 compared to September 2015 figure of N895.81m.

Similarly, net financial cost increased to N185.68m which represents 100% increment when compared with September 2015 figure and a rise of 825.37% when compared to December 2015 of N20.07m.

NASCON recorded a growth in profit before tax of 8.94% to N2.59 billion in third quarter ended, September 2016 over N2.38 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2015. Nevertheless, despite the same per cent change in income tax which grew to N829.69m from September 2015 figure of N761.61m, profit after tax recorded similar feat as it grew by 8.94% to N1.76 billion in September 2016 from N1.62 billion reported in September 2015.

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS REFLECTS IMPROVED PERFORMANCE The Company’s balance sheet shows positive changes in total assets, net assets and total

DESPITE THE OPPORTUNITIES, THE VALUE CHAIN IS YETTO BE FULLY OPTIMISED Findings reveal that the country spends more than US$2.3 billion on salt importation annually despite the country’s abundant endowment of the natural resources required for salt production. Raw salts can be derived mainly from two sources; the brine lakes and rock salt, which are readily available in the country. Brine lakes are water containing high concentration of salt flows heavily in Imo, Plateau, and Ebonyi states while Rock salts also known as crystalized salts is available in Benue state. In fact, Nigeria is estimated to have reserves of at least 1.5 billion tonnes of rock salt deposits. However, given that the players in the salt industry act as packaging companies as opposed to producers, the country remains an importer of raw salts.The industry is yet to adopt backward integration despite the presence of a huge market for its outputs. Nigeria is a high consumer of salts with estimated annual consumption of 600,000 metric tonnes (from household, animal, and industry) while the per capita consumption (PCC) is between 2.2g and 6.3g daily.The reasons for the failure of the industry to take advantage of the opportunities that the abundance of raw salt in the country presents are unclear. However they may include inadequate support from the government and the low capacity of the operators. Also, we observe that regulatory oversight in the industry is weak despite the existence of a mineral and mining ministry and related agencies.

AVOIDING ANOTHER ROUND OF SALT SHORTAGE REQUIRES DOMESTIC ACTIONS With the success of electric vehicles that will run on batteries instead of fuel in Japan and the US, a global shortage of raw salt appears imminent as salt is used for lithium, a primary raw component for producing batteries. Furthermore, rapid population growth and industrialisation in the Asian countries as well as Brazil and Australia is also a threat to sustainable salt supply.The sophistication of the nuclear power plants which are persistently being introduced in Asia also appears to contaminate sea salt production.

It therefore becomes even more vital for the local industry to open up since even our packaging activities are import-driven. Government

2,593

Profit After Tax (N'm)

1,763

Pre-tax Margin (%)

20.26% Source: Company Data, BGL Research

Audited Year End 2015 Financial Results Turnover (N'm)

16,178

Profit Before Tax (N'm) Profit After Tax (N'm) Pre-tax Margin (%)

3,018 2,106 18.65%

Source: Company’s Annual Report 2015, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Dangote Industries Limited

62.19%

Public Float

37.81%

Outstanding Shares (m)

2,649

Source: Company’s Data 2016, BGL Research

needs to intervene to give active support to the local operators to promote platforms for real production.The backward integration process comes with multiple benefits amongst which are job opportunities, foreign exchange earnings, FDI, development of local communities and most importantly, GDP growth.

WE RECOMMEND A HOLD In line with our review of NASCON’s current operations, we believe that the Company has the capacity continue to boost current performance with increased and well planned activity within its core business areas in an industry with high growth potential. We therefore maintain our earnings projection of N19.34 billion for the full year 2016 and a revised net income of N2.12 billion, leading to a forward EPS of N0.85.

Using a combination of the adjusted price to earnings multiple (P/E) valuation model, we forecast a weighted 3-month target price of N8.46, which represents 8.05% upside on the current stock price. We place a HOLD recommendation on the shares of National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc.

28

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ͽ˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ

MARKET NEWS

Med-View MD Assures Investors on Good Returns Goddy Egene The Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of Med-View Airline Plc, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, has assured investors of return on their investment following the listing of the airline on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The NSE last Tuesday listed total of 9,750,649,400 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each were of MedView at listed at N1.50 per share to become the third airline to list on the NSE. Aviation Development Company Plc and Albarka Air

Plc were listed but exited due to various challenges. Speaking during the listing ceremony in Lagos, a shareholder activist and National Chairman, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), Mr. Boniface Okezie asked if Med-View would not go the way of the other two airlines that left investors in the lurch.

“We have invested in airlines that got listed on the exchange before only for them to disappear without returns to us. I hope Med-View will not come and deceive investors like the others,” Okezie said.

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

Responding, Bankole assured the PSAN chairman and other investors that Med-View is company that has been known for excellent services delivery, noting that the service excellence would be replicated in the company dealing with investors and other market stakeholders.

According to Bankole, despite the challenging operating environment the company has done very well over years with revenue growing from N3.629 billion in 2012 to N14 billion in 2015. Similarly, profit before tax rose

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 02-Feb-2017, unless otherwise stated.

from N110 million to N830 million, while total assets increased from N4.879 billion to N12.589 billion within the review period.

Looking forward, the MD said the company would record a revenue of N31.432 billion at the end of 2017, N38.661 billion in 2018 and profit of N4.347 billion, and N6.089 billion in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

He said that the future of the aviation industry is very bright, adding that Med-View is positioning to be a leader hence the decision to list on the NSE.

Bankole explained that the listing will: enhance the corporate value and brand image of the company; give it better access to long term capital from range of local and international investors; give it better clout and rating when obtaining loans from financial institutions; boost the international image and profile of the company and boost its corporate governance and accountability.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema had said by listing, Med-View was showing its

commitment to a culture of strong corporate governance, excellence, professionalism and efficient services to its passengers, as well as providing increased returns to its shareholders.

“This listing has added N14.65 billion to the market capitalisation of the exchange, further deepening the Nigerian capital market. It will also increase the visibility of MedView Airline Plc and differentiate it as a professionally run airline with high corporate governance standards, having met the NSE’s listing criteria,” the NSE boss said.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 128.03 128.10 0.64% Nigeria International Debt Fund 218.09 218.23 1.19% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.69 0.70 -0.91% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.60% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 12.31 12.68 -0.29% ARM Discovery Fund 287.15 295.80 -0.01% ARM Ethical Fund 22.16 22.83 -0.81% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.12% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 106.29 107.04 1.15% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.97% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Nigeria Global Investment Fund 2.15 2.21 -0.91% Paramount Equity Fund 9.40 9.64 0.42% Women's Investment Fund 84.78 86.95 0.22% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.32% FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,101.18 1,102.40 0.99% FBN Heritage Fund 110.59 111.34 -0.89% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.60% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $104.12 $104.36 -0.14% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $104.90 $105.13 1.29% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 113.13 114.59 0.40% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 0.95 0.96 1.60% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.60 2.60 1.29% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,193.12 2,218.60 -0.73% Coral Income Fund 2,138.90 2,138.90 1.65% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.55% Vantage Balanced Fund 1.69 1.70 0.37% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.55%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.00 1.02 0.61% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,021.39 1,021.39 0.97% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.67 9.75 0.07% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.70% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.06 1.08 0.66% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.40 10.43 -0.10% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 16.21% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 110.92 111.81 2.49% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.26 1.26 0.88% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 1,813.52 1,822.90 -0.99% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 152.56 152.56 -0.91% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.76 0.77 -0.65% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 188.06 188.06 0.63% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 129.44 131.18 -0.28% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.48% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,356.28 7,447.63 -2.96% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.14 1.15 8.23% United Capital Bond Fund 1.24 1.24 14.93% United Capital Equity Fund 0.66 0.67 4.21% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.78 9.95 1.56% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.20 11.31 2.64% Zenith Income Fund 16.95 16.95 2.58%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 124.10

1.01% 0.10%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.13 72.94

8.23 74.31

-7.36% -3.75%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.40 5.36 11.57 14.44 125.86

2.44 5.44 11.67 14.64 127.86

-12.50% -23.62% -3.52% -9.41% -3.07%

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

MANU DIBANGO

A GLOBAL MUSIC ICON

05.02.2017

30

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ͳ, Ͱͮͯ͵

COVER

MANU DIBANGO

A GLOBAL MUSIC ICON Cameroonian-born world music superstar, Manu Dibango, st stormed the world with an Afrorock hit tune, ‘Soul Makossa’ in 1972 and with his chara characteristic saxophone tones, went on to hold the music world spellbound.

Nseobong Okon-E Okon-Ekong spoke with him on the sideline of the All A Africa Music Awards, AFRIM AFRIMA, in Lagos

A

t a rehearsal the previous day, he sat calmly chatti chatting with his manage manager.

When it was his turn to check that tha everything y g was fine, he did his bit and left. It was the morning g of the concer concert and awards - the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA which is steadily yg garnering ga reputation for excellent artist artistic presentations. Under that he hectic condition of preparations ins inside the Eko Convention Centre w with all sorts of artisans including carpenters, electricians, decorators and sound engineers shifting into high gear, not many paid attention to the elderly man with a bald pate.

Even as he walked ba back to his room in Eko Signat Signature Hotel, not many recognize recognized Manu Dibango, the great Cameroonian-born living ic icon of world music!

To the few who walked u up to him, he freely shook hand hands and obliged g photo p opportun pp opportunity.

This reporter was one of them them.

There was no airs about him and we agreed to meet after tthe event.

However, Mike Dada, President of AFRIMA and his team accorded Dibango his deserved status. He was the on only artiste who had an intimidatin intimidating limousine dedicated to his pleasure.

Done with breakfast on the very appointed day, his manager - a ve pleasant lady p y - simply p y reminded him hi of the appointment and we started acquaintance talking g as if we were his acquaintan of old.

The entire meeting assumed the character of forgotten friends who found themselves again. The session was conducted with laughter and jokes all the way till his manager reminded him he had to get ready to head for the airport.

At 82 years, Dibango walks with a straight gait, not bent in any shape or form. He could still blow his sax and his voice is strong. It would not be wrong to assume these traits as commentary on his spirituality as men his age are wont to draw nearer to their maker, especially for a music icon who has a fantastic song dedicated to Jesus Christ, titled ‘Xango Jesu Christo’. But he threw shadow punches at the assumption.

“It is one of those songs that you sing with a choir. The fact is that I believe in God. Some people believe in God through a religion. I believe there is Something Else Above. I don’t know who. When I get there, I am going to ask Him. At the moment I think spirituality is something you must have. But not through the Pope; he’s human being. The world gives us more reflection. Just because you see the Pope, then you sanctify yourself. I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe in human power. I believe in spiritual power. You and I are humans. You don’t know what time you will go. In the beginning, I was a protestant in the Baptist Church.

When I was young, I was really into religion. I left Africa at a very young age. I was in Europe till I was 50. Up till now, I go back to Africa once in a while. I live in Europe.I wrote the song ‘Xango Jesu Christo’ for my parents. I wrote the song in 1972; before it I wrote ‘Soul Makossa’ at the same time I wrote four songs that year. I was lucky. I don’t sing about being Christian because I was born a Christian. I didn’t pick up the religion on the way. My uncle was a preacher. I was born into a family that believes strongly in God and it wasn’t easy for me to get out of that and do music. They like God’s music and my

YOU DON’T Y N MAKE A A HIT. PEOPLE MAKE THE HI HIT. WHEN WHENYO HIT. YOU GO TO STUDIO,YOU CAN DO O 10 SONGS. SONGS IF YOU ARE LUCKY, P PE OPLE L WILL LIKE I PEOPLE ONE OF THEM. THE MAGIC OF A HIT HIT IS THAT EVERYWHERE, I ISTHE IT S THE SONG PE P IS PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR. AH HI IT IS NOT O MAD HIT MADE OUT OF YOUR OWN OPINION, N BUT U THE OPINION OF OTHERS

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FEBRUARY 5, 2017 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

COVER

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed presenting a Lifetime award to Manu Dibango

music was to them like devil’s music.”

Only one of his children tends towards music and even so, he favours the classical genre. Dibango understands the spirit of independence that rules the arts and allows him to be himself. Having been through many phases in his life, he appreciates the vicissitudes that comes with living.

The aged musician spoke of why he keeps a clean shaven pate. It came from an admiration of soldiers that he was acquainted with as a younger person.

Today, Dibango feels the weight of the tragedy that is coming upon the performing arts in Africa and all over the world. “The younger ones do not want to take the pains to learn anything.

They are in a hurry. What is the quality of the music if you only spent one or two hours in the studio? I have this example of a younger musician in France. He came into the studio and heard me play the sax. He had never heard it before. He immediately requested that I perform on his album.

That is the tragedy of our arts and culture. It is a global tragedy, but it is worse in Africa that is struggling to overcome centuries of her history re-written and re-told by those who conquered her and are still keeping her under subjugation.”

At the AFRIMA awards in Lagos, Dibango who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award surprised many when he said it was his first recognition in Africa for achievement in his career. He explained that he had received medals of honour from his home country, Cameroon, and his adopted country, France. Honours have also been bestowed on him from Cote D’Ivoire and Benin. For someone who has won nearly all global music laurels, honouring him for the first time in Africa, was indeed historic. And it was very emotional when he said, “I thank AFRIMA for this award because it means so much to me. This is the first award I have ever gotten in Africa.”

He came on stage with a swagger that belies his 82 years and even more so with a scintillating performance on

DIBANGO GAINED GLOBAL FAME IN 1972 WITH THE RELEASE OF HIS HIT, ‘SOUL MAKOSSA’. THE SONG WOULD LATER BE SAMPLED BY THE LIKES OF MICHAEL JACKSON AND OTHER FAMOUS MUSICIANS. HIS FIGHT FOR PAYMENT FROM THOSE WHO USED HIS WORK ALSO GARNERED ATTENTION the saxophone.

Manu Dibango stormed the world with an Afrorock hit tune, Soul Makossa, in 1972 and with his characteristic saxophone tones, went on to hold the music world spellbound with the Makossa rhythm and dance, in the years following the release of that hit tune.

Due to a packed programme featuring a line of artistes from all over Africa, he was not allowed much time, but he was completely in his elements on the AFRIMA stage, as he reenacted the fire of yesteryears with the tune,

‘Aye Africa’.

That is a surprising exclusion from a musician who has always steered his vessel away from controversies.

Dibango has never been known to be involved in any trouble or scandal.

Keeping a clean slate, for him, has been deliberate. “I can’t pretend that I have a message in my music. I am an entertainer. I am not doing politics. I do cultural things but I play music better.

I have better respect for people. That is an example I have for young people coming who want to go deep into music. There are many levels in music.

Some people like dancing, but there are some music you just want to listen to.

For instance when you are working, you can just have some classical music behind you. There are different kinds of music. If you belong to the first level, good for you. You can’t belong to all the levels. I don’t play music for that. I was born a musician. I didn’t become a musician. I have loved music all my life. My spirituality comes in because I am always busy with the music. When you deal with a high level of spirituality in music, sometimes you are lucky because you are already busy. You don’t have to go and look for spirituality from outside. There is a lot of spirituality in the sound. There are lots of colours in music. The world is so large that you cannot be satisfied. Today, you deal with the timing and the harmony and everything you can find in music if you are very involved in music. In the likes of Beethoven, you see a lot of landscape.

I don’t play music because I have to go to a nightclub, smoking and drinking and having sex with women. Music is not only about that.”

To be sure, he had friends like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti who were famous for their epicurean pursuits among other things. And even if both musicians were close, they respected each other’s lifestyle. Dibango dedicated a song to Fela when he passed on. “Our discussion centred on music. Fela knew I was not interested in politics. We did a record together.”

In the course of the interview,

Dibango halted a couple of times because he was hard put to advance the discourse in English. He resorted to French and a companion would illuminate his thoughts. This did not happen frequently, but it was an interjection we had to deal with.

“I learnt music from an earlier period. I was fortunate to learn from the end of the 1940s. I went to France in 1949. I started to play music in school because at that time, and up till now, when you go to school, and you are into music or sports, you will be given opportunity to learn music just like everybody else. You don’t play music because you are African; you play music because you are a musician which is different. You have all the repertoire.

You have western music. You don’t know much about Africa. I was born in Douala. When I left Douala, I didn’t have the opportunity to know Douala.

At that time, we were not recognized.

In the 60s I was in Europe, and most of my friends were French. A lot of young people had the opportunity to go to Europe by that time. We used to meet at summertime to know each other.

Most of us were in school and good in school. It is not because you are black that you are not good. It’s not because you are African that you play music.

Every country has its own musician. It’s either you like music or you don’t. You don’t like music only because you are African.”

Dibango gained global fame in 1972 with the release of his hit, ‘Soul Makossa’. The song would later be sampled by the likes of Michael Jackson and other famous musicians. His fight for payment from those who used his work also garnered attention. He explained that an artiste has no way of knowing which song would make a hit.

“You don’t make a hit. People make the hit. When you go to studio, you can do 10 songs. If you are lucky, people will like one of them. The magic of a hit is that everywhere, it is the song people want to hear. A hit is not made out of your own opinion, but the opinion of others.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾FEBRUARY 5, 2017

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ENCOUNTER

‘How I Cheated Death’ After surviving gunshots that nearly sent him to an early grave in 2010, Dr. Kunle Megbuwawon floated Project Gray, a charity that provides free health outreach for the elderly. Funke Olaode reports

H

e was gasping for breath under an electricity pole in Anthony area of Lagos that evening of 2010.

His luggage had been snatched earlier by dare-devil armed robbers who also pumped bullets into his neck. His co-commuters had taken to their heels and he was left alone to fight for his life. Blood was gushing out and his life seemed to be gradually coming to an end. But he was hopeful. Alas! Help came his way through a driver who had just closed for the day. Being a medical doctor himself, he told the Good Samaritan, if I can get to the hospital I would survive.

For the next one month, Megbuwawon fought for his life at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. His life was not only restored, he did not pay a dime for his treatment. He didn’t forget that lifesaving gesture as he vowed to give back to society. In 2014, he floated a non-governmental organization tagged Project Gray, an Orange Health initiative that provides subsidized medical care for persons above 60.

“I thought I was going to die. I had about 50,000 Naira with me they didn’t take it. I had a new iPhone with me but nothing mattered to me because I was facing death. I made a vow that if I could survive it I was going to give back. I brought out my Insurance card and called the HMO and immediately they got in touch with LUTH. I was favoured as I was taken to the private emergency where so many investigations were carried out. The next day I had blood transfusion and surgery. I survived it. I spent one month in LUTH and didn’t pay a dime.

Megbuwawon

I told myself I am going to give back my time, my talent, my resources and my network to assist those who cannot afford medi-care.”

For the next four years, the

Ondo State born family physician kept the project under wrap. But in 2014 with the support of a likeminded person and his former boss, Dr. Segun Ogundimu, he registered Orange Health Limited

L-R-CMD, Medicure Healthcare Ltd, Dr. Bolaji Akinriminsi, beneficiaries, Mr. Samuel Olalere Ojo, Mrs. Comfort Ajose with Dr. Megbuwawon at the presentation of Project Gray Access Card at the event

a non-governmental organization that looks into the health care of Nigerians especially the vulnerable and the elderly in the society having realized that they need health care insurance but are not insured.

The first exercise carried out in 2014 in Mushin area catered for over 1,500 elderly. In 2015, the elderly in Igbobi and its environs also benefited from this kind gesture.

Between January 26-28, 2017, Mecure Healthcare Limited in partnership with Orange Health Initiative held its Project Gray free health outreach for the elderly people with a theme: Save Our Sight”. The event held at the open field of Ifako football in Ifako-Ijaye, Agege, Lagos saw over 600 elderly in attendance.

On while “Save Our Sight” was chosen as this year ’s theme, Megbuwawon said though his team is using save our sight as a point to care for the elderly, they also observed that not all of them have eye problem but they have decided to do a comprehensive medical screening to find out what is going on in the body for them. “We did screening for about 10 of them last week and the result is ready.

It contains 60 investigations.

You know our body is like the iceberg you can also see the tip. Cancer did not start in a day and because there is no symptoms we believe all is well.

We conducted 60 investigation covering the heart, kidney, liver, metabolic syndrome, hypertension profile, diabetes profile, nutritional wellness and critical life parameters. We will print out their result and give it to them. And because they cannot interpret the result they will need a doctor.

Our target is to treat over 10,000 elderly in Lagos.

Commenting on Megbuwawon’s effort in taking care of the elderly in Lagos State, Chief Medical Director of Mecure Healthcare Limited, Dr. Bolaji Akinrimisi said her institution is partnering with Project Gray as part of its corporate social responsibility.

It is a common knowledge that health care is very expensive, Akinriminsi used the opportunity to call individuals organization and philanthropists to be partners in taking care of the elders.

Praising the initiation of the project, one of the beneficiaries, Mr. Samuel Olalere Ojo said it was a great relief for somebody like him with eyes challenge.

Mrs. Comfort Ajose who was initially skeptical, she said the programme is real. “I came for the various test and the result was handed over to me. I did eye test and a pair of glasses was given to me free of charge. I am very grateful to the initiator of this programme.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

PERSONALITY

Spotlighting Halima Nuhu Sanda Jemima Bolokor

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ccording to history, the Ijoras are known to be the Aworis, who are one of the children of Olofin, one of the children of Oduduwa. Alaraohugin is the progenitor of the Ijoras. They followed their father from Ile-Ife to finally settle where is now known as Ijora Kingdom, which includes Igamu area.

Dr. Halimah Nuhu Sanda, founder and CEO of Romeo and Zainab Boudib Foundation (ROMZAIB), a non-governmental organization established in 2010, has a passion that drives her empowering and educating the girlchild to enable them play a role in shaping their own destinies, as well as providing healthcare services and sustainable water supply in remote and hard to reach communities in Kano State. Her NGO, ROMZAIB, is the vehicle through which she pursues this vision. Her approach to achieving these ambitious goals is through collaboration with traditional leaders, government, educational institutions, civil society organizations, caregivers and the women and girls themselves using multiple platforms. Since 2010, ROMZAIB had been supporting Tofa community to improve quality of and access to healthcare delivery and services through capacity building for frontline health care providers on MNCH and provision of essential equipment and drugs.

As a Public Health Expert, she has substantial experience in supporting government, international organizations and communities, through critical periods of repositioning, turnaround and growth. She has worked with international institutions to promote and provide years of cumulative public health activities and team leadership in Maternal, New Born and Child Health, Malaria

Dr. Halima

and HIV/AIDS. Sanda received her Medical degree from Lugansk Medical University, Ukraine in 2010 and obtained her Master in Public Health from University of Debrecen, Hungary in 2012 graduating with Honors as an Expert in Public Health. She is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health in United Kingdom.

During her medical school days, she served as vice president of Nigerian student union for three

terms from 2004 - 2007, president Nigerian student volunteer association of Lugansk medical university for three years as well as serves as a life member of the board of directors of Lugansk medical university volunteer association.

Due to her contribution towards improving the lives of orphans in the region, Sanda received the prestigious honorary membership of the African National Society of the Assembly of the People of Lugansk Region. In 2012, she was awarded a

maternal health ambassadorship by International Museum of Women, a museum founded in 1985 with headquarters in San Francisco that covers women issues worldwide which in March 2014 became a part of Global Fund for Women, one of the world’s leading foundation for gender equality and standing up for human rights initiatives.

After her graduation in 2010 she returned to Nigeria where she briefly worked with FHI360 as a volunteer and coordinated the data collection and collation of a research on determining the risk of Cardio vascular diseases among HIV positive clients in Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital which was presented to international audience, and later as their Clinical Service Officer where she assisted in strengthening a system of monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

Dr. Sanda also worked as National consultant for Partnership for reviving routine immunization in Northern Nigeria- Maternal Newborn and Child Health (PRRINN MNCH), a UKAid DFID funded project in Zamfara State Nigeria where she oversaw the scaling up of community based service delivery from five piloted sites to fifty sites.

Over the years, she has collaborated with other colleagues on researches, and has presented papers to both local and international audience.

Sanda currently works with Clinton Health Access Initiative in Kano on their Maternal and Newborn Health programme, where she oversees the mentoring arm of the programme in Kano State. During her spare time, she volunteers at Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist hospital.

An amateur poet and farmer, ardent horse rider, and a borderline obsessed Arsenal fan, when she’s not working, and saving the lives of mothers and their babies, she’s spending time with family and her turtles.

EVENT

Gomerm’s Super Sundays and Akanbi’s 55th Birthday

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or members of God’s Mercy Revival Ministries (GOMERM), the recentlyconcluded three Supernatural Sundays, themed ‘Total Transformation’, is one that they will never forget in a hurry. Thousands of worshippers converged on Mercy Revival Centre (MRC), the revival centre of the GOMERM ministry, along Alake Lokoko Street in Ikotun, Lagos for the three-week special programme. The programme which held on January 8, 15 and 22, 2017 was the second edition after it was first held in January 2016.

