SUNDAY 23RD AUGUST 2020

Despite COVID-19 Disruptions, Lagos IGR Hits N212.5bn in Seven Months Obinna Chima Notwithstanding the biting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the internally generated revenue (IGR) of Lagos State grew to about N212.5 billion in the first seven months of 2020. This

represents a 4.5 per cent or N9.1 billion increase, compared with N203.4 billion realised by the state in the first seven months of 2019.

Executive Chairman of Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Hamzat Subair, disclosed the latest revenue

earning during an interview with THISDAY in Lagos.

Subair said in January the state generated about N34.5 billion; whereas the target for the month was N42 billion. The amount realised in January was the highest monthly revenue

generated by the LIRS since its establishment, he revealed.

The LIRS chairman explained, “In the first place, the target was a tall order. But it was based on certain strategies and certain dependables that we had hoped to implement during

the year. But just about when we were settling down to actually implement some of these measures, was when the pandemic came in. That N34.5 billion was an all-time high. The agency had never generated anything close to that.”

Subair disclosed that in February, the IGR was about N32.5 billion; around N32 billion in March; before it dropped to about N25.5 billion in April. In May and June, the state recorded a total IGR Continued on page 5

Aisha Buhari Returns from UAE, Calls for Expansion of Health Sector... Page 10 Sunday 23 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9267

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N400

N

Magu May Face More Investigations, Criminal Prosecution How Salami panel established grounds for his removal Buhari yet to get report, likely this week Olawale Olaleye New facts emerging from the Justice Ayo Salami panel, which investigated

the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, have contemplated the possibility of

further investigations, which might lead to a criminal prosecution of the suspended EFCC boss.

Some of the new facts have

also revealed how the Salami panel might have established enough evidentiary grounds for Magu’s eventual removal in their report, investigation of

which started mid July with several witnesses, who assisted in the investigation.

The panel, it was also gathered, recommended that

the former secretary of the EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede be relieved of his duty, even Continued on page 5

Ortom: We Must Wake Up Before Herdsmen’s Attacks Consume Us All Insists Nigerians must bear arms to contain insecurity As communities in Southern Kaduna sign peace agreement Deji Elumoye in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said unless Nigerians collectively wake up to the menace of the killer herdsmen, everyone stands the risk of being consumed.

Ortom spoke in Abuja at the weekend.

The governor justified his recent call on the federal government to allow Nigerians bear arms, saying it would serve as self-defence in the face of the growing insecurity in the country.

This was as the warring Atyap, Hausa and Fulani communities in Zangon Kataf Local Area of Southern Kaduna agreed to live in peace after months of violence that led to mass killings and destruction

of property.

Ortom said regarding the attacks by herdsmen that the state government had taken decisive steps, which had yielded positive result, including the arrest and prosecution of a sizeable number of the criminals.

He stated, “I am not a security expert but as a governor, I receive briefing and I was able to do my independent investigation and know that these people are coming for an agenda.

Nigerians must wake up. If we don’t wake up, we will all be consumed.”

The governor added, “We have arrested about 400 herdsmen and some are not even Fulanis but majority of Continued on page 8

New Video Shows Daura in Good Health... Page 5

MAMMAN DAURA, FIT AS A FIDDLE IN LONDON...

THISDAY/ARISE Group Chairman, Nduka Obaigbena (left) on a courtesy visit to veteran journalist, Mamman Daura in London... yesterday

2

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 •T H I S D AY

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 • T H I S D AY

3

4

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 •T H I S D AY

5

ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

PAGE FIVE

New Video Shows Daura in Good Health Tobi Soniyi

Kabir Daura, son of Mamman Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s older nephew, at the weekend, released yet a new video showing that his father was not sick, but hale and hearty.

The video has further debunked reports that Daura was suddenly flown out of the country for medical attention.

Kabir accompanied the video with a message, which reads: "Flown to the UK for which treatment?

Here is the Mamman Daura you talk about, yesterday, fit and spritely. Your evil wishes for Baba MD will come to naught. They will never see the light of day.

Sahara Reporters= Fake news merchants."

Also, Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, posted the video on his verified Twitter handle @BashirAhmaad.

The video shows Daura walking about in a living room, having a phone conversation in Hausa at an undisclosed address in London. He showed no sign of infirmity and was having a normal conversation in his native language.

Debunking the rumour of Daura’s critical health status, Ahmad tweeted: “No iota of truth in the earlier story that Mallam Mamman Daura was flown to London for an emergency medical attention. He is hale and hearty. Nigerians should disregard that story."

Daura's eldest son, Mohammed, had earlier said his father was well and not sick as reported in some news media.

The reports, which

circulated earlier in the week, claimed that Daura had been flown abroad for urgent medical treatment.

But Mohammed dismissed the story and reminded those behind it of their mortality.

In a statement sent to THISDAY, Mohammed said: “Today is the 21st of August, 2020 and for the past couple of days, we have been forced to deny, numerous times, a completely fabricated story about our father’s wellbeing.

“Alhamdulillah Baba is perfectly fine. He neither has a history of renal problems nor does he have any breathing difficulties like was suggested in the concocted news story."

He reminded those who might derive awkward pleasure from the negative story of their impermanence, saying, “Those that happily shared and even rejoiced over this fake news story should know one thing about life is that no one makes it out alive. We should collectively be humbled by our own mortality.

“We would like to extend our gratitude to the many well-wishers, who have called or sent messages to pray for our father. We thank you for the prayers and well wishes.”

Mohammed did not comment on whether his father was indeed flown out, where he was taken to, and for what reason, but some reports alleged in the week that he was flown to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, and that it was purportedly confirmed

by Daura’s aide and close friend, Aminu Balele Kurfi, who said the president’s nephew travelled to London for routine medical checkup, adding that the news of serious illness was inaccurate.

Reports claimed Kurfi

acknowledged that the 80year old Daura was at the funeral prayer for the late journalist, Wada Maida on Tuesday and did not show

any sign of illness, noting that he saw him off to the airport on Wednesday and received notice of his arrival in the UK.

According to one of the reports, Kurfi said, “At 80 years, it is natural that he will from time to time undertake medical checks.

“If he were sick and the sickness is COVID-19, do you think UK authorities will allow him to travel there at this time?”

HAFSATU WEDS USMANU...

Bridegroom, Usmanu Ibrahim Shema, son of the former governor, Ibrahim Shema and his bride Hafsatu Lawal Garba, daughter of Chairman of Trobell International Limited, during their wedding fatiha in Kaduna... yesterday

MAGU MAY FACE MORE INVESTIGATIONS, CRIMINAL PROSECUTION though he too had since July 15 been suspended by the president in connection with the panel’s discoveries of infractions relating to abuse of trust.

Although sources within the panel confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari was yet to receive the panel’s report as at the time of filing this report, there are however indications that the report might get to the president later this week.

“The President has not received that report, but it is true some recommendations have been made. One, the

predication for his removal has been established. Two, arriving from the facts that have emerged and made available to the panel, further investigation is required, that may lead to criminal prosecution of Magu,” the source said, noting that, “President may likely get the report this week.”

Both the social and traditional media were in the week awash with reports that the Salami panel had recommended among other measures, that Magu be sacked, a development other reports claimed had also elicited the reaction of

the embattled EFCC boss.

THISDAY later gathered exclusively that though the panel did not expressly recommend his sack, it has however established the grounds for his removal, ultimately, with the damning contents of the panel’s report.

Another source close to the panel however hinted as one of the high points of the report, the part asking that Magu be sent to the police for disciplinary action commensurate with the infractions recorded against his name, more so as a police officer.

In the same vein, the panel, THISDAY learnt had asked that Olukoyede be sacked outright, a development also said to have followed the plethora of infractions, which the investigations discovered he committed.

The section of the report, which specifically addresses this recommendation states thus: “Magu should be recalled to the police and disciplined based on the infractions he committed. That the secretary to the commission should be relieved of his post.”

President Muhammadu Buhari had set up the Ayo

Salami panel to investigate various allegations of wrongdoing, including insubordination, failure to properly account for recovered assets, abuse of office, and other corrupt acts levelled against Magu by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, SAN. The panel’s investigation of Magu held within the precincts of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the seat of power.

However, preceding the panel’s sitting was Magu’s arrest, which held on July 6

and was immediately whisked to the presidential villa in Abuja, where he appeared before the panel to probe the operations of the EFCC under him.

Consequently, on July 14, Malami sent a letter to Mohammed Umar, acting EFCC chairman, notifying him of the suspension of 12 directors at the commission, including Olukoyede.

Magu was detained for 10 days before he was released, after which he was availed the opportunity to respond to the damning evidence against him before the investigative panel.

provide internet connectivity in their homes.

“All these were just to ensure that all our remote services would continue to function effectively. So, with these two major platforms, we were able to keep the business of tax collection viable and active.”

Subair also revealed that during the lockdown, LIRS had a 100-man team selected for duties, who worked from home and meetings were held virtually. He said the revenue collection agency was working on an initiative to address concerns about multiple taxation in the state.

According to him, “Lagos is very conscious of multiple taxation. It might please you

to note that at the state level, we are presently compiling a sort of revenue code, which is going to make sure that the taxes are known and that they are certain. This would be publicised state-wide. It would be on our website.

“We are hoping that we can achieve that before the end of this year. So, it is work-inprogress right now. It would help disabuse the minds of members of the public.

“In most of the climes, businessmen want to know all the tax liabilities that would come their way during the year. So, we don’t see any reason why we cannot achieve that. With Lagos being in the forefront, we want to achieve that this year.”

DESPITE COVID-19 DISRUPTIONS, LAGOS IGR HITS N212.5BN IN SEVEN MONTHS of about N28.5 billion each month, before it climbed to about N31 billion in July.

In addition to the total figure, Subair revealed, there was a one-off payment of N1.5 billion from the federal government, which represented outstanding Pay-As-You-Earn from some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The LIRS head explained, “So, you can see that with the measures fully kicking in and, of course, with the phased re-opening, things started to get better in July.

So, it is on the upward trend based on all the measures that we put in place.

“You know with the pandemic, both the federal

and Lagos State budgets had to be revised. So, the target in the Lagos State budget is N30 billion monthly, which is what is going to be looked at throughout the year.

“You can then say that making N34.5 billion is well above the budget and at the moment, the target is N30 billion. So, we are on track.”

Subair, however, stressed that the projections of the LIRS, just like other organisations across the world, were disrupted by COVID-19. He revealed that in the first quarter, following the announcement of the pandemic’s outbreak in the country, “we sat down at the LIRS and constituted a COVID-19 taskforce and this

was born out of our initial design of a business continuity plan.”

He added, “We knew that sooner or later, there was going to be a lockdown and to try and mitigate the lockdown, we set up certain systems from the business continuity plan, which centred on the provision of digital services.

“Luckily, late last year, we had launched an end-to-end tax administration solution called e-Tax. What e-Tax does is that all taxation processes that you can think of would run through that platform.

“That means that taxpayers do not have to physically go to any of the LIRS locations, but can remotely access same types of services that they

would come here for. So, we set that up and we made sure that we strengthened all the structures around that platform, to ensure that we operate optimally, even with the lockdown.

“The other digital platform that we strengthened was our contact centre – 0700 CALL LIRS. Now, we knew that during that lockdown, a lot of taxpayers would have a lot of enquiries from LIRS, based on their transactions with us.

“So, we had to make sure that we had a viable contact centre, even though there was lockdown. We even had to buy laptops and phones for the officers in the contact centre to use. We also had to

6

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 •T H I S D AY

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 • T H I S D AY

7

ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

8

NEWS

Gbajabiamila Frustrating Graft Investigation In the House, Says PDP Chuks Okocha in Abuja Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday decried the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the House of Representatives to shut down the sitting of various committees investigating the executive and described it as a deliberate design to cover up the stench of corruption oozing out of the APC administration.

The party, however, charged the Speaker, House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila, to stop circumventing the statutory duties of the House and placing wedges in the way of the fight against corruption by the legislature.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP described the shutdown order by the APC leadership of the House of Representatives as a clear example of corruption fighting back from within the government circle, which must be condemned by all Nigerians.

The party noted that such incursion into the activities of the committees was to undermine the fight against corruption as well as frustrate whistle blowers, because APC has become an ocean of corruption where the members swim.

"It is clear that the shutdown directive is targeted at frustrating revelations from the ongoing investigations on the $500 million foreign loan from China, particularly as it relates to the mortgaging of our nation’s sovereignty to

China," the opposition party claimed.

This, the PDP said, was in addition to the investigations into the humongous corruption in government agencies, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the N300 billion unremitted revenue to the federation account as well as allegations of corruption in government earnings and expenditures in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA’s) under the APC. The PDP said, "It is, therefore, unfortunate that under the Gbajabiamilaled leadership, the basic responsibility of the House of Representatives, which is its oversight on the executive, has just been maimed through a forced holiday on the members of the respective committees and their Chairmen.

"It is equally distressing that the APC leadership of the House of Representatives is breaching parliamentary rules, practices and procedures to shield APC leaders and their cronies, who have been fleecing our nation.

"Our party, therefore, holds that any parliament that deliberately frustrates its statutory responsibility to call the activities of the executive to question has lost the essence of its own existence.

The leadership that led it into such constitutional suicide must be held culpable."

PDP explained that never in Nigeria’s parliamentary history had committee activities been suspended or

shut down on the ground of holiday or suspension of plenary.

"For us, in the PDP, it is shocking that the APC leadership of the House of Representatives could by any consideration shut down, its legislative investigation, which is exclusively vested on it under sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution

(as amended), on the guise of being on break. Such an action is calamitous to our democracy," he explained.

The PDP has also commended members of its caucus and other minorities in the National Assembly for standing against corruption and striving to ensure that the APC does not sell Nigerians into slavery

with its reckless foreign borrowings.

The party however urged the lawmakers not to be deterred by the development but continue in their assignments, as they are only answerable to the Nigerian people.

It further charged the Gbajabiamila-led leadership to immediately reverse itself

as Nigerians expect nothing but seamless investigations without unnecessary interferences and incursions.

"If the Honourable Speaker is inclined towards allowing the covering of corruption, against the purpose for which he was elected to lead the House, then, he should take a bow and step aside," the PDP stated.

IN THE SPIRIT OF COVID-19...

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal (left) during his visit to former president, Olusegun Obasanjo in Ota... yesterday

ORTOM: WE MUST WAKE UP BEFORE HERDSMEN’S ATTACKS CONSUME US ALL them are Fulanis and we have prosecuted them. Today, we have convicted more than 130 herdsmen, who are already serving various jail terms and some have paid fines.

“We have arrested over 9000 cattle but as the law stipulates, once you pay fine we release them to you and you transport them.

You no longer go on foot with those cattle within Benue State.

“On the issue of foreign herdsmen, I am happy that the Inspector General of Police, some days ago, did say these herdsmen are not Nigerians. That is what I said about two or three years ago. I knew it.”

Ortom reiterated his belief in the need for the citizens to bear arms in self-defence, saying he stands by his submission.

According to him, “This is a suggestion that the federal government should take up seriously, because in America people are licensed to carry sophisticated weapons, but life is still going on. It is left for the federal government to look at it if my suggestion can be carried, but for me, I still stand by my suggestion.

“I heard people complaining that Ortom called for Nigerians

to be allowed to carry sophisticated weapons and that it would bring about anarchy. What about the Fulani herdsmen, who are carrying AK-47 rifles and kidnapping innocent Nigerians, raping our women, and destroying our villages and towns and becoming a terror to us.

“Why can’t we collect these sophisticated weapons from them? How many of them have been arrested? I am aware that some have been apprehended, but majority of them are still there with those AK-47.”

The governor explained that the state's share of the N13.5 billion approved by the federal government for community policing across the country would be used to train personnel of its local vigilante group.

He stressed that the state had so far recruited the necessary personnel for the take-off of its vigilante body in all the 276 wards in the state. According to him, what is left is the training of the security personnel.

Ortom stated, “Already, we have done the recruitment from all the 276 wards, so I think the next thing is for the training to take place. I believe that the N13.5 billion that was

approved will support the logistics of training these people.

“Otherwise we had undertaken that the local governments and state government will jointly see how they can provide stipends so that these people will report to the police and support the police. But they will work hand-in-hand with vigilante groups.”

Commenting further on community policing, he explained, "This is a policy that all the Northcentral state governors and the Inspector General of Police met sometime ago and we jointly agreed to augment the capacity and the strength of the Nigeria Police.

“We need to do something that will arise from the community to support the police. So, it is a policy that would engaged the rural people and government is told to find ways of giving them stipends, but the police will train these recruits.”

Meanwhile, the agreement reached Saturday night in Southern Kaduna was brokered at a peace and reconciliation summit organised by the Atyap Traditional Council, Atyap

Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.

The meeting held at the Mariyamu and Yakubu Event Centre in Ungwan Wakili community, in Zangon Kataf.

Participants at the summit condemned the killings and destruction in the area and resolved to forgive each other and work with security agencies to arrest and prosecute criminal elements. They warned the youth against taking the law into their hands, insisting there should be justice and fairness to all the ethnic groups, while also cautioning against inputting religious and ethnic sentiments to every issue.

Declaring open the summit chaired by Air Vice Marshal Shekari (rtd), the Agwam Atyap, His Royal Highness, Dominic Yahaya, said the Atyap, Fulani, Hausa and other ethnic groups in the area had coexisted peacefully and harmoniously for decades.

He condemned the spate of killings and destruction of property, and urged the people to embrace peace.

“The entire chiefdom was a close-knit family, as Fulanis, Hausas, Chawai, Igbos, Yorubas, Amawa,

Ikulu, Surubu all lived peacefully with the Atyap, who are known to be very accommodating and hospitable,” he said.

The paramount ruler regretted that the trust that existed among the ethnic groups “has gradually been eroded and deteriorated, resulting in the crisis now bedevilling the chiefdom, which informs the onus for convening this conference.

“There is no gainsaying that the recent crisis has had devastating effects on the entire people of the chiefdom. Lives were lost and properties worth millions have been destroyed and life has become almost unbearable for all.

“The pitiable and woeful sight of all people running away from their places of domicile to IDP camps and places unknown has a devastating effect on the entire chiefdom.”

He called on the youth to eschew violence, embrace peace, and adhere to the rule of law as enshrined in the country’s constitution.

A communiqué issued after the meeting was, however, signed by representatives of the Atyap, Fulani and Hausa communities, the co-chairs

and His Highness, the Agwatyap.

In a 14-point resolution, the summit called on all residents of Atyap Chiefdom not to take laws into their hands and, instead, submit all grievances to the lawful authorities.

The meeting “appreciated the fact that all Nigerians have the constitutional or fundamental right to move and reside anywhere in Nigeria, including Atyap Chiefdom, without any fear, molestation or harassment from anybody or any source whatsoever.” It called on the authorities to facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes.

It also “recommended the establishment of a standing peace committee that should comprise of Hausa, Fulani and Atyap and their youths to organise robust engagement/dialogue on security issues from time to time with a view to sustaining peaceful coexistence.”

News of the peace meeting came hours after the Kaduna State government reduced curfew hours in Zangon Kataf and Kauru local government areas, citing serious efforts at rapprochement between the conflicting communities.

SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2020 • T H I S D AY

9

10

ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

NEWS

Edo 2020: PDP Alerts Police, DSS of Alleged APC Deployment of Thugs from Kogi It’s too early to suffer hallucination, APC replies Bayo Akinloye The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council said it had alerted the security agencies to an alleged deployment of thugs and arms in two branded Toyota Sienna buses to the state from Kogi State by the All Progressives Congress (APC). PDP State Publicity Secretary Chris Osa Nehikhare, who made the allegation on Saturday in Benin City, said APC intended to use the thugs to intimidate the electorate and cause mayhem during the impending governorship poll in Edo State.

But APC dismissed the allegation as shameful descent into hoaxing and delusion by a jittery governing party that ought to be campaigning with issues. Chairman of APC Campaign Council, Mr. John Maiyaki, said the alleged van filled with arms existed only in PDP's corrupt imagination.

Nehikhare, who spoke on behalf of the PDP campaign

council, said intelligence revealed that the thugs were loaded into two buses stuffed with arms and ammunition and dispatched through Kogi State borders into Edo State to execute APC’s evil plan. He called on the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to track the movement of the buses and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to book.

According to him, “The buses are loaded with arms and ammunition. They were given mandates to intimidate the electorate and cause mayhem.

“We have always maintained that the APC has nothing to campaign with and has only one face-saving strategy: to intimidate voters. This is all they plan to do in this election and we have seen this manifest in a number of times as they have unleashed mayhem on innocent Edo people.”

Nehikhare said the state government was committed to ensuring a free and peaceful election, while working with

the relevant security agencies to protect life and property in the state.

However, APC cautioned PDP to quit hallucination and face issue-based campaign that would help the Edo electorate make their choices on September 19. It said wild rumours at this time, which had become PDP's pastime, would do the state no good.

Maiyaki stated, “The latest falsehood from the hallucinating PDP is a branded van, loaded with arms, from Kogi State. Let the DSS go ahead and probe this latest allegation. But take it from us: it's another ploy to divert attention from the real

thing: the PDP is scared of a bad beating at the polls on September 19; and it tries to divert the people's attention.”

The APC campaign council chairman said the party was busy taking its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu's SIMPLE agenda to the people and had no time to fantasise with wild imaginations.

“Compare our campaigns with theirs. Look at the Edo people's passion, as they warm up to POI's messages of hope, as we touch down in every community, in all parts of Edo State,” he stated, adding, “Why would we disrupt a campaign going on so well for us to

run arms? Does a popular and accepted party need to intimidate anyone?”

Maiyaki said given the deceit that PDP had employed as campaign strategy ahead of the polls, it was possible the alleged vans with arms were actually PDP’s creation, while the alert was meant as cover for the act. He said, “All I know is we're too busy selling our resonating message of hope to have time for any illegal or illicit activity. Let the PDP campaign as we are doing and get serious.

Maybe then, they would have less time for old wives' tales.

An idle mind, they say, is the devil's workshop.”

He said APC was in the election to win and could not be distracted.

The APC chairman stated, “Governor Obaseki wasted four years and yet couldn't prove himself. Now, his adopted party is wasting the short campaign period, passing around rumours, simply because they lack winning ideas. When we win big on September 19, they will mouth another set of rumours and lies. But we wish them well: hard work, not wild rumours, win elections.

We mean serious business.

“Let PDP continue wasting precious time. They will see the result on September 19.”

Aisha Buhari Returns from UAE, Calls for Expansion of Health Sector Capacity Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who was flown to Dubai for the treatment of a neck disease on July 31, returned to the country yesterday.

Mrs. Buhari, who thanked Nigerians for their love and support while she was away, urged Nigerian healthcare providers to take advantage of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) N100 billion health care credit support facility to expand the frontiers of the health sector.

In a press statement she personally signed yesterday, Mrs. Buhari, who said she had fully recovered, thanked Nigerians for their prayers and good wishes when she was away.

She narrated how the Nigeria Airforce aircraft conveying her back home ran into severe turbulence in the air but which she said they survived through the skill and expertise of the pilot and his crew.

She praised the pilot for demonstrating a sense of professionalism which she said helped him to take the aircraft through the turbulence.

The president's wife also commended men and women of the Nigeria Airforce for what she described as their dedication to duty and effective maintenance of the aircraft in military agency's fleet.

The statement read: "I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians for their prayers and well wishes while I was away for medical treatment in the United Arabs

Emirates (UAE). I am well now and fully recovered and had since returned back home, Nigeria.

"On our way back, the Nigerian Airforce Flight encountered a violent clear air turbulence which was navigated safely and professionally by the Captain and crew of the Flight.

"I want to commend and appreciate the courage and professionalism of the Captain and his crew, the wonderful gallant service men and women of the entire Nigerian Airforce for their dedication to duty and the quality of maintenance of its Fleet.

"I recall hosting the private healthcare Providers earlier in the year and we had a very productive engagement where the issue of building the capacity of Nigeria health sector was the major focus, and funding was discovered to be the major challenge.

"I therefore call on the healthcare providers to take the advantage of the Federal Government’s initiative through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines for the operation of NGN100 Billion Credit Support for the Healthcare Sector as was released recently contained in a circular dated March 25, 2020 to the Commercial Banks.

"This will no doubt help in building and expanding the capacity of the Nigerian health sector and ultimately reduce medical trips and tourism outside the Country.

"Once again, I thank our frontline workers, and all Nigerians for their steadfast as we navigate the challenges facing the entire world."

FOR A REFORM JUSTICE SYSTEM...

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN delivers remarks at at a webinar by Wole Olanipekun & Co Justice Summit themed; Developing an Institutional Concept of Justice in Nigeria tolani all

Court Lifts Injunction on Ile Arugbo, Awards Penalties against Saraki’s Firm The Kwara State High Court has lifted an interim injunction restraining the state government from constructing anything on the disputed civil service clinic land (alias Ile Arugbo) following repeated failure of counsel to the claimant, Asa Investment Limited, to appear before the court to fully prosecute its case.

Asa Investment Limited, which is purportedly owned by the late Olusola Saraki, had taken Kwara State Government to court after the latter reclaimed the land.

The government said the land was unlawfully taken over by the firm without any right of occupancy or payment to the owner, the state government.

The court, presided over by Justice Abiodun Adebara, also awarded a penalty of N200, 000 each in favour of all the four defendants (Kwara State Governor, Attorney-General of the state, House of Assembly, and Bureau of Lands) and another N50,000 to the police

on account of the failure of the claimant to allow the case to proceed to hearing on various occasions.

Adebara took the decision after the counsel to the claimant, Akin Onigbinde, SAN, again failed to attend the court session on Thursday.

Onigbinde instead sent a letter, accompanied with a medical report, saying he was advised to undergo bed rest between August 3 and 10. After many adjournments at the instance of the claimant, Onigbinde had again on July 8 agreed to an adjournment for July 22, but he later said he could not make the sitting.

That led to the adjournment to August 6, when Onigbinde, again, did not attend, allegedly, on medical grounds.

The judge agreed with the Attorney-General that “the claimants are not diligent in the prosecution of this case, which entitled me to dismiss the case under Order 39 Rule 4 of the Rules of this Court, but having regard to

the provision of Order 39 rules 5 and 6, which allow the claimants to apply to set aside the judgement dismissing the case, I consider it better to give the claimants another opportunity. Hence, instead I award the costs of N200,000 against the claimants in favour of the 1st to 4th defendants and the costs of N50,000 in favour of the 5th defendant against the claimants. Furthermore, the exparte order of injunction granted the claimants earlier on in this case is hereby vacated."

Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Salman Jawondo, who appeared for the government, said the claimant was “deliberately wasting the time of the court” and urged Adebara to dismiss the case for lack of diligent prosecution and to award N250, 000 penalty each against the claimant and in favour of the defendants.

Jawondo, who insisted that Asa Investment Limited was just buying time with the numerous adjournments,

wondered why other counsel to the claimant could not continue with the case in the absence of Onigbinde.

The police, which is the fifth defendant in the case, aligned with the government’s position that the case should be struck out. The court awarded only N200,000 each in favour of the first four defendants and another N50,000 in favour of the police.

Adebara, however, adjourned the matter to September 23 and 24 to allow the claimant’s counsel to continue the case.

He warned that he would not grant any other adjournment.

The government had in January reclaimed the land, which it said was originally meant for the construction of the civil service secretariat but was unlawfully gifted out to a private firm in 2005 without any payment or certificate of ownership. Asa Investment Limited, which claims ownership of the land, thereafter challenged the action of the government in the court.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

11

EDITORIAL

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

DISTURBING SIGNALS F ROM M ALI The ambitious men in uniform should be sent packing

F

ormer President Goodluck Jonathan and some other West African leaders arrived Mali yesterday in order to fast track a return to “constitutional order.” The Malian President, Ibrahim B. Keita, was ousted in a military coup d’état last Tuesday. The backdrop to the unfortunate event is the protracted war being waged by insurgents in the northern parts of the country. At its worst stage, the terrorists threatened to overrun Bamako, the capital city, until France deployed their fighter jets to restore a measure of order. Along the line, the insurgents were able to write themselves and their grievances into the political configuration of Mali. In the process, the army acquired political coloration in relation to the opposition. Tension arose, leading to the intervention of leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in search of a political solution that has now proved to be elusive.

In spite of the tacit endorsement by a section of Malians who have endured bad governance from politicians, the coup has only widened the dimensions of the country’s problems.

In addition to the existing political differences between the parties, the insurgency and terrorism remain unresolved.

Added to the mix is the unclear role of a controversial Islamic cleric and the emergence of the army as an illegitimate contender for power. But this is not a new development. In May 2012, a two-day meeting of the Coalition Committee of Malian Patriotic Organisations (COPAM) was followed by the invasion of the presidential palace to physically assault the then interim President Dioncounda Traore. The mob was made up mostly of supporters of Captain Amadou Sanogo who had staged a similar coup before handing over to an interim administra-

ECOWAS has its job cut out in terms of finding a political solution to Mali’s problems, and finding enduring solution to the security threat of fundamentalist terrorism in the West African sub-region

Letters to the Editor

tion.

As speaker of parliament at the time, Traore had been appointed to lead the country up to the election that eventually produced the leadership that was toppled last week. That arrangement, brokered by ECOWAS, also granted Sanogo, then coup leader, a few cosmetic face-saving sweeteners, including all the benefits of a former leader, an allowance, a house, transportation and security as well as immunity. With ECOWAS backing, Traore was able to manage the transition that brought President Keita to power. But rather than work for the people, Keita ran a corrupt government that was also intolerant of opposition, until he was forced to resign at gun-point last week.

M

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS OLAWALE OLALEYE, TOBI SONIYI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI , PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH, PATRICK EIMIUHI ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

eanwhile, the ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali, former President Jonathan is leading the team that is currently negotiating the release of Keïta, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other political leaders detained by the military. This followed a virtual meeting by leaders from all membercountries of ECOWAS. We agree with the sub-regional body that the crisis which led to the coup in the Sahelian nation poses grave dangers to peace and security in West Africa. It is a threat to the battle against Islamic extremist groups, and we hope it would be resolved early.

The international community must maintain the resolve to force the military junta in Mali out of power. A combination of economic sanctions and political/diplomatic armtwisting should force the soldiers into an early election. But even after their hopeful exit, the national security challenges are likely to endure. ECOWAS therefore has its job cut out in terms of finding a political solution to Mali’s problems, and finding enduring solution to the security threat of fundamentalist terrorism in the West African sub-region.

For us in Nigeria, the embarrassing development in Mali is a warning signal. With Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other terror groups in the Northeast and bandits in the Northwest, our internal security challenges are getting more complicated. We are involving the military too extensively and for too long in internal security operations. Our service chiefs are being allowed to overstay their tours of duty and in the process are acquiring political clout. We must guard against mistakes of the ugly past. There is also an urgent need for responsibility on the part of politicians and public officials at all levels.

