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THISDAY ARISE Group Holds Global Virtual Commemoration for Nigeria @ 60 Broadcasting from Lagos, Abuja, London Bayo Akinloye THISDAY ARISE Group will on Thursday, October 1, host a 6-hour global virtual commemoration to mark Nigeria’s 60th independence

anniversary celebration.

The event billed to feature renowned world leaders, who have been scheduled to give speeches as well as performances from global musical acts and fashion

icons, is to commence from 5pm GMT to 11pm GMT on Thursday.

According to a schedule of events released by the Continued on page 5

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CBN: N400bn Out of N600bn Agric Credit Repaid… Page 5 Sunday 27 September, 2020 Vol 25. No 9302

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Concerns Mount Over Zulum’s Safety, Following 2 Attacks in 2 Months ACF warns there’ll be consequences if gov is harmed Police confirm death of 13 in attack John Shiklam in Kaduna, George Okoh in Makurdi and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri There are growing concerns

over the safety of the outspoken Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who has being the target of Boko Haram attacks in the last two months. Arewa

Consultative Forum (ACF) and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom have expressed worry over his safety. Zulum, whose convoy was on Friday attacked by terrorists, leading to the

death of several military and police personnel. They spoke in the wake of growing anxiety about the incessant attacks on Zulum, who had been targeted by insurgents

barely two months ago around the same axis in the state.

ACF and Ortom warned of consequences if the governor were to be harmed by the insurgents.

THISDAY checks, however, revealed that the governor was not in the convoy at the time of the attack on Friday.

Continued on page 8

Osinbajo: With 60% Reduction in Revenue, FG Can’t Sustain Fuel Subsidy Says focus now on compressed natural gas at half price Assures no plans to increase taxes FG orders workers to report to work on Monday Hope rises as NGF, NLC, TUC meet over proposed strike Obinna Chima, Bayo Akinloye in Lagos, Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu in Warri Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, joined forces with millions of Nigerians to support subsidy removal, saying with 60 per cent reduction in federal government revenue base, the country can no longer sustain the fuel subsidy regime. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, quoted Osinbajo as making the remark at a virtual interactive forum in Abuja at the weekend.

However, as part of efforts to offer Nigerians an effective option to petrol, Osinbajo

said the federal government would focus on developing Compressed Natural Gas, otherwise known as auto gas, which is priced significantly lower than petrol.

The federal government, also yesterday, through the Head of Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, asked civil servants to shun the industrial action being planned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). It warned all federal civil servants on Salary Grade Level 12 and above, as well as those on essential services, to report to work on Monday, despite the industrial action declared by labour unions. Yemi-Esan reminded the workers of the Continued on page 5

Nigeria to Earn $600m Revenue in New NNPC, SEEPCO Gas Deal... Page 10

COMMEMORATIVE PRAYER FOR NIGERIA @ 60TH...

L-R: Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila and Senate President, Ahmed Lawan during the national prayers in commemoration of Nigeria's 60th Independence Day celebration at the National Mosques Abuja... Friday

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CBN: N400bn Out of N600bn Agric Credit Repaid Nume Ekeghe The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday disclosed that it had recovered over N400 billion out of about N600 billion it lent to farmers in its Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS).

The Director, Development Finance Department, CBN, Mr. Philip Yila Yusuf, disclosed this during a virtual seminar organised by the bank for financial journalists.

Beneficiaries of the scheme aimed at enhancing large scale farming across Nigeria, included both private and public sector players in the agricultural value chain.

The CBN director said the intervention was aimed at supporting the federal government’s quest for food security, especially with the border closure and the global lockdown that came with the coronavirus pandemic.

Yusuf said, “The CACS is really to fast track food processing across the entire value chain and this has been our successful intervention. “We've disbursed over N600 billion and over N400 billion has been paid back. It was given at nine per cent interest rate, but the interest rate has been reduced to five per cent. “Private sector players and also state governments have accessed it for either rice processing mills, cassava processing mills or to do large scale farming.�

Speaking on the need for the country to be selfsufficient, he said, “because of the protectionist mode that a lot of countries are going into, there's an opportunity for us to properly diversify into agriculture. “So, we need to produce more, especially grains. We

need to achieve national food security and we need to be able to start looking at how we can even begin to export for us to be able to earn forex, because there's already a decline in the major forex inflow we get from oil. “We really need to start looking at how we can ensure we have food self-sufficiency and also begin to export to earn more foreign exchange. “We have significant land that has been unlocked and so we need also to ensure we are doing a lot of processing in-country.�

Yusuf also spoke on the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, saying it has been largely successful.

According to Yusuf, without the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, especially since the pandemic, “I can imagine what would be happening in Nigeria.�

He spoke on other development finance interventions and the funds disbursed so far by the apex bank, saying, “Once the COVID started in China, what the leadership of CBN under Governor Emefiele did was to try and create different scenarios of how we would respond to the pandemic depending on how it affects Nigeria. “We brought out a broad stimulus package worth about N3.5 trillion across SMEs, manufacturing and healthcare because Governor Emefiele wanted activities to go on despite the lockdown, and then health, because our hospitals have not moved from basic provision of services to more advanced healthcare. “With N3.5 trillion, the first

thing we did was to put in place a N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility for households and SMEs. As I speak to you, we have disbursed N72 billion to over 120, 000 beneficiaries and Governor Emefiele has increased the fund from N50 billion to N100 billion.�

Yusuf added, “We also put in place N100 billion credit support for the healthcare sector. We provided them cheap access at five per cent, through the deposit money bank to access the N100 billion set aside. As we speak, we've disbursed over N44 billion to over 40 projects. “We also looked at

helping to domesticate our pharmaceutical and hospice-related activities.

We also set aside N1 trillion for our manufacturing sector; that's where we have huge, significant employment – textile, housing, food and agro-processing, etc. – and during the COVID-19 period, we have disbursed over N200 billion to a wide range of people.�

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services of the CBN, Mr. Edward lamtek Adamu, said the CBN was focused stimulating economic growth.

Adamu said, “I want to reiterate the strong commitment of the CBN towards supporting measures that would bring the nation from our over dependence on imported goods, so that we can create wealth, create jobs for our teaming youths and just improve lives and livelihood of Nigerians as we strive to promote a very stable financial system. “I want to emphasis what the CBN governor has consistently said, that the central bank is committed to its core mandate of maintaining price and exchange rate stability. We are

also committed to ensuring that we have a conducive macroeconomic environment for growth. “We are committed to fostering development for an efficient credible and reliable credit system. We are committed to a very stable exchange rate and the growth of our reserves and diversifying the economy‌ “We are committed to supporting the diversification through our intervention programmes and development finance in the agric sector, manufacturing sector, MSMEs because they are critical to the development of the economy.â€?

COURTESY VISIT...

L-R: Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello; and Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr. Olusade Adesola, during a courtesy visit to the minister on the Zero Oil Plan by Awolowo in Abuja...recently

THISDAY ARISE GROUP HOLDS GLOBAL VIRTUAL COMMEMORATION FOR NIGERIA @ 60 management of THISDAY ARISE Group, “The event will include music from leading performers, fashion from top designers, speeches from icons, statesmen, global leaders as well as business and thought leaders, and an evening of fun, stories, art, and all that. “It will be a virtual event produced and broadcast from Lagos, Abuja, and London, but staged in various cities around the world

and streamed to a global audience on ARISE Play, ARISE NEWS CHANNEL, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter� amongst other media channels.

With the welcome address to be delivered by the Chairman, THISDAY ARISE Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, the event, which will be anchored by the duo of Ojy Okpe and Charles Aniagolu and powered by Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith

Bank and Bet9ja, amongst other concerns, will however play virtual host to a legion of local and global figures.

Those already listed for the epoch-making events are President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Yakubu Gowon, Boss Mustapha, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Ahmed Joda, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Chief

Ayo Adebanjo.

Others are the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Abubakar II, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Herbert Wigwe, Governor mai Mala Buni, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu, Atedo Peterside, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Anthony Joshua, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, Mr. Tony Elumelu, Godwin Emefiele and Muhammadu Sanusi II. Also, to address the global

audience are Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr. Peter Obi, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Aminat Mohammed, Michael Adenuga, Zainab Ahmed, Geoffrey Onyeama, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Benedict Okey Oramah, Mr. Jim Ovia, Mele Kyari and Ibrahim Gambari.

Some of the music and fashion icons to perform at intervals include Wizkid, Keneth Eze, Tiwa Savage, Flavour, Lanre Da Silva, Tania

Omotayo, Davido, Tiffany Amber, Yemi Alade, Tuface, Lisa Folawiyo, Sani Danja, Dare Art-Alade, Deola Sagoe, Odio Mimonet and Burna Boy. However, to complete the occasion, goodwill messages are expected from governments and noted global bodies all over the world, including but not limited to Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, European Union, France, Germany, United States and the United Kingdom.

said it was the plan of the Buhari administration to put money in the hands of Nigerians.

On electricity tariffs, Osinbajo said the era of subsidising petrol and electricity was over, noting that government has adopted measures to address the situation.

He stated, “What we are trying to do is to ensure that we are able to reform the electricity industry.

The industry is privatised except for the transmission sector. But what we have seen is that the distribution companies (DisCos) are just not able to meet their targets or to even provide electricity on any kind of stable basis now. “The DisCos have been hankering all these years for a cost-reflective tariff and government has been

paying the subsidy. In fact, in the past few years, we have spent about N1.3 trillion on subsidies for electricity.

Again, here is a situation where that is completely unaffordable. “We want to ensure that new companies come into the market. So, that will be decentralised completely.

This way, in several parts of our country, we can have micro-grids, small grids, and all of that. We are doing five million solar connections as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan. We think that, with all these, we can electrify our country within a short period of time.�

Osinbajo added that the overall target of government in the NESP was to save existing jobs and revamp

OSINBAJO: WITH 60% REDUCTION IN REVENUE, FG CAN’T SUSTAIN FUEL SUBSIDY subsisting court injunction against the strike, in a circular dated September 25, 2020.

In a related development, governors of the 36 states of the federation, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and the leaderships of NLC and TUC, yesterday, said they were moving towards an agreement to avert the proposed nationwide industrial strike called by NLC and TUC to protest the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and the electricity tariff.

Answering a participant’s question on the removal of petrol subsidy, the vice president said, “We have experienced a severe downturn in our finances over the years, so at 60 per cent less revenue, we are in a position where sustaining fuel subsidies is

practically impossible simply, because we do not have the resources.�

In the alternative, Osinbajo said, “What we have decided to do is to focus on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which is about half the price of petrol today. So, if we use CNG for our cars and for our buses, it will cost between N78 and N80 or so per litre.�

Under the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), the federal government’s objective is to promote domestic use of CNG and support the creation of one million jobs by maximising the domestic use of CNG while reducing reliance on refined petroleum products, like kerosene and PMS. On another question regarding alleged planned increase in taxes, the vice

president noted that the administration had no plan to increase taxes, stating, “Our position really is that, this is hardly the time to raise taxes.�

According to him, “It is even more difficult for people to pay taxes now than ever before, I mean, given the state of affairs, but this is why we're doing everything now.

"We are trying to ensure that businesses survive this period by providing as much support as we can, and by relieving them of as much burden as possible and ensuring that they are able to get some moratorium so that they can at least continue to run their businesses and by all the other interventions and support that we are giving, we hope that those interventions will help businesses.

“Our approach is, first, to ensure that we save jobs.

If we save jobs and save businesses, and then do the best we can in agriculture, the housing scheme and all of that, we will actually be able to improve spending and if we are able to improve spending, taxes will definitely improve, and if businesses survive, taxes will improve. So, those are the sorts of projections that we are looking at.�

It is worthy of note that the 2020 Finance Act exempts businesses generating less than N25 million in annual turnover from Companies Income Tax. Also, businesses with a turnover of between N25 million and N100 million only pay 20 per cent Companies Income Tax instead of the 30 per cent, the former applicable rate.

The vice president recently

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NEWS

OML 143: Nigeria to Earn $600m Revenue in New NNPC, SEEPCO Gas Devt Deal

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria could potentially rake in between $500 million to $600 million in the latest gas development deal between the country’s national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company, (SEEPCO), an Indian company.

The NNPC and SEEPCO signed off on the agreement for the monetisation of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 143 in Abuja, a development the corporation says will help increase its footprints in the downstream gas market and boost the country’s revenue accruals from gas.

The contract on the development and commercialisation of gas from OML 143, tucked in the deep forests of the Niger Delta, could also help reduce gas flaring in the country, NNPC added.

SEEPCO is an Indian company, part of the Sandesara Group that ventured into Nigeria oil and gas market over a decade ago and says it is currently successfully producing crude oil in the Niger Delta region.

On its official website, Sandesara Group notes that it expanded the E&P portfolio from India to Nigeria in 2006 through another subsidiary Sterling Global Oil Resources Limited (SGORL) by signing a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for OPL 277 Block with Government of Nigeria.

With a further award of the OPL 280 block and the PSC signed in April 2007, SEEPCO notes that its businesses spans six continents and several countries, including India, USA, China, Japan, Europe, Middle East and South East Asia.

A report by Wood Mackenzie, a firm providing strategic decision-making capabilities in global natural resources with data, analysis and advice, states that OML 143 is located in thickly forested terrain in the northern Niger Delta and contains two producing fields, Okwuibome, said to have been discovered by Shell in 1979 in addition to the smaller Anieze field.

Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony which held at the NNPC Towers, the Group Managing Director of the national oil company, Mallam Mele Kyari, described the execution of the deal as a great milestone as well as a testament to NNPC’s commitment to facilitating the nation’s transformation into a gas-powered economy.

A statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Department of the NNPC, Dr Kennie Obateru, said the deal would not only help reduce gas flaring and its environmental hazards, but would also promote gas production and utilisation in the domestic market.

The GMD also commended SEEPCO for its unwavering commitment to gas development and

commercialisation in the country which he said has led to the establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will help expand gas utilisation in the country as a cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative form of energy.

On his part, the Chairman of SEEPCO, Mr. Tony Chukwueke, described the deal as an essential partnership that would help the company fulfil the pledge it made to support the efforts of the Nigerian government to eliminate

gas flaring by monetising it.

He commended NNPC and the GMD for ensuring the execution of the agreement which he described as central to the achievement of the company’s cardinal objective of boosting the production

of gas in the country.

Chukwueke said that the production would include Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), condensates and dry gas for the Nigerian market, adding that the company has invested about $600million for the purpose.

TETE-ATETE AT THE VILLA...

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (left) and Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki during a thank you visit of Obaseki to the Presidential Villa in Abuja......Friday godwin omoigui

CONCERNS MOUNT OVER ZULUM’S SAFETY, FOLLOWING 2 ATTACKS IN 2 MONTHS He was said to have flown in a helicopter to Baga in preparation for the return of thousands of residents displaced since 2014 by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The attacked convoy had moved ahead of him but came under attack between Mongunu and Baga. There were some commissioners and legislators in the convoy.

In his first reaction to the second attack in two months, Zulum said his administration faced a tough situation, which left him with the choice between doing something that “gives us some hope and doing nothing, which will leave us more vulnerable to Boko Haram’s ultimate wish to takeover Borno and bring it under their sovereign brutal administration.�

The Borno State police command confirmed the death of 13 persons from the governor’s convoy in the attack.

In a statement on Saturday in Kaduna, the spokesman of ACF, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, said the latest attack on the governor was the second attempt on his life in months. The forum said it was alarmed that despite the federal government's assurances of improved security in the North-east, deadly attacks and killings by Boko Haram had continued in the area.

Yawe stated, “Today, we received the disturbing news that the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on its way to Baga was attacked yesterday by Boko Haram terrorists. We are alarmed that for all the assurances we had received from the military and the federal government of an improved security situation on the Boko Haram front, the deadly attacks and killings have continued regardless.�

The ACF spokesman disclosed that eight policemen, three soldiers, and four civilian JTF members, reportedly, lost their lives in the attack. He regretted that only last week, a military commander, Col. Bako, was ambushed and killed around Demboa, also in Borno State.

The statement recalled, "Earlier in July, Governor Zulum had come under the gunfire of the same terrorists while on official tour. What these attacks have done is to undermine public confidence in the ability of the military to successfully defend Nigeria in the on going war against terror."

While calling on the military to act swiftly to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the war against insurgents, the statement said, “The ACF is also aware of the sagging morale of our fighting men.

The federal government and

the military high command must act quickly and resolve all the issues that have led to the current low morale. “The ACF notes that Governor Zulum, whom the terrorists have currently targeted for elimination, is one governor, who raises hope in a demoralised country.

If anything untoward happens to him, the consequences for the rest of the country will be grave. “It is instructive to note that the attack on the governor’s convoy happened while he was trying to move some IDPs back to their permanent homes from camps. These attack have, therefore, raised questions on the ability of the military to ensure the safety of internally displaced persons to return to their homes. “Finally, both the military and the federal government have a lot of questions to answer on what is going on in this endless war against insurgency.�

Ortom, in a statement by his media aide, Terver Akase, sympathised with his Borno State counterpart and described Friday’s attack as shocking and unfortunate.

He, however, said he was optimistic that Zulum would not be deterred by the assault in his determination, with security agencies, to restore peace to all parts of his state.

Ortom also condoled with

families of those who lost their lives in the attack and prayed God to grant their souls eternal rest.

A statement yesterday by the spokesman of the Borno State governor, Mallam Isa Gusau, said Zulum was in Baga on Thursday and Friday to supervise efforts to return residents. The return was part of a strategy to end Boko Haram’s long use of the commercial town as its main transit point for fishing trade and tax administration from which the insurgents fund their activities.

Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad, is Borno’s largest fishing community. It boasts waterways to neighbouring countries, and is considered strategic to Boko Haram’s operation.

Gusau revealed that two convoys – one belonging to the governor and another, the committee on Baga reconstruction, had safely plied the Maiduguri-Baga route in the previous days before the third convoy of security men was ambushed on Friday morning.

Gusau said, “Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is saddened by this unfortunate carnage. He shares the grief of families of these 11 priceless heroes to whom Borno shall remain grateful.

The governor prays for the repose of their souls and urges all stakeholders to

remain committed to ongoing peace building efforts. “Zulum is of the opinion that we must continue to keep hope alive, even in the face of tribulations and believe that with sustained efforts and prayers, Borno will eventually regain peace. “The situation facing us is a tough one but we must choose between doing something which gives us some hope and doing nothing which will leave us more vulnerable to Boko Haram’s ultimate wish to takeover Borno and bring it under their sovereign brutal administration.�

The statement also said Zulum attended Baga’s first Juma’at prayers in nearly two years In the governor’s convoy were the senator representing Northern Borno, Abubakar Kyari; House of Representatives member for Marte, Monguno, Nganzai Federal Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Monguno; and House of Representatives member for Mobbar, Kukawa, Guzamala, Abadam Federal Constituency, Hon. Bukar Kareto. Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, and Chairman of Baga resettlement committee and the Commissioner for Justice, Kaka-Shehu Lawan, were also among top government functionaries

in the convoy.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Borno State, Bello Makwashi, confirmed the death of 13 people in the attack.

Makwashi assured members of the public that the police were determined to carry out their constitutional mandate of protecting life and property, saying they will not relent in providing the much-needed security for citizens of the state.

On September 25, about 12pm, Zulum’s security convoy heading to Baga ahead of government's planned return of Baga indigenes to their ancestral home came under heavy gun attack by armed men believed to be Boko Haram terrorists, a few Kilometres from Cross Kauwa. The security convoy returned fire and successfully repelled the attack.

But in the ensuing gunfight, casualties were recorded on both sides.

Eight policemen and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme price, while 13 other persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Boko Haram insurgents had displaced Baga town some 21 months ago with most of the residents currently taking refuge in Monguno and Maiduguri.

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NEWS

UBA’s Kennedy Uzoka wins Coveted Zik Leadership Award The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Kennedy Uzoka, has been announced as a winner of the 2019 Zik Award for Professional Leadership.

Uzoka clinched the muchcoveted award alongside the Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer at the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta.

The Zik Leadership awards is organised by the Public Policy Research and Analysis Centre (PPRAC) and was instituted 25 years ago, in 1995, in honour of the first President of Nigeria, Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, primarily to encourage and nurture leadership on the African Continent and in the Diaspora.

The UBA GMD and others were announced winners in a letter signed by the Member Advisory Board, PPRAC, Professor Pat Utomi, and Executive secretary, Emeka Obasi, which stated that Uzoka was chosen as a result of his outstanding contributions to the development and growth of the Banking and Financial Services Industry and unblemished record of service as a banker of international repute.

The letter read, “The GMD/ CEO, of Africa’s global bank, UBA Plc, Mr Kennedy Uzoka is a banker’s banker and an astute player in the Nigerian financial services sector. He has

consistently led the Bank to set a year-on-year track record of profitability, wealth creation and innovative financial products across its operations in the African continent despite global economic challenges.

Continuing, it said, “Kennedy Uzoka continues to lead his team in chalking newer and higher credits by the day. Not even the current challenge of COVID-19 has been a dampener as the bank under his watch continues to scale new frontiers and post assuring results.�

Apart from Uzoka and Danbatta, other winners in various categories of public service, good governance, business, and professional leadership included Senate President Ahmed Lawan; Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum; Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; SGF, Boss Mustapha; Dr. Stella Okolli amongst others.

The PPRAC which is celebrating the silver jubilee anniversary of the Zik prize in leadership awards, pointed out that in the last 25 years, some other notable leaders have been recipients of the prize such as; President J.J. Rawlings, President Nwalimu Julius Nyerere, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, President Sam Nujoma, Dr. Nelson Mandela, President Yonweri Muzeveni, President John Agyekum Kuffor, Senator David Mark,

Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Otunba Subomi Balogun, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Alhaji Ahmed Joda and Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Whilst congratulating Uzoka and the UBA family, the organisers noted that the formal presentation ceremony of The Zik Prize awards will be a celebratory event to be

held on Sunday 6th December, 2020.

Uzoka is a renowned African business executive, with vast experience in banking, business development, financial and business advisory, strategic planning and execution as well as human resource management.

He is an advocate of disruptive

technology and has led many game changing innovations in the African banking industry over the past two decades of his career.

Kennedy holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He is an alumnus of the Advanced Management

Program (AMP) of the Harvard Business School, Boston USA, the International Institute of Management Development (IMS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the London Business School, United Kingdom. Kennedy is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria (CIBN).

WELCOME TO THE COAL CITY...

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (left) receiving the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu... yesterday

OSINBAJO: WITH 60% REDUCTION IN REVENUE, FG CAN’T SUSTAIN FUEL SUBSIDY businesses by improving the spending capacity of Nigerians through the various initiatives in industry, agriculture, mass housing, and the solar connectivity projects.

Over 1, 200 persons on different platforms across the world participated in the virtual event tagged by Africa Report, the organisers, as Digital Dialogues.

Circular to Workers The circular, which was addressed to all ministers, permanent secretaries, as well as heads of government agencies and parastatals, was titled, “The Nigerian labour unions planned industrial action�.

It read, “Sequel to the call by the labour unions for workers to embark on industrial action from Monday, September 28, 2020, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation wishes to inform all public servants that the Federal Government team is currently engaging with the labour unions with a view to resolving all contentious issues and avert the planned industrial action. “Furthermore, it is important to note that there is a court injunction granted by the National Industrial Court (Suit No. NICN/ ABJ/253/2020) on September 24, 2020, restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria from embarking on any tom of industrial action pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice. “Accordingly, all officers on Grade Level 12 and above and those on essential

services are hereby strongly advised to be at work to perform their official duties. “Permanent secretaries and chief executive officers are therefore enjoined to bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all concerned officers and ensure strict compliance.�

Governors’ Effort to Avert Strike The governors have made a concerted effort to stop the proposed nationwide strike. A communiquÊ of their meeting signed by the Chairman of NGF, and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated that they were on the "path to resolving the impasse occasioned by the threat by workers to embark on industrial action if the federal government does not rescind the recent decisions to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Electricity Tariff in the country."

Averting the strike was the main thrust of the early morning meeting between representatives of the forum, NLC and TUC, which took place at Fayemi’s residence in Abuja on Saturday.

Fayemi spoke for the NGF while NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who was accompanied by the TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, as well as the NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboajah, spoke for the workers.

Director General of NGF, Mr. Asishana Okauru, was also at the meeting.

Fayemi explained that governors decided to intervene in the on-going negotiations with a view to broadening consultations

and assisting in resolving the impasse, in order to avert the impending strike action. He pleaded with the labour representatives to shelve the strike, stressing that the timing of the action was inauspicious and could aggravate an already bad situation.

Fayemi said, “No one that is conversant with the prevailing situation in the country would disagree with labour and its demands, as it were.�

He requested that the governors be given time to consult more broadly with the various stakeholders, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, the vice president, and the president. He said this would be top priority for the governors and promised to head straight to the presidency once the meeting was over.

On his part, the NLC president said the federal government violated the time-tested global process of dialogue. He thanked the NGF chairman for his effort to ensure that sanity returned to the negotiation table. “When the cost of PMS rises, the cost of everything in the country rises with it,�

Wabba explained. “I praise you for showing a good grasp of this matter and I believe that if they had widened the mechanism for consultation and involved people like you, we wouldn’t have come to this pass,� he stated.

Responding, Fayemi explained that government and labour were not very far apart in the negotiation, saying the differences are

not irreconcilable. “Our president, who is always on the side of workers, will not be averse to the issues being raised and I'm hopeful of an amicable settlement of the issues highlighted,� he stated.

Dafe Sejebor, Ex NAPIMS GM, Appeals to Labour Meanwhile, a former Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Dafe Sejebor, has appealed to NLC to reconsider the planned industrial action against the hike in fuel price. Sejebor said removing subsidy on fuel by the federal government was in the best interest of Nigerians, maintaining that it would benefit the country's economy in the long run.

In a statement issued yesterday, Sejebor stated that this was the best time for the federal government to remove the subsidy, with the crash in the price of crude oil in the international market.

He lauded the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the removal of the subsidy and called on the labour unions to reconsider their planned protest.

The former NAPIMS boss also called on Nigerians to show more understanding and thoroughly review the reason the federal government took the decision to stop the subsidy on petroleum products.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) said recently that

the federal government had spent a whooping N8.94 trillion on petrol subsidy between 2006 and 2015.

The agency explained that in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, the government spent N257.36 billion, N271.51 billion, N630.57 billion, N469.31 billion and N667.08 billion, respectively, while also in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the government paid N2.104 trillion, N1.354 trillion, N1.315 trillion, N1.217 trillion and N653.51 billion, respectively, on petrol subsidy.

Sejebor said the over N8.94 trillion spent on petrol subsidy could have been used to build more important infrastructure, improve the economy, and even support the private sector for the creation of jobs.

The Ex-NAPIMS boss, who was recently discharged and acquitted by a US court on alleged human trafficking, appealed to NLC to reconsider its planned protest slated for Monday.

He maintained that the money spent on subsidy benefited a few individuals at the detriment of the economy and a majority of Nigerians, adding that such money can be channelled to projects that would benefit more Nigerians.

NLC Strike: UK Warns Citizens of Planned Protests Ahead of the labour strike planned to begin Monday, the British government has warned its citizens to be vigilant. In an updated travel advice made available to THISDAY on Saturday, the country's Foreign and

Commonwealth Office (FCO) said, "National strikes are planned in Nigeria to commence from Monday 28 September. “This brings increased likelihood of protests across the country and may impact the aviation industry’s ability to operate. Anyone with flights booked to arrive or depart Nigeria on 28 September should contact their airline for the latest information on flight operations."

It added, "You should monitor local media, avoid any demonstrations or large gatherings and follow any instructions from local police and security forces."

THISDAY had reported NLC and TUC’s defiance of entreaties and subtle threats by the federal government.

The unions had given the strike notice to reverse the recent increase in petrol price and electricity tariffs. In spite of some desperate moves on the part of the government to stave off the industrial action, labour leaders insisted that the strike would commence on Monday.

The meeting between the federal government and representatives of the organised labour on Thursday was adjourned until Monday following the failure of both parties to agree on a cocktail of palliatives presented by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

However, in an apparent bid to outsmart the leadership of the organised labour, the federal government obtained a fresh order from the National Industrial Court on Friday stopping the NLC and the TUC from going on strike.

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

EDITORIAL

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

LESSONS FROM THE EDO GUBERNATORIAL POLL The deployment of technology in our elections could mark a turning point

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hile we congratulate the re-elected Governor Godwin Obaseki, it is very pertinent to take stock of what transpired in the course of the Edo State gubernatorial election so that useful lessons can be drawn for the future. But first, we must commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a job well-done. Observers and most independent analysts have given thumbs up for the manner in which the electoral body conducted the poll. We can only hope that INEC is gradually living up to its responsibility as an independent, credible and unbiased umpire.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that the preelection campaigns in the state were reduced to a contest of personalities and laced with harsh rhetoric, hateful speeches, vandalism and threats, seldom has a stand-alone poll been so relatively peaceful and a victory so decisive. Although a woman lost her life and there were pockets of disturbances in a few areas, the consensus remains that it was one of the best elections in recent times. Two things stand out in Edo: the deployment by INEC of more technology (the z-pad) for uploading polling unit results in real-time, and the neutrality of the security agencies.

The weakest link in elections in Nigeria has always been the collation of results. In Edo State, no manipulations could take place at this stage when citizens were already aware of the official results from their polling units. This has prompted civil society orgnisations and the media to urge the National Assembly to accelerate a reform of the Electoral Act to legalise electronic transmission of results. What the INEC results viewing portal deployed for the Edo State gubernatorial election

has demonstrated is how public access to polling unit results increases the integrity of the electoral process and encourages acceptability of outcomes.

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The experience of Edo poll has proved conclusivelythat reliable electronic transmission of results could eliminate disputes over electoral fraud and rigging of results

Letters to the Editor

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

t is also important to note that in Edo, the security agencies helped rather than subvert the process unlike in the past when they were openly partisan. President Muhammadu Buhari admitted as much when he received Governor Obaseki on Friday. The statement by the president that he warned the police and other security agencies to be neutral shows where to locate the bane of credible elections in Nigeria. No matter how well INEC prepares or how professional and neutral its officials are, once the security agencies are partisan or compromised, they scuttle rather than protect the process. It is therefore our hope that this same neutrality will be displayed in the Ondo State gubernatorial election scheduled for next week Saturday.

However, there were two ugly developments that highlight the bane of democracy in Nigeria. The first is the pre-election choice of candidates for the two political parties. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) dumped the sitting governor and went for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the previous election. Not to be outdone, the PDP embraced the governor who has now been elected on their platform. In ideal societies, political parties represent not only individuals who share similar interests and views on critical issues but also groups with special concerns and specific agenda for change.

That political parties are mere vehicles for seeking power without any ideology or guiding philosophy is very telling on the state of affairs in our country today. That needs to change if we must deepen our democracy.

The second issue is the ease with which governors congregate in states where stand-alone elections are held. This is not only disruptive of the election process, it has exacerbated the corruptive element of vote-buying. There must be a way to discourage this without violating the rights of free movement of citizens. But inall, the experience of Edo poll has proved conclusivelythat reliable electronic transmission of results could eliminate disputes over electoral fraud and rigging of results and thereby obviate the need for long-drawn litigations. We therefore call on INEC to push for theadoption of electronic transfer of results, if only to prove its neutrality as an umpire committed to free and fair elections in Nigeria.

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 WILL SURVIVE NIGERIA AT 60

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hat does Nigeria mean to me? That’s a great question because I have seen variegated reflections of Nigeria as a country and I have a near panoramic view of most sides because I work in the media. I saw Nigeria transit through a military struggle with a change in ideology and mindset to a civilian democracy which still looks like the military, with the slant of democracy which to me is a demonstration of craze.

The amazing thing about Nigeria, however, is that it has a way of reinventing itself and it

is difficult to judge it. I say that because once you make up your mind on the country it springs up a surprise! Just like how they said Nigeria will crumble in 2015, after the duly consulted report by the Americans Nigerian still stands. I know others will argue: does it really stand united despite the killings in the North?

That’s a talk for another day I have seen inefficiencies. I have seen lying politicians. I have interviewed people with unthinkable convictions that want to impose their views on others. I have seen people that kill in the name of God. I have

seen civil servants that are not civil. I have seen godfathers who don’t still realise there is God the Father. I have seen pain and anguish on the face of a dying child because the mother couldn’t afford N2000. I have seen labour leaders that became labour looters. I have seen deceit served on the table of ignorance in Nigeria.

It is so quick to compare Nigeria with other parts of the world but I beg to ask: are they truly better than us? I was once pick-pocketed in New York. I was cheated by a taxi driver that charged me $300 from JFK airport to Manhattan and still asked for a tip. I have

seen racism in trying to rent properties in England. I have seen the neglect of black lives in the west. I have also seen an American President that reminds me of Mobutu Sese Seko.

I know you will argue with me that we are no way near the west. You are correct but there are things we enjoy in Nigeria that you will never enjoy in the west. The feeling of being home and the endless possibilities a virgin market like Nigeria will afford.

Although the argument will be that rent seeking and ineffectiveness trump everything, I will say Nigeria is still a country that works for the honest. It might take time and it is a work in progress.

60 year on. It might not look

like the nation is heading anywhere but I believe that Nigeria is blessed with the might of its people. I know its people will liberate the nation from its psychological bastille it finds itself.

I believe it is a matter of time Nigeria will find its feet but before then we must criticise and never stop demanding the best for our country.

We must protest and contribute our own developmental quota because no nation thrives with robust engagement. And that is the way Nigeria could survive Veno Mariogharie was prophetic. Nigeria will survive.

––Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com.