A the three-day programme where different prophecies and words of knowledge were released, GOMERM’s General Overseer, Dr. James Akanbi, ministered in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Other men of God who ministered at the programme include zonal pastors of the church like Pastors Emmanuel Odunmorayo, Ezekiel Adewuyi, Victor Idowu, Josiah

Dr. Akanbi ministering

Mogbonjubola and Joe Odiase who are also members of the Ministry’s Management Group.

In the course of his ministration, Dr. Akanbi, who clocked 55 years on the last Sunday of the programme, told the church members that Year 2017 would be a year of pleasant

surprises and total transformation for them.

“Where people will see you soon, the level where they will meet you, the atmosphere where you will manifest, will beat the imaginations of your enemy. Every day, every week and every month in 2017

shall be fruitful and productive for you. Your land shall bring forth its greatest fruitfulness this year,” Dr. Akanbi prophetically declared to the congregation.

But the programme wasn’t about word ministrations and prophecies alone. There were also power prayer sessions even as many sinners surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and accepted him as the Lord and saviour at the three Super Sundays.

Many who attended the services also shared testimonies of how they received the divine touch of God and were instantly healed of long-terms ailments during the programme.

Of course, the Zion Voices, the church choir, also ministered in songs even as invited gospel artistes like Evang. Bukola Akinade (Senwele Jesus), Evang. Seun Makanjuola (Gbemisoke) and Olanrewaju Bolaji (Big Bolaji), led the congregation in a glorious praise and joyful celebration of God for His continuous faithfulness in the ministry.

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Ě&#x201C;

͎ͯͯ͜ͲͲ͡ͳ͹ͰͲË&#x153; nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Get Ready for First BBN Eviction Today Biggie is Big on Tricks Nseobong Okon-Ekong

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fter a week of excitement and a mock eviction which shook the housemates and brought some of them to tears, Big Brother Naija is set for the ďŹ rst real eviction today, Sunday, February 5. The housemate with the least number of votes will be evicted from the house, cutting short the dream of winning 25 million naira and SUV. On Monday night, the housemates were each given 45 seconds to nominate two fellow housemates for possible eviction.

However, new housemates Bassey and Debbie-Rise were exempted from nominating and being nominated this week. After the housematesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; individual sessions with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Biggieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, it was revealed that Miyonse, Soma and Gifty got the most nominations from other housemates.

Then the moment came when Biggie asked the head of house (HoH), CoCoIce to save one of the nominated housemates and replace with another. CoCoIce then proceeded to save Gifty and replaced her with Efe. The Big Brother Naija reality show is living up to all the hype and buzz it generated prior to its opening. Various social media platforms are exploding with comments, debates and even teams are being formed to root for their favourite housemates. Biggie, on the other hand, is keeping housemates on their toes with tasks, tricks and intrigues that are receiving commendations from viewers who cannot wait to see what Biggie comes up with next. So far, housemates have shown Nigeria and indeed Africa all the beautiful things they know about Nigeria including folktales, dance, craft and drama.

Big Brother Naija has brought together 14 young Nigerians with diverse cultural backgrounds to live together and relate only with one another without any contact with the outside world. They do not have contact with their mobile phones, the internet, television sets, except the TV screen they use to interact with Ebuka, the show host, on live shows. This is how it is going to be for the entire duration of the show and with viewers watching housemates. They must also put on their game faces in order not to be evicted before the show ends.

With the current arrangement, one wonders how Biggie keeps everyone sane for that length of time without serious boredom setting in. How does he maintain a steady stream of exciting activities to keep housemates excited and not have them turn on each other, or lash out at Biggie? It must certainly take one with vast experience in these situations to hold young people in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lock downâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for 12 weeks and still keep things interesting.

Typically, an average adult cannot remain conďŹ ned in a place for up to 48 hours without developing claustrophobia and wanting to get out for air, several studies have shown.

Although the Big Brother house is huge and has beautiful furnishings and ďŹ tting, the housemates lack the freedom to open the doors and walk out at will. The only way

TUNDE, WUNMI OBE HOST VALENTINE SHOW Tunde and Wunmi Obe who are also popularly known as T.W.O are set to treat lovers at Valentine special event scheduled to hold on February 14 at the Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja-Lagos.

The celebrated couple have perfected plans to give lovers a great time through quality music, games and dance.

The event is a partnership with the Renaissance Hotel. It will take place inside the Ijakadi Ball Room of the hotel located on Isaac John Street, GRA-Ikeja.

Legendary DJ, Jimmy Jatt will be on ground to provide timeless and contemporary music to the high net-worth individuals that will be in attendance.

TWO have been in the industry for over two decades and are known for good music that appeals to the young and the old. They entered into the industry in 1988.

L-R:

Big Brother Naija Contestants

On the BBN set

they can leave is if there is an emergency or a housemate asks to leave. In that situation, the housemate will not re-enter the Big Brother house. According to a study on boredom by The Business Insider, people who are bored do not hold balanced conversations or what is called a conversational extreme. They hardly say anything, they cannot make you laugh, they do not see from another personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective and in extreme cases, they become hostile. A classic example is the outbreak of savagery after a shipwreck in William Goldingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lord of the Flies.

It takes a special kind of skill, experience and preparedness to keep young adults in an enclosure, keep them entertained and educated while bringing out their creative and entrepreneurial talent. Since the ďŹ rst Big Brother show in 2003, the reality TV show seems to grow more adept at bringing on the wow-factor, which keeps viewers glued to their

TV screens. In the Big Brother Naija house, Biggie has shown he is up to the task of keeping the housemates and the viewers spellbound.

Now in its second week, none of the housemates has shown any sign of wanting out. In fact, the tension during the nomination stages is so palpable that it is evident that they did not enter the house to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;look bridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Granted the prize money is a huge motivation, but the activities in the house have been such that housemates are made to exercise both physically and mentally as well as learn a lot from each other. TallThinTony, one of the housematesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; said that as long as they have been privileged to be in the house, their lives will never remain the same after BBNaija.

The organizers of the show have done their home-work well. When you think that nothing can beat an exciting moment, Biggie comes up with another twist and throws housemates

oďŹ&#x20AC; balance. Just two weeks into the show, Biggie has been able to shake things around and bring out the hidden nature of some of the housemates. The act of making the Head of House (HoH) the supreme ruler and being hailed Igwe, the way traditional rulers in the South-Eastern part of the country are addressed, have ruďŹ&#x201E;ed a few feathers. To add salt to injury, some of the housemates, as identiďŹ ed by the Igwe are the Haves, depicting the upper echelon of the community, while the others are the Have-nots, depicting the lower class.

Biggie also made the Igwe instruct the Have-nots to cook breakfast for the house and even wash the feet of some of the Haves.

They are to obey every single order of the Igwe without complaints. The Igwe was provided with a black book from which more instructions were written. According to the house rules, the Igwe will lose his/her position if he/she is careless with the royal regalia and is discovered andtaken by someone else. It really became interesting when Igwe CoCoIce lost her crown and StaďŹ&#x20AC; of OďŹ&#x192;ce to Efe, who she had earlier nominated to replace Gifty whom she saved from the eviction list.

To cement Efeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kingship, he needs to be in possession of the Black Book or Diary Book as it is called. Igwe Efe demanded the book from CoCoIce who insisted that she did not have it.

CoCoIce then said she would only hand it over on Biggieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s instruction.

Interestingly, Biggie is yet to comment on the new status and is not reacting to the Diary Book saga. This heightens the suspense and viewers cannot wait to see Biggieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next move. Igwe Efe has instructed his subjects to search the entire house for the book and one wonders what will happen if the book is found, after all, Biggie has instructed that it is for the eyes of the Igwe alone.

Speaking concerning the event, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to give couples and lovers the opportunity to deepen their love in an atmosphere of fun and entertainment,â&#x20AC;? said Mr Tunde Obe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have always looked up to the brand TWO and it is a great privilege to be partnering with them for this amazing event,â&#x20AC;? said Mr â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;So Soâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of Renaissance Hotel.

Tunde and Wunmi Obe

2BABA PROMISES BETTER EARGASM International superstar, Innocent 2Baba Idibia has promised that the 2017 edition of Eargasm- an evening of classic tunes and pleasant surprises scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 11 at Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos will be bigger and better.

The seasoned singer told journalists that Eargasm is an exciting event, which will not only stand out but surpass all other events taking place within the same period.

FEBRUARY 5, 2017 ˾ 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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ENTERTAINMENT business interests and exchange programmes between Turkey and Africa continent were discussed and deals struck.

However, what quickly came to the fore was the entertainment aspect of the deal, which saw the duo of Anu and Olo, both from the stable of Atunda Entertainment, alongside selected Turkish popular musical artistes, entertained the audience in what could be termed as the best of the historical musical collaboration ever between Africa and Turkey.

L-R: Efe Omorogbe, 2baba, Niyola and Iyadunni Gbadebo

“Every other event that will take place that period will be like normal events, no extra activity. This is going to be classy and like the name suggests, Eargasm is going to be ‘ear-blowing’. The kind of music that you will listen to on that day is not going to be your everyday kind of music,“ he remarked.

2Baba will be performing at Eargasm alongside Niyola, Tekno, Adekunle Gold, Sir Shina Peters, Yinka Davies, Kelly Hansome, Acetune, Bovi, DJ Neptune and other A-list Nigerian artistes.

HOW ANU, OLO TOOK NIGERIAN MUSIC TO TURKEY Turkey recently witnessed the best of authentic African music infused with a mix of folklore and heavy percussion as the duo of Anu, The Lady Ekwe and Olo Omidan

Bata gave good account of their musical prowess in Konya, Turkey, in enthralling musical renditions that sent shock waves down the spines of the packed audience.

The occasion was an historical one, which witnessed the formalisation of the relationship between Africa and Turkey. Following the December, 2016 agreement between Motherland Beckons and MUSIAD in Konya, Turkey, to facilitate the mutual flow of trade, tourism, culture and entertainment between Africa and Turkey, as part of the continent building projects of Motherland Beckons.

Under the leadership of Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, Motherland stormed the city of Konya with a powerful team to consummate the agreement in its first major outing, which attracted the attention of the corporate world, diplomatic corps and other interests in Turkey. In the course of three days, a range of

DAYO AMUSA IS ‘PATHETIC’ Nollywood actor, Dayo Amusa is back with another blockbuster hit titled ‘Pathetic’ which will be showing at the cinemas from March 24.

Dayo’s last effort, ‘Unforgivable’ showed the dexterity of the actor and helped cement her status as an A-list act in the industry. The movie broke records and made good sales . y Amusa to see if her Attention is on Dayo l st la next movie would surpass her last effort or not but this new flick is definitely about to make ‘Unforgivable’ record look like a child’s play.

“Pathetic” stars Bimbo Akintola, Wole Ojo, Dayo Amusa, Toyin Abraham, Funsho Adeolu, Toyin Alausa, Taiwo Okunlola, Anu Shodanya among others. The movie was directed by Ike Nnaebuee while yo Dayo

Amusa remained the Executive producer.

Amusa’s production is a thrilling and insightful marital story intricately woven on the life of a famous celebrity lady - her pains and travails in having the desired picture-perfect life of the ordinary human.

OKAFOR’S LAW READY FOR THE CINEMA Nollywood actress, director and producer, Omoni Oboli’s new movie ‘Okafor’s Law’ is set to hit the cinemas on March 31.

With this new work, Omoni seeks to erase the success of her last film ‘Wives on Strike’, one of biggest Nollywood films in 2016.

‘Okafor’s Law’ stars Richard Mofe Damijo, Omoni Oboli, Toyin Abraham, Ufuoma McDermott, Gabriel Afolayan, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Tina Mba, Mary Lazarus, Ken Erics, Halima Abubakar, Kemi Lala Akindoju and Yvonne Jegede.

It tells the story of a slick serial seducer, Chuks (aka Terminator) who is an ardent player with the ladies. He enjoys the attention of women, including girlfriends from the past. He believes that once a man has had a woman, he forever has access to her. When challenged by his friends to see if he can prove the universality of that theory with three ex-girlfriends from his school days within 21 days, he accepts it. Turning himself on his best charm, he tries to prove himself, but his quest brings him to three women, If Ifeoma, Tomi and Ejiro, whose situations in life have changed drastically since s hool days. sc school

Dayo o Amusa

Abelinis Cuts Through Events, Entertainment As the final whistle blew to signal the end of the final match between the Gateway Squad coached by indigenous lyricist, Reminisce, and the Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim-led team, members of the former bobbed and weaved in jubilation. Their euphoria was understandable. They had survived 13 weeks of rigorous competition from the other teams that qualified for the third edition of the Fanz Championship Africa themed the Super Me edition. And for their victory, they got N2million, N1million cash for the coach, a phototherapy machine and incubator to be donated to a community of their choice as part of the philanthropic initiative of the organisers, Abelinis Limited.

Hosted by comedian and On-AirPersonality, Ushbebe, the finale was the culmination of 13 exciting and exhilarating weeks of fun, not just for the different participants and celebrity coaches, but for millions of television viewers who won over N3million in prizes for their participation while the show lasted.

Somewhere in the background of the ensuing raucous celebrations, one man went hither, thither, unobtrusively, his visage bearing his relief and happiness.

For Abiodun Oshinibosi, Project Marshal of Abelinis Limited, the resounding success of this year’s show underscored his team’s robust resilience and determination to ensure that the Fanz Championship Africa, a quiz format game show for football followers and lovers on television, remains as engaging and interactive as ever.

Despite the stifling operational challenges, the rating of this year’s show, according to Oshinibosi, shot through the roof as more viewers logged onto the show and more enthusiastic celebrity participation. This recently concluded edition had celebrity coaches like Sexy Steel, Bash the Comedian, Sossick, Toyin Ibitoye, Alexx Ekubo, Biola Kazeem, 9ice, Juliet Ibrahim, Reminisce, Helen Paul, Illbliss, Shina Okeleyi, DJ Neptune, Deji Omotoyinbo, Juliet Mafua and Jide Alabi. Essentially, the coaches lead a three-member team through an intense yet, exciting process trading tackles on wit, speed and knowledge of the football industry as a whole while a team is eliminated every week.

Symbolically, Abelinis Limited, established in 2011 as a project management company with interests in events, activation and production, has entrenched a culture

Celebrities at the Abelinis event

of philanthropy in the FCA and its core.

Last year’s winner, Amuwo Odofin FC, constructed a new borehole in Amuwo Odofin Primary School, renovated the school’s abandoned toilet facilities and donated a generator to power the borehole.

When the company turned five in 2016, the management and staff visited the Area G Police Station, Ogba, Lagos, to donate food items and cheques to support the education of children of some deceased policemen.

Prior to this, the company had assisted with the payment of school fees for select undergraduates, donated Apple laptops to some identified creative youths, visited the Modupe Cole and Ijamido Orphanage

Homes to support the less privileged while alsopresenting a top-of-the-range incubator to the Ifako General Hospital with a view to reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the hospital and its environs. This year, during the company’s sixth anniversary, it empowered four widows of the police force with N50,000 cash and 50,000 worth of VTU each to start a retail vending spot.

Indeed, for Oshinibosi, the best portion of a man’s life are his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.

A graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and the Villanova University, Pennsylvania, U.S.A, Oshinibosi began his career as an event coordinator under the tutelage of

his brother, La Face, a prominent showbiz promoter who brought Wyclef Jean to Nigeria in 2004 among other American music stars. He would go on to work with Tequila, a foremost events company, before joining a start-up events and production company, Industrial Development Communication Company, as a line manager. Within months, he rose to become General Manager. However, Oshinibosi’s relentless spirit, coupled with a passion to do things differently in the marketing communications industry, led him to start Abelinis. Like every other classic grass-tograce story, Abelinis’ trajectory has been strewn with thorns and thistles.

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Daring Hollywood in the Trump Era Vanessa Obioha One thing is certain, Hollywood is not folding its hands or keeping quiet on the new policies made by President Donald Trump.

Be it a travel ban or discrimination against other races, certain elements in the America entertainment industry are seizing every opportunity to make indignant speeches or march in protest. It is not the first time, to be sure, that Hollywood is taking such bold step in challenging issues or policies that affect minority groups.

Two years ago, they started the #OscarsSoWhite campaign and it paid off finally this year with actors and filmmakers from the minority group given a chance in the awards.

Now, they are raising their voices, condemning every act of Trump whose image is perceived as a misogynist and a racist. Trump, a showbiz personality himself suddenly finds himself at odds with the industry that brought him to limelight. Determined to rewrite the history of America by formulating and implementing polices and regulations that will have an adverse effect on majority of the minority group is not making him Hollywood’s idol.

The seed of discord was sown right from his campaign days and will probably wend through his remaining days in office.

Before his official inauguration, actress Meryl Streep attacked him during her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes last month.

She alluded to his mockery of a disabled reporter while reminding actors gathered in the packed hall that their main job as actors is to enter the lives of people who are different and make them feel great. Expectedly, the

David Harbour

president replied by tweeting that the actress is overrated. Streep’s speech was in a way a reiteration of the liberalism of American’s film industry. A word that is not popular in Trump’s dictionary. For Trump, America must come first before any other race.

A day after his inauguration saw a motley crowd of women from Hollywood and the entertainment industry march in protest against the new president. Their dislike was more prominent at the inauguration party which had just a few celebrities in attendance.

The Academy Awards scheduled to hold on February 26, is confronted with President Trump’s latest executive order that bans nationals from seven Muslim countries for 90 Days and refugees for 120 Days. One of its nominees and also a past winner, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi was affected by the new order but later exempted. However, the director is adamant in attending the ceremony owing to the unwelcome stance projected by the president. Trump’s action will probably cost the Oscars a boycott.

This new order apparently sparked a renewed aggressive refusal of Trump’s presidency. At the Producers Guild of America Awards last weekend, musician John Legend vocally expressed his rejection of the new order. In his speech, he said that Americans were more than that. Actor and producer Colin Firth dedicated his award to the “ACLU and everyone whose families are being separated by the discrimination of others.”

Mark Burnett, the producer of Trump’s reality show Apprentice was booed on stage when he came to receive an award for his works in ‘The Voice’ reality show.

Again, the political voice of the film industry resounded loudly at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards the following day. David Harbour who played Detective Jim Hopper in the drama series ‘Stranger Things’ took to stage to voice a strong protestation against Trump: “We will repel bullies! We will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no homes. We will get past the lies, we will hunt monsters and when we are lost amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will as per chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the meek, and the disenfranchised, and the marginalised. And we will do it with soul, with heart, with joy!” he told the highly charged audience in the hall.

Evidently, Hollywood’s constant opposition of the president will still be on the rise as award ceremonies will become a platform for anti-Trump protests. But how long the hatred will last is a question only time can answer.

BEYONCE AND HER STRATEGIC PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS In 2011, Queen Bey gave a rousing performance of her song ‘Love on Top’ at the MTV Video Music Awards. She ended her performance by opening her jacket to reveal a growing bump. The crowd and fans went ecstatic. At the time, Instagram was unborn.

Now in 2017, just 11 days to the Grammy where she holds a record of nine nominations, Beyonce again stunned her denizens with the news of her pregnancy. Posting a photo of her covered in a veil with her baby bump against a flowery background on her Instagram page, she broke the news of her pregnancy. This time, she is expecting twins. Although pundits say it was strategically done by the artiste, it is yet unknown if the artiste will still go ahead with her Grammy performance on February 12.

FIVE GOLDEN ROYAL RUMBLE MOMENTS TO REMEMBER It was indeed a Rumble to remember at the San Antonio Alamodome, Texas last weekend where the 30th Royal Rumble was held.

With a huge crowd of 52,020 WWE denizens, expectations were high that the ring would offer exciting and bloody challenges. Here are five golden moments of WWE Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns Robbed Again: It is gradually becoming convincing that the WWE athlete suffers from a near-success syndrome. Each time he comes close to winning a championship match, there’s always an obstacle blocking his victory. His quest to regain the WWE Universal Championship title from Kevin Owens would have paid off if not for the unexpected intervention of Braun Strowman. With Chris Jericho locked up in a cage that was suspended above the ring, Strowman was Owens’ saviour in retaining his title. Strowman sent Reigns crashing on the announcement table, the steel bar of the ring, and another table inside the ring before leaving him for Owens to finish off. Again, at the rumble match, Reigns was almost close to winning the match but was defeated by The Viper, Randy Orton, who clinched the headline ticket to WrestleMania.

A Battle of Resilience: John Cena vs AJ Styles match is the best match of the Royal Rumble event. In a battle between determination and phenomenon, only resilience can win.

Meryl Streep

Beyonce

That was the case on Sunday when the two wrestlers applied every trick in their books to emerge the winner of the adrenaline-filled match. From face-offs to high jumps, the athletes exhausted all manner of stunts. For both athletes, the aim was to set records. Cena succeeded in setting a record of winning the WWE Champion title for the 16th time while Styles couldn’t maintain his victory streak of defeating Cena in every match since he joined the WWE last year.

The Rise and Rise of Braun Strowman: Strowman is gradually becoming the Daredevil of the WWE wrestlers. Armed with an intimidating height and brawn, he is the new face of fear, just like his moniker ‘Monster of Men’. Although, he did not win the Royal Rumble match, he made an impressive record

by eliminating seven wrestlers including the world strongest man Mark Henry and the world largest man Big Show (whom he eliminated last year), but was later eliminated by Corbyn.

New Foes: At the Royal Rumble match, any man fends for himself irrespective of their alliances. Therefore, the seeds of betrayal was wildly sown in the Royal Rumble. While The New Day and Big Cass and Enzo Amore were saved from the dilemma of turning against one another, the Celtic Warrior Sheamus and his tag team partner, Cesaro didn’t waste time in throwing their friendship out of the ring.

Entering the match at number 19, Cesaro was at the point of swinging Sheamus

but for Rusev who kicked him in the chin.

The two partners will be eliminated later simultaneously by Chris Jericho after Sheamus tried to eliminate Cesaro just after they eliminated The New Day. The bad blood is already brewing among the two wrestlers. The internal strife in The Wyatt’s family came to a boiling point at the match. Luke Harper attacked Bray Wyatt to the astonishment of the former but was eliminated by Goldberg.

The Beast and Undertaker’s Short-Lived Moments: After creating a wave of fear with his catchy phrase: “I’ve dug 29 holes for 29 souls”, for his participation in the Royal Rumble match, the invincible Undertaker only succeeded in digging only four holes for Goldberg, Corbyn, Sami Zayn and Miz. He was eliminated by Roman Reigns, the last man to enter the ring.

The Beast’s entrance at number 26 on the other hand was greeted with much fanfare.

He ended up eliminating only Dean Ambrose, Dolph Zigler and Enzo before Goldberg gave him a double humiliation by throwing him out of the ring.

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PERSONALITY

Fatima Ganduje: Touching Lives Across the Country Jameelah Nuhu Sanda writes about the efforts of Fatima Ganduje, the daughter of Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, to help people in communities across the country through her non-governmental organisation, Let’s Talk Humanity (LTH)

F

irst class graduate of the American University of Nigeria, Fatima Ganduje has for long been fine-tuning her plans to penetrate and change the face of indigenous NGOs in Nigeria. After leading a Nigerian delegation to the United Nations (UN) for a youth leadership summit, she grasped the basics of what it means to be a policy maker and through volunteer work within IDP camps in Yola as an undergraduate, she has come to appreciate what gaps in leadership could mean to ordinary citizens, the great majority without a voice or the energy to articulate their pain.

Let’s Talk Humanity, as an initiative, was born in Maiduguri and became active even before officially being registered in 2015. The thought process, the vision, was the starting point. Essentially the basis of the NGO was to attempt to make a change in the lives of the weakest in the society.

The modus operandi is simple identify the gaps in the delivery of social services and then attempt to fill these gaps by active engagement with concerned agencies and institutions to complement existing service delivery.

To this end, Let’s Talk Humanity tailors its approach to be environment specific, in areas where it would be best to enrich the lives of the children by empowering their mothers and families.

LTH has designed initiatives such as LTH women empowerment projects. Let’s Talk Humanity partnering stakeholders and community leaders kicked off an ambitious rural women’s empowerment scheme, the rationale being every young child would benefit in families where the mother is economically active, if the women were given support.

A seven-week programme was then embarked upon, which first identified women who were registered with the local government development agencies, and many had been trained in formal and vocational settings.

Over 260 groups in Kiru local government and also Bebeji local government were granted interventions, costing over N20 million and benefiting over 2,000 families across the state. The impact was quickly felt after the planting season when it became clear that the injection of funds, fertiliser, high grade seeds, modern design and sewing machines, electric and diesel driven industrial grain grinding machines were driving down costs and prices. A 5 per cent drop in the cost of food stuffs and services was noted.

In other instances, LTH has direct engagement with the disabled and impaired, conduct a needs assessment and design programme around enriching and broadening the opportunities of the children.