More often than not, leaders in Africa tend to be indifferent to the plight of the people.

While we therefore condemn in the strongest term the military coup in Mali and urge a quick return to civil rule, we need to remind political leaders on the continent that the real bulwark against anti-democratic forces is to work in service of the people.

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.

NIGERIA' S R ISING UNEMPLOYMENT R ATE

T

he National Bureau of Statistics recently put the unemployment rate in Nigeria at 27.1% in the second quarter of 2020 from 23.1% in the third quarter of 2018, the last time such report was made public. Since that report hit the ground, arguments and counterarguments have ensued regarding government's efforts at tackling this existential threat.

For critics, government's attitude across tiers is at best lackadaisical, nonchalant and indifferent while at worst, dispiriting, demoralizing and discouraging. With that heartbreaking report, unemployment now stood

at a staggering rate of 21.7 million as more Nigerians, ready and agile continued to roam cities in desperate hunt for scarce jobs. For a serious, committed and people-oriented government, such heart-wrenching revelation would not only have been troubling but concrete and workable plans intended to holistically tackle and address such scourge would have been reeled out.

Aside NBS jolting figures, emerging facts if critically assessed, might paint an uglier picture than presently peddled by government. This proposition is partly hung on two-fold conjecture: one about lack of central database initiated

to capture unemployment rate in the country from urban dwellers to inhabitants of hinterlands and on the other, to unwillingness of most Nigerians to disclose their job statuses.

Tunde, a young graduate was a beneficiary of NPower program before his service year. During his compulsory National Youth Service, his volunteering job with N-Power was on as was his monthly allowance from NYSC. This kind of discrepancy would have been tracked had we a national database in place to trace such double benefits. Three weeks after his service, he was employed into a big IT firm in Lagos due to his family

ties with the firm's CEO. Even at that, his job hunt especially that of federal government was as serious and ruthless as it is amid completely unemployed graduates.

These two phenomena: lack of central database and unwillingness of Nigerians to disclose their job statuses if continued to be treated with levity will keep Nigeria's quest for accurate data hampered.

Data collection, with penchant for honesty and sincerity, requires strong political will.

But for a country fraught with corruption and tribalism, such has remained a white elephant project. In other words, figures reeled off by NBS will remain a subject of debate both from pro and anti-government critics and dingbats for a while.

A disturbing four million Nigerians were estimated to apply for the paltry 400,000 N-Power batch C jobs. From all indications, this startling disclosure does not just portend a serious danger for Nigeria but also put the country on notice of social unrest.

While the country continues to sit comfortably on a gun powder, it is important to draw examples from revolutionary Arab spring which swept Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Algeria - and others occasioned by high unemployment rate, with systemic, wanton and institutional corruption a close relative.

––Muftau Gbadegesin, muftaugbadegesin@gmail. com.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

12

NEWS

Acting News Editor ÌÙãÏÑË ÕÓØÝËØ×Ó E-mail: ÑÌÙãÏÑ˲ËÕÓØÝËØ×Ó̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט͸΀͹ͽͺͻͽ΁ͺͽͻ ̙Ý×Ý ÙØÖã̚

Osinbajo: Nigerian Justice System Requires Urgent Reforms Says appointment of justice must be on merit Emphasises involvement of all arms of govt Tobi Soniyi Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has said that it will take synergy among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary arms of government to give the country a befitting justice system.

Osinbajo, who said the nation’s administration of justice urgently required reform, said such collaboration was already in the works.

He dropped this hint yesterday at the virtual edition of the Wole Olanipekun & Co (WOC) Justice Summit.

The summit themed ‘Developing an Institutional Concept of Justice in Nigeria’ featured prominent speakers including, the convener, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; Prof.

Fidelis Oditah, QC, SAN; Mr Yemi Candide-Johnson, SAN; notable economist, Prof. Pat Utomi; and a prominent lawyer from the UK,

Brie Stevens-Hoare, QC, among others.

The vice president said it was important for the leadership of the legal profession, the executive, the judiciary and the legislature, to sit together and critically examine the justice system.

Osinbajo said the collaboration “to get the reform going should also include states. Working together with the sub-nationals and the federal government and

their judiciaries, we can make a fundamental change.

“This is obviously a matter that we must take seriously and address, not just as professionals but we must involve all the arms of government.”

He said that the reform of the justice system could not be done by one arm of government alone.

He said: “There is a need for us to appreciate that it is a many-sided thing, complicated and we have

CREDITTO PLANET PROJECT . . .

R-L: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Planet Project Limited, Mr. Biodun Otunola; Managing Director, Strabic Construction Company, Mr. Lekan Adebiyi; Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Works & Infrastructure, Mr Olujimi Hotonu and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the unveiling of BRT operations at Terminal II of Oshodi Transport Interchange… recently

to simply look for ways to work together.

“I am seeing that critical mass of individuals in the legal profession, in the executive and also in the judiciary who are willing to reform.

We are working quite hard to see how we can all come together to make a real change.”

The vice president noted that the big question “will be the relevance of our paradigms of justice to the major socio-economic circumstances that confront us.

“The law is a social construct and makes sense only within a social context. To treat the law as something apart from society, or as a body of technical abstractions is to strip it of meaning and to alienate the legal order from the very people it is meant to serve,” he added.

He, therefore, said that a definition of justice that focused on the social and economic rights of the people was not only more meaningful, but also more just.

He listed the rights to include the right to food, shelter, employment, education and a reasonable national standard of living, care for the elderly, pensions, unemployment benefits and welfare for the physically challenged.

He argued that progress in the observance of socio-economic rights must also be prosecuted in terms of the struggle to reduce the basic problems of ill-health, malnutrition, illiteracy, and famine which daily afflict the people.

He, also, said: “Where social and economic rights are unsecured,

people are unable to fully maximize their civil and political rights. For instance, access to qualitative education enhances and enriches the freedoms of expression, thought and conscience.

“Conversely, pervasive illiteracy can nullify the entire idea of the freedom of the expression. In the progressive vision, political rights and socio-economic rights are mutually reinforcing.”

He added that socio-economic rights even where wholly justiciable meant nothing unless there was a fiscal commitment to enforcement.

The summit also addressed judicial appointments, delays in the courts, the issue of technicalities, among other critical elements of the justice sector reform agenda.

Osinbajo said the process of appointing judges should be reformed.

He said: “Judicial appointments should follow a merit based system and this is absolutely necessary, we need to insist on mandatory tests and interviews for all applicants.

“We need to look more carefully at how our judges are selected.

There has to be an objective process of selecting judges. We cannot insist that the only way to become a judge is to be a (judicial) career person or move from the high court to the Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court.

“We must be able to bring in practicing lawyers, academics to be justices of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. If it requires rewriting the rules, then let us rewrite the rules.”

NNPC to Increase Gas Production to 500,000 Cubic Feet Per Day Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it will increase daily gas production from 260,000 to 500,000 standard cubic feet per day in the next two years.

The Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari revealed the plan recently while inspecting Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Plant Facility (IGHF), which belongs to the NPDC in Ologbo, Edo State.

After completing the gas plant, Kyari said Nigeria would be sufficient in liquefied petroleum gas, stressing that the facility was awarded in 2015 but work commenced in 2017, and would be completed in October this year.

He said the production of 500, 000 cubic feet per day would be achieved in the next two years, adding that a series of projects and activities had been lined up to achieve this.

He noted that NPDC was producing about 136, 000 standard cubic feet (scf) per

day, noting however, that with improvement, the company is now producing 260,000 scf per day, which he described as a magnificent level of growth in the upstream company.

“A year ago, NPDC was producing about 136 000 barrels per day. But today, we are producing 260, 000 barrels per day. This is a very magnificent level of growth in any upstream company. Our target is to take this company to a production level of 500, 000 cubic feet per day.

“This is possible within

Falana Asks Public Officers to Learn from NBA’s Decision on el-Rufai Tobi Soniyi Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has called on all public officers to learn from the decision of the Nigerian Bar Association to drop Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai as one of the speakers at its Annual General Conference.

Falana, who spoke on a House of Justice Radio/Television network program alongside pioneer Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Tom Adaba, said that el-Rufai might have constitutional immunity as a governor but not immunity to prosecution in the court of public morality.

He said that public officials should know that people are watching them and would hold them to account at appropriate time.

He said NBA had no choice but to respect the feelings of its members that the governor should not be allowed to address a forum of lawyers because he had been associated with disobedience to court orders, abuse of the rule of law and making inciting statements that lawyers believe had contributed to the crisis in Kaduna State.

He said: “This is a great lesson to all public officers in Nigeria that people are watching them even if you believe you enjoy immunity with respect to prosecution, people can prosecute you morally.

“Other public officials should learn from el-Rufai’s experience.

This is how to run a country under the rule of law.”

Falana recalled how el-Rufai as minister for the Federal Capital Territory disobeyed court orders.

He said: “The legal profession suffers from institutional memory.

In 2006, we had a 2-day boycott of court to protest disobedience of court orders by the then government.

“We identified 8 court orders that were being disobeyed at that material time. Three out of the 8 were disregarded by el-Rufai who was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. He has continued to disobey court orders.

According to him, the government of Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration was so embarrassed by the protest of lawyers and hadti instructed the then Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, to ensure that the orders being complained about by the lawyers were complied with.

two years. We have lined up a series of projects and activities in these regards. We have the highest number of rings running in this country.

Five rings running at the same time, adding incremental value, and delivering major projects which will ultimately take production to 500 000 targets.

“NPDC, being an indigenous company, contributes about a billion standard cubic feet of gas production to the entire mix of production, adding that majority of it goes into the domestic market,” NNPC’s

helmsman said Kyari added that NPDC “is a company 100 percent owned by Nigeria, and we are delivering it to be number one upstream company in this country.

“With the support and alignment of all the stakeholders particularly the support we are getting from President Muhammadu Buhari, we are delivering this company as the number one upstream company.

“We are optimistic that gas will now be delivered without

interruption into the domestic market; supply of crude oil to the international market by our own company and through our own control will be justified.”

Today, the largest contributor of gas to the domestic market particularly the power sector is NPDC. This is a national responsibility and a commercial venture with a national outlook.

Earlier, NPDC Managing Director, Mansur Sambo, had said that with the plant, gas would now be delivered without interruption into the domestic market.

DMO Denies N1.08bn Corruption Allegation, Says Sponsors Disgruntled Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Debt Management Office (DMO) has described as false, twisted and distorted a report alleging a N1.08 billion corruption scandal in the agency.

The DMO said the alleged corruption scandal published in a national newspaper (not THISDAY) was the handiwork of “disgruntled elements who have not only breached the Civil Service Rules but have also contravened laid-down procedures for dealing with official matters.”

In a statement issued in reaction to the allegation, the DMO stated “unequivocally that the story is false, full of lies”, adding that the documents referred to in the report had been twisted

and distorted with the intention to misinform the general public in a bid to discredit the institution.

Describing the story as far from being a true representation of the dealings in the DMO, the agency described itself as an accountable, transparent and responsible organisation that works in accordance with laiddown civil service procedures and is highly regarded by multilateral agencies and financial institutions as a reputable government agency.

“The sponsors of the story are disgruntled elements who have not only breached the Civil Service Rules but have also contravened laid down procedures for dealing with official matters.

“These officials, who have

resorted to illegally leaking official documents due to their recent redeployment, have colluded with other disgruntled persons who have failed in their attempts to control the running of the affairs of the DMO, which has blocked their ability to pilfer public funds.

“The story referred to documents that, on their own, are incomplete and do not reflect the whole story or the purpose of any transaction. The claims that events and travels by officials of the DMO either did not take place or did not hold are false and an attempt to discredit the impeccable records of the organisation, “ the statement said.

According to the DMO, “these speak to their desperation to give the institution a bad name.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

13

NEWSXTRA Tambuwal Visits Obasanjo, Says Sokoto Has Tackled Banditry Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal yesterday disclosed that the problem of banditry and kidnapping had largely been tackled in the state, putting an end

to a vicious cycle of insecurity that engulfed the state for months.

Tambuwal, Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, added that internally displaced persons (IDPs) had started returning home now that insecurity

Lagos Records 404 COVID-19 Cases With 404 new cases, Lagos State remains the epicentre of COVID-19 infection.

Latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) show that the country recorded 601 new cases raising fears the virus remains virulent.

With this upsurge, Nigeria now has 51,905 confirmed cases of the virus with 38,767 discharged and 997 deaths.

According to the NCDC’s data, a total of 882 patients recovered yesterday and were

discharged from various isolation centres in the country, while one person died of COVID-19 complications.

Lagos also recorded a sharp rise in the number of cases from 33 recorded on Friday to 404 on Saturday.

The Federal Capital Territory was next with 37 cases while Oyo and Ondo States followed with 19 and 14 cases respectively.

Abia, Enugu and Kaduna recorded 13 new cases each even as Edo and Kano have 12 cases each.

had ended and peace restored in the eastern part of the state.

He gave this update yesterday when he paid an unscheduled visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Presidential Library Complex in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital alongside five of his special advisers.

In a statement by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Tambuwal said: “We have established peace in the eastern part of the state where we have a problem of banditry, kidnapping and criminalities.

“Peace is returning and people are back to their farms and villages. Those in the IDPs camps are back in our homes and villages now. We are doing

our best as a state government to ensure that we engender security.

“We are doing our best to provide development and employment for our people.

We are doing our best as a government to ensure that we engender security and provide development opportunities for Sokoto people.”

During the visit, Tambuwal described Obasanjo as a statesman, who is still relevant for consultations on issues of governance and challenges in the country.

After more than one and half an hour private session with the octogenarian, Tambuwal explained that the purpose of the visit was to recognize Obasanjo as an elder

statesman and accord him the respect he deserves.

The Sokoto governor said: “It is always good for us to come and see how he is doing, pay our normal homage to him as a respected leader in this country and consult him on very many issues of governance.

“We brought him the greetings of the good people of Sokoto State. We continue to learn from and drink from his great wealth of experience; and his fountain of knowledge in his years of governance and challenges of today.”

He prayed for the good health of the former resident and Nigerians in general, noting that the people of Nigeria would continue to learn

from him.

The governor hinted that they had a successful parley and he was happy that the elder statesman was in high spirits despite the Convid-19 atmosphere.

He said: “You know Baba is our leader, statesman. It is always good for us to come around to see how he is doing, pay homage and consult him on very many issues of governance, that is why we have come this afternoon.

“We brought him the greetings and felicitations of the good people of Sokoto state. We shall continue to learn from him, drink from his wealth of experience and fountain of his knowledge and wisdom on issues of governance and challenges of today.

NULGE Splits into Factions Alex Enumah in Abuja The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has split into two factions.

While Chairman, NULGE Caretaker Committee, Comrade Nankpak Njomiri is leading a faction, Alhaji Ibrahim Khaleel is the head of the other faction made up of members of the former Executive Council, allegedly sacked with him by court.

This factionalisation followed the alleged refusal of Khaleel sacked by two divisions of the National Industrial Court sitting in Owerri to comply with the

judgment of the court.

The court ruled that Khaleel and members of his executive councils had fully served out their four-year tenure in accordance with the union’s constitution and could not legally enjoy any extension.

In Suit No: NICN/ Ow/36/2018, the court nullified the elongation of the tenure of the defendants and other officers of NULGE at both state and national levels elected into office in 2014 on the basis of the union’s 2005 constitution which were purportedly elongated from four years to six years by the National Delegates Conference in Akure, in 2016.

NEPZA Woos Halal Investors The Managing Director of Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority, Prof Adesoji Adesugba has called on investors in the Halal industry from all over the world to patronise the free trade zones ahead of the commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA).

Adesugba made the call recently while speaking at a webinar organised by theAbuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the role of free trade zones in the booming halal global business.

He said the FTZs offer juicy incentives to halal investors who could use Nigeria as a key point for the production value chain, reeling out statistics that

confirmed Nigeria as a huge market with adjacent countries.

Adesugba said Investors “should not just consider Nigerian population, but strategically review the entire West African market extending to the entire sub-Saharan Africa as markets of opportunities which can be serviced through Nigerian production.

“Investors should see beyond Nigerian huge population.

Nigeria is a representative of African market. So investing in Nigeria is a bold entrance into African market. Halal investors should count on robust investment infrastructure provided by the over 40 FTZs all over the country.

Jamika Afrobeats Hit ‘Kpere’Tops Charts Afrobeats lovers around the country and the world at large have been captivated by the new chart rising single ‘Kpere’, which was recently released by the self-acclaimed popular group known as Jamika Force.

In a statement yesterday, the group said Jamika Force is made up of group of artists

uniquely named the under Jamika Entertainment music management.

It stated that it has recently churned out tunes from their song vault, “but Kpere has definitely taken over music lover’s playlists, and have got many dancing to the simple rhythmic beats.”

HOMAGE TO OUR LANDLORD . . .

L-R: Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanue during courtesy visit of NNPC Board members to the Government House in Uyo... Friday

Olukoya Denies Link to Fraud Allegation in UK Church Chibuzor Oluchi The General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya yesterday denied any link to fraudulent activities allegedly involving the London branch of the church.

Olukoya, also, added that the seven allegations levelled against him and the MFM were without foundation, but intent to damage his reputation and destroy the global image of the church.

He made these clarifications in a statement his media aide, Mr. Collins Edomaruse issued

yesterday in response to the fraud allegations.

The Charity Commission, an independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, had appointed an interim manager to manage Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (1100416), a north London-based charity, which exists to promote Christianity.

The interim manager was saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the charity’s financial and governance processes, inspecting a number of the charity’s branches and their handling of serious incidents.

In his statement, Olukoya said: “It has become pertinent for the purpose of clarity to respond to the false allegations being peddled against MFM and Olukoya in the social media particularly sponsored

by SaharaReporters.”

He denied that he falsely “claimed residence of the US city of Maryland. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Olukoya is a public figure nationally and internationally.

His domicile is therefore a fact of public knowledge.

“The true position is that the pastor who wanted to register

MFM in Maryland inserted Olukoya name without prior consultation with or knowledge of the G.O because he believed that Olukoya should be involved.

“But after he consulted a lawyer and received advice that a person’s name cannot be on the incorporation documents unless he is resident in Maryland, that registration was put in abeyance and allowed to lapse.

“The pastor is still alive and all the evidence is there for all to see at the Company Registry in Maryland,” the statement explained.

Edo 2020: APC Raises the Alarm over Arms Buildup Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aided

by Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of importing arms and persons believed to be thugs into the state with the intention to scuttle the electoral process, because they believed that the PDP and Governor Godwin Obaseki would lose the election.

Addressing a press conference in Benin City, Acting Chairman of the APC, Col David Imuse (rtd) also noted that Obaseki’s alleged desperate schemes and deployment of do-or-die tactics in seeking second term alongside

his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, was the reason for the tension.

He also carpeted Okowa, whom he accused of bringing thugs into the state in order to cause mayhem during the election.

Imuse said, “In the past days, we have seen and experienced a dangerous build-up of firearms and violence in Edo State by the governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who no longer needs a diviner to tell him that he has been rejected by the people.

The Edo APC boss, further pointed out that Okowa, whom he alleged shot his way to a contrived victory in Delta State, has begun to lend his hand to

Godwin Obaseki, with the supply of thugs and gangs charged with the mission of unleashing violence and rigging the election.

“Acting under the marching orders of the tax-collecting leadership of their umbrella party, they are executing a do-or-die approach where they must either forcefully impose themselves on the people of Edo State for another term or burn the whole state to the ground, making a sorry scene and an ungovernable entity.

“This manifested on Wednesday, August 19, in Igueben local government area, when Okowa suspiciously attended a single ward political event allegedly with an army of thugs with

the objective of contributing to their militarisation of the state and to spread panic and intimidate voters,” adding that, during the confusion, an innocent bystander, Mr. Ernest Otoide was shot, which caused him to be hospitalised and in the process brought avoidable sadness and pain to his family.

Imuse disclosed that some suspects with dangerous firearms have been arrested and transferred from Area Command, Irrua to the police command headquarters in Benin City even as he wondered if the unfolding violent crimes must continue to prevail, because of non-negotiability of the governor’s second term bid.

14

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

OPINION

ILLEGAL FIREARMS AND NATIONAL SECURITY There is need for adequate funding of the security agencies in the country, writes Emeka Nwankpa

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari does not really shock Nigerians who call him Baba Gaskiya - one who says it as it is. At a recent virtual security meeting with 36 state governors, he quipped: “These terrorists are in the localities. How is it that they are not short of small arms?’’

That the president asked how illegal firearms enter the country and into unauthorized hands despite the closure of Nigeria’s borders should worry many.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has already directed commissioners of police, especially those in Edo and Ondo States to identify, disarm and prosecute persons carrying prohibited firearms, a directive aimed at curbing possible violence ahead of the forthcoming elections in both states.

The borders are porous and compounded by weak surveillance and compromised officials. Ineffective border management is often blamed for the uncontrolled influx of illegal persons, arms and drugs into the country which again raises the need for improved intelligence within the nation’s security community.

Expanding the argument compels a look into how the people form the nucleus of its intelligence-gathering system.

Modern societies should learn from our defunct societies where strangers into a settlement were required to present themselves before the local authorities for necessary documentation and integration. Everyone knew his neighbor.

The sophistication of modern systems driven by interagency synergy and cutting-edge technology can create such improvement and the president alluded to this when he said: “I have directed the Service Chiefs to meet among themselves in-between the National Security Council meetings. The services have resources; yes, they need more, and mobility, and are doing their best, but there is a need for better gathering and interpretation of intelligence. Our intelligence-gathering must be improved’’.

In the last few weeks, national security concerns have dominated, and deservingly so, conversations prompting the president’s high- level consultative meetings, physically and virtually, with military, security, intelligence and service chiefs and the national council on security.

It is gratifying that the outcome of the president’s meeting

with North- east governors led by Babagana Zulum of Borno State and also with member-governors of the security committee of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) representing each of the six geo-political zones, was a unique pan-Nigerian scrutiny of issues bedeviling national security anchored on a broad-based national outlook against a problem that has become utterly endemic, if not, a pandemic.

Getting critical stakeholders on board therefore, as the president has done, was the most audacious, auspicious and laudable thing to do in the circumstance. The governors’ argument that the bailout will help tackle the specter of insecurity in their respective states is worth considering particularly viewed against claims that unemployment and poverty, compounded by the menace of illegal small and light weapons, are responsible for insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in the country. This submission, to put it as lawyers often do, is well-laid.

President Buhari has seized every opportunity to canvass the need for Nigerians to join ranks and curb insecurity in the country, remarking that his war team has achieved much security-wise considering the scary security situation on assuming office in 2015. His worry comes at a time of Al-Qaeda infiltration into the North-west region.

Commander of U.S Special Operations Command in Africa (US AFRICOM), Major Gen. Dagvin Anderson, at a digital briefing on August 4, 2020 with journalists in Africa, warned that Islamist terrorist Al-Qaeda and ISIS were exploiting COVID-19 pandemic to gradually control the West African region after losing ground in Syria, Iraq and the Middle East.

Ineffective border management is often blamed for the uncontrolled influx of illegal persons, arms and drugs into the country which again raises the need for improved intelligence within the nation’s security community

But the alarm had hardly dropped when the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche responded swiftly to allay public fears, reassuring Nigerians that the Armed Forces, aware of the infiltration of the terror groups, will adequately protect Nigerians. He described the warning as a tacit approval and international acknowledgement of the ongoing aggressive onslaughts against terrorist groups in the country, pointing out that some foreign terrorists who were arrested in Niger State were valid examples.

The buck stops with the president and as commander-inchief of the armed forces, he knows what many do not know hence his insistence on hunting down Nigeria’s troublers with the current High Command of courageous service chiefs led by the Chief Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin whose tenacity, tirelessness and unflagging commitment to crushing enemies of peace, stability and security of the Nigerian State are not in doubt.

And there is no stopping the conversations. NGF’s deputy chairman and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has lent weight to calls by the CDS for alternative funding of military operations in the country, saying that a special provision should be constitutionally made to increase funding for the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the country and that the federal government needed no legislative appropriation to fund security.

He spoke in Faskari, Katsina State along with his Zamfara State counterpart, Bello Mutawalle, as special guests at the Nigerian Army Special Army Super Camp 4, near Katsina to assess the progress of Exercise Sahel Sanity, an ongoing operation against banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the North- west region.

"There is need for proper and structured funding of the army and other security agencies in the country to enable them procure superior weapons to that of their adversaries; you need funding. Funding is key to combating insecurity in any country. With more available equipment the Nigerian security agencies will achieve more resounding successes’’, he said.

It could not have been better said. At a time like this when the vexed insecurity issue is still on the front-burner, it could not have been better said.

––Nwankpa, a journalist and public affairs commentator, wrote from Abuja

Gbajabiamila’s Pan African Initiative Nnamdi Okwara argues that the legislative arm is doing better - pro-people and development-focused

T

are unusual times when nations are stretched beyond their limits. The novel COVID-19 pandemic challenged even the strongest nations to their core. The unusual plaque threw spanners into projections of businesses, individuals and countries. Powerful nations intercepted and hijacked medical supplies on the high sea just to save the lives of their countrymen who were dying in their thousands.

Big brother nations were in the race for self-preservation. At least, you need to survive before you can save others. Providence saved the least prepared and equipped continent - Africa from being hard hit in terms of mortality and infection rate.

But the devastating impacts of this dreaded COVID-19 go beyond health. Economies are ruined, millions of people lost their means of livelihood and factories halt production, national and international borders were closed to trade before partial easing, the skies experienced peace as airlines closed operations because of global travel restrictions.

The pandemic cripples systems and left governments and business leaders perplexed as many are hard pressed operating on shoe-string budgets. Projections, national and sub-national budgets were slashed and workers had to show understanding during the most perilous time in recent history.

In Nigeria, the executive arm of government whose responsibility it is to initiate moves at mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on citizens and businesses intervened. The governments at all levels rolled out palliatives to the most vulnerable segment of the society and swelled its existing social register to accommodate more poor.

On Monday, House of Representatives Speaker Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila initiated a historic move for debt cancellation for Nigeria and other African countries from the multilateral and bilateral partners to free more resources to cater for the urgent need of the people in Nigeria and Africa at large.

For the first time in the history of parliament in Nigeria, the people are witnessing a development-focused and pro-people driven legislature. Gbajabiamila has given a new lease of life to one of the most hitherto vilified institutions in Nigeria.

Beyond the traditional roles of lawmaking and oversight on the executive arm of government, the House is breaking into new frontiers, brokering agreements and seeking understanding with other arms of government for the betterment of the people. After all,

the overall objective of government is welfare of the people.

Gbajabiamila’s intervention was timely in light of the warning by the United Nations Framework for the Immediate SocioEconomic Response to the COVID-19 Crisis, that “The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis: it is affecting societies and economies at their core. While the impact of the pandemic will vary from country to country, it will most likely increase poverty and inequalities at a global scale, making achievement of SDGs even more urgent.

“Assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on societies, economies and vulnerable groups is fundamental to inform and tailor the responses of governments and partners to recover from the crisis and ensure that no one is left behind in this effort.

“Without urgent socio-economic responses, global suffering will escalate, jeopardizing lives and livelihoods for years to come. Immediate development responses in this crisis must be undertaken with an eye to the future. Development trajectories in the long-term will be affected by the choices countries make now and the support they receive”.

The above depressing projection by the international body should be a clarion call for everyone entrusted with public mandate to work across spectrum of government to save the people from collective rein. This is the exceptional patriotism and leadership that Gbajabiamila has demonstrated. He has been consistently nationalistic and pan-African in his approach.

Desirous of sustaining a robust relationship among leaders parliament across Africa, Gbajabiamila also initiated a move to establish the Conference of African Speakers and Heads of Parliament (CoSAP), a body that will facilitate increased collaboration between Speakers, Heads of Parliament and National Assemblies across Africa.

The body will also seek to advance the African development agenda within and outside the continent in conjunction with both the executive arms of government as well as African regional institutions.

In his opening remarks, Speaker Gbajabiamila said, “We all agree that Africa’s debt burden has become an existential threat to our societies, our economies and the future; we leave to posterity, and we need to do something about this and treat it as a continentwide priority. “It is safe to say that the burden of debt servicing, vis-à-vis spending on education and health care for example, is a

threat to our continent’s stability and development, especially in the era of Covid-19.

“When we find ourselves having to make policy choices between paying debts or saving lives, we know something is not morally right. And as democratically elected representatives of our people, we cannot be silent. We must speak up and we must act. And the time to act is now.

“Furthermore, there is the need for us to reflect on, the processes that led to Africa’s heavy indebtedness in the first place, the role parliamentarians can play to address this going forward and what assurances we as parliamentarians can give our borrowers that if our debt is cancelled, the freed-up resources will be invested in social and economic development of our citizens.

If we want debt cancellation, we must be able to build the confidence of the borrowers that the cancellation will indeed save lives and livelihoods across the continent, and we, as Speakers and Heads of our parliaments, will ensure that is indeed the case”.

He also advocated for more transparency in government and fight against graft to boost the confidence of multilateral partners.

According to him, “Donor agencies are interested in accountability because they are confounded about the issue of corruption, and we must be able to give assurance and that is why the Speakers Conference is critical. And if nothing is done, there may be no economy to service the loans”.

Africa needs more men like Gbajabiamila at a time like this.

Policymakers and lawmakers whose outlook will be pan-African and in sync with global realities. The international exposure of the speaker has been of immense benefit in providing the right leadership at time of crisis.

It will be recalled that Gbajabiamila advocated for social incentives like free two months electricity during the pang of pandemic lockdown to ease social strife and tension among the large disadvantaged demography of the society.

Gbajabiamila’s House led by example. The lawmakers donated their salaries to help ease the pains of poor Nigerians. When the crime of rape became an epidemic in Nigeria, Gbajabiamila galvanized the legislature including state assemblies to enact stricter penalties for culprits.

On this, Gbajabiamila has done well again!

––Okwara wrote from Lagos .

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž AUGUST 23, 2020

15

TRIBUTE Tribute to Wada A. Maida, Unforgettable Friend Ibrahim M. Ida

I

f it is painful to lose a friend. It is surely a million times more staggering, bewildering, shattering and confusing to lose a friend, a companion, a non-blood brother, a confidant and someone you have known most of your life. That was what happened to me in the late hours of Monday 17th August, 2020. That was when Malam Wada Abdullahi Maida, OON, former Chief Press Secretary to Head of State Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (as he then was); former staff and ultimately the Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); and until his death, the Chairman of the Agency.

Mal. Wada Maida (as was fondly called) and I were together at his house in the evening of Monday, 10th August. 2020 (exactly one week to his demise) and it was then that we decided to travel to Katsina by air through Kano the following Thursday. When we arrived Kano, we were to visit Mal Abba Dabo to condole him on the recent death of his father. I was to arrange the flight tickets, and even though we were both nervous about the trip on account of the Covid-19 threat, especially since both of us fell within the high-risk age group. we were worried of the possible devastating consequences, if we were to contract the disease.