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OPINION

NIGERIA AT 60: ARE DIAMONDS FOREVER? Cosmas Odoemena contends Nigeria is an underachiever, just better than nothing

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ixty years ago, Nigeria's flag of independence was flown, to the joy of a people united by the fresh air of freedom. The federal government of Nigeria has approved what it calls an "inclusive National Independence Celebration program," with the theme "Together", and the celebration will be for one year. To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the 60th independence anniversary logo, which features a picture of a 51-carat Russian Dynasty Diamond owned by Russian government-owned Alrosa.

Diamond as a thing that lasts forever is well-known. This belief came about when in 1947, Frances Gerety, a copywriter, coined the slogan: "A diamond is forever", to boost sales for the diamond company, De Beers. After that came James Bond's 1971 movie, "Diamonds Are Forever".

It then makes me ask: "As Nigeria celebrates such a symbolic anniversary as its diamond jubilee, will its indivisibility then last forever?"

Nigeria — often called the "Giant of Africa" — is a chronic underachiever. It is blessed with human and natural resources, yet, disunity, tribalism, nepotism, cronyism, poor leadership and corruption, continue to stunt its progress.

It has the unenviable tag of being the poverty capital of the world. The coronavirus has compounded its woes. Many Nigerians have lost their jobs, following the lockdown. Inflation is high, while purchasing power is low. A woman could only feed her children rice — without stew, meat, or fish. Some families go to bed hungry. Some scavenge for food. To make matters worse, electricity and fuel prices have been increased, pitching Nigerians against the government.

Frustrated by a chronically sick healthcare system, low wages, poor working conditions, insecurity, and failed promises, Nigerian doctors are leaving for abroad in droves. More than 72,000 Nigeria-trained and registered health personnel, are working abroad. With gross shortage of health personnel, quacks have filled the gap, killing as many Nigerians, as they can.

Trust a sick healthcare system to produce poor health indices.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 20% of all global maternal deaths, occur in Nigeria.

Nigerian men live on average 55 years, while Nigerian women live on average 56 years. The probability of dying between 15 and 60 years among Nigerian males is 327 per 1,000 population,

and that for females is 333 per 1,000 population.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), "One in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria." About 10.5 million of Nigeria's children aged 5-14 years are not in school.

There is hardly any sector in Nigeria that is not ailing. Negative forces, mostly self-inflicted, keep pulling it here and there, and it can't make any headway. And every independence day anniversary leaves the feeling Nigeria is just starting from day one — but only in negative numbers! More so if Nigeria's progress is compared to that of Singapore's that became an independent republic in 1965.

The creation of Nigeria itself, seems an albatross. The amalgamation in 1914, by the British colonialists and independence 46 years after, brought under one roof, people of different ethnic groups, who still view themselves with mutual suspicion.

The fault line led, first to a coup, and then to a civil war, after the Igbo, who no longer felt safe in Nigeria, wanted a separate country, called Biafra. After the war, which lasted almost three years, more than one million people died, mainly from the Igbo side, largely from a policy of food blockade, by the Nigerian government.

Years after, the lessons of that war seem to have gone into one ear — and gone out through the other. Every now and then, the Igbo, who feel left out of the Nigerian political calculus, through a group called the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), call for secession.

Even some Yorubas, are already agitating for their own country, which they have named, Oduduwa Republic.

While Nigeria is being ripped in the south by secessionists, it's being ripped in the north by insurgents. Up till now, Leah Sharibu, who was abducted, and detained, for not renouncing her faith, has not been released. Not to mention the still missing Chibok girls.

At 60, it's time for stocktaking. A country is like a machine, it's how you operate it that determines how it works. It's also like GIGO in computer: garbage in, garbage out

And, at any moment, the insurgents strike, to remind Nigeria, that they have not been totally, defeated. Not to mention the menace of herdsmen.

Its civil society, that should steer government in the right direction, is weak, and also afflicted, with the "breakup syndrome". When the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), could not agree on certain issues, it broke into two. Recently, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), disagreed, it split.

It's not just its civil societies that are prone to breaking up. Its two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have at different times split into two, following intraparty disagreements. It's as if a witch has cast a spell of breakup on Nigeria.

Already, there is preparation for the 2023 elections. It's usually a period that amplifies our differences, and brings out the worst in us. Why not have a constitution that allows for rotational presidency, to settle contentions? How about a constitutional amendment that jettisons the unitary government, for one that espouses true federalism, as it is done in the United States, where Nigeria copied its presidential democracy? Wait a minute, where is the report of the 2014 National Conference!

It's an incontrovertible fact that save for seeing the back of our colonial masters, we have not managed our country better than they did. One person once lamented: "When will this independence be over?" Another wanted Nigeria to be recolonized again. Someone else even joked that since Nigeria is now 60, and 60 is the official retirement age, whether Nigeria can be retired, and maybe start afresh.

At 60, it's time for stocktaking. A country is like a machine, it's how you operate it that determines how it works. It's also like GIGO in computer: garbage in, garbage out. We must make up our mind to infuse the right things into Nigeria, to work to get Nigeria to move in the right direction — we must make progress. But, for there to be progress there must be peace. But without unity there can't be peace. For Nigeria, it's a cruel catch-22. It then means that we must endeavour do some fundamental things to now take the other steps.

Until every Nigerian has a sense of belonging to the country, until there is a fair way to share political power, until there is peace and unity, disintegration will continue to glare at it menacingly — behind a facade of celebration.

––Dr. Odoemena, medical practitioner, wrote from Lagos.

Kaduna Castration Can't Contain Rape Societal reengineering, not draconian laws, should be used to fight the menace, argues Ayodele Okunfolami

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was still trying to get my head around Zamfara State government’s plans to introduce death sentence for reckless driving when one of its North-Western neighbours, Kaduna, came up with a bill recommending total castration for rapist in the state. Why propose archaic capital punishment for civil offences in the 21st century?

Making our laws more draconian only makes matters worse. Death sentence for kidnapping has increased kidnappings. Decupling fine on hate speech has not stopped it but has inadvertently contributed to the inflation rate.

Before the rapists even get their balls chunked off, it is expected that they had gotten a fair hearing in our courts as they are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. This is where the judiciary comes in. Beyond the photo ops of signing a bill, is the Bench ready to prosecute the cases in quick enough time and not render it lost in the haystack of unresolved cases? What are the plans of Kaduna state ministry of justice in ensuring cases are tried with the speed of light? Will more courts and court rooms be built so that rape cases won’t be contesting for time, space and slot in the regular courts? Or would a special tribunal be set up for trial of the suspects? Or will it go with a penal code that sentences a 13-year-old to 10 years in prison?

There is arguably no day without a report of a rape in the metro section of Nigerian tabloids and it is good to know that Kaduna State government has chosen not to fold its hands on this irritating disease that is ravaging the nation. However, instead of Governor Nasir el-Rufai signing another extreme legislature that provides surgical castration for males and bilateral salpingectomy for females convicted of child rape, he should be looking for ways of preventing the crime.

In a patriarchal society like Nigeria, rape begins at birth.

From the louder hallelujahs and allahu akbars at the arrival of the male child over that of the female, the Nigerian girl is subtly relegated in preference for her brother. The futuristic prayers rendered on her to be a virtuous wife and mother with a modest employment compared to her brother that is expected to have pinnacled career in his industry, political leadership, religion and other alpha male roles.

And this is more prominent in Northern Nigeria where

over 50 per cent of mainly illiterate girls between ages 18 and 20 are given out in marriage. Financial Times quotes Leena Hoffmann, a political sociologist at Chatham House, that a typical girl’s life in Northern Nigeria “revolves around marriage and children”.

The Nigerian girl-child grows into a life more demanding on her to be domestic, independent and chaste while her brother is mainly appraised on his achievements outside the walls of the home. In marriage, religion and tradition counsel her to remain with her abusive or cheating husband while the man can get away with adultery.

Ironically, it is this boy, whose chores and laundry had been done for him, that is accorded the right to lead the family.

It this sense of entitlement that the boy child surreptitiously possessed while attaining adulthood that makes rape rife. When unlearned, he grows without the ability to discipline his emotions and morals because he had never been asked to do such.

If one now adds the current economic hardship, which is also worse in the north, the man now sees that his Y-chromosome is not an advantage as women are now taking over predominantly male spaces. He now realises Mother Earth is not masculine. His lion share of the economic pie is now being competed by an unexpected rival. Since, he is handicapped in being economically independent, he either despises or is unable to do petty economic activities that women easily fall back to feed their grandchildren. The man is left frustrated leaving him to alcohol and hard drugs that intoxicates him into crimes like rape.

If the Kaduna State government had been more scientific and less dramatic in its approach to stopping this national scourge, they would have noticed that most rapes occur in semi urban and rural areas that are not only at the bottom of the food chain but with women less empowered. What members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly should have done instead of another poorly crafted and verbose bill, is to guarantee those ungoverned bucolic constituencies they represent have feeder roads to transport their farm produce, primary schools to

keep those minors that fall victim of rape off the streets, primary healthcare centres to treat their old, electricity to light up their villages from darkness, police post that responds to crimes like rape and internet penetration to be part of the global community. Mallam el-Rufai should also spread across Northern Nigeria the simple admonition of his very good friend, deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, that, “If you really want to help, go and educate a girl child in the village.”

Unfortunately, the overall Nigerian society is highly patriarchal and misogynistic which is being reflected in the male-dominated police force that can’t relate with the raped and abused but blames her for dressing seductively (whatever that means), nocturnal or for not being submissive.

And so, while bridging the power gap between the man and the woman, police recruitment should not only be based on geo-political balancing but also gender parity to help with the increasing gender violence. It also makes it easier for the rape victim to be able to open up.

Governor el-Rufai has proven himself to be very cerebral since he burst into the national scene about 20 years ago, he should use his membership of several constitutional reform committees to ensure our policing is restructured to be more communal and less central.

It doesn’t make investigative sense when we hear rape cases are transferred to a department in Police Headquarters, Abuja, several miles from the crime scene.

This makes another rapist go unpunished, thereby emboldening the next guy.

It is societal reengineering and infrastructural development that is required to end rape in Nigeria.

No draconian laws made by Nigerian polygamists will stop rape. When socio-economic practices like almajarai and gang groups that sees the male lacking social interaction with the opposite sex, the Nigerian girl will continue to be seen as another asset to be toyed with rather than the better half in race of life. Kaduna and other states in Nigeria are fighting culture not crime.

––Okunfolami wrote from Festac, Lagos.

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LETTERS

LAGOS AND THE PROSPECT OF WATER TRANSPORTATION

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oday we are very happy reaching another milestone of commuting our 100,000th passenger on the 124th day of our operations, since the commissioning of our new boats by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in February 2020".

Those were the words of the Managing Director, Mr. AbdoulBaq Ladi Balogun, Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), during the recent celebration of the company's 100,000th passenger at the Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu.

While expressing his appreciation to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his unflinching support and the passengers for their continuous patronage and loyalty, Ladi-Balogun stressed that LAGFERRY will continue to provide safety and optimal services on all its passenger boats across the metropolis.

This is coming on the heels of the celebration, in similar vein, of the 60,000thpassenger, Mrs. Caroline Ateboh on 30thJune, 2020 immediately after the resumption of services due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is an indication that Lagosians are beginning to appreciate and embrace water transportation. For Lagos to be

Sanwo-Olu a functional smart city, there must be diversification of the mode of transportation which include the interconnectivity of the rail, road and water transportation systems.

Today, many mega cities of the world depend on more than one mode of transportation. Therefore, the need to exploit alternative means of transportation mode cannot be over-emphasized.

One of such other alternatives being exploited by the government is the waterways.

Putting into consideration that the state occupies 3,577 square kilometers with water bodies accounting for 25% of its geographical landmass, water transportation has great potential in Lagos.

The milestone recorded

by LAGFERRY, is, no doubt, a good indicator that the transportation narrative is about to change for good in the state.

It is worthy of note that LAGFERRY has deployed more boats and increased

daily trips in order to provide a safe, fast and reliable alternative mode of transportation to lessen the traffic congestion that are arising from the massive road rehabilitation and construction going on across the state.

According to Ladi-Balogun, the agency is fully committed to exploring the capacity of the waterways to strengthen mass transportation in line with the transportation blueprint of the current administration.

Some of the routes the agency operates includes Ikorodu to Falomo, Ikorodu to Ebute Ero, Sandfill, Falomo and Marina, Ikoyi to Badore, Ebute Ojo to Ijegun Egba, Apapa and Marina, Bayeku to Oke Ira Nla and Falomo, Mile 2 to Marina and Apapa, Badore to Ijede, Sandfill and Falomo, Ilaje Bariga to Falomo, Sandfill, Badore, Marina and Ebute-Ero. LAGFERRY has equally introduced additional routes for more residents to enjoy its services. LAGFERRY boats are built with in-built Wi-Fi and modern technological devices that aid smooth operations and safety with the capacity to carry up to 60 passengers.

Also, the boats are available for charter to host parties, annual general meetings (A.G.M) and for tourists.

Much emphasis is particu-

FIGHTING UNEMPLOYMENT IN BAUCHI STATE

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outh redundancy is one of the numerous challenges Governor Bala Mohammed has inherited from the previous government. This challenge has not only become disturbing to His Excellency but to every right-thinking Bauchi citizen.

As the saying goes, "An idle mind is a devil's workshop".

Unemployment is said to be the mother of all types of criminality such as robbery,

kidnapping, stealing, indulgence in drugs, rape, among others.

In his determination to end the menace of unemployment in the state, Governor Bala Mohammed has developed some strategies. The governor had on several occasions met with companies and businessmen within and outside the state.

Recall that Governor Mohammed had, in August, visited the Nigerian Invest-

ment Promotion Commission Headquarters in Abuja. The governor’s visit, according to his Special Assistant on New Media, Lawal Mu'azu Bauchi, was in line with the current administration’s efforts in reviving business sectors and inviting partners to Bauchi State. During the discussion which focused mainly on Bauchi's investment plans, Governor Mohammed sought for the NIPC’s support in attracting investors to the state.

Furthermore, the governor has constituted a panel to fish out ghost workers on the payroll of government. The panel recovered N225.5million and 396 ghost workers had been uncovered in both the state and local governments' payrolls.

––Bilyaminu Gambo Kong-kol, bilyaminugambokonkol20@gmail.com (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

S ELFISH L EADERSHIP A ND D ISUNITY IN N IGERIA ’ S D IVERSITY

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eadership in any polity is the machinery that drives the vision, mission and ideology of a nation.

Leadership has to do with the power or ability to lead other people. The principal problem of Nigeria is leadership; other problems are its vices, derivatives or offshoots.

Instead of focusing on unity of our colonialismdesigned diversity, Nigerian leaders always indulge in altercations with vituperative criticisms.

Their selfishness blindfolds them to the extent that they budge not washing their dirty linen in public, especially in the media.

Recently, the narrative of former President Obasanjo's vituperative comments and malicious verbal attacks against President Buhari-led government was

everywhere.

Obasanjo was delivering a paper titled; "Moving Nigeria Away from Tipping Over" at an allegedly secluded consultative dialogue in Abuja when he threw his verbal pebbles at the president, saying Nigeria is a failed state under Muhammadu Buhari, and expressing fears of possible disintegration. These, among other destructive, unprintable comments, are weighty opinionated statements that lack constructiveness.

A former president turned social critic should calm down. Asking Obasanjo to calm down is not in anyway in support of Buhari, who might be 'guilty' as accused. He (Obasanjo) had ruled this country for not less than 10 years during which he should have fixed all the problems he's now identify-

ing. So, on accusation of guilt of maladministration, Obasanjo is as guilty as Buhari, if he claimed Buhari is guilty.

Similarly, the presidency has also replied Obasanjo, addressing him as "yesterday's man". Other leaders and stakeholders, both for and against, have also joined in the altercations, vituperations and ignoble campaigns of calumny, which tend to divide us more than unite us. Nigeria's leadership problem is like the proverbial lame person who replies public complaints over his awkward position asking them to look down at his legs and not up at his head.

Amalgamation of northern and southern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914 was the bane of our diversity problem in today's Nigeria.

And since we were given

independence in 1960, our leadership has been more of a bane than a boon for our national existence. The fact that Obasanjo was addressing "a meeting of ethnic and regional leaders with a well-known antagonistic disposition towards Buhari and his government", as reported, shows he's rehashing the disintegration which he has envisaged.

Chief Obasanjo was a former president of this country. If he has any genuine idea that can help us as a nation, he should honourably contact President Buhari instead of airing their dirty laundry in public. The problem with our leaders is that they do things with selfish motives and not in national interest.

––Jimoh Olorede, Journalism/Mass Communication Lecturer, Osun State

larly being placed on safety of the waterways. This is why lots channelization and dredging are being done in order to make the waterways safe and secure for all stakeholders.

There are also plans to connect water terminals and the roads, especially in places such as Badore, Ajah, Mile 2, Badagry, Ikorodu and other places where there are terminals.

With current level of investment in water transportation, Lagos, no doubt, stands to experience appreciable upsurge in socio-economic activities. For instance, the expansion of trade to the Lekki Free Trade Zone will be easy to access by water from international waterways to local inland waterways.

Also, inter-costal trade will experience ease such that traders will be able to move their commodities via ships and other water transport modes. Therefore, the menace of tankers and heavy-duty trucks on the roads will be drastically reduced.

Presently, LAGFERRY is facilitating cargoes movement and providing innovative solutions to logistic challenges of industries, importers and manufacturers. It currently conveys trucks from its Mile 2 Jetty to Apapa Seaport to load containers. The hassles of doing same by road are being greatly reduced by the option

of moving them on water via LAGFERRY’s badges.

In spite of this latest development, it is cheering to state that the state government is not resting on its oars as it is poised to embark on the construction of more jetties and provision of more modern ferry boats to create opportunities for more private sector participation in water transportation.

There are equally plans to build modern jetties in Badagry, Lekki, and Ajegunle, just as the one being built in Ijegun would soon be completed. Also, before the fourth quarter of the year, LAGFERRY would extend its services to all 40 water routes licensed for Lagos.

On the whole, given the complex and vital nature of public transportation in the state, the Sanwo-Olu administration has done well by investing in and developing intermodal transportation.

By the time the Lagos light rail project becomes effective and expanded, coupled with renewed efforts to improve water transportation in addition to numerous on-going road projects across the state, a more effective and reliable public transportation system will emerge.

––Tayo Ogunbiyi, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

When Governors Hope to Be Senators

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hen sitting governors hope to be senators after their ineffectual, checkered terms in office, most often than not, determined by the powerful Abuja manipulations or the machinations of a patron (the “godfather” in Nigerian-speak parlance), they all suffer from a culture of silence when armed Fulani militiamen invade the domains they govern and cut hapless folks down to pieces in premediated cold-blood slaughter.

Their deafening silence is sweet music to the ears of election-riggers who ensure they get those coveted senate seats and grow fatter backsides as a consequence, sitting over at the Red Chamber just schmoozing with and stroking the ego of the chair of that chamber.

But, is a desire for a senate seat worth the lives of hapless folks? If a sitting governor reacts in indignation to Fulani killing and threatens to align with international concern about these killings, thousands will have lifelines, quite literally, if you will.

Thus, it really baffles me that the All Progressives Congress political party will rubbish the concern expressed by the UK’s InterParty Parliamentary Group’s report on the ongoing subtle genocidal purging by armed Islamic groups in the Northeast and the Middle Belt segments of Nigeria.

Why would the APC rubbish this report?

––Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.

Celebrate The Important Events

I

s the world getting crazier or is it just me that thinks so?

One of the fires in California is reported as having been started by fireworks at a gender reveal party. A gender reveal party seems a rather indulgent event, more for the parents than any children on the way. Perhaps we should celebrate the important events in life and not every

event - it's the birth of a healthy child that should be celebrated.

As to the damage done, did anyone think about the start of the word fireworks, - fire! Surely setting off explosives in the heat wasn't a great idea.

I am sure that common sense seems less common nowadays.

––Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia.

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SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 •T H I S D AY

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍżËœ 2020

BUSINESS

Ayuba Wabba

Chris Ngige

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

Quadri Olaleye

Price Hike: Will Labour Still Go ahead with the Strike?

Onyebuchi Ezigbo

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hiletheorganised labour has proposed tomorrow, Monday,September 28, as the date forprotestagainst the increase in the fuel price and electricity tariff, Onyebuchi Ezigbo wonders if the strike will hold as planned, especially with level of discussion between the federal government and labour.

The die is cast as the leadership of the organised labour mobilises their members and civil society allies for a national protest against recent rise in fuel price and electricity tariff. For now, nothing is certain about the protest because, labour agreed during the second dialogue session with the federal government team last Thursday to go back and consult with its organs and respond to government offers on palliatives to help cushion the impact of the price increase on workers and Nigerians.Although,organisedlabourhadinsisted during the meeting that they want the federal government to reverse its decisions on the price increase before bringing palliatives on the table for consideration, their final stance is expected to be made known before midnight Sunday in ordertodeterminewhetherthenationwideprotest will still go or not.

The two labour centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC)andTradeUnionCongress(TUC), had threatened to embark on a nationwide mass protest with civil society allies beginning from Monday, September 28, to compel the federal government to reverse increases in price of fuel and electricity tariff. Organised labour’s resolve to hold the protest came from resolutions reached at the National Executive Committee meeting of the two labour centres.

TUC first gave a 7-day ultimatum in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and dated September 14, 2020. It threatened to commence an indefinite industrial action and national protest from Wednesday, September 23, 2020, if the federal government failed to reverse the increase in electricity tariff and petrol price.

In the letter, entitled ‘We cannot bear the burden any longer, issuance of seven days ultimatum,’

which was jointly signed by its President, Mr. Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary-General, Mr. Musa Lawal, TUC said: We have observed the gradual and steady annihilation of Nigeria and Nigerians in the light of government actions for the umpteenth time�. TUC had complained that the decision to approve increases in fuel price and electricity tariff was done without consultation with critical stakeholders and without due regard tothedebilitatingimpactofCOVID-19onpeople’s income. TUC demanded that government should take immediate steps to: reverse the hike in prices as it affects electricity, petrol and all other social services in the country to status quo ante (prior to increase) within seven days. “Provide adequate and quality healthcare and education for all to save the poor and the vulnerable at all levels.

These demands are made in good faith, and to save the dying masses and the vulnerable in our society. In the event of not showing empathy for this class of people by adhering to above demands, we shall, together with our civil societies and allies sympathetic to the suffering masses of our people, commence an indefinite industrial action and national protest from Wednesday, September 23,� tough talking president of TUC, Comrade Quadri Olaleye repeated the position of the union at the first dialogue session convened by federal government to convince labour leaders of the need to support the deregulation policy. He said workers and the suffering poor masses should not be made to bear the brunt of poor management of the economy by the administration. “There is no need for the pains we bear. It is a needless one. They ask us to tighten our belts while they loosen theirs. Services are not rendered, yet we are compelled to pay estimated bills. You will recall that this government during its electioneering campaigns in 2014, told the world there is nothing like subsidy. We were told that they will build refineries, but all that are history now.

We run a mono-economy and any hike in fuel automatically will have adverse effect on us, yet successive governments toe that part.�

TUC tactically reviewed its ultimatum and shifted it forward to align with that of the NLC whichfixeditsownprotestforMonday,September 28 in order to have maximum effect. TUC, in a statement by its President and Secretary, Quadri Olaleye and Musa-Lawal Ozigi, respectively, said that after an exhaustive meeting held to review its mobilisation strategies on the forthcoming strike

to protest fuel hike and electricity tariff increase, it resolved that the Congress is going to work in collaboration with its sister Labour Centre, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Civil Society allies to execute the strike. “Consequent upon this, the ultimatum, which should expire by midnight of today September 22, 2020, has been shifted to September 28, 2020 for effective and maximum effect. We want to use this opportunity to call on Nigerians, especially those in the informal sector to bear with us while the industrial action lasts.�

On its part, NLC after consulting with its organs summoned a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) to ratify an earlier notice of strike and nationwide protest proposed by the Central Working Committee. Speaking to journalists after the NEC’s meeting, President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, urged the federal government to listen to the cries of workers and other suffering Nigerians and rescind the increases in the interest of industrial peace and social order. He said failure to meet the demands would make the planned strike and mass protest inevitable.

In stating the resolutions reached at the meeting, Wabba said: “The NEC of the NLC comprising members of the NationalAdministrative Council, PresidentandGeneralSecretaryofmembersofthe affiliate unions and our state council chairpersons and secretaries of the 36 states and FCT met today (yesterday) and resolved as follows: “NEC resolved to reject in its entirety the issue of hike in electricity tariff by almost 100 percent as well as the fuel price increase in the name of full deregulation. ‘’This decision is premised on the fact that this twin decision, alongside other decisions of government, including the increase of VAT by 7.5 per cent, numerous charges being charged by commercial banks on depositors’ funds without anyexplanations,willfurtherimpoverishNigerian workers, citizens and their families. “Therefore, this increase, coming in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, is not only ill-timed but also counterproductive. NEC also observed that the privatisation of the electricity sub-sector seven years down the line has not yielded any positive result. “Whereas in the entire privatisation process, the entire sector was sold at about N400 billion, we are also surprised that government within the last four years injected N1.5 trillion over and above the amount that accrued from this

important asset. “Therefore, NEC came to the conclusion that the entire privatization process has failed and the electricity hike is actually a process of continuous exploitation of Nigerians. “On the issue of the refineries and also the increase in the pump price of PMS, this particular issue had been on the table for more than three decades and the argument has not changed. “Whether it is the name of full deregulation or subsidy removal, what is obvious is that it is fuel price hike and this has further eroded the gains of the N30,000 minimum wage because it has spiral effects, which include the high costs of food and services and the reduction in the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians. ‘’In the light of all of these, NEC thought that the issue of deregulation would be a continuous exploitation if it is import-driven. “While demanding that our three refineries should be made to work optimally and then, it would benefit Nigerians, NEC also concluded that government has business in doing business because the primary purpose of governance is about the security and welfare of the people and if in other countries, governments are maintaining refineries, and they are working optimally for the benefit of the people, Nigeria cannot be an exception. “In the light of these, NEC decided to endorse the two-week ultimatum given to the federal government to reverse those obnoxious decisions andalsopronouncethattheactionproposedbythe Central Working Committee is hereby endorsed

by NEC that 28th of September should be the date that those decisions should be challenged

by Nigerian workers, our civil society allies and other labour centres.�

The federal government has also not relented in its bid to avert the looming conflagration that will no doubt affect national economy adversely.

It convened another meeting with organised labour, the second in two weeks. The meeting held at the Presidential Villa had an expanded team representing the federal government.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, joined Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of State, for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN) and others to sit at the negotiating table with labour representatives.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍ¸Ëœ 2020

18

BUSINESS /MONEY

Bola-Onadele-Koko

FMDQ Turnover Sheds N4.5tn in August Investments at the Fixed Income and Currency (FIC) markets suffered a setback in the month of August as investors reduced their stakes to the tune of N4.46trillion, representing a 23.8 percent decline compared to the turnover recorded in July. Bamidele Famoofo reports

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ccording to FMDQ, the platform, where investors trade on short-term yield instruments, turnover in July was N18.72trillion compared to N14.26trillion recorded in August.

There has been pressure on the market since the beginning on this year as turnover dropped by 38.56 per cent or N8.95trillion, on year on year basis compared to a turnover of N23.21trillion recorded in August 2019.

Year to date, turnover in the market has recorded a decline to the tune of 5.38 per cent from N158.79trillion YTD recorded as at August 31, 2019 compared to N150.25trillion as at August 31, 2020.

A review of transactions in the month of August showed that the OMO4bills and

foreign exchange (FX) transactions were the highest contributors to the FIC markets in August2020, jointly accounting for 53.58 percent of the total FIC market turnover.

Total foreign exchange market turnover in August2020 was $9.76billionn (N3.76trillion), representing a month on month (MoM) decrease of 9.80 percent ($1.06billion) from the turnover recorded in July2020 $10.82billion (N4.20trillion).

Analysis of FX market turnover indicates that FX Derivatives decreased MoM by 7.96 percent ($0.61billion) whilst FX Spot turnover decreased by 14.24 percent ($0.45billion) in August2020, as the current liquidity challenges in the FX market persisted. In the OTC FX Futures market, the near month contract5 (NGUSAUG 262020) with a total outstanding notional value of $1.58billion matured and was settled, whilst a new long-term (60-month) contract, NGUS AUG 272025 was introduced

at a rate of $/N590.10.

According to FMDQ, “total notional value (“NV�)of open OTC FX Futures contracts as at August 31, 2020 stood at $12.34billion, representing a 2.76 percent ($0.35billion) decrease on the NV of open contracts as at July29, 2020 (c.$12.69billion), and continuing the downward trend in the NV of open contracts since May2020.�

However, the total NV of OTC FX Futures contracts traded since inception crossed the $50.00billion mark, reaching $50.09billion as at August 31, 2020. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBILLION) Official Spot US$/N exchange rate closed at an average of $/N380.43 in August2020, representing 0.86 percent ($/ N3.24) decrease in exchange rate from $/ N377.19recorded in July2020.

At the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I&E) FX Window, the Naira appreciated against the US Dollar, gaining 0.31 percent ($/

N1.22) to close at an average of $/N386.26 in August2020 from $/N387.48 recorded in July2020. Conversely, in the parallel market, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollarlosing1.63 percent ($/N7.62) to close at an average of $/N475.29 in August 2020 from $/N467.67 recorded in July 2020.

In the primary market, average discount rates for the 91-day, 182-day and 364-dayT. billsdecreased MoM by 23 basis points (bps), 35bps and 18bps to 1.20 percent, 1.39 percent and 3.20 percent respectively in August 2020.

Similarly, the discount rates for OMO bills decreased MoM by an average of 6bpstoclose at a range of 4.90-8.94 percent in August2020.

In the primary market for sovereign bonds, the marginal rates for the 10-yearFGN Bond issued increased by 70bpsto 6.70per centin August 2020 whilst those of the 15-year, 25-year and 30-year FGN Bonds decreased by15bps, 5bps and 5bpsto 9.35 percent, 9.75 percent and 9.90 percent respectively in August2020, compared to the marginal rates for issuances in July2020.

The total value of T.bills and OMO bills outstanding as at August 31, 2020 decreased MoM by 2.13 percent (N0.06trillion)and 4.93 percent (N0.44trillion) to N2.76trillion and N8.49trillion respectively, whilst the total value of FGN Bonds outstanding as at August 31, 2020 increased MoM by 1.16 percent (N0.12trillion) to N10.43trillion, indicating a N0.08trillion MoM increase in local public debt to N13.56trillion as at August 31, 2020.

Turnover for T.bills increased by 36.25 percent (N0.29trillion) to N1.09trillion, resulting in an increase in trading intensity to 0.40 in August 2020 from 0.29 in July2020. Conversely, OMO bills turnover decreased MoM by 23.92 percent (N1.22trillion) to N3.88trillion in August2020, resulting in the decrease in trading intensity to 0.44(0.57in July2020), while FGN Bonds turnover decreased MoM by 3.70 percent (N0.09trillion) to N2.34trillion, resulting in a marginal decrease in its trading intensity to 0.23 (0.24 in July 2020). In August2020, OMO bills within the 6 –12 months maturity bucket was the most traded across all tenors in the fixed income market, accounting for 26.23 percent (N1.92trillion) of the total fixed Income market turnover. T.bills within the >3 –6 months maturity bucket was the most traded across short-term tenors9, accounting for 5.60 percent (N0.41trillion) of the total fixed income market turnover, whilst FGN Bonds within the 20 –30 years maturity bucket was the most traded across medium to long term tenors10,accounting for 15.57 percent(N1.14trillion)of the total fixed income market turnover.

Weighted average yields on short-term and medium-term maturities increased MoM by 3.98 percent and 1.59 percent respectively in August 2020, while the weighted average yields on long-term maturities decreased by 0.99 percent. Additionally, inflation-adjusted yields remained negative across the short, medium and long-term tenors inAugust 2020.

Total turnover in the money market segment decreased MoM and YoY by 48.70 percent (N3.00trillion) and 9.97 percent (N0.35trillion) respectively to a total of N3.16trillion inAugust 2020. This was driven by the MoM and YoY decreases of49.92 percent (N3.03trillion) and 11.11 percent (N0.38trillion) respectively in Repos/Buy-Backs turnover to N3.04trillion in August 2020 possibly due to increase in inter-bank liquidity from net redemption of N0.44trillion in OMO bills in August 2020, whilst turnover in unsecured placements/ takings increased MoM and YoY by 33.33 percent (N0.03trillion) to N0.12trillion in August2020. Consequently, average O/ N11and OBB12rates decreased by 189bps and 178bps to close at 8.60 percent and 7.75 percent respectively in August2020 from 10.49 percent and 9.53 percent recorded in July2020.

Market surveillance showed that total number of executed trades reported on the Bloomberg E-Bond Trading System in August2020 was 4,921,representing a MoM increase of 9.43 percent (424) from the number of executed trades recorded in July2020 (4,497). This was driven by the MoM increase recorded across executed trades on T.bills and OMO bills whilst executed trades on FGN Bonds recorded a MoM decrease of 4.75 percent (122) in August2020.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍ¸Ëœ 2020

BUSINESS/BRANDS & MARKETING

First Bank Enabling Nigerians DPLGVW 'LͿFXOW 6HDVRQ Raheem Akingbolu looks at the last 126 years of First Bank of Nigeria’s services to Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, focusing on five touch points

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erhaps because of the COVID-19 Pandemics, patrons and promoters of First Bank of Nigeria didn’t do much in March this year to commemorate the 126th anniversary of the brand franchise in Nigeria. Unquestionably, the bank is one of the earliest institutions established in West Africa, and obviously, one of the few ones still in existence today.