These include LTH Projects for the

Fatima

disabled and impaired: The youth, particularly, the visually and hearing-impaired have found a voice in LTH, the organisation works directly with academic administrators to develop a framework to enrich the

THE MODUS OPERANDI IS SIMPLE - IDENTIFY THE GAPS IN THE DELIVERY OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND THEN ATTEMPT TO FILL THESE GAPS BY ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH CONCERNED AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING SERVICE DELIVERY

lives of impaired children across the nation.

The first project was a workshop at the SES Special Education School Tudun Maliki Kano, where 1,500 hearing and visually impaired students were put through an intensive threeweek workshop to reorient their focus and sharpen their ambition.

LTH provided the school with a hundred special desktop computers which utilised modern text to speech technology, teacher training was the first phase of the project then the students formed the nexus of phase two. It provided intensive teacher training that lasted over three weeks, benefiting over 1,500 pupils who had learned about computers but never touched or seen one before.

The organisation also provided a basic welfare package for the institution based on the needs assessment carried out independently by staff members, in which it was observed that though the instructors were capable, the school was in dire need of basic support material, such as braille paper, mosquito nets, exercise books, antibiotics, collapsible walking canes for the visually impaired, sanitary materials and much more.

This first project kicked off a steady stream of projects which has touched the lives of many across the nation.

In other instances, LTH finds communities with very little footprint of

disabled children, and the fact that LTH is active within that community prompts the organisation to execute a direct programme to benefit children regardless of their physical status.

For instance, while the women empowerment project was being designed, LTH also engaged the local community to develop a project to directly benefit youth who had no disabilities.

Another example of the LTH youth education projects is the Makama Memorial Primary/Secondary School Kano, where a modern computing lab complete with printers and scanners was built, benefiting over 500 pupils.

Another avenue by which LTH often indirectly opens up opportunities for youth development is by conducting special projects where it is evident that the result would benefit more children.

In Nasarawa State for instance, the NGO found a community in which many children spent their days travelling many miles for clean water for their families use, leaving little room and time for education; water being such an essential resource for human survival. LTH designed programmes which then opened up avenues to enable the children focus on education and other essentials and the community recreation centre have been catered for to a measurable degree.

This problem was solved by initiating the Yeyedu Community village clean water initiative in Badna, Nasarawa State, completed in January 2017, which is benefiting a settlement of over 5,000 individuals.

The LTH team recently engaged consultants in the medical profession to kick off a nationwide intervention for children in need of hearing aids, to cover much ground before 2017 World Hearing Day coming up on March 3; by providing 1,000 hearing aids first in Imo State in February and then Oyo State before shifting focus back to the northern region.

The core of LTH human resources is drawn from volunteers, professionals in different fields all lending their expertise to further the cause of elevating the Nigerian child.

assistant editor nseobong okon-ekong senior correspondent funke olaode correspondent vanessa obioha designer ibirogba ibidapo CONTRIBUTORS onoshe nwabuikwu, temilolu okeowo, kelechi nduka THISDAY ON SUNDAY editor adetokunbo adedoja deputy editor vincent obia STUDIO art director ochi ogbuaku jnr THISDAY NEWSPAPERS editor-in-chief & chairman nduka obaigbena managing director eniola bello deputy managing director kayode komolafe

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PUBLICATION

BREAKING THE JINX WITH PERMUTATIONS PAGE 66

05.02.2017

EKO ART EXPO ATTENTION ARRESTED Q-Dance in performance

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\FIESTA

EKO ART EXPO: ATTENTION ARRESTE

Lagos State’s three-day art expo in honour of the late renowned economist, industrialist and art patron Rashe community with a colourful pageant of visual and performing arts. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

I

t was 9:15p.m. The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in company of his entourage walked through the maze of exhibition stands at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island. He didn’t appear to be in a hurry at all. Apparently, his first tour of the hall at the opening night wasn’t sufficient. Then, he took his time, even as many guests were leaving that evening to appreciate the works while photojournalists scrambled for vantage positions to take some shots of him. He was completely arrested by the sight of incredible display of talents.

The event was a part of the year-long Lagos @ 50 celebrations which kicked off last year with colloquium series, cultural displays and movie screenings. For the first time, Lagos State government hosted a major show for the visual arts sector with the three-day Rasheed Gbadamosi Eko Art Expo, which took place in Lagos last weekend. It was a fascinating sight to see works from Lagos-based galleries and other independent artists all in honour of a late art patron whose commitment to the arts is simply legendary.

The participating galleries at the show titled, Dey Your Lane include Mydrim Gallery, SMO Contemporary Art, The Pallete Art, One Draw Gallery, Nike Art Gallery and Henrimoweta African Art Centre.

Paintings, sculptures, photography and other experimental exhibits were on display.

The miniature photographs at the entrance to the hall conveyed varied emotions which captured the essence of a multi-cultural, multi-temperament state like Lagos.

Curated by Mrs Simisola Adesanya, the grand opening of the exhibition was packed with eclectic performances ranging from dance to spoken word poetry performances.

Titi Sonuga gave a reverberating start with her near-rap delivery of her poetry. A few minutes later, the veteran journalist-poet, Akeem Lasisi launched the audience into an avalanche of oral Yoruba poetry that naturally inspired spontaneous responses. Lasisi’s uncommon ability to deliver bi-lingual poetry helped to connect the older and younger generations as well as non-native speakers of Yoruba language who watched in awe. His poetry paid homage to Chief Gbadamosi as the poet reminisced on the active backing of the patron in his rhythmic, “From Glover Hall to Civic Centre”, which was well-received by the honouree’s family members at the ceremony.

The air in the hall became electrified when Qudus Onikeku, the freshly retrieved Nigerian dance export to France, brought life to the stage and the surround sound system.

His dance performance titled, “Iwalewa” was performed by his home-grown Q-dance made up of young dancers with sweeping moves. What began like the mosquitoes’ buzz provided cues to the dancers who assembled on stage to tell their African story, albeit in illogical manner. Q-Dance production earned a standing ovation in the end.

Governor Ambode expressed his satisfaction at the group’s performance and other acts at the ceremony. For him, their performances attest to the fact that Lagos is a city of arts and cultural champions and he described the performances as “World Class”.

In turn, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, commended Governor Ambode for taking quick strides in promoting arts and culture.

“The first thing that the Governor did for the creative industry is the enhanced security

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode and other dignitaries admiring art works at the E

Art works on display at the Eko Art Expo in Lagos in Lagos State,” he said. “That is the type of infrastructure you need for the creative industry. Without security in Lagos, there will be no nightlife’, no cinema. Today, you can move around Lagos and enjoy yourself because of security. Another provision is electricity. The

Light Lagos Project is one of the best things he had done for the creative industry.

“You may think there are intangible. In terms of the tangible, he is the first governor that is building theatres around the state. In addition, I am going to give you a brand new national

museum.”

In a recent tour of the National Theatre with industry stakeholders, the minister assured theatre-goers that the main bowl of the theatre, the exhibition and banquet halls as well as the two cinema halls would be renovated in

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ RUARY 5, 2017

ʶ ˺˺

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

ED

eed Gbadamosi united the arts

Eko Art Expo in in Lagos...recently partnership with Lagos State.

The minister recalled how the One Lagos Fiesta has boosted and changed the perspective of the creative industry.

“Nobody wanted his son to be a musician, an actor, dancer, and sculptor,” the minister recalled. “But they have now seen the success of these. But when a musician is wanted by a governor, and he comes and shakes hands with the governor, it changes the perception about the profession.

“As I always say, we have a story to tell the world. But we lack the wherewithal. I have spent the first one year trying to diagnose the industry. We have been unable to move forward due to systemic failure and lack of enforcement to protect the intellectual properties of artists. Illegal reproduction of music and movies had driven away investors from the industry.”

The minister added that a training programme is scheduled for no fewer than 40 festival managers across the country.

“We are also going to have taskforce for the creative industry. Every year, we are going to give 300 young artists grants to enable them to perfect their skills in the art,” he assured.

Former Ogun State governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, who was a close friend to the late Chief Gbadamosi reflected on how art had evolved over the years, citing examples of the songs he grew up on. He left his audience with a taste of Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again” a 1961 smash hit and Grammy award-winning song, which he couldn’t get anyone to sing along.

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ARTS & REVIEW\\EXHIBITION

BREAKING THE JINX WITH PERMUTATIONS Yinka Olatunbosun

F

or Tayo Olayode, setting up a solo exhibition had become a jinx. He’d sold several works right in the comfort of his studio, having enjoyed the patronage of one of Nigeria’s most influential collectors and art patrons, Chief Sammy Olagbaju. But the large-hearted curator died.

Olayode missed Olagbaju in more ways than one. He supported his dream.

To this end, Olayode won many awards including the Arthouse Foundation Scholarship & Vermont Studio Cultural Exchange Competition in 2014. While he was studying, he enjoyed the opportunity of experimenting with different media. However, since 2000 when he had graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, the thought of doing a solo show seemed to have eluded him. He was his own critic; raising the bar for his works every time. Still he had participated in group exhibitions in Ghana, Kenya, USA, Britain, Dubai and Canada.

Finally, on January 18, his fresh collection of 38 mixed media works was viewed privately by select culture journalists at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi. The show is Wheatbaker’s first for the year and it is titled, “Permutations’’.

The on-going show which is curated by Sandra Mbanefo Obiago is dedicated to the memory of late Chief Olagbaju.

“Permutations showcases Tayo Olayode’s unusual and refreshing multi-dimensional art in 360 degrees.

We very rarely come across an artist who has mastered so many different styles, without loosing his own unique creative voice,’’ Obiago remarked.

The question is: What makes Olayode’s works special? Most likely, it is the profound message embedded in each piece which has been arranged in series according to the underlying theme. In his series titled, Leadership, he made stirring portraits of global influencers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Marley, Che Guevara and Barack Obama. They are not every day painting. He selected an ancient Tibetian technique of burning and perforating rice paper with incense sticks. He learnt this method from a Buddhist monk while at an international artist residency program in 2014.

Olayode tapped from his African roots of using glass beads to make highlights and combined this with the far eastern artform. What is arguably the most intriguing of his series is titled Flow. Lots of contemporary artists claim to explore

this technique which allows the colours to move freely on the canvass. Olayode demonstrated a mastery of this technique with his near-perfect control of the asphalt and acrylic drippings to create abstract pieces that line the walls of the luxury hotel. Although he admitted that the showcased pieces are a few of the lot that he made using this rather tricky technique, he must have been understating his masterly skills for his water colour pieces silently argue otherwise.

He also explores the women issue which has recently been a subject of global concern in a miniature piece that celebrates the independent and career-oriented woman who, on a daily basis, surmounts challenges that threaten her happiness and existence.

Looking back at his professional life, Olayode was emotional, fighting back tears as he recalled how he never had to speak for his works before they were sold. As a founding member of the Iponri Art Studios, and the President of Watercolour League, he is not new to the art scene.

Largely influenced by leading artists such as Professors Abayomi Barber, Jerry Buahri, Abiodun Olaku and Ablade Glover, his self-expression mixes with these influences making his style absolutely dynamic.

“As I research explore the medium and style, other depper expressions are unveiled, which often gives birth to other forms of work. Sometimes, I utilize mundane domestic objects for colorful installations.

I gain aesthetic joy from my works and hope that my audience appreciates One of Tayo Olayode’s coffee paintings and receives value too,’’ Olayode remarked.

True to his words, on display were large portraits had hints of whiteness which exhibits made of coffee on rice paper. It were deliberately created by the artist for was almost unbelievable because the aesthetic reasons.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Wheatbaker and Veuve Clicquot and runs till March 4.

Chukwumerije Holds 5th Edition of Night of Spoken Words in Abuja Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

I

n his continued determination to revive poetry, an aspect of literature that has been relegated to the background in the country, Dike Chukwumerije’s Night of Spoken Words has been scheduled to hold on February 11, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Addressing journalists recently in Abuja, Chukwumerije said the introduction of performance poetry was aimed at bringing a bit of intellectualism into entertainment.

The 2011 Abuja Literary Society Poetry Slam winner explained that performance poetry is not the simple recitation of poems, but It is a modern and energetic form of poetry that combines the disciplines of traditional poetry with the power and charisma of dramatic performance.

He added that it was designed to be communicated verbally, because it tends

to be easier to grasp than written poetry, but retains the same capacity for penetrating insights into the human condition, and dedication to the beautiful use of language.

Chuwumerije stated that “we are doing it because we are trying to bring a bit of intellectualism into entertainment. It is highly intellectual, but it is also highly entertaining. We have managed to fused poetry with dance, with drama with music. It is an entire stage performance that involves collaboration across many arts forms.

The poet stressed that the show would also chronicled the historical landmark of Nigeria from 1914 till date using poetry.

According to him, “have been doing an event called Night of spoken Words since 2013. We do it twice a year in Abuja when we gathered up and coming performance poets from around the country when we bring them and stage about a 2hour show.

Last year we took things another level when we root a stage play using performance poetry titled ‘Made in Nigeria’. “

“This particular production tells a story of Nigeria’s history from 1914 till date using poetry, dance and drama. We showed it for the first time during the independence week last year, we did a three day showing at the Merit House and the reception was very good, and we took it to Lagos and also had a very good reception, and we are coming back to do the show again yet in Abuja.

He noted that, “Made in Nigeria is essentially twenty poems that are seamlessly linked by dance drama and music. We just come up through the decades telling different Nigerian stories that all together give you a feel of Nigeria socio-cultural political landscape over the years.

“We bring to life the 70s, the politics of the 70s, anti-apartheid struggle. We tell the story of coups. We talk about the 80s, we talk about the 90s , we do a poem about student unionism, we call it ‘A luta’, so we dramatise students protesting against school fees and all that.

Chemukwumeije however gave a glimpse

of what to expect on February 11 as he said performance poetry was giving tonic to poetry because it is gaining larger audience.

“For instance there is a poem called ‘The Revolution has no Tribe’. Do you know that poverty is not an Ijaw man? it will not spare the rest of us and afflict only the Esan, it will step across the river and come across the border so that when the drum sounds let everybody hear the sound. Do you not know that corruption is not from Nekede?

You will not know that Ife has no dealing with Modakeke, wake up our children at night with hunger when the drum sound let everybody hear the sound. Do you not know that HIV is not Kanuri?

It will not spare the rest of us and kill only the Fulani, it will set the land ablaze from the Delta to the Sahara so that when the drum sound let everybody hear. This is an example of the kind of poem we do,” he said.

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

CICERO

Editor Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08054681757

IN THE ARENA

INEC’s Diaspora Voting Plan The move by INEC to initiate a process whereby Nigerians abroad can vote during elections in their country is commendable, but there are hurdles that must be overcome. Vincent Obia writes

E

lection is the principal thing in democracy and whenever an attempt is made to push back the limits of electoral participation, it usually brings a cheery reaction. The effort by the Independent National Electoral Commission to set in motion processes that would enable Nigerians abroad vote during elections in their country is, certainly, laudable. But the commission needs to proceed with caution to avoid impediments that can aggravate existing problems with elections in the country. There are hurdles in the out-of-country voting system that must be overcome by sincerity and determination by the commission.

INEC recently set up a ten-man Committee on the Review of Diaspora or Out-of-Country Voting. In a letter dated January 16 and signed by the acting secretary to the commission, Musa H. Adamu, INEC said the committee headed

by Amina B. Zakari is expected to submit its report within six weeks.

The committee on out-of-country voting is to determine the legal, political and electoral framework for the diaspora voting. It would examine the methodologies for such voting in other climes and the global best practices. The committee would suggest an appropriate methodology for the commission and determine the population, spread and locations of the Nigerian diaspora and Nigerian missions abroad, as well as the registration requirements.

The OCV committee would also determine the logistic requirements and cost implications of any methodology suggested for diaspora voting, and recommend timelines or a project plan for its implementation.

The right of citizens abroad to vote in elections in their countries of origin is guaranteed by many democracies. The idea is popularised by an emerging picture of the world as a global village, and democracy as a set of principles that defiles boundaries. As of 2006, 93 countries, including 21 African countries, were said to have allowed their citizens in foreign countries to vote. Guaranteeing such right for Nigeria’s estimated 15 million citizens abroad would definitely be an enormous boost to the country’s democracy. It would also make a lot of economic sense in view of the immense contribution of the Nigerian diaspora to the economy.

Nigerians abroad remitted home about $21 billion in 2015, according to the World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016. President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, was quoted as saying that in the nearest future diaspora remittances may rise to about $35 billion annually. With such huge contribution, Nigerians overseas should have a big stake in the choice of those to run the affairs of their country. Giving them the right to vote would be a

rational move for political and economic development.

But INEC needs to proceed with caution. It should learn from the experiences of countries practising diaspora voting.

There are intricacies and risks involved in out-ofcountry voting, which INEC should pay attention to with a view to reducing or eliminating their adverse effects on the system. One is cost. Out-of-country voting operations are said to be generally more expensive than in-country voting. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems said in a 2012 report that diaspora voting operations cost five to 10 times more. With INEC already complaining about the high cost of elections in the country, funding voting by citizens in foreign countries would, no doubt, be a challenging and painstaking venture.

INEC National Commissioner, Professor Anthonia Simbine, said recently that INEC spent $547 million for the 2015 general election, while the political parties and their candidates spent between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Simbine said the 2015 election was the most expensive in the history of the country.

Catering to the electoral needs of diaspora populations spread across many different countries

would definitely require a lot more effort in terms of distribution of materials, staff training, and return of results from the various locations.

There is also the issue of trying to meet electoral standards in the countries where the polls would be conducted. Measures should be put in place to ensure that in the attempt to meet such standards, INEC does not strain its resources to the point that elections in the country may suffer.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems says out of country voting operations are more susceptible to fraud and perceptions of fraud than in country voting. This is due to the unlikelihood of proper independent observation of the process and consequent lack of transparency.

INEC should take the various issues into consideration in determining the methodology for its planned diaspora voting.

Besides, the commission needs to start with a pilot scheme that would include countries with already developed democratic structures. It can then gradually extend to other countries.

INEC’s out-of-country voting initiative is a step in the right direction. But careful and diligent effort is needed to make the country reap the fruits.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Prison Inmates’ Reformation and Security

A Comptroller General of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Ja’afaru Ahmed

ssistant Controller General, Nigeria Prisons Service, Zone D, Mr Mayala Musa, Thursday called on wealthy Nigerians to support skills acquisition schemes for prison inmates as part of efforts to make them better citizens and promote the security of the country. The call could not have come at a better time than now when Nigeria is grappling with diverse kinds of internal security problems, which experts have attributed largely

to poverty, disillusionment, and desperation among citizens.

The prisons are supposed to be reformation centres, but in Nigeria today, they have become more or less like crime training cells where people go to get toughened in vices.

They now inadvertently raise persons who increase the threat to life and property rather than help to solve the security problem.

Nigeria needs all hands on deck to return the prisons to their original role of citizens’ reformation. –Vincent Obia

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

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CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

Bello

Melaye

Kogi APC’s Unremitting Internal Crisis Yekini Jimoh, in Lokoja, looks at the fresh feuds in the Kogi State chapter of All Progressives Congress

T

he governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is receiving intense bashing from members of his All Progressives Congress, who should ordinarily rally round his administration.

Some political analysts attribute the crisis rocking the party to ego and personal interest of some individuals who feel the governor has shut them out of the system.

Allegation

Considering how Bello emerged as the fourth executive governor of the state, those who were loyal to late Prince Abubakar Audu, particularly, the Chief James Faleke camp, still believe their mandate was stolen by the governor.

But during the inauguration of Bello as governor, Senator Dino Melaye, the senator for Kogi West, was the Master of Ceremony on that occasion. Melaye had described Bello as the chosen one, saying whoever is fighting Bello is fighting God. Today, the senator has joined forces with some members of APC from the state to fight the governor. They have accused the governor of lavishing N220 billion in one year.

At a press conference in Abuja to appraise the state of affairs in the Confluence State, recently, the stakeholders alleged that in the last one year, the governor had brought “unprecedented hardship” to the people. The press conference, which was addressed by Melaye, was attended by the Kogi State chairman of APC, 20 out of the 35 state executive committee members of the party, local government party chairmen, Senator Alex Kadiri, former House of Representatives members, among other prominent party men and women.

They accused Bello of maladministration and highhandedness resulting in system failure in the education, security and economic sectors of the state.

Organisers of the press conference said the over N220 billion allegedly wasted by Bello in one yea “represents 13 months federal allocations to the state, N10 billion infrastructural development funds, N30 billion bailout fund, over N11 billion Parish Club excess refund. We also have the N16 billion refunded for Federal Government roads built by the past administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, N700 million ecological fund.

“All these above exclude an average of N600 million internally generated revenue monthly. Flowing from the above financial scenario.”

They issued a four-week ultimatum to the governor to reconcile the on-going staff audit in the state with the realities on the ground, pay civil servants, pensioners and others all their entitlements for the past one year. According to them, the N30 billion bailout fund is primarily meant for salary purposes while part of the N11.2 billion Paris Club refund was aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of the people.

Emissaries to Vice President Faleke, who was the running mate of late Prince Abubakar Audu in the 2015 governorship election, was also at the Presidential Villa recently to see the acting president, Professor Yemi Osibajo, in connection with problems facing Kogi State. Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, led a delegation of Kogi State indigenes to the Presidency to complain about what he called the suffering of Kogi People under Bello. The group comprised former ministers, former ambassadors, former National Assembly members and other stakeholders from the state. He said that the governor’s actions were inimical to the future of APC in the state.

Faleke told the vice president, “We came to the presidency to let the federal government know what is happening in Kogi State as regards the fortunes of the party. The way it is dwindling day by day as regards the civil servants, the welfare of the people and their relationship with the state government.

“We have come to let the presidency know so that when elections come and the party losses, no one is to be blamed.

We want intervention from the federal government to find a way forward in this situation.

“The governor of the state should recognise those who work for the party and make the party to be successful. It is one thing to be victorious at the court level and another thing to carry the people along. I want to use this opportunity to urge the governor to carry the people along.

“This is the fifth time he is setting up a committee to review staff strength with so many screenings every day.

People are dying. You ask people to come from the entire 21 local governments to Lokoja to present their documents; some of them are dying on road accident.”

Faleke added, “We get calls every day for welfare from civil servants, school children that their parents have not been paid for months. So, we want him to stop this because this is not the only way to stop ghost workers and it shouldn’t be the last. I’m not against eradication of ghost workers but it shouldn’t be done to the detriment of the people.”

Response However, Bello has dismissed the moves against him as part of a fight back by corrupt elements against his anti-corruption drive. His director-general on media and strategy, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said the government of Bello was poised to implement the recommendations of the Staff Verification Committee to further deepen his drive towards a disciplined and efficient civil service in the state.

“Popularity secured through the protection of corrupt practices and corrupt individuals can never last,” Fanwo stated, in a veiled reference to those opposing the governor.

“Between such popularity and saving Kogi State from ruins, the government of Kogi State has chosen the latter.”

He quoted Bello as saying, “We had wasted billions of state resources on people who did not contribute anything to our economy but used their ill-gotten salaries to develop their places of residence across the nation.

“Those who are due for retirement falsified their dates of birth to debar our youth from gaining employment. I have chosen to right the wrongs and save the state from economic perdition.”

Fanwo said Bello was unperturbed by “sponsored media hype against the exercise“, saying “those who stole billions of naira through the ghost workers scam in Kogi are uncomfortable with government for not only exposing their nefarious acts, but blocking the pipes of thievery.

“I have written my name in gold for my courage to bed the cabal of ghost workers in Kogi State. It will be foolhardy to think corruption would not fight back, but this administration is capable of dealing with troublemakers.

“Those who chose violence instead of proving their cases with facts, surely, do not have genuine cases. However, established cases of fraud against the government and people of the state shall be prosecuted.”

Peace Effort An APC chieftain in the state, Chief Clarence Olafemi, has been trying to reunify the party. He has called on the governor, Melaye and other aggrieved members to embrace peace. Olafemi, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and one-time acting governor, said in an interview with THISDAY, “The way out is that we still have elders like me that are not taking sides. Senator Dino Melaye is my man whom I worked for during his campaign, Alhaji Yahaya is my governor, I supported him the day the party presented him as replacement for late Prince Abubakar Audu as governor and I have remained with him.

“I’m still capable of bringing peace to APC but the governor, Dino Melaye and others must agree to peace.”

According to Olafemi, “The current issue in the state, which is verification of workers, did not start with Governor Bello neither with Captain Idris Wada, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris or Late Prince Abubakar Audu but the problem started when Kogi State was created.

“When Kogi State was created from old Kwara and Benue State there was no proper record. Workers flocked into the state with fake certificates, fake documents, particularly promotion letters and others so that they can have their way.

Some people that are not working either in Kwara or Benue State forged appointment letters with high grade levels without proper documents to show for it. Such people later rose to the position of director in various ministries.”