We were together again at my office on Wednesday 12th August, 2020, which was a place we shared for upward of seven years. It was then that we each got our flight tickets to Kano.

We agreed to meet at the airport the following day Thursday 13th August, 2020. Contrary to our usual practice whenever we were to travel anywhere together (something very often), one would pass through the other's house to pick him to the airport. We decided not this time but Late Malam Wada-Maida meet at the airport because of Covid 19 induced in his case, it was shortened to WADA. The name Wada physical distancing, you may say! He met me at the Airport Lounge, where we chatted freely with the friends stuck, and completely displaced his real name (sunan yanka). Incidentally, at the cemetery when I asked some we met there, many of whom Wada confessed to me he of his close friends if they knew his real name. They all had not seen for a long time. confessed that they did not, and they begged me to tell During the Max Air flight to Kano, we sat side by them. I told them to wait and find out from this piece. side - Wada on seat 2D and I was on 2F. Neither of us Wada came from Katsina Town, and from a relatively realised when we reached Kano until the aircraft was about to land. As usual we were both talking throughout large family even by the northern standard. He was the fourth of his mother's six all male children and his father the flight. When we reached Kano, we visited Mal Abba being polygamous, as all our fathers were at the time, Dabo to condole him and afterwards moved to my had many other children. Wada's father was a prosperous house in Kano where we had lunch. Immediately after, artisan, who also engaged in farming. Therefore, the Wada proceeded to Katsina, and because I had some things to do in Kano, I was to travel to Katsina two days family was well provided for. In politics, the father, though not a radical in the present sense of the term, later, on Saturday. We had agreed on some things to do was also not strictly pro establishment. My father's elder together in Katsina. When I reached Katsina that Saturbrother (who was Wada's father's best friend) once told day, I passed through his house (which was quite close me that when they were in their teens and twenties, to mine), to see some renovation work he was carrying he and Wada's father were members of a group that out. He conducted me round and after, we stood by idly talking. It was then that he looked into the sky and made went round to ensure that justice was meted out to the weak members of the society and that the environment a casual remark that people spend time and resources remained safe. They were politically soft-liners, though renovating their houses as if they were going to remain more inclined towards NEPU Ideology. That may in this world forever. It was a casual passing remark, explain the origin of the fact that throughout his life, but with hindsight, it appears as it now seems to me he Wada remained slightly on the left side of the political had a premonition that his time on earth was coming divide. His politics started and ended with the interest to an end. But that never crossed my mind at the time. of President Muhammadu Buhari. Although Wada was We both laughed and before I left him, we agreed that evidently an APC sympathiser (indeed one of its commithe would come to my house and together we would go and condole Alh Hassan Kurfi on the death of his wife. I ted sympathisers), to the best of my knowledge, he was left his house at around 1.15 pm on that Saturday August never a card carrying member of that party. Or any other political party for that matter.

15th, 2020, and, alas, that was to be our last face to face Wada was said to be an inquisitive and highly accident meeting on this earth. Although we spoke on the phone prone child. This explains a lot of the challenges he later later that evening and the following morning, we never faced in life. He was said to have had chilly pepper in his saw each other again. eyes, something that almost turned him blind. At another As we had different schedules - Wada wishing to time, he fell off a donkey and broke his arm, which return to Abuja and I proceeding to Kaduna for an explains why he lost the ability to stretch one of his arms.

Arewa Consultative Forum meeting in Kaduna on Tuesday 18th August 2020 , we could not return to Abuja Another time, he fell from a stationary truck and broke his nose. Yet another time, he was hit by a car as he was together. We, however, agreed to meet in my office on Thursday 20th August, 2020 to conclude arrangements for riding a bicycle, and had to be retrieved from under the car. And so many other incidents, all of which had one an event we were planning to hold. side effect or the other on his life.

I was in my hotel room in Kaduna on Monday 17th At school, Wada was an intelligent and committed August, 2020, preparing for the ACF meeting the followstudent. He passed through primary school without ing day when, at exactly 10.12 p.m., I received a phone hindrance ( skipped class seven of Senior Primary call from Alhaji Abdulmunin Bello. I thought it strange School), and at Katsina Secondary School ( as the present that he should call me at that time. When I answered, Dikko College was then called). It was then he started to he gave me the shattering news that Wada had died manifest what he later became in life, a journalist. He suddenly, and quietly at home that evening, after he had said his Ishaa prayer and had even had his usual evening was a member of the Literary Society, Drama Club, and was the Editor of the School Newspaper. He also showed walk. So while shattered by the news, I was consoled by great interest in carpentry, something those in the know the fact that the true and believing Muslim that he was, he died in his purity. He died with ablution, after he had will not find strange. He passed out of secondary school in December 1968 with a good West African School said his obligatory prayer to his Creator, Allah SWT. Certificate (WASC) result, and that was why he was Now tell me, how should I start talking about a able to pursue further education at the various tertiary person that has been my friend since our adolescence? institutions he attended.

Incidentally, very few people know that his real name I cannot say exactly when Wada and I knew each other. was MUNTARI, (or MOUKTAR as people would say it We were childhood friends, but we were in different these days). Mai Wada is a nickname given to children Junior and Senior Primary Schools. But we were brought whose birth ushered in good fortune to the family, and

together at Secondary School, Katsina, though I was a class ahead. For the four years we spent together, we were in the same Magaji House, and were always in the same room.

After our sojourn at secondary, I went to Kano to continue schooling, while he went to Kaduna after finishing a year later. Although in different towns/Cities, we never completely lost touch with each other. Our relationship was further cemented with him taking Amina as his wife - she is a distant relation. Her father and mine were schoolmates, and distant relations.

We came closer when we both moved to Lagos.

We became inseparable. We were always together in the evenings and on weekends. And we were always traveling to Katsina, UK, Saudi Arabia and many other places together. Incidentally, his dad was my father's elder brother's best friend. They grew up together, so our friendship could be said to have had long standing family connections.

The level of our friendship and the extent to which we confided in each other on various aspects of our secrets knew no bounds. Such was how we were that after both of us had retired from service, we had our offices at the same place for many years. It was with difficulty that Wada convinced me to let him move to his own premises.

Wada was careful, cautious, intelligent, thrifty, and a quiet person, who would not involve himself in things that did not concern him. He was a man of few and well chosen words. He was a prolific writer, always to the point. The good journalist that he was, he never wasted words.

At a personal level, Wada was very good to the family, both immediate and extended and to people generally.

Unknown to many people, he was doing a lot of charitable work.

As a family man, he was a caring husband to his beloved Amina, and an excellent father to his children - Pharn. Farida, Arch. Fadila, Dr. Aminu, Eng. Nabila and surely soon to be Dr. Abdullahi. He lost his precious Nusaiba to a protracted illness in 2006. He did not spare any expense to see that they all got solid moral upbringing, and the very best education possible. One thing that was always been in his mind was the fond memory of his beloved daughter NUSAIBA. She was the youngest child.. To his friends, especially to me, he was precious.

He had the simplicity and ability to make you think that you were the only friend he had in the world. Every friend was special to him, and always believed that when people come together, especially childhood friends, they could achieve a lot and provide each other with companionship and protection. Which explains how he, and some of us, childhood friends resident in Abuja, came to form an association in the early 90s, which we have since formalised in ABOKAN AMANA FOUNDATION. We took turns holding monthly dinners in our homes and each member went with his spouse/s. Oh, it has been a wonderful forum for us, as we use the meetings to discuss issues of interest and also contribute money to do some charitable works. We have since got our spouses to do likewise.

Wada was the Chairman and I his 'troublesome' deputy, always urging him to vacate the chair so that I could step in. I never knew that vacation of the chair was going to be in the manner it has now turned out to be. Oh, Wada, I wish there was a way you could come back to continue to be the chairman forever. I do not mind being the deputy forever!

It has not been an easy thing to start to write this, but having started, it has become difficult to stop. There are so many things I want to say about my friend, our friend, Malam Muntari (Wada) Abdullahi Maida, (mostly known as Malam Wada Maida) of blessed memory.

As I force myself to stop writing, I want to end with a simple prayer to Allah SWT that in the same way as Wada left this world peacefully in his house among his wife, children and grandchildren; having first gone home to Katsina to (even if unknowingly) bid farewell to his place of birth, relations and friends there; and with purity with ablution having performed that evening's obligatory Magrib and Ishaa prayers, may his entry into heaven be smoother and more peaceful. May Allah SWT make Aljannah Firdaus his final abode, along with our parents who had gone before him.

To the members of the immediate and extended families he left behind; to my friends and fellow members of the Abokan Amana Foundation; to his teeming friends, professional and business associates; and to journalism profession in all its forms and ramifications, I join you all in mourning the irreparable loss of Malam Wada Maida.

The vacuum his death has created will take a very long time to fill, if it will ever be. He was a beautiful soul, a true inspiration to everyone around him and a great loss to all the people who knew him. I know he will be terribly missed and his memory will be cherished forever.

Adieu brother and a true friend! ––Sen. Ibrahim M. Ida, CON, (Sardaunan Katsina)

16

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

SCIENCETECHNOLOGY

The Secrets Hidden in Space The very same thing that marks the end of the life of a star - black hole - can tell us how our existence began, Kofo Babalola writes

F

rom the very beginning of our existence, we humans have had dominion over all creation as it is biblically written in the book of Genesis chapter 1, ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ We have utilised this hierarchy we hold to make drastic changes to the world that we live in today.

This intelligence that has been placed in us has given us the ability to create many inventions and explore this planet Earth that we have inhabited for centuries.

However, space is still full of unknowns and discoveries that we are still yet to unravel. There is a lot of secrecy behind the stars that light up our night-time skies. It is the great complexity of how space works which acts as a barrier for our progression in answering the many questions we have, however, this hasn’t stopped certain individuals and organisations, like the National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA), from making new plans to explore space.

In recent times, there have been plans put in place to find out whether there is life on Mars.

NASA’s agenda to inhabit Mars in the form of a Perseverance Rover has highlighted the sense of urgency that we have to understand more about what lies deep in our skies. Historical discoveries have already given us the information that we

make up a very small part of our universe as we are one of eight planets- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Earth- that are moving in orbit around the Sun. There is one more called Pluto, which like the rest rotates around the sun, but there is much debate on whether it should be categorized as a planet or a dwarf planet. The mystery of what happens in our universe when we are not looking, as there is a limit to what telescopes and satellites can find, has led us in an attempt to send human beings onboard space capsules.

Flashback to 1961, when Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first human being to travel into space. His safe arrival back to earth marked the beginning of us venturing into space.

The active nature of space as there is the constant movement has led us to question whether there is life beyond planet Earth. Questions like these give us a sense of urgency and drive to want to learn more about our surroundings and the world in which we live. In space exploration, Stephen Hawking, who was a pioneering figure in this field, performed a great deal of research into the existence of black holes.

He utilised the powerful tool of mathematics to unravel the mysteries that surrounded around black holes. It was fascinating to witness, through his findings, how mathematics could be used to prove that black holes in fact were not completely black as it emitted a certain type of radiation. This radiation was called the Hawking radiation as it was his greatest discovery which is still yet to be detected.

Many scientists and physicists like Hawking believe that black holes could in fact tell us about the origins of the universe. The very same thing that marks the end of the life of a star- black hole can tell us how our existence began.

Mankind has discovered many things about the stars and galaxies that make up our universe with the help of the innovation of instrumentation like satellites and different types of telescopes.

Monumental findings like the life cycle of a star have shown that the make-up of a star is in close relation to how life operates here on Earth. The same elements that are produced during the nuclear fusion process that takes place in stars, can be found in every living thing.

The star starts off as a ball of hydrogen gas and under high pressure and temperature the hydrogen atoms fuse to make helium which eventually sinks to the centre of the star and fuses to form carbon. Carbon acts as a vital building block in every living thing.

The nuclear fusion process carries on producing even more energy and materials as it produces heavier elements like neon, oxygen and iron. As the process of fusion eventually comes to an end when the fuel runs out, the force of gravity begins to take over. Gravity causes the star to collapse in on itself, causing a supernova eruption that will emit all these elements, that were produced during its lifetime, into its surroundings.

We are still yet to find out how these elements, which are thrown into space by the event of a supernova, actually end up in our bodies. Despite how distant this star is from the earth, there are

correlations that are found between stars and life itself. This explosion of the star, creating shock waves, marks the end of the life of a star but the beginning of something new. A black hole is formed.

The formation of a black hole is one that can be depicted through the life of a large star. As the large star, twenty times the mass of the sun comes to the end of its life, the force of gravity causes it to shrink and fall in on itself, creating instability. An explosion takes place, obliterating the outer layers of the star, but the inner core falls down to form a single point.

This point is deemed to be the black hole which is a gravitational well as not even light can escape its pull. The mystery of what happens to the light after it falls on the black hole has caught the attention of many. Someone is yet to prove what happens to the light after it is sucked into the hole by the strong force of gravity as there is no evidence of it being destroyed.

This unanswered question could reveal a whole lot about space. Black holes play a fundamental role in the formation of galaxies and might even very well tell us how the universe may end. Unlocking mysteries like these could in fact help us solve the issues, like climate change, that our planet faces today.

However, it is the unpredictable nature and the fear of the unknown that acts as a barrier, inhibiting us from forging ahead to unravel the mysteries in space.

––Babalola is an Engineering student of the University College London.

PERSPECTIVE

Seven Months after, where is Saraki’s Right of Occupancy to Ile Arugbo?

Ibraheem Abdullateef

I

n Nigeria, we move on quickly from issues. This often allows our leaders to get away from their evil conducts. Thus, they wait for the next time to again manipulate the minds of the unwary in the country.

In January this year when the story broke about the government of Kwara State reclaiming a land it insisted belonged to the government and people of the state, Senator Bukola Saraki and his sibling Hon Gbemisola Saraki — together with their closet friends — let all hell loose.

The Sarakis said the land is their heritage. It was lawfully acquired and paid for by their respected father late Olusola Saraki, they contended. So much media frenzy followed. I watched one of those. But something struck me in that conversation on Channels TV which involved a lawyer of the Sarakis, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, and another Lagos-based lawyer. What struck me was the claim by the Sarakis’ lawyer that they have a right of occupancy document on the land. I recall that the Governor’s CPS insisted no such document exists. I had a doubt sowed into me about the whole issue.

Then the Sarakis went to court to restrain the government from taking possession of or do anything on the land. The court granted them a temporary stay of execution while the case commenced. Then I read about a purported effort of the Sarakites to employ some prominent Ilorin personalities to resolve the issue with the government. I read about the court encouraging the settlement. Then the talks purportedly broke down. I don’t know who is responsible for the break down.

Then the court case resumed. In all of these months, I have been waiting to hear that the Sarakites have presented the right of occupancy they have on the land before the court or even leaking it. Didn’t they tell the world they have one? I saw a government paper the CPS displayed on TV which detailed that the land was allocated but clearly stated the yet-to-be fulfilled conditions that would lead to the issuance of relevant papers like the Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy. Sarakis have not shown up the world any paper to show they have met those conditions. Media reports of the cases have not reflected they front-loaded anything like that. Are we being played?

Last week, the High Court sitting in Ilorin withdrew

Abdulrasaq the temporary injunction that restrained the government from doing anything on the land. It also imposed a fine on the Sarakis through their firm Asa Investment Limited.

The court, led by Justice Adebara, said its ruling followed the obvious lack of diligent prosecution of the case by the Sarakis. The judge, however, stopped short of dismissing the case as requested by the government, preferring to give the Sarakis/firm more time. Fair game. Pronto, the firm filed a notice of appeal against the ruling of the court below. Among other things, it is asking the appeal court for a stay of execution of the ruling of the court below!

This is where I have issues.

There is a foul play by the Sarakis which people of good conscience must notice. The request for a stay of execution of the withdrawal of temporary injunction is about the most absurd things I have ever heard. How long does the temporary injunction last? In legal conventions, the temporary injunction does not last more than two weeks!

I am aware it could be extended at the discretion of the court. But this has not been extended. Have the Sarakites shown any reasonable grounds to extend such an injunction? No, in my opinion. They have not placed anything before the court to suggest that they truly own the land.

Instead, their lawyers, from the ruling of the court, have refused to prosecute the case under the varying guise.

For anyone who understands how land matters work, what their appeal means is that they want to ensure the government is unable to carry out any developmental projects on that land for as long as eternity. That is typical of people who just want to stampede people’s development for selfish reasons.

Their lawyers know clearly that no court will grant a stay of execution on the lifting of the temporary injunction that had long expired. Justice Adebara’s lifting of it was just a formality. But the Sarakis will make sure they go to the Supreme Court to seek something that does not exist. They know how busy the Supreme Court is, so it is a perfect cover for them to keep the matter there for eternity. It is a Machiavellian tactic.

Now they know that the government will want to develop the land since the injunction has rightly been lifted.

That is common sense. What the Sarakis are doing with wanting to keep a stale injunction (which no court will ever do) is to label the government before the unwary members of the public as contemptuous of the court. You know, another round of crocodile tears. Nigerians must reject this kind of anti-development behaviour. It is clear, from the above and information in the public, that the land does not belong to them. Its appropriation in the first instance represents one of the worst instances of ‘entitlement mentality’ that characterises the Nigerian ruling elite. They feel they can take over public assets without anyone raising a whimper. This has to stop. The government of Kwara should go ahead to construct whatever it wants to put on the land for public use. Everyone can see through the antics of the Sarakis. If they cannot show any evidence of ownership of the land seven months after they boasted to have same, then whatever they do now is mere façade!

While it is not a bad idea to keep a legacy for Saraki or anyone for that matter, doing so should not be at the expense of the overall development of an entire state or its people.

––Abdullateef writes from Ilorin.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͻ˜ 2020

BUSINESS

17

Editor: Kunle Aderinokun 08033204315, 08111813084 Email:kunle.aderinoku@thisdaylive.com

GSI: CBN Matches Words with Action The strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria to tackle the menace of non-performing loan in the Nigerian banking industry may have started yielding result as the apex bank announced that it had commenced the process of recovering about N1.6billion from individual debtors.

Within nine days in August, N50million was recovered. The banking regulatory authority is confident that recovery will increase significantly as it points its searchlight to the big companies and small and medium enterprises. Bamidele Famoofo writes

T

he move to discourage borrowing without the intent to pay back by borrowers may have commenced in earnest as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has made true its promise to empower banks to take back what their debtors owe them from their accounts.

As at August 9 (nine days after the new policy took effect), the apex bank hinted that the banks had recovered a total sum of N50million from loan defaulters. The CBN said it had already treated cases of defaulters involving 26,057 accounts valued at N1.660 billion as at August 9, 2020.

Director of Financial and Regulation of the CBN, Kevin Amugo, has warned that the Global Standing Instruction (GSI) policy had come to stay as he said guidelines will soon be issued on recovery of non-performing loans from companies and SMEs. “What we have done is the first tranche of the GSI policy, which is limited to individual accounts. We will soon release the operational guidelines that will extend it to corporate accounts. Then the level of recovery will be quite huge,” Amugo said.

He added: “The level of recovery would grow significantly when corporate accounts and other deposit financial institutions are included in the GSI protocol.

This recovery today may appear small, but it is not little because it will grow when we include corporate accounts.

He added that from the recovery so far recorded, loan recovery under the GSI might not be 100 per cent but the good thing about it is that there are no hiding places any longer for the predatory borrowers. Wherever their accounts are, as long as they are in the banking system, they are open to being accessed if they have defaulted on their loan obligations with their banks.”

Stakeholders in the banking industry believe the apex regulatory body of the financial industry is headed in the right direction to curb the challenge of loan –default confronting the industry.

As reported by THISDAY earlier, President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, noted that the scourge of bad loans has been a long-standing menace to the Nigerian banking sector and described the introduction of the GSI as a new dawn in credit management and debt recovery process in our clime.

Olugbemi said: “The issues of NPLs, particularly those emanating from the attitude of serial and unrepentant debtors will be more efficiently resolved as a result of this policy because a lot of these debtors move like herdsmen from one bank to the other leaving bad debts in their trail.

“Let me at this junction state that the CIBN is fully in support of the GSI policy, which will not only enhance the loan recovery process and financial system stability, but also promote economic prosperity because when borrowers

Emefiele

repay their loans, funds will be made available for others to encourage shared prosperity.

“We needed to curb the cake sharing culture mentality of people that take loan and not use the money for specifically what it was meant for. The theme of this series is very apt in view of the experiences in the Nigerian financial system.”

Also, the President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mrs. Saratu Aliyu, who was represented by Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi, commended the CBN for introducing the GSI policy, which will improve credit repayment culture and reduce the volume of NPLs in the Nigerian banking system by watch-listing chronic loan defaulters in the system.

Aliyu said: “As the voice of the Nigerian businesses, the NACCIMA is of the opinion that the GSI policy has the capacity to promote a stable financial

system and enhance loan recovery across the Nigerian banking system.

“The objective of the GSI may not be achieved if it is limited to personal accounts given that majority of bad debts in Nigeria, according to reports, are corporate loans rather than individual loans.”

The NACCIMA, however, noted that the guideline did not provide for sanctions against banks that might wrongly debit customers’ accounts under the GSI. Also, an industry player, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), Mr. Adesola Adeduntan, who was represented by the Chief Credit Officer of the FBN, Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, said the introduction of GSI was a relief to the banking sector because it provided a coordinated approach to addressing the NPLs’ issues in the industry.

According to the CBN, “The GSI shall serve as a last resort by a creditor bank, without recourse to the borrower, to

recover past-due obligations (principal and accrued interest only, excluding any penal charges) from a defaulting borrower through a direct set-off from deposits/investments held in the borrower’s qualifying bank accounts with participating financial institutions.”

The bank also listed the objectives of the GSI to include facilitating an improved credit repayment culture, reducing nonperforming loans (NPLs) in the banking industry and watch-listing consistent loan defaulters. Central Bank warned banks not to use the GSI to recover penal charges that may have accrued on a credit/loan and included as part of outstanding balances/obligations of a borrower. According to the guidelines, the account types that the standing instruction can be applied to include individual and joint savings accounts, current accounts, domiciliary accounts, investment/deposit accounts (naira and foreign currency), and electronic wallets.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͻ˜ 2020

18

BUSINESS INTERVIEW AYODELE SUBAIR Domestic Resource Mobilisation is the Only Way States Can Avoid Economic Challenges Since his appointment in 2016, the Executive Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service, Hamzat Ayodele Subair, has significantly increased the state’s internally generated revenue, by executing various pioneering programmes and implementing strategies that have positively impacted revenue collection. In January 2020, the state generated N34.5 billion, which was a record achievement since the creation of the agency. In this interview with Obinna Chima, Subair reveals that despite the disruptive impact of COVID-19, the state has remained on the path of achieving its revenue targets for the year. In addition, he sheds more light on the States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability programme that was recently organised

by The World Bank and Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Excerpts:

H

ow has the COVID-19 affected your agency and its 2020 revenue generation drive?

The Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) exists within a certain space; so the COVID-19 has affected all economies globally, the Nigerian economy and Lagos being a sub-sector of the national economy is also affected. So, we can’t operate in a vacuum. Definitely whatever affects Nigeria affects Lagos, being the heartbeat of Nigeria. So, coming down to how it has affected our agency, our revenue has taken a hit. In the first quarter of the year, by then the outbreak of the virus was on. We sat down at the LIRS and constituted a COVID-19 taskforce and this was borne out of our initial design of a business continuity plan. We sat down and came up with a business continuity plan. We knew that sooner or later, there was going to be a lockdown and to try and mitigate against that lockdown, we set up certain systems from the business continuity plan which centred on the provision of digital services. Luckily, late last year, we had launched an end-to-end tax administration solution called e-Tax. What e-Tax does is that all taxation process that you can think of, would run through that platform. That means that taxpayers do not have to physically go to any of the LIRS locations, but can remotely access same types of services that they would come here for. So, we set that up and we made sure that we strengthened all the structures around that platform, to ensure that we operate optimally, even with the lockdown. The other digital platform that we strengthened was our contact centre – 0700 CALL LIRS. Now, we knew that during that lockdown, a lot of taxpayers would have a lot of enquiries from LIRS, based on their transactions with us. So, we had to make sure that we had a viable contact centre, even though there was lockdown. We even had to buy laptops and phones for the officers in the contact centre to use. We also had to provide internet connectivity in their homes. All these were just to ensure that all our remote services would continue to function effectively. So, with these two major platforms, we wereabletokeepthebusinessoftaxcollectionviable and active. Now, you recollect that the lockdown was basically in April and May, prior to this, our collection rate was about 80 per cent. But in the month of April, it nosedived to about 61 per cent and in June, it started to move up again. So, by June and July, we were able to consolidate on all the various measures that we put in place. Yes, it had an impact on our revenue, but with all the measures we put in place, we were able to minimise the impact. So, we only dropped by about 21 per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown, in the real sense of it.

Can we have the actual figures that were generated in the first seven months of the year and the targets for the respective months?

In January, we generated about N34.5 billion; the target was N42 billion. In the first place, the target was a tall order. But it was based on certain strategies and certain dependables that we had hoped to implement during the year. But just

Subair

about when we were settling down to actually implement some of these measures, was when the pandemic came in. That N34.5 billion was an all-time high. The agency had never generated anything close to that. In February we generated about N32.5 billion again; in March it was N32 billion and of course, in April it dropped to about N25.5 billion, May we generated 28.5billion. So, you can see that with the measures fully kicking in and of course with the phased re-opening, things started to get better.

In June, we were able to generate N28.5 billion and in July, about N31 billion. So, it is on the upward trend based on all the measures that we put in place. But to also go back to what you asked, you know with the pandemic, both the federal and Lagos State budget had to be revised.

So, the target in the Lagos State budget is N30 billion monthly, which is what is going to be looked at throughout the year. So, you can then say that making N34.5 billion is well above the budget and at the moment we have come back to N30 billion. So, we are on track.

Considering the difficulties posed by the pandemic, what forms of palliative did the LIRS put in place for both individual and corporate taxpayers?

In view of the pandemic, it was obvious and clear that we would need to put in some tax incentives andreliefsforthevarioustaxpayers,manyofwhom were struggling. Certain sectors were hit, but some were hit harder than others. But the palliatives we have brought out are quite broad. It is not necessarily targeted at any one sector, because even the thriving sectors also would have players that are not doing well at all. That is because some were able to quickly adapt their businesses. So, talking about the relief package, one of the first things we thought of was the impact of COVID-19 on the cash flows of the various businesses. So, hitherto, we used to get bullet payments for outstanding liabilities. So, we decided to allow taxpayers to pay us in installment presently, on a case-by-case basis.

That is because some businesses are doing we and they really do not need to pay certain liabilities in installment. But, just to be fair to everybody, when

you come on a case-by-case basis, we look at it and come up with a payment plan for you. Also, for the back duty, that is the cases going through tax reconciliation, we decided to waive the penalties and interest payments that are due for tax audit, between 2009 and 2015. So, all the various taxpayers who are owing us and who are still reconciling their accounts can take benefit of that palliative.

The other one we did was the waiver of penalties on late filing of annual returns. Individuals are expected to file between January 1 and March 31. But this was extended and eventually we allowed late filing up to July. But the month of the lockdown, which was April, we have said that all the taxes that were deducted in April, May and June, that could not be remitted to various logistics problems, the taxpayers can actually remit them and they would not be charged any penalty or any interest for the late remittances of those deductions.

Then for late filing, there would not be any fine or penalties for such.Also, we thought of the various taxpayers who have been so kind and who have donated, either in cash or in kind, some through

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍťËœ 2020

19

Without Increasing IGR, It Will be Tough for States to Provide Social Services commodities, to support the COVID-19 fight. So, to recognise and encourage them, we have also said that we would allow up to 20 per cent of the value of those donations to be set out of their taxes in 2021 year of assessment, of course with a cap of 35 per cent of what is due next year. Again, we thought of it that due to the medical advisories and protocols around COVID-19, we would also allow tax reconciliation exercises to be done virtually, so that taxpayers won’t really need to come into LIRS offices physically to reconcile their accounts. So, we allow virtual reconciliation and that has proven to be quite popular. Prior to the pandemic, a lot of companies would tell you that their Managing Directors are not in the country.

But, with the virtual reconciliation exercise, no matter the part of the world that they are, they can participate in the reconciliation exercises.

Another measure that we took was to increase the payment channels for taxpayers. We looked at the ease of doing business and thought that if we increase the different platforms from where they can pay, that would also be useful. That is also a component of our e-Tax platform. It allows multi-payment channels. So, these are the various tax reliefs that we have introduced.

So looking at the incentives and the innovations that the LIRS has put in place, can you say it has increased the level of acceptance of tax payment in Lagos?

Yes, I would definitely say that the success of these platforms have shown that there are lots of tax payers who are ready to modernise the way in which they transact their businesses. So, we have a lot of Lagos residents who have registered on e-Tax because of the filing period that we just went through. There are a lot of Lagos residents who actually filed their annual returns through that platform. Yes, a lot of people are very enthusiastic and they are pleased that all the efforts that the Lagos State government, through the LIRS has put in place to ease doing business. The response is good and it is still an ongoing exercise. We urge tax payers to continue to avail themselves of the various platforms from the comfort of their homes.

Even if they don’t go through the contact centre, once they log into the e-Tax channel, we also have a chat on the e-Tax platform through which they can be very interactive with the agency.

Often times, tax payers in Lagos complain about multiple taxation, how are you addressing the issue?

That question comes up often. At every tax forum that we go to, people want to vent their frustrations over the seeming multiple tax situation on the ground. But we look at it from a different perspective at the LIRS. First and foremost, there are three tiers of government – the federal, state and local government.At times, you would be seen as going beyond your powers when you want to intervene in issues around the local government finances. Rather, we want to educate taxpayers.

The federal and state taxes are embedded in legislation, so you cannot vary it. It is only an act of the National Assembly that can change that. The National Assembly also has an Act which is the Approved Taxes and LeviesAct that dictates what should happen. Now, there is a difference between a tax, an administrative charge, levy or fine. But unfortunately, taxpayers mix up everything and call it taxes, when they are either administrative charges, levies, fines or penalties, designed to deter offenders. Again, some are for the provision of certainsocialservices.Forinstance,LAWMAwould give you a bill if they clear your refuse and there are other agencies like that and we also have some from the local government who provide specific servicesandtheydemandspecificcharges.So,what I would just tell tax payers is that if they feel like they have been hit by multiple taxes, they have a right to complain. They can write to LIRS which is the main tax agency in the state, or they can also write through the office of the Commissioner for Finance, if they feel that. To me, multiple taxes would be if our tax station in Mushin that you are registered, issues you with an assessment and then another tax office at Ikoyi or Victoria Island also issues you with an assessment for your Personal Income Tax. But it is unlikely that, that would happen. There is a possibility of that happening, because a lot of tax payers register in different tax offices, when they are supposed to be domiciled in only one tax office. That is why we have solutions like the e-Tax. The e-Tax is premised on a unique identifier, which is the Bank Verification Number (BVN). So, with the BVN, we are able to narrow down who the tax payers are; with that, the occurrence of two different stations sending you two different assessments for same period is unlikely to occur. So, it is a general misconception by members of the public when they talk about multiple taxes in Lagos. Lagos is

Subair

very conscious about multiple taxation and we are trying to totally eradicate it. It might please you to note that at the state level, we are presently compiling a sort of revenue code, which is going to make sure that the taxes are known and that they are certain. This would be publicised state-wide.