First Bank long years of existence notwithstanding, its handlers haven’t allowed complacency to dampen their drive to position the nation’s number one financial institution as the best and one of the brands that are making Africa proud.

For 126 years, First Bank has navigated Nigeria’s banking landscape, supporting businesses and building other brands.

But the First Bank story is that of not giving up despite all odds. However, the greater story hasn’t been told by those who daily promote it, but it has consistently given the hope of financial security to the ultimate owners of the brand- the banking public. This explains why in a country where mortality rate is high in the market, the brand still remains a reference point, when it comes to building an enduring African brand in the last 125 years.

Last, year, First Bank commemorated its 125th anniversary which created a unique opportunity for it to clearly differentiate itself from other banks and organisations in Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Through the anniversary celebration, the team was able to reiterate that First Bank has been part of Nigerians, enabling them to achieve their goals for over 125 years, making the bank a pivotal part of Nigerians and Nigeria’s history. According to them, this sets the brand in a space of its own as a bank that is beyond comparison - one which has woven into the fabric of the society for many years and has continued to be relevant.

Sports Beyond the usual banking services, First Bank, has over the years, made effort to promote talents in sports, thereby throwing up initiatives and supporting institutions to excel in the various sporting activities. The climax of such intervention was the sponsorship of the Georgian Cup of the Kaduna Polo Tournament, which has been supported for over 100 years.

In furtherance of the bank’s commitment to the growth and development of sports, nation-building and the economy at large, it marked the centenary sponsorship of the tournament last year. It was possibly the longest-running sports sponsorship in the world and a Guinness Book of Records potential. The 2019 edition of the epochmaking sports championship took place from October 12 – 20, 2019 at the Kaduna Polo Club, Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna.

The Kaduna Georgian Cup Centenary Polo Tournament commenced in 1919, with First Bank sponsoring the sports tournament for 100 years. The Cup, which was donated by the bank to the Kaduna Polo Club is the oldest and most respected Polo trophy in West Africa.

Another landmark achievement of the organisation in this regard is the First Bank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship, which made its debut 58 years ago and has sailed a smooth ride so far. Last year’s tournament attracted the best amateur golfers, not only from Nigeria, but across the continent and indeed the world. By extension, the gesture also includes Dala Tennis Hard Court of Dala Tennis Club, Kano,

with a heritage of over 120 years of banking experience, it understood the business journey for SMEs, even as it said it was passionate about supporting them to ensure continuous business growth. “Over the years, First Bank has displayed an unwavering commitment to the business success of SMEs in Nigeria with its cocktail of products and bespoke solutions, specifically designed to help grow and sustain SMEs. Given that SMEs are pivotal to national development, First Bank is committed to ensure sustained business growth as well as provide the necessary services to grow businesses and Nigeria’s economy at large. The SME sector is replete with various industries and business models; First Bank’s package provides the right mix of products and services with professional staff designated to work with the business owner to provide flexible and dependable services, helping SMEs achieve consistent growth and success in every area of business,� it explained.

MD, Firstbank, Adesola Adeduntan

which has existed for 33 years and OBJ Pro-Am Open Golf Championship of the Abeokuta Golf Club, that was inaugurated four years ago.

Agriculture Since the inaugural of the bank’s Agric Expo in 2017, it has given First Bank the opportunity to aggregate top players in the Agric sector under one roof for easy relationship establishment. In a way, this has also portrayed the bank as a thoughtleader in the agricultural financing space.

During the 2019 edition, held in Lagos, with the theme; “Agricultural Value Chain – Spotlighting Opportunities and Managing Risks�, Prof. Benedict Oramah, president of AFREXIM Bank was the keynote speaker.

Launched in 2017, the expo provides the lead in national discourse on sustainable agriculture value-chain as a substantial source of Nigeria’s economic development, improved contribution to her balance of trade as well as foreign exchange.

The 2019 edition hosted over 600 delegates and over 60 exhibitors to display the latest technology in farm equipment, tools and machineries as well as packaged finished agricultural produce, logistics and supply, thereby keeping the participants and sundry agribusiness practitioners abreast with new opportunities in the Agricultural industry.

Four years after establishment, the initiative has given the bank the needed

publicity to show it as aligning with the federal government’s revenue diversification and food security strategies and it has increased the synergy between the Bank and Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD) for partnership as both institutions have mutually introduced prospects to each other for consideration in the past. So far, records have shown that a total of 3000 guests and 150 exhibitors have attended Expo from inception to date.

SMEs In a bid to provide non-financial solutions that will aid the development and digital transformation of Nigerian small and medium entreprises (SMEs), First Bank’s recently announced its partnership with Microsoft4Afrika, a market development engine in Africa started by Microsoft.

According to the bank, the partnership was launched early last year during a free-to-attend event for SMEs in Nigeria, designed to promote technology adoption and skills development. It added that it would build the capacity of local SMEs and accelerate their digital transformation, by providing them with exclusive and tailored non-financial solutions.

Looking back, this was a sequel to the 2015 unveiling of a new SME campaign, which First Bank said was specially designed to help SMEs grow their businesses with diverse products and service offerings.

The bank, in a statement, explained that

Creative Sector With Nigeria and other oil dependent countries in Africa clamouring for diversification, First Bank was among the few financial organisations that first saw the need to open up and support other sectors like the entertainment, fashions and food and drinks sector. In 2015, in a genuine approach to race the stake in the entertainment industry, it came up with a unique platform for consolidating all its efforts in the arts by supporting the entire value chain of the creative arts. Through the platform, the bank started to provide the much-needed financing and advisory services, showcasing and facilitating the successes of the industry, and enabling customers explore the wealth of opportunities the creative industry has to offer. Between then and now, the bank has since partnered many organisations, including; African Fashion Week, Duke of Shomolu, Terra Kulture, Freedom Park, and such related enterprises fall within the First@arts space.

With the British Council, the bank had the opportunity to grow brand equity, loyalty, international visibility, brand recognition and affiliation with a leading international brand in the arts space. The bank’s partnership with British Council was strategic in bringing to life the FirstBank First@arts initiative starting with the Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF). The partnership has also helped to boost the brand through association.

Diaspora Talking of one Nigerian brand with tentacles across the world, the name First Bank will readily come to mind. From anywhere one chooses to look at it, the brand has consistently been positioned as a global brand from this part of the world. Among other qualification for this status, First Bank has an account specially designed to cater for the needs of Nigerians in the diaspora.

FirstDiaspora is an offering from the bank which is specially designed for Nigerians living abroad by providing them a platform to have a safe, easy and convenient access to our wide range of products and services that will take care of their banking needs.

Beyond the FirstDiapora account, the Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBN Bank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as a Representative Office in Beijing. If there is any area the bank will leverage in the future to emerge the best brand from Africa, it’s indeed the global business footprint.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍżËœ 2020

THE EXECUTIVE GODWIN EMEFIELE Despite COVID-19, Nigerian Banks Still Resilient The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, in this post Monetary Policy Committee interview spoke about the health of banks in the country as well as the impact of the bank’s development finance interventions since the outbreak of the COVID-19.

Obinna Chima brings the excerpts

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hat do you think has been the impact of COVID-19 on the ďŹ nancial health of Nigerian banks?

Ordinarily, what some analysts would say is that as a result of the lockdown, both people and companies would not earn revenue, and because of that, they would not be able to pay salaries, and if they can pay salaries, they won’t be able to repay their loans, and of course if they can’t repay their loans, it would result to non-performing loans in the books of the banks. But, realising that this could be part of the consequences of the pandemic, not just on households and businesses, but also on banks, we took the unanimous decision, supported by our board and the MPC to consider the possibility of granting some kind of provisioning dispensation for banks. What does that mean? That banks are given the opportunity that, if for instance companies or households that are impacted by the pandemicandcan’tpaytheirloans,thatsuchloans should be restructured with the understanding that truly they have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 and that they cannot service those loans. We also took the decision to reduce interest rates on CBN intervention facilities from nine per cent to five per cent. We also said that in order to encourage people to come back again in business, that there are those who lost their jobs, that we should able to support them through the N100 billion Targeted Facilities for Households and SMEs. This facility has been granted. We are talking about N500, 000 for somebody who wants to start a petty business and up to N1.5 million for some of them who are going to be undertaking some slightly higher level of business. We also decided that we would grant additional loan facilities even to some of our large companies.

We decided that N100 billion should be set aside for companies that are in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. So, what we have done in essence is to look at ways to reflate the economy, so that people who lost jobs or people who could not pay salaries can come back again.

We believe that with the loans restructured, the level of NPLs will out worse remain stable or at best we could even see it coming down. So, how has that affected the financial soundness of the banks? We have data that shows that the Nigerian banking industry remains strategically strongandisabletosupporttheNigerianeconomy.

For instance, in June 2019, capital adequacy ratio for the banking industry was 15.3 per cent, but as at August 2020, it remained at 15.3 per cent. NPLs as at June 2019 was 9.4 per cent, but today it is 6.1 per cent. Liquidity ratio was 48 per cent in June 2019, but today it is 36 per cent, and understandable so because we have seen an increase in credit over the last 13 months of about N3.7 trillion to the economy. Return on Equity of bank which was at 24 per cent as at June 2019, today stands at 21 per cent, which we still consider good. Return on bank assets which was 2.3 per cent as at June 2019, is presently at 1.9 per cent, which we still adjudge to be fair. Total deposit of banks have risen from N22.9 trillion in June 2019, to N28.9 trillion in August 2020.

Total loans have increased from N15.4 trillion in June 2019, to N19.3 trillion in August 2020. Also, total assets have risen from N38 trillion in June 2019, to N48 trillion in August 2020. So, these for us are signs that show that as at date, the banking industry remains resilient to support the growth of the Nigerian economy.

EmeďŹ ele

But what is your assessment of the impact of the measures that were introduced in March this year to cushion the impact of the virus on the economy?

Likeyouallknow,thepandemiccreatedaglobal health crisis which ultimately dove-tailed into a global economic crisis. We have reeled out all the actions that we took: interest rate reduction and interventions, restructuring of loans, granting of targeted facilities, among others. And let me repeat myself because I have said so earlier. We provided N100 billion for targeted facilities and today N78 billion has been disbursed to 130,000 beneficiaries. For the N100 billion healthcare facility – N44 billon has been disbursed to 16 pharmaceutical firms and 25 hospitals and we believe this will go a long way in addressing some of our health and pharmaceutical challenges. Out of the N1 trillion agriculture and manufacturing facility that we said the companies should be able to benefit from, we have so far disbursed N216 billion to 53 manufacturing companies, 12 agricrelated companies and 13 services projects. On our agric and small enterprises fund, we have so far disbursed to 144,600 beneficiaries a total of N54 billion. And these are the loans that we said were granted by way of giving the real implements needed, either for poultry, hairdressers or those who are doing fashion. Of course, for the creative industry, we have also granted loans to about 250 yield companies. So, what has been the impact? I will say it has been positive because if these hadn’t come, perhaps, we might not have seen the positive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth we saw during the first quarter of 2020 or the somewhat reduced contraction that we saw during the second quarter of 2020. So, I think these things have been quite impactful and we should really commend those who have played an active role and I think I must commend our colleagues in our Development Finance department who have done a great job in this regard.

The Economic Sustainability Plan was benchmarked on an estimated N2.3 trillion out of which the CBN is to intervene with

N1.8 trillion. How does the central bank plan to achieve this?

Again, repeating myself, I will say we have already disbursed a substantial sum of money and we would repeat by saying these funds have not been fully drawn and we would like to inform Nigerians that there are available funds at low interest rates. All we need is for businesses and those who plan to conduct business to be involved in economic activities.As government improves the easing on lockdown, we should get back to our businesses, talk to your banks and even as the CBN has been holding meeting with them regularly,forthemtounderstandthattheeconomy must get back on its feet and that we all need to work together to grow this economy. So, we are appealing to businesses to access these funds. For instance, out of the N1 trillion we made available to the agric and manufacturing companies, only about N216 billion has been drawn, which means that close to N800 billion is still available.

You recently said agric loans have grown from one per cent to four per cent and that there is a need to encourage the banks to increase lending to the sector to 10 per cent, how do you think this can be achieved?

You would see that any analyst, looking at the Nigerian economy would say, for us to achieve growth, create employment, we cannot ignore the agricultural sector. That is why you all would observe that since 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed power, all that he has concentrated on in the area of agriculture, is to say that we must revive the agricultural sector. The CBN has held itself out over this period and has done a couple of this, either through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, to make credit available to our small holder farmers, whether for rice,tomato,maize,sorghum,cassava,fish,among others. These facilities have been made available and these have been responsible for increase in agric credit, from one per cent to four per cent.

For instance, in May 2019, loan to agro-services was N324 billion, but as at August 2020, loan to agro-services has gone up to about N430 billion.

For crop production, outstanding aggregate loans to this sector was N163 billion as at May 2019. But as atAugust 2020, it has grown to N294 billion. For cash crops, loan to this sub-sector was just N90 billioninMay2019,butaswespeaktoday,itisN129 billion. Of course, there are other sectors where we saw loans at N79 billion, but today stands at N91 billion. So, in aggregate we have seen loans to the agric sector rising from about N658 billion to almost N1 trillion, during this period. That is, close the N300 billion loan has been granted to support the agric sector and I expect that with what we are doing to ensure that we support the agric sector, we would continue to appeal to more people to be involved in agricultural activities.

If you are not involved in primary agricultural farming, you can be involved in the business of moving food from farm to markets; you can be involvedinprocessingoftheagriculturalproducts; moving the agricultural products to the market and the rest. These would create opportunities for wealth creation, help in growing our economy and also create jobs. The CBN has the mandate to ensure that everything is done to stabilise the exchange rate in the country. It is important for me to address this because there are unfolding events arising from it. Today, whether we like it or not, we are in a global crisis. And usually, when there is a crisis of this nature, because there is pressure on the exchange rate, what we had to do was to adjust the exchange rate and by doing that we have adjusted price. By adjusting price, there is a need for you to look at how to work on supply and demand. In working on supply, we are seeking for ways to diversify our revenue base in foreign currency and in line with that, we are thinking of how to give more support to those in export business. We would like to encourage them and we need to be more aggressive about that, so that we can grow our foreign currency revenue base. So, there is no need for anybody to go into undocumented export activities in the country. We have seen situations where people get into undocumented export activities and the CBN will be working with the Nigeria Customs Service and the shipping agencies to ensure that when you conduct an export activity, you must fill your NXP forms. And the shipping lines would not allow you to export your goods unless you fill the NXP forms and if we discover any exporter involved in opening accounts where he did not fill the NXP forms, we would deal with those exporters. We want all the proceeds of exports and foreign currency revenue to go into an account where all of us would see it and it would be visible for everybody. That is on the supply side. On the demand side, you will recall that since 2016, we have been talking about reducing imports, particularlyongoodsthat can be produced locally.

And there is a need for everybody to work together to ensure that we produce food that can be consumed in the country. That is the reason the President, the federal government, the CBN, are all saying we are willing to provide funding for anyone that wants to go into agriculture so as to encourage food production. So, we frown at people who want to import food that can be produced locally. We have heard the President say it severally that the CBN should make it difficult for people who want to take forex to import food. We would continue with a lot of intensity to ensure that this is done. We all need to work together to encourage local production of food. The CBN would come out strongly on those who are involved in smuggling of goods that had been restricted from accessing forex and they would be made to face the law. I am using this opportunity to appeal to everyone to be patriotic.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍżËœ 2020

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BUSINESS INTERVIEW BALA-USMAN With FG Paying Cost of Funds, It’s Impossible to Reimburse INTELS $2.7bn A few years ago, the Nigerian Ports Authority on behalf of the federal government entered into an agreement with a sister company of INTELS Nigeria, Deep Offshore Limited to build 200 metres of the berth at Onne port, Rivers State. To recoup its investment totalling $2.7 billion, INTELS signed another contract with the NPA for service boats revenue collection and agents management with 72 per cent of the revenue going to NPA/INTELS to service the debt and the balance 28 per cent as commission to INTELS. The service boats contract expired last month and INTELS has insisted it must act as an agent to the federal government to collect pilotage revenue, while the NPA argues that the agreement does not reference INTELS or any agent, but revenue to offset the amortisation deal. After collecting the pilotage revenue for 10 years, the $2.7 billion has not been paid off. The Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, in an interview with Eromosele Abiodun, explains why

R

ecently, there were reports in the media that the NPA had terminated its pilotage contract with INTELS. What exactly is the situation?

The NPA had a contract with INTELS that commenced on August 9, 2010, and expired on August 8, 2020. It’s a 10 years contract for service boat revenue collection.

The agreement we had with INTELS was for revenue monitoring, for managing agents, for service boat collection in our pilotage district.

They collect revenue and monitor operations on behalf of the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the NPA gives them 28 per cent of the revenues collected. That is the agreement that was entered into. And that was the agreement we had issues with INTELS regarding compliance with TSA. Where they are mandated that the revenues collected should come into the coffers of the government before any remittance of the 28 per cent. So the contract as I said, expired on August 8, 2020.

There is an existing contract for the development of Onne 4B by Deep Offshore, a sister company to INTELS. Part of the agreement with Deep Offshore is an amortization project where the NPA engaged Deep Offshore to develop Onne 4B. It is a total contract of $2.7 billion, and it is an amortization, meaning that they will invest their money, and the government will now reimburse them from revenues. Their investment would be reimbursed from revenues collected from service boats. The contract is to develop part of the port at Onne and I encourage you to research and determine if indeed there was value for money for a $2. 7 billion project to build berth 12 to 19 and certain works in 2013. I’ll like you to research and make a comparison with the Singaporean ports and other ports that were built at the same time.

Look at the facilities and the cost they spent building that port, you would see the huge differentials. $2.7 billion is huge money that the Nigerian government decided to invest in building, not a full port actually, it is 200 metres of berth that was built. I don’t want to give you that information but I would encourage you to research the construction of 2000 meters jetty berth 12 to 19, shore protection, water distribution system, road development, tower light system, upgrade of NPA facilities at the gate in Onne port. I will like us to do a global comparison as to what this amount of money would have built for Nigeria if indeed we had looked at it in a commercial sense, getting value for money for the country. I will take you on the linkage between the two contracts. As I said, the NPA would collect revenues on service boats and it would use that revenue to offset that amortization. But nowhere does it state that INTELS must be the ones that would collect the revenues. They are two separate contracts;

Hadiza Bala-Usman

it is directly linked to the revenue, not to the company.

I recall one of the issues that we have had in discussing the project is to do with indebtedness.

Government owes Deep Offshore Limited, a sister company to INTELS for this development and monies are to be paid from that revenue sourced.

If you look at 28 per cent as an agency fee, that is completely high, agency fees are usually between 10 to 15 per cent across the board. In fact, there is a BPP directive around the fact that such commission should not go above 15 per cent.

But here we are, INTELS is collecting 28 per cent, and one of the things that we have said is that we intend to reduce the

cost of the agency commission to enable the government to have more revenues for itself, and consequently more revenues to settle its debt. When someone is continuously collecting 28 per cent, how do you see paying off that debt you have from the Deep Offshore project?

So, upon the expiration of the contract with INTELS and Nigerian Ports, INTELS now took Nigeria Ports to court. Just as the contract was expiring, we initiated a tender process to engage another company, to now provide that service.

INTELS has total monopoly across all the palliative districts, so, in this instance, what the NPA has done is to advertise and break it into pilotage districts. So that different agencies would work for each pilotage district. The NPA also reduced the commission to 15 per cent and

we advertised. When we did the advertisement process, INTELS indeed participated and they made the bid.

Part of the criteria within the tender process was that all the lots are provided. If you bid, for example, the Warri pilotage district, you cannot bid for the Lagos pilotage district. This is to ensure that there is competition and allow more people to compete. INTELS went against the rules and bided for each of the lots. They formed a consortium, bided for Lagos, they bid for Warri, Onne and that automatically disqualified them because, in the advert that was public, we had mentioned that you can only bid for one lot.

And this is just to ensure that it’s all spread out, one company does not monopolize and get all the contract that we hitherto had were

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍżËœ 2020

Nigeria’s Revenue Not Affected by COVID-19 as Global Shipping Industry Remains Functional INTELS had all the pilotage districts under their belt.

INTELS bided, they were disqualified, and we issued a tender document, INTELS now went to court, and got an injunction against the Nigerian Ports Authority, preventing us from proceeding with the procurement process.

So we received that injunction, we noted it and we engaged our lawyers. Then the NPA now decided, upon expiration, it’s not about the tender process. Nigerian ports will take back their work. We must not necessarily tender it.

This is a service that the government has, so the government now is taking back its work.

Your contract has expired, and in so doing, everything that relates to the service boat operations should now be reverted to the Nigerian Ports Authority. The NPA and the staff would see how we can now work on managing it before we exit the court case with INTELS around the project.

So upon this, we issued a notice to mariners, we now notified the IOCs, the companies that need the services, that henceforth, they should contact the government for this service because the INTELS contract with us has expired.

Now INTELS went back to court again and got an injunction against the government, that government cannot take back its own work.

The way that it was approached is very funny.

How can the government be restrained from doing its own service? Government is being restrained from doing a tender process that ab initio, INTELS even participated. When they got disqualified, they now got an injunction that you can’t continue with the process. Now, NPA said we are taking back our own work because it is government work; INTELS got another injunction to prevent the government from taking over its own work.

You wonder the height and level of impunity and attitude of such a company that thinks they can come and use judicial manipulation to frustrate the government from realising its objectives of attaining the revenue that it needs in order for us to do our operations.

So when I see INTELS spreading falsehood about their contract being terminated, it is pure falsehood, the contract wasn’t terminated, it expired. They’re also talking about the fact that there is a court order restraining NPA. Yes, there is. But let Nigerians know what it is, what that order is all about. So if you have an injunction saying, the government cannot do its work, I am curious as to what purpose, what the judicial system is seeking to do in this manner.

Of course, we have noted the injunction, we have our lawyers, and they are in court. We are going to see how that would pan out. But we just wanted to clarify the issue of termination, and also clarify that it expired, and also clarify that there is no linkage at all with the two projects. I will take you to the agreement, Article One, section 2.3 of the deep offshore agreement says, “The recovering of the project cost, through amortisation from ports charges and service boat operation revenue, shall be in respect of the completed portion and handed over to the authority.�

So, it references the revenue from the service board, there is no way where it references INTELS. For INTELS to go to court and say that they must be the ones that would collect the revenues on behalf of the government before the government can pay is quite ridiculous and laughable. Nowhere in the contract that they are linked in any way, the revenue can be realised through a third party, and also could be realised by the government itself. So you cannot say the government has to appoint you because you have an amortisation programme, it doesn’t even work that way.

But we are going to pursue the judicial process, and see where it culminates. But you should have an understanding of the level of mischief such companies perpetuate within our country.

I think it is an important clarification that needs to be put out.

I will like you to explain this properly to Nigerians. Did you say the $2.7 billion contract to build berth 12 to 19 at Onne port was awarded 10 years ago and INTELS has been collecting service boats revenue for that period, part of which is being used to pay the debt and for 10 years the $2.7 billion has not been paid?

Yes, it’s an interesting question that you asked. NPA is required to pay for the cost of funds. This has been the battle that we took on when I became managing director of NPA. A company was given a contract to go and build

the pilotage contract was going to run out this year. Tell us about this.

We have been facing a lot of challenges with full compliance with the TSA by INTELS. We had initiated a termination process because they were not complying. And upon looking at the procedures of terminating, we decided to discontinue because the contract was coming to an end, and the government would take possession and take over its own activity. And here we are a year after, INTELS is now in court challenging why the government should reclaim its own services.

Now that INTELS has gone to court, where are we now?

There was a hearing recently in court, it’s been adjourned.

Given that situation, who is currently doing the job?

You know we have an injunction preventing us from taking over. So, INTELS, based on the injunctions and the fact that we are abiding by the injunction is still providing the service.

Hadiza Bala-Usman

berth 12 to 19, the cost of that is $2.7 billion.

When you build it, the government would pay you. It’s like a contract. And every time when you award contracts, it is not government business how you go and source your money. Government does not pay for the cost of funds. And a normal contractor, if you go, you get your project, you go to a bank, they give you a loan, you give your bond, your bank guarantee, how does the government take up the liability of the cost of funds?

In this instance, the government has been paying for the cost of funds. And yes, it was stated in the contract, which is quite a shame that government will enter into a contract where it will pay for the cost of funds, it will pay for the interest on the loans its contractor collected to execute the contract awarded to it.

So with that, it would be very difficult for the government to pay off these amounts within that period. There is nowhere were someone who gives you a contract pays for the cost of funds for the contract, it’s not done.

So how can the government ever pay off the $2.7 billion? The interest rates are there, there is a cost of funds payment and all manners of other things. So as a result, the government has not been able to reimburse them. Let’s look at this project critically. What did they build for $2.7 billion? As I said, please research and see what $2.7 billion will give so that we can have an understanding of the wastefulness.

There seems to be a conict of interest in this whole exercise, a company executes a project and it acts as an agent to collect revenue to pay for the project. Is there a way the NPA verify this?

It is a huge challenge because when they collect revenue, they collect and hold. We don’t know what it is they collected at a certain extent, they are the ones to tell you we have collected X amount. Two years ago, we instituted a process where the monies would come directly into the government coffers, and the government would be able to see and remit.

So hitherto, they used to collect it, but now, in the last two years, monies are paid into our account. Even as at that, it’s a battle. INTELS has refused to fully comply with the TSA. So it’s something that I feel the contract, from the beginning was not done in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. And now that the contract has ended in its own volition, INTELS has gone to court to insist that this contract that was never done in the interest of Nigeria or Nigerians, should now be in perpetuity until a different contract is fully paid for.

Some of the wrong policies and agreements that have been entered into in the past, so even when they come to an end, we still have a mis-

chievous company going to court to seek all manners of injunctions against the government and stop the government from performing its own function.

Is there anywhere in the agreement where the amortisation is tied to the contract, that is until the $2.7 billion is paid including the cost of funds the pilotage contracts will continue with INTELS? No, it does not speak to a contract, it speaks to the revenue, the contract agreement with Deep Offshore to build berth 12 to 19 at Onne port, speaks to the fact that the amortisation would be repaid from revenue sourced from service boat contract. It doesn’t say who the contractor is, it doesn’t reference any contract, it references the revenue source. That revenue source could be derived from another contractor, could be derived from the government itself, from any third party contractor. So really, there is no linkage and the articles within the agreement are clear. There is no linkage between those two.

Is there any provision for automatic renewal of the service boats contract or as a right of ďŹ rst refusal in the agreement?

The contract is very clear that it shall continue to be in force for a period of 10 years till August 8, 2020. Thereafter, unless terminated in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement. There is no were it references in Article 2.1, first right of refusal, or automatic renewal or anything. There is no such thing there.

Comparing when INTELS started paying money into the TSA to when they were collecting to themselves, is there any difference, either increase or otherwise, in revenue?

We have had differentials in terms of how much has been collected, and how much has been remitted, but I don’t have the numbers right now. But what is more worrisome is the fact that INTELS also act as agents for IOCs, this is the other issue that we have. They are agents for the IOCs and they are agents for the Nigerian Ports Authority. They raise the bills on behalf of the IOC’S and they also would remit on behalf of the IOCs. Even when we have told the IOCs that they should pay directly to us, because they have appointed INTELS as their agents, INTELS collect from them to pay to us. So it’s quite a huge web that has existed, but this racket has come to an end legally. There is nowhere in the agreement were there is compulsory renewal.

We learnt that INTELS took NPA to court when it failed to comply with TSA and the NPA decided to settle out of court because

Is the NPA prepared to take over today should the injunction be vacated?

Yes, because as of August 8, we have written them, we have notified all the ports managers, we have put in place mechanisms in which we are going to take over. So we are prepared for that, we have notified our respective officers that are in charge, that have been working with INTELS over the years to make necessary provisions for that. We have received requests that each port manager needs to enable them to meet up with those requirements. So we are ready to take on the service. Importantly, there are certain infrastructures that we need to put in place, which is why a third-party contractor was sought for, and if you know the government is not very efficient in doing such services. Government is not very efficient in ensuring that it gets its full revenue, which is why INTELS ab initio was engaged from the beginning. And that is still a valid concern; it’s still a valid position, which is why we initiated a tender process to replace INTELS with another company.

So what we are doing at the NPAnow is more like a stopgap measure before we conclude the tender process for having a private sector company take over the activities. While our staff should be able to do it, but over the years, I have seen that Nigerian Ports in itself will not effectively do the monitoring of the service boat and get the revenues that government need by itself as an agency.

One of the concerns INTELS has raised is that a lot of Nigerians would be out of jobs should the NPA take over. How do you intend to handle this situation?

The service they are providing is a service that would continue to be provided. It is not like the work would stop. Somebody would recruit people with those skill sets and they would continue to provide that service.

So, you don’t have to be employed by INTELS if you have a skill set for service boats monitoring. The company that would eventually replace INTELS would also need personnel, would also need staff, so they would recruit and employ the same number of staff or even more, to provide the service. So either way, I think it is cheap blackmail to say that people will lose their job because that service would still be provided, it is just that, it will not be INTELS that would be providing that service, which is why we have an issue. You are not the only employer of labour as relating to service boats.

And people that have those experiences over the years would get priority considerations by their country because they need people that have experience.

Aside from the fact that the service boats contract that has expired, INTELS are terminal operators?

Yes, INTELS are terminal operators in Onne, Calabar, and Warri, their contract agreement for the operations of the terminals are valid and they remain operational to provide their services as a terminal operator. However, they have narrowed down everything to service boat collection. So it is not in the global picture of what INTELS represents. INTELS remains a concessioner of Nigerian ports.

Some reports have tried to give this matter a political narrative by linking INTELS to formerVice President Atiku Abubakar.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍżËœ 2020

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Nigeria’s Revenue Not Affected by COVID-19 as Global Shipping Industry Remains Functional Is there a political angle to this issue?

I am curious as to how you can call a contract, which has expired, and the government wants to take over, political. You had a contract, be it APC or PDP, Atiku or Buhari, or whoever it has a contract for providing a service. The contract has reached its terminal end. The government is taking over that work, what is political about that. So every time, that coloration is given, I always ask, if a company refuses to remit monies that are raised on behalf of the federal government to government coffers, what is political about that. For you to question and put it in a direct narrative that it is an Atiku’s company, they are the ones actually trying to politicise it. Any service that is being provided by anybody, if it has come to an end, it should be taken over. It is if you retain the service then that means that you are being political because you want a political beneficiary to continue benefiting even when a contract has reached its lifespan.

Before you took NPA to the court about a year ago over TSA, I learnt you were advised to terminate the service boats contract because INTELS was withholding several millions of dollars belonging to the federal government in its coffer, have those monies been remitted to NPA, and if not, what is the value, and how do you intend to get them?

What it is is that, we collect the total sum of the amount, INTELS gives an invoice for 28 per cent, and we give them 28 per cent. Then the balance is now shared 70 by 30 per cent between Nigerian ports, and Onne 4B project.

So the amortization project now gets the 70 per cent. So for us to pay the 70 per cent to them, and the 28 per cent, they need to bring the monies, we need to collect. We cannot pay you what we have not collected. One of the arguments they have made is that they want the government to take other revenues and pay them, and we maintained that the Onne 4B project is meant to be serviced through this revenue source. So you are the one collecting the revenue source, so you ensure the revenues are collected and brought to us, and you give a certificate as it relates to the 4B, and you give us your invoice as it relates to the 28 per cent, and we pay you. Monies have to come before it will go. I will give you the details of how much we are being owed on both sides, so you can see it clearly that INTELS is still refusing to make the payments as at when due, especially for companies that they represent as agents. We have reported the case to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the EFCC is investigating them right now on their non-remittance to the government. Following the withdrawal of the court case, we felt the need to draw the attention of the EFCC so that they can investigate and reclaim the monies on behalf of the government.

For the 10 years the contract lasted, do you know how much they have paid the government, and how much is left from the $2.7 billion owed INTELS for the Onne 4B project?

I would give you these numbers. We have the numbers of how much we have paid, and how much is the cost of funds for the project so you would be able to see for yourself the $2.7 billion, how much it is on the books of the government when you include the cost of funds so that you have an idea of what it has translated into.

Give us an overview on the year so far, given the impact of COVID-19 on ports activities. How does it affect the government revenue, and what is the NPA considering as a solution?

NPA has maintained the numbers of vessels that have been calling. As you are aware, the shipping industry remained functional globally despite the pandemic. So it was one of the sectors that globally remained operational during the COVID-19. And we have remained optimistic that it will continue. We have equal numbers of vessels calling, our cargo still remains in the volumes that it were. One of the concerns we had is ensuring that we remain operational and optimal by providing other inflows into the country. I am sure you would have seen how a larger vessel called into Onne, that is a way diversifying and allowing other parts of Nigerians to receive cargos so that we don’t have continued congestion in Lagos. The vessel that called into Onne, was to for Maersk Line, to bring in the vessel for the first time so that it’s

operating on the Marina which it should not.

Because of all these activities within this period, a joint committee been setup, it is consisting of the NPA, Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Lagos State Government, to determine the activities that are on the Marina, if they have the necessary approval and permits, and in furtherance to that, also to agree on the usage for the Marina.

You must have seen that on one portion of Marina, you have a private jetty, NIWA jetty, then you have another place that is defence jetty, so Lagos State Government is concerned about the different types of activities. So we need to have a clear land use for the whole of the Marina and ensure full adherence by the users of the Marina. So, those were the directives that were given.

As a result, we have directed that everybody on the Marina should suspend his or her activities pending the committee report. And for Millennium Shipping, specifically, its barge license has been cancelled and the ministry of works has been notified to withdraw its approval for the lease to the premises.