It does not seem that the feuding parties are keen on acquiescing to the mediatory efforts of Olafemi. For now, the members of APC and the people of Kogi State can only hope that the crisis rocking the party in the state will end soon.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

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CICERO/REPORT

Despite Recession, Lagos Shows Prospects Despite the economic meltdown that threw many states into untold hardship in 2016, Lagos State under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recorded historic improvement with a budget of N662.588 billion. And the state looks set for bigger progress with its 2017 governance outlook. Gboyega Akinsanmi writes

F

or Nigeria, 2016 was truly a nightmare, not only for the masses, but virtually for all social classes across the federation. In the first quarter, for instance, the national economy slid slightly by 0.36 per cent. It shrank further by 2.06 per cent and 2.24 per cent in the second and third quarters, respectively, thereby plunging the country into recession.

Since it tumbled into recession mid-2016, the story has not been the same for Nigeria. From 9.6 per cent in January 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, inflation rose to 18.55 per cent by December 2016. Likewise, unemployment surged to 13.9 per cent largely due to massive job losses and some companies that relocated from the country.

Despite the country’s steady descent into economic meltdown, the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said 2017 “is a special year.” Going by its socio-economic indicators, Lagos appears to be immune from the economic crisis, which perhaps is the most biting in the last 15 years. With a budget of N662.588 billion in 2016, first, the state recorded 78 per cent budget performance when other states are still reeling under the burden of unpaid salaries and debt.

Like other states of the federation, federal transfers to the state historically declined by about 20 per cent in 2016 compared to what it received from the Federation Accounts in 2015.

Under Ambode, however, the state’s internally generated revenue rose by about 25 per cent.

Before Ambode assumed office in 2015, Lagos had grown its IGR historically from N600 million in 1999 to N8.2 billion in 2007 and N20.5 billion in 2013. In 2016, it was N25 billion.

So, according to the governor, 2017 looks more auspicious for Lagos than 2016. Reasons for the state’s promising socio-economic outlook are not far-fetched. First, the state enjoys relative security compared with other states of the federation.

Second, it enjoys political stability. Lastly, its revenue generation, according to projections, will surge by 15.57 per cent in 2017.

Retrospect The last two years have been defining in the history of Lagos State. When compared to the previous administrations, Ambode has brought more dynamism to public governance in the state. At the time Ambode assumed office in 2015, Nigeria was neck-deep in crisis already, making it challenging to fulfil his election promises to the people.

Under the Babatunde Fashola administration, at least N2.415 trillion was appropriated between 2011 and 2015. From N445.18 billion in 2011, it budged N491.94 billion in 2012; N499.105 billion in 2013; N489.69 billion in 2014 and N489.69 billion in 2015. But that did not unlock the gridlock in the state or stop the deplorable condition of Lagos roads.

In 2016 alone, Ambode approved a fiscal plan of N662.588 billion, which according to the Budget Office, represented a 26.13 per cent increase.

Under this fiscal regime, Lagos experienced unprecedented growth, which former Secretary to the State Government, Princess Denrele AdeniranOgunsanya, recently ascribed to Ambode’s prudent fiscal management.

A recent survey tracked strategic projects, which Ambode proposed under the 2016 fiscal regime.

Aside 114 inner-city roads built across all the local councils, five expansive lay-bys, to which the president of Forward Nigeria Initiative, Mr. Lai Omotola, attested, had significantly eased traffic congestion on Third Mainland Bridge and its adjoining roads.

Omotola explained the significance of the lay-bys, which Ambode created along the OworoAlapere highway. He said the construction of lay-bys “fits into the concept of creative infrastructure. It is creative because traffic congestion on this axis has proved to be a dead end. The previous administrations could not work out strategies to

Mohammed Airport road; Ketu-Alapere Inner roads Phase II; Oke Oso-Araga-Poka road in Epe and Topo Garage-VIP Chalet road in Badagry.

He also named some transport infrastructure that had been slated for construction under the 2017 fiscal regime. He said bus terminals and depots would be constructed in Yaba, Ikeja, Oyingbo, Anthony, Ketu and Toll Gate to unlock gridlock and ease human movement. For the same purpose, he said, Oshodi-Abule-Egba BRT corridor will be constructed.

Ambode cited some critical projects, which he said, would be executed under the public-private partnership arrangement. Such projects comprise Oke Oso-Itoikin dualisation project; OkokomaikoSeme road project and Ikorodu-Agbowa-ItoikinIjebu Ode road project, each of which would create a good number of direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Under the regime, there is hope for the on-going construction of light rail (blue line) and 10-lane Lagos-Badagry road. At least, Ashade recently said, N51.376 billion has been earmarked for these projects. He revealed the plan “to construct of jetties and terminals, mainly at Epe and Marina and procure ferries to improve water transportation and encourage tourism.”

Besides what it allocated for light rail project, Ashade disclosed that N138.249 billion “has earmarked for road infrastructure. The allocation will definitely help complete Abule-Egba Bridge and Ajah Bridge. It will also help pursue massive road rehabilitation in partnership with the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state.”

Great Expectation Ambode unlock the Oworo-Alapere gridlock.”

But Ambode came up with this initiative when it seemed all hope was lost, says Omotola. Consequently, he said, the lay-bys “have decongested the Oworo-Alapere axis and Third Mainland Bridge. Also, travel time has reduced significantly.

It now ranges from 25 and 30 minutes. Cases of traffic robbery have become a thing of the past on the entire axis.”

Also critical is the massive reconstruction of Ojodu Berger where multiple projects are currently executed. The projects comprises road networks, foot bridge, expansive lay-bys, sidewalk and street light, which programme officer of Afenifere Renewal Group, Mr. Segun Balogun, said, had already brought relative order to the entire stretch of Ojodu Berger.

Balogun described the project as a strategic facelift for the state. Under 15 months, he said, Ojodu Berger has been totally transformed and cases of hit-and-run accident have reduced drastically. With the on-going reconstruction, Balogun said the entire axis “is safer for pedestrians and more secure for motorists compared with what used to happen.”

Under 18 months, Ambode had come up with a number of policies, which he said were designed to make Lagos more conducive for residents and visitors. First, his administration introduced “rent-to-own and rental housing policies. The policies are put in place to provide affordable housing units across the state’s three senatorial districts.”

Likewise, a memorandum of understanding, which Ambode signed with the Kebbi State Government last year to produce at least 70 per cent of Nigeria’s rice requirement, has started yielding positive results. According to him, the first fruit of the partnership was released to the market December 2016 at 50 per cent less than the market value.”

For Lagos, the last fiscal year was a blessing.

When other states of the federation were running cap in hand to the presidency for lifeline, the Ambode administration looked inwards for more opportunities. By implication, it increased the state’s IGR by about 15 per cent; created jobs

through its Employment Trust Fund and built critical projects.

Future Outlook Emboldened by the success his administration recorded in 2016, Ambode has rolled out an ambitious plan for 2017. For both capital and recurrent expenditures, Ambode proposed N812.998 billion under the current fiscal regime. The state’s budget is about 18.77 per cent higher than the budgets of all South-west states with the exception of Ondo State.

This might explain why a permanent secretary said the fiscal plan “is ambitious. No state has proposed such in the history of Nigeria.” Credible data, which the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, recently presented, show that the state “has potentials to generate sufficient revenue to meet the rising demand of its teeming population.”

Unlike 2016, Ashade said the state had joined the league of oil producers. In aggregate, he said the state expected total revenue of N642.849 billion compared with N542.874 billion it generated in 2016. At the instance of its expected revenue, he said there was a shortfall of N170.15 billion, which he said, would be raised through a combination of internal and external loans.

Ashade put the state’s total IGR at N477.942 billion, representing about 74 per cent. He said the state expected the remaining N164.907 billion from federal transfers and 13 per cent derivation.

So, under the regime, the state earmarked N512.

464 billion for capital expenditure and N300.535 billion for recurrent expenditure.

Analysts described the budget as progressive and people-focused. At a town hall meeting, recently, Ambode reeled off what his administration was able to achieve under one and a half years, especially in 2016. He also unveiled strategic projects, which he said, would be the focus of his administration under the 2017 fiscal plan.

Aside the 181 inner-city road projects the state government has started the process of reconstructing. Ambode named other key road projects to include Agric-Isawo-Arepo road in Ikorodu; Ajelogo-Akinomodo road; Oshodi-Murtala

Already, according to Balogun, expectation is unduly high given the size of 2017 budget. But for him, the fact that Nigeria “is still wallowing in recession is a real source of concern for us.” He said Lagos “is a sub-unit of our national economy.

So, whatever happens to the national economy will have impact – negative or positive – on Lagos economy.”

However, former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, Hon. Moruf Fatai-Akinderu, said there was nothing to fear. He admitted that the condition of national economy “is a huge factor for every sub-economy.” But he cited two key factors, which would make Lagos economy “functions irrespective of what happened to national economy.”

Fatai-Akinderu first cited the performance of the state’s 2016 budget, which he said, stood at 78 per cent. He said the state recorded this performance despite about 20 per cent fall in what it earned from the Federation Accounts.

Amid national crisis, he said, Lagos regularly paid its public servants; effectively executed strategic projects and created jobs.

He also cited the state’s drive for IGR. Under this regime, he said, the state projected to earn N360 billion, about 25 per cent higher than what it generated in the previous fiscal year. But the 2017 fiscal year, according to him, looks more auspicious than 2016 because the state has started earning 13 per cent derivation.

Alongside the state’s revenue generation potentials, Fatai-Akinderu cited Ambode’s prudent fiscal management, which is the hallmark of his administration.

Meeting people’s expectations is indeed a great task, according to Balogun. But, he explained, Ambode “has started well, especially when one looks at the structure of the budget. It is premised on a ratio of 62:38, respectively capital and recurrent expenditures.” But to really achieve much, he said Ambode should ensure at least 95 per cent budget performance.

Given what his government has achieved so far, Akinderu said the Ambode administration had truly brought a major shift to public governance, which no state of the federation “has been able to record. But the administration must work harder to meet public expectation.”

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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 ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

CICERO/ INTERVIEW

Ojo: Why I Want to Govern Ekiti Professor Adesegun Ojo is a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey, United States. A member of Peoples Democratic Party, Ojo went into politics in 2003 and was PDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti State in 2003 and 2005. In 2005, he came second in the primary election that produced Segun Oni as governor. In this interview, Ojo, a former chairman, Governing Council, Michael Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies, tells Funke Olaode why he is still vying for the governorship of the state. Excerpts:

W

hat influenced your decision to go into politics?

I have always felt the desire to get involved and make a difference. At the University of Ife, I ran for secretarygeneral in 1981 and was National Vice President of the United Nations Students Association. I was the public relations officer of the Youth Vanguard of the Unity Party of Nigeria in Oraminyan Local Government Area and changed party and worked for the National Party of Nigeria campaigns in the 1983. During my trip back home in 1999, I joined the Peoples Democratic Party in my local government. Back in the United States, I helped launch Nigerian Democratic Leadership Forum, an association of Nigerians abroad in 2000. Driven by the desire that we must all do all we can and bring all our expertise to bear to make the requisite change in Nigeria, I felt the need to come back home in 2001. I was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Lagos between 2001 and 2002, which allowed me to get involved on the ground in Nigeria. I took a leave of absence from my university to come home to contest and was in the PDP primary with Ayo Fayose, Chief SK Babalola. It was an eye opening experience for me. I received one vote during that primary but I gained tremendous insight into Nigerian politics. Transitioning from the classroom to practical politics, reinforced my sense of commitment that the best way to change things for the better can better be achieved from inside rather from the outside. We cannot in good sense criticise and condemn those engaged in the process if we stay on the side line. The country belongs to all of us and we must be engaged in our effort to make a difference.

Do you think your political ambition can still be realised in PDP, especially considering the crisis in the party?

I am willing and ready to serve our people. The leadership of our party recognises what I bring to the table. A sense of commitment to what is right and the capacity for innovative ideas to make lasting difference in the lives of our people. The question is, there are many who run for office without any ideas of what they want to do. They are driven by the trappings of power and see political position as a means to acquire wealth. I am about to retire from a career of over 25 years, I am even more ready now than ever before. In 2005, Yinka Akerele came first and I came second in the PDP governorship primary. Because none of us received 50 per cent of the votes, a runoff was to be scheduled between the two of us. But three days after the primary, both of us and Segun Oni who came third were summoned to the Villa to meet with President Obasanjo and the rest is history. The runoff was cancelled and Segun Oni became the nominee of the party and went on to be elected the governor of Ekiti State.

On the chances of the PDP, this is not given and in a recent commentary following the election in Ondo State, I offered a series of suggestions for the success of the PDP in Ekiti State.

We must end the fractious politics within the party and elect a new national executive. We must do the same in Ekiti and allow everybody to participate in the electoral process. I must say that the current problem of the PDP in Ekiti State cannot be divorced from that decision that took place in December 2006.

Intra-party democracy helps to mobilise the party for effective campaigning and, therefore, assure a greater success at the polls.

We saw how the situation ended with the PDP in the recently concluded election in Ondo. Ekiti is a unique case. We are the only homogeneous state in the federation, which is why it seems we defy common trends sometimes. I must state categorically that the two parties (APC and PDP) have a chance to win the next governorship election. But all depends on the degree of unity within either of the parties, campaign strategy, quality of candidates, and effectiveness of mobilisation.

The incumbent governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, is undoubtedly popular in PDP and the state generally. Do you think you have what it takes to wrest power from his nominee next year?

Governor Ayo Fayose is a unique individual and has established himself as a formidable force in Ekiti politics. He is more than an institution, if I must say. You have to take him into any equation regarding elections in the state in the foreseeable future. Fortunately, his term is limited and it is not about wresting power from him. He understands the import of the PDP retaining power in Ekiti State. And I am confident that in the end, as an astute political strategist, his sense of understanding of what it will take to retain power will inform his final decision on who to support for the election. He cannot afford to create factions within the party. It is not advisable to impose a candidate on the party. Given the limited resources

Ojo available for governance, I will be shocked if he is willing to expend unlimited resources on any election in the foreseeable future. There are civil servants, teachers, retirees, trade unions and others who are quietly watching the electoral process. If they observe undue and unwarranted expenditure in the face of non-payment of salaries and pensions, that could turn them against the party. The same situation can be applied to the APC because the promised change is non- existent and Nigerians are not better off today than they were in 2015. If it is perceived that undue amount of money is being spent on the election, our people will ask questions and will turn away. Both parties must be very careful and as such, opportunities abound for all.

There is only one Ayo Fayose. Nobody else can be Ayo Fayose and Ayo Fayose is not running for governor in 2018. To run for any political office, you must be an eternal optimist and I am one. In the words of the former president of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, I still believe in a place called Hope. The best days of Nigeria are ahead.

If given the opportunity to govern the state, what would you do differently from what the current governor is doing?

My hope, if given the opportunity to serve our people, will be to lay a foundation for the growth of our economy. That will include basic infrastructure such as good roads, potable water and electricity supply, provision of adequate and affordable healthcare, abundance food production, a reliance on a viable agricultural development, so that we can rely less and less on federal allocation. I have a blueprint for economic development of our great state. Elected representatives are expected to inspire through their actions and policies that everyone should reach for the best in themselves for the greater good of all.

How would you describe your background in relation to your style of politics?

I was born at Adeoyo hospital in Ibadan to Michael Adeleye Ojo and Rachel Ojo of Oroke, Itapa Ekiti. My father was a headmaster at Lalupon at that point in time. He travelled to the United States for his studies in 1966 and was later joined by my mother. Two of my younger sisters and I were left in Nigeria and were raised by my maternal grandmother, Docas Alaba (now deceased), at Itapa Ekiti. I grew up in Itapa and hawked akara (bean cake) for my grandma. I proceeded to Egbe Oba High School, Ikole-Ekiti, where I was Light and Furniture Prefect. After secondary school, I went to Oyo State College of

Arts and Science, Ile-Ife, and was a Clerical Officer at the Department of Modern Languages, University of Ife, before starting my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the same university in 1980. I also received a Diploma Certificate in French and an MSc in International relations from the University of Ife. I received the French government scholarship for my MPhil and PhD in Political Science at the University of Bordeaux, France. I later proceeded to the University of Nottingham with a scholarship for an LLM in International Law, specialising on Human Rights.

At Nottingham, I received a scholarship for a DIHL International Humanitarian Law as well. I also have two degrees from the University of Clement-Ferrand, France.

What was your childhood aspiration and at what stage did you decide to be a political scientist?

The fact that my parents were in the United States while I was growing up was an inspiration enough. My father received his PhD in Political Science and my mother her degree in home economics. I wanted to be a diplomat and my favourite subjects were literature, government and history. I performed equally strong in physics but my mathematics was average. This paved the way for my track into social sciences. Because I was a clerical officer in the department of modern languages, I developed interest in foreign languages and all these came together later on with the French government scholarship. My MPhil in African Studies and doctoral thesis in Political Science were written and defended in French. At the beginning of my career, I was active in African studies, political science, international law, and international humanitarian law professional associations.

What lessons have you learnt from your past political experiences?

It is simple. Equality and justice for all. If you give people crumbs, after sometime, that crumb will not be enough and they will demand their rights. I want to inspire, I want to offer hope and provide hope for our people. Not only through deeds but through actions. I want our people to be able to feed their families, I want their children to be able to achieve their Godgiven potentials. I want to eliminate the poverty of the mind and soul that pervades our society. It is not fair to encourage other people’s children to be okada riders and empower them to be such, when our own kids are doctors and nurses and doing million times better. Those children and their families must be given the opportunity to dream big and live like the best among us. We must create such an opportunity for all.

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‘Obiano’s Governance Style Fuelling Strife in Anambra’ Okwuchukwu Okafor is a former organising secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State. In this interview with journalists, Okafor says PDP remains the party to beat in this year’s governorship election in the state. He also discusses other political issues. Olaseni Durojaiye, who was at the session, brings the excerpts:

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n his assessment ofWillie Obiano’s administration.

The past two preceding administrations of Dr. Chris Ngige of PDP and Mr. Peter Obi of APGA proved to everyone that despite our inadequate Federal allocations, that we could look inwards and make judicious use of the limited resources to develop our state. Ngige rehabilitated about 200 km of roads in 3 years whilst Obi rehabilitated over 800 km of road establishing one of the very best road networks in the country.

Peter Obi reformed the educational infrastructure resulting in the state students excelling high in external examinations. Everyone had looked forward to the incoming administration improving in other areas whilst maintaining the established standard in security, education and road infrastructure. The Obiano administration has been found wanting in this regard. There is nothing being done about creating wealth and empowering our youth and women. Imagine that in 2014, only about 1000 farmers were provided with seedlings when there are over 20,000 registered farmers in the state. Even the roads that were rehabilitated are not being maintained. Many of the roads whose drains should have been de-silted are filled with sand and with the coming rains many more are going to have erosion of their surfaces.

That is why we are saying Ndi Anambra can do it better. It can be done better and if we allowed this present administration to do another four years, the state would collapse. The present conflicts amongst communities would grind our state, poverty and loss of opportunities will force our youth into criminal activities, and our educational system will break down.

On PDP’s readiness for the governorship election in the face of its perennial internal squabbles?

The problem and rancour within the Anambra state chapter of the PDP is not peculiar to PDP but is more visible because it is a party that has more membership and more popular political leaders. Despite the problems of our party and the issue of multiple candidatures that we witnessed during past elections, PDP has continued to win elections in the state except the governorship elections of 2010 and 2014. In the two elections, we lost because the candidates the party nominated were not able to unite the party behind them. The leadership of our party at these periods was not able to also mediate and address all the conflicting interests.

Secondly, we must not forget that APGA had its fair share of crisis in

believe we all have realised what disunity has cost us, and we are more responsible in the leadership now than was the case before.

Another factor working for the PDP in Anambra state is the presence of Peter Obi who had proven to be deft at conflict resolution and actually had dealt peacefully with many of the PDP leaders whilst he governed as governor in APGA. Don’t forget he was at the head of APGA when PDP lost the two elections in 2010 and 2014.

Okwuchukwu

On the negative signs from PDP’s national leadership.

That some of our strong members are defecting to the APC is pitiable.

I feel pity for them because whilst some may think these people are deserting PDP, many see them as deserting the Igbo interest. It is clear what we face today as Ndi Igbo in Nigeria. Someone had questioned why those who gave them 5 percent should get equal attention. The country is seeking a 30 billion dollars external loan and no single project in the loan funding plan is in the whole of South East. Our demand to give us six states like other zones is not being considered at all. My younger brothers and sisters who are full of youth are making demand in peace are being cut down and clamped down; yet what representatives of Anambra state at the federal level who were elected by Ndi Anambra on the platform of PDP find worthwhile is to cross over at the green and red chambers to the ruling APC is regrettable.

PDP is not the loser from these actions of my brethren who are crossing over. Rather, in Anambra state, their temporary absence will enable us reconcile faster and work harder to serve our people. Note that I said, temporary, because I believe they will be back before 2019, once they realised the futility of their actions.

the run up to that 2014 election. The National Chairman, Victor Umeh was fighting for his chair at the court and won it back at the Appeal court, some strong governorship aspirants were disqualified few weeks to the primaries and one or two even went to court to challenge the action. APGA was able to win that election, because Peter Obi brought to bear reconciliation with the divergent interests whilst PDP remained rudderless and the candidate was campaigning as if the federal might was going to deliver the seat.

Today, the ruling party, APGA is embroiled in a fresh crisis that has landed in court, and even when it is normal to assume the incumbent governor, has the right of first refusal, there is someone else already aspiring for the seat within APGA. On our part, PDP is talking within its membership rank, and I am seeing those interested in the governorship talking and mingling trying to develop a closer understanding. I

On his take on the crackdown on corrupt judicial officers.

I will continue to maintain that corruption and debased values and norms remain the cause of our stunted economic development in Nigeria.

Corruption in all its facets from abuse of public office to bribery and stealing of government funds is encouraged because we lack appropriate values. The judiciary ought to be the last hope for social justice in the society and the truth is that we are all aware that bribery is not alien within the judiciary which is supposed to be the last bastion of justice. As such, it would have been useless fighting corruption without attempting to cleanse the Judiciary.

The only problem persons like me have against the government agencies combating corruption is that often they are not fighting within the rules of engagement. Accused persons rights must be respected and court orders no matter how distasteful they may be must be adhered to.

Emmah Isong: The Picture of Things to Come Obong Akpaekong

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mmah Isong, founder and presiding bishop of Christian Central Chapel International, a Pentecostal church based in Calabar, is a well-known voice in the prophetic landscape of Nigeria. On December 31, 2016, Isong rolled out a number of prophecies to reveal the picture of Nigeria and some other countries of the world in 2017. The prophecy hit some prominent Nigerians, like former military president Ibrahim Babangida and billionaire businessman Aliyu Dangote, for whom he called for prayers for God’s intervention.

Going by his prophecy, which touched on various aspects of national life, like business and economy; politics and governance; lifestyle and religion, life in 2017 will be a mix of the good and the bad. Isong said 2017 will be a year of recovery of all that were lost in the past for many Nigerians even as it will throw up a lot of shocking revelations.

In the business sector, Isong said banks will continue to go through crisis, suffer setbacks and lose the confidence of customers. Hear him: “I saw long queues and locking of the gates, but it shall not last for long. So put your faith in God not in your bank. And if you are working in the bank, why not work with wisdom?” He tipped that dry cleaning and fast food will give people money this year. “Another thing that will give you money is to learn other languages than English language.

Knowledge of French, for example, will make you richer than your colleagues,” he said. For colour, he said purple and gold will bring people favour.

He said there shall be incessant deaths and burials of VIPs which will almost distract governance. Many VIPs shall escape death narrowly. The year will be a year of poisoning of the high calibre. Prominent Nigerians must be careful with social functions. Nigerians must uphold former military president Ibrahim Babangida in prayers, for him to survive 2017. They must also pray for Senate minority leader Godswill Akpabio, so that “the dogs that have been sent against him shall not attack him in public or bite him in secret.” Prayer must also be made for billionaire businessman Aliyu Dangote, as there shall be shocking revelations and attack on his business and company.

He said for the church, 2017 will be a year of great shakings and controversies. “Many churches, especially the ones incorporated, shall discover their rights, but shall be forced by law to carry out their obligations, but they will enjoy privileges…

Isong The Body of Christ shall be woken up from sleep and slumber as they will realise that an enemy has surrounded them, but they will defeat the enemy in less than 30 days,” he said of the Church. He asked for prayers for Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church and all the fathers of the Christian faith in Nigeria. But God will also bless his people. “I saw a Jacob’s ladder, and the Lord said to me that 2017 is a year men and women who are faithful in their tithes and offerings and seeds will be promoted… For those of you that clean the church and sweep it, the Lord says, ‘It is a year I shall reward you.’ For all of you that are faithful to God, the Lord says, ‘You will become like a city on a hill that shall not be hid.’” He said the pope will turn his attention to Nigeria while “the reiteration and installation of the memories of Pope John Paul shall be emphasised for his legacy in 2017. During the year, attempts will be made again for the spread of the Sharia Law instead of being selected, discriminated state laws in the North. But it shall be resisted and it shall fail. Muslims and Christians will for the first time, join to fight terrorism.” Beyond Nigeria, Isong saw turmoil in South Africa. He saw anti-government riots and continuous restiveness rocking the rich African country and an emerging faceoff between

the United States of America and Turkey. Yet there would be great reconciliation moves by old friends and enemies by the North and South and East and West.