It would be on our website.

So, when would the revenue code be publicised?

We are hoping that we can achieve that before the end of this year. So, it is work-in-progress right now.

It would help disabuse the minds of members of the public. In most of the climes, business men want to know all the tax liabilities that would come their way during the year. So, we don’t see any reason why we cannot achieve that. With Lagos being in the forefront, we want to achieve that this year.

Can you shed more light on the States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme that was recently organised by World Bank and the state governors, which talked about states offering tax relief for individuals and businesses?

It stemmed from the effects of the COVID-19.

But prior to the COVID-19, when oil revenues started to dwindle, it was very clear that a lot of states would be to improve on their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). In the past, it was alleged that various state governors would always head to Abuja cap in hand, to try and get some revenue allocation from the centre. But the pressure at the centre has encouraged even the federal government to advocate to all the states to improve their IGR, so that they are able to perform as viable states. So, likewise, there has been a partnership between the World Bank, the Federal Ministry of Finance and between the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. They set up the SFTAS programme and under the programme, there are a lot of awards being given to all the various states. There is what is called the Disbursement Link Indicators (DLIs).

With the DLIs, certain categories have been created.

Now, what you read in the newspapers recently, was that $2.5 million is going to be awarded to all the states who come up with tax incentives and reliefs. This programme has been ongoing, but is now being given a lot of publicity. But the real aim is not for the federal government and the World Bank just to give handouts; the want to teach a lot of the states how to be more viable and how to increase their IGR. That is because without increasing their IGR, it would very tough to meet the basis of civilisation, which is the provision of infrastructure and social services. So, the programme is a laudable initiative and it has been well embraced by all states, including Lagos. We are interested in ensuring that we are able to access

all the awards that have been presented in this programme.At the end of the day, all the states are going to be better off, because they would imbibe global best practices as far as revenue generation is concerned. Domestic resource mobilisation is the order of the day and any state that does not embrace this concept definitely would run into economic problems.

What is LIRS doing to widen the tax net in Lagos and what is the actual number of tax payers in the state?

A lot of people are interested in the number of tax payers that we have in Lagos for various reasons. At the moment we estimate it to be at about 4.5 million. I used the word estimate. With technology you should be able to determine things with certainty. Unfortunately, because we did not adopt biometrics as our unique identifier in the past, we made it easy for Lagosians to be able to pay their taxes. Banks, for instance, were enabled to issue pay identity and allow payments to happen.

But, we have looked at that strategy and we have stopped it. You can no longer just go to the bank without any taxpayer’s ID to make payment.

As much as possible, we try to ensure that you have a payment reference before you can make tax payments, so that we are able to collate such information better. So, we estimate that there are 24 million residents in Lagos, some might say it is 22 million and others might say it is 26 million.

So, it is a guesstimate really. We do not know with certainty. It can only be known when we conduct proper population census. But, we know that there is an influx of people into Lagos all the time. It is estimated that on a daily basis, a minimum of 85 Nigerians come in Lagos State. So, it is imperative that rather than look at the option of increasing tax rate, the proper thing to do is to widen the tax net so that we don’t lose collection performance. To that end, we have looked at the informal sector as one of the areas that have a lot of gaps and filling the gap means getting more people into the next.

Now, we have a fairly large coverage of that sector already in actual fact. It is just that in the past, many of these residents have been given presumptive taxes. We were trying to encourage them to get into the tax net. So, maybe as low as N5, 000 is allowed. But you know us Nigerians like to enjoy things from the lowest level of discomfort. So, we would want to pay the N5, 000 annually. So, we looked at it that the presumptive regime is just a penetrative strategy and we need to curtail that.

The only way we can do it is by creating a situation whereby we can actually identify people in the informal sector, so that we can enumerate. With the enumeration, we can get a higher tax number.

But people in the informal sector are highly mobile; it is very difficult to really pin them down. For instance, somebody might be in Daleko market

on Monday, if you go back on Wednesday, he has moved to Lekki market or to Computer Village.

So, they are very mobile. Secondly, they usually do not have fix addresses. What I mean is that, maybe somebody is here in January and by December, he might have moved twice within that period.

Also, their mobile phones are changed regularly.

They don’t think that there is any stake in keeping same numbers. So, it has been very difficult to pin down tax payers within this sector. But we have come up with a strategy and designed an electronic platform known as IBILE Hub. We were about to launch it in April, before the virus came into Nigeria. So, we had to suspend it. As you are aware, one of the protocols of COVID-19 is social distancing. For that reason, the state government has deemed it fit to allow markets to only open on certain days, so that there would not be too many people and to avoid the spread of the virus. So, we are hoping that with the phased re-opening of the economy, in no time we would be able to launch fully. IBILE hub is based on the acronym that represents the divisions in Lagos – Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Epe (IBILE). So, we are going to have our staff go into these various divisions. Of course we can’t do it alone, so we are doing it in collaboration with the heads of the market associations and the unions. We are going to advocate to them and let them know that they are also stakeholders in this collections. It is something we have to do together as a state, so that we are able to improve on our finances and make the money available for the use state government. We have a very hardworking and forward-thinking head of executive, in the person of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.Bytheway,talkingabouthowwewere able to sustain our collections, we also attribute it largely to the leadership that was provided by our Incident Commander, who is Mr. Governor. He was very active, he was on the news daily, giving all the directives and with the opening of all the isolation centres and other measures to contain the virus. A lot of Lagosians saw this and it was clear to them that it was tax payers’ money in action.

So, it created a lot of goodwill for the state. That also accounted for our success. Of course, apart from all the hard work that management and staff of the LIRS also put into it. We are also having a lot of collaborations with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, both in Lagos and at the federal level; and the whole idea is to try and improve on the data base that you have and bring in as many new tax payers as possible, so that we can shore up our revenue base.

In terms of domestic revenue mobilisation, what lessons do you think the federal government can learn from Lagos?

It is not part of our custom for a younger brother tocriticiseaparent.Butintermsofprovidingadvice, thefederalgovernmenthasafewlessonsitcanlearn from Lagos. Lagos, even though it is a sub-national, is the fifth largest economy inAfrica, which means we are doing something right in Lagos, when it comes to domestic resource mobilisation. The key thing to look out are: Firstly, the legislative environment needs to be looked into. There are lots of tax laws bordering on commerce that are outdated.So,theremustbeacontinuousreview.We thank God for the Finance Act, it is moving in the right direction. There was also the push by PEBEC that led to the review of the CAMA. So, we have seen some changes. So, it must be on continuous basis, so that all the old laws would be reversed.

Secondly, they need to look at leveraging on technology.Youcan’tdoverymuchwithoutrelying ontechnology.IknowthattheFIRSandtheCustoms have also made a lot of move in improving their services through the deployment of various solutions, just like we are doing in Lagos.Another area the federal government can also look at is capacity building. One of the things that have helped us in Lagos, apart from formulating the policies, is to ensure that we impact knowledge in the people who are going to be the major drivers. It is the most important factor of production. So, human capital development would be important. There is also another factor which is the political will to support all the various institutions that support revenue mobilisation. So, it comes from the head of the hierarchy and this does not necessarily mean Mr. President. The other thing that we have been talking about is identity management. We have a situation whereby identity management has been a major constraint towards planning and development. We know that at the federal level, there is the BVN, there is also a very conscious effort by the federal government to improve on the national identity card and also in the area of issuing passports is done with biometrics. So, with all these factors, once they are improved upon, the government would be in a better position to improve domestic revenue mobilisation.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͻ˜ 2020

20

BUSINESS /DEVELOPMENT

NEC, Governors Forum Synergise to Accelerate Human Capital Devt If the steps taken by the federal and governments to accelerate Human Capital Development in the country are vigorously pursued, it could produce 24 million healthy educated and employable people by 2030, Davidson Iriekpen writes

T

hat the federal government has since realised the deficit in human capital and Nigeria has been making deliberate efforts to mitigate that slide, is no longer in doubt. The country’s action came as a response to its ranking as one of those with very low ratings in Human Capital Development (HCD). This gave birth to the constitution of the Core Working Group (CWG), which essentially is domiciled in the office of the Vice President. The CWG was birthed based on a strict mandate to articulate a vision for the country and to drive the vision in conjunction with the various subnational entities that constitute the states leg of the HCD agenda.

Last year, the CWG visited four states, in line with the demands of the states’ governors who had bought into the idea and already began executing the HCD agenda in the domains. There were visits to Kaduna, Ekiti, Ogun and Akwa Ibom States running to the tail end of 2019.

To many analysts, those visits were quite revealing. There was enthusiasm just as there was despondency. Enthusiasm in the sense that the average Nigerian remains hopeful that government programmes would be inclusive.

People in the rural areas want express inclusion in whatever the government was putting on ground in the name of development. Despondency sets in when the grammar in which the activities of government activities are couched to elude them. So by way of inclusion, all messages need to be relayed in all different languages that specifically touch on the core of the country’s grassroots population.

The CWG of the Human Capital Development project of the National Economic Council (NEC), last week, in conjunction with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum engaged with the North-west, South-south and Northcentral geo-political zones of the country to ramp up the HCD indicators of the country.

This indication was given when the coordinator of the CWG, Ms. Yosola Akinbi, addressed the states’ Focal Persons of the programme, in two different virtual conferences, involving the North-west and South-south geo-political zones last Tuesday and Thursday. The coordinator disclosed that this had become imperative because of the rating of the country on the HCD indicators when compared to other countries.

“The Nigerian Government”, according to Akinbi, “recognises the critical role that HCD plays in driving sustained economic growth, boosting productivity and reducing poverty.”

This, according to Akinbi, strongly supports the need to invest in people through healthcare, education and the labour force, which led to the setting up of the CWG with the view to accelerating human capital and development in Nigeria.

In one of the virtual conferences, the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru, emphasised the need for all states to take full ownership of the programme because, according to him, the programme has become a critical component of skill development and the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in the country, which in themselves create wealth and development for all nations.

Since it was set up, the HCD drivers had emphasised three thematic areas and six outcome areas as the fulcrum of HCD growth in the country. They include healthcare and

Fayemi

nutrition, education and the labour force.

These choices are deliberate. They would each respectively provide equitable access to decent healthcare to every Nigerian, a quality, inclusive and functional education system and empower the nation’s youth with the capacity and skills to create or seek employment anywhere.

The NEC comprising all the governors and the vice president established the CWG to drive the actualisation of the human capital development agenda of the country. This group also draws inspiration from the support of government, the private sector and international donor organisations.

These include the Ministries of Health, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Education and Labour and Employment and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the DFID, UNDP, UNICEF on the part of the international donor organisations.

The CWG in collaboration with State Focal Persons, Development Partners and Other Key Stakeholders have articulated a long-term vision for HCD in the country.

In similar vein, the states are expected to develop a vision that is tailor-made for their peculiar environments.

However, all the various aspirations would eventually align with the national vision of improving nutrition and reducing childhood stunting by half from 44 per cent to 22 per cent by 2030 reducing under five mortality by half and also reducing maternal mortality by half as well, all under the health and nutrition thematic objective.

Under education, the objective is to double school enrolment, double girl-child enrolment as well as double secondary school

Ngige

completion from 42 per cent to 80 per cent by 2030. The cumulative effect of this is to drop the number of out of school children by at least 70 per cent while raising the number of those who obtain good grades in reading and mathematics substantially.

The last thematic outcome is expectedly the result of the first two. By this, the CWG envisions that the rate of youth employment would have risen from 23 per cent to 46 per cent and the female labour force would have doubled from 21 per cent to 41 per cent.

Once vigorously pursued and meticulously calibrated between the federal and subnational governments and down to the local government structures, it is expected that the nation would have produced 24 million healthy educated and employable people by 2030.

The target of the year 2030 is also deliberate, the coordinator of the CWG explained because it corresponds with the year in which all global development aspirations would terminate. Nigeria wouldn’t be an exception.

It is with this ambition that the Core Working Group has developed State Level Engagement Strategies to ensure ownership and the buy-in of all States of the Federation in the HCD agenda.

Furthermore, on what the CWG has been working at is to put on ground a transformational process that would ensure that all states take ownership of the programme, set their priorities and targets across HCD outcome areas, put in place an implementation structure as well as a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. It is important to mention too that the state governors have fully bought into the HCD agenda and have thrown their weight behind the transformation of the human capital capacity of all Nigerians from an unemployable citizenry

to a healthy and competitive one.

Before the COVID-19 Challenge, the CWG conducted visits to some states of the federation including Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and Ekiti States towards ensuring a nationwide buy-in by state governments and key stakeholders in every state of the federation.

It is in the light of the COVID-19 challenge that the Core Working Group reverted to conducting online Regional HCD engagement sessions to facilitate peer learning, experience sharing amongst states and provide implementation support to State Teams towards driving the HCD agenda.

The regional engagement specifies steps states need to take to accelerate HCD in their respective states.

State focal persons, who have been attending these regional engagements are expected to further the HCD agenda by organising their own activities at the subnational level to sensitise their people and ensure that the messages and mandates of the HCD plan deep-dives into the grassroots and is internalised and domesticated. One state that showed great acceptability in all that has been happening virtually this year is Nasarawa State which attended the meeting with its Deputy Governor, Dr. Akabe, who reeled out the state’s efforts in internalising the principles of the programme in his state.

Last year, the CWG was received by the Governors of Kaduna State, Nasiru el-Rufai, Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses Frank Ekpo, all of whom expressed the desire to promote a firm handshake between their states and the HCD programme for the advancement of the areas.

45

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͻ˜ 2020

BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE

([FLWHPHQW DV 13'& 6WHSV 8S (;RUWV 7R ,QFUHDVH *DV 6XSSO\ 7R 1LJHULDQ 0DUNHW Onyinyechi Robert

T

he Federal Government has done a lot in recent times to develop the Nigerian gas market through efforts at the production and transmission levels. Thus, a key project, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline that was flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari a few weeks back is one of such efforts.

With gas reserves of over 200 trillion cubic feet, Nigeria is seen mainly by oil and gas watchers as a “gas province with some oil in it.” However, the domestic gas consumption level is still far from where it should be and spirited efforts are being made by the Nigerian government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to lead other oil players in the country to produce and transmit gas as well as manufacture more gas-based products like the Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Compressed Natural Gas for domestic use.

In a recent interview, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said,“I will say that gas is the future. There is no doubt in my mind, that for Nigeria, gas is the future. Already, we are seeing the end of the oil economy. All the forecasts are saying that in 2040, oil will no longer become the dominant fuel in the world because of course; you know that there is a commitment to the development of renewables.

“Unfortunately, as a country, we have not joined that renewable race; we are still more or less an oil and gas economy.

Nigeria, as you know, is very rich in gas.

In fact, some people say that Nigeria is more of a gas territory with some oil in it. That means that we have the option of at least transiting to the renewable energy world through the instrumentality of gas. So that now becomes the option– our route to getting into the renewable economy.

“Gas is now the focus. We want to see how we can grow gas utilisation in Nigeria. So you have the gas flare commercialisation programme which is very advanced now. We are actually also ensuring that gas penetration, the use of LPG, is really deepened.”

Also, speaking in a similar vein, the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari,in a recent interview, said, “This is the year of gas and it means that we will focus on gas, to deliver gas into the domestic market.

There are a number of projects related to this, and, as I mentioned earlier, the OB3 and the expansion of the LagosEscravos Pipeline System 2, so that it can extend all the way to West Africa and potentially to Morocco at the end of the tunnel, and the combination of this, with the delivery of the AKK, we will have a trans-Nigerian Pipeline in place, and this will enable increased supply of gas into the network such that consumers in the East and in the West and in the West African sub-region and across the transnational pipeline into the North of the country will be energized.”

In line with the resolve by the government to develop the nation’s domestic gas market, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an exploration and production subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has said it will boost its gas supply to the domestic market by 600 million standard cubic feet per day in the next three to five years.

The Managing Director , NPDC, Engr.

Mansur Sambo, disclosed this recently

Kyari

during a facility tour of the company’s Oredo Gas Handling plant by the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, in Benin City, Edo State.

Speaking on the medium term projection of the company, which is currently the highest supplier of natural gas to the domestic market, the NPDC boss said besides the1billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) it currently produces, the company would add another 600mmscf to its production portfolio in the next three to five years.

Giving a breakdown of the projection, Sambo said the company’s OML 34 was expected to deliver 360mmscf/d, while OMLs 42 and 111 would deliver 120mmscf/d apiece.

He stated that NPDC had revved up production in OML 111 by 2,100barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and 27mmscfd of gas, thereby increasing cumulative production from the acreage to 10,699bpd.

Sambo, who also announced the successful drilling of Well 16 in OML 111, said the well was essentially for gas with associated crude oil, adding that the plan was for the gas plant to be fed from the well.

On the Gas Handling Facility, the NPDC boss disclosed that the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) unit would be ready for inauguration in October, 2020.

The NPDC currently accounts for about 10 per cent of the crude oil produced in the country and the company is setting its sights on increasing production to 500,000 barrels per day.

As of May 2019, the company had an oil reserves base of 3.6 billion barrels and gas reserves of 15 trillion cubic feet from its involvement in 29 concessions – 22 Oil Mining Leases and seven Oil Prospecting Licences.

NPDC is the single largest supplier of gas to the domestic market in Nigeria, with about 90 per cent of gas supply targeted at power generation to drive the nation’s economy.

The company plans to produce 40

per cent of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas required in the domestic market from the Oredo facility as part of efforts to boost the consumption of LPG, also known as cooking gas, in the country.

It said in April last year that it would unveil the largest LPG and propane storage and dispensing facility, which is centrally positioned to supply LPG to Lagos, South-South, South-East and the North.

Speaking during the visit to the Benin plant, Kyari described the development as a significant step towards growing the nation’s crude oil reserves and increasing production, stressing that more of such was needed to meet the target of 3 million barrels per day production and sustain the nation’s economic growth.

“This gas facility in particular will deliver at least 240 metric tons of LPG to domestic market within a year and that is a very significant fraction of current level of supply into the market. It will ease the spending on foreign exchange by the country. This is monumental and underscores government efforts of making sure that this is the year of gas.

The gas is the cheapest and easiest way of getting development in this country,” the GMD enthused.

He congratulated the management and staff of NPDC for fast-tracking the completion of its Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Gas Plant, reiterating that gas development was key to the nation’s quest for industrialization.

Basically, the NPDC is achieving three objectives; it has increased oil production in OML 111, it will also increase gas production and supply from OMLs 34, 42 and 111 while also producing a big volume of LPG from its gas handling plant.

For the domestic LPG market, the 240 metric tons that will be supplied to the market in the coming months is a welcome development and it is also a big boost to the Petroleum Ministrydriven Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme.

Speaking recently on the objectives of the gas commercialization programme, Sylva stressed, “In Nigeria, we are also ensuring that gas is utilised for the driving of cars. Therefore, we are driving the development of gas-based industries.

The president has even recently approved the creation of a gas hub where we will pipe all the gas to so that gasbased industries can spring up. We are focused on the development of gas as a government and I believe that at the end of this tenure, Nigeria would have seen a very clear path to the development of the gas subsector.”

On the preparedness of the NNPC to support government to increase gas usage in the country, the NNPC GMD in an interview said, “Once you produce gas in this country, you will have to deal with the NNPC. We are the upstream partner to all the producing companies.

Nearly 80% of the companies have something in partnership with us either as joint venture partners or PSC contractors. So, you require the gas, and the gas will come from NNPC assets.

To that extent, we are completely linked to the process of making sure that the gas, either from flare sites or actual non-associated gas sources, is delivered to businesses. And of course we are a very, very widely exposed company in terms of our assets across the country, in terms of our retail outreach, in terms of our customer base, such that for a CNG project to succeed you need the NNPC to be part of it so that we can provide the skills, provide access to our customers and also ultimately link up the transmission network which we are constructing in the AKK and all other assets, bringing all to the table so that those gas resources will be available for expansion . So, we are everywhere, but we are critical in the sense that this won’t succeed without NNPC’s intervention, and we are completely committed to this.”

Robert writes from Benin.

46

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͻ˜ 2020

BUSINESS BRANDS & MARKETING

,PSURYLQJ 3URÀWDELOLW\ ZLWK (PDLO 0DUNHWLQJ Netcore Solutions, a global marketing technology company that offers solutions for enterprises, has revealed how companies, especially banks, can boost their bottom-line with the tool of email marketing. The company, in its 2020 banking report recently published, also highlighted the key metrics that brands should track to get the best out of their customer emails. Bamidele Famoofo reports

R

esearch conducted

by Netcore Solutions which focuses on how Nigerians read emails sent out by notable brands in 2019, revealed the growing need by organisations and brands to communicate with customers through emails as opposed to traditional marketing and short message services (sms) in other to grow their businesses and enhance their return on investment (ROI).

Client Success Manager, Netcore Solutions, Chukwudi Nwokike, in his remark on the report, said: “In Nigeria, there is a growing need by organisations and brands to communicate with customers via emails because, unlike traditional marketing and texts, a clearer and more specific message can be disseminated directly to the target audience on their devices. The beauty of emails is that there are integrations and tools put in place to seamlessly track customer engagement through open and click rates.”

The report highlights important metrics that were reviewed and used as a yardstick for monitoring the email behaviour in Nigeria, including, but not limited to exclamation marks, question marks, subject line length, and others. It also points out the two important metrics, which brands should take cognisance of before sending out emails to prospects and customers. It noted that they are open rates and click rates.

According to Nwokike, the most paramount question any brand should ask before engaging its customers through the means of electronic mails should be: Why do people open emails?

“It is an important question of relevance every brand must understand before sending out emails.

In this comprehensive report, one billion emails are analysed in various ways which matter to businesses and user behaviors, including the subject line in emails, the category of emails sent, the best day of the week to send out emails and the best time to have emails sent out to the target audience which will, in turn, boost the open and click rates,” he said.

Regional Vice President, Africa, Nisham Chhabra, in his comment on the report, said: “We at Netcore solutions value every business relationship and we are dedicated to help our clients succeed by leveraging data and technology. By helping clients globally create one-on-one customer experience across multiple channels, we are revolutionising customer communication.”

He added: “Netcore Solutions, a leading and global marketing automation, analytics and AI/ML solutions provider in 13 other countries explained this in their 2020 edition of “Banking Report: How Nigeria reads Emails.”

The report showed that over 20 per cent of over one billion emails sent out in 2019 are opened on Saturday,

Client Success Manager, Netcore Solutions, Chukwudi Nwokike

noting that emails sent out by brands have the highest engagement from customers on Wednesday and Saturday. Automated emails are gradually gaining prominence and this is explained in the 2020 Report.

The report hinted that the benefit attached to automated email is that it increased the rate of emails opened significantly.

The banking report further revealed that unsubscribe rates were highest for brands who sent 0-4 emails in a week noting that this explains why brands lose their contacts to unsubscribes. The report further highlighted measures brands can put in place to ensure the unsubscribes become as minimal as possible.

“Sending relevant emails is more important than the frequency of emails sent out to subscribers. We want to advise marketers in 2020 that it is important to take Gmail

delivery seriously to see improved engagement because 73 per cent of email subscribers who engage in emails sent out are Gmail users. The attention span of the average reader is short, and Nigerians are not left out. Therefore, for brands to get their message across to email subscribers and customers, it is pertinent that they uphold most of the facts written in the 2020 banking report which will serve as a comprehensive guide to engaging their subscribers and making the best out of every campaign Netcore explained.

Nwokike argued that for brands to get their message across to email subscribers and customers, it is pertinent that they uphold most of the facts written in the 2020 banking report which will serve as a comprehensive guide to engaging their subscribers and making the best out of every campaign.

The Client Success Manager said reasons why 50 per cent of Banks in Nigeria trust Netcore Smartech is because it is a leading marketing technology like no-other in the market. “Netcore has 3000+ Global clients and is sending about 8 Billion+ Emails, 5 Billion+ Push notifications and customer connect on the Smartech platform.”

“On the email space we provide both transactional (triggered) and promotional emails ensuring maximum inbox delivery and maximum ROI from conversions. Here are the key differentiators that set us apart from our competitors in multiple markets globally,” he said.

Nwokike explained that Netcore Smartech was an omni-channel marketing platform capable of communicating on 9 channels - Emails, SMS, Voice, Browser Push Notifications, Onsite Messages, App Push Notifications, In-app message, Facebook custom audience and WhatsApp. We own our channels and ensure optimum delivery.

Netcore has a team of delivery engineers that ensure that your emails not only deliver but to your customer’s inbox. “Most of our customers have inbox delivery of over 85 percent Smartech unifies the customer view so that we can holistically view a customer engaging on different channels. This means for each user, I can understand their engagement on the 9 channels of communication. Smartech platform provides both analytics and derived analysis from any platform integrated with it (Website, Email, Mobile App, POS etc.). These analytics show both the activity being done and the user who is performing the activity. You can also get derived analytics such as: Churn, recommendations, cohorts, Recency Frequency.”

Speaking on the relevance of the report to businesses, Nwokike said: “We Hope this report will empower your organisation to get more value from email marketing. Marketers have a lot to do in 2020 to improve the value of email marketing to the Nigerian customer database and create more ROI for brands.”

“If you need an email marketing platform with AI Based Delivery, AI based content suggestions, Automated Triggers for websites, automated email triggers for mobile apps and high Gmail delivery inboxing, easy responsive template generation, choose Smartech today,” he added.

He said Smartech was capable of personalising experiences on emails, app push, website or mobile app.

“For example customers can now see banners on your website based on their previous web activity. Or receive pop-up messages that are personalised to them on web and mobile app. The Smartech platform is powered by artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence helps in the timing, content and quality of your communication in a predictive and prescriptive way. Our AI engine Raman would provide uplift on your engagement which will improve your ROI.”

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

23.08.2020

Tim Godfrey The Graceful, Gifted Gospel Music Giant His soulful, tuneful song fills the air as would the mellifluous voice of a singing canary in the woods. His heart bursts with praise. His visage irradiates with exhilaration as his enraptured audience scream “hallelujah” in unison.

Tim Godfrey is a gift. He’s a giant with a graceful voice. Against the storm of a fearful past, he’s living a fearless life; today and into the future. As he talks about his past, his passion and his ‘Fearless’ project and concert, Vanessa Obioha captures Godfrey’s true-life story ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

48

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

COVER

Tim Godfrey

Inspiring the World with His ‘Fearless’ Project

Godfrey

T

he ‘Fearless’ show is August 23, 2020. Write the date down. It’s a show like no other. The brains behind it offers the ultimate appetizer.

As calm as a running brook in the countryside, he looks without fright with delight at the prospect of what lies ahead of him. Momentarily, he pauses. But when he speaks he recalls with frightening flashback a past he wasn’t proud of. Life has dealt with him in various ignomIous manners.

Today, he has risen above the ashes of those persistent, painful past. Rather than a drooling face, his shoulders are high with a conqueror’s smile.

Tim Godfrey is making things happen on stage and off the stage. His soul is brimming with ideas and opportunities that not even the COVID-19 pandemic can stop. To be sure, he’s had his own fair share of the havoc wreaked by the virus.

Listen to Godfrey sing: his soulful, tuneful song will fill your lungs with renewal and reorientation. You can imagine him as a canary singing mellifluously in the woods. It feels heavenly. His heart bursts with praise and his visage irradiates with exhilaration leaving an enraptured audience scream “hallelujah” in unison.

For those who know him, Godfrey is a gracious gift. He’s a giant with a graceful

voice. Against the storm of his fearful past, he’s living a fearless life today and into the future.

As he talks about his past, his passion, and his ‘Fearless’ project and concert, he reminds the world that there are boundless opportunities even in life’s darkest moments.

“People only know a fraction of my story,” he acknowledges.

The record label owner of Rox Nation (a digital market company) is the organizer of the talent show, Soundcheck Africa.

His signature event ‘Fearless,’ a music and theatrical production that conveys an inspirational message will hold its fifth edition today, August 23.

Well, because of the social gatherings restrictions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the glitzy event will be a virtual occasion; a show initially booked for June 14 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. But there’s nothing to fear. “’Fearless’ is a product of all my experiences,” reveals Godfrey, who was once held in the vice of life’s vicissitudes.

“It is okay to fail,” he philosophizes.

“But don’t tell me something is impossible.

It sparks something in me.”

Talking about ‘Fearless,’ he adds, “I remember the first name I wanted to give the show was ‘Rest in Peace.’

But his team kicked against that graveyard title.

“I have very weird names,” admits

Godfrey. “But the nicest name we came up with was ‘Fearless.’

“I tell people that it is okay to be afraid. But go ahead and do what you have to do. Even the word ‘fear’ is a blessing if you understand how to use it,” he advises.

For him, being fearful can be an obstacle like a fence standing in one’s way.

“It’s only when you’re afraid and running away from someone who wants to harm you that you will jump a high fence that ordinarily you will not jump,” he says.

Godfrey notes that there’s success hidden in fear and will require a persistent and courageous person to see beyond the ugly facade of life.

“There is so much success hidden in fear.

You have to be able to unravel it before you can maximize the beauty and blessings of fear.

So it’s okay to be afraid. But don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do.

“What you can achieve when you are afraid, you cannot achieve when you are safe or in a comfort zone.”

In this year’s ‘Fearless’ show, Godfrey and his team are exploring the theme, ‘Prisoners.’

It is little wonder that they are sharing on social media their mugshots. That’s a hint of what fans can expect from the show.

Why the prisoners’ theme?

“Coronavirus has kept us on lockdown.

So, we will portray prisoners trying to break away from the bondage,” he explains.

Godfrey’s life is multi-layered with various experiences. Each stage of his life is laced with mind-blowing memories.

A gracious gospel singer, his 2018 hit song, ‘Nara,’ featuring American gospel artiste, Travis Greene, recorded 14 million views on YouTube and since then Godfrey hasn’t rested on his laurels.

The ‘Nara’ crooner considered cancelling the show due to the pandemic but later changed his mind. He believes the show will put smiles on faces and heal hearts that have been shattered by the pandemic.