What is the situation on the LADOL matter?

Samsung has gone to court challenging the termination that was issued to them.

Hadiza Bala-Usman

known that a 300 LOA can call in Nigeria. Now that a 300 LOA has been seen to have safely called in Nigeria, they are now preparing on having a voyage with consignments that are meant for Nigeria. So prior to this, as far as the shipping industry is concerned, 300 LOA cannot call into Nigeria, so they don’t make preparations for such a large vessel.

As we said, that was a trial call to show that vessel can call, and also for the catchment area for consignees within the eastern parts of the country. Now the shipping companies will market directly to them, so that they can take on the opportunities of having vessels calling in Onne. Also, the attending linkage is to do it having the necessary inter-model transportation system for cargo evacuation from the Onne.

So, even if a vessel comes to ports and you are unavailable to have a seamless outflow of that cargo, it is also very frustrating.

I have reached out to the minister of Niger/ Delta. The road linking Onne Ports out is EastWest road, parts of a project that the Ministry of Niger/Delta has awarded. So the minister has committed to restarting the project and ensuring that there is necessary funding for the project is in the 2021 budget so that the road can be fully rehabilitated for articulated trucks to navigate fully out of Onne Ports, into locations within the eastern parts of the country.

We are quite excited about that. When we had the successful birthing of 300 LOA in Onne, the terminal operators in the Lagos Ports are not agitating for the same. Because now they see that there is an attraction to the other locations, some of the terminal operators have written us that they also want to see the necessary expansions that can be made, to enable them to accommodate a big vessel of that nature.

What is stalling the Badagry Deep Seaport project?

Well the proponents, we have asked them to make a deposit of $500,000 in an escrow account to signify their commitment towards the project. In the last year, we have tried to engage them; they haven’t been as forthcoming as they should.

Interestingly, they made the payments into the escrow account a month ago; we are going to conclude on the final business case. If you recall, the concerns that we had on the Badagry seaport was the fact that the transaction

adviser, put in all government service into the outline business case as the service that would be provided by the Port.

So in fact, determining the rate, toll wage services, and all manner of marine services that are responsibilities of government through the Nigerian Ports Authority were now handed over to the proponents as parts of what they would do in managing the Ports. So NPA kicked against that, we reviewed the outline business case, we forwarded our comments. Our comments are now being integrated whereby these functions would be removed from the Badagary project.

I also want to clarify that INTELS were amongst the proponents of Badagry Seaport.

So the NPA had to look very closely into the outline business case to ensure that government is not again shortchanged in the Badagry Deep Sea Port project the same way that INTELS had shortchanged the Nigerian government in the Onne 4B project agreement, and also the service boat contract. So we are through with that, and we are going to go to the next step where the final business case would reflect all the comments of the NPA were all our duties have now be reclaimed as duties of government.

Recently, there were reports that the NPA cancelled barge services. Is that correct?

No. It was actually wrongly reported. Across the Marina here, we inspected the location with the governor and the Minister of transportations.

There were concerns about companies utilising Marina to offload cargo. And we needed to establish who gave the necessary permit for those companies to operate on the Marina.

We found out that it was the Federal Ministry of Works that granted Millennium Shipping Limited the approval to use that land at Marina.

And they have been using it for utilization of offloading cargo, and that is not the place for offloading cargo.

And Millennium shipping had taken Nigerian Ports to court when we asked them to stop that operation. So in order for us to abide by the judicial process, but at the same time prevent the activity from happening in Marina, we now cancelled the badge license for Millennium Shipping that is operative on the Marina. So it was wrongly reported, I saw that too. So, it was Millennium Shipping LTD that has had its barge license permit cancelled, because it’s been

The oil rig at Marina we understand the owners are paying a certain amount to NPA. Is it true?

Between NPA and NIWA, the Ministry of Transport has been trying to determine who should receive the payment for the rig. It was even discussed recently with the minister, and NIWA has claims to it, just as Nigerian Ports Authority has claims to it. But that has not been fully resolved to determine who would generate that. In fact, amongst the things that were raised during the inspection yesterday included the fact that the place should be sanitized. All manners of rig should not come and anchor on the Marina. Globally you don’t see that. You just don’t come and pack a rig and be paying. No, such location is not meant for such type vessels. Marina should actually be a walkway, a green area; there should be no construction, maybe a few shops for recreation and refreshment. If you see, there is a rig here.

There is another somewhere, a few of them closer to Naval Dockyard. So the outcome of the committee’s work will determine how they continue to be anchored in the Marina going forward.

The NPA embarked on a port terminal concession review recently. Has that process been concluded?

We have literally concluded with some recommendations to the ministry. We also made recommendations to our board. To the ministry, we sent it over a month ago; they have not reverted to us. I will just reiterate that we were able to get technical supports from the World Bank. World Bank engaged a technical adviser that really guided us so much so that the outcome of the assignment he did will be pioneering in the African continent where the experience of reviewing the concession agreement would be a model that would be used on the continent. The World Bank wanted NPA to give them the go-ahead for that document to be made public so that other ports will be able to learn from what we did with the World Bank in developing, monitoring indexes, developing metrics on ensuring that there is compliance on obligation. That is if the government, for example, doing dredge, there will be a computation, the government will be liable, there will be clarity in terms of none performance. If the government doesn’t do its own obligation, the government will lose revenue directly from the concession agreement. I think this is one of the integral successes arising from that. So, any non-performance on both sides will be penalized. And the penalty would arise from revenues on both sides. So if you don’t perform or build in line with your development plan, you will have a penalty. And if the government does not do its own dredging or rehabilitation of the keys as required, the government will lose revenue. I think those parameters will keep everybody on their toes, and ensure that there is clarity or if you perform or you don’t perform.

I think that ambiguity allows the government to dodge its responsibilities and also for the terminal operators to dodge theirs. But with this now, I believe upon getting all the necessary approvals; it will really assist us in monitoring, going forward.

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SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 •T H I S D AY

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

27.09.2020 Why are you passionate about Nigerians?

O

ne of my greatest aspirations is to see Nigerians and Africans prosper. And to make this happen will take a level of dynamism, curiosity, energy, commitment, and dedication. Since I came to the limelight over a decade ago I have always done things that are tied to human capital developments such as education, youth development, child rights, girl-child education, technology, and most recently the emerging technology. I have not been able to understand why Nigeria is playing a second fiddle because the greatest asset as a nation is our people and I don’t think we recognize that enough to invest in the sustainable development of our people so that we can raise professionals and experts across sectors especially to be able to midwife Nigeria into her season of glory.

TOYOSI AKERELE-OGUNSIJI WHY I MUSTN’T FAIL NIGERIA Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, CEO of RISE NETWORKS, is a young woman of vision on a mission. She’s the chairperson of Gen. TY Danjuma-led Coronavirus Intervention Funds (Victims Support Funds) that earmarks over N1.8 billion to cater for vulnerable Nigerians. In this interview with Funke Olaode, Akerele-Ogunsiji speaks about her team’s successful outing and why she is committed to Nigeria.

You are very energetic as a mother, wife, public servant, social entrepreneur, etc. How have you been able to do all that?

My daughter is four years and my son is three. The greatest decision ever made in my career is the person I married. While I think I do a lot on my own to achieve many of the things I have accomplished, I find that my husband, Obakorede Ogunsiji, an IT engineer is playing an extremely pivotal role. My husband complements me in many ways. He is quiet, gentle, and reserved.

I am enjoying my marriage because my husband is a critical component of the work that I do. A very critical backbone to anything that I do. I have a soft base and I value my family a lot. My parents, my husband, my siblings have been very supportive of me and my story is incomplete without them. I believe if women can give the dedication they give to careers to their homes a lot of marriages won’t break. My family is a priority for me. I make sure they are in school. I monitor their milestones. My husband is a great man. He won the ‘Father of the Year’ in my children’s school the other time. He is an amazing man who loves me, understands me, and genuinely wants me to succeed.

Recently, the N1.8 billion Coronavirus Intervention Fund (Victims Support Fund) committee was inaugurated by the Chairman, Board of Directors, Gen. TY Danjuma. As the chairperson of the team, what has the fund achieved so far and the anticipated outcome?

The Victims Support Funds was set up on 30 June 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan as a rapid response private-led humanitarian initiative to provide support and economic empowerment, rehabilitation, and resettlement for the victims of terrorism in the North-East. Towards the elections, the committee members under the leadership of our amiable chairman, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, thought we didn’t want the fund to be politicized because it is a fund meant for the poor people. The money is mainly donated

ASSISTANTEDITOROLUFUNKEOLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

COVER

TOYOSI AKERELE-OGUNSIJI

I Owe My Generation Accountability by the private sector. Since then we have done incredibly well across the NorthEast. We built a police station, primary health care centre, hospitals, and partnered teaching hospitals across the NorthEast to provide prenatal and post-natal services. We got involved with farmers.

We donated tractors, irrigation equipment.

We did a psycho-social programme such as trauma counselling for people who were devastated during the crisis. We built schools; we bought furniture.

The work of VSP is enduring and not just to donate rice and beans but leaving lasting legacies that in the next five or 10 years we can boldly see how far we have come. I can say that in the last six years, apart from the United Nations and a few international agencies, the Victims Support Funds is the only visible Nigerian agency that you will see the remarkable imprint in terms of service delivery in the whole of North-East. The governors and beneficiaries in those areas can testify.

How did you get involved in the COVID-19 movement?

The COVID-19 pandemic broke out early this year globally. On 30 March, and our chairman, Gen. Danjuma called an emergency meeting and said he was very scared for the IDPs, the poor, and the vulnerable households across Nigeria.

Gen. Danjuma set up a six-people task force, inaugurated it, gave it N1 billion, and appointed me as the chairperson of that task force with a singular mandate to go to the North-East immediately and the states that are distressed. We also agreed as an organization that whatever we are doing must align strategically with the federal government’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We swung into action and on 14 April we moved to Abuja, then to Yobe, Adamawa, then Taraba. Borno got 20 percent of the fund. Adamawa got 10 percent, Yobe, 10 percent. Lagos, 20 percent. The funds were used in terms of the level of crisis in those areas. We also went to Ogun State. Because those were the states the government declared lockdown at that time. We also realized that the government was able to enforce the lockdown but people needed food and they would be at risk if they went out. We bought rice, beans, garri, vegetable oil, salt, maize, medicine. We donated sanitary materials. We donated over 300,000 pieces of Dettol soaps, Dettol liquid in sachets and bottles; Harpic, surgical masks, and face masks. We wanted to ensure that the IDP camps were well-taken care of.

We invested on awareness on education; information materials on how these poor people can take care of themselves. We did a lot of sensitization on the radio as well. We moved to the South-East the South-south. In the South-south we did Edo and Delta and South-East, Enugu, and Ebonyi; and in the South-West, we visited Lagos, Ogun, and Ekiti states. We also worked with governors that had put structures in place.

How did you choose the beneficiaries?

The VSF over the last six years had assisted the IDP camp victims and vulnerable households in the North-East.

But in some areas we haven’t done much such as Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, and so on, we partnered the governments and nongovernmental organizations verified by our monitoring and evaluation units. So far, we have reached more than a million people. The initial N1 billion targeted 200,000 households with an average of six persons per family. The additional N800 million was used for the South-South and the South-West in the second phase.

We supported the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health.

We supplied them with technical support.

We donated laptops and administrative equipment to the Ministry of Health (the COVID-19 secretariat). We made the very first significant donation. We bought and donated teleconferencing and surveillance equipment for the National Centre for Disease Control which was received by its Director General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu.

What did you do differently to ensure that the aims and objectives of the initiatives were achieved?

Firstly, we were extremely transparent having realized that there is a trust deficit in Nigeria. I am not an elected government official. But I am conscious of the fact that Gen. Danjuma gave us this assignment. He himself endowed TY Danjuma Foundation with $10 million. He is the single highest donor in the Victims Support Funds. He donated $10 million in one day. He made the pledge and redeemed it in less than one week. I am conscious that the man who gave us the assignment understands that we have a sense of responsibility. In the task force, I am the youngest and the only female and I am the chairperson.

What we did differently is that we used a very solid data-driven model that allows us to identify the beneficiaries. We did a lot of research before we started the intervention. If you go to VSF social media pages you are going to find videos of our activities and how the funds were spent; who got what. All the things bought were open and we were carrying people along by declaring the figures.

To achieve the task force’s mandate, you worked with various government agencies, including local governments.

How did you deal with the challenges of getting them to be cooperative?

Certainly, we had challenges in one or two states. But when you built mechanisms and structures around a process things will typically fall in place.

I personally believe in transparency and accountability. I also believe in the power of data and insight. I believe in the power of reporting constantly to the public. As said earlier, all our activities are in the open. The information is already out there that we are donating these particular relief materials. What it means is that the local NGOs and the people can hold the government accountable in those states.

It also means that the NGOs that receive the relief items cannot collect it and go and donate it to their family members.

Why? Because we are going to collect the videos of how the items collected are distributed. We printed data cards: phone numbers, next-of-kins, and local governments because we selected local governments that we knew were poor within those states. I think this has made the VSF COVID-19 intervention completely different and unique from humanitarian interventions. This is a private-led initiative and the expertise is very evident in the implementation of the process.

It has been five months of service to humanity. How successful are you and your team?

Well, I am not the one to say that but what I can say is that we have received some feedback that pleasantly made me shed tears. For example, we made sure that Victims Support Funds (COVID-19 Task Force) touched everybody. You would see physically-challenged people with COVID-19 50kg VSF relief bags.

I remember I met a widow in Badagry who said she lost her husband 20 years

AKERELE-OGUNSIJI

ago and since then nobody has come to Badagry to listen to her plight. I also did some oversight functions with credible NGOs that worked with us such as Lagos Food Bank, Mama Money that targets low-income women. We took into consideration religion and ethnicity to ensure that nobody was left behind. I went to communities even in the hinterland to look for people. People thought it was the government because of the massive work that we did. We made sure that we had strategic partners and local governments.

And for us as a team with a conscience, it was important to know that we did the right thing. And on my part, I think I owe my generation some level of accountability and credibility on this. I want to be able to demonstrate that as a woman and young person I am capable.

I am grateful to Gen. Danjuma for this opportunity because he is a principal with values.

What challenges have you come across combating the COVID-19 pandemic?

For me, I am young; I am female and assertive. I guess this is one assignment that has taught me the power of patience, competence, and capacity because when you are competent in all levels it helps in discharging your responsibilities responsibly. Again, people would misread you many times.

We have gone to a place where I was shoved aside and somebody had to intervene that I am the chairperson.

You know Nigerians are not used to young leaders and this is why I am eternally grateful to Gen. TY Danjuma for the opportunity of a lifetime who has demonstrated his trust, and ability in me that I am capable; that I will not fail.

There were places where people weren’t cooperative and we managed the situation on the ground.

There were travel challenges as well, no flights and movement during the lockdown but the Nigerian Air force was very credible in supporting the COVID-19 Support Funds. We used their plane to travel everywhere. There were also logistic problems of moving the items bought from one point to another as the trucks were being harassed by some law enforcement agents, miscreants, area boys, etc. There were places we had to call

the traditional rulers to intervene. There were also the challenge of price because there was scarcity. We were buying food items at exorbitant rates but we still had to negotiate to ensure that we got value for money.

If you are to advise the government on the effective delivery of palliative measures to the vulnerable, what would you advise?

It cannot be left in the hands of government officials. I mean the entire process should be ceded to the private sector. The Nigerian government stands to gain a lot from partnerships, alliances, and collaborations. Not only that it stands to benefit also from credible NGOs from international agencies like the UNDP, private companies that have demonstrated passion and commitment to causes like this. But if there is anything COVID-19 has done for us in Nigeria is that it has uncovered the ugly underbelly of our lack of preparedness for emergency situations in Nigeria. Lack of proper structure almost technically crippled our system because we have a very poor health system that was not prepared for this. The centers for disease and the Federal Ministry of Health have done well because of its expertise.

COVID-19 is an opportunity for us as a nation to innovate and overcome our problems, think outside the box.

With COVID-19 do you think humanity will still remain the same?

Our lives can never remain the same. Companies are folding up and laying off staff. A lot of people have lost their jobs in the last few months.

Many people have not been able to travel which means many of the travels are not necessary as we can do those meetings online. What we need is to put mechanisms and structures in place to aid human capacity building for the best service delivery.

What’s your takeaway?

The importance of Nigeria’s unity during the COVID-19 was awesome. The love my fellow committee members who are northerners received from the west and what I received from the north was delightful as everybody saw everybody as one.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

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High Life Abiodun Oshinibosi: A Man with Heart of Gold

Oshinibosi

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

On Dangote’s Glowing Tribute to Elumelu

W

hen the world took its first massive hit from the miasma that has come to be known as the Covid-19 pandemic, systems and economies collapsed in droves. Nigeria, for all its identity as a heavyweight in Africa, also had its pillars cracked It took individuals of great ability and deep humanity to bear those pillars, and gradually raise them to their old and pivotal positions. Abiodun Richard Oshinibosi is one of such individuals.

In the heat of the fires of coronavirus, Oshinibosi’s Abelinis Limited was at the front lines, leading a march of awareness and enlightenment regarding the causes and effects of the virus, ways to avoid it, and the mechanics of living in a society being ravaged by the dreaded virus. Like heroes from comics and sci-fi movies, Oshinibosi wore a visage that was labelled HypeKing Advocacy, and the contributions of this initiative in Lagos are without equal.

The focus of Oshinibosi’s HypeKing Advocacy was the common man, the underprivileged and those that are the first to be forgotten in times of crisis. Oshinibosi’s intention and goal was to assist the State government in managing the cancerous spread of the Covid-19 virus. This was accomplished with the laser focus on educating the grassroots and residents of rural and semi-urban Lagos on the justification and significance of staying at home, and using the dictated healthguarding tools, especially hand sanitisers and face masks.

In the days since HypeKing Advocacy kicked off (June 17, 2020), all the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas of Lagos State have benefitted. More so, every community head and chief has had the opportunity to meet with Oshinibosi’s team—the result of which is the widespread adherence to instructions of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the success of the measures put in place to curb the virus and its effects.

That a man would devote his resources, status and people for others is not common in today’s world. Men such as Abiodun Oshinibosi are in short supply, and should be the model for the leaders of tomorrow—leaders who are compassionate and resourceful and unyielding.

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

Elumelu

The praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards, a wise man once said.

Appearing on the TIME 100 list – a

compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world – is an honour worth celebrating, as the widely-read and highly-regarded American magazine makes it clear that entrants are recognized for changing the world.

For Tony Elumelu, it was a double honour of sorts, as the piece written to celebrate him was by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.

The Nigerian billionaire certainly knows a thing or two about the attributes of a reformer, which Elumelu undoubtedly is. The Heirs Holdings and UBA chairman has not only reached the zenith in Africa’s financial sector, he has left large footprints across other key sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including real estate and oil and gas.

However, what really sets Elumelu apart from his peers and contemporaries is his desire to help build and nurture Africa’s next generation of business leaders.

A philanthropist extraordinaire, his Tony Elumelu Foundation is the largest African philanthropic initiative devoted to entrepreneurship.

This much was acknowledged by Dangote, whose admiration for Elumelu is evident from the glowing tribute he paid to his fellow

Nigerian industrialist in his entry for TIME. According to Dangote, “Elumelu’s gritty grip underlines his charming, tenacious personality: a man who hardly backs down from any challenge.”

Describing Elumelu as “one of the most innovative and ambitious business leaders of his generation” despite modest beginnings, Dangote made sure to highlight Elumelu’s belief in “Africapitalism,” through which “he plays a leading role in the continent’s development through long-term investments, as well as entrepreneurship and regional connectivity.”

Elumelu is giving a voice of hope to millions of youths across Africa, continued Dangote who also noted that, “Having come so far, Tony still forges on, striking a fine balance between personal satisfaction and societal impact.”

There is no question that Tony Elumelu deserves to be recognized on the global stage for his contribution in identifying, mentoring and financing future African change agents.

To be described in such glowing terms by one of the most impactful Africans alive has to be the icing on the cake.

Otunba Lekan Osifeso Gets One of Highest Honours in Ijebuland Businessman and socialite, Otunba Lekan Osifeso, has joined the ranks of chiefs and traditional supremos in Ijebuland. The title bestowed on Osifeso is renowned as being one of the most prestigious in the land, which goes to indicate the extent to which the businessman has been recognised and appreciated.

The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, personally conferred the title of Olotu-Olowa on Otunba Lekan Osifeso.

According to Awujale, Osifeso’s role in the socio-economic transformation of Ijebuland and the Ijebu people in recent years can neither be exaggerated nor disregarded. The Awujale further explained that the OlotuOlowa title was something that the father of Lekan Osifeso worked towards during his own time, and has been bestowed on the son because he (the son) perfected the father’s efforts.

Those in the know would recall that Otunba Lekan Osifeso recently unveiled his Retro Construction company. This new baby of Otunba Osifeso was retrofitted from the framework of his Lekai Construction company, and is expected to—with its organisational structure of experienced, techsavvy and professional engineers—quickly If you prefer housing over shelter, and luxurious spaciousness over Spartan confinement, Sijibomi Ogundele is the Man for you.

In recent years, Sijibomi Ogundele (CEO of Sujimoto Construction Limited) climbed onto the dais of corporate transcendence as a businessman intent on crushing mediocrity in the marketplace and architecture. By so doing, Sujimoto has carved out a new path for homebuilding and design, saving and investment opportunities, as well as a new approach to the enterprise of residential construction, real estate and property management.

From his Medici to Giuliano, to Lucrezia and Lorenzo, the projects of Sujimoto are famous for “redefining luxury living not only to simply satisfy clients, but also to go the extra mile and delight them with high quality and glamorous edifices.” Every one of those buildings is a beauty of residential edges and curves, and the kind of landmarks that earn a global reputation.

Sujimoto’s latest project, LeonardoBySujimoto, is one of the most talked about in 2020. Apparently, Sijibomi Ogundele is intent on breaking records with every successive project. Like its seniors, LeonardoBySujimoto blends accommodation with style, adding luxury to what is ordinarily mere comfort. To spice things up, Sijibomi Ogundele is encouraging investors to share

overtake other construction companies in the country, as well as shake the profit and engagement curve of multinational construction entities within the Nigerian corporate scape.

The recognition of Otunba Lekan Osifeso by his principal and king is therefore nothing out of the blue.

The event itself was well-attended. Held at the residence of Awujale in Ijebu-Ode, the dignitaries that were on ground were many and mighty. These include Lagos DeputyGovernor Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Hon. Shina Peller, Otunba Lekan Bello, Otunba Gboyega Adesoye, Otunba Afolasade Adesoye, Barr. Tunji Ayanlaja (SAN), Barr. Bambo Adesanya (SAN), Alhaji Wale Balogun, Alhaji Basiru Kuti, Mrs. Folake Bashua, Mr. Bayo Adesola, Mr. Soji Ologbenla, Mr. Fisayo Osifeso, and Engr.

Hani El-Khoury.

Also gracing the occasion were royals and aristocrats, including Oba Kamorudeen Ishola Animashaun (Oloja of Epe), Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (Mayegun of Yorubaland), Chief Funlola Okunowo, Chief Demola Akile, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Chief Zacheus Adedeji Adebayo, Chief Olaide Fowosere, Chief Dele Bankole, Princess

Sijibomi ‘Sujimoto’ Ogundele: Man on a Mission

Medayese

Ogundele

Osifeso

Victoria Haastrup, and Prince Supo Olowu Anifata.

According to what is on the airwaves, this event is actually a hasty gathering, in respect of the Covid-19 measures. The main chieftaincy ceremony has been scheduled for January 5, 2021. In other words, a few months from now, Ogun State will grandly welcome a new chief, the Olotu-Olowa of Ijebuland, Chief Lekan Osifeso.

in the cake that is LeonardoBySujimoto, an investment package with a superlative flavour and icing.

A five-flavour benefit pack has been advertised for investors in LeonardoBySujimoto. These include over 400% return on investment (ROI) in 2 years, guaranteed annual rental ROI, 30 million to 120 million in Shortlet Income, exclusive features, and an automatic membership of the Sujimoto Exclusive Boat Club.

To put it all in perspective, with $150,000, investors are guaranteed to get at least a 400% profit in just two years. Furthermore, investing in 2 Bedrooms is equivalent to $50,000 Rental ROI per annum, 3 Bedroom to $70,000 per annum, and 4 Bedroom to $100,000 per annum. Then there’s 30 million to 20 profit to be made from the Sujimoto AirBnB Styled Shortlet service. Lobbies, gyms, pools and every other executive and luxurious feature is available in every Leonardo.

And if your interest is in getting up and close with the Sujimoto tribe, staff or executive board, investing in LeonardoBySujimoto guarantees an automatic membership, with the boat club reserved for residents.

With Sujimoto, all is sharp and sparkly.

With LeonardoBySujimoto, the benefits are deep and colourful.

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi And The Kingdom of Disgruntled Chiefs

Oba Akanbi

He holds a respectable position in the society. He is traditionally the eyes and ears of his forebears over his people and he is courted by many by virtue of the privilege conferred on him by Providence. But it appears Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi, Oluwo of Iwoland, is about to fritter away this rare honour allegedly on the altar of his unbridled arrogance and undisciplined lifestyle.

Indeed, in recent times, many have begun to psycho-analyze him and even try to unearth his past, in an effort to know if he is truly deserving of the throne he currently occupies. Those who are calling for investigation into his struggling years, which seems to have now exposed the big blot on his escutcheon, maintain that he has desecrated the stool to the embarrassment of his subjects.

Curiously, five years into his ascendancy to the throne, the Oluwo of Iwo has not done anything, consciously or otherwise, to disabuse the minds of his critics who have tagged him as controversial. His actions and farcical displays in public are said to be giving many grave concern, as it is giving the town a bad image.

If the news reaching Society Watch was anything to by, it seems that the royal father’s cup may be over-flowing already, as some of his subjects are set to bear their fangs on him and also take him to the cleaners. To underscore their resolve, 12 out of the 13 Iwoland Kingmakers have petitioned the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, over the monarch’s alleged excesses.

The 17-page document titled, ‘A Petition For Removal of Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi ( Oluwo of Iwoland) From the Throne of Iwoland,’ was signed by the following: Balogun of Iwoland, Chief Raufu Murana Olorunlampe; Oyin of Iwoland, Chief Fatai Alani Olaoye; Osa of Iwoland, Chief Yekeen Bello Orobimpe; Olosi of Iwoland, Chief Sunday Oyetunde Oyeniyi; Jagun of Iwoland, Chief Ganiyu Kazeem Ayinde and Oloya of Iwoland, Chief Moses Akanmu Ajao.

Others are Olukotun of Iwoland, Chief Basiru Ajani Akinsola; Odofin of Iwoland, Chief Lamidi Morufu Oyeleke; Onju of Iwoland, Chief Suraju Bello; Agoro of Iwoland, Chief Lateef Ishola; Asape of Iwoland, Chief Moshood Amoo; Olukosi of Iwoland, Chief Rasaki Akanmu Tijani and the Aro of Iwolaland, Amao Olaosebikan Taiwo.

The petition said: “It is regrettable to inform your Excellency that the present Oluwo of Iwoland is not supposed to continue to occupy the throne as Oluwo of Iwo.” In the petition, the 12 kingmakers gave a blow-by-blow account of Oba AbdulRasheed’s alleged proclivity for fraud and flagrant abuse of office, among others.

The flamboyant king was said to have been arrested and arraigned allegedly for offences bordering on credit card fraud in 1998, to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts.

The trial court also barred him for life from entering the United States.

Again, ICT Top Player, Leo Stan Ekeh, Scores Another First Are you a frequenter of Victoria Island, Lagos? If yes, and you are a careful observer too, you would have noticed the dramatic transformation of the environs. For the better part of the last one decade, the upmarket Victoria Island area’s horizon has been dotted with several skyscrapers, office towers and massive shopping centres.

But in the coming days, the narrative about Victoria Island’s skyline will definitely get more interesting than ever before, thanks to billionaire mogul, Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Group, who is opening doors of his premium class Yudala Heights eight storey property on Idowu Martins street. The interior which took three years to put together is better experienced.

At the moment, all eyes are on him, since his newly-completed N15 billion mega development called Yudala Heights sprouted in Idowu Martins Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The imposing building is another concrete evidence of the wondrous taste of the Imo State-born business magnate, who is widely recognised for his pioneering efforts in information communication technology in Africa.

For Ekeh, this is definitely a dream come true and is leaving no stone unturned to celebrate this great feat. An excited Ekeh, it was gathered, has announced that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, will be in Lagos on October 1, to officially inaugurate the prestigious eight-storey Yudala Heights as well as the revolutionary Tech Experience Centre, the first of its kind in Africa located within the building.

The centre is a technology project that is widely expected to bridge the gap to cuttingedge technology for millions of Nigerians.

Ekeh

Described as an ambitious project, the centre will house global tech giants such as Cisco, Dell EMC, HP, Microsoft, Samsung, Philips, Bosch, Schneider Electric and Zinox, among others, who will be coming to establish their respective experience centres under one roof to create a truly rich experience of latest technologies in action.

Again, the existence of the Centre has further lent credence to the recent call by Ekeh, a serial digital entrepreneur, on the Federal Government to declare October 1, 2020 as Nigeria’s technology independence day. He had made the recommendation based on the giant strides recorded by the country in the area of ICT. Among other benefits, Nigeria will be playing

host to the latest global technologies including those not normally available in Africa, offering all classes of visitors a first-hand experience of new gadgets, solutions and infrastructure that would have previously required a visit abroad, thereby saving corporate organizations, government establishments and individuals money or scarce foreign exchange expended on these trips.

Ekeh, according to a source, had envisioned the building about 19 years ago after he set up Zinox. But at different times, he had, had to alter the design, all in the quest of excellence. For a man whose eyes are on the future, it is not surprising that the eight-floor architectural masterpiece has changed the narrative about the area for its beauty and artistic design.

The building that many have likened to the eye-popping skyscrapers in Dubai and New York further showcases the billionaire’s good taste for beautiful things as well as his attention to detail. The first floor of the ornate building, it was gathered, serves as a relaxation centre for the billionaire businessman, where he can enjoy jazz and other soulful tunes after work.

Interestingly, since he started out as a businessman, he has continued to ply his trade in such a way that makes many of his competitors go green with envy. Also, considering his chain of businesses, which includes e-commerce, ICT with offices in major cities like Lagos, Paris, London and New York City, it is evident that he enjoys uncommon grace; especially when one considers the inclement business climate in the country.

Abayomi Awobukun, Rejoices at 42 Call it luck or grace, the story of Abayomi Awobokun, CEO, Enyo Retail and Supply Limited, is one that many would find very interesting.

Indeed, this may not be an exaggeration considering the fact that he has been able to etch his name in the minds of active players in the oil and gas sector in the country, since he launched Enyo, an indigenous oil and gas company.

He is today being talked about in glowing terms, especially because of his expansion drive in the little time he ventured into the business.

The new company has been described as a pacesetter in petroleum products marketing, with the pioneering of a technology-driven fuel retailing revolution in Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector.

Recently, he stunned many with the acquisition of new retail stations to

provide Nigerians with trusted fuel and other quality petroleum products and services. This move, it was gathered, is aimed at ensuring that Enyo becomes a household name in the oil and gas sector.

Awobokun, who turned 42 on Monday and was celebrated by friends at a low-key event, is also leveraging the words ‘trust’ and ‘fuel’, which he has been known for.

Enyo Retail & Supply is reinforcing its commitment as a true customerfocused brand, and its continuous delivery of authentic and innovative products/services is fuelled by the positive customer and stakeholder experiences.

Awobokun, who holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, is a 2016 recipient of the Young Global Leader award from the

Awobukun

World Economic Forum. He was also nominated by the Choiseul Institute in Paris as one of the top 100 under 40 business leaders in Africa.

Sad Moment for Ex-Ekiti Governor, Ayodele Fayose

Fayose

Anyone who is close to the immediatepast governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, should not be surprised if you find him in a rather unhappy mood. The former governor has been crestfallen since he lost his immediate elder sister, Moji Ladeji, to the cold hands of death on Monday.

While announcing the passing of his sister via his Instagram account, the former governor described the deceased as a Godfearing individual who lived an exemplary life, adding, “We are pained by your departure, but consoled by the God-fearing and exemplary life that you lived.”

It will be recalled that Fayose had lost another of his elder sister, Bimpe Sorinolu on February 13, 2014, after a protracted battle with breast cancer.

Until her death, the late Sorinolu’s earthly sojourn was defined by struggles and some unfulfilled dreams.Though she was enmeshed in some controversies, she believed God had given her almost limitless talents or abilities, which must be deployed to good use. Perhaps, this was the impetus

that goaded her into music and acting at different times in her life.

But it came to a stage when she went into self-discovery of some sort and realised that she needed to give more of her God-given resources to humanity, launching Bisochin-Bimpe Sorinolu Charity Initiative, which saw her traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria attending to the destitute and some less privileged citizens.

If no one still remembers her magnanimity or creativity, it is doubtful if anyone would have forgotten the fierce disagreement she had with her brother. The face-off allegedly affected her marriage; and while the feud lasted, she suffered a lot, as she was allegedly abandoned by her husband, who eventually married her policewoman friend, even when she was still hovering between life and death. Though she tried to settle with her husband, for a possible re-union with the children, she was rebuffed.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

53

LOUD WHISPERS

Text

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Obaseki: It’s Time to Show Leadership In my tiny corner, I supported the candidacy of Mr. Godwin Obaseki simply because of my firm belief in the fight against the status quo. For me, that battle was a mirror of the Ambode imbroglio in Lagos and I knew from the start that the outcome would be different. Edo no be Lagos. For so many reasons, this statement is perfectly accurate.