Isong solicited prayers for Oyo, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states. He said Oyo State will go through some inexplicable crises while the entire Ejagham land and villages of Yakurr in Cross River State will be hit by communal crisis. He said politicians of Cross River State living in the state will clash with their Abuja-based counterpart. The development, which will be part of scheming for 2019, will result in a lot of decamping to other parties. The battle for Akwa Ibom State Government House in 2019 will assume a fierce dimension in 2017 but there will be divine victory, which will shock experts in political permutations.

He said 2017 will be a year of continuous probes and panels of inquiry and many will fall victim. Several heads of government agencies and departments shall be sacked over corruption. He said the president of Nigeria shall constantly invoke his prerogative of mercy, because of the mass casualties of the corruption fight; but justice and peace shall prevail. Isong also said two top players in the Buhari government shall have their evil deeds exposed in the beginning of the year and will be made to face the consequence while a certain political party shall almost lose grip of a certain region. He said the health and agricultural sectors of the economy shall fare well during the year. There will be free, continuous medical exploits in the area of eye surgeries and eye health. There shall be national revival in the sector with evaluation and rating of hospitals and clinics.

Some clinics will be closed down and some hospitals rated out of business. Top society women will suffer dangerous health attacks and surgeries. The prophet said those who said ‘Amen’ to the prophecy would not be affected. He told of some air-borne sickness that would result from an evil wind blowing from the Sahara. People will be advised to cover the nose to prevent it.

Isong has good tidings for Nigerian sports. He said the country will excel in sports and shall in particular promote tennis competitions. Popular sports competition in Calabar shall attract huge revenue like the yearly carnival. He foretold that the location of one of the sports events shall spark controversy. He said the federal government shall dedicate much time and resources to building the Nigerian Army with the support of foreign friends like Brazil and some countries of South America.

His prophesies included revival in socio-cultural structures in Nigeria with emphasis on integrity and set national values.

He said federal health authorities will come out with stringent anti-smoking policies.

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Buchi Emecheta: Ibusa Girl Who Conquered the World Austin Izagbo

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he story of Onyebuchi Emecheta whom the world knew as Buchi, is at the same time that of a personal and communal triumph; the triumph of the personal will and communal efforts over the vicissitudes of life.

Much has been said about her deprivations at childhood. Without meaning to water that down in any way, I would wish to place it in its truest perspective.

She grew up in the 1940s; a time of widespread social change in Nigeria.

Primary school education was still sipping into many parts of the Nigerian hinterland, starting from the litoral areas such as Lagos and Calabar where the first white Christian evangelists first established their schools.

By the 1940s, poverty was still widespread in Nigeria and the urban centres were still few and far between.

While primary school education was within the reach of any child whose parents were forward looking, or who had embraced Christianity, the Christian missionary schools that were coming up even in the villages, secondary school education were open only for the most fortunate few.

Buchi Emecheta, who by this time was already living in Nigeria’s greatest metropolis, Lagos, was among the fortunate few. Her father, a veteran who had fought in Burma during the Second World War on the side of Britain, had an uncommon exposure that opened up several doors. No wonder, he was working in the then elite work force of Nigeria; the railways. So, Buchi had a life of promise before her.

Then tragedy struck! Her father died.

She was barely eight years old by then.

Despite all the promise of the life of the intellect ahead of her, despite her visible intelligence due to the top-flight results she must have earned in the primary school classes she may have attended.

That her father died would have spelt the end of the road for Buchi Emechete but for something that has remained a major plank of the progress, the remarkable progress, the unstoppable progress, the celebratory progress that has set Ibusa apart as a domain of progress and development.

That thing is communal effort. In Ibusa town, the saying that “it takes a village to train a child”, is still coming true today as it did when Buchi Emechieta was a girl child in need of financial help in the 1940s. When words reached Mr. Hallim, a then senior civil service staff of the old Western Region Civil Service at Ibadan, that there was a prodigiously gifted girl who has exhibited a splash of brilliance in her short stint at school, like a meteor streaking through the night sky, he reacted like the average Ibusa man or woman; that the young Buchi must return to school.

We may never know how Mr. Halim came about that fateful knowledge; was it discussed at a meeting attended

by Ibusa people? Or was the issue raised by friends of Buchi’s late father?

Well, what is important is the result; Buchi returned to school because an Ibusa man who was not her real father treated her as though she were his own real daughter.

From there, Onyebuchi opened up her wings and soared like the eagle.

From there, she studied voraciously.

From there she became the Buchi that was known and celebrated across the globe. From there, she became the Buchi that the world has joined Ibusa town to mourn today.

There is the other Buchi, the product of hard work; the single mother who raised five children and still found the time to author 21 books. The challenges she faced and overcame

Emecheta

were fully reflected in Buchi’s oftenautobiographical literary harvest.

Somebody wrote about her that: “The main source of inspiration for her writing, however, was Africa, and in particular the villages of Ibusa in (Delta State) Nigeria where her family came from. Even though she had spent a relatively brief period of her childhood there, the villages and the stories she heard on her visits with her mother left an indelible mark on the impressionable young girl and became the lodestone for all she wrote.

In The Slave Girl (1977, for which she won the New Statesman’s jock Campbell award), The Bride Price (1976), and the ironically titled The Joys of Motherhood (1979), she poignantly captured, in a manner reminiscent of her male contemporary Chinua Achebe, a vanishing Igbo culture in the process of transition to modernity”. Mr. Sylvester Onwordi, the man who wrote those words should know Buchi intimately because he is her very own son. And not surprisingly, he is a writer too!

So, even though Buchi Emecheta left Ibusa very early in life, Ibusa never left her for a minute. She remained a true Ibusa daughter, giving her literary creativity sustenance from Ibusa. She not only identified with the Ibusa, she flew the Ibusa flag to the farthest corners of Planet Earth for wherever her books were ever read, the blog on the book covers always announced the name of her home town as though she always felt the duty to pay homage to the place of her birth. Her son wrote: “A constant refrain throughout my childhood was that she would one day return to Ibusa - a place that took on an almost mythi-

cal significance for us within the family.

She made many plans to return over many years, even building a house in the village while working as professor at the University of Calabar – an experience that formed the basis for her novel Double Yoke (1983). But having lived in the UK for so many years, she found it increasingly difficult to adapt to life in modern Nigeria. And Ibusa, in her long absence, was transforming itself into a town and a conurbation that she barely recognized any more”. Just like Buchi the girl that left Ibusa in her childhood changed, so too did her dear town also changed for change is the only constant in life. None can begrudge her not returning to live fully in Ibusa, no that would be asking for too much. That she knew and cherished where she came from, is enough for us. What has never been in doubt is her love for Ibusa.

Although the first reaction, upon hearing of her death, is to mourn, this is not dirge. Instead, I hereby raise a hymn of celebration to thank God for sending to Ibusa such a wonderfully gifted writer. Instead of mourning, I hereby celebrate her focus in life and the hard work behind all she achieved.

Yes, I celebrate Onyebuchi Emecheta, the Ibusa girl who conquered the world.

She lived a life of great productivity that she lifted herself to the pantheon of the immortals with the Chinua Achebes; for as long as her books continue to be read, for that long is she alive.

Buchi Emecheta, we can never forget you for you have given us so much to remember you by. Rest in perfect peace our daughter, our mother, our aunt.

Rest in perfect peace dear true success story that will continue to serve as a

The main source of inspiration for her writing, however, was Africa, and in particular the villages of Ibusa in (Delta State) Nigeria where her family came from. Even though she had spent a relatively brief period of her childhood there, the villages and the stories she heard on her visits with her mother left an indelible mark on the impressionable young girl and became the lodestone for all she wrote role model to every girl child all over the world. Rest in perfect peace dear daughter of Ibusa, “Ezigbo ada Igbuzo nodu nma” ––Dr. Izagbo is the President – General, Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) Worldwide

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PERSPECTIVE Africa Now in Serious Danger of Sleepwalking into Cancer Crisis Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

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ne of the unfortunate consequences of more people surviving childhood and living longer lives is that you start to see cases of cancer steadily increase. But while medical advances are helping to improve survival rates of cancer patients in high-income countries, the limited access to screening and treatment across Africa means that a growing number of people are dying young from largely preventable and treatable diseases.

Because of this Africa is now in serious danger of sleepwalking into a cancer crisis.

This is particularly the case with women and cervical cancer, which in many countries is the most common cancer affecting women. Currently 266,000 women die horrible deaths of this disease every year – one every two minutes – of which 87% are in low- and middle-income countries, with the eight highest rates of incidence all in Africa. In Nigeria alone more than 14,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year, more than 8,000 of whom die. And yet, tragically most of these deaths could be prevented thanks to the existence of an affordable and effective vaccine.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines targets the virus that is responsible for 70-90% of cervical cancers, depending on the vaccine. It is safe and one of the most effective and high-impact vaccines that exist, preventing 1,500 deaths for every 100,000 girls vaccinated. So then why aren’t African girls getting it?

Historically one of the major barriers was price. In wealthy countries, this relatively new vaccine can cost more than US$ 100 for each of the two doses required. Today it costs just US$ 4.50 per dose for poorer countries, bringing it within reach of those most in need, thanks to the efforts of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, of which I am Board Chair. In addition to this the age of the target population has also posed challenges. HPV vaccine is most effective when given

Okonjo-Iweala to women before they become sexually active, so campaigns are aimed vaccinating adolescent girls, typically between 9-14 years old. Since this falls outside the age range when infants receive most of their vaccinations, it has meant finding reliable ways to reach these girls, such as working with civil society organisations, community health workers and youth friendly services to establish school-links and develop health platforms for adolescents.

Since 2013, this sort of approach has enabled more than 1 million school-aged girls in poor countries to be vaccinated against HPV, with more planned for 2017. However, progress so far has largely been achieved through dozens of

relatively small-scale “demonstration projects”. If we want to make a long-term dent on mortality rates, and prevent cervical cancer from continuing to rise, to the point where it kills more women than childbirth, then HPV programmes need to be scaled-up to a national level. Countries like Rwanda and Uganda have already demonstrated that this can be achieved by first recognising the scale and severity of the problem, and then to acting on it. If other countries do the same, Gavi hopes to reach 40 million girls between now and 2020, preventing 900,000 deaths.

We saw a significant step in the right direction exactly one year ago, when on World Cancer Day, the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon issued a rallying cry to eliminate cervical cancer once and for all. Then this week the African Union, which is made up of 55 states, endorsed theAddis Declaration on Immunization, a commitment to ensure that all Africans – no matter who they are or where they live – can access the vaccines they need to live healthy and productive lives. The next step is for governments to earmark funds and commit to national HPV vaccine introductions.

Across Africa there remains a desperate need for cancer clinics offering women affordable screening and treatment, but compared to immunisation these are much more expensive to set-up. This is one reason why in Nigeria, for example, far more women die of cancer than men, even though Nigerian women tend to drink and smoke less, and are on average more physically active. So, prioritising HPV will not only contribute to the social and economic development of countries and help governments meet the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, by one third, but it will also go a long way towards addressing the terrible gender gaps that exist across Africa. A development economist and former Finance Minister of Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has served as Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, since January 2016 –– This article written by former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was first published by CNBC Africa

The Sagacity of Sarakism Tony Amadi

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y last seminal book on the Senate titled Power and Politics in The Nigerian Senate was published eleven years ago in 2005 when Senator Ken Nnamani (2005-2007) became the senate president which he rounded off in 2007. History may be kind to Ken Nnamani for the singular act of stopping the third term dreams of President Olusegun Obasanjo when the former army general wanted to extend his presidential term limit of eight years to continue as President in line with other African dictators but was halted by the hit of Senate President Nnamani’s gavel on that tense afternoon of May 16, 2007.

Before Senator Nnamani as president was late Senators Enwerem (1999), Chuba Okadigbo (1999-2000); then Senators Anyim Pius Anyim (2000-2003), and Adolphus Wabara (2003-2005). The first eight years of the 4th and 5th Senate was a tortuous one but it helped the learning process of the legislature that was banished by the military for fifteen years.

Today, there is apparent stability in the Three Arms Zone, thanks to the leadership excellence of the 6th and 7th Senate under Senator David Mark and now being cemented by the 8th Senate led by Senator Bukola Saraki (2015-) despite the war of attrition that has dogged his presidency.

Apart from David Mark (2007-2015), no Senate President ever got away lightly from the shenanigans of senate politics.

It was always a fight for survival. Enwerem was caught in the web of misdemeanours that engulfed his name as Evan or Evans while Okadigbo was entangled with issues of anticipatory approvals. Anyim served out the 4th Senate in 2003 but President Obasanjo made sure that his return to the senate was impossible. Meanwhile Adolphus Wabara suffered persecution over unproven corruption allegations. It was Ken Nnamani that got away without a dent, even though he gave OBJ a run for his money in the dark art of political intrigues.

It was a great period for me chronicling the Senate because I witnessed the making of history working on lead debates for Leader, Senator Tafida, and senate presidential speeches for Okadigbo while in the legislative branch. I made an incursion into the Executive Branch in 2009 when I joined Senator Adamu Aliero to his posting by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. When I moved to the Executive branch, I had the opportunity to work on Cabinet papers such as Executive Council Memorandum, better known as FEC MEMOs for my Minister and seen at first-hand how decisions are made in government.

Coming back to my observation post at the National Assembly in the new change era of the present dispensation, I have now observed the performance of incumbent Senate

President, Dr. Bukola Saraki from day one on June 9, 2015. This era of Sarakism is an interesting one, for having watched the severe test of nerves the latest senate president has been through and the serenity with which he has weathered the political thunderstorms on virtually daily basis, there is little doubt that Senator Saraki is a tough political nut to crack. His sagacity is obviously unequalled having to meander through the political minefield laid for him from the presidency to the party headquarters and from the irrepressible Jagaban of Bourdillon whose image loomed large in the hierarchy of the ruling party until a concerted effort was made unsuccessfully so far by his former lieutenants to diminish his standing.

Senator Chuba Okadigbo used to say that surviving a vote of confidence in a parliament is the highest test that a politician or leader can face in politics. Chuba should know better not only because he was a student and professor of politics but he has also witnessed many sandstorms and tsunamis in his time as a politician and senator. Senator Saraki has faced and is still facing much more problems in his political career.

What amazes everyone is the comparative ease with which he swims through a sea infested by the most dangerous breed of political sharks. For the past two years or so, I have been engulfed with a study of the Theory and Practice of Sarakism, (subject of a forthcoming book) not necessarily from a philosophical perspective but essentially about how a comparatively inexperienced senator could steer a rancorous senate littered with banana skins through a period of political turmoil to a state of legislative bliss.

Few people gave Senator Saraki a chance in a situation where his own party, the APC, ranged a deadly arsenal against his ambition to become the Senate President of the 8th Senate. I recall when Senator Ahmed Tinubu went into a rage over the announcement of Saraki as Senate President, threatening not to recognize him as Senate President: “I will never recognize such a kangaroo arrangement that produced Bukola as the Senate President. Or how do you want me to recognize a man who deliberately defied his own party because of his personal interest? That will amount to recognizing impunity”. But Saraki, regardless of the heavy armoury facing him knew just how to avoid the pot holes of legislative and political intrigue.

He has virtually resolved all the issues causing constant friction in the APC senate caucus by handing his onetime nemesis, Senator Marafa the chairmanship of the juicy Petroleum Downstream, and sorted out Senator Ahmed Lawan into the position of Senate Leader in a surprise move after shuffling out the Borno-born Senator Ali Ndume out of the Senate leadership. A long range political strategist, Saraki knows just how to keep his senators closely knit. There is no senator he does not have close social relationship with.

He attends every social event by both opposition and his party’s senators. He is said to have sponsored some of his less endowed colleagues and there is nowhere in the country that his political network has not reached.

Interestingly, the Senate President is cool and calm. At the dock in the CCT trial, he cuts the figure of an innocent lamb primed for slaughter while his tormentors are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. There is a sense that as the trial goes ahead, his political stature is growing in leaps and bounds. With 2019 rearing its head, Saraki is fast becoming the beautiful bride that every party is keen to tie the nuptial nuts with. His tormentors are even working on reassuring him that all will be well provided he jettisons the other suitors and the smart SP is taking another look at himself to enhance his beautiful bride status and ready for the high stakes contest ahead of him.

In the past year or so, he remained a persona non grata at the presidential villa but in recent weeks, he has become the most welcome politician in our own Oval office, hand in glove with President Buhari every inch of the way. At the party headquarters, Generalissimo Oyegun is keen to have lunch every day with the Senate President, seeking advice on every matter at hand as the party battles with potentially damaging crisis brewing in their pressure cooker.

The Senate President has faced the true test of a patriot.

He has gone through two confidence motions in the 8th Senate and came out of it and is facing similar corruption related charges that Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo have faced in their time. Zik faced the colonial leadership inspired Foster Sutton Tribunal in Enugu in 1956 but rather than resign his premiership of Eastern Region as a consequence, he opted to face the people by calling for a fresh election in which he won by even bigger margin of votes. Similarly, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was jailed following the Justice G. B. Coker Inquiry of 1962, the same year Bukola Saraki was born, when Awolowo faced trial into his management of Western Nigeria Marketing Board and five others, but ended up with his military appointment as Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council, the equivalent of Prime Minister of Nigeria.

There is little doubt that the influence of his father, Olusola has much to do with his political sagacity, but even when the old man was alive, the junior Saraki has shown all the rudiments of a political grandmaster in his own right to the point of disagreeing with his father and getting away with it.

At only 55 and already the number three citizen of Nigeria, signs are that he will make it to the number one position one day, if he continues to play his cards right.

Senator Saraki may well turn out to be the grand joker of the APC, PDP or any other party for that matter if only the political class can decode the hand writing on the wall.

Amadi is a veteran journalist based in 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 ˾ BRUARY 5, 2017

PERSPECTIVE

Onitsha Port and Its Enemies Okey Ikechukwu

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he desirability and viability of a river port in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State, has been widely discussed. What is yet to be fully discussed, and resolved, is its feasibility.

Some have pointed out that a river port was built in Onitsha in the 80s and formally commissioned by Vice President Alexander Ekwueme. That is correct. For some people, the fact that it was conceived to ease trade, reduce the cost of imported goods in South East markets, create jobs and generally enable the South East and environs realize their full economic potentials makes it an eternally important economic infrastructure.

Papers have been written on it, with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and a near-consensus among experts on the economic benefits.

But there is an unacknowledged problem. Water! Yes, water! You need water for a river port and the Onitsha end of the river Niger does not have enough. Dredging is a good idea, no doubt, but it will give you a bigger ditch and wipe out the means of livelihood of water dependent local economies. Yes, we can adopt the confirmed practice elsewhere, of “gating” and later discharging the water to secure enough depth, but …

All things considered, we may need sachets of pure to fill up the place to get enough draught for ship. Barges?

They, too, will have their own problems on that route.

The summary of challenges currently facing the proposed Onitsha River Port are: (1) river dams along the Niger, Benue and their many tributaries, (2) unrealistic projections about the prospects of the project; (3) delusional notions about the credibility of some of the existing Environmental Impact Assessment (AIE) reports; (4) politicization of the economic value of a river port in Onitsha, as against Port Harcourt and Calabar; (5) the game plans of individuals who wish to upgrade their relevance by fighting secure vital “federal project for Ndigbo”, while sometimes knowing that it will either not work or that it will not bring the alleged benefits, and, finally; (6) insecurity along the inland waterways. The Egbesu Boys, the militants and freelance mischief makers will certainly not form a row of cheerleaders, to applaud and welcome water vessels making their way through the creeks.

Some of the discussions about Onitsha Port actually remind one of discussions about electricity supply a few years ago. The Federal Government was then building massive gas turbines for electricity supply.

Everyone was talking about the mega watts that would be added to the national grid after the powergenerating turbines were completed.

But no provisions were made for gas. The then minister confessed at a private forum that there was also no “gas plan” and that much of our gas was already mortgaged to foreign customers. When he was pointedly asked: “So if the turbines are ready now, as we speak, they won`t contribute a single megawatt to national power supply, because no arrangements have been made for gas”? The shocking answer was “Yes”!

So those who are looking forward to a vibrant port in Onitsha should think of a “water plan”. The dams built across the rivers Niger and Benue, and their tributaries, over the years have reduced the overall water

Amaechi volume of the lower Niger by nearly 58%. There are now tiny islands, and unprecedented siltation, at the Onitsha end of the river. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, under Chief Audu Ogbe, is serious about irrigation and dry season agriculture. The long stretch of the Niger across Kebbi State, itself a veritable food basket unknown to many, takes more that its fair share of the needed water; and plans to take more as the new plans on rice gain some steam. So, the first real enemies of Onitsha River Port are not necessarily the a Federal Government that deliberately wants to cripple the project, or some Igbo elite who have allegedly been settled to scuttle the fortunes and economic prospects of the South East.

The Ministry of Environment should pay more attention to the activities of the agriculture ministry, bearing in mind the current global response to the devastating impact of dams on people and the environment within the past 60 years. Dams have altered ecosystems, ruined food chains and obliterated local economies for hundreds of thousands of kilometres of waterways all over the world. The confluence of some cold rivers with warmer ones have been permanently altered worlwide, while some flowing waters have been made to stagnate and create saturated water that wiped out fresh water aquatic life. Some rivers are now fragments of their former selves and others have dried up completely, as can be seen when you drive from Enugu, through Anyigba, to Abuja.

It is on record, for instance, that massive fish populations were killed on the Snake River, Idaho, in the US by dam construction; leading to the decimation of salmon species, among others. An Idaho State Senator, Frank Church, who originally supported dam building later rose in defense of natural waterways and spoke against dams. It was the same Frank Church

who, after he saw the damage to the environment, eventually wrote the Wild and Scientific Rivers Act, passed in 1968. Yes, we know about the Suez Canal and its economic value, but the general global concern today about the fate of streams, rivers and other natural waterways comes from the realization that ecosystems are going under and that the unsustainable violation of natural habitats by damming has a negative impact on the global food web and even the climate.

Available global evidence shows that one of the main reasons freshwater fish numbers have declined all over the world, leading to a loss of 80% of fresh water wild life since 1970, is the damming of rivers. Let us recall the verdict of the World Commission on Dams, in 2000: that dams had displaced between 40 – 80 million people, making it the single human activity with the greatest capacity to create Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Even in the US, the initial excitement that greeted the epidemic of dam building in the 1940s and 1950s was followed by fierce and bitter battles between environmentalists and dam builders. The issue at the time was that dams blocked and impounded the waters of some of the most important rivers of the American west.

As I write, over 22,000 kilometers of free-flowing rivers in the US are protected by Frank Church`s Act. Are our waterways so protected? What is the fate of communities displaced by dams all over Nigeria today?

How much inland waterways do we still have under the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)? What does NIWA really do today? How many people still take a ride on sections of the River Benue that were once used for water transportation?

Who drank up the water and created empty water channels and dry rivers with massive bridges between Lokoja and Anyigba, and all over Nigeria? I am certainly not the one!

So, while we are warming up to build a port in Onitsha, we should remember that our country is also threatening to scale up on the building of dams across waterways that discharge into the Niger trough.

Let us also not forget that we are doing this at a time the US is upfront in a campaign to “decommission” many dams. Recorded successes in this regard, with measurable positive environmental impact, include removal of the dam on the Elwha river in Washington State. One year after the last dam was removed in 2014, the Chinook species of fish, which had not been seen there for more than 100 years reappeared.

More than 4,000 Chinook spawners were counted above the former dam site. It is also in the US that people are taking proactive steps to reclaim their lives, by removing dams that interfered with their ecosystems and way of life. The Mohawks, in New York State, recently removed the Hogansburg dam on the St. Regis River, thus becoming the first US sub social group to remove a federal dam. This action of the Mohawks opened up nearly 700 kilometres of stream, liberated the natural habitat of migratory fish and restored many local economies.

After the last dam was removed from the River Elwha, for instance, river fish populations flourished.

In a world where Brazil’s environmental agency has suspended the licensing process for the Sao Luiz Tapajos dam, the second largest hydroelectric dam in the country, we have no official attitude on dams. In a world where the World Bank recently suspended financial support for the Inga 3 dam on the River Congo, and where Chile`s largest power generator, Endesa, stopped six hydropower projects, we have no position on dams. Even the Chinese have stopped their plans to construct a series of dams across the country`s last free-flowing rivers, the Nujiang. The Peruvian authorities also suspended the construction of several dams across the Marañón River at about the same time that Geute Conservation Sur, an organization dedicated to the defense of ecosystems with high conservation value, is providing legal analysis to develop a new law for river protection in Chile.