Preparations began in earnest for ‘Fearless’ immediately the lockdown restrictions were partially lifted in Lagos. He had conducted countless rehearsals to deliver an exceptional show. Artistes lined up for this edition include Sonnie Badu, JJ Hairston, Maranda Curtis, Dr. Tumi, Phil Thompson, Nigeria’s Panam Percy Paul, Preye, among other artistes.

Godfrey, incidentally will also clock 41 on August 26 and hopes to take a break from his gruelling work routine.

As one of the leading gospel artistes in Nigeria, perhaps, Africa, Godfrey has toured many parts of the world, ministering to people. He enraptures audiences with his charisma and energy on stage. Some call him “the Kirk Franklin of Nigeria.”

However, Godfrey says he is who he is: Tim Godfrey.

A gifted artiste, introduced to music at an early age, singing and leading choirs in the church. His musical prowess was illustrated when he was made a music director at the age of 15. After experiencing various unfortunate episodes in life, he had his breakthrough in a church at Oshodi, Lagos. He was hired as a music director.

He offered given that particular appointment on a silver platter though.

Godfrey recalls, “I kept going to the church until one of the leaders noticed me.

He decided to give me a try and you know how anointing falls on you when it is your last opportunity to prove yourself,” he enthuses.

“Guess what?” the effervescent Godfrey says, “After dazzling them with my skills on instruments and vocal, they employed me.”

Well, that only earned him a pittance. But for a Godfrey who had been living from hand to mouth, that meant a million bucks.

“My first salary was N3,000,” he reveals.

“But, at the time, it seemed like N300 million.”

From that moment, however, he climbed over the fence of fear, became fearless. He boasted of the best choir in his neighbourhood. Fame beckoned him.

“We went to perform in different

churches. I was the main guy everybody wanted,” he relishes the memory.

During that period, he wanted to imitate Kirk Franklin to add swag to his soaring success.

“I love Kirk Franklin and Hezekiah Walker very much and I tried to emulate them.

“They used to wear these colourful suits so I decided to make a similar suit,” he confesses.

A colourful suit he did make for himself, however, it wasn’t the kind Franklin or Walker would have been proud of.

He narrates, “But it (the suit) turned out horrible. It was as if it was made by a carpenter and everyone laughed at me.”

A Flashback: From Fearful to Fearless The second child of his parents, the Anambra State indigene grew up in Nasarawa, a slum in Kaduna State where electricity was a luxury.

He recalls being a bus conductor (his father was a commercial bus driver), selling fruits on the streets of Kaduna, trekking to school without footwear, watching his father die among other vicissitudes.

“I don’t think I have ever mentioned this before,” says Godfrey betraying no emotion.

“I went to five universities. But I never graduated from any. But that’s a story for another day.”

However, he was offered free admission to Madonna University in Okija, Anambra State.

Shortly after being admitted, he opted out. He felt the rules and regulations of the institution weren’t meant for him.

“It was the best thing to do at the time,” Godfrey acknowledges.

“I know I’m a rebel and I would cause trouble in the school.”

With a bleak future staring him in the face, he took a plunge and headed for Lagos: the land of dreams. He was going to stay with one of his older siblings there.

“That’s how I went to the park from the university,” says Godfrey.

He narrates what happened next, “I remember I didn’t have enough money to pay for a seat. You know the luxury buses had three types of seating arrangements: those who seat in the front, those who seat behind the driver, and then there are ‘attachments’ (a term for passengers who can’t afford regular seats).

“The attachment is of two kinds: ‘standing’ and ‘sitting.’ I didn’t have the money for the ‘sitting attachment’ so I stood all through the journey.”

It was a long trip that left him “pregnant” with fumes, dust, and smoke.

“There was no room for air because we were all squeezed in that little space,” he adds.

Eventually, he arrived Lagos. It was at 4 am.

“I had nowhere to go to. They stopped us at Oshodi. It’s puzzling how Lagos touts can easily tell if you are a JJC (Johnny Just Come) or not,” Godfrey adds.

“They knew I was one (a JJC) and didn’t hesitate to bully me. I ended up staying with a trader who sells clothes. I looked after his wares while he did other things and at nights, I slept under the bridge.

“My situation was like that for a while before I finally located my older brother. I squatted with him in a crowded tenement building.”

There was no job to do and he feared for his life drifting toward crime.

“I always wanted to work. Being a Yahoo guy was not an option,” he says recounting his past. “I prefer to work and make an honest living than to get my hands soiled.

“I know I have the grace and favour of God but it was important to me to work.”

The rest, they say, is history.

Gifted Godfrey is now a guide to many young people; sharing life’s wisdom with them on how to achieve a purposeful existence in a trouble-filled world. His tuneful, soulful voice gives the adrenaline needed to be inspired.

Besides, one of his words of encouragement is that people should tune in to his show today at 5 pm on his YouTube channel and HipTV with a promise that they will fearlessly break every chain that’s holding them back.

Godfrey’s story illustrates the need to be fearless in a fright-filled world. He’s broken the chain and vows never to look back.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

49

GLITZ PERSONALITY

NABILA KWANDE

A Young Nigerian’s Dream to Dominate The Fashion Industry Kwande

Graduating from the University for the Creative Arts, Rochester, in the United Kingdom with the first class in Fashion Design, Nabila Kwande, is ready to explore the fashion industry, writes Vanessa Obioha

F

rom a young age, 23-yearold Nabila Kwande evinced an interest in arts. She loved making dresses with her mother who is a fashion designer. While her mother made dresses for humans, the Plateau State artist settled for her dolls, creating fancy Cinderella dresses for her toy.

It was more than a pastime for her.

Watching her mother needle and thread business expanded her interest in the craft such that she was convinced that fashion was her true calling. But when it was time to settle for a career, it wasn’t her first choice.

“At first, I felt I didn’t need to study fashion since my mother owned a fashion school and I learnt a lot from her. I planned to study architecture because I also have an interest in it. But on second thought, I decided to study Fashion Design so I could learn it properly and I felt having a fashion degree would give me an upper hand in the industry,” she tells THISDAY. Her academic journey in fashion started with a foundation class in Art, Design and Media at The University For the Creative Arts Farnham, in the United Kingdom for a year before enrolling for a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design at the University For the Creative Arts Rochester, where she recently graduated with a first class honour.

Kwande never envisioned herself coming tops in class due to the hiccups she faced studying the course. She described the journey to her academic success as a long and tiring road. At a point, she considered throwing in the towel.

“I had a couple of bad days where I got tired and wanted to give up. I broke down a few times due to stress.

I procrastinated a lot and had many sleepless nights. Sometimes, I asked myself why I chose this path, but then I couldn’t imagine studying anything else,” she recalled.

Despite the peaks and valleys, she remained steadfast in her studies.

She added, “I always made sure I never missed a deadline, even if I had to stay up all night due to procrastination, I always get my work done.

Unfortunately, I ended up missing one of my deadlines due to unforeseen circumstances and I thought the world was going to end. Luckily, I was able to make up for it.”

As if her latest achievement felt like a dream, she admitted: “To be honest, I knew I had worked hard but I expected to graduate with a lower grade.”

For her final project, she made a collection of outfits that focused on sustainability and her Nigerian heritage.

“I used a zero-waste pattern making approach and all my garments were created from squares and rectangles.

I also used different details that were inspired by The Nigerian traditional way of dressing. I created my own fabric prints by dyeing 100 percent linen in indigo dye.”

With her latest feat, Kwande is poised to explore the fashion industry.

But first, she said people need to appreciate and realise the relevance of the fashion industry.

She explained, “I feel we are not really taught to express our creativity as much in Nigeria, but I believe we will get there someday because we have so much potential. There is much appreciation for our art and culture in the UK. They appreciate the uniqueness and incorporate it into their works.

Generally, I think we have so much to catch up on.”

For the Nigerian fashion industry to gain wider attention, Kwande believes that the textile industry must be revamped.

“It’s one area that we need to work on,” she acknowledged. “We need to encourage local production of our fabrics and it must be of high quality.”

50

Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

High Life Amazing Lifestyle of Val Ugbeide

F

rom whatever angle you look at it, some people just have it good. Good family, heart, good looks, good money—how many people in present Nigeria can lay claim to all these? All the more reason for the distinction of Val Ugbeide.

Val Ugbeide is a name that rings like a glass clink in the ears of most. Because he leads a private life, only those with eyes perpetually peeled open to observe high society know him. To these folks, Val Ugbeide is an oil mogul with a rumbling momentum, and one of the youngest millionaires with business interests in Port Harcourt. This is true but falls short of the whole truth.

Ugbeide is the brains and administrative brawn behind Gremore, a firm of international renown with stakes in offshore engineering, procurement, the whole works. Operating out of Lagos and Port Harcourt, Ugbeide’s Gremore is one of the leading indigenous companies capable of making significant contributions to the Nigerian energy sector. That is the corporate Val Ugbeide.

On a more personal basis, Ugbeide’s power derives from his small family, with the beautiful Linda Ugbeide as his eternal love interest and wife. Although Val is something of a closet fashion stylist himself, it is obvious that Linda is behind the fashionista, style-sensitive Val Ugbeide—in other words, na Linda dey help Val fine.

Val Ugbeide is also a passionate and practicing Christian. This is one of his core identities and pillars of strength. His local Church, the House on the Rock, is shepherded by one of Nigeria’s wealthiest and most dynamic pastors, Pastor Paul Adefarasin.

It is said, in fact, that Ugbeide is one of the most committed members of Adefarasin’s congregation, and so House on the Rock is a second home for him.

On Ugbeide’s commitment to his Church, when worldrenowned Pastor TD Jakes came to Nigeria, it was Ugbeide’s Rolls Royce that was reportedly used to show him around. In many things, Val Ugbeide has it super good. A fine wife, several luxurious houses and cars, a growing business, and an awesome relationship with his pastor, what’s not to like about the life of Val Ugbeide?

Ugbeide

with KAYODE ALFRED 08116759807, E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Why Tony Elumelu May Not Forgive Ayo Akinyelure The corporate world is a community where dogs are known to eat dogs. Within this community, the Chinese anecdote that “the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,” is one trend that is as usual as the sun in the sky. So it is with former MD of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu and Senator Ayo Akinyeleru of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition.

Reputation and integrity are coins that are carefully spent in business because they are precious. Thus, Senator Akinyeleru inadvertently accusing Tony Elumelu of fencing 41 billion away from NITEL and MTEL isn’t something that can be immediately forgiven or forgotten.

Drawing from what Senator Akinyeleru reported from his findings, UBA—under Elumelu—found loopholes in the waiting period of MTEL taking over from NITEL and secretly withdrew about 41 billion of the 42 billion that was liquidated as a result of the transactions of the telecommunication companies. In other words, while shareholders were waiting for the natural storm of company takeover to blow over,

Elumelu

Elumelu’s bank and team allegedly dragged 41 billion away, under the cover of night.

Responding to the allegations, Elumelu’s lawyers maintain that the case is much

more complex than what Senator Akinyeleru is reporting. According to them, it is still undergoing judicial review and interrogation, which is why the court has suspended public declarations and accusations until everything is settled. Akinyeleru’s public declaration and accusation are consequently baseless, unwarranted, defamatory, and deriving from personal and ulterior motives.

Elumelu did not stop there.

Senator Ayo Akinyeleru has been threatened with a lawsuit, which will immediately take effect should he refuse to apologise for his reports, retract them, and essentially restore the integrity of Tony Elumelu.

As in the case of farmlands, once the seeds of integrity are shown to be dead, there’s no point stressing the size and fruits of reputation—just sell the land. This is what Senator Akinyeleru’s reports mean for Elumelu, and why the latter cannot be in a hurry to embrace the former.

For Abisola Kola-Daisi, Fatima Ganduje Good Times Are Back

Gamduje

Death, it is said, is no different from a vagrant farm worker who leaves the weeds to grow and cuts down the best crops. When former Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi fell to death’s sickle, lamentations were raised to the heavens and wishes were buried into the cold earth. Apparently, Ajimobi’s bones and natural intention of longer life were

When William Congreve wrote, “Heav’n has no rage, like love to hatred turn’d, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn’d,” it is likely that several hundred folks unreluctantly nodded their heads and agreed. In the light of recent events, former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, is being used by the gods of high life and society to remind us that Congreve’s observation is an everlasting fact.

Reputation and decency were recently put to flight in the latest episode of “How Not to Wash Your Dirty Linen in Public.” In this episode, it was reported that Ohakim and a lady—who is remarkably too independent to be a romantic limb—had decided to take their private matters away from closed doors and share it with the public’s best friend, the police. Although the affair is still running, it appears to be a case of old affections and old money.

For those who may have forgotten, Ikedi Ohakim was the governor before Rochas Okorocha (between 2007 and 2011), who contested in 2019 and lost. For extra reference, it was Ohakim that led an expedition to Taiwan to learn from and perhaps emulate the mechanics of the Taiwanese economy.

Back to the gist...So, the police were brought in on the matter involving Ohakim and a businesswoman, Chinyere

not the only things laid to rest—but also the quarrel between his daughter and daughterin-law.

Abisola Kola-Daisi and Fatima GandujeAjimobi have reportedly set aside their differences and resolved to make best friends with each other. This new development is coming months after the rumour of animosity between them began making the rounds. Needless to say, a friend is better than an enemy, and the seeds of amity and affection much preferred to those of hatred and malice. So, the gist is very welcome.

According to insiders on the matter, the reunion of Abiola Kola-Daisi and Fatima Ganduje-Ajimobi came about immediately after the burial of Abiola Ajimobi. Ever since, it is reported, Kola-Daisi has made a habit of furnishing the wardrobes and jewel boxes of her sister-in-law with the best items that money can buy. Of course, no one is

Bittersweet Romance...For Ikedi Ohakim

Medayese

Ohakim

happier about this than Fatima’s husband and Abiola’s brother, Idris Ajimobi.

Recall that the tiff between Abiola KolaDaisi and Fatima Ganduje-Ajimobi began shortly after the latter married into the Ajimobi clan. Among the many purported sources of the alleged malice, it was reported that Abiola didn’t think that Fatima was deserving of her golden brother, and the new bride did not exactly care for the opinions of her sister-in-law. Since a monkey only reigns supreme on a mountain without a tiger, sparks flew every time they crossed paths.

The fact that both ladies are empresses in their spheres of influence did not help matters. In fact, considering the similarities in temperament and upbringing, it was speculated that both Lady Abisola and Lady Fatima will always interact within two extremes—as best friends or fierce enemies.

Thankfully, the former is the new reality.

Amuchienwa, with matters arising from alleged romantic entanglement, debts, and a spider’s web of defamatory storytelling.

Ohakim allegedly reported that the 56-year-old Amuchienwa arranged that they meet at BON Hotel in Asokoro, Lagos, for what he thought was a friendly 8 pm meeting. Alas, said he, she came in, physically assaulted him, and almost took his phone. However, he said, he struggled with her and dashed out of the hotel room while she rummaged in her bag for a gun. Thereafter, he called the police, who charitably conveyed them both to the station for an interview.

Madam Amuchienwa’s telling of the same event is markedly different. According to her, the 63-year-old Ohakim is an old lover who has refused to pay for certain luxury goods (designer’s suitcase, bags, shoes, perfumes, etc.) that he took away from her shop in Lagos. It was Ohakim, she said, who invited her to the hotel, grabbed her phone, ran out, and called the police. The only reason she went over, she said, is that Ohakim still owes her and is still unwilling to pay.

The case is still pending and will likely remain a thorn in the flesh of the former governor, his lawyerly wife of 39 years, and their children and grandchildren.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

Pan Ocean Oil Boss, Festus Fadeyi Voices Glimmer of Hope Amidst Rumoured Crisis In the oil and gas industry, Festus Fadeyi’s name evokes a mixture of admiration, envy and respect.

He runs Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, a thriving oil exploration and production company in Nigeria incorporated in 1973.

Fadeyi is not one of your run-of-themill businessmen; and he is head and shoulders above several competitors in the industry.

In fact, you would be doing yourself some good if you consult him for a tutorial before you embark on the business of oil and gas.

When he floated his business, he resolved to pursue his dream on a global stage.

Though it looked an impossible task, he was determined to pursue his ambition of ruling the world with unwavering doggedness.

Today, the company is not only recognised around the world, but he definitely has the world at his feet.

Typical of all successful men in history, he is not insulated against challenges. It will be recalled that he once experienced a low moment in his business. At that time, many naysayers had predicted the collapse of his business empire.

But even in the face of it all, the shrewd businessman had told whoever cared to listen that “ it is a phase that would fade away in no time. ‘’Like other companies within and outside Nigeria, Pan Ocean is indebted to the financial system.

“As the tides of business demanded, Pan Ocean received funding from a number of banks in Nigeria to execute specific business expansion projects which are well documented and domiciled in Nigeria.

“However, the vagaries of the crude oil market made the timelines for settlement of funding partners linger. We are mindful of our obligations.

“Pan Ocean has continued to engage its financial partners, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON as well as other relevant parties to resolve outstanding issues,” A source revealed.

Pan Ocean Oil has experienced rapid growth since its inception in 1973. It was the first indigenous company in joint venture relationship with the national oil company of Nigeria, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

And it i also among the leading exploration and production companies in Nigeria and it continues to witnessed rapid growth.

Wale Tinubu’s Wife, Bola’s Elevation

Wale Tinubu’s Wife

For a fact, one of the things often said about Bola Tinubu, the darling wife of Jubril Adewale Tinubu, a super-rich and successful oil tycoon, is that she is still her “usual self”, in spite of her privileged position.

She is rarely seen at most high-profile society parties, just as she also shies away from publicity as much as possible.

A successful corporate lawyer, she is known more as a child advocate, as she has developed a strong passion in helping sexually abused children.

In pursuit of this noble quest, the mother of five established the first free children’s helpline in Nigeria – Cece Yara Foundation.

The foundation, which helps in the prevention of child sexual abuse in Nigeria, opened the Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, a state-of-the-art Forensic Suite for children who have experienced sexual abuse, in Lagos.

Perhaps, the foregoing explains why she was appointed by the Lagos State governor,

Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Chairman, Governing Council for the Office of the Public Defender, OPD, last Tuesday.

The OPD was established 20 years ago by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to provide legal aid and to safeguard the fundamental human rights of vulnerable persons, disadvantaged groups and indigent residents of Lagos State.

Her appointment has been applauded by many who believe it was well deserved, especially given her commitment to the cause of the abused female members of the society.

Many will recall that her fight for humanity earned her recognition in the BBC’s 100 Women of 2018 – the list which celebrated 100 inspiring and influential women ranging from age 15 to 94 from around the world, including leaders, trailblazers and everyday heroes from over 60 countries.

Princess (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup’s Heart of Thanksgiving at 60 Princess (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup, wife of Chief Adesuyi Haastrup, a former Osun State Deputy Governor, is an epitome of beauty and brains.

Today, she is one of the top players in the oil and gas sector and her exciting journey would certainly inspire anyone who wants to succeed in the industry.

She is often described as a restless soul, who is constantly driven by the ambition to rule her world.

As far as she is concerned, opportunities abound everywhere, except for those who have set some limitations for themselves.

Apart from oil and gas, she is also making waves in the maritime industry, though not many people gave her any chance of survival when she started.

But with the courage and boldness of a lioness, the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, confronted the challenge of running one of the most strategic terminals at the Lagos Port Complex Apapa in a male-dominated

milieu.

Interestingly, in a society where many successful women have reportedly allowed fame, success and sometimes stardom go to their heads, she recognizes that only God is the unseen hand behind her success story; and she submits absolutely to His will.Of course, she also recognises that hard work pays, so she loathes laziness.

In spite of her very engaging daily schedule, she worships God as would be expected of a grateful soul.

A devout Christian, she spends her spare time in total worship of God. According to sources, the woman who is said to live a disciplined lifestyle doesn’t make any move or take any step without seeking divine guidance.

Indeed, her armour against failure is ceaseless prayers. And many of her friends are always amazed at her humility and her total dependence on God in the most critical decisions of her life.

Little wonder, when she clocked 60 last

Vicky

Sunday, the day was dedicated to praise and worship her Creator at her home.

But for the restriction on social gathering occasioned by the pandemic ravaging the globe, a good number of her close friends and families would have loved to celebrate and share in her joy of hitting the diamond age.

HRM, Oba Olufolarin Kayode Ogunsanwo’s Joyous Moment

Ogunsanwo

Fadeyi

51

If a horse, as the Yoruba would say, could walk in the belly of His Royal Majesty, Oba Olufolarin Kayode Ogunsanwo, it would not tumble.

This feeling of excitement was even visible to the blind last Sunday, August 16, 2020 when he received the Staff of Office and Instrument of Appointment from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State at his palace in Ilara.

In his remarks during the ceremony, Sanwo-Olu urged the new monarch to use his wealth of experience for the development of his town, Ilara, Epe Division and Lagos

as a whole.

According to him, “On behalf of myself, the Government and people of Lagos State, I rejoice with Your Royal Majesty as you ascend the stool of your ancestors. Your choice by the Kingmakers and wide acceptance by your people to lead them and be the custodian of the culture and tradition of this Kingdom is a reflection of their trust and confidence in your ability to positively impact the fortune of this landscape and its people.

“Kabiyesi, your position as the Alara of Ilara confers on you great responsibility which you are expected to discharge with a high sense of responsibility guided by the overall interest of our dear State.

“You have a responsibility to provide leadership, promote cooperation, friendship and the spirit of togetherness among the comity of Royal fathers and Chiefs within your domain and at the State level.

“It gives me great joy to note that Your Royal Majesty is bringing to this highly revered stool a rich background of decades of experience and accomplishments in your professional calling and an astute administrator.

Part of these accomplishments was recorded during your tenure as Executive Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service.”

It will be recalled that Ogunsanwo began his journey on the boulevard of fame in October 2019 when he was named the Alara-Elect of Ilara Kingdom of Epe area of Lagos by the five-man kingmakers, amidst orchestrated opposition by other contenders.

Interestingly, there were wild jubilations from across the ancient town by his supporters and those who saw his selection as a blessing to the town.

Ogunsanwo, who may be described as a child of destiny, had a turbulent period as the head honcho of the LIRS. At the height of the trumped-up charges levelled against him, his supporters had made efforts to save his job.

But in the face of the unrelenting crisis, some of his supporters were said to have later prevailed on him to throw in the towel. He did listen to wise counsel.

As fate would have it, he had the last laugh, as the house of mischief literally built by his adversaries on a sandy soil collapsed on them and he was vindicated.

Described as a man of integrity, he enjoys a healthy relationship with top personalities in the state as well as the powers that be.

52

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͮ

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Chief Femi Fani Kayode – My Scarlet Pimpernel You see, I had to go check the meaning of this Scarlet Pimpernel before I write o. When you write with the spirit in your head, words just come to you. This phrase had been playing in my head ever since I decided to write about this my egbon. But I didn’t know the meaning, all I knew about it was that when I was a little boy in Shomolu and NTA2 Channel 5 was the station they used to show this film on Christmas Day. So I checked the meaning of the word and they say na person wey used to help people escape tyranny by taking them across the border. I no really see the link o but something tells me that all the noise he has been making since 2015 can figuratively tie to this phrase – an attempt to take the oppressed people of Nigeria across the border far away from the tyranny of our existence. Mbok make I leave theory, let me give the gist. That is how they say that egbon

has been given a traditional title in faraway Shinkafi Emirate in Zamfara.

As usual with egbon, controversy must follow. People started resigning their own titles in protest. But wait, the Emir accepted their resignations, affirmed Chief Kayode’s title, stating that it was absolute and irrevocable.

Kai and even went further to assert that anymore person who needed to resign should go ahead. In fact, that period another 15 people jumped in to be so appointed. This Chief Kayode is so loved in the place that even if he wanted like some virgins there, he would have his pick and knowing him very well, he will not say let me send two to Duke of Shomolu. He will just be speaking big English there. Anyways, I was curious wanting to know why all this was happening, so I reached out to highly influential Wambai Shinkafi, an APGA chieftain. Within the first

two minutes of the conversation, lord had started calling me ‘joe’ making goose pimples catch me o. He traced the relationship between the Emirate and Chief Kayode to the role his late father, Chief Remi Fani Kayode played in nation-building, touching on the special relationship between him and the last Shinkafi. The role Chief Kayode himself has played in bridging the gap between the North and the South while also mentioning the significance of the title and the absolute popularity of Chief Kayode and his qualifications, making the Sultan of Sokoto and two state governors host him immediately after. All this come make me dey fear this Chief Femi Fani Kayode o but I come dey look, is there more to all this? Is there a possible future run at the Presidency? Mbok, in this Nigeria, anything and everything has been happening. We still dey watch.

GOVERNOR WILLIE OBIANO’S STRANGE OUTFITS

media crap that they daily throw at us but when I saw the ECOWAS reaction and the UN Security Council one, I realized that this thing is no joke. Then, I remembered one quote they say the South African Apartheid chief said about black people that if you give them guns they will kill themselves……. I just tire.

Me sef don become racist, we black people no get sense, it is true. Just see the way we are scattering everything. Blacks took over South Africa, see the mess it is.

See Mali, see Liberia, see Nigeria. Even the Rwanda we are shouting is a big village. They say Wikipedia has named us a failed state. Don’t know how far that is true. Coup in Mali at this time and age? Baboons all of them, real monkey banana. Me I am a confirmed racist now o. I no just get time for this black people and I have warned all my daughters Chantal, Annette and Zara if they bring any black man from any part of this continent say they want to marry, I will slap and disown them. NDDC spending billions on face masks when the people busy looking for cure have not spent 10% of that. Ministers fighting in Sudan and you say oyibo should not be racist? Black lives matter ko, black lives matter ni.

Mali can go ahead and impose whatever regime they want to impose, na our way.

Black man, na mistake. Simple.

or call your senator or any person that has immunity and access, you now go and pour it. This kind of behaviour only just pours fuel on our situation. That is how people in my group will be posting all sorts of unsubstantiated things and I will be warning them. They say it is the admin they will come and catch and as you know me I do not have power for detention where they will not give me afang. Me, I will not only faint like that gorimapa NDDC man, I will just die and go and join Erelu before I enter any cell. Me I am talking my own now, I cannot suffer for any mumu careless talk. Please we should all just have some common sense and guard ourselves as we talk. This Mailafia talk is just one big yeye talk. Come and see his wife talking and thanking the three people who came to beg for his release as if it was a mammoth crowd. Mbok next time, she should just tie him down in the other room and if he cannot perform, let me know so I send him Viagra to save him from all this restlessness. Irritation.

Please let me just ask straight, is daddy suffering from a late mid-life crisis?

The kind of costumes the oga has been coming out with, you will begin to wonder if he is a badly cast sidekick in a poorly written movie. Mbok come and see that jeans that is trending on social media complete with shredded opening and sweet moccasins and long chain like a defunct nightclub owner. This made me look up all previous costumes, my favourite being the one that made him look like crocodile Dundee complete with camouflage boots and undies o.

I just love the swag and the panache as he moves with the military walking stick that he flaunts at times. This daddy ‘no send’ o once he has decided the look for the day, he will just comb out his moustache and pour powder, the rest na political fashion history. I really look forward to his ‘baffs’. He reminds me most time of the late legendary comedian John Chukwu. Obiano is a real character. Makes me laugh a lot which is a real good thing. But wait o, see as fear make me change the outlook of this posting. As I dey yab the baba, I just see myself in chains, with shaved head with my testicles scrambled na him I start to hail the man as a fashion miracle. My fingers disconnect with my brain, kai cowardice in political commentary come do me quick. Baba don’t mind me o, while you are still at it, kindly consider the Kunta kunte look.

If you no know, please tell one of your aides to Google am and you will see what Kunta wore in that movie. Let’s see that one the next time you are going to Aso Rock. I don run o.

COUP IN MALI? Did I just hear about a coup in Mali?

I first thought it was the usual social

Obiano

MAILAFIA’S BEER PARLOUR TALK You see how careless talk and unguarded statements can put you in unnecessary trouble. These times of coronavirus and harsh economic climate, someone no respect him old age and keep quiet, you now go and carry yourself and put inside tiger mouth just like that. So your wife came back from the market and give you market gist and the next thing for you is to go on radio and pour it out. Such a sensitive talk and you did not keep it to yourself or even go to the DSS and make a report

Mali

AS GHANA TAKES TURN TO TRAMPLE ON NIGERIANS You know I can look for trouble...

That is why I wrote a piece on African Capitalism and the need for Uncle Tony Elumelu to forget about Africa and come back to Ughelli, Abraka, Kano, Uyo and Abakiliki. You cannot be running around Africa when your backyard is burning especially when your efforts are not being appreciated on the continent.

See what Ghana is doing to our boys, see the way South Africans are killing our people, see even Kenya is vexing that Access Bank came in and then our own champion is shouting Africa is in your hands and throwing $100m into a continent that tomorrow will strip search him when he comes down from his private jet in Lusaka. See the inferiority

Omotayo

Fani-Kayode

complex that is doing this Ghanaians, they are a small tiny country with ugly women. Yes, I said it. If you see me in your country again, cut my balls.

Me I respect myself well o. When US cancel my visa, did you see me near the place again? When we start acting with pride, all this rubbish will stop.

Do I even blame them because they build one airport Tuface go there go do video, Uncle Dele Momodu will be singing their praises like the place fine like Vienna? Why won’t they with their funny accent try themselves? See Ghana o, Ghana o that we use to underprice their ashewo in Shomolu. I am so angry that even this tiny people can even dare us. Shebi it is not their fault, it is in the Bible that says you can only go to a strongman’s house and pillage when the man is not at home. Our strongman is not at home, he has not been at home since 2015. Our house is empty. Ghana!

Kai I dey cry. Ghana!

ADETORO BANK OMOTAYO – A BEFITTING SHOUT-OUT In continuation of my series of shouting out to Nigerians doing well, let me say hello to this my brother. He is the major promoter at Cruxstone, a real estate platform that is doing well.

During this lockdown, the man unlike some that I know continued to meet his obligations to his subscribers who had put money down to deliver iconic towers, one of the most pristine developments coming up on Victoria Island. I personally saw the hit he took with the Exchange rate volatility, lockdown and the wahala they face from authorities. But he has stayed the course, not sacking one person and meeting all of his obligations to all concerned. A true Nigerian, I say well done, sir. We are watching to emulate.

God bless.

Nana

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

23.08.2020

A MAN AND HIS MEMORIES OF A WAR Dr. Anueyiagu with a collection of his recently-published books

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

54

ARTS & REVIEW\\BOOKS

A MAN AND HIS MEMORIES OF A WAR Dr Okey Anueyiagu’s recently-published riveting soul-stirring account of the Nigerian civil war, while unearthing the untold injustices meted out against his ethnic group, also points the way to a better future for Nigeria. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

C

learly, not even the parish priest standing bewildered before a row of coffins in front of the altar, had the answers for his parishioners. The bodies in the coffins, which were 28 in number, included those of babies as well as of both the young and the old. Now, how could he explain to his baffled congregants why a family, which had successfully escaped the pogrom in northern Nigeria, had to die in such a gruesome way? Suddenly, his external circumstances became irrelevant and, figuratively speaking, he descended from the pedestal of assumed knowledge. Just a poor human spirit stood before his Creator, uncomprehending and questioning the workings of Divine Justice.