Lagos is like a conquered husband, where the man is no longer head in his own house.

The wife is now the leader and driving him in all manners and

everywhere without respect for his manhood. But the political calculations and the forces in Edo were totally different.

So the arrogant campaigning culminating in that fiasco that was the video all but told me that this victory would be assured.

This was beyond Mr. Obaseki, it was not about him and that is why even in victory, he has not been able to rise to the occasion and show great leadership.

With statements like …we will show no mercy - you can see that he is beginning to lose

the momentum very fast and before you know it the pursuit of opponents would redirect his focus and we will be in the gutter again. Mr. Obaseki, please sit up and listen to me: You have been thrust on the threshold of history, you will have to rise above politics and glide thru the crest of victory with a certain panache so that you can heal wounds, mend fences and lead a concrete charge towards true emancipation of the Edo people. The rest of us are looking up to you. Don’t let fear to be catching me o.

BETSY OBASEKI – A SPOT-ON PREDICTION Very early in a conversation, I had told Her Excellency that the elections would be won and that I will come to Benin, check in to that lovely Protea Hotel and eat all the afang they can serve me. By the way, the watermelon they serve in that hotel na world class o. Big, sumptuous and water filled.

Na trick o. They say buffet but by the time you fill yourself with that watermelon, you will not be able to eat again and the money for the buffet is gone o. Anyways, we will deal with that one later, this time I want to concentrate on madam and hope she will fulfil her pledge of sending for me and giving me 15 bowls of afang if they won this election. I am on standby complete with my Calabar cook that I will import into Benin.

Madam is the kind of supporter any serious politician would need. This one is not the frivolous one that will be engaged in sewing party uniforms and distributing flask and aso oke.

She is as erudite as they come, I know her o. She is my friend. Her clear understanding of the issues that affect the Edo people is quite admirable. In a one hour discussion, come and see how she dissected the Oshiomhole issue, politics in Edo state, voting pattern of the people and ended with the firm belief that the election would be won, everything being equal. She predicted the victory down to the margin and this was almost one year before the elections. With this type of first lady, things will begin to look good. This is Onari Duke-type of first lady o. Well done madam, well done.

Oya make I dey come? I don pack o or make I go siddon near Edegbe Motor park? No fall my hand o.

These NLC people no understand this one, na to dey carry walking stick and be shouting all over the place. Abeg let them go and sit down, they will soon call strike for subsidy on dowry if we let them.

NLC STRIKE – WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! Me I don’t like these NLC people for anything. I just look at them as not a too well kept people. Dem no dey look too neat for my eye. Dem will be wearing faded khaki and adire that is

looking weak. Old men who should be helping to wipe their grandchildren bum will now be shouting ‘solidarity forever’ all over the place. Solidarity for what and for who and for where?

Do they even understand the issues?

Have they ever heard of free market forces and equilibrium price and market driven forces? Instead of them to go and be looking for how to keep busy, they will be distracting people with all these needless noises. Do I even blame them, when our oga will be throwing up craw-craw policies and watching the economy pursue that of Zimbabwe with glee? The government has removed subsidy o, fuel must then find its equilibrium price. It is now a pure case of demand and supply. So if there is any regulation, it should be from the demand side o grandpa. Same with power.

Appropriate pricing for power must drive efficiency and profitability for investors. Where was NLC when people were borrowing money to buy the Discos, why didn’t they come out in their brown khaki and be shouting solidarity with brown teeth? Nothing Buhari can do on this one, if you like shout from here to heaven. My power bill had gone up to N60,000 a month.

I almost vomit when I see the bill last month. So I call emergency meeting.

No AC, except the one in my room.

Anybody that want AC come into my room. Duchess don kuku suspend me from ‘climbing’ since Erelu die - say make I mourn for two years before I resume climbing. Na Aisha Buhari I go use solve that problem when I ready. Comprehensive ban on the use of heater and all light bulbs switched off. Microwave expelled and wetin be that thing again - water dispenser, I thruway am for dustbin. Today the bill na N25k. I swear. Ask Tapa wife, the estate treasurer. Now extrapolate if all 200m of us regulate demand, you will see demand dropping and na these people will be begging us to come and buy at appropriate pricing.

TOKUNBO ABIRU – WHY THE RAZZMATAZZ? Una know say I get house in Magodo Phase 2. I go there to hibernate when I need tranquility. The place be like

DR IBIENE OGOLO – RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS Ibiene is a wonderful spirit. You should see her, you will think she is Ben Bruce pikin. Very cerebral, stubborn and a beautiful creature.

She is launching her book this weekend in Ikoyi and her online magazine called ibiene. A passionate being and a cerebral investment banker. My fingers dey shake as I type because if I make one small mistake, especially if I no type her name well, na fire. Edgar, I will hear it. Anyways sis, well done and God will bless you for me. Let’s kill it.

Obaseki

Abiru

Tinubu

Ogolo

REMI TINUBU – WARM FELICITATIONS Me sha like mummy. I am sure she had gone to market when they shot that video. I swear mummy was not at home otherwise that video would not have been shot. They would have waited for her and quickly rushed the thing before she came back. You can see that they put pure water in the glass and did not even do makeup for daddy. Na wa. Mummy has been a beautiful distraction for me. I like her. Her beauty, nice warm skin and her carriage. She is truly royalty.

I would like to meet her one day. Her ‘capture’ by daddy goes a long way to show that he is a man of courage. I once saw her though when she came to Fountain of Life, my then church.

I liked her humility and the way she carried herself. I have yabbed her once or twice especially that time that they tried to rename Regan Memorial High School after her. It was Duchess that woke me up with a slap and say, that should never happen. That was her school, na there I dey waka from Morocco Road, Shomolu with leg to Sabo, Yaba go pick her when I dey chase her. So I write article yab mummy and show Duchess before dem give me food for house that time.

But all that na irrelevant talk now. I would like to wish mummy a warm and sweet 60th. God will keep you for us my senator, you know I live in your constituency and must as a matter of compulsion wish you well.

But seriously, do have fun and may God keep you for us. Thanks.

Obaseki

Hollywood. Well paved streets, nice regulation and residents that are sweet and calm. In my zone, I used to watch the ladies be jogging and be doing exercise. Come and see things juggling. I love Magodo Phase 2 even though they keep removing me from the WhatsApp residential group with no respect for my office or personality. I forgive them. But today, the Estate is one huge Tokunbo Abiru Campaign Office. The baldhead of this paddy stares at you from every tree and lamppost. From my toilet as I dey poo, na Tokunbo dey look me. When I enter the other room, before I start anything, na Tokunbo dey greet me. Like the way they do Sanwo-Olu that time where everywhere you look na big eyes and big glasses go dey look you. These APC people know how to run campaigns especially for Lagos which makes you begin to ask yourself why all this razzmatazz when the outcome is as clear as the fact that after 50, my erections will not be as powerful as they used to be. Pity me. We already know the outcome, so why disturb us too much? Even that one don start to run mouth – I will give Lagos special status- mbok, go start to sew new cloth. We already know. Congrats my brother. Na wa.

54

SEPTEMBER 27, ͰͮͰͮ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

TRIBUTE Elder James Ebose Ogbole: This Iroko Didn’t Fall

I

t was very clear from the onset that 26th August, 2020 was not going to be a normal day. The day was misty and the cocks refused to crow. Ikeken, the small sleepy town in Esan South-East LGA of Edo State was slow in awakening.

Its residents going about their daily chores with an infectious deliberateness that nobody seemed to be able to explain.

Then it happened. Elder James Ebose Ogbole completed his transition. He had shut his eyes and then it dawned on the villagers both far and wide that the great man had gone to meet his ancestors.

Elder had slept.

Born some ninety years ago, in 1930 to the very industrious Omiawa Ogbole and his very beautiful wife, Omiesan, nee Ekioba, whose name depicted her great physical looks; it was loosely translated the ‘beauty of Esan’. James was the first son but third of the seven children his parents birthed. He had as elder sisters Oyawo and Oyaki and then after him came the sweet Wali and then a brother Ekalumenle (Sunday), and in quick succession came Ibhagbobhiye(Thomas) and lastly Eigaghen(Anslem).

Fate played a cruel trick on him when at the tender age of twelve he lost his father. With leadership thrust on him, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he built a credible farming business with which he was able to fend and hold the family together. His industriousness and hard work made his farm the centerpiece in the whole of Ikehen. This drew in a lot of attention from both traders and other counterparties.

The story has been told of the Uloko – what is known as Iroko in other climes and a term used to describe people with very strong character traits - falling from a palm tree while trying to harvest it and getting injured. His first son Augustine ran towards him with fear only to meet a steely look in his eyes saying, ‘Son, I need for you to continue to work hard, never give up and your hands will feed you’.

That was the Uloko for you. Strong, stout and forever proud even in the midst of the vulnerabilities of life. He lived with those principles until the day he slept in the Lord.

Imbued with a strong sense of loyalty stemming from the Esan tradition that prescribes the first son staying close to the father while the rest can sojourn, Uloko took over the reins of leadership,

Ogbole

building a structure that was hemmed on discipline, hard work and perseverance while ensuring that his other siblings got the best of education within the constraints of his resources and abilities.

What he lacked in material things, he had in abundance by his sheer conviction to build a strong army of achievers within

his immediate family.

This is why at his passing with little or no education, he had sired university graduates holding foreign degrees. All eleven children are today university graduates with some holding second degrees from some of the most prestigious international universities.

THE PUBLIC SPHERE with Chido Nwakanma

Elder James laid a major premium on education. He saw the huge prospects of being educated and his stint at the then Bendel State Ministry of Education where he was seconded to Emu Grammar School, Emu in Esan South East Local Government of Edo State on a ‘government for work’ scheme.

Something instructive happened here.

The school’s principal had a son who had been rude to Elder James and his son Augustine who was also a student at the same school didn’t find it funny. So he told off the principal’s son and there was a bit of a fracas. The story got to the principal who sent for both parties and after hearing the story ruled in favour of little Augustine. Little Augustine did not just get a fair hearing that day, he won for himself a scholarship which ensured the continuation of his education.

Augustine vowed to Uloko that day, he would come back to be the principal of that school in his honour. But fate had other plans as little Augustine is today the Managing Director/CEO of the frontline insurance underwriter, Anchor Insurance Plc. A strong and devoted Christian to the very end, Uloko was ordained Elder by the very famous late Arc. Bishop Benson Idahosa and he continued to live a life of piety to the very end. Married to Agatha Ogbole (nee Onoboh), he kept a guarded inner circle that had his best friend, Hitler Omokhuan who shared many high and low points in his life, including the loss of two siblings on the same day.

Elder James lived a life of philanthropy, having been berthed in a system of love. His neighbour was always of his interest and even on his sickbed, he made sure his colleagues and other patients benefited from his benevolence.

The widows in his village were the chief beneficiaries of his kindness. He bequeathed to them what he could while recruiting his now very successful children into the humanitarian business of being your brothers’ keepers.

His parting words were, ‘Son, let my people eat.’ What more can we say about the life of one so remarkable that he didn’t allow his humble beginnings dim the light of his will to contribute meaningfully to society and the world.

Uloko was not felled. It is still standing straight with pride.

–– Joseph Edgar Duke of Shomolu

@ChidoNigeria https://www.facebook.com/chido.nwakanma

Tariff Increment a Yellow Card for The Undertakers Called Discos Reno Omokri

T

he voltage of anger in the land can burn some installations. The most threatened currently is the continued existence of the power distribution companies otherwise addressed with the not-so-elegant cognomen Discos. They have been dancing the disco for seven years now.

The anger stems from the necessary but unjustified hike in electricity tariffs. The last statement sounds like a contradiction. It is deliberate.

It is necessary to deploy oxymorons in the current matter because it is inherently contradictory. There is a persuasive and robust business case for the tariff increments. No reasonable person or entity consistently trades at a loss. Players in the Nigerian electricity sector have done so for more than six years.

The agreement they reached was that Nigeria would implement graduated tariff increments to ensure that there is enough revenue to cover the cost of operations of the sector and make it sustainable. We did not do so. Why? “Lack of political will”.

A fundamental premise of the numerous reforms in the country is that the feeble strengths and glaring weaknesses in the Nigerian system open enormous opportunities for growth. If you hear the Bureau of Public Enterprises or the various reform committees tell the story, the significant challenge for successful reform in Nigeria has been “lack of political will”.

Deconstructed they mean that so many vested interests hobble the political leadership of our country that they lack the balls to do the right thing. Always.

Nigerian leaders always lack the political will to take painful but useful decisions at the right time. They do not, on the other hand, lack the political will to do wrong, such as granting waivers for a significant utility to incompetents. Our electricity privatisation effort suffers from at least two significant defects arising from the wrong political will.

The previous Government found the political will to do it but went about it the wrong way. They handed it over to friends and acolytes with no proven experience in the sector. Then they could not muster the resolve to do right by these firms when the firms requested the needed tariff increments, as agreed.

Utilities are money spinners. The numbers make sense, as we have seen in the case of telecommunications. They make even more sense in a country such as Nigeria with a ballooning population and vast numbers of young people entering the labour market annually.

For at least five years, therefore, lack of political will prevented the necessary call to approve gradual increments. Government pretended while the players failed to invest. The ostrich game continued for more than five years. Moreover, the Government and the players in the electricity sector colluded. So while Nigeria got N400 billion as privatisation proceeds, the industry has received N1.5trillion in support from the Government.

Under pressure from external forces who can see possible implosions and our need for funding, the Government finds the resolve to do it.

Then set about it wrongly. How do you approve an increment of more than a hundred per cent at once? Is that graduated? Why would you do so during a pandemic that has hobbled the economy and drained the pockets of citizens? What manner of social engineering and governance informs such increments of both electricity tariffs and the price of petrol at the same time?

The tariff increment is a yellow card to customers in this marathon.

While the tariff increment is necessary but unjustified, the increase in gasoline prices is nothing but additional taxation to increase the greedy coffers of this Government. Most fuel price increases in Nigeria have been nothing but a tax on citizens without the rational lies of the removal of subsidy. For instance, the current increment comes at a time of lower prices of crude oil in the global market. Where is the subsidy?

It is ironic that in all the back and forth on fuel price increases, it was the notorious Government of General Sani Abacha that was most upfront.

Abacha admitted that it was nothing but a fuel tax and set up the Petroleum Trust Fund to deploy some of the extra revenue to the provision of social services and infrastructure. The Jonathan administration did the same with the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme. All the other honest men continued with the falsehood.

Labour has characteristically taken up the challenge in the vaudeville.

This farce has no musical segment, though, and promises only a repeat.

Citizens can hope only for a reduction in the percentage of the increment as what Labour can extract. The Government has its back against the wall.

Our Discos are as much victims of the new tariffs as their customers.

They will earn more money and more trouble. Customers will become more demanding, and we will no longer accept all the tall tales for why we cannot have a reliable power supply.

The tariff increase is necessary but unjustified. The performance of the Discos has not justified the case for an increment. They would now have to earn their pips. Our Discos have been no more than undertakers for the electricity system in the country. They show a noticeable lack of technical, financial, and organisational capacity for the challenges in the sector. Forty years to the day when NEPA officials blamed a snake for a nationwide power outage, the privatised successors still tell the same tales.

Here is a message one of them shared recently. “Dear customer, the incessant outages you are experiencing in … axis is due to knotty faults, especially because of the coastal terrain. We …are working tirelessly to find a permanent and sustainable solution to the problem. It’s tough terrain, from the moist from the ocean/sea to the swampy forest with big birds, rodents and reptiles shattering insulators for want of warmth and the weather (swampy/wet) for now.”

Higher tariffs mean there would be no more excuses. Even the regulator Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) seems to have woken to this reality as depicted in the three town halls it has held. The yellow card of tariff increment also applies with even more gravity to the Discos.

Game on.

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

27.09.2020

AMARACHI OKAFOR AND HER MESSAGE OF INTROSPECTION

Cover continued on Page 56

Okafor

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 ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

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ARTS & REVIEW\\ART-ICLES

AMARACHI OKAFOR AND HER MESSAGE OF INTROSPECTION With its explicit statement, which swirls around the concept of collective responsibility, the title of Amarachi Okafor’s exhibition resonates with these times, as Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary approaches, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

'C

ities are made and built by people – all the people in it, not just some.”

Sometimes, not more than a few words like these would suffice to sum up the notion of collective responsibility. This was especially when the planned exhibition’s title,The Colour of our Hearts is the Colour of our City, already seemed explicit enough. Yet, the urge for further clarification – if not for academic correctness – demanded more from Amarachi Okafor during a recent e-interview with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka-based professor of ceramic art and African art and design history Ozioma Onuzulike.

Hence the Abuja-based experimental contemporary artist resumed: “Each one of us is a stakeholder. It is not 'them', or 'they'; not a question of ‘Na dem sabi’ (It is their problem). It is [the problem of] all of us! How does each one of us support to make our communities better or worse? How do we care for one another or not?

If I am enthusiastic or have a joyful personality, it catches on to the people around me and the wider group, and if I am nonchalant or even hateful, it catches on too. All it takes is time, but it must establish and develop. I think many One of the artworks at the exhibition Nigerians, in the big cities especially, seem [to be] very angry, bitter people. We are greedy and lied the otherwise hopeful ambience. Okafor’s artistic offerings, selfish too. We can be more pleasant if we tried. It is said: ‘Tell me which sometimes might come across as visual jeremiads, are where you live, and I shall tell you the kind of person you might really about “lifting spirits”. As she explicitly asks in her artist’s be.’ In my small group, in this nation, how do I support to make statement, “When shall we have a delightful living on earth, the education system better or worse, for example? Why do we where there will be no injustice, war, and disease? What is the kidnap our brothers and sisters to gain things? An Igbo proverb path to Paradise?” says Onye nwere mmadu ka onye nwere ego (He who has people If the exhibition was called a “Performative Public-Art”, it is is greater than he who has money). Did our ancestors/parents because there was nothing celebratory or festive about its openteach us this?” ing. Rather, the activities in the exhibition space seemed sober Curiously, this e-interview – held sometime in February, the and introspective. The idea was to make the ambience conduartist vaguely recalls – was meant to herald the exhibition, whose cive for contemplation. Footage of a video shot at the opening opening had originally been scheduled for Monday, March 23. showed some of the participants penning down their prayers, But then, a Higher Hand seemed to have intervened with the thoughts and wishes, among other things, on pieces of paper, obtrusion of the coronavirus pandemic. The latter, with its more which were subsequently slipped into pouches and envelops. emphatic and more compelling message of introspection for “The audience were the participants,” the artist explains, adding mankind, ensured that the event was shifted to much later date. that the intention was to fill all the 2019 pouches or envelops Thus, even when it eventually held on Tuesday, September 1 with pieces of paper. and ended on Sunday, September 6 at the Thought Pyramid Art As for the cardboard boxes stacked at the different corners of Centre in Abuja, the resonances of its strident message continued the hall, they were her allusions to the setting of a city. They are to linger and remained as pertinent as ever. also her way of exploring the concept of containing, containIndeed, this period of the approaching Nigeria’s 60th indement, content… pendence anniversary seemed to have conferred it with more “I have used containment as an idea, a metaphor and an relevance than it might have hope for. This was even though inspiration – to question and to point to notions – the concept of thoughts of anger, cynicism, despair and hatred might have sul-

bag and bagging, even humans as bags, baggers, and baggage,” she further clarified in her artist’s statement.

“I adopted text, colour (from any source) and embroidery/ stitches as my visual language whilst leaning into the fringes of architecture and construction to try and translate my ideas- even when I paint, I make what I refer to as built or constructed paintings. These have forms.

“Words are powerful. I am constantly drawing from this gift of nature and leading others to explore with me this materiality of the written text and the action of writing as an art-making process. I am working also at the crossroads between tactile and ephemeral art forms, looking at the links and relationship between these and triggering situations where words and performativity are tangible materials for making art?”

Yet, this sculpture installation (2016-2019) – from whose title, “The Colour of our Hearts is the Colour of our City”, the exhibition derived its title – was only one out of the 14 works featured that the engaged the audience. For the other works, which were paintings and sculptures, the audiences were merely required to view and possibly ask questions when necessary.

“At each location, I usually have a team of people that work with me,” the 2006 University of Nigeria, Nsukka MFA (Sculpture) graduate told Professor Onuzulike. “The team is pre-trained before any event to understand the work very well.

During our pre-event meetings this time as is usually the case, we would try again to pre-empt audience reaction to this piece and deliberate on strategies for responding. Some members of this team have been part of my relational event programmes from the early days with Ask Yourself (2014) and this is a good thing.”

Okafor, who also holds an MA in curatorial practice (Curating Contemporary Art), 2012 from Falmouth University in the UK, declares that she aims to deploy her creative skills in the service of others. “Besides making work in the studio, I continue to actuate these very rewarding public art collaborations, engaging several levels of audiences in Nigeria,” she says. “All of my work is for learning meant to bring me and my audiences to new knowledge as we are led to searching our hearts and discovering alternative ways of living.”

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

BOOK REVIEW

A MOURNER’S HANDBOOK FOR THE GRIEF-STRICKEN Beyond Loss and Grief (The Story of Kikaose Ebiye-Onyibe, a Survivor’s Manual for Coping with the Loss of a Child), by Magnus Onyibe, Narrative Landscape Press, Lagos 2020

Okechukwu Uwaezuoke When grief sets in, the trifles of everyday life recede into the background. Benumbed and labouring under the scourge of series of “why’s”, the mind helplessly gropes in the dark, seeking to make some sense out of it all.

In desperation, it reaches out for – and clings to – possible logs of solace floating in the raging sea of despair. “I was broken,” Magnus Onyibe writes in the book, Beyond Loss and Grief (The Story of Kikaose Ebiye-Onyibe, a Survivor’s Manual for Coping with the Loss of a Child).

“I went numb. Sounds and voices became echoes. I heard nothing. I heard everything.

My midnight, my eclipse had occurred at high noon. My daughter was no more...”

Thus, the reader easily empathises with the bereaved author as he describes his return with his family to Selly Oak student village, opposite the University of Birmingham, where his daughter Kikaose Ebiye-Onyibe lived before her death on April 12, 2017.

Onyibe hopes, with his 161-page book,

to rise above his pains by reaching out to other bereaved families with the intent that “this book would instruct bereaved people on how to cope with the loss of their beloved ones.” Even so, as the heart-rending narrative progresses, he cannot help but seek answers to questions swirling around the circumstances that preceded the death of his daughter. These questions – bordering on wrong diagnosis of the deceased’s ailment, suspected cover ups as well as obvious cases of negligence – are the types, the answers to which he may never know.

Flipping through the pages of the book, the reader gets more and more acquainted with the warm personality of the departed, whose strict adherence to the tenets of evangelical Christianity defined her brief earthlife. He thus gains access into the close-knit intimate circle of the Onyibes.

Apparently, Kikaose had, even at a very tender age, left no one in doubt about her sense of purpose, which explained her activities both before and while she was studying at the UK-based University of Birmingham. The fact that she was adored and warmly eulogised by her fellow students and the staff of the university, including the vice-chancellor Sir David Eastwood, eloquently attested to her sterling qualities. Ditto the fact that the officiating pastor at her funeral was said to have referred to her “as an angel who was with us briefly but gone to be with God.”

That the author remains inconsolable in his grief is expressed by his continual rehash of the why’s and what-ifs as well as through his empathy for fellow bereaved parents. “The immutable truth is that no matter how strong you are, the death of your child will devastate you,” he writes. “At first, it will seem unbelievable. You will be in denial of what has happened. When you eventually accept that your child is gone, the pain you will feel will be so deep that you will wonder if you will ever get over it. This feeling is universal because if you spoke to anyone who has lost a child, this is what they will tell you. This is what unites us as grieving parents.”

This book, an outlet for his pent-up emotions, seethes and overflows with his good intentions. This is evidenced by the dedication of eight of its pages to profiling 20 other youths, from different ethnic, sociocultural and economic backgrounds, who lost their lives in tragic circumstances. This gesture, according to the author, is to help the families and friends of the departed ones “heal faster”.

Beyond Loss and Grief... is a book that should be read by not only those smarting from a sense of loss, but also by everyone else who would be a pillar of support to the bereaved.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

CICERO

Editor:Olawale Olaleye Email:wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

Nigeria at 60: Is the Nation Truly ‘Together’?

As Nigeria gets set to mark her diamond jubilee as a political entity, the fact is not lost on anyone that at no time has the nation been this divided along ethnic and religious lines, reports Shola Oyeyipo

T

he sideshow is the seeming controversy on whether or not the logo designed to mark the 60th independence anniversary of the nation was plagiarised. The main act is the message the logo was meant to portray and convey to a beleaguered people, who have had to face a constant exploitation of their fault lines by a rapacious political elite.

The message in the independence logo is: “60 Years Together”. In the actual sense of the word, the nation has been together as one entity. Since independence, the nation has not broken up despite political and ethnic centrifugal forces pulling her from different angles.

What has contributed to this was the lopsided nature of the federation at independence. As at 1960, the nation had three regions: Western, Eastern and Northern Regions. While they were three in number, the sizes were so disproportional.

The North, in size, was twice the size of the other two put together. And when the three gladiators that were leaders of the ethnic groups that made the three regions were to form parties, they formed it along their ethnic and tribal lines.

For instance, Sir Ahmadu Bello formed the Northern People’s Congress (NPC); President Muhammadu Buhari, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Vice President Yemi the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo formed Osinbajo at the unveiling of Nigeriaa’s 60th independence anniversary logo the Action Group (AG), while Dr. They gave Buhari massive push and also backed alongside Dimka and many others in April 1976 Nnamdi Azikiwe formed the National Council this up with him winning in five of the six for the role in the failed coup of the previous for Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). states of Southwest and other parts that make up month.

The crisis that erupted after the general electhe zone.

In 1990, there was another failed coup led by tion of 1964 was what triggered the crisis in the While many expected Buhari to rally the Major Gideon Orka, also of the Middle Belt exWestern Region, which claimed many lives and country together, reverse has been the case. No traction. In fact, in their coup speech on Sunday properties and ultimately led to the civil war of April 22, 1990, they announced the ostracising of leader has mismanaged the nation’s ethnic and 1967 to 1970. Even before then, the Mid-Western five core northern states of Sokoto, Kano, Borno, religious diversity like Buhari since indepenRegion was carved out of the Western Region. dence.

Kaduna and Katsina. Again, the coup failed but Many, till today, still feel if any region was to From heavily lopsided appointments to treata statement had been made. be divided into two, it was the Northern Region ment of the Fulani herdsmen crisis with very While the election of June 12, 1993 was meant and not the Western Region. obvious kid’s gloves, Buhari has even disapto further heal real or perceived ethnic wounds, Real or perceived, the thinking has been that pointed most of his loyal fans with the way he the annulment of the election by the military of a federation where certain parts are favoured regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, threw the has gone about the business of governance. over the others. For instance, the Middle Belt Thus, as the nation is set to mark her 60th country into a political impasse that many still has always insisted on having a distinct identity independence anniversary, there has never been believe the nation has not recovered from. from the core north. They have always claimed any time call for a break-up has been this striBusiness mogul and multi-millionaire, MKO that they are a separate political and ethnic dent. Some elements in the West are clamouring Abiola was on the cusp of victory before the entity and hence should not be classified as for Oduduwa Republic and are even saying they annulment of the election. The crisis that folbeing part of the North. would “declare” on October 1. lowed was not mitigated until 1999, when the Two major developments have tended to back The call for the resuscitation of the defunct nation, for the first time, had two presidential this position. In 1976, with General Yakubu GoBiafra Republic has remained and is being candidates of the same ethnic stock – Olusegun won being toppled via a military putsch a year championed by Nnamdi Kanu, self-styled selfObasanjo and Oluyemi Falae. Obasanjo won before, there was a failed coup, which though determination campaigner, who has built very and spent eight years. claimed the life of General Murtala Mohammed strong followership among young Igbo sons and Fast-forward to 2015, and retired General on April 13, 1976.

Muhammadu Buhari, after three failed attempts, daughters. Yet, all these might not have been Majority of those, who planned this coup necessary if there has been a conscious attempt finally made the Presidency ostensibly buoyed were officers of the Middle Belt extraction, led by the help he got from the highly sophisticated to heal wounds and build bridges that unite.

by Colonel Buka Suka Dimka. The person that This is why many would be wondering if business and political elite as well as the intelwould have ultimately become the head of state indeed, the nation is truly “together” at 60? ligentsia of the Southern zone of the country. was General Ilya Bisalla, who was executed

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

I Fayemi

The Fayemi They Know Now

f there’s a case in point of learning from the best and doing justice to the knowledge and skills of profound political mentorship, then, the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi is living up to that feat as a worthy student of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s University of Politics.

Lately, a lot is being arrogated to Fayemi, even when he had no clue how some developments came about. But he is fast wearing the kind of mystique that’s daily confounding both his fans and political enemies alike, many of whom have yet to fathom, where and how he devised his new skills set.

Apart from putting up a stellar performance as an incumbent, whose innovative approach to gover-

nance and political maturity has trumped the otherwise unfounded charges against him, his mediatory roles in some disagreements between people, have proven once again that the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) might have been underrated over time.

Although as his profile soars are the number of his traducers increasing and defeated even in their own game, his alleged suspension by non-officials of the party is a testament to the desperation of his enemies, which ironically has changed nothing. Instead, the latest development has proven, without doubt, that Fayemi plays in a different class way above the league of rivals. He is no doubt the star boy from Southwest.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

58

BRIEFINGNOTES

Beyond APC’s Defeat in Edo The truth about penultimate Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State is that APC defeated APC, writes Olawale Olaleye

O

ne of the instructive takeaways from penultimate Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State was putting a lie to the age-long prism that all politics is local. In the just concluded governorship election in Edo State, the politics that returned Governor Godwin Obaseki to office was not entirely local.

If there was any strategic slant to his landslide victory, poached from a seemingly transparent, credible, free, fair and non-violent poll, it was the untold story of how the Edo governor plugged into both the regional and national politics to trump his menacing opponents.

Several weeks ago, shortly after Governor Obaseki defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there was a comprehensive session between some governors from the two main political parties in the country – the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – at the behest of one of them, who is very well respected.

They were seven in all. Three on each side with Obaseki as the seventh person since his matter was top on the agenda.

In the PDP, there was a governor from the South-south, Southwest and North West each. But APC has just a governor from Southwest, while the two others came from North West.

The essence of the meeting was way beyond Obaseki’s reelection. It was a session designed to review some of the political situations in the country with respect to party politics and ponder the way forward, especially the need to sculpt a need and viable leadership recruitment process Buhari and Malai Buni in both parties, more so at the highest level – the presidency. his re-election, however saw the need to set the stage for Better put, the governors were determined to take 2023, by first eliminating a former chairman of the party, the parties back from their current managers and start Adams Oshiomhole, whom they considered, a major running things, just as it was in the days of the late hindrance to their collective interest. president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. What this This is because, the governors believed that a victory also meant was that, going forward, the governors had for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the APC, also reached an understanding to always produce the leadermeant victory for Oshiomhole and a veritable platform ship of the country, which included the president and his for the sacked chairman of APC to re-launch into deputy. political reckoning, a development they all considered The meeting, which considered many sensitive issues dangerous for the 2023 transition politics. as they pertain to the future of the country, however, first Besides, they also had an inkling that should Izeperfected Obaseki’s defection to the PDP, after the initial Iyamu win the election, Oshiomhole’s camp in the party storm it encountered, particularly from the Rivers State had already begun to consider the need to resuscitate Governor, Nyesom Wike, who had someone else in mind some of their pending cases in court, despite the marchas the PDP candidate for the election. ing order from the National Executive Committee (NEC) But the meetings afforded them the opportunity of of the party led by President Muhamnmadu Buhari. prevailing on Wike to see the bigger picture and allow And since his removal cannot in actual fact pass a the plan, as it then was, to fly, at least, as a test run for thorough legal process, it would be dangerous to let him other future considerations on the leadership of the any window to vent survival, the reason nearly all the country, before designing a winning strategy for Edo. APC governors and leaders not only “looked away” durThus, for Obaseki, he had practically all the governors ing the polls, but partook of the plan to finally decapitate elected on the platform of the APC behind him, despite Oshiomhole, making Ize-Iyamu a collateral damage. running on the platform of the PDP, as well as some of Therefore, with nearly the core of the APC governors their leaders, who though did not share the sentiment of and some of the party’s critical leaders behind Obaseki,

coupled with a positive nod from the Villa, it was only a matter of time, the election had long been won and lost many weeks before it eventually held.

While those attacking the APC governors have continued to do so on account of the belief that they were selfish and not true party patriots for allegedly betraying their own, the Edo election was actually a movement against alleged godfatherism and the economic policy of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, in addition to the fact that the governors had come to a realisation that the president was not bankable when it comes to political antics.

It is also true that the video released on the eve of the election by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, did a lot of damage to the chances of APC and IzeIyamu. For one perceived the numero uno of godfathers in the country to step out boldly in a video poorly put together on the even of an election that was a fight against godfatherism, then, the move was ill advised.

Interestingly, what many people had been subtly glossing over is the fact that Obaseki is not really a nice person, a fact of which is known to everyone, who made his victory possible, particularly the fact that what he did to Oshiomhole, no matter the provocation, was believed to be morally unacceptable, he however survived the battle on account of the grand resentment against the duo of Oshiomhole and Tinubu in the APC. At the end of the day, what is not lost on those closely following political developments in the country is that, one, PDP did not defeat APC in Edo; APC defeated APC. Two, the Edo election was a grudge match preparatory to the 2023 election, for which the governors had resolved to step in and assert themselves. After all, they have the money and by extension, control the people.