The concern about water and free waterways is such that the world is focusing on transboundary cooperation between nations for conscious and deliberate management of the ecosystem and water volume throughout the length of major rivers. Are we doing the same in our country? The conflict between China and Thailand over development on the Lancang/Mekong River says a lot about what is going on all over the world in connection with waterways today. To think that the government of New Zealand has gone so far as to “recognize” the Whanganui river by giving it the same constitutional rights as a person? This was done as a way of showing that free-flowing rivers have great impact on food security, water access, biodiversity conservation and propagation of the overall global ecology.

To return to the matter at hand, all issues pertaining to the Onitsha River port can be discussed on the platform of plain and verifiable science. It is a desirable project, but its feasibility and advisability should be confirmed. That is the only way to avoid a White Elephant Project that would be counted as a major investment in the South East.

75

FEBRUARY 5, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

Key Drivers of Change (III): Public Service Reform Conference Tunji Olaopa

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he success of the democratic experiment in Nigeria depends on the capacity of the Nigerian state to achieve a fundamental reform of the public service. And this is because the public service constitutes the institutional framework that translates democratic policies into an efficient service delivery mechanism that delivers democratic dividends to the citizens. Specifically, the public service is the instrumental pivot around which the Nigerian state can deal with its infrastructural deficit in terms of electricity, good road network, education, good healthcare system, etc. In other words, it is only through a sufficiently capacitated and efficient public service that the government of the day is able to transform good policies into infrastructural dynamics that spells socioeconomic development in a state.

This assertion simply refocuses our attention on the crucial significance of the institution of the public service in Nigeria, and the urgent need to get back on track with the reform of its base fundamentals. This is one of the reasons why successive Nigerian governments since 1999 have focused on reforming the public service as a critical plank in their socioeconomic blueprint for transforming the Nigerian society.

The euphoria that greeted the Buhari administration and its change slogan has gradually been whittled down by the protracted economic recession which has affected every aspect of Nigeria’s society, from banking to the ordinary markets.

Change is a complex phenomenon. It is subject to all manners of variables that could transform its intended objective negatively or positively. As far as I am concerned, the possibility of a change dynamics that would transform the architecture of democratic governance under Buhari has not been defeated. But this is not to be blind to the temporal limitation to the present administration.

With just about two years to go for the government, a lot needs to be done to transform Nigeria’s socioeconomic fortunes. Certainly, there is a whole lot of spirited effort by current policy makers, but the impacts are not decisive enough to be felt by the rank and file. And without mincing words, I am certain that a direct and committed investment into the reform of the public service constitutes one of the administration’s tops and surest legacy point.

Given the evidence of administrative history in Nigeria, the Buhari administration can no longer ignore the imperative of a decisive public service reform intervention which elements could crystallize at not just a focused conference, but a spirited implementation of a civil service performance improvement programme with an immediate, short and mediumterm change components. The conference bit which this piece addresses, will be a high-powered democratic summit of all the significant stakeholders in the task of good governance in Nigeria.The essence of such a conference would be to outline a strategic framework of action that could be distilled quickly from numerous existing technical papers, strategy documents, research findings, official reports and White Papers with inevitable gaps addressed within the framework of change management strategy. The mission will be to beef up the public service capability readiness to become strategic partner in delivering the much desired change in most cost effective manner given current fiscal crisis and with passion that is matched with a critical mix

Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, Head of Service of the Federation of strategic, tactical and operational skills and competences through evidence-based targeted technical support to MDAs. Since independence, successive Nigerian governments have assiduously worked on one form of reform dynamics or the other to deliver on government promises to the citizens. Each government brands a new governance reform initiative that will intervene positively in the lives of Nigerians. But at no point in Nigeria’s administrative history has the public service system risen to the challenge of good governance.

This is a difficult claim, but its truth can be defended. What is often celebrated today in the public service history as the golden age of administration in Nigeria are clear regional public service initiatives, the most famous of which is the Western Region Civil Service dynamics under Chief Simeon Adebo.

The Awolowo-Adebo administrative model throws up a politician-bureaucrat relationship framework that truly facilitated the transformation of the Western region in terms of the seamless manner in which policies mutated into infrastructural achievements. The other story of administrative achievement has to do with the famous “super permanent secretaries” and the administrative exploits that held Nigeria together after the tragic horror of the Nigerian Civil War.What the exploit of the super permanent secretaries proved was simply that the Nigerian public service has the capacity to rise up to any challenge of emergency and change with an intelligent administrative leadership, the sense in which Bob Garratt argues that the fish gets rotten from the head.

Thus, between the successes of the Western region civil service and the postcivil war Nigerian civil service, we have been given a hint into what the civil service system in Nigeria can achieve if properly primed to succeed. And yet, despite the strings of genuinely crafted reform initiatives from 1954 till date, the public service is still struggling to make a significant democratic impact on the lives of Nigerians.

A public service reform conference will have the objective of surveying the trajectory of administrative reforms since 1954, and distilling its high and low points, its insights and shortcomings, and the possibilities involved in engaging those insights within the context of

transforming the public service, within the vision of a public service “delivering government policies and programmes with professionalism, excellence and passion.”

This advocacy for the public service reform conference is grounded on the opening up of the governance space in a manner that will enable the participation of non-state and non-governmental actors to participate in the crafting of genuine programmatic intervention strategies for implementing public service reforms.

The most immediate challenge confronting such a proposed conference is that of how the existing blueprints on public service reform in Nigeria, deriving from fourteen reform initiatives from 1954, could be harnessed into a formidable strategic framework that would transform the public service into an efficient and professional institution that can backstop democratic imperatives in Nigeria. In one important respect, the conference cannot succeed without some antecedent conditions. I identify three urgent administrative protocols. The first is the revitalization of the National Association of Public Administration and Management (NAPAM) as the focal point of a community of practice and service that will provide a link between academics, practitioners and the public on administrative issues in theory and practice. It is within the context of such a community of practice that (a) the issues—short-, medium- and long-term— involved in calibrating the change agenda for reforming the public service can be properly outlined and presented; and (b) the critical mass of stakeholders required for the conference would be identified and mobilized.

The second pre-condition, following on the first, is the setting up of a national monitoring protocol, within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), that benchmarks, monitors and evaluates administrative progress in the MDAs with appropriate sanctions and rewards. And the last institutional protocol that must be in place is a national integrity system (NIS). The NIS in any state constitutes a strategic structural framework for safeguarding important institutional reform and values, especially against the scourge of bureaucratic and political corruption.

The deeper aim of the NIS is to facilitate a wide-ranging transformation of the work culture, grounded in a national value dynamics, which will check the tradition of immediate gratification which leads

public servants to undermine public service efficiency and growth capabilities.

While the APRM constitutes the framework for benchmarking global and African best practices, the NIS constitutes the ethical framework for ensuring that reforms are not undermined from within the very institution to be reformed.

Good governance is serious business especially if a state must justify its democratic credentials. A public service reform conference would be saddled with an agenda that seeks to reinvent the dynamics of public service reform in Nigeria through getting the fundamentals of such reforms right, from conception to implementation and the management of the reform. The objective is the establishment of a new public service that could backstop the change agenda of government. This will involve an agenda item, for instance, that interrogates the adequacy of the traditional Weberian system for the conduct of government business. In global administrative practice, there is some sort of consensus on the significance of a neo-Weberian administrative system that combines the solidity of the various elements of the Weberian bureaucracy that are still relevant with the flexibility and leanness of the managerial public service. The conference would critically interrogate the suitability of such a hybrid administrative system for a postcolonial context like Nigeria.

The conference would also determine the national requirements that could facilitate or hinder the professionalisation of the public service. This is very critical, if the history of the Nigerianisation Policy is anything to go about.

Given the plural status of the Nigerian state, it seems critical for the lawmakers, in the immediate post-independence period, to substitute representativeness for merit. But that unfortunate decision not only bloated the public service and eroded professionalism, but it also led to the improperly managed 1975 purge of the civil service which equally eroded the value of public spiritedness. With professionalism and public spiritedness gone, the public service was already in an abject free-fall from which it has been trying to rescue itself. But then, we are still confronted with the critical dichotomy between representativeness (enshrined in the national character matrix) and meritocracy. Thus, the pertinent question: how can the public service reflect the diversity of the Nigerian state without ever compromising the non-negotiable value of merit as the foundation of a professional new public service?

That the public service is itself floundering within the context of an economic recession is an unfortunate demonstration of the administrative plight of Nigeria. This is because the public service ought to be at the forefront of a change management offensive, complemented by other governance reform frameworks, that is constantly exploring means and exploiting ways by which Nigeria would stay ahead of any challenge to its development profile.

If, however, the government is humble enough, the public service reform conference would be a solid statement about its willingness to arrest the steadily diminishing political goodwill in order to set the administration in the right direction of genuine change.

––Dr. Tunji Olaopa is the Executive Vice-Chairman Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (tolaopa2003@gmail.com; tolaopa@ isgpp.com.ng)

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ BRUARY 5, 2017

Lessons from Amosun’s Second Term Banji Ojewale

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hen Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State was returned for a second four-year spell that began on May 29, 2015, he made a pledge that gave the impression he was going to outdo traditional leadership patterns in Nigeria. He would rewrite the history of the second term syndrome, meaning he’d do better than he did in the first outing. He would move Ogun to the next level, multi pedestals higher. He would leave “an Ogun State where taps are running in all homes, where the factories and workshops are powered with regular supply of electricity; where the health facilities are well equipped and properly manned by highly qualified and well-motivated staff; where schools are functional; where light rail links the state from town to town; where the roads are beautifully constructed and well laid out; where every person who wishes to work can be employed and where law and order is sustained.”

Now, if you have seen the lack of dynamics of governance that often accompanies most second term Nigerian leaders, you wouldn’t tarry to pooh-pooh Amosun’s vow. For when they are given a second term most of our leaders see it as an opportunity to drop their work gear, to lay back and scheme an unconstitutional third term. Politicking takes the centre stage and relegates hard and productive governance and administration. It is the reason some concerned citizens are insisting that when we restructure the polity, we must include in the new constitution a one-off tenure for the governor and the president along with their deputies. They are recommending a no-come-back term of five or six years. Others though have prescribed a preposterous term of seven years.

But so much can be done by a focused, committed and disciplined elected public officer in a single four or five year stint as we see in Ogun State. Here in Amosun’s first four years, we witnessed quite a lot of development that thrashed the concept that you need two full terms to make an impact.

In one fell swoop, using the Ogun Standard barometer, the governor changed the topography of many towns in the state, notably, Ota, the state’s commercial hub. He moved in heavy machinery to pull down structures that stood in the way of

Amosun constructing wide multi-lane modern highways. Amosun generously compensated those whose abodes, offices and shops were affected. This replaced the notion of government as cruel and uncaring.

This single stroke of intervention has opened up the state for both local and international investment. He has also enhanced the security profile during his second term after outlawing the activities of land speculators (Omo onile) whose violent activities in land transaction and development have prevented the rapid economic and social development of Ogun.

So, contrary to the unhelpful view of a second term as a barren one, Amosun has built on the first to record notable feats. The economic recession hasn’t shut down Ogun as it

has done in other states where workers’ unpaid salaries have negatively brought the people to their knees. Ogun has an enviable record as one of the few states not indebted to its civil servants. Only recently, Amosun’s government succeeded in paying the pensions and severance entitlements of political officer holders. In a historic move, the governor last December presented cheques totalling N1.5 billion as severance pay to 663 former political officer holders.

This second term has seen Amosun predicting that Ogun will become (Nigeria’s) “best state in five years”. This isn’t a wild projection since the government is basing it on realistic economic indices. For instance, he alludes to emerging opportunities in the environment as a result of the stable and conducive clime his government has instituted for business. He also refers to new partnerships his government has built along with improved infrastructure and transportation.

This is what he told a Lagos TV station: “Our roads are as good as it gets now. Ogun is secure. Ogun State will be the best in five years. We have the largest number of industries in Nigeria. We have plans to develop our transport options and we look forward to building three airports in the state…The building of airports in the state is not for luxurious purposes but what our country needs to develop our transport system.”

Amosun has lately identified accountability in governance and monetary policy as the answer to the ravaging economic recession in Nigeria. He sees it as “the quickest way out of the recession.” He told a conference of chartered accountants in Abuja recently, “If we have to quickly get out of the recession (in which) we (have) found ourselves, we all must be accountable.

If we are not going to be held responsible for our actions, then everything will collapse. We must be ready to adhere to world best practices…We must be ready to face the challenges.”

In the “change” climate thrust on Nigeria, Amosun, 59 on January 25, appears to be telling his compatriots that the second term, even if now a detested one as a result of our experience, might really be a call to offer more work to the people who elected you into office. It is not a tea party. A birthday, like a second term in office, should be a bagful day of sacrificial service to those who braved the elements – rain and shine – to stand in the long queues to place you on the hot seat.

Happy Birthday, Ibikunle Amosun!

––Ojewale is a journalist and writer in Ota, Ogu State.

ØË×ÌÜË ͺ͸͹Ϳ˝ ÝÝßÏÝ ÒËÞ ÙßÖÎ ÏÞÏÜ×ÓØÏ ÒÙ ÞÒÏ ËÚ ÓÞÝ Mathew Okechuckwu

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n the next few months, voters in Anambra State, “Light of the Nation”, will file out in their numbers to elect the number one citizen to pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years. Already, politicians and political parties have been strategising on how best to outsmart each other. More parties may be on paper but the few with appreciable presence in the state are the ruling party in the state, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, Labour Party, and Peoples Progressive Alliance.

In 2013, Chief Willie Obiano flew the APGA flag to clinch the plum post while the candidate of APC and a former governor of the state, Dr. Chris Ngige, came second in the contest. Other contestants at that poll were former students’ union leader, Tony Nwoye, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, and businessman, Chief Ifeanyi Uba, on the platforms of PDP, APC, and PPA, respectively. Uba was a late entrant into the race and flew the flag of the Labour Party.

The APGA forces, led by then incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi, and former national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, was apparently too formidable for other parties to contend with as the duo ensured victory for the party and the emergence Obianor. Not even the backing of billionaire businessman, Chief Arthur Eze, and the famed federal might could swing the pendulum of victory the way of Nwoye of the PDP. Observers believe nothing better signposts the popularity of APGA in the state than that election.

However, besides the power of incumbency and favourable performance rating of the incumbent governor, Obiano, APGA cannot be said to have as much political capital to fall back on compared to the last time.

As expected every four years, the old brigades are back in the trenches in preparation for yet another political tussle. It is also worthy of mention that Anambra State, unlike many other states in the country, is an unpredictable state when it comes to politics.

Its politics is often between men of means and not for boys.

In the speculated line up for 2017 are Obiano, Chief Godwin Ezeemo, Senator Andy Uba, Chief Ifeanyi Uba, Oseloka Obazee, national auditor of APC, Chief George Muoghalu, former chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, Nwoye, Dr Chike Obidigbo, Sir Obinna Uzor, and the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka.

While Obiano, Obidigbo, Obazee, Nwoye and Obiogbolu all hail from the Anambra North senatorial zone, Senator Andy Uba, Obinna Uzor, Godwin Ezeemo, George Muoghalu and Ifeanyi Uba are from Anambra South senatorial zone, leaving Chidoka as the sole contender from the Anambra Central senatorial zone.

It would be recalled that in the 2013 political arrangement, all the major stakeholders agreed that the governorship position should be zoned to the North, hence the emergence of Obiano, who hails from Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area.

Political analysts, however, insist that the political calculations have changed since the last governorship election. One source claimed APGA was not as formidable as it used to be. The defection of Obi – who is still very revered in the state – to PDP, could prove a huge political drawback for the ruling party in the state and a plus to PDP in the next election.

This is besides that the political travails of Umeh, who was one of the forces that propelled Obiano into office, cannot be said to be a plus for the party.

But there are other groups that are of the view that politics is a game of number, even as they say that the crossover of Obi to PDP may not have much effect on the party.

Meanwhile, other intending aspirants from Anambra North have defected to APC in search of the party’s governorship ticket.

Among them are Obidigbo of APGA, Nwoye and Senator Andy Uba, both formerly of PDP, and Chief Ifeanyi Uba. Political watchers opined that if the zoning arrangement for the governorship election remains in Anambra North senatorial zone the tussle will be down to a two-horse race between the ruling APGA and PDP, or the race will become an all comers affair whereby the issues that will determine the eventual winner will narrow down to religion, party affiliation and possibly federal might.

If the zoning arrangement is jettisoned, one of the beneficiaries will be Muoghalu. Being from the southern senatorial zone and backed by federal might he could become a force to reckon with.

Party sources said even with the avalanche of defectors to APC he stands a better chance of clinching the party’s ticket ahead of the latter day arrivals, being a founding member and a member of the party’s national executive.

Those versed with the intricacies of governorship elections in the state would attest to the significant role that religion plays in the political balance in the state. As a predominantly Christian state, electing the state’s governor has always been a pendulum and swings between the Anglican and Catholic faiths; thus, the seamless emergence of Obiano of the Anglican faith after Obi, who is a Catholic.

Party affiliation is another thing that will determine who rules the state for the next four years. Popularity of a party in any state often depends on the politicians driving the party in the absence of any clear cut political ideology driving the political parties.

Before now the APC in Anambra State was believed to be popular only in Anambra Central where Ngige hails from, while APGA and PDP are believed to have spread all over the state. That may no longer hold water going forward considering

Obiano the influx of other heavy weights from outside of the central senatorial zone trooping into the party.

The popularity of APGA in the state cannot be over emphasised. Since the party retrieved its stolen mandate through Obi, during the inglorious days of the Uba brothers in the state, APGA has produced the state governors till date and controls the state House of Assembly.

The PDP may also have the advantage of re-engineering and re-organising its structures following the exit of some power brokers who some political analysts believe were a bad reputation for the party in the state and the entry of Obi, popularly called Okwute.

Closely coming after party affiliation is the famed federal might. Pundits point to governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, and the parliamentary re-run elections in Rivers State to explain what the federal might can achieve. But APGA is used to contending with federal forces, as shown in how the party took the PDP to the cleaners while the party controlled the federal government.

––Okechukwu, a public affairs analyst, writes from Awka.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ BRUARY 5, 2017

PERSPECTIVE

2016OndoGovernorshipElectionandtheCrisisofAnalysis Imefy Efuda

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he quality of public discourse has taken a considerable dip in Nigeria. The process started several years back, but would seem to have reached an alarming proportion now. The flight of critical analysis is clearly evident in much of what is spewed out as opinions in the social media, and indeed in the more traditional media outlets, especially the press. What this implies is that the task of national rebirth will get more complicated, and the road thereof more tortuous. The reason for this is pretty obvious. What you are confronted with now is the fact that capacity to delve into social issues and locate an enduring compass as to how a nation lying prostrate, as Nigeria does, becomes greatly complicated, with fast receding prospects of renaissance.

Nothing better emblematizes this reality than the flurry of analyses that attended the 2016 gubernatorial election in Ondo State.

It is normal for political gladiators to celebrate their victory, howsoever procured; and perhaps also for losers to gloat and moan.

The electorate tends to carry on with its life, in a phenomenal way that speaks to how minuscule the impact of change in the party or personalities in governance have on the mass of the people. What is intriguing about the Ondo election, however, is not just its unprecedented nature in the annals of electoral contest in Nigeria. Rather, it is that its profoundly distinctive features do not seem to catch attention well enough of ordinarily discerning Nigerians, especially the educated. Indeed, many are wont to relate to the so-called election as if indeed an election it was. This is quite troubling!

The election’s most important feature was the brazenness with which the assumed umpire, INEC, violated what equates its own grund norm, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), and its own guidelines by which elections were to be administered. Yet, this hardly caught the attention, or evinced the interest of many a commentator. What such lackadaisical response to an otherwise epochal exercise signals in terms of public morality and political pluralism, and the state of the democracy project in the nation, is truly scary.

Unfortunately this seems to be lost on many an analyst, underscoring the fact of the disaster that has come to define critical discourse in the country.

Now to the particulars of the election. Some 28 or so political parties were certified to contest the election. Without any doubt, the leading parties were the PDP – the ruling party in the State; APC – the ruling party in the country; a resurgent AD; and SDP, which flag was flown by an enduring candidate whose desire to be governor of the state had never been in doubt. It is debatable whether the relative strength of these parties did not conform to their manner of listing here; but not a few people would argue it did. Where there could be some disputation would be whether AD in the hands of an Olusola Oke, a seasoned politician, was not more effective in its campaign and electoral prospects than APC, whose candidate was not noted to have done so much, at least in terms of open air campaign.

In late October, INEC substituted the name of Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP with that of Jimoh Ibrahim. This, on the basis of a court judgment by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court. Significantly, it was the primary election that produced Jegede that INEC superintended, as required by law. Jimoh’s version of a primary election held in the night in far away Ibadan, outside of Ondo State.

It was not monitored by either INEC or the security agencies. The question would continue to be asked for a long time to come why INEC chose not to appeal the Okon Abang judgment that was so

Yakubu clearly subversive of a key element in the Electoral Act, and its own election guidelines, to wit, that for a candidate to be deemed to have truly emerged in a primary election, such an election must have been witnessed by INEC. A court judgment that brazenly disregarded this fine line is not just evidently flawed, in a fundamental way, it queried INEC’s place in the primary process of political parties. If an appeal had been filed, it would have been the lot of Mr. Jimoh to persuade a court of superior jurisdiction as to why INEC should disregard a key provision of the law and list him rather than Jegede as the PDP candidate. Surprisingly, INEC simply accepted to implement this rather unusual ruling that strikes at the very foundation of its own existence.

Expectedly, INEC’s decision saw Jegede racing to court. The determined but inelegant manner in which Jimoh and the forces loyal to him blackmailed and intimidated the judiciary in the course of the litigation was well reported. Indeed, such shenanigans were unequivocally decried by both the Appeal and the Supreme Courts as untoward and largely unprecedented in the annals of litigation in the country. When the Appeal Court was eventually cleared by the Supreme Court to give it’s ruling, the former referred to the Okon Abang judgment, which provided the basis for INEC to list Jimoh, as a fraud. It called the procurer of the judgment, an impostor in the PDP fold. It directed INEC to forthwith list Jegede as the authentic candidate of the PDP. That was less than 48 hours to the election.

Now, if INEC had substituted Jegede’s name in late October on the basis of a judgment now regarded as fraudulent, didn’t it stand to reason that INEC should have expressed regret in acting on the basis of that judgment, which at any event, it should have appealed in defense of the relevant electoral laws and guidelines? If Jimoh, who was supposedly the candidate of PDP, was proclaimed as an impostor, did it not imply that INEC all along had not been dealing with PDP as an entity, but with an outsider to the party, an impostor to boot? Could INEC, in the circumstances, be justified insisting that all that it did with Jimoh, it had done with PDP?

Yet, in INEC’s own queer logic, Jegede, whose name had been fraudulently removed from the ballot by INEC and got restored only 48 hours to election, was not considered deserving of a fair ground of play. It insisted the election, just 48 hours away, must hold. Again, this was such a queer position to take given that INEC still had up to 30 days to handover of power on February 24, the next year, to run the election. Yet INEC insisted on its November 26 date! In all practical sense, it meant a major candidate in the election had only one day to campaign, not because of any fault of his, but because INEC, in Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s words, chose to obey a fraud of a judgment, procured by an impostor. What is more, Jegede was not even done the honour of having his agents listed to monitor his own election. In INEC’s warped logic, he was supposed to make do with those submitted by his undisguised political enemy, Jimoh! Contrary to the provision of the law that a candidate and party must have access to the voters’ list way ahead of their election, Jegede got his, only a couple of days to November 26.

The most charitable characterization of what INEC did to Jegede would be that it vehemently disallowed him from enjoying the fruit of his legal victory. Whereas INEC obeyed the letters of the judgment by restoring Jegede on the ballot, it wantonly violated its spirit by denying him a fair field of play. It deliberately made nonsense of the intendment of the learned justices who restored Jegede’s rights on virtually all fronts. As Governor Mimiko aptly noted metaphorically, INEC succeeded in effectively tying Jegede’s hands to his back, put him at the starting point of a 100-meter dash, while positioning his co-contestants, unshackled and unencumbered, 90 meters ahead of him – 10 meters to the finishing line. The outcome of such a contest was more than predictable. Even a Husain Bolt would not have been able to coast home to victory, as the Jamaican athlete is wont to do, under such unusual of arrangements.