This account, among many tearjerkers, assails the reader in the riveting 277-page book, Biafra: The Horrors of War (The Story of a Child Soldier) by Okey Anueyiagu. The University of Rochester and Fordham University, New York alumnus finally, urged by the promptings of fate, has decided to share a story he had long been “reluctant to write”: a “story of a war in which [he] was an integral part from the beginning of the crisis in the North to its end in the East”.

The horrors are prefaced with a calm-before-the-storm narrative of his idyllic childhood years in the ancient commercial northern Nigerian city of Kano, where he was born in the mid-1950s. Just as the impressions of his remarkable parents – his dad, who was a journalist and a political ally of the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, and his mum, whose sartorial elegance was legendary – gradually resolves into coherence before the reader, the author abruptly interrupts the latter’s reverie, wrenching him back to the realities of those pre-colonial years with the account of an Apartheid South Africa-style visit by the police to his parent’s home. A black-suited White policeman accompanied by two uniformed Black colleagues waiting to barge into the home of a perceived enemy of Her Majesty would be hard to imagine by most Nigerians born in the post-independence years. Yet, this was not an unexpected occupational hazard for a journalist, who made a career from passionately giving the British colonialists heartburn.

Other idyllic reminiscences of Kano loom out of the grey recesses of memory, each following on the heels of the other.

Through them, the reader gains unrestricted access into the real human spirit basking in the sunny rays of privilege, laughs at his amorous childhood adventures and smiles indulgently at his youthful excesses. Such historical northern Nigerian icons as the Emir Ado Bayero, Aminu Kano, the Dantatas and the Rabius flit past before the reader’s subconscious in relatable human forms.

Soon, looming thought-forms of hate and envy, which have previously bunched up into a dense mass of dark clouds, descended into the brains of willing human tools and unleashed untold mayhem in their wake. Thus, they obliterated the author’s lingering sweet childhood memories of this city of his birth.

As the account cringes towards the events of 1966, the author’s emotion begins to rear its head as he challenges the curious labelling of the Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwuled military coup as an “Igbo coup”. This labelling, he shows, is belied by the incontrovertible fact that only two out of 14

officers involved in the putsch were of Igbo stock. Furthermore, he not only recoils inwardly from the murder of the politicians by the coup-plotters – because he could empathise with their families – he also expresses even more disgust at the “very cowardly” killings of General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi and members of his ethnic group.

Perhaps, it helps that Dr Anueyiagu light-heartedly interpolates his many digressions and flashbacks into the depressing narrative. Atrocities after atrocities pale in comparison with the others as beasts of hell in human cloaks prowled about in their genocidal mission. Not even those who successfully escaped the infernal scenario in the far North were spared from further torments in the hands of soldiers from the northern ethnic minority groups as they attempted to cross the River Benue bridge in Makurdi on their way to the safety of the Igbo-speaking areas.

Amid these horrors, the author nonetheless regales the reader with more of his welcome comic relief, inserted into his account of his life in his hometown Awka. The reader gets acquainted with his paternal grandmother, Igwego Dike Anueyiagu, who was also the elder sister of the renowned first Nigerian vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan

Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike. Anecdotes of this is remarkable woman – whom he described as “a heathen who didn’t believe that Christianity was better than worshipping her gods” – entertains the reader as he waits with bated breath what comes next. Of course, no less entertaining are the author’s rambunctious exploits in his new rustic environment.

Nigeria’s invasion of the newly-created Republic of Biafra forces the reunited Anueyiagu family into another exodus, this time to Orlu where they first lived with family friends before being resettled in a refugee camp. More flashbacks and digressions as the story unfolds. The author’s and his family’s quick adjustment to life in the refugee camp italicises the tenacity of the human spirit and its ability to adapt even to the most inhospitable conditions. In desperation, families ate every plant or animal they could lay their hands on, as long as they were not poisonous.

This dire situation was further exacerbated when, at a stage in the war, starvation became the Nigerian government’s deliberate war strategy. The consequence of this was what an account of an unnamed mercenary reproduced in the book describes as “pictures of African kids with skeleton arms and legs and big balloon bellies, looking up at the camera” (page 203).

Meanwhile, more gory details bordering on war crimes on the part of the Nigerian federal troops emerge and begin to numb the reader’s sensibilities. It is as though Evil has figuratively speaking, moved in with its belongings. In this apocalyptic scenario, deep ethereal darkness descended upon the land.

Despair reigned as the author on one occasion laments “that there was no end in sight to the atrocities being committed by Nigeria on us.”

Is it any wonder that the author now and then seizes opportunities in the no-holds-barred narrative to remind his audience that his is not a dispassionate account? This is especially since he was personally involved – yes, involved even to the extent of becoming a child soldier! For “all those whose hands were drenched in the blood of innocent souls”, he invokes “a divine punishment”. The Egyptian mercenaries, who flew the Russian bombers on behalf of the Nigerian government, he says “regarded Biafrans as infidels”, hence their ruthless deliberate targeting of civilians ( including women and children).

Steeled by his wartime experiences, Dr Anueyiagu muses in the book’s concluding part: “All I have left are memories of horror and questions about how it was possible for people to inflict such pain and sorrow on their fellow citizens and go about as if nothing happened. And the darkest part of the horror was that the world looked the other way. Those who looked into the matter, like Britain and the Soviet Union, were active participants in the perpetration of the highest crime against humanity – the killings of 3 million Igbo” (page 207).

Nonetheless, the renowned businessman and philanthropist chooses, like many of his Igbo kinsmen, to willingly forgive the past, even when it is difficult to forget the cold-blooded murder of his grandmother and the burning of the houses with her body in it, among other untold atrocities. As part of the South East (Igbo) Delegation the 2014 National Conference, he led the team that prepared and presented the region’s position to the nation.

His soul-stirring book, which allots 16 of its pages to historical and personal photographs, is highly recommended to all. This is despite the few typos, which now and then obtrude themselves, as the story unfolds before the reader's mind's eye.

BOOKS

Virtual Launch for Azuh Arinze’s Literary Offerings Yinka Olatunbosun

Today, the friends of Azuh Arinze, a seasoned journalist and publisher of YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine will meet on the virtual platform for the launch of his two literary offerings, Encounters: Lessons from My Journalism Career and Success is Not Served ALa Carte. Named Africa’s Best Entertainment Writer in 2010 by the organisers of African Film Awards in the UK, Azuh bears the responsibility of documenting his rare encounters in journalism to inspire the new generation of journalists as well as a wide range of readers.

With over twenty years in journalism, his knack for high-profile interviews has led to his conscious chronicles of success stories of individuals who are leaders in their careers. Thus his book “Success is Not Served ALa Carte” parades 30 of these personalities drawn from different age range and professional backgrounds including names like Advertising giant Lolu Akinwunmi, Football Olympians such as Kanu Nwankwo, and Austin Okocha; Nigeria’s Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Christopher Kolade, Founding Editor, THISDAY LAWYER, Funke Aboyade SAN amongst others.

Azuh is set to present these easy reads at this virtual event which will be chaired by the Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba. Other guests of honour include the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina; former General Overseer, Revival Assembly, Apostle Anselm Madubuko; GMD, SO&U Advertising, Mr. Udeme Ufot and EEVC, Verdant Zeal, Dr Tunji Olugbodi. The event has as chief host, the veteran broadcaster, Prince Bisi Olatilo while the books will be presented by Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu.

In an interview with THISDAY newspapers, Azuh revealed how he became a journalist after nurturing the ambition of studying law for a long time.

“It was one Saturday out of boredom, I bought a copy of Punch,’’ he recalled. “The anchorperson was Azuka Jibose Molokwu and I so enjoyed his style of writing and of course, entertainment writing was about stars.

Much later he organized a competition that I won. After some time, he left for the united states of America and another gentleman, Mr Femi Akintunde-Johnson took over the column. He also organized another contest which I won. After that,

they set up to organize FAME. They started another completion called Fame reader of the month bonanza. I happened to be the first winner. The prize money then was N10,000. The day I went to collect the money, I saw FAJ, Mayor Akinpelu and they were all well-dressed. I had to do a career detour. Instead of law, I went in for Mass Communications at a polytechnic in Enugu. When I came for my Industrial Training, the first five stories that I wrote were on the cover of the magazine. That’s how I got automatic employment.”

The book Encounters: Lessons from my Journalism Career offers a more detailed personal account of his efforts to land good interviews, the challenges and how determination yielded positive results such as long-standing personal relationships with prominent personalities some of whom had been deemed impossible by many other journalists.

“Encounter tells the story of what has worked for me. From expert networking to building self-confidence, never taking no for an answer, being professional and knowing when to apologise; from igniting enduring friendships, to doing mentors proud, being appreciative at all times, leaving a lasting impression and reaping the bountiful benefits of reciprocity, the lessons abound.

They enabled me to attain the heights that I have in my profession,” the author wrote in his introduction to the literary piece which includes pictures with some of the subjects in the book.

In his blurb, the Chairman, Editorial board, THISDAY, Olusegun Adeniyi described the book as “a fascinating collection that will inspire and fire the imagination of readers.’’

55

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ UGUST 23, 2020

INTERNATIONAL People’s Sovereignty Versus Delegated Sovereignty: The Case of ECOWAS Mediation of Malian Crisis

N

igeria’s foreign policy is currently challenged by an exercise of conflicting authorities: People’s sovereignty, people’s delegated sovereignty and supranational authority’s sovereignty. People’s sovereignty is the people’s power and it is at the epicentre of all other sovereignties. This is why it is generally

argued that sovereignty belongs to the people.

Sovereignty at the level of the people simply means ultimate authority, ultimate power.

For the purposes of exercising the people’s sovereignty, Telephone : 0807-688-2846 representatives of the people are elected and a part of the people’s e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com sovereignty is delegated to them to exercise on behalf of the people at the national level. This is the case of delegated sovereignty, which is never total or absolute. Absolute power only resides and can only reside with the people. If and when a representation is deemed not to be reflective of the people’s interest, the representatives can be removed through due process, especially during new elections and the delegated authority or sovereignty is withdrawn.

Supranational authority’s sovereignty is the authority or power ceded to international organisations, be they bilateral (like the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission), plurilateral (like the ECOWAS and European Union), or multilateral (like the United Nations and its agencies), by their Member States. Put differently, in joining any international organisation, would-be members generally accept to fulfil all obligations of the organisation and others that may arise from policy decisions of the Assembly or Authority of Heads of State. The meeting of ECOWAS leaders is legally referred to as ‘Authority’, while those of the African Union are called ‘Assembly’ of Heads of State. In both cases, the Authority and Assembly of Heads of State always meet and give directives that have to be complied with. It is within the context of such directives that cases of abuse do arise.

In this regard, the exercise of ECOWAS supranational authority in the mediation of the political crisis in Mali has been shoddy and abused. The ECOWAS did not distinguish between the Col. Assimi Goita sovereign power of the people of Mali and the delegated authority by the people of Mali to the Aboubacar Keita administration, on (IBK), is constitutional or not. Does the role constitute a coup d’état? the one hand, and the limitations of the delegated supranational This determination and question is necessary because many authority of the ECOWAS Heads of States, on the other. ECOWAS observers see the military intervention in the Malian crisis as a coup mediation placed more emphasis on supranational authority of d’état, a perspective that I do not agree with. the regional organisation to the detriment of the wishes of Malians, If the military intervention in Mali that prompted the resignaby talking about unconstitutional change of Government and by tion of IBK, a former plenipotentiary of Mali to the Côte d’Ivoire quickly deciding to take sanctions against the peaceful removal of and a former Prime Minister, is considered as a coup d’état, there President Keita. Malians have rejected ECOWAS advice. cannot but be very serious problems and dangers to the protection By the rejection, the Malians are sending two complementary of people’s or general public interest. In our view, the military messages to the peoples of West Africa: West Africa belongs to intervention in Mali was to bring pressure to bear on IBK to the people, and not to the delegated or elected sovereigns; The consider the complaints of the people of Mali and not strategically ECOWAS will need to focus greater attention on integration of to seize and remain in power. IBK’s resignation is a resultant from peoples, rather than on integration of governments. The foreseeinsurrectional pressure and not from a coup d’état. And if we have able implication of this is that the ECOWAS may lose its respect in to consider, for whatever reasons, that the military intervention in Mali, and by so doing, also lose its sovereignty to influence. Besides, Mali was a coup d’état, then it must be qualified to read ‘people’s Mali can withdraw its membership of the ECOWAS to delight of coup d’état.’ The problem, however, cannot but remain the the advanced countries which see the ECOWAS as a cartel. determination of whether a people can plan a coup against itself.

And fair enough, the ECOWAS Authority has avoided admitting that there was a coup d’état. As noted in paragraph 2 The Malian Saga of its Declaration issued following its videoconference on August The Malian saga is made up of three critical issues: notion of 20, 2020, the ECOWAS Authority talked about coup and military coup d’état, unconstitutional change of Government, and conflict coup d’état. In the words of the Authority, ‘the Heads of State between people’s sovereignty and delegated sovereignty. As and Government reviewed the current political situation in Mali, regards the notion of a coup d’état, who plans and carry out coups characterised by an ongoing military coup d’état on 18 August d’état? The word ‘coup’ is a French word that originated from a 2020. The coup resulted in the arrest of the democratically-elected Latin word, ‘colaphus’, meaning a ‘shock’. It also means an injury.

President in 2018.’

As explained in the Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré, a coup is a By talking about a military coup d’état, the ECOWAS Authority ‘décharge d’une arme à feu,’ that is, ‘discharge of fire arm.’ Acoup in is also admitting that a coup d’état is not only the preoccupation a non-military sense can have other meanings, such as ‘once’. The of the military. There can be a civilian coup and coup d’état. The dictionary gives one example: ‘ce qu’on bois en une fois,’ meaning critical point for reflection is whether the people who elected a govsomething one can drink at once. More interestingly, when joined with other words, the word ‘coup’ can have various meanings, like ernment cannot use whatever means left to it to compel a change of government, especially when the parliament that represents the in tout à coup (suddenly), coup de poing (small pocket pistol), etc.

We are more interested in the word coup in its sense of ‘discharge people is under the mainmise of the President, when parliamentary election results are rigged, and when the people believe that their of fire arms’ and in ‘coup d’état’. According to the Larousse sufferings are becoming recidivist under IBK. dictionary, a coup d’état is an ‘action d’une autorité qui viole les formes In fact, The ECOWAS Authority, also in paragraph 3 of the constitutionelles.’ In other words, a coup d’état is an ‘action of an Declaration, noted ‘with deep concern that this attempted coup authority that violates constitutional modalities.’ This definition d’état comes in the context of a socio-political crisis triggered by the brings us to the determination of whether the role of the military parliamentary elections of March-April 2020.’ What is noteworthy in the resignation of the Malian president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita

VIE INTERNATIONALE

Bola A. Akinterinwa

Without any whiff of doubt, ECOWAS has tried its best to find peace in Mali, but its best has not been good enough for acceptability by the Malian opposition movements. The three levels of peace initiatives -good offices, mediation, summitry- have failed. The Ministerial Committee comprising the Foreign Ministers of Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, under Niger’s president who is also the ECOWAS Chairman, the appointment of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as Special Envoy and Mediator and the intervention of 5 ECOWAS Heads of State (Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal) have failed. The sanctions of closure of land and air borders with Mali, suspension of Mali from all the decision-making processes of the regional organisation, non-trade activities with Mali, putting the ECOWAS Standby Force on alert, enjoining the African Union and the United Nations to support the ECOWAS measures, etc, are a non-solution to the socio-political problems in Mali.They unnecessarily trample on the sovereignty of the people and can only deepen the crisis, create a new crisis of legitimacy with more rooms given to terrorism to spread.True, there is a conflict between the people’s sovereignty and delegated sovereignty, but which one takes priority? This is the challenge to address in any mediation efforts

in this paragraph is the recognition that the coup d’état was an attempt, even though it is still admitted in the Declaration that the coup d’état is ‘ongoing.’ An attempted coup d’état cannot be ongoing. Because it is attempted, it means it never succeeded. It was already a failure. And true enough, IBK resigned voluntarily or under pressure before getting to the stage of a coup d’état.

Additionally, the ECOWAS Authority still noted in paragraph 4 that ‘the attempted coup d’état also took place in a difficult global context for Mali with terrorist attacks, inter-community tensions in the central part of the country and a health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic along with its economic and financial consequences.’ This paragraph recognises the complexity of the problems in Mali, which has been bedevilling the country under IBK, but without solution. And yet, the ECOWAS is asking for IBK’s reinstatement.

From the perspective of polemology, the cardinal objective of a military coup d’état is always to seize power and replace the incumbent government. The modality for the seizure of power is not manu militari but actual use of military force, including the neutralisation of lives and property. The rationale for the coup d’état is more often than not, the purport of protection of public interest. Additionally, the coupists always quickly set aside the constitutional frameworks. They often rule by decrees, which is always by fiat: no legislature, no means for checks and balances, etc.

The situational reality of the Mali saga is completely different.

It cannot be rightly argued that the Assimi Goita-led military intervention took place to replace IBK in order to rule the country.

In the words of the 37-year old Colonel Goita, the intervention was not meant ‘to hold on to power but to hold on to the stability of the country,’ an objective which partly explains the name of the military junta: National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP). The purpose of the military intervention is salvation. Thus, it was an intervention to bring about pressure to end the political lull in the country. In this case, pressuring cannot be an act of illegality, regardless of the mode of pressure. The Malian saga was more or less a case of manu militari.

Apart from Colonel Goita’s explanation that the military action was taken in defence of the people’s interest, the truth remains that both regional and international environments are hostile to military dictatorship. Since the Franco-African summit in La Baule, France more than two decades ago, democracy has remained a conditionality for development aid. Mali has been largely surviving on the basis of international aid. The military junta cannot therefore take into account this factor.

Besides, the leader of the opposition M5 Movement, which started the Kéita-must-go saga, conservative Imam Mahmoud Dicko, had also announced his withdrawal from politics, following the resignation of IBK as President of Mali. Aquestion should be asked at this juncture: in a crisis situation, should the military support the Government or the people? This question raises the rivalry between people’s sovereignty and delegated sovereignty about which we already talked earlier. Under what circumstance should the military support an elected government against a people that elected the government? In the event of neutrality of the military, what then is the purpose of a military beyond waiting to defend political sovereignty (national independence) and territorial integrity of Mali?

Without any jot of gainsaying, the problem in Mali is more complex than the way it is taken by ECOWAS mediators.

ECOWAS is placing emphasis on non-forceful change of Government as provided for in its Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. The prohibition of unconstitutional change of government is, at best, self-protecting, and quite far from being in the larger interest of the ordinary Community Citizens in the ECOWAS region. More important, the ECOWAS has only been promoting governmental integration in a vertical form and much less of people’s integration in a horizontal sense. And true enough again, the interests of the ECOWAS and the IBK government are, on the one hand, in conflict with the interests of the people of Mali, on the other.

Consequently, taking sanctions against Mali has the great potential to deepen insecurity, not only in Mali, in particular, but in the Sahel sub-region and the whole of the ECOWAS region, in general.

This hypothesis is informed by the consideration that ECOWAS prefers to deal with arguments of constitutionality which favours IBK, but who is not wanted by his people. ECOWAS is talking about constitutionality for which the people of Mali say IBK has not shown respect. In other words, ECOWAS mediators are not much interested in the complaints of the people but only in the non-forceful change of government. This is most unfortunate.

The Problem and the Lesson

In this regard, what happens when people request for a change in situation but the Government turns deaf ears? What happens when a government consciously engages in electoral malpractices as it was the case in the last parliamentary elections which led to political resistance? What happens when people decide to protest peacefully but heavy reactive force is used against them, and at times killing people? How do we explain the fact that the people of Mali are complaining about bad governance, fraudulent administration, closure of schools for more than two years, etc, and the people have been complaining to no avail?

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

56

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

ENGAGEMENTS

2023: Igbos and the Politics of Moral Consequence

N

ational history has a moral arc. It bends perennially in the direction of justice no matter how long it takes. This truism is my response to the three dominant positions on the desirable geo-political location of the Nigerian presidency in 2023. The first is the repeated general political advisory by my friend Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, that the next president should not come from the northern zones of the country. The second is the ambiguous view of Mr. Mamman Daura, President Buhari’s nephew, that subsequent presidents after Mr. Buhari should be chosen on the basis of ‘merit’, whatever that means. The third is the entitlement preference of the South Eastern political and cultural elite that the next president should emanate from their zone.

Ordinarily, discourse on succession preferences in a democracy ought to be determined by two factors: pressing issues of national concern; or leading political figures in the contending parties and their stand in relation to important national issues.

Succession should not be determined by either directions on a compass or some other primordial consideration. But this is Nigeria. It is a nation conceived in compromise, nurtured in aggressive geo ethnic competition and sustained by hegemonic blackmail and systemic injustices.

The agitation for a shift of the locus of presidential power to the South East is however rooted in the general history of nations. No nation is an immaculate conception. Nearly every national history is an undulating pageant of glorious moments and inevitable episodes of brutish savagery and intense sadness. Nations come into being and progress sometimes by willfully or inadvertently hurting sections of their populace.

Communal clashes, ethnic conflicts, civil wars, slavery, genocide, pogroms, insurgency, foolish mass killings and reprisals thereof are part of national history. When the hour of sadness passes, a nation so afflicted incurs moral debts to those sections of the community that have been hurt.

Subsequent social peace and political order in a nation as a community of feelings is often dependent on how the moral arc bends in relation to healing the injuries of the past.

The mere passage of time is never enough to heal the moral wounds that lie buried in the hearts of injured precincts of a nation. As a strategy of national survival, nations with past injuries have had to confront the moral consequences of their past through conscious management of the political process.

Such managed political process implies a recalibration of the moral compass of the nation. It is politics in the service of the higher meaning of democracy when democratic outcomes redress injustices. This is the essence of the politics of moral consequence. Its ultimate aim is to avert the dire consequences of a nation sustained on systemic injustice.

Nigeria is neither the first nor the last nation to come face to face with the ugly face of its past. In 2008, the United States of America rose in democratic unison to right the systemic historic wrong of its racist past by electing Barak Hussein Obama as its first black president. Similarly, by the first half of 1994, the very survival of the Rwandan nation was threatened by the injustice of the genocide against the Tutsis minority. It was a Tutsi army officer that crossed the border from Uganda, leading the forces that ended the anarchy. By 2000, that gallant soldier, Paul Kagame, was elected President of a reconciled Rwanda. His subsequent re-elections have led to the reconciliation, peace and prosperity that have become the hallmarks of modern Rwanda.

The South African story is too familiar. Yet, it was the recognition by the white apartheid regime that only true majoritarian democracy would restore harmony, peace and order to end decades of violent revolt. That realization and the conscious political actions that followed led to the enthronement of a free and democratic South Africa. Nelson Mandela became the president of a multi racial South Africa. The rest is history.

Australia too has had to confront and assuage a ghost from its past. There was a prolonged unease about injustices against Australian Aborigines, especially the forced removal of indigenous children (‘the Stolen Generations’) as well as centuries of discrimination and neglect by the state. In 2008, then Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, summoned the moral courage to apologise to the injured. On 13th February, 2008, parliament passed a historic resolution mandating an open apology to the Aboriginal population. Hear the words: “We apologize for the laws and policies of successive…governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians…, (For all these), we say sorry” Similar recourse to national piety, regret and compassion is not strange to Nigeria. In a sense, the Nigerian nation is an example of the merits of national reconciliation and magnanimity. Our civil war ended without major physical reprisals against the ex -Biafrans. In the wake of the annulment of the June 12, 1992 presidential elections presumptively won by M.K.O Abiola, the Yorubas of the South West felt injured by the Nigerian military state. The nation came to a virtual stop.

Social and political order were abridged. In a hastily revamped political transition project in 1998, the political system was consciously managed to field two Yoruba candidates, Olu Falae and Olusegun Obasanjo. The latter became president. A sense of justice was restored. Peace and order returned to the nation.

Late president Umaru Yar’dua was a man of unusual

Nnia Nwodo...Ohanaeze president commitment and impeccable patriotism. He inherited a Nigeria that was wracked by fierce militancy by youth of the Niger Delta against environmental and economic injustices.

The nation was virtually at war with itself. The survival of the economy was severely threatened. President Yar’dua adopted a combination of military suppression and the olive branch of the Amnesty Programme. When Yar’dua died mid stream in his tenure, the political system ensured his succession by Goodluck Jonathan, a son of the troubled Niger Delta. Jonathan consummated the Yar’dua peace plan. Today, peace and quiet has returned to the region. The peoples of the Niger Delta no longer feel excluded from national leadership.

When in December 1983 Major General Buhari led a military coup that toppled the democratically elected government of late Shehu Shagari, the nation welcomed a self proclaimed messiah. He ruled with an iron fist and wore a sad face. He wanted to instill discipline and curb corruption. Many politicians were jailed for several life times. Some citizens were executed for excusable misdemeanors. The state degenerated into a rogue terror squad that even staged a daring kidnap in the streets of London. Buhari flogged us with horsewhips for minor traffic infractions or as we queued for common grocery. Truthful journalists and honest judges were punished with long jail terms for doing their jobs. It was a relieved nation that welcomed Mr. Buhari’s toppling by his more humane colleagues in uniform.

Buhari was briefly detained and later released.

He went into political wilderness. Later, he insistently sought employment by vying to return to power as a democratic convert. In the lead on to the 2015 elections, the Nigerian nation unanimously granted Mr. Buhari political amnesty to contest as a free repentant citizen. Today, he is a second term elected president, cleansed of his past sins against us. Today’s Buhari presidency is therefore a product of our unusual national generosity, forgiveness and gracious magnanimity.

Fifty years after the end of our civil war, the estrangement of the people of the South East from the mainstream of national political life is a national embarrassment. The marginalization is not just about infrastructure neglect. The landscape of the region still bears the tragic marks of war and desolation. A sense of real belonging in a nation is not reducible to highways, bridges and railway lines. It is not about token periodic appointments of citizens from the South East into federal offices to fulfill cosmetic constitutional requirements. That can be assumed by even the most plastic definition of citizenship.

There is a deeper and more essential sense of alienation of the Igbos from the heart of Nigeria. It is the unwritten and unstated presumption that Nigeria can still not find it in its heart to forgive the Igbos for Biafra. On the part of the Igbos, a dangerous psychological alienation has taken root. The youth now feel that there is some sin committed by their elders that has alienated them from fully realizing the fruits of their Nigerian citizenship. For these people, there seems to be an invisible iron ceiling to their political and economic aspirations. It is beginning to look like an original sin, something that has become integral to the communal psychology of national life.

Here lies the source of the resurgence of Biafra and other secessionist pressures in the region. These pressures are growing into a global torrent of agitations with a consistent message especially in the diaspora where the Igbo have massively fled in pursuit of self actualization. Among those arms of the national elite that have any conscience left, the systemic exclusion of the Igbo from the leadership equation in Nigeria has almost

become a directive principle of an unscripted political code of conduct.

Of course the politics of leadership supremacy in a multi ethnic nation state is competitive. The competition is made more fierce by the scramble for the allocation of scarce resources in a political economy that emphasizes entitlement over productivity. In that competitive framework, the immediate tasks for the Igbo political elite are many in the quest for pre eminence. The Igbo political elite has to reduce the habitual fears and nervousness of the competing political elite of other factions in the country. They need to assure the rest of Nigeria that entrusting them with presidential power will enhance the prospects of better governance and more productive leadership. Internally, the Igbo political elite must strike a consensus to avoid presenting Nigeria with multiple candidates. In a region where the political landscape is now dominated by all manner of scoundrels, the matter of a fit and proper candidate for responsible, modern and informed national leadership becomes paramount.

In cultural terms, it is a question of “who shall we send and who will run our errand as the best possible ambassador to a feast at the national arena?” A good number of the political upstarts, miscreants and glorified illiterates thrown up by the present arrangements must self isolate and excuse themselves from the race for 2023 if indeed the option of a South East presidential candidate become real.

Identity politics in a multinational state requires deft footwork. The most important ingredient for the Igbo to embark on this journey is first a willingness to negotiate with competing national elites and factions. As instinctive business people, deal making ought to be a major asset of the igbo. But there is a disturbing pride, arrogance and noisy ebullience in the Igbo character that can unsettle competitors. The Igbo hardly get on their knees to seek a favour. But negotiating for the Nigerian presidency will require a mixture of self assurance and pragmatic flexibility. When you go out to seek the lion’s share of what belongs to all, you go in meekness.

To move from subordination to pre-eminence, a sense of realism is required. The Igbo now have a unique demographic limitation. The majority of the Igbo population do not live in the homeland. They form part of the voter population of the rest of the country. Being the single most dispersed ethnic group in the country, Igbos vote wherever they live in accordance with their economic and other interests. Diaspora voting is in Igbo interest. There may be more Igbo professionals based in Houston, Texas than in Lagos! The registered voter population in the five South Eastern states put together could be less than that of any two states in other less mobile parts of the country.

Owing to a relatively higher degree of economic enlightenment among the Igbo population, the average Igbo family size has been shrinking in the last two decades. Pervasive Catholicism and high educational goals means that family sizes are down to an average of 5 (husband, wife and a maximum of three offspring). Divorce rate is low while high achievement motivation and age grade competition means that marriages are delayed in anticipation of economic fulfillment.

The current political strategies among the South East political elite remain somewhat unwise. The sustained weaponization of Biafra may be strategically convenient. But using it to gain political concessions is a serious tactical blunder. You cannot frighten Nigeria with the force of mobs armed only with nostalgia except your preference is for mass suicide. It has led the Nigerian state to do the predictable: brand the Biafran agitation a terrorist movement and proceed to shoot, teargas and arrest innocent young men and women. Only Amnesty International has an idea of the fatalities from the pro-Biafra agitations in the last five years. The more the new breed Biafrans frighten people, the more the rest of Nigeria becomes jittery about the prospect of Igbo political ascendancy.

The alternative of a well articulated and principled civil disobedience pressure movement has not been explored. We are yet to see a platform of South East professional and enlightened elements with a reasoned agenda for an alternative Nigeria.

An agitation for a mere geo political power shift devoid of real content may be a gratuitous insult and a futile drama.

We should however rise above sentimental and moralistic simplification. The dark forces that propel Nigeria’s bad political culture are not about to retire. Nor are the merchants of hate going on recess soon. Politics is mostly amoral and is by no means a love affair. The merchants of habitual vote rigging and demographic engineering will strive to vitiate the aims of the politics of moral merit.