Above all, the governors have also resolved to take back the parties – both in the APC and the PDP – meaning, the battle for 2023 is going to be “The Battle of the Governors”. However, for the APC governors, a prelude to this resolve is the pending national convention of the APC, where the wheat will be sifted from the chaff.

It may be trite to say, therefore, that in the PDP, the governors already have a hold of the party, providing their APC folks a template to work with. But there’s no debating the fact that ahead of the 2023, the two parties are now working together and where need be to eliminate anyone in their way, they would not hesitate to do so, for as long as his position is inimical to their interest.

What this new thinking of the governors portends is that the battle for the governorship of all the states in the country is going to be stiffer and tougher, since there is the assumption that the presidency would henceforth be reserved for the governors of the country.

But, it is yet to be seen, how these governors would continue to work together without stepping on each other’s toes since they all want the same thing. That said, the 2023 election promises to throw up a lot more surprises, unknown to the plotters themselves.

NOTES FOR FILE

Sanwo-Olu Is ‘Vexing’!

Sanwo-Olu

Go to any part of Lagos today, the inner roads inclusive, what you’d see are major construction works going on everywhere. No thanks to the hardworking governor of the state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is gradually coming up to speed with the development needs of the state as Nigeria’s mega city.

It’s still fresh in the minds of many how SanwoOlu started slow and had elicited concerns in many quarters since Lagos is believed to have a development plan and therefore, every governor is supposed to hit the ground running. But with the outbreak of COVID-19, the tide soon changed in favour of the governor, delivering responsive and responsible leadership.

Apart from planning for a post COVID-19 Lagos, especially the financial reengineering of the state, Sanwo-Olu appears to be back in form now, determined to deliver the mega status of the state. It goes without saying that some do not find it funny that too many construction works are going on in many places at the same time, more so because of the traffic situation it has created, the governor too cannot help it. Time is, perhaps, of the essence.

While it is the prayer of many that the state government under Sanwo-Olu sustains the current tempo of work, it is equally important to point it out that the hitherto slow and unaggressive SanwoOlu has changed style and Lagos is getting better for it.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

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CICERO/ONTHEWATCH

Akeredolu

For Ondo, There’re Lessons from Edo The outcome of the recent governorship election in Edo State might have a spillover effect on the Ondo State election slated for October 10, writes James Sowole

T

he events that preceded the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo State and the outcome of the exercise, had confirmed the popular saying that, “There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics and that the only thing that is permanent is interest.”

The situation, had also confirmed that the two dominant political parties in Nigeria – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – have no ideology that differentiates one from the other. It has confirmed that the only thing that was changing in Nigeria’s political system is personalities that are in different political parties.

This is evident, when one considers the swiftness with which the two leading personalities, Governor Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, changed positions and which changed the ruling APC to opposition party in the state.

Interestingly, the two personalities confronted each other in the 2016 governorship election. While Obaseki, who won the 2016 election contested on the platform of the APC, Ize-Iyamu was the candidate of the PDP. But in the September 2020 election, the two candidates merely changed platforms and confronted each other in a ‘rematch’, that was determined largely by the electorate in the state.

The results of the election, also showed that the Edo voters were more resolute to vote for personalities/ candidates rather than parties unlike cases in many states in the previous elections.

On the actual day of election, the behaviour of the people at polling units also indicated that with adequate cooperation of the electoral umpire and security agencies, the peoples’ votes could still count irrespective of inducement by political parties to influence the election.

A source said though both the APC and the PDP engaged in vote buying, this never influenced the resolve of the electorate to vote for a candidate of their choice.

INEC delivered on its promises to be fair to all political parties while security agents, monitored

events at polling units without compromise.

However, some people believed that the activities of the security agents might have been in informed by the action of President Muhammadu Buhari, who declared that it is the people of Edo State that would elect their governor.

This declaration by the president and the actions that followed after the announcement of results raised the hope of many people and candidates in Ondo State, particularly, among the the three major contenders that the election is open to be won and lost.

The INEC too has not hidden its joy in the conduct and outcome of the election at various fora in Ondo State while interacting with stakeholders.

The commission said it was ready to improve on its performance in Edo Election and prepared to perform better during Ondo exercise, adding that it remained resolute that it is the people of Ondo State, that would decide, who they want as their governor.

Despite the performances of the INEC and security agents, some people still believed that the case might be like what happened during the primary, when governors allegedly prevailed on APC, to use Indirect Primary mode in Ondo State, whereas Direct Mode, was used in Edo State even as Governor Obaseki, was disqualified from contesting the primary.

Those who were of this thought suspected that the case might turn out to be a lost and won situation like it happened during the primary. Some people even alleged that some APC governors, worked to ensure that one of their own (Obaseki) returns irrespective of the party, under which he runs.

Despite these insinuations, the three candidates and their political parties in the forthcoming election have intensified their campaigns and are leaving no stone unturned, while canvassing for votes from the electorate.

The ruling party, APC, despite being suspected to be more favoured in terms of closeness to the federal government, was positively canvassing for votes through personal interaction with the electorate and on various communications channels.

The APC and the candidate had been doing all it could to attract more members from other political parties into the ruling party.

Speaking on the Edo governorship election and its implication on the forthcoming exercise in Ondo State, Chairman of APC, Ondo State, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, said all indices favoured the incumbent Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to win the election for another term of four years.

Adetimehin said, “Ondo State is quite different from Edo. What we are doing here is different. This state is always a Progressives State. We have never been conservative. In terms of preparation, we are doing door to door; house to house canvassing for votes.

“We have been going from towns around the state.

The response we got from the field has been encouraging. You can find out from the field yourself. We have been intensifying on our campaign. Everywhere we go people have been receiving us overwhelmingly.

People love Arakunrin Oluwatotimi Akredolu,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, the Chairman of PDP, Ondo State, Hon Fatai Adams, said the results of the election, have shown that it is the peoples choice that matters during elections.

“The lessons are many. The result of the election showed that godfatherism was fading away in our politics. Two, it means the choice and opinion of the people cannot be subdued. Three, it means that if you lead well, you can always enjoy the support of the people.

“Ondo State is a PDP state irrespective of the party in government. People love the PDP, because when we were in government, the people enjoyed the government and the party. We have been telling them that they will enjoy more if we come back to power.”

In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, the Deputy Governor and candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Mr. Agboola Ajayi, said the re-election of Godwin Obaseki, showed that Nigerians were improving on the electoral process and will get to the desired destination if we continue to improve with each election.

Ajayi, in the statement signed by Allen Sowore, said at the election, President Muhammadu Buhari, the INEC and security agents did not encourage the use of illegal processes, adding that the people of Edo State voted in line with their conscience.

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CICERO/REPORT THE VICTORS

Buhari

Obaseki

Oba Ewuare II

Ogie

Shaibu

Odigie-Oyegun

Edo 2020: Between the Victors and the Vanquished The recent governorship election in Edo State has left in its trail some victors and the vanquished, writes Adibe Emenyonu

I

t is natural that every contest must produce both a winner and a loser, including their numerous supporters and fans that share such moments with them. Thus, the governorship election in Edo State, penultimate Saturday, was not different.

With a gale of violence and trade tackling that trailed the election, the build-up to the exercise was tense and left no one in doubt that the election was going to be bloody.

But contrary to some of the predictions and disturbing indications, it ended up being one of the most transparent, credible, free, fair and non-violent polls in recent time, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

THE VICTORS

Godwin Obaseki

The books were not favourable to him before the election but he proved his mettle, which saw him trounce his opponent in a landslide. Against all odds, he beat his rival even in his local government area with more than 3,000 votes to emerge victorious.

In addition to this is the elimination of godfatherism in the politics of Edo. It is, however, hoped that with this new chapter in the artery of Edo’s politics, another godfather will not emerge after the exit of Adams Oshiomole.

Philip Shaibu Described as the foot soldier of his boss for galvanising the youths against godfathers and at the end, defeated them even with all their knowledge in electioneering.

He boasted he would defeat the former national chairman of APC and that came to pass. Even as he lost in his local government, the overall results

showed PDP won the election.

Osarodion Ogie Osarodion Ogie is the Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG) and a lawyer by profession. Ogie is not the noise making type, because he always works from the background. But he was the brain behind all the court cases instituted by the Obaseki administration against opponents of government.

Little wonder he is always referred to as the “Field Marshall”, because of his unassuming disposition but deadly blows that are usually associated with the outcome of his plans.

INEC For once, the Independent National Electoral Commission has proven its mettle in conducting what was generally adjudged as a free, fair and credible election.

This is because many people believed that the outcome would surely be skewed in favour of the ruling party, APC and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

To many, therefore, a Daniel has come to judgment.

Kudos to the National Chairman of INEC, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu and other staff of the Commission for redeeming their image by conducting an impressive election.

John Odigie-Oyegun At the inception of the quarrel between Governor Obaseki and Comrade Oshiomhole, Chief Oyegun did not hide his support for the governor. At every given opportunity, the former governor of Edo State and also, former National Chairman of APC has always demanded that Obaseki should be allowed a second term.

With the victory of Obaseki at the polls, Oyegun has been vindicated and surely a happy man that after all, Obaseki still made it.

President Muhammadu Buhari By standing neutral in the election, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to be commended. He demonstrated the spirit of nationalism. Even as a member of the All Progressives Congress, he did not allow that to bend his sense of judge. He is one of the heroes of the election.

Oba of Benin, Ewuare II

The Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin set the stage for the near zero violence recorded in the election, when he summoned the gladiators of the two major siders, including some of their leaders to commit themselves to peace before, during and after the polls.

Security Agencies Oba Ewuare II is another hero of the poll. History Although the election was not totally free of will continue to remember him for the positive role violence, because of reported cases of death of three he played to ensure the election came up without any persons and invasion of polling units at Urhonigbe South, which led to the cancellation of results from the acrimony. entire area, security agencies deserve commendation.

With the public hype of impending danger The PDP Governors orchestrated by the political parties and their allies, Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples many had thought the election would be bloody. The Democratic Party (PDP), took the election as their security agencies deserve commendation for proofing personal project. Right from the very day Obaseki different. defected to the PDP, the governors began to rally

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

CICERO/REPORT THE VANQUISHED

Oshiomhole

Ize-Iyamu

Tinubu

Okunbo round him in terms of moral and financial support.

They came to Edo during the campaign kick-off and were also in the state during the grand finale. And on the Election Day, a good number of them came to give their support. All these efforts added to give Obaseki victory. Now Edo has completed the circle in the South-south controlled by PDP.

People of Edo Without the people, who came out to cast their votes, the polls would not have been adjudged as well. They were the greatest heroes by coming out en mass to cast their votes for the candidate of their choice. They are the ones, who really chased the godfathers away and ensured they were completely demystified.

APC leadership answering

THE VANQUISHED Osagie Ize-Iyamu

Twice, he has kissed the dust in the pursuit of his governorship bid. First, it was in 2016 as candidate of the PDP against Obaseki of the APC. But in a twist of fate, both gladiators met again in the just concluded gubernatorial poll. He contested under the APC with Obaseki of the PDP. The dwindling fortunes of a non-performing party did not help either.

To crown it all, the APC-controlled national government as naive as they were, decided to increase the pump price of petrol from N145 to N161; increased electricity tariff by almost 100 per cent without considering the effect on the citizens especially, with the COVID-19 pandemic. The people had to show their resentment at the polls.

Adams Oshiomole Immediately after the 2019 presidential election, Oshiomhole began to receive bashing from members of his party especially, the governors, who decried his style of leadership. This snowballed to the state level.

A combination of these two forces saw to his forceful exit as the national chairman of the APC. These same forces collaborated to see that his preferred candidate did not win the election.

Bola Tinubu Perhaps, the greatest political miscalculation of Bola Tinubu in the poll was the public call he made to the Edo people to reject Obaseki, because according to him, the governor was not a Democrat.

Many indigenes of the state saw that as an affront and an intended extension of his political influence into the state. That was why on the Election Day, the people came out to affirm the slogan that, “Edo No Be Lagos”.

Edo 2020 queuing to cast their vote

Idahosa Wells Okunbo For the first time, the Edo born business Mogul made a wrong political choice of who to support in any election in the state. But in the spirit of good sportsmanship, he has congratulated Obaseki. He nursed no bitterness despite having spent so much on his candidate.

APC Leadership A house divided against itself cannot stand. There was an alleged sabotage by some governors and other leaders of the APC, who refused to give the needed support to their Edo candidate simply because they perceived him as a launch pad to Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition,

forgetting the prism that “united we stand, divided we fall”.

This singular attitude, because of the hatred for one or two leaders of the party by others, if not addressed now, could mar the chances of APC in 2023. When that time eventually comes, they’d realise that the seed was sown during the Edo election.

Obaseki’s Aides Who Quit All those who resigned from the Obaseki-led cabinet by now will be gnashing their teeth by for making the mistake of leaving with the impression that the table would turn in their favour. They made one of the biggest mistakes of their lives.

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CICERO/UPDATE

Ekiti APC’s Search for Illusive Peace There are many reasons peace might remain elusive in Ekiti APC, writes Victor Ogunje

O presidential race.

n September 15, 2020, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekiti chapter, took a bold step to re-organise its dividing house ahead of the 2022 governorship election, which will be a prelude to the 2023

The party’s top hierarchy, therefore, set up a disciplinary committee in consonance with Article 21 of the party’s statute and recommended disciplinary actions to rein in some errant members. The outcome of the panel was considered scathing as indefinite suspension has been slammed on the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and his allies, to restore the gradually elusive peace to the beleaguered party.

But in a swift reprisal action, the anti Kayode Fayemi group fought back by suspending the governor and the APC state chairman, Paul Omotoso. Though members have been querying the rationale behind the action on account of the locus standi of Ojudu and co-travellers, to carry out such action, because there are well spelt out procedures that must be observed before suspension is introduced.

The content of a letter dated September 7, 2020 and signed by the National Working Committee (NWC)’s head of Legal Department, Barrister Dare Oketade and addressed Fayemi and wife at a rally that the constitution of the party was freely violated during the to the APC State Chairman, Hon. Paul Omotoso, mandated the congresses. They alleged that some powerful forces wrote the SWC to commence process of trial for some members, who were names of the party officials thereby vitiating the entire process and perceived to be disobedient by still having pending cases in court rendered it illegal. despite NEC’s clear order.

Since the birth of progressive politics in Ekiti in 1999, this time is The letter read: “You are to set up a disciplinary committee to outstandingly challenging and remains one of the most turbulent commence and complete the process of suspension of the above times in the history of progressivism in the state. mentioned members. You will recall that on 25th July, 2020, The general feeling in APC now is that the party must subdue the National Executive Council passed a resolution directing members of the party to withdraw not to institute any court action its current challenge if it must win the 2022 poll and the best arsenal and to withdraw their cases in court in order to explore the internal to be deployed to realise this uphill task is peace. But the looming crisis is gradually dragging the party to the cliff and a titanic battle conflict resolution mechanisms of the party. seems inevitable.

“However, the caretaker finds it worrisome that despite the Going by the terms of reference given by the Governor Mai Mala directive of NEC and the subsequent steps taken by the party to Buni-led caretaker committee, the Ajigbolamu-led eight- member ensure compliance, there have been a number of court cases by disciplinary committee, is to invite Ojudu and others to answer party members seeking the dissolution of the Caretaker Comquestions as to why they had allegedly refused to withdraw cases mittee/State Congresses in complete disregard of the directive of they instituted against the party. They complied with this but were NEC. resisted by inability of the aggrieved members to use the window “The leadership of the party has decided to invoke the provito ventilate their anger and seek truce. sions of Article 21 of the party constitution against members of Addressing journalists, a member of the party’s disciplinary the party, who have flouted the directive. In light of the above and committee, Elder Sam Oluwalana, said the eight-man committee in furtherance of your letter dated August 31, 2020 wherein you has been set up to invite and query them over their hardline identified some members in your state chapter, who flouted the posturing. The party expressed worries over the recalcitrant directive of NEC. postures of the aggrieved members despite the intervention of “I am hereby directed by the Caretaker Committee to instruct President Buhari and the NEC the relevant executive committee in your state chapter to immediOluwalana said the party’s NEC on July 25, 2020 directed all ately set up a disciplinary committee to commence and complete members to withdraw all pending cases in courts and urged that the process of suspension of the above mentioned members from they explore internal mechanisms to resolve their differences. the party. You are expected to forward to the National Secretariat, The APC chieftain added that the lukewarm attitude of the all records of the disciplinary proceedings against them, for aggrieved members propelled the party to invoke Article 21 of disobeying the directive of the NEC of July 25, 2020 for ratification the APC constitution, by way of commencement of suspension

by Caretaker Committee”. procedure against the affected members.

Though the above message conveyed a belief that the party He said the composition of the disciplinary committee was was out to deal decisively with these individuals, it was stated in consonance with the directive given by Governor Buni-led that whatever that would be undertaken during the trial must be caretaker committee that each chapter must set up a committee to in line with the doctrine of fair hearing. It also gave a minimum of try alleged erring members. three weeks with which the exercise will be conducted and report Oluwalana added that it was wrong for anyone to read the forwarded to the appropriate quarters. actions as being vindictive, saying party is established on constituPeriscoping the deft of action taken by the party, one could tion and laid down rules. He said the fact that the NWC had easily decipher that the party was out to exert its supremacy given a stern instruction on strict adherence to fair hearing further over members and act in line with the directive of NEC over this substantiated the fact that no one was being marked for victimisacontentious issue. tion in APC. On this premise, the party instructed some members including Another chieftain of APC and the party’s spokesman in the Ojudu and a former House of Representatives member, Hon state, Hon. Ade Ajayi, said the party would not victimise anyone Oyetunde Ojo and ten other top-notch members of the party to on the matter, noting that the rules of the party would be complied appear before a disciplinary action. with.

The others are Ayo Ajibade, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, Hon Femi “Not even all the listed names would face the panel. Some have Adeleye, Bunmi Ogunleye, Akin Akomolafe, Bamigboye Adegoroye, Wole Oluyede, Olusoga Owoeye, Dele Afolabi, Toyin disengaged from the suits filed by the group. For instance, Mr. Ben Oguntuase had claimed ignorance of a suit by which his name was Oluwasola, and Ben And Oguntuase. listed as claimants. Those in that category won’t be summoned To convey a lucid message that the party is supreme, not even again. That is also part of the spirit of forgiveness and love”. the presidential zeal carried by Ojudu, being an Aide to President Ajayi said despite this barrage of attacks, Fayemi was being Buhari, working closely with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and asked to take up trouble-shooting roles for the stability of APC. the bond of in-laws between Ojo and the APC National leader, He stated that recently, he was on an assignment on behalf of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, could dissuade the party from National Reconciliation Committee to reconcile warring politicians wielding the big stick against these errant members. in Oyo State and bring all contending gladiators together, the task As catalogued by the party, the summon on these party he said was achieved resoundingly and without blemish. chieftains stemmed from the alleged recalcitrant and bellicose acHe said with astuteness, Fayemi was able to extinguish the tion they took against the party by instituting a lawsuit contesting raging fire in Oyo APC by suggesting the constitution of Party’s the conduct of the ward, local government and state congresses of Advisory Council, where former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala 2018 without due process. emerged as Chairman with other distinguished personalities like It was however the unflinching belief by Ojudu and others

Former Deputy Governors, Iyiola Oladokun and Alake Adeyemo together with the Party Chairman, Akin Oke as members. This, he said, Fayemi earned due to the fact that he remains the APC numero uno among the elected officials in the Southwest region.

However, in spite of the noise from the aggrieved members, the party proved its supremacy by slamming on them indefinite suspension, which rested on their failure to withdraw the case they instituted against the party.

Ojudu and his allies carried out their threat by blatantly refusing to appear before the panel. Their contention was that it is only the ward that has the overriding power to suspend any member. They asserted that the panel was out to carry out a hatchet job. However, this didn’t sway the committee from discharging its duty.

Aterse statement conveying the punitive stand and signed by Hon. Ade Ajayi read: “The State Executive Council of the Ekiti State chapter of APC has approved indefinite suspension of the following members with immediate effect from 23rd September, 2020.

“The suspension is based on the recommendation of the investigative/disciplinary committee inaugurated by SEC to investigate the disobedience of certain members to the directive of NEC of 25th June, 2020, which directed members of the party not to institute any court action and to withdraw existing cases in courts.

“The decision of SEC has been communicated to the Caretaker/ extra ordinary convention planning committee of the party”.

Venting his anger, Ojudu accused the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo of working in cahoots with some powerful people in Abuja to write the names of the party’s officials across the board without contest and in flagrant disregard to the laid down directive.

The presidential aide, who was a Senator between 2011 and 2014, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the fact that the rules were alleged to have been muzzled, brazenly by the bigwigs vitiated the process and that those in positions were hanging onto their seats illegally.

The anti Fayemi group didn’t stop at that, they hit hard by suspending the governor from the party on account of alleged anti party conduct in Edo governorship election. Going by the scenario, Ojudu and his people painted, they accused Fayemi of allegedly working for Governor Godwin Obaseki to defeat the candidate of the APC, Osagie Ize Iyamu among other damning issue.

In actual fact, the party has a Constitution and procedure that guides how a top member like Fayemi can be suspended. Without preempting what the party’s national leadership would do, it was doubtful whether Ojudu and his people have the legal backing to carry out the action. If this should be the case, the suspension may end up being a fluke and exercise in futility.

In his iconic reaction to the purported suspension, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, described it as a joke taken too far. Oyebode said the APC was governed by laws and that members of the group cannot hide under their recent suspension to announce a dubious suspension they lack the locus to handle.

“While one would have dismissed their claims as another failed attempt to polarise the party in the state, it is also important to put it on record that the action of the group smacks of criminal impersonation as none of those who signed the purported suspension letter were executive members of the party at ward, Local government or state level.

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SE ÍşÍżËœ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE Lateef Adegbite : Family Man,Oral Evidence from 1999 Saheed Ahmad Rufai

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t is inconceivable that there can be a dearth of credible sources for Dr. Lateef Adegbite’s biography. He was a AttorneyGeneral in Law and Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. It is acknowledged that several pages have been written about him by researchers, journalists and others in the business of writing. Yet, certain aspects of his lifestory have received more coverage than others. One of such underrepresented themes is his family life as a father and a husband during his heydays. That is the rationale for this piece which covers the hitherto unpublished aspect of the life of the worthy man who transited on 28th September, 2012. The piece relies on oral evidence collected by this writer during his close engagement with members of Dr. Lateef Adegbite’s immediate family two decades ago.

During their three-year courtship in the United Kingdom, young Lateed Adegbite and his fiancee, Tayyibat Yetunde Carew pursued their different professional trainings with all sense of commitment. And by the time their marriage was consummated in the Kingdom in 1961, they had already grown into one as much as two souls ever can.

The opportunity to meet for the first time ever with this lady of unfading beauty and composure presented itself to young Adegbite in 1958.

A Yoruba girl of twenty and a young man of twenty-five, it was love right from the first moment! He had seen her fleetingly at the Ibadan Conference of the Muslim Society of Nigeria where he was the chief host. Indeed, it was a charming Muslim girl that she spotted amidst the multitude there present. He was arrested and held spell-bound by her beauty!

Gorgeously attired in a traditional Agbada and Sokoto made of Alari fabrics, young Lateef Adegbite was sitting at the high table with such eminent Muslim leaders as Alhaji D.S. Adegbite Adegbenro then Minister of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the old Wester Region, Alhaji Shittu Aminu Adeoyo then the Otun Olubadan, Alhaja Hummuani Alaga, a highly prosperous merchant and distinguished philanthropist, as well as Prof. S.O. Biobaku, an eminent Muslim intellectual who later became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos. There was no chance for him to interact with her at the function though he managed to register her face in his memory.

Few days after, the photographs taken at the conference were out and Adegbite was fortunate to have seen in some of them the face that bewitched him some days earlier. ‘Who is this beautiful girl’, he inquired, pointing at Tayyiba’s face in one of the pictures. ‘She is well known to me’, replied Ganiyu Emiola, an Ibadan-based associate of his. ‘This is cheering’, Adegbite muttered to himself elated that someone close to him knew her.

Consequently, they scheduled a mutually convenient time to meet with her and he requested Emiola to kindly inform her ahead of their visit.

On the specified day, Adegbite and Emiola headed to Native Authority School, Odo Aje, Agugu, Ibadan where Tayyiba was a teacher. Getting there, they were directed to her classroom from where the three of them came to discuss briefly outside the school premises.

Face-to-face with Tayyiba, Adegbite was once again introduced as the young man who had presided over the MSS activities few days earlier.

She was surprised to see him as a man in his midtwenties unlike the elderly of fifties attired in a Yoruba traditional outfit, that she had seen at the event! It is interesting that the young man who, like the aforementioned Muslim elders at the event, was dressed in a heavy dandogo which made him look mature, had today appeared in a shirt and a pair of trousers. Sequel to their interaction at that meeting, natural feelings were experienced which culminated in an immensely blissful and blessed union.

Young Adegbite was dark, with regular features, fine bright eyes, and a beautiful countenance full of animation, and it was difficult to identify a correlation between his youthful appearance and his great reputation as a young scholar. His wife was a dignified young Muslim lady and an illustrious daughter of the prestigious Carew Family of Lagos from where one of their forebears moved to establish himself in Ibadan.

She was the daughter of Mr. Zanzaliu Carew, an elder brother of to the late founder of Green Spring Hotel, Ibadan, Alhaji Yekini Carew.

Early in their courtship, Lateef Adegbite and Tayyiba travelled to the UK for further studies. As busy as they were at that time, their love and spirit of togetherness blossomed so much that they realized that when together, life was perfect. By the time they returned to

Nigeria in December1965, the young couple’s blissful life brimmed over as their union had already been blessed with children.

Back in Nigeria, their schedule became busier than it was in the UK. And after raising five children who are a great pride to the family, Alhaja Tayyiba chose to retire early from the Federal Public Service having served diligently as a Lecturer at the prestigious Yaba College of Technology. Consequently, she devoted her full time to the management of the family. The sweet fruits of her sacrifice in this regard include the undivided attention that she devoted to the home-front which culminated in a domestic comfort that served as the bedrock for her husband’s excellent performance in public service.

Throughout her fulfilled and enviable life, she demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that she indeed was a pillar of support to her genial spouse.

The blissful couple desired the best character for their children and pursued the realization of such a desire through proper upbringing, orienting and training. Both were good disciplinarians but were not always severe.

They only resorted to severity where all other alternatives fail. His eldest child, Mr. Talal Oladipupo Adegbite, now Bashorun and Seriki of Oba (a township under His Royal Majesty, Kabiyesi Alake) attested to this in an unequivocal manner, ‘Dad never tolerated nonsense from me and never did my mum’ he remarked.

It is remarkable that his children’s opinions about him were not too different from their mum’s. Each of them saw him as a great lover of his family whose welfare he was passionate about. The Bashorun further describes his dad as a man whose primary service in life is to the Almighty Allah. ‘My dad aspires to be the best in everything he does and he believes in the call to leadership as opposed to the search for it. He however sees his service to humanity as a service to Allah’.

In her own description of her dad, Mrs. Fatima Morenikeji Folawiyo who started by declaring that, ‘he is my father and naturally I should be biased about him, and more so that he is a wonderful father, I should be more biased.’ He indeed is kind, gentle, very committed and very idealistic. He is a great and inspiring labourer who, though always busy, is always ready to attend to his children. He is a hard man to offend, so easy-going that one may not know when he is offended. Generally speaking, he is quiet and cool-tempered. My father, Mrs. Folawiyo continued, ‘believes in the unity of Islam and that all people are one from whatever part of the country. At times, he is blind of the extent of how dubious people could be for he trusts many. Mrs. Folawiyo herself a lawyer added that Dr. Adegbite as a legal mind is painstakingly thorough, and has a liberal approach to Law. My father is a great lover of his ancestry and holds

the Kabiyesi Alake in high esteem. He enjoys telling us stories about Egbaland and his position as Seriki of the Society’ she concluded.

Hajia Turfa Adetola, another daughter of Dr. Adegbite also has much to say about her dad. She started cheerfully, describing him as a very concerned and lovely father who is very much interested in knowing about the progress of his children from time to time. He believes in persuasion rather than imposition. I had thought my father would be upset by my decision to study Arts but he was not. He rather gave me all the fatherly encouragement that I needed throughout my studies. ‘But one thing is certain about my father: he is undaunted and never jokes with his faith notwithstanding that he lacks a fanatical mind. He is an undogmatic thinking person who employs a modern approach to many things’, remarked Turfa. ‘He, she continued, ‘naturally does not believe in amassing wealth at all cost and is so kind and generous that nothing is too big for him to give out’. ‘I must also tell you that I have never heard or seen my father hurt my mother verbally or otherwise. He is a very accommodating type.

The commonalities in the views articulated above are unmistakable. Dr. Manna Adebimpe Adegbite, another daughter of Dr. Adegbite was not in the country at the time of the collection of the oral evidence contained in this piece. However, her younger sister, Mrs. Saudat Bisoye Olorunnibe, sees her dad as very loving and caring. ‘He, to my mind, always appears to be an understanding type’, said Mrs. Olorunnibe who stressed that ‘Daddy takes his religion seriously. He is happy seeing his children attend to Islam.

His wife, Alhaja Tayyiba Yetunde Adegbite stated for the umpteenth time that her husband is a loving and responsible father who doesn’t want conflict in the family for that doesn’t make him happy. ‘He is not impulsive, quarrelsome or abusive. He indeed believes in consultation either with me or his children. He is not a harsh disciplinarian. Yet he has beaten some of his children on only two memorable occasions. He doesn’t tolerate irresponsibility from them and yet doesn’t threaten to prove harsh to them. Instead, he talks to them using his own childhood experience.

Dr. Lateef Adegbite is a man with rich sense of humour. He cracks jokes where necessary and is capable of a healthy laughter which he sometimes does with all his body anatomy. He talks at length only where necessary and is not known to be a flamboyant speaker even in informal discussion. He cherishes correctness and appropriateness and will not even hesitate to correct grammatical mistakes committed at the dining table.

He is a charismatic personality and walks in a humble but stately manner. His dressing always reminds one of his maternal grandfather, Alfa Bisiriyu Giwa in his colourful appearance on Eid days.

Dr. Lateef Adegbite speaks naturally, bows correctly, smiles appropriately and even shakes hands with his guests in a highly refined manner. He is very fond of his grand-children whom he sits and speaks much with whenever they are around. The children will ask him so many interesting questions which he will gladly answer. They too enjoy his sense of humour.

His grand-children so far – at the time of these interviews - are Abdul-Lateef Feyishayo Folawiyo, Faridah Omoshalewa Folawiyo, Yasin Adebayo Amusan and Khashiyah Adebanke Adegbite.

As a general rule, Dr. Lateef Adegbite, according to his wife, likes good and rich food. This is now being discouraged these days to avoid complications as a result of old age. ‘He loves vegetables (especially ewedu and efo) and salad as well as fruits; Juice, Citrus, Tangelo as well as other similar things. He takes solid (heavy) food only once in a day and drinks tonic water’ Mrs. Adegbite concluded.

I asked her to tell me his favourite musicians and she listed, late Yusuf Olatunji (Baba L’egba), Haruna Ishola (Baban Gani Agba), Ayinla Omowura (Omo Anigilaje), Ebenezer Obe (Chief Commander), and of course, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. This writer witnessed several instances that attested to this and hereby say, a statement cannot be truer.

May Allah be merciful to Dr. Lateef Adegbite and his wife, the late Iyalode of Egbaland.

-Saheed Ahmad Rufai, immediate past Dean of Education, Sokoto State University, is a Development Education and Curriculum-Pedagogy expert.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

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SUNDAYINTERVIEW Rotimi Akeredolu

Akeredolu..Philip Shaibu is an uncommon deputy

‘Segun Mimiko Is Like a Vehicle Without an Engine Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN is seeking a second term in office in an election slated for October 10. In this interview with Chuks Okocha, the governor speaks on his re-election challenge and sundry other issues. Excerpts:

Y

ou are seeking a second term in office, therefore, it’s legitimate to ask: on what record are you asking the people to vote for you again?

Well, I have a lot to show people that we have done in our first term. I can point to a number of our schools. We have touched over 600 primary schools; we have renovated and built new classrooms all over. There is nowhere in the state that is not touched on the issue of schools.

Now, on issue of roads, as I mentioned to you about infrastructural deficit, I have always believed in what one of the American leaders said, I think it was John F Kennedy, that the roads that you have or the infrastructure is what has made America, it’s not because of the money, it’s because America has infrastructure that she has money.

I am one of those who believe in the ideology that with good infrastructure the state idea on money will improve, and because of that, I had gone out to work on major roads in the state and one of the key areas that I believe it will last for long or forever is the fact that we had broad section, that is, the

redemption bridge, which we have in Ore today. If you drive

by Ore, you will see it.

For me, that’s something that everybody will see forever. It has changed the landscape of the whole of Ore. Many months before now, when we came back that very spot used to look like a place, where road accidents occur. But today, it’s clear everybody just moves freely; everyone is happy about it.

I believe that, that is the legacy and the issue of industrial development is also a legacy and we are working on bringing up issue of bitumen that over the years, everybody has been mouthing that we want to start mining, bitumen operations.

Nobody has ever done it, but today, we have Southwest bitumen off on Irele. They have started modular refinery and one other key one that I’m working at and I pray when I have another opportunity after this election is to have Port Ondo.

What is Port Ondo?