In the circumstances, was it not a miracle that Jegede managed to garner some 150,000 votes? Does it say something about how the election would have turned out if these monumental encumbrances were not put in Jegede’s way, if in spite of them he was beaten by the now Governor-elect only by about 94,000 votes? Isn’t it evident in the circumstances that in the words of Governor Ayo Fayose, it was INEC that PDP and its candidate contested the 2016 election against, not APC, not AD, not any of the other 25 odd parties? How could injustice be so unabashedly administered by a people who probably had sworn by the holy books to do justice to all? How could such inanity be tolerated in a political regime where the sing song is fight against corruption? How low could a people go in unfairness and injustice?

To the subject of this discourse, it is intriguing that many otherwise respected people and news media organizations would proceed to analyze this election, and talk of the candidates winning or losing as if these fundamental acts of injustice do not matter. Isn’t this a bad signal of how lowly in morality we have fallen, how godless we have become, and how difficult the task of national rebirth is bound to be? This is probably not about the other candidates, including the man who eventually won the election, even when in other climes they would have vigorously protested the injustice to, and wanton disregard of the rights of their co-contestant, Eyitayo Jegede. Yet, the minimum expected of analysts and opinion molders on this election is to at least recognize the undulating playing field that INEC created to disadvantage Jegede and his PDP. Any commentary on the election that seeks to marginalize this reality is sheer bunkum, the product of a basically warped, hypocritical, and unhinged mind.

–Efuda writes from Abuja (imefvefuda@ymail.com)

Abia Legal Tussle: Who Wears the Crown Christopher Ogbonna

T

he 2015 governorship election in Nigeria has come and gone. But in Abia State the battle has shifted to the Supreme Court where four leading candidates of the two dominant parties in the state, the PDP and APGA, are still slugging it out.

Matters deemed settled have found their way back to the Supreme Court. At the last count, four different appeals are before the Supreme Court for adjudication.

The tussle between Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Dr Uche Sampson Ogah had made the most deafening of noises. This matter gave birth to an offspring few weeks ago. Dr Ogah is challenging Ikpeazu’s eligibility to contest the primaries, alleging that he did not pay his taxes for years 2011, 2012 and 2013 as at when due, alleging that his taxes for the three years were paid on the same day. On the strength of the issues raised, Ikpeazu was subsequently sacked from office as Governor of the state last year by a Federal High Court, Abuja for alleged falsification of tax papers.

Delivering the judgement then, Justice Okon Abang ordered Ikpeazu, to vacate office immediately for contesting the governorship primaries based on false information. He also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately issue a certificate of return to Ogah.

Ogah in his suit had contended that based on Article 14(a) of Part IV of PDP Electoral Guidelines for Primary Elections and Section 87(4) (B) of the Electoral Act, 2010, the Abia governor was not qualified to contest the December 8, 2014 governorship primary poll in the state, because he presented a fake tax clearance certificate in his nomination form.

In his suit, another PDP governorship aspirant, Mr Friday Nwosu, also challenged the nomination of Ikpeazu as PDP

governorship candidate on a slightly different ground, he prayed the Court to declare him the duly nominated candidate of the PDP even though he came third in the primaries. Ironically, he also joined Ogah in the case, saying he left the venue of the primaries and did not sign the result. His petition has suffered several legal hiccups, obstacles and gymnastics.

On his part Governor Ikpeazu has proved to be a cat with nine lives. He survived Dr Alex Otti’s onslaught at the election tribunal up to the Supreme Court. He heaved a momentary sigh of relief when the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour by upturning Justice Okon Abang’s sack order. The same Supreme Court had readmitted Otti in the ongoing Appeal at the Supreme Court between Ogah and Ikpeazu. Similarly, Ikpeazu had parried Barrister Friday Nwosu’s hydra-headed petitions, with some at the Appeal and the Supreme Courts simultaneously.

One suit that has the ability to alter all equations and calculations is that of Chief Reagan Ufomba of the All Progressives Grand Alliance against the Independent National Electoral Commission – INEC and Dr Alex Otti also of APGA. This petition has been terminally concluded and judgement reserved by the Supreme Court. In his petition, Chief Reagan Ufomba had contended that he was the validly nominated candidate of the party but rejected by INEC. He further alleged that Chief Victor Umeh who nominated Dr Alex Otti lacked constitutional powers to do so at the time as Umeh himself was also a candidate of the party for the senate, and restrained from parading himself as the chairman of the party by various courts of competent jurisdiction.

He claims, the deputy national chairman, South, who constitutionally should act where the chairman cannot so act conducted the primaries which he won, but the name of Dr Alex Otti who did not win was submitted. Both the trial and the court of appeal curiously declined jurisdiction in the matter. But interestingly INEC who had remained elusive all through the proceedings had joined the proceedings at the Supreme Court and seem to have

returned the petition of Chief Ufomba to life-support with their submission on jurisdiction. The supreme court decision allowing Otti’s application for joinder adds filip.

Who then wears the crown? Going by the calibre of litigants, and their prayers, it might be difficult for this write-up to crown a king. Barrister Friday Nwosu is a Barrister at law, and a former police officer. The merits or otherwise of his petition cannot be lost on him being a ‘learned gentleman’ as lawyers are called. If he successfully proves a case of forgery against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, the concern is who takes the benefit? Nwosu who came a distant third or Dr Ogah who came second? In the event both men succeed in proving a case of forgery and false information against Ikpeazu, disqualifying Ikpeazu may amount to disqualification of the PDP and a colossal loss to all the candidates who contested the election under the PDP. This is APGA’s gain. Dr Alex Otti may inherit the benefits if Ufomba’s appeal fails. But Dr Otti’s nomination is under serious threat by Chief Reagan Ufomba another candidate of the party laying claim to the ticket of the APGA party. If Ufomba succeeds, Otti fails. The success of Chief Ufomba may also be a blessing to Dr Samson Ogah of the PDP. What Chief Ufomba does with his victory at the Supreme Court is yet to been seen. People say he may have a joker, being an experienced politician and a shrewd businessman.

Dr Samson Ogah has tasted both victory and failure. His victory at the Supreme Court automatically makes him the governor.

But he has to prove the Appeal Court Justices wrong. His biggest challenge may be in proving that Dr Okezie Ikpeazu actually gave false information or consented to it, being a civil servant. On his part, Dr Ikpeazu have everybody to contend with, being the occupant of the seat. He is no stranger to both Ogah and Otti.

He had also trounced Nwosu once at the trial court. His victory at the Supreme Court consolidates his governorship position in Umuahia and brings all petitions to an end.

Ogbonna wrote from Abuja

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GAVEL TO GAVEL Claims, Counter Claims as Leadership Crisis Rocks Ondo Assembly

Edited by Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

The disagreement between two factions of the Ondo State House of Assembly continued last week, with many fearing that the crisis may upend the impending political transition in the state. James Sowole, in Akure, writes

F

ollowing the November 26, 2016 governorship election in Ondo State, which was won by the candidate of All Progressives Congress, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, it was obvious that there would be a change in the leadership of the legislative arm of government in the Sunshine State. The change became imperative sequel to the established convention under which the first three political positions in the state –governor, deputy governor, and speaker of the House of Assembly – are shared among the three senatorial districts.

Geopolitics The outgoing governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, is from Ondo Central, his deputy, Mr Lasisi Oluboyo, is from Ondo North, while the speaker, Hon Jumoke Akindele, is from Okitipupa in Ondo South.

For the incoming administration, the governor-elect, Akeredolu, is from Ondo North, his deputy, Hon Agboola Ajayi, is from Ondo South. Under the existing arrangement, the speaker of the House of Assembly is expected to come from Ondo Central senatorial district.

Many are, thus, baffled by the much ado about the leadership of the Assembly, less than one month to the swearing in of the new governor on February 24.

Change The crisis broke out on January 27, when 13 members of the Assembly, comprising five APC and eight Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers, announced a change in the leadership of the 26-member Assembly.

The lawmakers announced the impeachment of Akindele as speaker, her deputy, Hon Fatai Olotu, and the Majority Leader, Hon Dayo Akinsoyinu, alleging that they conspired and illegally approved the withdrawal of N15 million from the Assembly’s account with the intention of embezzling it.

The legislators announced a new leadership with Hon Malachi Coker from Ilaje Constituency II as speaker, Hon Ayo Arowele of Owo Constituency as deputy speaker, and Hon Olamide George of Akure North Constituency as majority leader.

Since the crisis broke out, legislative activities have been disrupted, with each side claiming leadership of the legislature.

Addressing journalists at a news conference, a legislator on the side of the new leadership, Hon Ogundeji Iroju, representing Odigbo Constituency, said there was no going back on the impeachment of the affected officers. Though, 10 members were present at the news conference, Iroju said 14 out of 26 members in the Assembly were at the sitting where the three principal officers were removed while 20 members of the Assembly actually signed their impeachment.

Iroju said when the lawmakers learnt that the alleged N15 million was about to be withdrawn, they objected but Akindele denied.

“After the denial, we began to watch the situation until we caught them. We intercepted the money and the Clerk of the house, Mr Bode Adeyelu, who is the chief accounting officer, confirmed that the money was withdrawn with the approval of the speaker,” Iroju stated. He added, “The withdrawal of the money ought to be in line with the parliamentary approval, but this did not happen in case of this money.

We have recovered the money and it is in the custody of the Clerk. We shall use the money to pay salaries of workers in the Assembly.”

Defence However, a member loyal to Akindele told another news conference that her purported impeachment was the action of few ambitious minority members of the house. Addressing journalists in Akure, chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon Siji Akindiose, representing Ondo East Constituency, described the action of the lawmakers as unlawful and contrary to the house rule.

“It is a plot hatched, nurtured and executed by some elements in the All Progressives Congress with the conspiracy of some ultra-ambitious and unscrupulous members of the Peoples Democratic Party who are desperate to become speaker and deputy speaker,” Akindiose stated.

He said the sitting of the aggrieved members, where the impeachment was done, was illegal, stressing that it is unusual for the parliamentary meeting to take place on Friday and if there are urgent matters to warrant Friday sitting, there would have been an announcement of such at the previous meeting. He said impeachment of the speaker could only be possible when at least two-third majority of members of the house had endorsed the move after necessary processes stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of

Malachi Coker

Jumoke Akindele

Nigeria and the house rule “Let them circulate the names and constituencies of lawmakers that signed the impeachment notice and if they have one, it must be the attendance of one of the earlier meetings held by members,” he added.

Akindiose denied the allegation of fraud against the leadership of the house, describing it as part of an attempt to effect an illegal leadership change in the Assembly.

He said, “We reiterate that the funds are meant for a project which was properly approved by the approving authority and contrary to their mischievous assertion.

“The purported suspension of the leadership of the house, we maintain that it is not known to the rules of the house and even if it were to be done, it will not be done by mere 10 members out of 26 members after the close of work.

did it take the governor so long to present the budget?

There was another round of confrontation between the two factions.

THISDAY, however, learnt that the major aim of the lawmakers was to prevent the sitting of the Assembly, which they said the governor wanted to use to pass some bills into law.

Like a well-rehearsed script, suspected thugs and protesters stormed the premises of the Ondo State House of Assembly on Wednesday and subsequently and stalled the move by Mimiko to present the Appropriation Bill. The thugs and protesters who arrived the Assembly premises as early as 7am carried placards of various inscriptions condemning the governor for trying to present a budget few days to his exit from office.

The Assembly, which had been sealed off by the state police command on Monday, was surprisingly opened for the governor to present the bill. But only the 13 lawmakers led by the factional speaker, Coker, were present. Coker sat on the speaker’s sit to preside over the session. But after waiting for hours and the governor did not show up, the factional lawmakers held their own plenary during which insecurity in the country was discussed. The sitting, held without the presence of the Clerk of the House, Mr. Bode Adeyelu, and the official mace, lasted for about seven minutes.

The lawmakers used a flag as a mace.

There was a heavy presence of security agents, who included the men and officers of the state police command, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Department of State Security, to forestall any breakdown of law and order at the Assembly complex.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, confirmed that the governor had shifted the date of the presentation of the appropriation bill for security reasons. He said, “The date for the presentation has to be shifted because the tension was so high, the APC supporters were at the gate of the Assembly to cause trouble. There is an internal wrangling among the lawmakers, so the governor cannot present any budget in that condition and we all know that Mr. Governor is a peace-loving person, he doesn’t want crisis.”

Akinmade said another date for the budget presentation would be announced later. He expressed optimism that the crisis in the House of Assembly would be resolved soon.

How soon this would be, only time can tell.

Confrontation An incident that attracted comments from various stakeholders was the assault on the paymaster of the Assembly, Mr Makanjuola Adesina, who had withdrawn N15 million from the bank on the instruction of his boss. Adesina was, reportedly, trailed from the bank to the Assembly premises, where he was molested and paraded on several social media platforms like somebody caught with stolen money.

Disturbed by the assault on the paymaster, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Bosede Daramola, and chairman of Joint Negotiating Council, Comrade Sunday Adeleye, stormed the Assembly in protest.

The crisis got worsened on January 30, when the Commissioner of Police, Mrs Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison ordered the sealing off of the Assembly complex. This followed an open confrontation between members of the two factions, as the two factional speakers also confronted each other in the Assembly chamber, each claiming to be the rightful leader of the legislature.

Stalled Budget Presentation Tempers rose again on Tuesday, when Mimiko notified the Assembly of his intention to present the 2017 Appropriation Bill to it for consideration. This notice by the governor attracted another round of questions. Which of the factions will the governor address? If the two factions agree to attend the session, who is going to preside, Akindele or Coker? Why

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SUNDAYSPORTS

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

Indomitable Lions, Pharaohs Battle for African Title tKick-off: 8pm

Demola Ojo

C

ameroon’s Indomitable Lions and the Pharaohs of Egypt will battle for the right to be crownedAFCON 2017 champions when they meet in the final this night in Libreville, Gabon.

Both teams are aiming to cap remarkable revivals by winning the Africa Cup of Nations when they meet in a final that few thought possible at the beginning of the 16-nation competition.

At the outset of the tournament, it was the likes of Algeria, Senegal and defending champions Ivory Coast who were considered the favourites, with Egypt no more than dark horses in their first appearance since 2010.

However, a blockbuster match between the most successful countries in the 60-year history of the competition is a fitting finale; Egypt are seven time African champions while Cameroon are four-time winners, tied with Ghana.

Egypt have now re-established themselves as a giant of African football in their path to the final, topping their group ahead of Ghana, beating North African rivals Morocco for the first time in over three decades in the quarterfinal, and then overcoming a powerful Burkina Faso on penalties in the semi.

The Pharaohs haven’t necessarily dominated their matches, but a resilient defence (just one goal conceded in Gabon), breathtaking pace on the counter attack and know-how at set pieces have helped carve a path to the final.

Cameroon, meanwhile, have been one of the surprise packages, shrugging off the absence of several major stars to power past some of the

Burkina Faso Beat Ghana, Win Bronze Alain Traore’s fine second half strike handed Burkina Faso third place at the 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations as they beat Ghana 1-0 yesterday night at Stade Port-Gentil. Ghana had a bright start in the first five minutes and Agyemang Badu missed a header from close range after a great cross from the left, as the Burkinabe were still asleep.

Despite the Stallions’ failure to ignite in the opening stages of the encounter, it was Alain Traore who tried a long curling shot from a set piece in the 13th minute, but goalkeeper Richard Ofori collected with ease. Four minutes later, Paulo Duarte’ men took another shot through Aristide Bance as he beat his man, but his shot went wide.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, Prejuce Nakoulma produced a great run, beating three defenders in the box, but his final shot was disappointing as it went wide from the right of Ofori’s posts. One minute to the hour mark, Jordan Ayew delivered a brilliant set piece from the right wing into the box, only for Tekpetey to see his strong header going inches over the crossbar. In the last 12 minutes, the match opened up as Ofori produced a sweet save to deny Cyrille Bayala resulting from a brilliant counter attack. The keeper parried the shot away and the rebound was off target by Alain Traore.

However, with two minutes to go, Traore produced a fantastic finish from a set piece on the right flank. He curled his shot to the far corner, beating Ofori

RESULTS & FIXTURES Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Hull City Southampton Tottenham Burkina Faso Man City Leicesterv Egypt

3–1 0–4 6–3 2–0 1–3 1–0 1–0 v v v

Arsenal Sunderland Bournemouth Liverpool West Ham Middlesbrough Ghana Swansea 2:30pm Man United 5pm Cameroon 8pm

tournament’s strongest teams in their path to the final.

TheIndomitableLionsqualifiedfromtheirgroup at the expense of the hosts and have knocked out both Senegal and Ghana to make their first final since 2008. Then, with a side containing the likes of Rigobert Song and Samuel Eto’o, they lost 1-0 to the Egyptians in Ghana’s capitalAccra. Today’s match is a chance for revenge.

The Egyptians had won three consecutive Cups of Nations between 2006 and 2010 but missed the last three tournaments amid political upheaval in the country before Argentine Hector Cuper led them back onto the scene here.

The Pharaohs have not exactly been a joy to watch – they have built their success around a rock-solid defence and have relied heavily on the star quality of Mohamed Salah at the other end.

Having scored the winning goal against Ghana in the group stage and again in the semifinal against Burkina Faso, Salah has been an influential figure in attack despite not showing his best form.

Egypt have a great record in finals – just one defeat in eight Cup of Nations finals and two wins out of two on such occasions against Cameroon, with the first coming on penalties in Cairo in 1986.

In head-to-head stats, Egypt and Cameroon have clashed in 24 official matches. The North Africans have claimed 12 wins compared to five for their opponents, while seven matches have been drawn. The teams’ most recent meeting took place in Omdurman, Sudan, in May 2012. The Pharaohs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Indomitable Lions.

Salah (middle) has been pivotal for Egypt during the tournament

Chelsea Crush Arsenal, Liverpool Lose

C

helsea moved another step towards regaining the Premier League title with a 3-1 drubbing of Arsenal in the table-topping London derby at Stamford Bridge yesterday as only Tottenham Hotspur maintained their distant pursuit of the leaders.

Antonio Conte’s side moved 12 points clear of Arsenal with a performance decorated by one of the goals of the season, a dazzling individual effort from Eden Hazard starting from near the halfway line.

The 2015 champions’ command at the top of the table was strengthened further with fourthplaced Liverpool falling 13 points adrift after their wretched 2017 continued with a shock 2-0 defeat at resurgent Hull City.

Only second-placed Spurs, the one team to have defeated Chelsea in their last 17 matches in all competitions, appear up for the fight, reducing the gap at the top to nine points with their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the day’s late match.

Hull’s win over Liverpool saw them clamber up one place to 18th in the relegation zone while another startling result featured Crystal Palace, who lost 4-0 at home to bottom club Sunderland, with all the goals coming in the first half.

Conte was a satisfied man as he watched Chelsea avenge their worst defeat of the season in September

at the Emirates, the 3-0 reverse that prompted him to change their tactical approach.

The Blues have never looked back since and an early header from Marcos Alonso, the dazzling second-half solo goal from Hazard and a poor clearance from Petr Cech that allowed Cesc Fabregas to chip into an unguarded net in the dying minutes sealed their revenge.

Hazard’s goal was, by his own admission, “beautiful”. The Belgian picked up the ball just inside his own half, swerved away from Laurent Koscielny, outmuscled Francis Coquelin and turned Koscielny inside out again before beating Cech from close range.

OlivierGiroudearnedastoppage-timeconsolation goal but a fourth defeat in nine league matches effectively ended Arsenal’s title hopes for another season as they now lie third on 47 points, after 24 games, to Chelsea’s 59.

“It was an important game. I considerArsenal one of the six teams that can fight for the title until the end of the season. To put them 12 points behind is very important for us,” said Conte, after presiding over a 14th home win in 15 games at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool’s defeat looked to have ended their challenge too as Juergen Klopp’s men succumbed to goals from Hull’s on-loan Senegalese strikers, Alfred N’Diaye and Oumar Niasse.

Mark: My Passion for Sports Irresistible Olawale Ajimotokan

I

mmediate past President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has said that the negative impact of the current economic recession can be mitigated if Nigeria taps and harnesses its talents and potentials in sports development.

Besides, the economic benefits of sports development, Mark stated that sports will keep the youths off the streets and insulate them from social vices detrimental to the society .

Speaking at the ceremonial tee-off of the 6th Pa Aikwuta Mark Pro- Am Golf Tournament at Otukpo Golf and Country Club in Benue state yesterday, Mark said: “ I have an irresistible passion for sports development because

I know it is a tool for our unity and ultimate development.

“I encourage sports in all ramifications not just because I play the game of golf. Indeed, everybody should encourage sports. You know any time Nigeria is participating or competing in any sporting events, we are all united.

“So anything that would unite Nigerians and facilitate our peaceful coexistence merits worthy investment. I believe strongly that a lot of societal vices in which our youths are involved would diminish if we tap and harness their talents in sports.”

On the aborted Mark D Ball Basketball Tournament on account of litigation last December, Senator Mark assured that the tournament will be back better and bigger as soon as the legal

It continued a woeful run for the Reds in 2017, who have won just once in their last 10 games, leaving a baffled Klopp to suggest their slump made “no sense”.

Tottenham, though, appear to continue to believe as they stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 games and hit the half-century of points, with Harry Kane’s second-half penalty earning victory in a game they dominated but made heavy weather of sealing at White Hart Lane.

Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe scored twice in firsthalf stoppage time as he turned Sam Allardyce’s reunion with his former club into a nightmare, the Palace boss having to watch his side ship three goals in six minutes before the break. Sunderland remain bottom on 19 points but now have the same tally as Palace, one behind Hull, who are making dramatic strides under new Portuguese boss Marco Silva.

Everton, unbeaten in the league since Christmas, continued their excellent run with Romelu Lukaku scoring four in their helter-skelter 6-3 win over Bournemouth, his first coming after just 30 seconds to equal the fastest in the League this season.

The Belgian international striker is now the league’s leading marksman with 16 goals with Chelsea’s Costa and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez on 15 and Kane and Defoe on 14 along with Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

hurdles are resolved.

For him, those who went to court to stop the Mark D Ball tournament did something detrimental and indeed a disservice to the people of Benue state and environs because they did not provide alternative.

He said: “I’m not discouraged by this development . Rather it has strengthened my resolve to do all that is needed to bring succour and happiness to my people”.

Also speaking, the president of the Otukpo Golf Academy Mr. David Mark jnr, said the Academy has produced young golfers who are participating and competing in both local and international championship including but not limited to representing Nigeria in European Junior Golf Championship in Scotland.

He hoped for a brighter future for the young golfers who are likely to clinch scholarship in Canada and the United Kingdom for their academic pursuit.

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Keep Calm! There is No Longer Beef between Oba Rilwan Akiolu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

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multitude of evilly inclined people can stir up strife, just as D FURZG RI WVHWVH Ă&#x20AC;LHV can make a noise like hailstorm, in desperate bid to thwart the bliss and quiet of the most peaceful household.

When the target of their plot are two great men in Nigeria, the situation calls for tact and unprecedented caution.

Yes, the paramount monarch and Oba of Lagos, on Monday disclosed that former Vice President Abubakar Atiku and the DirectorGeneral of Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, among others plotted his ouster from the Nigeria Police in 2002. The monarch also said it was possible for them to convince former President Olusegun Obasanjo to summarily retire him from the Nigeria Police because the Police Service Commission (PSC) â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a toothless bulldog.â&#x20AC;? He revealed this at a stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meeting held in Victoria Island, Lagos, describing his retirement from the force as conspiracy by chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win 2003 elections in Lagos.

Oba Akiolu claimed he â&#x20AC;&#x153;was a victim of that circumstance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then Atiku, Daura and others sat down and advised President Obasanjo that if he wanted to win Lagos in 2003, I should be removed. It was written on paper,â&#x20AC;? he said.

And for this reason, according to Akioluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apologists, he is unhappy with Atiku. And

WKLV ZLOO GHÂżQLWHO\ KLQGHU WKH chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain given that he is allegedly planning to contest the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential seat in 2019. Pundits believe he may not get the support of the Oba of Lagos and the mandate of the latterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kingdom. But in a

Abi Kuku and Funke Fowler

WILL SHE REMARRY? AS TUNDE FOWLERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAUGHTER, FUNKE, AND ABI KUKU FINALLY DIVORCED To most divorcees, marital happiness is like a butterfly that appears and delights for one brief moment, but soon flits away. To others, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s re-discoverable amid possibilities of having it as a permanent feature of their lives; but whatever the hue or husk in which it represents itself, Funke, the beautiful

Atiku Abubakar

Oba Rilwan Akiolu

daughter of Tunde Fowler, FIRS chairman and estranged wife of Abi Kuku, the son of the late Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu, Chief Bayo Kuku, will never shy away from its cathartic bliss. With her striking lovely looks, and understated elegance, Funke is a beautiful young woman. Sadly, Funke Fowler and Abi Kukuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marriage, like most celebrity and silver spoon kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; marriages, crashed and they have officially divorced. Although their marriage

swift reaction, He said he never supervised the Nigeria police or the police service commission, and therefore, could not have been part of any â&#x20AC;&#x153;alleged plotâ&#x20AC;? to force Akiolu out of public service for committing no offence. The ex-VP noted that he was not â&#x20AC;&#x153;familiar with had all the trappings fame and money could give, Funke and Abiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marriage was probably ill-fated from the start.