The proposition for an Igbo president is likely to be the most consequential subject in the 2023 election year. If it comes about, there will be consequences for Nigeria and the Igbos. If not, the consequences will be even more dire. If the proposition fails, Nigeria will carry the moral burden of continuing as a nation sustained on systemic injustice. For the Igbo, the challenge of the future will be that of being who they are but living in a nation that regards them perpetually as the ‘other’ Nigerians. But the long term Igbo interest will not be resolved by having one of their own as a tenant of Aso Rock Villa for 8 years. In the long run, the best way the Igbo can attain self actualization is to lose themselves in the Nigerian market place. In the process, they will eventually realize their best potentials as a formidable force in the context of a more diverse, inclusive, free market Nigeria.

57

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

CICERO

Editor:Olawale Olaleye Email:wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

Mali: Gaming Africa’s Democracy Mali’s August 18 coup d’état undermines Africa’s democratic consolidation while delivering a damning message to its uppity leaders, writes Louis Achi

T

o assert that democracy in Africa remains a work-inprogress, surreptitiously mischaracterises a scenario, where much deeply rooted republics – the ideal – are being trumped by politicaleconomic challenges epitomised by poverty, impunity and corruption after over half a century of independence and democratic experiment.

Quirky governance has accentuated disloyalty, disunity and insurgency against many of the continent’s nation states. The latest Mali coup suggests that democratisation in Africa remains more illusory than fundamental.

The emerging consensus unfortunately, is that rising incidences of extra-constitutional power grabs, militancy and insurgency against the state are not unconnected to bad leadership, democratically induced poverty and public sector corruption in African countries.

But whatever the case maybe, military coups are aberrations that receives zero support in the modern era. And this was why the UN, EU, AU ECOWAS and several other global bodies have quickly condemned the Mali coup in the strongest terms. And this puts the youthful Mali military junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, in a quandary.

On Tuesday morning, August 18, mutinous elements of the Malian Armed Forces led by Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and seized power.

President Keïta resigned around midnight same day, while also dissolving Former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali the government and parliament. “I want Protests in Mali had been ongoing since June no blood to be spilled to keep me in power,” he 5, with protesters calling for the resignation of was quoted as declaring. This is Mali’s second President Keïta. Protesters were displeased with coup in less than 10 years, following the 2012 the management of the ongoing insurgency, coup d’état. alleged government corruption and a floundering The mutineers arrested Minister of Finance economy. Eleven deaths and 124 injuries were Abdoulaye Daffe, the Chief of Staff of the reported during the protests.

National Guard, and Moussa Timbiné, Speaker The sacked Keïta had struggled to address of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister, concerns about corruption and the deadly Boubou Cissé, appealed for dialogue with the violence associated with Islamic extremists and mutineers, acknowledging they held “legitimate ethnic separatists and faced protests against his frustrations”. government for months.

Twenty-four hours later, the new military leadThe Colonel Goita-led junta, which overthrew ers had ordered closure of all border crossings the president accused him of stealing a parliaand imposed a night-time curfew. “All air and mentary election in March by challenging the land borders are closed until further notice. result and using the ensuing instability to install A curfew is in place from 21:00 to 05:00 until lawmakers from his own party. further notice,” Col-Major Ismaël Wagué, Deputy Even as the Colonel Goita-led junta had Chief of Staff of the Malian Air Force, said in promised to hold fresh elections, the putsch has a televised address. He also invited opposition left one of Sahelian Africa’s most strategic nations groups to talks for fresh elections.

with a leadership void and the possibility that the turmoil could spread way beyond its borders.

According to Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, “The military coup lays bare the insufficient progress Mali has made on addressing the problems, which have underscored decades of instability and blighted so many lives. All Malians should work to strengthen the crucial institutions on which stability and progress depend, and put justice for the worsening violence, including by the military, front and center.”

In the coup’s aftermath, several posers have popped up. How will it impact the G5 Sahel Joint Force, an armed counter-insurgency force made up of forces from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which the EU has pledged to support?

The other G5 Sahel members are considering sanctions on Mali and have all closed their borders with the country in response to the coup. ECOWAS has also suspended financial flows between its 15 members and Mali.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson for the African Union, said mid last week that he “rejects any attempt at the unconstitutional change of government in Mali” and called on the “mutineers to cease all recourse to violence.”

In the coming weeks, what transpires will be key if Mali is to regain the confidence of its partners in both Africa and off shore. The new concern now is that failure to find a strong leader with popular appeal could have shattering consequences not only for stability in the country but for Africa and beyond.

On the home turf, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the coup and called it a major setback. In a social media broadcast, Buhari noted that, “The events in Mali are great setbacks for regional diplomacy, with grave consequence for the peace and security of West Africa. It is time for the unconstitutional authority in Mali to act responsibly and ensure restoration of constitutional order, peace and stability.”

A significant and possibly worrying feature of the Mali coup was the level of public support demonstrated in open street matches.

Cut to the bone, the coup in Mali sends a stern message to uppity African leaders that contrived impunity and bad leadership could provoke unforeseen backlashes and further rollback democracy.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Is There a Government in Kaduna?

T

Women protest against killings in Southern Kaduna

he rage, anguish, anger, pain, protests and importantly, the disappointments that had so far trailed Kaduna’s current killing field raise more serious questions about leadership’s culpability or otherwise ineptitude. The last few weeks had witnessed horrendous killings in Southern part of Kaduna State, even though that part of the state had remained a flashpoint for many years.

But the only thing that could have made a difference is leadership. And in spite of the retinue of combined security forces often deployed in the area, whenever the killing season comes, the anti-social elements prevail, suggesting either

culpability of the leadership or outright incompetence.

Unfortunately, for the current leadership in the state, insinuating incompetence might be far from the truth. From his days as a private citizen to his current public posting, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of the state has always shown capacity with the kind of brilliance and intelligence that speak for self, even without prodding.

What, therefore, is going on in Kaduna? Is the leadership enjoying the killing sport? Do the lives of the people of Southern Kaduna mean anything to the El-Rufai leadership? Why is it difficult to contain civil unrest, when the security agents are up and doing if there’s no ulterior motive? Just wondering how the El-Rufai government would like to be remembered, more so, a man who dares to want to be president of Nigeria!

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

58

BRIEFINGNOTES

Diri: Is It Back to Square One? With last week’s nullification of his election by the tribunal, what’s the fate of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, asks Onungwe Obe

T

he popular saying that it is not over until it is over appears to be playing out in Bayelsa State, where the election tribunal that tried cases arising from the November 16th, 2019 governorship election in the state, in a split judgment, nullified the election of Senator Douye Diri and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election to fill the vacant position within 90 days.

The tribunal had granted the petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) and its candidate, King George, claiming that INEC wrongfully disqualified them from participating in the election and therefore prayed for the cancellation of the election.

But for his right to remain in office while his appeal against the judgment of the tribunal is pending, Diri would have been thrown out of Creek Haven, Yenagoa, the seat of government in Bayelsa State. But while he and the other parties to the election wait, Diri and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his political rival, would be waiting with bated breath.

Prejudging the outcome of the appeals that have been filed against the judgment, the unexpected verdict of the tribunal might have reset things in Bayesla State. Political actors have again begun re-strategising should the worst happen and the appeals to overturn the tribunal’s verdict are granted.

Governor Diri, who himself was caught unawares by the judgment immediately swung into action, making moves to win over friends, who had left him, because of his failure to patronise them as well as party men that helped him to win the election, including the court action that eventually brought him to office.

On Tuesday, a day after the court annulled his election, Diri realied that he had to constitute his cabinet. He compiled a list of commissioner nominees and sent it to the House of Assembly for urgent screening and confirmation.

He appealed to the leadership of the Assembly, which paid him a solidarity visit to expedite action on the list for the sake of Bayelsa people. He needs to work fast to win back friends that left, when he failed to give them appointments into boards of parastatals but would rather run the government with civil servants.

Diri was dubbed ‘the Miracle Governor,’ because of the miraculous manner in which he emerged governor.

He had lost the election convincingly to David Lyon, his All Progressives Congress (APC) opponent and all was set for the inauguration of Lyon on February 14, when the Supreme Court pulled the carpet off the feet of Lyon and handed him (Diri) the love letter on the eve of Lyon’s inauguration.

Diri himself did not believe it. And he was very cautious in celebrating his inauguration. Unlike the inauguration of previous governors, his took place within the precincts of the Government House and not in the open stadium.

The stakes now seem stacked high against Diri for a return to the Creek Haven should the appeals against his removal fail and a fresh election becomes inevitable.

Somehow, for reasons best known to him, the now embattled governor courted more political foes than friends after he assumed office. He did not hit the ground

Diri running. For seven months before the tribunal verdict came, he ran government of Bayelsa State like a sole administrator.

Apart from appointments to the offices of the secretary to the state government and the chief of staff to the governor, Diri did not appoint people to any substantive office. Many officers that worked with him did so in acting capacity. Since he assumed office, he had been working with permanent secretaries and accounting officers of the respective ministries.

It was common to hear party men lament the sudden volte-face of the governor. Many of them had expected him to use the opportunity of his emergence to bring people on board and empower those that worked for him during the campaigns and election. He did not even constitute his cabinet. It was only the day after the tribunal nullified his election that he sent a list of commissionernominees to the House of Assembly for approval.

His close aides had, however, excused Diri’s failure to make political appointments on the fact that he was waiting for all the pre-election cases against him to be exhausted so that he would be on a surer foundation to start his government. Besides, they also argued that the governor needed to focus before picking his team considering the sudden manner of his emergence as governor.

But the arguments were, however, punctured by those that claimed bringing on board people to help him run the government would not stop the outcome of any court matter. The governor had other things up his sleeves, they argued.

The scenario now even seems more precarious for Diri than it was last year, when he was running for the office with former governor Seriake Dickson beside him.

Interestingly, however, should a fresh election eventually hold, some odds might favour the governor. The first is that the main opposition party, the APC may not field candidates for the election, because the Supreme Court had disqualified its candidates in a pre-election case. That would stand the governor against very weak candidates from the other parties.

But the unpredictability of the politics of Bayelsa State is something that the governor may not want to take for granted. Bayelsa since 1999 had been a PDP state. But events in the last five years had shown that banking on that premise could prove disastrous.

Not only has APC grown to become a strong and viable alternative to the PDP in the state, APC actually won the last governorship election in the state and convincingly too.

And it was set to form the government until the Supreme Court verdict stopped the party.

The lines separating political loyalty in Bayelsa are very thin. Within moments, people can switch loyalties that could turn tables in any election. Today, the major PDP leaders in the state like former President Goodluck Jonathan keep an open mind about who to support irrespective of party affiliations. In the last election, his body language favoured the APC candidate.

It is not known if his body language has changed since November last year.

Timi Alaibe, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said to be Jonathan’s favourite in the last governorship race, is still very popular in the state. Though he fought Diri to the Supreme Court over the PDP primaries, Alaibe congratulated Diri and extended his hand of fellowship to the governor in July, when the matter was finally exhausted.

But Diri rejected Alaibe’s outstretched hand of fellowship as ‘insulting’ and reprimanded him for going all the way to Supreme Court to seek to remove him from office.

That sour relationship is still there.

Whether APC presents candidates or not, should there be a fresh election, the sentiments that led to a landslide victory of the party are still strong in Bayelsa. It is noteworthy, therefore, that when the tribunal annulled Diri’s election, it was APC supporters mainly that took to the streets of Yenagoa to jubilate.

Many observers have also insinuated that it was indeed the APC that was the force behind the petition that finally nailed Diri. The huge support base of the party could still be mobilised against the governor. Thus, the equation is still a very fluid one for Diri and his party, the PDP.

NOTES FOR FILE

Between El-Rufai and NBA

El-rufai

The decision by the Nigerian Bar Association to withdraw an invitation earlier extended to the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai as one of its guest speakers at its annual conference, holding in Abuja, typifies the saying that two wrongs don’t make a right. The withdrawal, by all standards, was impulsive, poorly conceived and an outright injustice.

Indeed, it simply passed a guilty verdict on the governor without hearing him out.

As a body of an institution considered the bastion of democracy and the hope of the hopeless, it cannot, either by omission or commission, deny the governor the right to fair hearing, which is what it did, by merely acceding to the request of those protesting the mindless killings in the state and as a result, asked that his invitation be withdrawn.

Whatever was anyone’s reservation, El-Rufai is more competent to speak at the conference by every consideration, politics aside? Besides, couldn’t that have been an opportunity for the conference to engage the governor on the killings in the state and make a case for the seemingly helpless people of Southern Kaduna?

Honestly, whatever was the pretext behind the withdrawal, it belies logic in relation to the matter at hand.

For all that it is worth, the NBA owes the governor a sincere apology for the embarrassment caused him, his household and government.

Asked to come and speak at a conference and a local matter, although of national concern, are two different things. If the NBA had intended to play populist politics with this, sadly, it failed woefully and disappointingly too.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

59

CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

Tracking Bandits on Nasarawa Hills There is an ongoing tracking of bandits dislodged from the North West and North East parts of the country on the hilly places of Nasarawa State, writes Igbawase Ukumba

R

ecently, President Mohammadu Buhari held a closed-door meeting with the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, at the Presidential Villa to address the worsening security situation in the state due to killings and kidnappings.

Notable among the worsening security situation in the state were the killings of a traditional ruler, veteran journalist, siblings to a former minister of information, Labaran Maku, and kidnapping of state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Joseph Masin, among many others.

In a chat with State House correspondents shortly after the meeting, Governor Sule attributed the security challenges in the state to bandits, who were dislodged from the North Western and North Eastern parts of the country. He added that the hoodlums were taking advantage of the state rocky situation to carry out their nefarious act.

Acccording to him, “Hunters as well as the vigilante groups in Nasarawa State are able to follow them, because they are very familiar with the places. The criminals in Nasarawa State are new; they are not from Nasarawa State. Therefore, as a result of that, our own people are more familiar with the ground and are able to follow where they are.

“We have some of the bandits that were dislodged from the North West and the North East and they found some of these hilly places in Nasarawa State comfortable. So, they moved to those locations and Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Police Affairs Minister, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi and and Governor Abdullahi as a result of that, we followed up to Sule at the Inauguration ensure that we track them based on Army Staff, I have always viewed that the Nigerian Army threats. This initiative has widened the training requirewhat they do. required force enablers and multipliers, and not just brute ments of the Nigeria Police,” Adamu explained.

“We believe there are criminal elements amongst numbers, to effectively combat the plethora of security It was clear at Endeh Hills that the policy thrust of people of the state and they must fish them out,” said Sule the present administration in the country is to modernise in a charge to key stakeholders, when he paid a fact finding threats being faced by Nigeria.”

“This is why I, among other actions, pushed for the the internal security network of the country in line with visit to the palace of the Osu Ajiri, Halilu Bala Usman, the establishment of Special Forces units and formations that international best practices, as stated by President Buhari, traditional ruler of Udege Chiefdom, following the killing are motivated, empowered and resourced to go where when he inaugurated the Police Mobile Force Training of Mr. Amos Ewa Obere, the monarch of Odu in Nasarawa others dare not to go and do what others thought was College, Endeh Hills.

Local Government Area. impossible.”

Buhari, who spoke through the Minister of Police He, therefore, reiterated that the security of lives of the Nevertheless, the recent inauguration of the Police Affairs, Mahammad Dingyadi, said hence the conceptucitizens was a priority for his administration, insisting that Mobile Force Training College, Endeh Hills, in Nasarawaalisation and timely completion of the Endeh Hills facility criminals must not be allowed to truncate the peace and Eggon Local Government Area of the state by President for the training of the police special forces in dealing with economic activities in the communities. He hitherto vowed Buhari was intended to tackle the state’s battle with the current threats of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and that his administration would spare no efforts in tackling activities of an Islamic sect “Darul-Salam and Hakika” other emerging crimes.” violent crimes in the state. in Toto and Awe Local Government Areas of the state, as Acccording to the President, “The intention is to Nevertheless, the governor recently convened a meetwell as kidnapping, which has pervaded the rural areas enhance training facilities to neutralise emerging crimes in ing of over 70 graded traditional rulers, heads of security and resulted in the killing of a Traditional Ruler of Odu the country. Similar training facilities will be established in agencies and community leaders as a critical step towards community, also in Nasarawa Local Government Area. other geo-political zones of the country to strengthen the checking the menace of the criminals.

At inauguration of the Endeh Hills Police Mobile Force capacity of the Mobile Police, which is the stronghold of the Sadly, the Nasarawa State Council of Nigeria Union of Training College, Governor Sule expressed his profound police.”

Journalists (NUJ) was also a victim as its former treasurer, appreciation to President Buhari for graciously approving He said the Endehu Police Mobile Force Training ColBenjamin Ekom, was attacked and brutally killed by the siting of the Police Mobile Force Training College in lege facility is of great significance as it adds to the existing gunmen at his residence in Washo village, NassarawaNasarawa State. ones at Gwoza in Borno State and ila-Orogun in Osun Eggon Local Government Area of the state. Be it as it may, “We remain grateful for this laudable project. Let State. He therefore commended the Inspector General of the union described the attack on innocent residents of the me also commend the Inspector-General of Police for Police, and his management team, for the dexterity and state by criminal elements as one too many and urged that conceiving the idea of establishing this college, aimed at commitment to improve the Nigeria police. drastic and proactive measures be taken by government to equipping the personnel with technical knowledge, as well “The recent upgrading of the intelligence unit to protect lives and property in all nocks and crannies of the as strengthening our collective efforts in curbing security a full department, creation of additional Mobile Police state. challenges in the country,” Sule said.

Squadrons, creation of Operation Puff Adder and other The leadership of the union urged security agencies to The Endeh Hills project, according to the Inspecoperational outfits are credible evidences of your commitfish out the killers of the former treasurer of the union to tor General of Police, “is significant in several ways. It ment to duty and loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. face the law and called on members of the public to expose represents a critical national security asset, which was I equally thank the government and people of Nasarawa criminal elements in their midst in order to rid the state of established as part of the strategic approaches of the State for supporting the Police Mobile Force Training crimes. The union commended efforts by the federal and Nigeria Police in strengthening the capacity of the special College, Endeh Hills project and others in the state,” Buhari state governments towards tackling insecurity, but wanted maintained. them to do more and ensure that the people were safe to go and tactical operations arms of the Nigeria Police in dealing with current and emerging threats in the country on a Meanwhile, following approval by the president of about their activities without fear, to avoid escalation of the sustainable basis.” the Police Mobile Force Training College, Endeh Hills, the situation out of control.

The Inspector General, who spoke during the college has commenced training courses for police officers Perhaps, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Yusuf Buratai, inauguration of the Police Mobile Force Training College, in shooting range and jungle survival on August 16, 2020. at a ground breaking for the construction of 4 Special Endeh Hills, said specialised training was key to effective The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Bola Forces Command of the Nigerian Army Barracks, Doma planning, coordination, and successful operations of the Longe, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Police in Nasarawa State, regretted that the terrorists threat in the Police, especially at the time that the nation was faced with Public Relation Officer of the state command, Ramhan country was shifting to the North Central part of Nigeria. the threats of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and armed Nansel, and issued to journalists in Lafia.

Buratai, who spoke through the Chief of Plan and robbery. It is, therefore, imperative that the Police should According to the statement, “Course participants will Policy, Lt Gen Lamidi Adeosun, said constant evolving continually explore opportunities for capacity development be engaged in series of activities including shooting range nature of threats in the country underscores the need for of its personnel, particularly, those that are relied upon to and jungle survival, amongst others. In view of the above, Special Forces troops with requisite skills to operate under respond to major threats of internal security. movement of combat operatives to the training ground as all weather, conditions and terrains to be established if the “The increasingly complex threats that the Police, as well as sound of gunshots will be expected. The Commisthreats were to be nibbled. the primary internal security agency are grappling with sioner of Police wishes to call for calm, urging members of To this end, the Chief of Army Staff said: “This neceshad necessitated the need to establish new Mobile Police the public to go about their daily activities without panic sitated the establishment of 4 Special Forces Command Squadrons and expand the capacity of the Counterteras this is a regular training exercise for personnel of the to be domiciled in Doma but covering the entire country rorism Unit and the Police Special Forces to deal with the Nigeria Police Force.” operationally. Since I assumed command as the Chief of

60

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

CICERO/REPORT

Wearing Fayemi Unsolicited Presidential Garb The alleged presidential bid of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, which followed unsolicited posters by the Chairman of Ikere Local Government, Femi Ayodele, has exposed some of the underbelly of the current power struggle in the state, writes Victor Ogunje

O

n August 19, 2020, the alleged presidential bid of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State was unveiled, albeit unsolicited, with his poster flooding the social media platforms. Though many think the governor by his action and deed was not privy to the development, his ‘loyalists’ were desirous of seeing him take a plunge in 2023, because of their perception that he ticks all the boxes of a presidential material.

The persistent chorusing of a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and governor Fayemi’s names as being interested in the seat, has made the Southwest a political hotbed since 2019. Thus, the sharing of Fayemi’s presidential poster on the social media would automatically spark up more controversies that would heighten the chess game in the region perceived as a favourite, if the ticket is zoned to the south on the strength of rotational presidency.

Barely six months after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in for his second term, rumour of scheming for the 2023 presidential poll kicked off with the populace expressing surprise at the swift pace at which the permutations began. Indeed, the positioning during the 2019 election was all about 2023.

In Nigerian politics, nothing is taken for granted. The moment there is a suspicion that someone might likely be a favourite, politicians have a deft way of plotting, realigning and regrouping to have their ways or prevent certain individuals or groups from reducing their chances of getting the plum job and these have been dangerously playing out in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Immediately the rumour filtered into town, politicians of the APC extraction had started realigning and regrouping to outdo one another. The event culminating in the abrupt and wondrous dissolution of the National Working Committee might have also corroborated this assumption.

However, notable politicians rumoured to be having their eyes on the presidential seat include Tinubu, Fayemi, the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation, Chibuke Amaechi and the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, although El-Rufai has consistently canvassed for power to be zoned to the South in the spirit of fairness and equity.

Three years away from the actual presidential poll, highly convoluted underground horse-trading had sparked up some high-wire intrigues in APC. Those who are interested have upped the game to be able to get an upper hand in the impending political battle.

The most astounding aspect of it has been that the intrigues have started producing casualties three years before the actual political duel with the unexpected removal of the Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the dissolution of the entire National Working Committee (NWC) by National Executive Council, chaired by President Buhari.

The step was taken, when the political players, including party leaders and governors were subjecting APC to diverse unwarranted judicial onslaughts in desperate attempts to outwit one another ahead of 2023. This was seen to be quaking the party’s foundation and emasculating its seemingly invincible posture to some leaders.

Those who were virulently opposed to Oshiomhole perceived him as allegedly appropriating undue favour to a particular presidential hopeful in the party, which they considered as callow and unwise at this time.

In actual fact, of all those rumoured to be interested in the coveted seat, that of Tinubu has been the most pronounced.

His allies from Lagos and across Nigeria have not hidden their readiness to hit the ground, when the time comes.

Already, they have ravenously taken over available social media platforms and tacitly setting up groups across the geo-political zones, oiling their engines and preparing grounds for smooth takeoff, when the time beckons.

Apart from their visible actions on the social media, they have been seen in newspapers granting interviews to launder Tinubu’s image and advance his cause as the candidate to beat.

On the other hand, the rumoured presidential aspirations of other party leaders have not gained open traction and pronouncement like that of Tinubu. They remained at the realm of rumour and suspicion.

The foregoing tendency has made things a little bit stroppy for political observers to fathom the situation correctly about how 2023 will look like, because none of the dramatis personae had come out to make any open pronouncement, but their body languages and the actions of their loyalists suggested so.

The cloudy hemisphere became further hazy on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, when a local government chairman, Otunba Femi Ayodele, designed and displayed Fayemi’s presidential poster unveiling the governor’s ambition on social media.

The message on the poster with APC logo read: “Support His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi for President 2023” was sponsored by the Chairman of Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State. The poster shows Fayemi dressed in an adorable sky

blue Agbada with a blue striped Awolowo’s signature cap.

But with the speed of light, the governor debunked knowledge of what he branded an ill-timed and preposterous poster. He didn’t just do that, he warned his appointees to refrain from any act that could derail governance and unsettle the ruling party especially with regards to the presidential debate. Furthermore, Ayodele has since been suspended by the state House of Assembly as a measure of deterrence to others like him.

Fayemi had succeeded in refuting the sponsorship of the poster, but the message contained therein had percolated so deeply, which was that his people wanted him as president in 2023 and they thought he could not afford to rebuff their deafening calls for this national service.

Situating the whole scenario in proper perspective and in tandem with the belief of his loyalists, Governor Fayemi has what it takes to lead Nigeria. By the end of 2023, he would have completed his second term in office, signposting that he must have garnered enough experience to weather the storm of presidency and deliver.

In terms of education, Governor Fayemi is one of the few scholars that were elected and superintending over the states as governors. He bagged a PhD in War Studies from the highly venerated Kings College, University of London. With this, he is more than armed academically to pilot the affairs of any nation.

When it comes to political association and network, Governor Fayemi standing as the Chairman of the NGF can’t be regarded as a pushover in politics and someone lacking the tentacles to pull the string. Leveraging on this influential position, the NGF chieftain can create a nightmare for the presidential ambition of anyone in APC. Look at him from the prism of competence, Governor Fayemi has the knack and administrative shrewdness to navigate the bumpy road and swim through the murky waters to be a good President that can entrench a paradigm shift. His footprints in Ekiti based on performances in terms of policy formulation, Infrastructure face lifting and projects deliverable remain a reference point.

In national politics, putting it rightly, Governor Fayemi is not doing badly. He is an emerging power broker. His influence is extending and spiraling and no one could consider him a Lilliputian or minnow in any political battle, as doing so could be suicidal.

The cumulative effects of all these lent credence to the fact that he can’t be underrated or considered a misfit in the presidential debate under any political arrangement or economic situation.

But will the Nigerian system allow him? Based on experience and past records, those with competence and intimidating track records of performances hardly become the president. People are patiently waiting whether Fayemi will rewrite this ugly part of history when the time comes.

With the possible underground onslaught against Fayemi by some powerful forces in APC, it keeps no one in doubt that his profile had risen and assuming a frightening dimension.

With NGF’s pedestal, his reach has been profoundly enhanced beyond the APC and Southern enclaves. His colleagues in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have tremendous respect for his cool mien and strategic thinking and this could not have made some people, who have their prying eyes on the

presidency uncomfortable.

Though this wouldn’t make Fayemi win the presidential ticket on a platter of gold, some other contenders are of coordinate weight or even better. But his meteoric rise is really unsettling some and the facts are there to substantiate this.

Most advantageous to him is the closeness and unrestricted access he has to President Buhari. This started during his time as the Minister of Mines and Steel Development. The NGF platform later broadened his reach in the presidency and added panache to his personality and lifestyle.

However, confirming the sponsorship of this controversial poster, the local government boss, Mr Ayodele, said he did the poster to show his unalloyed and uncompromising loyalty to Governor Fayemi against insinuation that he has sold out and working against him.

Ayodele posited that the governor fits enough for the exalted office considering his array of outstanding credentials, administrative shrewdness and political acumen.

“Fayemi’s commitment, resourcefulness and pedigree put him in good stead to lead Nigeria in the next political dispensation,” he stressed. While the LG boss is entitled to his opinion, Fayemi was not comfortable with his decision. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, Fayemi said he was not oblivious of the distraction such will cause to his government and denied ever authorising such publication at this untimely period.

With the way Fayemi sounded, he was displeased with the public being regaled with such publication at a time the APC was being repositioned to be able to regain its physique and strength ahead of that time. This must have necessitated the speed at which he debunked it.

Before the publication, the APC Southwest Publicity Secretary, Hon. Oladapo Karounwi, who is an Ekiti citizen never hid his excitement that Fayemi is one of the best men for the job and he perceived the publication as a clarion call and not the real battle itself. Karounwi said: “That publication was not sponsored by Governor Fayemi, that was not even his style. Though the people wanted him, because he has the competence and the qualities that can make him a good President.

“Governor Fayemi represented a new generation of young politicians that are making waves. He is operating in the digital frame and fits to be considered for the seat. He is a team player and detribalised individual, who can bind all the diverse Nigerian nationals together with his brain, national and global networks as well as his vitality.”

All said, politics, they say is a game of number. Does Fayemi belong to the majority in APC to be able to overcome other challengers in APC, because Presidency is not determined solely by competence? Can he match other contenders in terms of experience in national politics, deep financial war chest, large followership, acceptability, and other considerations? All these are issues his handlers and those who wish him well should ruminate about.

In Ekiti, today, the most reverberated political talk has remained Fayemi’s presidential ambition. He has not overtly pronounced such or acted in any suspicious manner that so suggested, but his loyalists and supporters want him in that position. Will he take the plunge, when the time is right? Shall he say amen to this wishful thinking? Time shall answer all the nagging questions.

61

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

CICERO/REPORT

Obiano

Mrs. Obiano

Obiano

Away from Politics, the Obianos Can Dare the Runways Last week, Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano set the cyberspace on fire, when he donned a pair of torn jeans trousers in a picture that showed him welcoming former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode. But such tacky dress sense of the first family in the state is fast becoming a cause for concern, reports David-Chyddy Eleke

T

he Obianos, the Anambra first family is not new to controversies emanating from their dress pattern, and may not be willing still to jettison the kind of dressings that they feel comfortable in, because of criticisms. As governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano’s performance has been relative, depending on who is rating him. But what no one can take away from the former banker and top flight chattered accountant is the fact that in all facets of governance, he has discharged above average.

Beyond providing infrastructure in diverse parts of the state and also ensuring prompt payment of salaries to the state workforce, another thing he does well is pleasing himself with the latest fashion trends.

Chief Obiano is not alone in this. His wife, the state’s first lady, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano is all by herself a fashion statement.

The duo is so good in this that beyond governance, they can consider another passion: modeling. This will give them the opportunity to walk the runways as they desire.

In August 2019, the first lady set tongues wagging, when she appeared at a public function, wearing a pair of Gucci sunglasses, said to be worth N1million.

Mrs. Obiano had attended the event with her husband, Governor Willie Obiano, and was pictured in the company of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his Delta State counterpart, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

It was the funeral mass of the late Chief Michael Chukwuka Onyema, father of the owner of Air Peace, Allen Onyema at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mbosi, Ihiala, Anambra State.

The first lady was spotted wearing a pair of Gucci glasses valued at $2,755 – a brand was tagged “Limited edition mask sunglasses with crystals” by its makers. It was gathered that according to Gucci, the overall quantity of the Made-in-Italy sunglasses is a mere 100 pieces.