Port Ondo is our Deep Seaport and on the Deep Seaport, we have done a lot of studies and we have read the business outline and this has gone through ports authority and we are waiting that it will get to SRC Infrastructural Concessionary

Regulatory Commission. If it gets there, we should be able to pull it through, because a lot of job has gone through it.

What difference will Port Ondo bring to your economy?

Well, the difference port brings to any economy is huge.

It will change the total landscape of Ondo State. If the port moves in fully, Ondo State will not need to go anywhere again.

Lagos State, what do they live on? They don’t have oil; they live on port and industries. And we believe that when we have the port, industries will spring up along the corridors, then, the economy of this state is built forever.

And I believe that it will not be this state alone and I can assure you that the economy of Nigeria will improve with Port Ondo, because it will be a deep seaport, where you have drought of over 15meters – where mother ship can park.

Today, can they do it in Apapa? No! But if you have a deep seaport, where we can a crown – where a large ship can come in, and so for me, I have always made a case that it would be the best for the West African coast.

So, the only one in West African port, where everybody

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

SUNDAY INTERVIEW

t 1)*-*1 4)"*#6 *4 "/ 6/$0..0/ %&165: t comes in and goods move and development will keep coming from the Hinterland. So, we will be able to do that if we have the opportunity of one term continuity; we will press for it with everything we have to make sure that the port comes in.

Is that’s a promise you are giving the people?

I am.

People say Ondo is an oil producing state and therefore, should not complain when it comes to finances and revenue. So, what is happening?

It’s because we are oil producers that our VAT can come to over four. If we are not, we will be about two or three. It’s the oil that’s giving us a little edge, although we are number 5 in the country. There’s an analysis I try to make people see. There was some payment that was supposed to be made at a point.

The number one state was greater than $500m, number two is above $400m, number three is above $300m, number for is also above $200m and we that are number five is about $90m.

Why we have problem is that most of the oil found around Ondo State are offshores. All the money goes to the federal government. If, for instance, the nautical miles between us are extended so that we can be everywhere, then, our oil will change.

Let’s talk politics. What exactly is going on in your party as at today and how are you doing?

Well, there’s not much I am doing. I have said it openly everywhere; with what I am doing, I have not done less at any given time. So, if there’s result now, it’s because my colleagues, members of our party have resolved to want to work with us, to work together, so the credit should go to them not me, because the last time I contested, I did the same thing. I went round.

But when people were not convinced that we should work together, there were still some crises but today, I thank God Almighty. It’s not me, the Glory goes to God and I want to thank my colleagues, who were the co-aspirants then.

All of us in the party believe that the party must come together. That’s where we are now. Everybody believed, saying, let’s all come together. Let’s work together. And I believe that we have every reason to work together – we cannot lose Ondo State; it’s not possible. We cannot.

Looking back, are there mistakes that were made and you felt shouldn’t have been, and that going forward, this is what we are going to do, having learnt your lessons?

Oh, there were; there must be. But, when you talk about mistakes that were made, there must be. There were mistakes.

Mistakes made from all sides?

From both sides – from all sides, it cannot be only for the governor’s sides. With all respect to my colleague in the party, I have always been open, that’s my own belief. It might be that people don’t believe that you are open enough. But you see, when we ran the primaries then, the party almost bifurcated and some people moved to another party.

There’s no way we won’t have such crises. But this time around, we have had primaries and all of us have put the primaries behind us. As it is supposed to be that, when the dust of primaries settles, all of us will come together to work for APC. And I want to thank all of them, that all of us have now agreed that we will come together and work for our party, because we cannot afford; our part cannot afford to lose this election.

But, one man has remained difficult for you work with and that’s your former deputy. What really was the problem?

Well, he will be in a better position to answer that question on why he had to leave, not me. But if what we have seen happen over the time he left is any reason to go by, I assume that his problem is ambition and he is entitled to it.

That is why he left from here went to PDP, where he didn’t stay more than two to three weeks, left from there, he’s gone to ZLP. I am sure by the time he suffers that great loss in ZLP, he will now be moving to another party to be able to contest in another election. So, I don’t see anything that we have done; we have not wronged him and I believe so and I can say so.

Is that what you think?

We have not wrong him, but he is right to be ambitious. It’s good. What over ambition can cause you is this, and that is his case. He will face it. But it’s better for him to answer why he left.

Still on the former deputy governor, at what point did you start to notice the crack between both of you, and how were you able to carry on with governance, when you had a deputy you were not in good terms?

Well, I never knew that we were not in good terms.

You never knew? How? I never knew. I am a plain person.

You didn’t get security report in that regard or what?

I didn’t, and even if they had given me, I probably would not believe it, because I felt I had somebody that I expected to work with me; to be loyal to the ticket, but at the point, what I got to know later was that even from the day he became the deputy governor, he had been planning. So, there’s nothing

you can do – you can’t stop those people with ambitions. One of the most difficult positions to occupy in life is to be deputy.

Why did you say that?

I am telling you now. You see, it’s difficult, because it could be tempting except you have the grace of God. If you were somebody that did not really believe in God, you don’t serve God, you would not be at peace. There would be other things that would push you and they would push you to make mistakes. So, for me, why I believe it’s difficult, in that since we came in, people have been complaining.

I discountenance it. I didn’t even listen to them. And I let him know and he would be there and he would tell me, oh, don’t worry sir and I will say, look, you will be the one to gain. At the end of the day, there’s that sort of problem you would have as a deputy. Not every deputy will be like Philip Shuaib, who felt that look, this is a ticket and he stood in it.

But this is somebody (you can ask all the governors, deputy governors), I gave him all the opportunities and he himself, to my colleagues, when he sees them would say, “help me thank my oga o, he has done so well to me”. But with the issue of ambition, there is nothing anybody can do.

Many thought that former Governor Mimiko was your friend, but how do you feel that a man you call friend is not supporting you?

No, I do not. I really don’t feel bad, seriously, because what is there is simple: you need to see my friends’ path in life and in politics. You need to look at the path he’s followed. If you expect him to change, then, you are the one that’s a fool.

How do you mean?

I will tell you. Look, I didn’t expect Mimiko to do otherwise.

He cannot do otherwise. He worked with Adefarati; he betrayed him and left. He worked, thereafter, with Agagu; he betrayed him and left. Right? So, his case as some has said, people tried to describe it and I hope people would follow.

It’s like that of a scorpion and a toad and both of them were at the bank of the river and storm was coming and the scorpion said to the toad, ‘you know I cannot swim, why don’t you take me across and the toad said to him, I know if I take you, I know you will sting me. The scorpion said, I am begging you, don’t let me die. I will never sting you. By the time he took him, before he got to the bank...’

Did you know this of him all the while you were friends?

I knew that of him. That’s why I am saying he can never change. So, by time the scorpion knew he could go on his own, he stung the toad. And the toad now said, but you said, ‘you won’t sting me. He said, ‘please now forgive me. It’s in my character’. So, I will forgive him; it’s in his character. Who am I to now worry about such a man?

Mimiko is considered a formidable grassroots politician.

Do you think you can withstand his force in the election?

Let’s us talk something serious. Mimiko has no force anywhere. I am saying it in the open, plain to him. He is no force. If he were to be a force, he wouldn’t run to be senator and lose all the local government except one. Six local governments he could not win. He came third and they say he is a force. Which force? He is a spent force.

His own is that he has no structure. He has a vehicle that has no engine and he now got a willing buyer and that one has bought that vehicle and he cannot move. They cannot move!

We are not boasting. Mimiko has no structure. He is not a grassrooter anywhere. Maybe if I say this to him to encourage

him to say pray more. Let him come...

But he said he has a lot of things to say.

We know, that’s what I am saying. Let him say it – say everything he wants to say. In 2019, he lost his senatorial election; he came third.

Back to you, your election is around the corner and you have the PDP, the ZLP and other political parties to deal with. Can you tell your people again what you have for them in the next dispensation?

Well, what I want to say to the people of Ondo State is very simple: you have seen me in the last three and a half years.

You can feel the impact of our service. It’s there for you to see and people say even if you’re blind you can feel it, because when you’re driving and it’s smooth you would ask, why is this place this smooth. It’s because Akeredolu has improved on those infrastructure.

And if it’s deafness, you cannot hear, you can see it with your eyes. So, I want to tell our people that it’s been a wonderful time serving them and I take delight in doing what I am doing. In being straight with them, in being honest with them and in serving them, and if I had the opportunity of another term, which I am begging them to give us. We’ve gone all out to campaign, begging them to give us another term.

They should be assured that we would do more than what we have done in this first term, because we are now more sure-voted. We now have the experience. We already have plans for the next 4 years. We have things that are in the office; we have things that we have not completed and the only way we can complete it is through continuity.

So that the state will not fall prey to another governor, who would take over and abandon a whole University for 8 years.

They should know that these things can happen, so, continuity is important. Continuity, not only for Akeredolu, but continuity for a progressive party like APC is important.

Talking about the APC, your party is so challenged that you recently removed your former national chairman and rumour has it that you were part of the forces that worked against him. Is that true?

Worked against him, how?

I mean to get him out of office.

The only force I belong to is a force that believes in APC. That’s all What does that mean?

What I mean is that APC must survive, so, whatever it takes us, whatever it takes the APC members to ensure the survival of the party, I am part of it and I support it.

Even if it means somebody has to go, you still will support it?

No, what I am saying is this, it is clear to all of us when you talk about the issue of survival, when you talk about the interest of a party, whether we like it or not, you cannot make an omelet without breaking an egg. There are people who would make sacrifices. So if there are people to make sacrifices, so be it.

But I am saying to you that there’s no way I will sit to plot to say anybody should go. What I am saying is that what is happening in the party will continue as we have one chairman today, another chairman tomorrow, acting chairman this day. Is that how we will continue to run the party? And I believe that Mr. President and others took a right decision to say let us save this party from ruins.

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CICERO/TRIBUTE

For Gallant Col. Bako, the War Ends As the harvest of death of top-echelon officers and foot-soldiers of the nation’s armed services spawned by the long drawn bloody insurgency of Boko Haram terrorists continues, a new engagement roadmap is imperative, writes Louis Achi

W

ith a sage insight born from extended observation of the human story, Plato, the Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece held that, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” For Nigeria Army’s Col. Dahiru Chiroma Bako, Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Damboa, this grim discernment holds true.

On a somber Tuesday, at the Maimalari Military Cemetery in Maiduguri, Borno State ranged the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Army Chief Imam, Col. Usman Musa, other top government functionaries and senior military officers.

The atmosphere was not celebratory. The business on hand was burial of the slain Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Damboa, Col. Dahiru Chiroma Bako.

He was buried with full military honour, including the 21-gun salute, with the funeral oration read out by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

In his tribute to the gallant officer, he acknowledged that late Bako played a critical role in the counterinsurgency operations of the country. The COAS also presented a flag to the next of kin of the deceased in line with military tradition.

Seventy-two hours earlier, last Sunday morning, according Ado Isa, the spokesman of the Nigeria Army’s Operation Lafiya Dole, the late Col. Bako had led a patrol to clear Boko Haram terrorists from Sabon Gari-Wajiroko axis near Damboa, when his patrol team entered an ambush.

The troops cleared the ambush resulting to the killing of scores of terrorists and recovery of weapons and equipment. Bako was wounded in action and immediately evacuated by the Air Task Force Operation Lafiya Dole, to the 7 Division Hospital at Maimalari Cantonment.

He was reportedly recuperating well after a successful operation at the hospital before suddenly passing on in the early hours of Monday.

A clear consensus that the late Col. Bako was a gallant and dogged military officer, under whose watch Damboa was never defeated, speaks to his courage in the face of danger. According to the COAS, the slain commander was humble and committed in discharging his duty and was part of the success recorded in degrading Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State.

“He has been one of the greatest in trying to stabilize not only Borno but even the neighbouring Yobe State. We will remember his contributions forever. May almighty Allah reward him, and forgive him,” the pained COAS further stated.

Successive targeted attacks on field commanders are becoming a worrying feature of the anti-insurgency warfare.

It could be recalled that a former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, survived an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road in on January 7, this year.

Adeniyi was reportedly on his way back to Maiduguri, Borno State, after a visit to troops recently deployed to Jakana to protect lives and property, when the attack happened.

The incident occurred few kilometres away from Jakana in Konduga Local Government Area of the state. According to a source, “As we were coming back to Maiduguri after we left Jakana, suddenly we started hearing gunshots all over the place and before we realised what was happening, they had bombarded us with heavy fire from a different angle.

“Fortunately, we fought through our way and repelled the insurgents but the theatre commandant’s vehicle was badly damaged.”

Recurring narratives like this tend to suggest that the insurgents enjoy superior actionable intelligence gathering, which often aids their surprising bloody depredations against high value military personnel.

The key emerging poser flowing from repeated audacious attacks on battlefield military personnel is what is the place of technology, especially drones, in efforts of the Nigerian military to conclusively resolve this terrorist impunity?

This reporter had posed this question directly to the COAS in December 2018, while he fielded questions at a dinner and media interactive session organised for editors and defence correspondents in Maiduguri.

Lt-General Buratai had disclosed that the Nigerian Army had evolved new technologies and application of

Col. Bako drones in the campaign against Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast theatre. Buratai further conceded that applications of drones and new technologies were critical in modern warfare to ensure successful implementation of the counter insurgency campaign.

He disclosed that the army had utilised drones in surveillance and research, adding that the process was effective in execution of its operations against the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents.

His words: “Now, even the uniform is technologybased, it will be tagged wherever you are; it sends signal when you are in danger, and these issues are very important. Technology is playing important role in warfare and we are not left out; we have in place a transformation and innovation department.

“The department is working on research and developments not only on basic equipment but equally more scientific and technological facilities to enable us to carry out our operations. We are also working on deployment of drones, the Nigerian Air Force has been deploying drones in our operations in the northeast and they are deploying more, it has been very effective in this opera-

tion. “For surveillance, local drones are deployed and when new ones are also deployed, it will be effective and useful in the operation”.

With the continuing loss of servicemen to the terrorists’ apparent deadly outflanking maneuvers backed by specific field intel, the advances and exploitation of technology described by Buratai becomes hazy. These need to be quickly domesticated.

A drone sweep of the battlefield environment ahead of late Col. Bako’s foray last Sunday would most probably have disclosed an ambush and ultimately saved lives and loss of limbs.

It could be readily recalled that former President Barack Obama’s reliance on both offensive and surveillance drone operations significantly reduced casualties in the US operations against terrorist entities across the globe.

As Boko Haram and its terror associates scale up their capacity to kill, maim and kidnap at will, the nation’s military services certainly need a new engagement road map – traversing strategy, technology, equipment, funding, leadership and service morale.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ EPTEMBER 27, 2020

INTERNATIONAL Impact of International Relations on National Security and Development: The Challenge of Covid-19 World Order

T

he Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS) held its second edition of its Webinar Series on Thursday, 24th September, 2020 from 11am to 1pm Nigerian time. The theme was ‘The Impact of International Relations and Diplomacy in Promoting National Security and Development.’

It was moderated by Richard Ali, lawyer, writer and Programme Manager of the Association of Nigerian Authors Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.

The Webinar was quite important and very thought-provoking for various reasons.

First, the Webinar was organised against the background of the 2018 Brookings Institute’s recognition of Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world. In the eyes of the ACSS, ‘in spite of the obvious potential to transform into one of twenty strongest economies in the world as projected in her 20-2020 vision, Nigeria’s human development indices remain very weak.’ How should these weak indices be addressed or enhanced? This is one major rationale for the webinar.

Second, it was organised as a solution-finding to the deepening situation of insecurity in the country: quests for self-determination, Boko Haramism, ISWAP, banditry, transnational organised crimes, kidnapping, farmers-herdsmen conflict, etc. As explained by the ACSS, ‘the various strategies deployed so far to resolve this hydra-headed problem have not yet yielded sustainable results.’ If this is so, what should be done what is the alternative approach to the myriad of problems? The Webinar has one of its raison d’être in the quest for solutions.

Third is the nexus between the subject to be discussed and the speaker. It was made clear that the speakers were not only speaking on the basis of their professional expertise, but mostly from their experiential knowledge. For instance, the first speaker, Rear Admiral (rtd) Jimi Osinowo, served for 38 years in the Armed Forces of Nigeria before he retired. He was part of the United Nations Peace-keeping Mission to the former Yugoslavia. Apart from that, he was not only involved in the development of the African Union Integrated Maritime Strategy and Implementation of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, but was also Flag Officer Commanding Naval Training Command and has been decorated by the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the United Nations and the United States President. Thus, he was eminently qualified to speak on regional security and insecurity.

In the same vein, the second speaker was Zainab Ali Kotoko, a French translator, interpreter and Foreign Service Officer for more than two decades, who has served as Personal Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Special Assistant to the First Lady, as well as served as Director of Protocol to the President of Nigeria. She is currently the Executive Secretary of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), which is part of the African Union Peace and Security architecture.

Her paper was on ‘The Impact of Communication Revolution and Public Opinion on International Relations and Diplomacy.’

Fourth, and perhaps more importantly, the Webinar wants the use of international relations to address domestic problems and this is quite interesting.

Diplomacy as Means of Solution

The conventional belief is that a country cannot operate efficiently, impact on international relations if the domestic setting is not constructively put in order. From the perspective of the ACSS, nothing prevents the use of the international environment to impact on the national environment, especially in terms of ensuring national security. The ACSS explains this point thus: ‘given the centrality of security in International Relations and Diplomacy, on one hand, and the impact of security on development on another, this Webinar ... focus(es) on interrogating Nigeria’s management of her regional, continental and international influence to restore security in the country, as well as mobilize resources towards economic and social development.’

Put differently, to what extent has the conduct and management of Nigeria’s foreign policy and relations impacted on the restoration of security and socio-economic development? Has Government made good efforts to mobilise resources towards ensuring national security and socio-economic development? Can

VIE INTERNATIONALE

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Buhari the Government of Nigeria truly take advantage of international relations, translate it into an instrument of national security and development? Whatever is the case, the ultimate objective of the Webinar is not only to highlight and sharpen the understanding of international relations and diplomacy, as a tool of possible development, but also to use it as an instrument for enhancing national security and development.

Consequently, this objective of the Webinar necessarily raises Professor Ibrahim Gambari’s theory of Foreign Policy Concentric Circles and Ambassador Olu Adeniji’s own theory of Constructive and Beneficial Concentricism. Professor Gambari argued that Nigeria’s foreign policy should be executed on the basis of prioritised concentric circles. In this regard, Nigeria and the immediate neighbours, because Nigeria’s interests are considered intertwined with those of the contiguous neighbours, should constitute the innermost circle. It is the first and most important circle. The West African region is second, while the rest of Africa is third, and the global community or the whole world is the fourth in terms of priority.

Ambassador Olu Adeniji agrees with this classification of foreign policy operational areas but opined that what is more important is not the classification in itself, but the articulation of the national interest at stake in each concentric circle and that has to be pursued. Consequently, Ambassador Adeniji argued that the pursuit of foreign policy must be constructive in design and beneficial in outcome to all Nigerians. Has this been so? If it has not, why has it not been so? Let us espy the situation at the level of the challenges to national security and development.

As noted above, Rear Admiral Osinowo provided an ‘Assessment of the Impact of Regional and Continental Engagements on National Security and Development which served as a prolegomena to the other two papers by Madam Zainab Ali Kotoko and Professor Bola A. Akinterinwa. Rear Admiral Osinowo underscored the security and development challenges within the context of Nigeria’s role in the ECOWAS region, African Union, and African Development Bank. He raised a number of issues and

also identified a number of challenges to be addressed.

For instance, he not only gave an overview of Nigeria’s security and development interests, but also discussed some critical issues relating to the frailty of corporate governance, democratic governance and funding of security and development. Under the frailty of corporate governance, he raised the issue of the need for continuity of programmes and policies.

Without doubt, governments come in and go away but there is always the problem of communication gap between the outgoing and the incoming government. New government is hardly inspired by what had been done by its immediate past predecessor. In this regard, he also raised the questions of limited profiling capacity and poor institutional memory. And true, why would there be any institutional memory when there is no culture of record keeping and ensuring changes in continuity? There can be changes of government but there must be sustainability of policies.

Rear Admiral (rtd) Osinowo noted under democratic governance the issue of growth versus sustenance by reminding that in 1920, Nigeria’s population was only 17 million, about 206 million in 2020, and expectedly, 444 million by 2050. It is useful to ask here the extent to which President Muhammadu Buhari’s (PMB) Agenda 2025 will be looking at this demographic challenge.

And perhaps more interestingly, Rear Admiral Osinowo noted under his analysis of the cost of security and development that the ratio of security personnel to the population was 1.1 to 1000; that the military industrial complex was poor; and that the cost of maritime security was $10 pbl, thus raising the question of sustainability and the need for urgent strategic push.

In looking forward to betters days to come, he advocates a think tank mechanism, and review of the Diaspora policy and implementation. As he put it, ‘Nigeria’s impact in the regional and continental arena exists and disappears with relative quality of economic, demographic and military capabilities.’’ And more significantly, he has it that ‘in a futuristic sense, Nigeria’s foreign engagements and perception would be steered largely by activities of the informal Diaspora, spurred by economic emigration across the region and the continent.’ Nigeria therefore ‘needs to match internal interrogatory capacity with foreign posture.’ This point underscores the importance of the international environment in the quest to objectively address domestic questions. Zainab Kotoko gave further impetus to this submission by looking at the impact of the Communication Revolution.

According to her, the Communication Revolution has changed international relations in the area of media of information, especially in light of the limitless platforms offered by the internet. Madam Kotoko noted a shift in the conduct of International Relations at two levels. As she put it, ‘it has led to the generation of new types of diplomacy, namely, public, people and virtual diplomacy. These have subsequently led to shift of emphasis from power politics to image politics. This effect can be summed up in John Kennedy’s words, when he said a videotape is more potent than ten thousand words.’

Asecond shift in the conduct of International Relations is that Communication Revolution ‘has led to the elevation of the individual’s voice in the public space, thereby making it increasingly possible for citizens to engage in a field that has since time immemorial been a preserve of foreign policy experts. In this regard, citizens’ opinions have become major constraints in the conduct of International Relations and Diplomacy.’’

Kotoko explicated in many ways how the communication revolution has impacted on Nigeria: the beaming to the world of the 2008 and 2019 xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, media reports of mistreatment of Nigerians in Ghana and in China, as well as a video on stranded Nigerians in Dubai that went viral.

In the strong belief that ‘in today’s world with advanced information technology, the general public is unquestionably better informed on matters concerning both domestic and foreign affairs, shaping their opinions in the process,’ Kotoko affirms in conclusion that evolution of ICT cannot but continue ‘to influence how humans interact and also how States conduct their affairs.

As such, our thoughts, ideas and mind set will also be affected.

Consequently, Government’s strategic planners must pay attention to communication revolution and public opinion.

But how do we situate such a strategic planning in the context of the post-COVID-19 World Order? This now brings us to the third paper on ‘Nigeria’s Role in Shaping the Emerging Post-COVID-19 World Order’ by Professor Bola Akinterinwa.

The way politics is played in Nigeria does not allow for international respect, and therefore makes any role playing in defence of Africa quite difficult.A candidate presented to the public as a thief in 2016 became an angel in 2020 and contested in a gubernatorial election.A public servant Shaping the Post-COVID World Order Professor Akinterinwa observed that there is uncertainty about suspended and found guilty is given a letter of appreciation by the Federal Government for his when the COVID era, including the COVID that began in 2002, the services.These developments necessarily subject Nigeria’s Foreign Service Officers to ridicule SevereAcute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (SARS-CoV) when called upon to defend their country. Boko haramism and other threats to national unity and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), will and economic setbacks cannot also be helpful to any role playing. More importantly, institutional come to an end, as they are yet to be completely done away with. corruption, violations of human rights, disrespect for the rule of law are not helpful to any role In fact, COVID-19 is still subject of intensive research and no one currently in the position to know when there will be cure for it, playing.When all these issues are sorted out, Nigeria will be eligible and able to provide leadership is in spite of the efforts to quickly develop vaccines. The implication by example in Africa. Besides, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi’s Consultation Doctrine and idea of is that the discussion of Nigeria’s role in any post-COVID era or Concert of Medium Powers, coupled with the application of the principle of reciprocity, should World Order can only be done on the basis of a specific starting be revisited as they constitute instruments of acquisition of national greatness and respect. And period, conjectural methodology, and on the basis of predictable as noted by the ACSS Vice President, Mrs. Florence Iheme, in her vote of thanks, there is the routine events. need to look at how current global developments will impact on Nigeria (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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NEWS

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Tinubu: Without True Federalism, Nigeria’s Unity Will Constantly Be Shaken Says true federalism path to true nationhood Commends Fasoranti’s contribution to nation-building

Gboyega Akinsanmi The National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu has said without true federalism being implemented in Nigeria, the country’s unity will constantly be shaken.

Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State, noted that the implementation of true federalism in the country “is the path to true nationhood.”

He canvassed this position at the public presentation of Afenifere Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti’s autobiography,

My Life, My Legacy and the unveiling of his pet project at the weekend in Akure, the capital of Ondo State.

At the book presentation are former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Ekiti State

Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu; former Kwara State Governor, Senator Cornelius Adebayo, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, among others.

Tinubu, who was represented

by Osun State Governor, Gboyega

IN SOLIDARITY WITH ABIRU . . .

L-R: Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for Lagos East bye-election, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru during a solidarity visit to Abiru’s country home, Ibeshe, Ikorodu… yesterday

Oyetola at the book presentation, said he was committed to the implementation of “true federalism” in Nigeria, describing himself as a “die-hard advocate” of the democratic ideal.

Tinubu lauded Pa Fasoranti’s leadership role in the clamour for true federalism, fiscal federalism and the separation of powers vis-à-vis federal and state relations as being inspirational and exemplary.

He said: “Indeed, some of us have been and remain die-hard advocates of true federalism. We have striven in and out of public office for its implementation as a sine-qua-non for a peaceful, progressive, and united Nigeria.”

“The Afenifere leader “effectively” contributed to and enriched the discourse on regional integration, nationbuilding, and good governance.

Fasoranti advocated for a pure federal principle as the basis for peaceful co-existence in an “indivisible and united” Nigeria.

“On this score, I remain unshakable in my commitment to the idea and ideals of true federalism without which our nation’s unity would constantly be shaken.”

Harping on the need for “true federalism” even though his political party controls the national government, Tinubu said: “I enjoin us all to continue to hoist the flag of true federalism, which our founding fathers fought for in order to leave an enduring legacy for the future

generation of Nigerians.”

He added, “That is the path to true nationhood.” Tinubu extolled the virtues of Fasoranti, describing him as living a life dedicated to the unity and progress of the country.

Of Fasoranti, Tinubu said: “In May when Papa turned 94, in my special tribute, while congratulating Papa for the milestone, I commended him for his steadfastness and dedication to progressive and worthy causes and for his legacy of service to Nigeria and Yorubaland.

“Today’s twin event, the public presentation and formal launch of his autobiography and pet project, is a fitting testament to that legacy,” he said.

Tinubu further acknowledged that Fasoranti’s life had continued to serve as a moral guide to him and the political class.

He said: “We continue to celebrate him and his exemplary life. Indeed, what we celebrate about Papa is the success story of leadership by example, political consistency, total loyalty to the progressive cause, devotion to principle, integrity, courage of conviction and uncommon contentment.”

He noted that it was on record that Fasoranti “eminently and excellently” filled the vacuum left behind by past Yoruba, admitting that he laboured “tirelessly” to build bridges of unity, accommodation, understanding, reconciliation and harmony in Yorubaland.

Stop Humiliation of Female Practitioners in Courts, Lawyers Write Chief Judge Tobi Soniyi Three legal practitioners, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, Gloria Ballason and Abiodun Baiyewu have written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho to stop judges from humiliating female lawyers when they appear before them.

In their letter, which they copied the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the lawyers

said judges of the federal high courts often insist that a female legal practitioner indicate her gender after announcing their appearance in court.

They wrote: “It has come to our attention and we have independently verified that several judges of the federal high court in different places insist on asking female counsel appearing before them to indicate whether they are married or single.

“They require them to make a mandatory choice between the honorific titles ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Miss’ when they announce themselves in their courts.

“In some cases, female advocates, who balk at being treated in this way run into trouble with conducting their cases, suffer unacceptable bullying from the court or jeering and sniggering from the bar and the court gallery and generally get

NAF Convicts Four Officers For Mismanaging 41 Million The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday disclosed that four executive members of the 151 Base Services Group (151 BSG) Multipurpose Cooperative Society, were awarded various sentences over misappropriation of funds in Benue.

The conviction was revealed in a statement NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola issued yesterday.

The statement listed the convicts to include Flight Lieutenant Sherifi Olawoore, Flying Officer Ademola Adekoya, Master Warrant Officer Michael Oyebanji and Warrant Officer Paul Atteh.

It added that the convicts faced before a General Court

Martial (GCM), sitting at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, Makurdi, were arraigned for criminal misappropriation of over N41,000,000.00, amongst other offences.

According to the statement, the personnel were sentenced based on their levels of involvement.

Delivering his judgment, the President of the GCM, Air Commodore Nazib Aliyu pronounced the four accused persons guilty of various charges.

Olawoore was tried for negligently performing his duty as the President of the Cooperative, found guilty, and awarded six months loss of seniority.

In the same vein, Adekoya was tried for negligently performing his duty as Secretary of the Cooperative. He was found guilty and awarded a year loss of seniority.

Oyebanji, who was the Vice President of the Cooperative, was tried on a 46 count charge, including; criminal breach of trust, theft, criminal conspiracy, criminal misappropriation, making of false documents, and conduct to the prejudice of service discipline, contrary to Sections 114 and 103 (d) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Sections 312, 287, 96 and 309 of the Penal Code Cap P3 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

subjected to indignities entirely unrelated to their abilities or the merits of their advocacy and cases.

“We note that men, who appear in the court, are not at risk of suffering a similar fate,” the letter said.

The lawyers argued that this treatment had no basis in the rules or the laws applicable to proceedings before the federal high

court.

According to the letter, treating female lawyers in this manner is inconsistent with the right to personal dignity guaranteed by section 34(1) of the 1999 constitution as amended.

They also cited section 42(1) of the constitution, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. They consequently called on the CJ to put an end to

this ugly practice of maltreating female lawyers.

The letter said: “Sadly, the treatment of female counsel by these judges of the federal high court violates high constitutional principles, in addition to basic courtesies.

“We are pained that this is coming from a superior court of record that should be at the forefront of the defence of these principles”, the letter said.

Rivers Directs Schools, Parks, Restaurants to Resume Services Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Rivers State Government has approved the reopening of schools in the State with effect from October 5.

The state government took the decision at an emergency session presided over by the state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike Friday at Government House, Port Harcourt.

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, The Commissioner for Education, Prof.

Kaniye Ebeku said the directive affected all secondary schools, vocational schools, universities and other tertiary institutions.

He, however, noted that the

state government did not approve the reopening of primary schools based on expert medical advice.

Ebeku added that the state government also approved the setting up of a seven-man taskforce to monitor and enforce the compliance of COVID-19 protocols in the various schools.

The taskforce, according to him, has the Administrator of Greater Port Harcourt, Mr. Desmond Akawor, as Chairman while the Head of the State Civil Service, Mr. Rufus Godwins; Commissioner for Health, Prof.

Princewill Chike; Commissioner for Social Welfare, Mrs. Inime Aguma; Commissioner for Commerce and Industry,

Mrs. Ifeyinwa Nwankpa and Commissioner for Information & Communications, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim; are to serve as members.

The commissioner disclosed that he was the secretary of the taskforce Also speaking, Nsirim announced the reopening of public places such as parks, cinemas and restaurants that would operate within the hours of 6am to 9pm daily.

Nsirim stated that night clubs and bars as well as Oil Mill Market and Slaughter Market, Oginigba remain closed.

He said that all the reopened public places must however adhere strictly to the COVID-19 protocols or face severe sanc-

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NEWSXTRA INEC, Security Agencies under Pressure to Compromise Ondo Election, Wike Alleges 8UJHV 2QGR SHRSOH WR UHVSRQG WR XQIXOÀOOHG SURPLVHV $V -HJHGH ODPHQWV GHSORUDEOH URDGV LQ 2QGR FRPPXQLWLHV Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt and James Sowole in Akure Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike yesterday alleged that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies had been under undue pressure to compromise the Ondo State governorship election scheduled to hold on October 10.

Likewise, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the Ondo State Governorship Election, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) lamented the deplorable state of most roads in the state, saying it was a reflection of bad governance.

In separate fora yesterday, Wike and Jegede expressed grave concerns respectively about the plan to compromise the next Ondo governorship election and the failure of the Rotimi Akeredolu administration to provide roads

for communities in Ondo South.

In a live television programme in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike claimed that the APC national leaders “are not happy that they lost Edo to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

Consequently, Wike alleged that the APC national leaders “will do everything possible not to lose Ondo State. Having lost Edo State, everything will be done not to lose Ondo State because they know that will mean the end of APC. “It is such pressure that is on INEC and the security agencies now that may lead to their compromising. I fear that INEC and the security agencies may succumb.

“But I pray they resist it and continue to defend democracy.

In Ondo State, the will of the people are against the APC and incumbency will not work,” the Rivers governor claimed.

He said the Edo State election

was adjudged as credible because the process was not tampered with and the result reflected the will of the people.

According to him, it is the first time everybody, including the civil society groups, agreed that everything went on well. The security agencies did not allow thugs to overrun the polling units during the election.

He noted that the PDP cam-

paigned from ward to ward and the people resolved to stop Adams Oshiomhole from taking them for granted.

He said: “If what was witnessed in Edo State continues, then there is hope for healthy democratic practice in Nigeria.”