It is indeed sad to note that such an extravagant wedding which was held in Nigeria and overseas could last for only few months. The brideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents ferried their guests to the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most luxurious hotel, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. So breathtaking was the party and consumption of continental cuisines and drinks that Burj Al Arabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rivers of champagne and expensive alcoholic drinks thinned to a tributary. Good money was put to great use for Funke and his beau. Thereafter, the couple criss-crossed the world for their honeymoon playfully running after each other and picking pebbles on the sandy esplanade of holiday resorts while retiring under the moonlight of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scenic cities among other idyllic vacation spots. Investigations revealed that Funke walked out of her marriage following intractable conflicts with her husband, Abi. Their marriage was allegedly dogged by disagreements over how things should be done and the kind of lifestyle they ought to adopt as a couple. Things generated between the couple when neither party agreed to play the meek lamb to the otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wild cat.

Oba Akiolu as at the time the monarch was removed from the police force.â&#x20AC;?Atiku said he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;totally innocentâ&#x20AC;? of the allegations made against him by the monarch while adding that he holds him in high esteem.

NOT CUT OUT FOR MARRIAGE! SEGUN ODEGBAMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BABY MAMA, FUNMI IYANDA, RESTATES ABHORRENCE FOR WEDLOCK Ëž

There is a lesson in their failures, a didactic experience for all. Their lives, among other things, present a

Funmi Iyanda

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍłË&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

͜Ͱ

Kema Chikwe at 70...Ex-Aviation and Transport Minister Celebrates Mileage with a Heart Filled with Gratitude Ëž Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă?âĂ&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?

F

ormer Aviation Minister, Kemi Chikwe, must be a fulfilled woman.

There is no gainsaying she lives a charmed life.

Unlike too many of her peers, she recorded remarkable feats in her hey days thus inciting ceaseless tributes to her femininity and citizenship of humanity. However, her heart is like a singing bird whose nest is in a watered shoot; her heart is like an appletree whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; her heart is like a rainbow shell that paddles in a halcyon sea; and her heart is gladder than all these because she lives to be 70. The accomplished stateswoman, politician, mother and philanthropist clocked

70 two weeks ago and held a party to celebrate the occasion.

It would be recalled that Chikwe was one of the first women to gain prominence in the Fourth Republic, rising to the position of Minister of Transport and then that of Aviation in the Obasanjo administration.

Since then, she has been a low-key player in the political game. But she took the opportunity of her 70th birthday to gather her family, friends and associates together to eat, drink and reminisce.

Her musician son, Naeto C, and his wife, Nicole, graced the Abuja event alongside singer AM and his nephews, Asika and Asa, among other guests.

cautionary tale of the fair maidens haunted by vanity and hindered by a macabre lust for the fleeting. As we enter into a new year, their stories will resonate drearily, as usual, except a miracle happens and they catch the fancy of eligible bachelors or married men seeking to take a second or third wife.

However, for the umpteenth time, the social space is once again rent asunder by the shrill cry of yet another female living in denial of marriage. Like a duck which suffered burnt plumes by waddling too close to the fire, former talk show host, Funmi Iyanda, has stated her disgust for marriage.

According to her, she is not cut out for wedlock. Iyanda tweeted her opinion recently and some folks came for her.

The media gal who was a partner to ex-footballer, Segun Odegbami, had a daughter from the relationship. The pretty mother of one, while anchoring her programme on TV, had said on some occasions that she did not fancy marriage. She is 45 years old and her 46th birthday comes up in July this year. She has tried her hands in some relationships after her relationship with Odegbami did not work out. She is not known to be a wayward woman but she is not just cut out for living under the roof of any man all in the name of marriage.

WILL THE WEDDING BELLS TOLL FOR JOHN OBAYUWANA AND ENEMAYA LAWANI THIS YEAR? Their love leaps like a wolf - it is prideful, strong and courageous, thus eliciting envy and extreme jealousy by the brilliance of its flare. Like a silver light, the love espoused by John Obayuwana and Enemaya Lawani dazzles on their faces and seeps from their being in to the air, with resonant peal. It sheathes them, warms them, and becomes every inch of them. Until they fell in love, everybody deemed them an unlikely couple. But despite their differences, the bond between the two has strengthened over the years. In the

Ene Lawani and John Obayuwana

last few years, luxury goods merchant, John, and his sweetheart, Ene, have been an item - though neither of them has come forward to admit to their hot but muted romance. The age difference that exists between the pair may be as expansive as the distance of one end of the Safari Desert to the other, but this does not impede the flow of their romance in any way. At a recent high society wedding, John and Ene were sighted together. They were all over each other at the wedding, like two love birds lost in their private world of ecstasy. The intimate gazes exchanged by the duo echoed their deep-seated love for each other. Ene, who has been linked with quite a number of dudes in the past, is unabashedly in love with John, but only time will spell out the longevity of the affair.

Kema Chikwe

his eight-year tenure was fraught by endless challenges, political conflicts and controversies. Fast-forward to the incumbent administration, since his appointment as the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Minister of Transport, it has been one day one trouble for Amaechi. He has never known a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peace. It is either he is fighting a colleague, especially Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seniorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. As you read, Amaechi is embroiled in controversy with Wike over the two controversial helicopters for which the customs says no one has claimed responsibility for its importation. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really sad that he does not have peace of mind at all. And this life is too short for all this. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope he understands soon enough that life is vanity. You are here today and you could depart for the afterlife tomorrow. Will Amaechi begin to avoid controversies and make the most of a peaceful life? Time will tell.

LIKE OLIVER TWIST...ANDY UBA SWALLOWS HIS VOMIT, JOINS THE APC Ëž ËŠ ËŞ

In the annals and cutthroat world

ON ROTIMI AMAECHIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UNENDING JOUSTS Ëž

ËŞ

ËŞ

Peace is overrated. Ask Rotimi Amaechi. The seeds of peace and slumberous calm wilted in his yard ever since his foray into politics. It will be recalled that while he served as executive governor of Rivers State,

of Nigerian politics, the successful politicians have always passed off as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;made-menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or the Nigerian version of Italian gang-lords; the unsuccessful ones however, always pass of as lesser gangsters - disposable muscles at the bottom of the totem pole of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political class. More often than not, the latter manifests on the political circuit like 50-cent prostitutes, or N50 commercial sex workers, if you like, jumping from one political party to the other, in desperate pursuit of the next plum political office or deal.

Senator Andy Uba and serial gubernatorial candidate, emerges as Anambraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most pitiful politician.

Like a starved greyhound, Andy has swallowed his own vomit. He has gobbled up his bile like a sumptuous dish; as you read, he has recanted his scathing denunciation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to suffocate the party in a crushing embrace. Uba, representing Anambra South Senatorial zone on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has defected to the APC. Uba disclosed this at a news briefing on Wednesday in his home country, Uga, Aguata Local Government Area of the state. The lawmaker said he joined the APC at the ongoing registration of party members in the state.

According to him, APC has ideology and focus which he needed to tap into to provide quality representation to his constituents. Uba further said that he joined the APC because of other personalities in the party with sound ideas and whom he looked up to in politics. We believe him. After all, the gubernatorial election is around the corner.

THE BATTLE OF TWO GOVERNORSâ&#x20AC;Ś WILLIE OBIANO GOES FOR BROKE AGAINST OKOROCHA Ëž

Andy Uba

Like petty lovers of strife that shriek and sweat in pigmy wars, Willie

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Ë&#x153; Ëž FEBRUARY 5, 2017

HIGHLIFE

The Glamour and Class of Siju Iluyomade Ëž Ă&#x2019;ĂŁ ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2122;ĂĄĂ&#x; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x;ĂŁĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? ËŞĂ? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; ËŠĂ&#x201D;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ËŞĂ? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă?Ă?ËŞ

M

any a rich, privileged woman totter into vogue but it takes a profound, perceptive lady to mirror the breadth and depth of burgeoning trends to the world. Siju Iluyomade, wife of the Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Idowu Olusola Iluyomade, is a rich, privileged woman. She is profound and perceptive too thus she dictates and sets the pace in her social circuit.

Siju symbolizes the incontestable affirmation of charm and ĂŠlan as acceptable traits in a virtuous woman. Being a Christian, according to Siju, should not sentence anyone to the dungeons of bleakness and aesthetic barrenness.

Siju glamourizes her trendiness and love for high fashion as much as her love for God. She lives her life like a queen, always dressed in Gucci, Zagliani, Hermes and Marc Jacobs products.

For her, Christianity

has evolved beyond conservative dress.

Among other pastorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wives in Nigeria, she reigns as the queen of style and fashion.

Although she is a pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, she remains the essence of glamour, elegance and unrestrained aura. City of David, arguably one of the richest RCCG parishes in Nigeria, is filled with elegant women who appear in church in elegant and immaculate dresses. But they mostly pale into insignificance compared to the flamboyance of their pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife. Her pretty face looks more like a work of art. She drives the best of cars and wears the most expensive of accessories. Heads turn each Sunday when she steps into church in appreciation of her beauty, while some ladies are simply green with envy. Her jewelry twinkle with carats of diamonds and gem stones and cause the hearts of many to overflow with longing.

Willie Abiano and Rochas Okorocha

Obiano, the Anambra State governor, and his estranged friend, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop bickering until either of them gives up and takes the moral high ground.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often said, bedbugs sting not from spite but because they desire to live.

Could it be the same with the two governors? Is Okorochaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aggressive political onslaught against Willie borne out of a curious desire to inflict hurt and neuter him or a towering passion to serve the state? Willie flares high and low like a wicker lamp. The incumbent governor flaunts a temperament that combusts like flame of the rattan work caught in a rainsquall. According to him, Okorocha who cannot pay workers and pensioners has nothing but â&#x20AC;&#x153;destructive ideasâ&#x20AC;? in his approach to governance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If a governor that has constructed countless number of roads and bridges, embarked on several rural electrification programmes, constructed uncountable number of schools, and health facilities as well as rid the entire Anambra State of crime and criminality, is being termed clueless by Okorocha, then there must be another meaning for clueless.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Okorochaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim that there is a general impression that Chief Willie Obiano is an aggressive governor, who should have done better as a militant than as a governor, is laughable and it is clear to Nigerians who really is a motor park personality between them. Obiano has always been known and accorded the respect of a complete gentleman.â&#x20AC;?

Indeed, Okorocha is an example of what a leader should not be. Who is he to teach the virtues of leadership ideas and service to Governor Obiano?

The pairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s verbal altercation commenced when Okorocha claimed that three governors in the south-east zone would soon defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Siju Iluyomade

of his disparagers make him out to be.

Contrary to misconceptions about his character, Nasiru, according to sources close to him, is actually a modest, compassionate, accommodating and understanding man. His only shortcoming if at all it could be considered â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shortcoming,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; is his lack of tolerance for sycophancy, bribery or any form of corruption. It is often said that too much money destroys character, corrupts virtue, dishevels morals and feeds the vanities of its random possessors. Thus too many possessors of the legal tender have been found to lose their humanity and souls to its enthralling caprices and vile. But Nasiru is remarkably different. Nasiru who is very close to the corridors of power and influence, is immune to the wiles and ravages of money. Unlike too many of his peer that have fallen to moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devious charms, he is invulnerable to the terrifying charms of the legal tender.

Despite his wealth and stature, Danu is hardly goaded to believe himself capable of feats otherwise unachievable if he were of modest means. The top

MAN OF FORTUNEâ&#x20AC;ŚON THE TRAIL OF NASIRU DANU Ëž ËŞ

Angels fly because they take themselves lightly. They do not think too much of themselves, so does the polo buff, Nasiru Danu. Nasiru wears his badge of temperance and humility in the shape of a subtly hued bowtie thus affirming that he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t what many

Nasiru Danu

business magnate and politician who lives a life of modesty does not subscribe to the usual vanities that eventually consumes his fellow deep pockets in the circuits of the filthy rich. His generosity exceeds the bounds and understanding of human reason, according to sources close to him. Beneficiaries of Danuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generosity enthuse about his large heart and capacity for compassion even as you read. Even though his company recently won crude oil contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), he shies from living out loud.

$153M FRAUD: DIEZANIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MEN GO INTO HIDING Ëž

Ě&#x201C;

When brackish waters recede, the catfish burrows deep into mud earth but that hardly prevents the fisherman from yanking it out of its filthy haven.

Like the catfish, bosses of oil firms linked to the $153m seized from former petroleum minister, Diezani Allison Madueke, have gone under to evade arrest; they have scurried deep into unlikely havens to evade arrest and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This prompts investigators to believe that they may have opted to forfeit the cash. But the source of the cash sparked a row last week following claims by a suspect that the $153million was sourced by the former minister from five oil firms and not the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The suspect said the $153million was another tranche of funds mobilised under the table by Mrs Alison-Madueke from oil companies for the re-election of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. The board of NNPC is likely to meet in Abuja to get â&#x20AC;&#x153;a full briefingâ&#x20AC;? on the cash scandal.

84

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ FEBRUARY 5, 2017

IMAGES

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ecently, a send-forth dinner was organised for former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole by the Chairman/Editor- in-Chief of THISDAY Group, Nduka Obaigbena, in Lagos. The high-octane event, which held at NOK Restaurant, Alara, Victoria Island, attracted crème de la crème of the society.

Here are the dignitaries that graced the occasion.

PHOTOS: Abiodun Ajala, Kunle Ogunfuyi and Mubo Peters

R-L: Adams Oshiomhole and his wife, Lara

L-R: Nduka Obaigbena and Godwin Obaseki

Atedo Peterside and wife, Dundun, with Samaila Zubairu

L-R: Tunde Folawiyo, Femi Otedola and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede

L-R: Nduka Irabor and wife, Ebele

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ FEBRU ͳ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

IMAGES

Deola Sagoe

Hakeem Belo-Osagie

Gbenga Oyebode

L-R: Leo Stan Ekeh, his wife, Chioma, and Oba Otudeko

L-R: Donald Duke, his wife, Onari, and Tony Elumelu

L-R: Eniola Bello and Ijeoma Nwogwugwu

L-R: Victor Ifijeh, Louis Odion and Reuben Abati

L-R: Dapo Abiodun, Ruth Osime, Oba Otudeko, Sam Amuka, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu and Dare Otubu

Kayode Komolafe

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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 Ëž FEBRUARY 5, 2017

IMAGES

L-R: William Anumudu and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede

Folake Coker

Nkiru Anumudu L-R: Folake Coker and her friend

L-R: Nogie Meggisson and Mairo Bashir

L-R: Niyi Adebayo and wife, Angela

Kenim Obaigbena

Efe and Eka Obaigbena

Hamra Obaigbena

L-R: Shola Braithwaite, Mrs. Biola Alabi and her husband, Mico Alabi

L-R: ...Nduka Obaigbena ....and

L-R: Grace Osime and Mr. Segun Shebanjo

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ FEBRU ͳ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

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Funke Egbemode

L-R: Chike Ogeah and Albert Okumagba

R-L: Dr. Geoff Ohen and his wife, Ogugua

L-R: Chris Okeke and Ovie Okiri

Dahiru Wada

John Momoh

L-R: Tokunbo Adedoja and Shaka Momodu

L-R: Bismark Rewane and Femi Lijadu

L-R: Mrs Ogunlesi and Chinwe Enemuo

Ladi Mumuney

Sunday February 5, 2017

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE Okorocha to Obiano “Anambra State has remained as Obiano met it. Awka, the state capital, has remained as Obiano met it. The Government House in Awka has remained like that. Let him prove us wrong. Governorship is not a noise-making or name calling enterprise.”

– Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, reacting to statement made by his Anambra State counterpart Willie Obiano that he (Okorocha) was not what a good leader should be.

ENIOLABELLO ENI-B

eniola.bello@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1956

Buhari: As He Was in 1984…

“The last 20 months have not witnessed any significant changes in the national economy.

Contrary to expectations, we have so far been subjected to a steady deterioration in the general standard of living; and intolerable suffering by ordinary Nigerians have risen higher, scarcity of commodities has increased…. Unemployment has stretched to critical dimensions.”

T

he above quote was an excerpt from the inaugural broadcast as military president of then Major General Ibrahim Babangida, justifying the August 27, 1985 coup that ousted his then friend and comrade-in-arms, Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Over the years, Buhari had disputed the real reason for his overthrow, attributing it to his investigation and indictment of some top military officers involved in import licence fraud. Whoever was the purveyor of truth between Buhari and Babangida is not the subject of this article. For the purpose of this piece, what is important was Babangida’s analysis of the person of Buhari, and the administration he ran for 20 months. I will lift some excerpts from Babangida’s scorecard of Buhari’s first coming some 32 years ago and place these within the context of today’s realities, starting from the opening quote above.

By a stroke of interesting coincidence, it’s been 20 months since Buhari was sworn in as president, after leading a coalition of opposition politicians in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defeat the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. At the inception of the Buhari administration, expectations were indeed really high just as there were celebrations when Buhari sacked the Shehu Shagari administration on December 31, 1983. Twenty months on, however, have there been any significant changes in the national economy? Of course, but for the worse! The unemployment situation is more than critical; companies that have not closed down are finding it difficult to pay salaries, as most states and local governments. The deterioration in the standard of living of the people is horrendous – inflation is close to 20%, power outages have never been this intolerable, workers have difficulty paying their house rents, millions are living in hunger and deprivation.

With the unendurable exchange rate regime, it would be little surprise if Nigerians were soon forced to deal with scarcity of commodities, or queue for essential ones, as happened during Buhari’s first coming in 1984.

“Regrettably, it turned out that Major General Muhammadu Buhari was too rigid and uncompromising in his attitudes to issues of national significance. Efforts to make him understand that a diverse polity like Nigeria required recognition and appreciation of differences in both cultural and individual perceptions only served to aggravate these attitudes.”

Despite the 30-year gap, Buhari in his second coming appeared to have planted his governance principles on the template of his first. If those principles failed the nation woefully in 1984, they are even far less likely to work in today’s much-changed world. The economy has gone down south not so much because of the oil price crash long predicted since the last quarter of 2014, important though that was, but more crucially because of the Buhari administration’s monetary and fiscal policy choices. And when those choices failed to bring desired results, the administration kept charging in one direction like a blind

Buhari bull, ignoring the suggestions of well-meaning individuals and regarding every criticism as enemy action. Indeed, in its management of the economy, the administration has been an insufferable bully focused on driving on a one-dimensional track, believing it has answers to all the problems (even as the situation worsens) while dismissing suggestions from Nigerians who know better. The administration’s unbearable arrogance is also reflected in other areas outside of the economy. It is there in the insularity in appointments, and glaring imbalances therein that do not reflect the nation’s ethnic and religious diversities, and violate all constitutional safeguards.

It is there in the seeming soft handling of the rampaging Fulani herdsmen compared to the tough stance against the Niger Delta militants and IPBO campaigners. It is there in the pervasive perception that the anti-graft battle has been no more than a persecution of the leaders of the PDP. It is also there in the strong-arm tactics the DSS has resorted to in making arrests of a political nature as against the polite invitation, which democratic norms demand, and which the security agency has mastered since the nation’s return to civil rule. For every complaint and criticism, the administration has dug in its teeth into the very wrong it was accused of perpetrating.

“While the government recognizes the bitterness created by the irresponsible excesses of the politicians, we consider it unfortunate that methods of such nature as to cause more bitterness were applied to deal with past misdeeds. We must never allow ourselves to lose our sense of natural justice. ….

The guilty should be punished only as a lesson for the future.”

As it was in the second republic when the politicians behaved mostly irresponsibly, so it has been since the return to the present

civil democratic rule in May 1999. The rascally mismanagement of public funds under Jonathan was particularly disturbing.

The Buhari administration has in the last 20 months, however, devoted a disproportionate amount of energy pursuing vengeance rather than justice, natural or legal. Just as in his first coming when some deposed state governors were convicted and jailed for 100 years, and those the military tribunals had no evidence to convict were detained sine die under Decree 2, Buhari in his second coming has fallen back on a similar template, hounding his opponents, and getting his pound of flesh for past wrongs, in the guise of anti-graft war.

The only politicians with corruption allegations against them have been those in the former ruling PDP. The observance of due process, in bringing those allegedly corrupt politicians to justice, has more often than not been in the breach. The government has for instance ignored repeated court orders to release, on bail, former NSA Sambo Dasuki. Shiite leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaki has been detained for months despite a high court order for his release. Some PDP politicians released on bail were rearrested and slammed with some other charges. Yet there have been no attempts to investigate corruption allegations against politicians in the ruling APC. And SGF Babachir Lawal, indicted by the Senate for fraudulent contract awards, was dismissively cleared of any wrongdoing. The administration’s blind pursuit of justice, no vengeance, its unevenhandedness, its cavalier disregard for judicial process, and its manifest persecution of political opponents have deepened, rather than heal, the bitterness in the polity; widened, rather than mend, the nation’s fault lines.

“The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the federal government … was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration. Although it is true a lot of problems were left behind by the last civilian government, the real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action was due to the lack of unanimity of purpose among (members of) the ruling body; subsequently the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power play considerations.”

The above excerpt was not from Babangida’s inaugural broadcast but from the coup speech of then Major General Joshua Dogonyaro, announcing the termination of the Buhari military regime on August 27, 1985. As in his first coming in 1984, Buhari today has been slow, very slow, in decision-making and implementation. On inauguration May 29, 2015 it took more than six months for the president to constitute his cabinet. Almost two years on, envoys have not been deployed to represent the country abroad, and critical government agencies have no boards. Whenever the administration was accused of being unduly slow, Buhari was wont to put the blame on his immediate predecessor. Indeed for more than one year, Buhari’s singsong was either that the Jonathan administration, or 16 years of PDP, destroyed Nigeria. Like a broken record, Buhari and his aides repeatedly bandied Jonathan, or the PDP, as an excuse for the administration’s slow inaction or policy failure, even when around the president were erstwhile strongmen of that party. It was of course obvious that there was “the lack of unanimity of purpose” in the ruling party and that “ill-motivated power play considerations” impacted negatively on the business of governance. Remember

the politics surrounding the election of the National Assembly principal officers and how the presidency and APC became upset with the emergence of Bukola Saraki as Senate president and Yakubu Dogara as House speaker.

Remember how Saraki’s arraignment for false declaration of assets at the Code of Conduct Tribunal was believed to be the fallout of his election as senate president in spite of the party’s support for another candidate.

Remember how senators made an unseemly spectacle of themselves by following Saraki to the courtroom and abandoning their parliamentary duties in the process. Remember the different political underhand tactics to minimize the reach and influence of APC leader Bola Tinubu and cut him down to size.

There were at different times “ill-motivated power play considerations” involving presidency officials and party executives against the senate leadership, presidency officials and party executives against Tinubu, the senate leadership against Tinubu, some governors and ministers against Tinubu, and some ministers against some other ministers. “… the initial objectives and programmes of action, which were meant to have been implemented since the ascension to power of the Buhari administration, have been betrayed and discarded. “ Place the above concluding excerpts, also from Dogonyaro’s coup speech, against the implementation, or lack of it, of APC’s campaign promises. Azuka Onwuka, writing in Punch, adumbrated the party’s unimplemented presidential campaign promises thus: entrenchment of true federalism with a national conference to restructure Nigeria along the lines of devolution of power, fiscal federalism, state police, etc.; exchange rate parity between naira and dollar; scrapping of the Office of First Lady; reduction in the presidential fleet from over 10 aircraft to one; drastic reduction in presidential foreign trips; and fighting corruption without fear or favour, among others. A few of these promises have been implemented without being implemented, and others discarded.

On the strength of his performance in office in the last 20 months, there is no question that Buhari is very weak on the economy, and does not have the capacity to fix Nigeria.

His failure is our collective failure to critically evaluate the abilities of candidates for elective offices based on their background, achievements, knowledge, and emotional intelligence. We all, politicians and electorate alike, were blinded by the failings of the Jonathan administration to have accepted just anybody to occupy that office. That was the only reason why a Buhari could have been elected president, despite his provincialism; his failure to broaden his social and political network; his refusal, since he was sacked as military leader, to acquire fresh knowledge and develop himself intellectually; and his politics of intolerance and exclusion for the 12-year period he contested and failed to win the presidential election. To what may end up our eternal regret, we allowed the APC to con us with an old tasteless wine in new bottle as Buhari, dressed in borrowed robes of ‘Change’, rode to power on the train of party promises he neither believed in, nor had any intention of implementing. “History repeats itself”, wrote Karl Mark in an essay originally published in a German monthly magazine Die Revolution (1852), “the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

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