“Please note, these sunglasses are part of a limited edition collection of 100 pieces,” Gucci reportedly stated on its website. The designer eyewear is also said to come with complete protection from the sun with

its 100% UVA/UVB specification. The Limited Edition mask sunglasses, the makers also said, are accessorised with crystals, and at $2,755, the eyeglasses stood at N995,932.50 as at last year, when she purchased it.

Though there had been argument about the eyeglasses and its cost, some people dismissed it, saying she was an adult and could wear what she felt comfortable in, the argument had quickly led local producers producing and selling the eyeglasses at very ridiculous rates.

However, in February 2020, it was the turn of her husband, the governor to get in the news over his fashion sense. Appearing on the red carpet of the closing event of the Nigeria Police Games hosted in Anambra State, Obiano donned a pair of white jeans trousers, a multicolored flowery long sleeve shirt, with a pair of blazers atop it. He didn’t stop at that, he matched his dressing with a pair of ankle length boots and accompanied it with a walking stick.

While many thought he looked fashionable in the outfit, other criticised him, even to the extent of saying the combination of his clothing was tardy and uncomplimentary.

One thing that has almost stood the governor out, however, is that he does not pay heed to gossips and would continually do the things that gives him joy, including how he dresses. For a man, who has been criticised previously for what many will describe as outlandish dressing, Obiano still pleases himself with what he feels comfortable in.

Just last week, a picture of the governor and his wife welcoming former Aviation Minister, Femi FaniKayode to the governor’s lodge in Onitsha showed him wearing a pair of torn jeans trousers, what many people will call crazy jeans, another multicolored flowery long sleeve shirt and a fez cap.

This too sent tongues wagging, with many describing it as irresponsible dressing for a governor, while many others have commended the governor’s ability to breakaway from the straightjacket lifestyle of many public office holders to live his normal life.

Mr Edmond Igwe writing on social media said, “Governors and other public office holders are also human beings. We should not let them lose their lives totally, because they came into position of authority.

For me, I personally like big men, who dress casually.

Let’s cut them some slack please. It is this kind of criticisms about everything they do that make some of them (public office holders) to become heady and arrogant.”

Igwe continued: “I have seen big men, who even though they enjoy the attention that comes with their position, when they come together they complain about the freedom that their position has robbed them of. They are also human beings, and there’s nothing wrong with them living their normal life.

“The picture in question was even taken in the home of the governor. Are you saying he does not have the right to wear even a simple dress when he is in his house? Does he have to rush into the room to wear suit, because he is receiving a former minister in his own house,” Igwe queried.

But, for another respondent writing under the name, Simon Bazz, Obiano has demeaned the people of Anambra by his dressing.

He wrote: “I do not know why Obiano likes disgracing the people of Anambra so much. How can a governor wear torn jeans in a picture he knows will be in the public domain? The day he became the governor of Anambra State is the day he lost his right to be a private individual.

“It is even worse that he was standing in front of the official seal of government. I don’t know who advises him on what to wear, because all these kinds of dresses he puts on amount to disgrace on Anambra people. It is not the first time, so he must stop.”

In reaction to the condemnation that the dressing witnessed, the media aides of the governor went to work. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr James Eze posted about 20 pictures of the governor in different dresses, and accompanying them with the words written in Igbo to state that Obiano is not naïve, when it comes to fashion. Also, Mr Ifeanyi Aniagoh, an aide of the governor stated that he would for one week post a picture of the governor each day to convey his dress sense.

As the heat of the argument dies down, one thing that is sure is that Chief Obiano enjoys making fashion statements, and as far as he continues to experiment with dress sense, he will always come out beautiful in most cases, and in others, he may never fail to make fashion blunders.

62

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

CICERO/INTERVIEW

Maduka: Quest for Igbo Presidency Is Just AHarvardUniversity,Boston-trainedmedicaldoctorandfounderofLasVegasPainInstituteMedicalCentre, Dr. Godwin Maduka plans to run for the office of the Governor of Anambra State in the 2021 gubernatorial elections. In a comprehensive interview with the Arise News Television’s Christian Ogodo, he narrated the essentials of his manifesto for the good governance of Southeastern Nigeria’s flagship state and expressed the fact that he is ready to change the face of the state. Excerpts:

Y

ou are one diaspora Nigerian in politics interested in the forthcoming Anambra State 2021 gubernatorial race.The people of Anambra are searching for a new leadership in 2021.Tell us about your political ambition?

Well, I believe that there comes a time, when we ought to have a new direction, so I have been watching my state and I have seen the progress they have made and in some other, there is need for improvement. That is why I decided that I should try my best to get involved with the governance ofAnambra State.

But you have not announced the political party on whose platform you want to contest the election, as 2021 is just a few months away. Besides, what are you bringing to the table?

I must say, at this point, I am running under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. What I am bringing to the table is that for the 40 years I have been in the USAand out of these 40 years, 30 years I have been at home doing one thing or the other, trying to improve people’s lives and I believe that I have something to offer the state.

All the governors since Ngige, Peter Obi as well as Obiano, I have always been involved trying to do my best to help the government and so, I have watched them all these years. I realised that there is a lot I can add to what they have done and I have enumerated many areas that will need some improvement in education, transport, women, youth empowerment and IT. Of course, as you know in medicine, which is my career, we have to improve in that area. I think medical tourism has to be reversed.

Our people shouldn’t have to be going to India,America or UK to get health care that they need. That is one of the things that I needed to make sure is done in my state.

You don’t need to spend millions of naira and dollars taking that money overseas, when we can have it at home.As you know, I am also a pharmacist and being a pharmacist, I believe we can build factories that manufacture drugs so that people can stop importing fake drugs into the country.

I think we need to have mechanised agriculture. We also have to be able to help local farmers to be effective in order to improve their agricultural yields. I am sure that we can make a difference in Healthcare andAgriculture. I have done some work in the past in education, religious tolerance, roads and bridges as part of my philanthropic activities.

How close are you to the grassroots and how much assistance and philanthropy have you done for the people of Anambra State?

You may call it philanthropy but what we are doing is try to improve the quality of life of the people.Alot of facilities were not available, when we were growing up. InAnambra, for instance, I was born in 1959. The war broke around 1966 and lasted till 1970 and that led to our missing school for three to four years.

I didn’t start school until I was 10 to 11 years old and I was very lucky to have finished school and ended up in the US, where I read Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Medicine and started working thereafter. Now the only time I have been absent fromAnambra state from Nigeria was first 11years that I was in the classroom.

After that 11 or 12 years, I have been coming home every year, so, there is nothing about home that I don’t know.

I was involved with the construction of roads and doing other development-oriented things at home and dealing with villagers.

So, in terms of being close to the grassroots, of course, I was one of them. I did the things that needed to be done at home to make sure that lives were better for the grassroots people ofAnambra State, particularly in Orumba, where I come from.

Nigerians in Diaspora are ready for a change. They are coming home. They decided this is a movement. Our people at home are doing good too, and we need to have a collective effort. We from the Nigerians in diaspora and those at home should work together to be able to bring a change in Nigeria.

There shouldn’t be any division between the Nigerians in diaspora and Nigerians at home. The Diaspora Nigeria intends to come home, get involved in politics, get involved in development, get involved in infrastructure building and those are the things that are moving the movement.

You have chosen to call it a movement – a movement from the diaspora to come and contribute politically, socially, economically and technologically to the development of Anambra.Youth groups in Anambra State are saying the governorship must be zoned to the South senatorial district.

Do you fall within that bracket or are you for meritocracy – that merit to take control instead of zoning?

You have asked a very good question. It has been observed for close to 20 years that the Central Senatorial District has ruled for 8 years; the North Senatorial District is just completing another 8 years. Now, it is time for the South but let me make it categorically clear we have to observe that zoning so that there will be peace at home.

You cannot explain to somebody that it is time for the South to produce the governor and all of a sudden it becomes politics. You can’t have peace in the state that way. Now after we finish with

Maduka

the South then we can abandon this zoning system.It should be abundantly clear that the next governor must come from the South or the people of the southern senatorial zone will feel cheated.

But I believe that even at that, we have been endowed with men and women that can actually win the governorship without being zoned from the south. We have a lot of heavyweights down there.

I happen to come from the south as well. Even though I am not running based on senatorial zoning. I am running on the fact that there are lots of things that needed to be changed. We shouldn’t be lagging behind in development.

We shouldn’t stick with the same old story about politics. Our politics and understanding has to go beyond the borders of Nigeria.

We need not to be looked down upon internationally. We should have a very developed country in the future and others trying to come home and do something because we love our country.

I love my state. I love my city. I love my race and I love my people in general. I am not coming to be a Messiah but I’m coming to continue what I have been doing for 30 years. I never meant to dabble into politics but I see some things that I think I can do to help us and add to the good work that past governors have done.

Now, I do not pull anybody down. You have to be on that seat before you can say that somebody did good or didn’t do good. I thinkAnambra State has been blessed with a lot of good governors and I really believe that when I come in there, the diaspora effect will be felt.

You have given a political overview of the state where you said after 2021, zoning should be eradicated or eliminated after the South senatorial district must have produced the next Governor. Now, let’s look at the bigger picture for the Igbo in the Southeastern region.The presidency, they are asking should be zoned to them, what are your thoughts about zoning the presidency to the Southeast in 2023?

Well, it is almost a replica of what is happening inAnambra State.

I think in democracy in Nigeria, I hope in future we will get to the same level of the western world. The reason that they are clamouring for Igbo president is just for that equity and fairness. I think when one is under guard, I am looking forward to Nigeria that doesn’t have tribalism, because when you have lived inAmerica all these years, you will realise that being black is being black.

Nobody is going ask you if you are from Hausa or from Igbo or from Yoruba. But at this point, when I think we reach that perfect union, then, you do not have to clamour for a president coming from one region of Nigeria or the other, because we all are Nigerians. I think we need to produce a well-articulated democracy yet.

Therefore, I believe that the next president should come from the Southeast mostly the Igbos. They need to produce a president, that president should be for everybody. That president should not discriminate. I am not saying any president is discriminating.

We have been lucky too with a lot of presidents but there are other people that use the presidency to their benefit and the president may not even know that he was being manipulated. But whether the President is from Igbo or from Hausa or from Yoruba, he should be president for all of us. Until the Southeast produces a President, the Igbo will continue to feel marginalised in the governance of Nigeria.

Nigerians living in the diaspora have that sense of marginalisation, particularly, if you listened to an elder statesman,

Mamman Daura, who said the time has come for the best candidate to be chosen. Do you belong to that school of thought or you still insist that after the Southeast must have produced the next president, then, it can be thrown open to every Nigerian?

Well, this is what I believe personally. I think Southeast should produce a president and after which we educate Nigerians to love one another, coexist and no longer about South or North. We are all one. There shouldn’t be any zoning on anything. There shouldn’t be zoning in governorship.

There shouldn’t be zoning in the presidency. But right now, we have not grown to that point to understand what holds us together and that’s why the zoning has to happen now; why we are learning to emulate the people that gave us democracy.

Nepotism has to go in Nigeria. I don’t understand it. I love my race, I love other races, but what brings us together is that we are blacks; we all are Nigerians. I don’t care what part of Nigeria you are. I don’t feel that I should be seen as an Igbo man. I should be seen as a Nigerian. I believe that the zoning must be complete. We have to produce an Igbo president. Give them a chance then after that, we throw it open to everybody. That is my belief.

Just like what is happening inAnambra, the Southerners have not produced a governor until now. The next governor ofAnambra comes from the south, for so many reasons. Number one, we have a lot of eligible people that can be governor. Secondly, it’s also zoned over there for peace and unity to reign. I’m calling on Nigerians to let people be a part of the union.

If we don’t produce an Igbo president from the Southeast, a lot of people are going to feel very marginalised. When the Igbo produce a President of Nigeria, he must be the president for everybody – a president for the North, the South, Middle belt and everywhere.

Nigeria is a beautiful country. I lived here all my life. The only time I have been absent is for 12 years. I love coming home. I love going to Abuja. I love going to Kano. I love going to Lagos.

What is your opinion about Nigerians living in the diaspora, who want electoral reform in Nigeria that will enable them to vote and be voted for in Nigeria?

Well, most Nigerians know that we contribute to the welfare of the country.As you said, there are billions of dollars or Euros thrown into Nigeria from the Nigerians in diaspora. Now, we are involved in development, we are involved in religion, we are involved in every aspect of human endeavour at home, they should be allowed to vote and they are going to start voting.

They have to get voters registration card which is very simple, because they are part of the system. One thing I love about Nigerians in the diaspora is that we love our home; we love our families at home; we love our state; we love our country. Most Nigerians in diaspora do not get involved in all these nepotism or tribalism, because that will be a laughable joke.

If you have lived in US or UK or Canada or Europe, you don’t want to identify with one tribe or the other. I think that the only way Nigerians will move forward is to use this knowledge that we have, plus what we grew up with in Nigeria, merge them together so we can move the country further and become a nation.

How do you see the president’s three-point agenda set out for the diasporas to come and invest in Nigeria and involve in whatever they want to do as good ambassadors of this great country Nigeria?

I am very happy to hear his recent speech but again like I said, he has been doing this since his presidency. I think he is one of the presidents in Nigeria to reach out to the Nigeria in diaspora. I was in his presence. The minister of the diaspora will tell you that they know me well and one of the reasons I was also invited there was because of what I have done at home. I have told Nigerians in diaspora there is a need to go home and help develop the country in order to contribute their quota to change the country for the better.

Can you imagine that if all the Nigerian pharmacists, which I am a member in the United States come home together with me, we shall build one of the best factories and produce medications for Nigeria andAfrican market. This is, because we have the technology, we have the knowledge. Therefore, President Buhari’s three-point is in order.

Covid-19 has raised several medical and health questions but I want to ask you, what is your position on the controversies surrounding the use and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in the management of Covid-19?

You know, until the vaccine for this virus is obtained, any remedy that can help, we will use. I for one, I have not used hydroxychloroquine yet but people are beginning to show a lot of data which show that people are recovering.ANigerian medical doctor living in Texas was able to show that out of the 300 people that were struck by the virus, she was able to give them hydroxychloroquine, arzithromacin and zinc. If there is any other regiment that could help in the recovery process the virus patients, let us know.

President Trump says he is using it and the President of Brazil says he too is using it. My take is: if you want, use it. I don’t see much problem from using it. But to shut it down without any other alternative, I don’t think it’s the answer. If you have the coronavirus infection that resulted in symptoms, why not try those too, because it won’t kill you. That is my take on that as a pharmacist and physician.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 23, 2020

63

CICERO/TRIBUTE

Walter Carrington: A True American Hero!

Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, pays homage to former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, who passed away last week

T

he Scottish philosopher and essayist, Thomas Carlyle (1795 –1881), must have had men like Walter Charles Carrington in mind, when he postulated the ‘great man theory’ contained in the book On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History. Carlyle argued that history can be explained through the lenses of the impact of great men, or heroes; highly influential and unique individuals who, due to their natural attributes, such as superior intellect, heroic courage, or divine inspiration, have a decisive historical effect.

In sum, we can understand the trajectory of societal evolution and progress by examining the legacies of great men and women, whose life paths corresponded with significant epochs in our history. The dear departed, an American of African descent, was one whose life straddled the struggles of both the Civil Rights movement in the United States of America, and the struggle for Democracy and Development in Africa.

He was one of a group of young Americans on a cross-cultural exchange programme, who came to Nigeria in 1959, the year before Nigeria’s independence, and lived with families all around the country in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Kaduna. Unbeknownst to him, that would be the first chapter of a lifelong association with Nigeria that would have him making a generational impact on the lives of over a hundred million Nigerians and finding Destiny and Love.

Walter Charles Carrington was born on the 24th of July 1930, to Walter Randolph Carrington Snr. and Marjorie Irene Hayes Carrington, who would later move from his birthplace New York to Everett, Massachusetts, where Walter Carrington Jr went to high school and started developing a capacity for debate, oratory, and political engagement. This got him elected as Vice President of his class that had five hundred students of whom only five were black.

They that would be great are sometimes prepared by Fate. Walter Carrington had a path that prepared him for the unique challenges he would take on. He left Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree in 1952 and got drafted into the US Army in 1955. On leaving the Army, he went to Harvard Law School, and got his J.D. degree in 1958 and set up a legal practice in the state of Massachusetts, where as a 27-year-old, he would be head of Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination.

In going through this route, he was equipped with training and experience on issues related to the legal system, the military, and advocacy. This would serve him, when he came back to Nigeria in 1993, as the US Ambassador to Nigeria in the wake of troubles arising from the Nigerian military government annulling the June 12, 1993 election that was won by the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, GCFR. On his return to Nigeria, Walter Carrington would find a love that would add colour to the rest of his mortal existence. It was almost like fate had decided to feed his soul and spirit to prepare him for the tasks that were to come.

Early in his return to Nigeria, he met Dr. Arese Ukpoma, the woman who would become his wife and partner to the end.

Dr. Arese Carrington is an accomplished medical practitioner and administrator, who would become a driving force that stood with her husband as he intervened on behalf of the Nigerian people. She did not just encourage him; Dr. Arese Carrington went as far as visiting the families of activists that the Abacha regime had put in prison. This was a dangerous thing to do under brutal dictatorship. Theirs was a love so beautiful to behold; a love that never failed.

Walter Carrington’s second coming had him meeting Nigeria during significant political unrest and he did an excellent job to clearly communicate America’s position on democratic principles and human rights. He firmly made it plain that the expectation of the US Government was a return to an elected civilian government and the provision of freedom to the Nigerian people.

Walter Carrington stood on the side of Nigerians at a time, when the Nigerian Government itself appeared to be hostile to its own people. Some notable figures in the African American community would end up being enticed to support the Abacha administration, but Walter Carrington stayed loyal to the Nigerian people he had decided to see as his family. He cast his lot with the Nigerian people and their demands for democratic systems of government. He provided support to the opposition, the human rights and pro-democracy activists and Abuja despised him for it.

They despised him so much that they would send armed police officers to disrupt a send-off organised for Ambassador Walter Carrington, when he was recalled by the US Government. Armed police stormed the occasion, threatened to shoot guests, and ordered all foreigners, including the Ambassador to leave at once.

The send-off was moved to a different location and upon his departure, he got to the US to continue being a voice

Carrington for the Nigerian people. He helped push to get the street, where Nigeria’s U.N. mission and New York consulate is located named after the assassinated Kudirat Abiola, who is rumoured to have been killed on the orders of the government.

The pressure helped bring about the emergence of a democratically elected Nigerian government that recognised his contributions by naming the street, where the US embassy and consulate are sited after him. Walter Carrington Crescent is the location of key diplomatic missions and is appropriately named after the greatest foreign diplomat in Nigerian history. But Walter Carrington was much more than a foreign diplomat. He was fondly called ‘Omowale’ (the son who came home) by the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftains and showed himself to be a worthy Omoluabi.

The term “Omoluabi” translates to English “a-child-bornby-God.”. It basically implies that the individual was born by the Deities and prepared by fate itself for great things.

An Omoluabi is a person with outstanding competence and character that has borne the burden of a society’s struggles and aspirations gracefully. It is a title reserved for those, who have shown themselves strong and reliable enough to be revered pillars of society.

When Walter Carrington came in 1959, he visited the University of Ibadan, loved it, and was confident that the school would stand comfortably with the World’s best universities in the future but when he returned as Ambassador in 1993, he was saddened by what the university had fallen to.

In his words “I could not believe what I saw. In 1959, on the eve of independence, there was so much great hope and now with the 50th anniversary, I hope to be able to come back to celebrate, but I think the theme of it should be a new beginning.” We owe it to the likes of Walter Arese Carrington to do our best to make Nigeria succeed.

The sacrifices of Walter Carrington and others show that Nigeria’s success is not just for Nigerians.

Like Walter Carrington, we must be selfless and steadfast defenders of democracy, and freedom, who overlook class differences and personal convenience in the fight for the establishment of a democratic culture. Like Walter Carrington, we must support those who speak and stand against oppression and manipulation. Walter Carrington made the American Embassy a place of refuge. We should make our own institutions and hearts places of safety for those who seek to uplift Nigeria.

The sacrifices made by the likes of Walter Carrington are a key reminder to Nigerians at all levels that we owe the world a successful Nigeria with a culture of democracy that gives people the freedom to feel free to have their own ideas, form political parties, assemble and generally have their human rights respected. People from different parts of the World have invested generously and even put life and limb at stake for our sake. It would be inexcusable for us to let insouciance, greed, malice, or tribalism keep Nigeria from fulfilling its potential.

Walter Carrington was a great man, who saw the seed of greatness in us and went out of his way to help put us on our path. He grew up in an America emerging from the throes of slavery and was moved by the similarities of the struggles Black people in Africa and America face in the search for development, freedom, and fulfilment.

“Most Black Americans come to Africa to seek their heritage. I came and found my destiny.” In doing so, Walter Carrington helped set the biggest Black nation in the world on the path to its own destiny and we will forever be grateful.

Adieu, Walter, a true American hero!

––Fayemi, CON, is the Governor Ekiti State.

Sunday August 23, 2020

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

N

Price: N400

MISSILE

Osinbajo on Appointment of Judges “We need to look more carefully at how our judges are selected. We cannot insist that the only way to become a judge is to be a (judicial) career person or move from the high court to the Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court. If it requires rewriting the rules, then let us rewrite the rules.”

– Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN speaking at the Wole Olanipekun & Co (WOC) Justice Summit.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Apple’s $2tr Question for Nigeria’s Oil

I

n Nigeria, oil is definitely the apple of our eyes — we don’t need to argue over that. But this piece of news should set us thinking once again: Apple, the American tech company, is now worth over $2 trillion. By contrast, the GDP of Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is estimated at $448 billion. Of course, Apple’s market value and Nigeria’s GDP are not the same measurements. One measures the value of the stock and the other the value of economic activities. However, the real question is: with all our vaunted oil and gas resources, why is our GDP not in trillions of dollars? Why is poverty rate always 70 percent and above? And why is unemployment rate at 27 per cent?

For some perspective, in the 2018/2019 financial year (October to September), Apple’s total revenue was $260.17 billion (about N100 trillion), while in the 2019 fiscal year (January to December), the Federal Republic of Nigeria earned, in total, N4.6 trillion (or roughly $12 billion) from oil exports. I have chosen to focus on one company for the purpose of this discussion so that I do not lose my trail of thought. I have deliberately left out other tech giants such as Amazon, which earned $280.5 billion last year; Microsoft, $143 billion; Alphabet, $161.9 billion; and Facebook, $70.7 billion. These companies are built on the quality of human thinking rather than the quantity of natural resources.

Let us move further a bit. In 2019, Apple paid corporate income taxes totalling $10.481 billion (about 4 trillion). This is outside of VAT, PAYE and other taxes. In Nigeria, the total collection for corporate income taxes from tens of thousands of registered companies in 2019 was N1.5 trillion.

In case I am not making myself clear enough: a single American company paid almost thrice the total amount of corporate income taxes that ALL Nigerian companies put together could muster.

Some would say it is unfair to compare a global tech giant and the different tax regimes with what obtains in the local Nigerian context, but that would be a complete misreading of the intent of this article.

What am I driving at? This article is a polite reminder that our arrogant and brainless obsession with crude oil in Nigeria will continue to be our downfall. This discussion has been on for ages but our folly has failed to recognise the reality that we are living a fake, unsustainable life. At the slightest opportunity, we flaunt our so-called oil wealth. Our understanding of progress and prosperity is built around oil. For decades, rather than pursue options that will wake up our brains from the doldrums, we keep living from day to day, from hand to mouth, based on the assumptions that we are oil-rich, that low oil prices are only for a while and that another boom is just around the corner.

If we know the damage the petrodollar has done to this country, we should be crying rather than popping champagne anytime crude oil prices rise.

It has killed our brains, stifled innovation, stunted our growth, corrupted our democracy, weakened our institutions and destroyed our values. Oil wealth has turned the society upside down, further polarised us along ethnic and religious lines, and created a seemingly unbridgeable gap between the elite and the masses. Our Apples, Samsungs and Microsofts remain unconceived, miscarried or stillborn — because we cannot see beyond our nose and cannot think outside the crude confines of our exaggerated and mismanaged oil wealth.

To be sure, this is not peculiar to Nigeria. Any

Apple CEO, Tim Cook country that relies heavily or almost entirely on natural resources — rather than human resources — has the tendency to be stuck with underdevelopment. Acclaimed founder of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Venezuelan politician/lawyer, the late Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, famously said in the midst of the maddening oil boom of the 1970s: “It is the devil’s excrement. We’re drowning in devil’s excrement… Ten years from now, twenty years from now, you will see: oil will bring us ruin...” In 1976, he warned: “Look at us, we are having a crisis… We are dying of indigestion.”

Professor Mick Moore, a political economist, wrote a seminal article, “Revenues, State Formation, and the Quality of Governance in Developing Countries,” in the International Political Science Review (2004). His propositions capture at least seven political pathologies associated with countries that depend largely on natural resources to fund their budgets. Anytime I think about Nigeria’s arrested development and the deep ignorance that keeps pulling us backward, this article always comes to mind. It provides an important insight into the behaviour of rentier states — states that survive on natural resources, such as oil and diamond. Nigeria is a classic example.

With the oil money, he argued, rentier states tend to have “autonomy from citizens” — that is, the state-citizen relationship is often weak. He wrote: “The state apparatus, and the people who control it, have a ‘guaranteed’ source of income that makes them independent of their citizens.

Why listen to citizens or give them any kind of democratic influence over the state? (...) the state can feed itself from mineral revenues or from using those revenues to establish ‘mega-projects’ under state control… It is more efficient to use some revenue to buy off those citizens likely to cause trouble and more of it to support a powerful army and intelligence apparatus that will keep the others in line.”

Another pathology that is relevant to Nigeria in his article is “non-transparency in public expenditure”. Moore wrote: “Where public revenues come from a small number of concentrated sources, such as a few foreign oil companies or a public mining enterprise, it is relatively easy for revenue and expenditure to be hidden from view. If a legislature exists, it has limited capacity to exercise oversight over the state because it has very incomplete knowledge of (let alone control over) the myriad ways in which state

and quasi-state agencies raise and spend money.

The official ‘budget’ may represent a mere shadow of the true fiscal situation.” Think NNPC. He also wrote about “vulnerability to subversion” — as we can see with Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy, banditry and kidnapping ravaging Nigeria. This can be attributed to state neglect of parts of its territory because of their low tax value to the treasury. He argued: “The failure to tax the bulk of the population, and thereby bring them into the ambit of a regular civilian bureaucracy, leaves the state vulnerable to the (armed) organizational challenge of competitors: guerrillas, private armies based on the narcotics and arms trades, and non-state movements of various kinds, including, in contemporary subSaharan Africa, autonomous Christian and Islamic movements.”

For us in Nigeria, we have experienced, and are still experiencing, economic pathologies that are as deadly, if not deadlier, than the political ones. A drop in crude oil prices and we are in serious crisis: debts pile up, expenditures crash, foreign reserves suffocate, naira faints, private businesses choke and Nigerians are chucked into the labour market in droves. Our budgets are benchmarked against the price of crude oil. That is about the first thing analysts and commentators look for when the draft budget is presented to the national assembly. You would think that this is a law or a scriptural command. Meanwhile, Apple’s revenue is at least 21 times our oil receipts.

What are we thinking?

Of course, someone will read this and say it is because Nigeria does not have “true federalism” and “resource control” that we do not have our own Samsungs and Apples. I am not getting dragged into that argument today. I will just say one thing: most of advanced countries run unitary, not federal, systems. Take away the US, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Canada and you have a unitary-system dominated list. There is yet no study establishing that practising “true federalism” is the route to human and economic development. But that is an argument for another day. The question for today is: how can we get this oil thing out of our brain? The liberation must start from the mind.

Our journey from underdevelopment will continue to be interrupted for as long as we fail to see that our biggest resources are the human beings. What we should be focussing our energies on are the infrastructure, the policies and the systems that will unleash and support innovation and enterprise. When we create the enabling and productive environment, businesses and citizens can flourish and government will be able to earn tax revenue from the prosperity.

If Apple alone can pay corporate income taxes that are more than double what all companies in Nigeria pay, we don’t need to be geniuses to understand that our narrow obsession with oil will keep pulling us into the abyss.

Any economic policy, or political philosophy, that does not prioritise human development will continue to drag us down. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and the rest of them are products of the human brain, not “resource control” or “federal character”. Building airports and ultra-modern government houses or jet-age secretariats when the education sector is dilapidated physically and intellectually is exactly what we need to keep our people down and keep surviving on oil prices.

Any society that treats public infrastructure as luxuries is a society going nowhere, no matter the oil price. We’ve been saying this forever. One day, the scale will, hopefully, fall off our eyes.

Ibrahim Writes on Wada Maida... Page 15

And Four Other Things…

WHAT THE EL After a protest by some lawyers, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Thursday withdrew its invitation to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, to speak at its annual conference. They said el-Rufai disobeys the courts. Ideally, this should be good for our democracy — that soft punishment can be meted out to politicians for their perceived misdeeds.

However, I have no doubt in my mind that this is purely political and has little to do with the rule of law. Why? Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom we all know built his leadership ethos on pissing on the rule of law, will speak at the same conference.

Are the “principled” petitioners not aware of this? Politics.

PASSPORT PALAVER The presidential task force (PTF) has rolled out guidelines on the re-opening of Nigeria’s international airports, shut since March as the COVID-19 pandemic held the world by the throat. I agree with almost everything in the guidelines but I cannot understand why the international passport of anybody should be seized for 14 days! If I may ask, what is that supposed to achieve? For one, not everybody will visit Nigeria for 14 days.

Some may not spend more than a few days.

Why hold anybody’s passport at all? How does that combat the spread of the virus?

Is this not an attempt to create another “chop-chop” for the immigration officials?

Pointless.

CAMA CONFLICT The amended Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) was recently signed into law

by President Muhammadu Buhari to wide applause. It was seen as business-friendly and a step in the right direction. But non-forprofit organisations, particularly churches, have kicked against certain provisions, especially the ones that put them under stricter control by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Although I have not seen anything in the law that is peculiar to Nigeria or completely out of place, I would still recommend that the critics should engage with the lawmakers on the contentious areas rather than savage and condemn the entire legislation. Reasonable.

MALLEABLE MALIANS Malians, apparently frustrated by the state of their country under President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, took to the streets on Wednesday to celebrate his ouster by the military, led by 25-year-old Colonel Assimi Goita. The ordinary people always think military coups are the ultimate solution to civilian misrule, but it always doesn’t take too long for them to realise that it is often a case of more of the same. The coup plotters said everything the people wanted to hear about corruption, insecurity and what not. And that brings the critical question: when a democratically elected president is misruling, should coups be the solution? Africans need to rethink their understanding of democracy. Fickle.

Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja .

All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085, 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com