The governor lamented the “impunity” exhibited by the Inspector General of Police

who ordered him to leave Edo State while his Imo and Kano counterparts were not harassed.

Wike explained that the inspector general’s role was premeditated because the Rivers State Government is challenging the deduction of its revenue by the Federal Government for the Police Trust Fund.

The governor described governors as Chief Logistics

Officers and not Chief Security Officers, saying they did not have control over security in their states because their security aides could be withdrawn at will.

During his campaign tour of communities in Odigbo Local Government area yesterday, Jegede said he had traversed virtually all communities in the state and noticed that they suffered neglect in terms of road network.

Court Stops Igbo New Yam Festival in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano A High Court in Kano State presided by Justice Farouk Lawan Adamu has stopped Igbo indigenes in the state from celebration the New Yam Festival (Iwaji 2020) scheduled to hold today.

In Suit No: K/322/2020, the court also restrained one Ikechukwu Oliver Akpudo from organising, assembling people and celebrating any festival that had to do with Igbos living in Kano.

The court directed the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Habu Sani, to ensure Akpudo, other Igbos and the general public comply with the court order.

It ruled that order of interim injunction “is hereby retraining the defendant (Akpudo), whether by himself, through any of his agents, servants, successors or privies, from presiding over, supervising, convening, assembling, summoning, celebrating, organising and partaking in a New Yam Festival (Iwaji Festival 2020) scheduled to hold on Sunday, September 27.”

The court further stopped Akpudo from carrying out any event or other occasions whatsoever pertaining to Igbos in Kano State, pending hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed by Igwe Boniface. The court fixed October 7 for hearing.

The Igbo traditional ruler in Kano, Dr. Boniface Ibekwe Ide I, Ezedioranma IV, hailed the court’s verdict. The Igbo community in Kano also backed the court’s decision.

Boniface, who is also the President General of Igbo Traditional Rulers in the Diaspora, told reporters that the said Akpudo has been parading himself as the Igwe V of the Indigbo in Kano.

Boniface is also recognised by the Abdullahi Ganduje administration as the authentic traditional ruler of the Indigbo in Kano state.

He said the court had initially restrained him and asked him “to pay me N2 million, as damages, for disturbing me on the throne.

He has not paid the money, yet he went ahead to invite people for an Igbo New Yam Festival.

“He also wrote letters to prominent Igbo personalities promising to give them chieftaincy titles during his purported invent.

So, I and my cabinet members, as law abiding citizens, had to go to court to stop him.

“How can someone wakes up suddenly and begins to parade himself as my successor when I am still alive, still on the throne and performing my duties diligently as Eze Indigbo in Kano?” Boniface, who has been on the throne for 10 years, queried.

GOOD NIGHT..

L-R: Former Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, His Royal Highness Serena Dokubo-Spiff; eldest son; Mr. Gogo Karibi-Whyte; son-in-law, Chief Charles Uwemsuyi-Edosomwan and Chairman of the Abuja Inquirer, Dan Akpovwa during the commendation service for late Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte at St. Cyprain’s Anglican Church yesterday in Port Harcourt ...Friday

Lalong, Dalung at Loggerheads over $350m AfDB Loan Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Plateau State Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong and a former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung have been at each other’s throats over the mismanagement of $350m African Development Bank (AfDB) loan.

While Dalung accused the governor of squandering the fund on developing Plateau’s potato value chain, without anything on ground to show for it, Lalong described criticism of his administration as ill-advised and misconstrued.

Speaking at a webinar, Dalung revealed that as a serving minister in the first tenure of President Mohammadu Buhari, he was a member of the Federal Executive Council that approved the credit

facility.The former sports minister, however, lamented that no single value chain infrastructure development of potato can been seen or verified in the state.

He, also, lamented that the governor, other than completing the ongoing projects that his predecessor had initiated, had nothing to his name as an achievement.

He, therefore, wondered if Lalong’s administration was only meant to complete projects.

He accused Lalong of misleading the President Buhari to commission a flyover built by Governor Jonah Jang as his own project, describing it as disgusting.

In his response, Lalong described Dalung attack as unfortunate, noting that Dalung, as a Minister of Youth and Sports

ICAN Unvelis New Syllabus Obi Dissociates from 2023 Tobi Soniy The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has launched a new syllabus for its professional examinations.

A statement by ICAN’s Head, Corporate Communications, Mrs. Bunmi Owolabi said the new syllabus, which would take effect from March 2021, was developed in line with the institute’s resolve to continue to produce future-ready chartered accountants with skills and competences desired by the market.

ICAN President, Mrs. Onome Adewuyi FCA, who unveiled the new syllabus, said the revised syllabus captured subjects on emerging technologies that are disrupting the accounting

profession, such as BlockChain Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Internet of Things, among others.

She said new trends in the Nigerian environment such as the Finance Act 2019, which introduced new developments in the country’s tax system and the new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA 2020) also presented added impetus for the review.

She said: “A chartered accountant worth its salt is not just an expert in the technical aspect of the profession but should be furnished with soft skills including effective communication, integrity, accuracy and good professional judgment”.

between 2015 and 2019, achieved nothing.

Lalong, who in a statement by the Commissioner of Information, Mr. Dan Manjang, dismissed the claim that the state took a loan of $350 million.

He said, “Even though it is a fact that Plateau State benefited from loan facility from the African Development Bank, it is rather sad that someone, who claims to have been part of the approval of the facility does not know the amount of the loan.

“This has aptly put a lie to his desperate attempt to take glory for the transaction that he knows little to nothing about. It is on record that Dalung as then Minister “supposedly” representing

Plateau State in the FEC tried unsuccessfully to oppose the loan memo presented by the then Minister of Finance during the FEC Meeting.

“Having failed in his bid, he has not rested in his fruitless effort to discredit the program ever since by fabricating lies.

Does he want to drag the name of the Federal Executive Council, the highest executive decision making body in the land to disrepute?

“Contrary to the bogus and imaginary figures quoted by the former minister, the Loan amount signed between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Federal Ministry of Finance for the benefit of Plateau State is $11.2M and not $350Million as claimed by Dalung.

Campaing Posters

Foundation Partners Private School to Boost Education

The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 election, Mr. Peter Obi yesterday dissociated himself from 2023 campaign posters that featured his photograph with that of a former governor Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Kwakwanso.

In a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem yesterday, Obi noted that he had no knowledge about the Obi/ Kwakwanso posters being shared on various social media platforms.

Obi said: “I am not part of the poster being circulated. I was not even contacted and I do not know the group that made the poster.”

Obi had earlier tweeted:

A non-governmental organisation, Remy Shittu Foundation (RSF), has partnered the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools to boost education in Lagos State.

In a statement yesterday, the foundation said it partnered the body to distribute academic materials and cash to schools owners in the Isolo-Oshodi chapter of the association.

Quoted in the statement, the Chief Executive Officer, RSF, Mr. Remy Shittu said his exposure to politics in developed countries like the United States had positively impacted on his of leadership.

Shittu, also the Deputy Chair-

“I am not part of the poster being circulated” immediately his attention was drawn to the poster being circulated by the Equity Group, which advertised its National Coordinator as one Nonso Jonathan.

“The poster, which features the photos of Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabi’u Kwakwanso, has the following message: “For Equity & Fairness 2023 Peter Obi for President, Rabi’u Kwakwanso For Vice President.”

However, Obi in the statement by his Media Office said: “I was not even contacted and I do not know the group that made the poster.”

man, Lagos State Councillors’ Forum, said the partnership had led him to come up with the foundation aimed at helping the poor and most venerable in the society.

“This has led to this strong desire to impact his community, the younger generation and giving to the less privileged in the society.”

He explained that his quest to impact life at the grassroots and exemplary leadership coupled with quality representation of the people led him into active politics, adding that he chose to start at the grassroots level in order to be truly involved in the lives of his people thereby impacting his community.

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

NEWSXTRA MNJTF Rescues 12 Hostages from Terrorists’ Captivity Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has rescued 12 hostages from Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Also, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole under subsidiary Operation Hail Storm has launched air strikes, killing scores of fighters of terrorist group, Boko Haram and destroying many of their camps in Borno State.

In separate statements yesterday, MNJTF and ATF released details about the war on the insurgent of Boko Haram and ISWAP. The troops under MNJTF, a combined multinational formation

comprising units from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, ambushed the terrorist group on Thursday hence the subsequent rescue of the hostages.

This was revealed in a statement MNJTF’s Chief of Military Public Information, Col. Muhammad Dole issued yesterday, giving details about the rescued hostages.

The statement said: “Battle heat continues to exact pressure on the terrorists of ISWAP and Boko Haram along the fringes of Lake Chad Basin.

“Acting on credible information on the intended relocation of the insurgents to another location, the troops of Sector 2 (Chad), of MNJTF laid ambush against the insurgents at a vantage location near Barkalam.

“During the offensive opera-

tion, three canoes were capsized leading to the death and arrest of some terrorists, while others sustained various degree of injuries.”

After the encounter, the statement disclosed that 12 hostages were “successfully rescued from the captivity of Boko Haram and ISWAP. The rescued persons comprise of one male adult, three women and eight children.

“In line with its policy of safe transfer of surrendered insurgents and rescued hostages, the Headquarters, MNJTF used helicopter to facilitate their movement from Baga Sola to N’Djamena Chad,” the statement said.

While receiving the rescued persons at Air Force Base, the Chadian Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Lt.-Gen. Abakar Daoud reiterated the absolute commit-

ment and determination of the National and MNJTF forces to combat the menace of the terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin.

Daoud urged the troops to remain focus and resolute to rid off insurgency, so as to restore normal socioeconomic activities in the region.”

The statement said the rescued hostages were moved “to a military medical facility for further examinations and medication and thereafter reunite them with their families.”

Likewise, the air strike killed scores of fighters of terrorist group, Boko Haram and destroying many of their camps in Borno State.

In a similar attack, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke killed members of a militia group in Benue State, whose leader, Terwase Akwaza aka Gana, was

Ekiti Health Workers Begin 7-Day Warning Strike Monday Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Health workers under the auspices of the Ekiti State Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) will tomorrow begin a 7-day warning strike to put pressure on the state government to pay their outstanding benefits.

The notice was contained in a letter dated September 25 and addressed to the Chief Medical Director of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Kayode Olabanji.

The letter, which was signed by Chairmen of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Mr. Monde C.K, and Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Com Farotimi O.O. Other signatories are Chairmen of Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Mr. Olaiya A.M. and Senior Staff Association (SSA), Com. Arigbede T.

JOHESU’s directive coincides with the proposed nationwide strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to protest against the increase in petrol pump price and electricity tariff.

But in its letter on Friday, JOHESU said members were being owed 14 months unremmited cooperative deductions, among other benefits attached to promotions without verifiable evidence of government’s commitment to pay in due course.

The letter read in part: “With reference to our letter dated August 28 and September 18 with the following agitations: 14 months unremmited deductions, promotion letters and its financial implementation, conversion/ advancement and 2020 promotion exercise for our members, we write to inform you of our intention to proceed on a 7- day warning strike.

Obaseki: We’ll Invest in Tourism to Drive Post Covid-19 Recovery

NIGERIA @60. . .

L-R: Chief Diaspora Officer, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Dr. Ayo Akinribido; the author of Nigeria@60: Foremost Nigerians in the Last 60 Years, Mr. Lanre Alfred and Publisher, Glam and Essence International, Mrs Eyo Honesty at the public presentation the book dedicated to Nigeria’s second richest man, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr... recently

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured the people of the state that his administration would invest in the tourism sector of the economy to attract local and international investors as part of the initiatives to drive post-coronavirus economic recovery.

Obaseki gave the assurances on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, celebrated on September 27, each year.

According to the governor, “We are determined in repositioning the state’s tourism sector with its huge potential to drive the post COVID-19 economic recovery.

“The state government is collaborating with the Benin Dialogue Group, the Benin Royal Court, top Museums in Europe, among other stakeholders in fine-tuning plans to raise $100 million for the iconic Benin Royal Museum, a project being developed to hold restituted Benin artifacts.

Obaseki explained that, “The $100 million for the project will be

expended in building a world class museum and urban regeneration work to reclaim the Benin Moat, which will provide gainful means of employment for youth and women.”

He, however, added that the project would consolidate the efforts being made by the state government and other stakeholders in calling for restitution of Benin artifacts.

Speaking on theme, “Tourism and Rural Development”, Obaseki said, “Our plans to reclaim the moat, which is our heritage as well as other sites will open more rural areas to tourists as the plan includes building a walkway, which will take tourists round the moat to see how deep it is and walk to all the landmarks in the city.

“This will also encourage tourists to visit Ibiwe, Igbesanmwan and other places and by so doing, contribute to the growth of the economy.”

Ighodalo Identifies Core Areas to Transform Agric Sector in Africa

Attempt to Take over Our Business Fraudulent, Health Plus Alleges

Purple Group Unveils New Identity for Maryland Mall

Chairman, Board of Directors of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, has identified five core areas that should be articulated in the quest to transform the agricultural sector in Nigeria and on the African continent.

He identified the areas at the virtual Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) organised by the bank under a theme, Fast Forward Agriculture: Exploiting the Next Revolution.

According to him, to be able to effectively transform the agricultural sector, feed the continent’s growing population, boost her economies, create massive employment for millions of its young and not so young people as well as absorb the shocks of the on-going pandemic, the involvement of key stakeholders across public and private sectors in developing the right policies to aid the growth of the agribusiness value chain must increase.

Ighodalo urged the governments in sub-Saharan African economies to optimise the agricultural sector to attract sizeable investments that will help to drive expansion and achieve global competitiveness as well as increase financing to key points of the value chain,

Health Plus, a pharmaceutical company, has accused Alta Semper Capital, a foreign private equity firm (PEF), of a fraudulent attempt to take over its business.

In a statement yesterday, Health Plus dismissed the appointment of Chidi Okoro as Chief Transformation Officer and the claim that Olubukunola George, Chief Executive Officer, remains a director and shareholder Health Plus stated that it entered into a five-year partnership with Alta Semper Capital in 2018 to inject fresh capital to further grow the business.

George, the statement stated, was prepared to give PEF a controlling stake in order to realise their investment.

However, it added, PEF started working of schemes aimed at taking over the business after seeing the vastness of the Nigerian market.

PEF, according to Health Plus, deliberately starved the company of funds, neglected its obligations to the business, appointed Okoro as CTO and was running the company in utter disregard for George’s wishes.

The Purple Group has announced change of the name of Maryland Mall to Purple Maryland.

The firm, in a statement yesterday, said the new identity of the mixed-use mall would celebrate Purple Independence tapping into the general ‘green’ independence culture surrounding the independence the “Purple Way”.

The statement said Purple Maryland “is a retail subsidiary of Purple Group. Purple constantly aims at creating affordable lifestyle experiences for its consumers through principal investments in superior mixed-use facilities and services.

“Maryland Mall, which celebrated its fourth anniversary recently, is among the leading neighbourhood retail and entertainment centre in Lagos.

“The mall plays host to a mix of local and international brands including Shoprite, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Uber, Workstation, Medplus, Miniso, PEP amongst retail, hospitality and entertainment brands.

“It is a redevelopment of

particularly small holder farmers, to modernize their practices and increase outputs.

He stressed the need to focus on the role and impact of technology and data science in stimulating innovation in the value chain and the need to understand the changing regional climate cycles, its impact on productivity and identifying necessary adjustments to deliver growth despite these climate changes.

Also speaking, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, said the governments could only help to kick start the revolution while it is the responsibility of private sector players to come together to make a success of it.

He said the government has put in place the processes, finances and researches to start the revolution in the agricultural sector and it is now about commercializing it and making it possible for the individuals and businesses to benefit from it.

Suleiman said Sterling Bank “has been hosting the Agriculture Summit for three consecutive years and every year had been better than the previous one.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors was said to have resigned two days ago while another director resigned five weeks ago over the debilitating effect of the impasse on the company.

The statement said George had, in May 2020, instituted a suit at the Federal High Court (FHC/L/CS/609/2020) seeking to stop HealthPlus Africa Holdings Limited (the investment vehicle used by Alta Semper Capital and which they control) and their nominee directors from continuing to run and manage the company with disregard to her interests as a member of the Company.

After being served the court summons, PEF appealed for a mediation of the crisis outside court, a process frustrated after three meetings in three months.

Semper thereafter filed an arbitration claim in England.

“Semper’s latest actions, including the arbitration claim that it has now filed, constitute a serious affront to the authority of the court, a desecration of the integrity of the Nigerian judicial system and a gross violation of Nigeria’s extant legislation.

the Maryland Business Plaza seating on a 7,700 sqm piece of land and located on the ever-busy Ikorodu Road, Lagos.

“Formerly known as Purple Capital Partners, Purple Group, which recently won ‘BusinessDay Property Development Company of the Year 2020’ award, is an ecosystem of brands focused on creating best-in-class lifestyle experiences for its consumers through its principal investments in superior mixed-use facilities and services.”

The statement said Purple’s lifestyle services “spans real estate, retail, e-commerce, media and advertising, entertainment and family fun, financial services amongst others; all focused on driving the mission to create lifestyle experiences for its consumers with convenience, affordability and finesse.

“It is the first of its kind extension of a physical mall to a digital platform. Furtherance to creating lifestyle experiences, Purple will also launch the e-commerce site and customer focused raffle draw will hold.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

ENGAGEMENTS

To Castrate or Detain?

Rise of Illiberal Governance

O

ur faulty federalism comes with some blessings and innumerable curses. One curse is the latitude it has allowed for the sprouting of different shades and models of gubernatorial overlordship at the state level.

Our state governors are some of the most licentious sovereigns on the face of the globe.

They are a whole gamut ranging from bare -faced buffoons to fledgling autocrats, a few liberal democrats, some technocrats, apprentice fascists and sometimes plain circus figurines. Empowered by an effete constitution that places state houses of assembly squarely in the back pockets of governors, our governors are arguably even more powerful than the all powerful Nigerian president, himself a medieval chieftain whose powers are almost unchecked by a decorative parliament and a coterie of dishonest judges. But for the moment, what is of interest is the rising incidence of gubernatorial rascality in our states where governors are now busy rehearsing for higher national roles as our democracy assumes more illiberal dimensions.

Illiberal democracy has in recent years assumed centre stage as a consequence of the decline of global liberalism and the atrophy of democracy itself. Its hallmark is the rise of sovereigns who emerge from democratic elections but use their mandate to champion autocratic policies. They frighten the people with draconian laws by appealing to a populist mob, throwing up slogans of patriotism, nationalism, discipline etc. Their goal is entrenchment on the road to absolutism. They may start small and provincially and could graduate to national monsters and an international embarrassments.

The first step in the descent into illiberal democracy is the deployment of fear. A fledgling autocrat first adopts measures and laws aimed at frightening his hapless citizens to prepare the ground for a reign of irrational suppression. In the alternative, the rationality of law is subverted in a bid to lend legality to reckless autocratic excursions. Either way, the aims and ends are the same.

It is to force society to accept irrational laws in the name of good governance and attention to the welfare of the people. But a mass of illiterate and impoverished citizens have little say in the matter.

Once the gavel of despotic authority descends on the desk of insensitive governance, the law must take its course.

When president Rodrigo Duterte of the Phillipines assumed office, one of his first antics was to vividly recall his days as mayor of Manila when he used to drive round the city skums to personally execute drug lords in full public glare. Now as president, he only needed to authorize the police and paramilitary goons to re-enact the same gory escapades on live national television. He quickly followed up this with a torrent of hate rhetoric aimed at the all powerful United States of America. Dread at home and disdain abroad; the circuit is complete. Another strong man is born!

Nearer home, two of our state ‘governor generals’, specifically those of Kaduna and Imo respectively, have exercised the right and might of state governors to make laws ostensibly for the good governance of their citizens. One is going to round up his political opponents and probably lock them up forever. The other may go about town, scalpel and surgical knife in hand, in search of rapists to castrate.

The new Imo State law granting the governor the right to detain citizens indefinitely at will belongs in a sphere unto itself.

By the bill passed recently by the State Assembly and assented to the State Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodinma, the governor is empowered to detain any citizen of the state indefinitely. The law is tagged the Imo State Administration of Criminal Bill No. 2 (2020). According to the new law, such detained persons can only be released if the same Governor grants a license to that effect.

Specifically, section 484 of the new law grants the governor powers reminiscent of similar colonial laws retained in Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Laws. In its sweeping arbitrariness, this law is reminiscent of the infamous Decree No. 2 promulgated by the military regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as military dictator of Nigeria between 1983 and 85.

Of course Mr. Uzodinma is an undisguised admirer of Mr. Buhari with whom he shares a common party platform (the APC) in Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation.

Yet, section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the relevant sections of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights provide against such arbitrary detentions and denials of citizens rights. It is true that no right, including the right to freedom, is absolute. Similarly, sovereigns can and have always invoked state security as an excuse to deny citizens their liberty. It is true that the constitution under section 35 does allow for the detention of persons under certain conditions.

These include persons who are either mentally unsound, under narcotic influence or infected with highly contagious diseases.

In an early sign of the abuses to which the new law may be subject, the governor has already accused the political opposition in the state of sponsoring dissent in the state. The most elementary requirement for the necessity of a law is an overriding public interest and a desire for good governance. There is not yet, to my knowledge, any indication that Imo State has any security problems resulting from the freedom of its citizens.

Even if Imo state contained the highest concentration of dissidents than anywhere else in Nigeria, there is no democracy

El-Rufai in which dissidence and divergence of views among citizens becomes a crime punishable by arbitrary detention in a gulag at the pleasure of some imperial governor. Clearly, the underlying impulse behind this unnecessary law is the political convenience and survival of Governor Uzodinma whose political legitimacy continues to hang on a flimsy thread.

There is abundant evidence in our past to justify fears that the most well intentioned laws can be put to ill use by our current generation of state governors. We have lived under military regimes that routinely denied citizens their freedom, citing the military equivalent of the Criminal Prohibition Bill. Under the Buhari/Idiagbon regime, state security officials paraded the streets literally carrying detention orders. They could arrest and detain innocent people indefinitely without charges. The courts were powerless. There was no constitution to cite.

Under the Obasanjo military regime, the government established an off shore detention facility at Ita OKo, a creek island around Lagos. It was an island facility in waters infested with crocodiles. Renditions of state detainees to the facility were conducted in maximum secrecy, violating every code of human rights, civilized arrest and detention. Once arrested and put away at Ita Oko, detainees were held indefinitely at the pleasure of the military state. It took the media to uncover the facility and compel its closure.

Only recently, the incumbent governor of Kano state invoked the extant colonial version of the same law to dethrone, arrest and exile the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. He was abducted overnight and taken to a remote location in Nasarawa state from where he deployed a combination of law and public opinion to buy his freedom as a citizen. Anyone else in similar circumstances without Sanusi’s clout would have languished in indefinite exile.

The adoption of the new detention without trial law in Imo state is fraught with dangers inherent in the abusive nature of power in our polity. Clearly, Mr. Uzodinma intends to use this law to political ends. At best, it may be designed to frighten off his more aggressive opponents given the contentions origins of his mandate. At worst, in a desperate bid for a second term in office later, he is likely to invoke this law to arrest and detain his opponents indefinitely. It will be a sad day when Imo citizens are routinely nabbed and clamped into detention probably in purpose built ‘guest houses’ at the pleasure of this governor.

It requires restating that the new law in Imo State is a quaint throwback to the worst of the colonial days and the disgraceful legacy of our decades of military rule. That a democratically elected governor should in 2020 append his signature to such ignominy is a veritable indication of the gradual decay of our formal democracy.

In Kaduna state, my friend, Governor Nasir El-Rufai , has just passed easily the strictest law against rape in Nigerian history.

The new law which is an amendment of the state’s Penal Code prescribes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of raping a person over the age of 14 while a woman convicted of raping a child under 14 will have her fallopian tube removed!

Similarly, a man convicted of rape will face the penalty of surgical castration. If the rape victim is under 14, the offender will face the death sentence! In the words of Governor El Rufai, ‘drastic penalties are required to help further protect children from a serious crime’. The new law replaces an old one which prescribed an imprisonment of 21 years for the rape of an adult and life imprisonment for the rape of a child under 14.

The right and responsibility of state chief executives to make laws for the good governance of their states cannot be questioned.

The expediency to make such laws in response to matters of public interest would also be in line. What remains questionable is the ‘goodness’ and rationality of such laws. But the fairness and sensible applicability of such laws to general social welfare and basic common sense is also a basic expectation in a credible democracy.

The new rape law in Kaduna state raises many questions, doubts and fears. I do not know, for instance, if there are statistics that show that the incidence of rape in Kaduna state in particular has assumed an epidemic proportion. I also do not know where and how Kaduna ranks among states on the rising national rape index. It is also hard to determine the clear and present urgency of the rape threat to a state where inter communal and inter faith crises have led to a break down of security. However, in order to earn the kind of legislative attention which this law has attracted, the Kaduna state government ought to demonstrate the statistical preponderance of rape in the state in relation to other crimes and in relation to other threats to public good.

Understandably, since the Covid-19 lockdown, crimes of psychological deprivation and repression have reportedly increased throughout the country. Suddenly, rape stories are making headlines. But increased media attention may not necessarily be an indication of a corresponding increase in the incidence of these crimes. The media capitalizes on what sells the news and what titillates the mass audience.

Even then, the social negativity of rape as deviant behavior can never be contested. Psychologists may differ on the roots of rape but no one can dispute its anti social essence. But remedies to it as a social malady remain an area of active disputation. While behavior experts tend to see rape as a deep -seated psychological malady, others see it as a consequence of faulty socialization and bad upbringing. It may even be a dangerous indicator of a bad attitude towards women in certain settings. It however remains a crime that results from a compulsive psychological maladjustment.

Nonetheless, a crime that is sufficiently serious as to warrant corporal punishment should be sufficiently deep in its physical harm. The punishment prescribed by the deterring law should also be such that not only deters people from committing the crime but also provides demonstrable remedy to the victims beyond a general mob satisfaction with painful justice. When a male rape convict is castrated, what direct remedy does it bring to the female victim whose femininity was violated?

If the aim is to inflict such physical harm as to deter rapists from further rampage, it is also true that the penalty of castration, primitive and draconian as it is, will also deny the convicted rapist of the fundamental right of procreation and the exercise of their right to sex as a natural biological expression and democratic entitlement.

If the aim is to deter potential offenders by inflicting permanent physical harm, the fact of being castrated is not a public shame as the castrated does not subsequently carry a banner that says: ”Beware, Eunuch on Patrol”! The punishment remains a private affliction until the moment of biological challenge! Does the law provide the remedy of a reversal of castration for repentant rapists?

Even then, on the list of crimes with a multiplier social and economic impact, rape is not significant as to merit such draconian and primitive punishment that implies permanent impairment of an essential biological function of the human person. What applies to male convicts is also true of female rapists of Kaduna state who may now have their fallopian tubes removed and their reproductive capacity permanently compromised.

In certain socio-cultural regions and jurisdictions, it is understandable to amputate the arms of convicted thieves to show the public that every person with an amputated arm is likely to be a thief. Those who lost an arm or both to medical amputation as a result of auto accidents or industrial mishaps may go up in arms if they are mistaken for thieves and therefore suffer denials of legitimate rights of citizenship on account of their misfortune.

I am prepared to wager that there is a higher incidence of treasury looting and sundry pilfering from the public till in Kaduna state and nationwide than there are instances of rape. Therefore, if rape is punished by penile amputation or compulsory female sterilization, what should we do to serial treasury looters and thievish politicians? Rape hurts and offends one victim at a time.

But treasury looting has a serial socio economic consequence.

Opportunities are lost, investments are aborted, public projects are breached and social services are denied the many.

In my view, rape should carry a maximum penalty of imprisonment in addition to a term of community service in the form of manual labour including menial domestic chores at the behest of the family of the rape victim. Let us have any punishment that would remedy the misdemeanor and make the rapist come to the realization that the best benefits in life are the result of negotiated compromises. It is the duty of the state to use the social welfare department to correct certain deviant behaviors. It is pointless to use the force of law to dangle the sword of fear over citizens.

The fear of being thought weak should not drive an enlightened governor to resort to wielding scalpels and surgical knives in search of rapists to castrate.

The recent actions of only two of our 36 state governors may not constitute sufficient threat to our democracy. But we live in a country where governors have frequently embarked on serial subversions of the law. Moreover, our polity has since become a quasi oligarchy in which the governors of today are the presidents of tomorrow. Already, our governors end up mostly as senators.

If they carry their illiberal habits of draconian unsolicited laws to national law making, we may wake up to find that we are living in a country other than the one our founder promised us.

Sunday September 27, 2020

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Price: N400

MISSILE

PDP to INEC/Akeredolu “There is no way Governor Rotimi Akeredolu can win in a free, fair and credible election. ... We, therefore, urge INEC to limit the Z-pad technology to the purpose for which it has helped the commission to attain integrity as witnessed in the Edo governorship election.”

– PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiya in a warning to INEC to ensure it conducts free, fair and credible election in Ondo State.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Nigeria at 60: Divided We Stand?

W

e often tell ourselves a lot of beautiful lies in Nigeria. One of my favourite is the saying: “This is not the dream of our founding fathers.”

By that, we often try to claim our founding fathers had a dream for Nigeria from which we have deviated — the dream of oneness, of national unity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most of those who led the country to independence did not believe in one Nigeria and did not do enough to unite the country. By the time we gained independence from Britain in 1960, most of the founding fathers represented nothing but their ethnic cocoons. And it is the divided Nigeria they built that we have inherited and are operating till today.

As we commemorate our Diamond Jubilee on October 1, 2020, several questions are still being fervently asked about Nigeria, the most prominent being its continued existence in the current form. Some want the country balkanised. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants the Igbo to exit the Nigerian “zoo”. There is a clamour for Oduduwa Republic by those who say the Yoruba need to be rescued from the “shackles” of the federation. The Niger Delta region, where the oil money comes from, has been fighting for “resource control” and some of its groups want out of the federation. It would appear only the core north is not intensely agitating against the union, at least for now.

And this should be treated as an irony. In 1950, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, then a young northern politician, was quoted as saying there would rather be war than for the northerners and southerners to become one independent nation. “There is no basis for Nigerian unity. It is only a British intention for our country,” Tafawa Balewa was quoted as saying in the October 10, 1960 edition of TIME magazine in a report titled: “Nigeria: The Free Giant.” He was one of the founding fathers we often talk about. Of course, after he became prime minister, he mellowed his tone, saying: “There is no threat to unity at all. We solved that problem a long time ago.”

In reality, no problem had been solved. At independence, Nigeria was as divided as it could be. Populated by three major ethnic groups and over 250 others with an estimated 5,000 subgroups, Nigeria was birthed in mutual suspicion and nurtured in political rivalry built on ethnic and sectional sentiments. To be sure, it is historically incorrect to say the ethnic groups in today’s Nigeria had nothing “in common” before the British-enforced marriage of 1914. To the contrary, there is solid evidence of economic and military relations between the entities. But the political integration of these entities has been problematic from the very beginning. We are still struggling with it.

One of the most pronounced political rivalries in the south was between Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo with a pan-African worldview, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a Yoruba nationalist.

When their paths first crossed at the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), it did not end well.

In a primary conducted for a legislative byelection in 1941, Zik rooted for Chief Samuel Akisanya, a Yoruba and founding member of Lagos Youth Movement (which became NYM in 1938). Awo backed Ernest Ikoli, an Ijaw, for the position. Ideally, this should be

President Muhammadu Buhari a good development — both Awo and Zik supporting candidates from outside their ethnic spaces. This is what I like to see and celebrate.

In the end, though, things went awry.

Ikoli was controversially picked as the NYM candidate. Akisanya decided to run as an independent. He lost. He and Zik left NYM. Awo and Zik would never see face to face again. Their paths crossed again in the 1951 election into the Western Region house of assembly. Zik aspired to be premier of the Yoruba-dominated Western Region. He did not succeed. His supporters insist till today that the Awo-led Action Group (AG) only outwitted Zik by playing up ethnic sentiments. Left hanging from national politics as a result, Zik went to the Igbo-dominated Eastern assembly and ultimately unseated the premier, Prof Eyo Ita, an Ibibio.

It is not uncommon for Zik’s supporters to say Awo introduced “tribalism” into Nigerian politics through the “cross carpeting” of 1952.

Awo’s supporters often reply in kind, referring to earlier statements by Zik and Chief Charles Onyeama, an Igbo lawyer, which appeared to promote the idea of Igbo supremacy. Onyeama (father of Nigeria’s current foreign minister) was quoted as saying, in 1945, that “Igbo domination of Nigeria is only a matter of time”. Zik himself was said to have written in the West African Pilot of July 8, 1949 that “It would appear that the God of Africa has created the Igbo nation to lead the children of Africa from the bondage of ages…” The argument has not ended.

Yet, I would not blame either Awo or Zik for the ethnicisation of Nigerian politics.

Although Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, it was not until 1946 that the colonial masters created a central platforms for politics, by which time ethnic identity had become the basis for political mobilisation. The Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), formed in 1949, had “north” in its name. The motto was “One North, One People, One Destiny”. It had, in fact, metamorphosed from Jami’yaar Mutanem Arewa, a northern socio-cultural group. Also, Egbe Omo Oduduwa, the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation founded by Awo and associates in 1945, launched AG in March 1951. It was a Yoruba party.

There was the Ibo Federal Union (renamed the Ibo State Union in 1948), a socio-cultural organisation. Zik was a prominent member.

The group aligned with NCNC — and NCNC dominated Eastern Region politics (although, NCNC also had a foothold in another region, having started as a “national” party — unlike NPC and AG). Borno Youth Movement (BYM) was founded by Kanuri youths in 1954. The Ibadan Peoples Party (IPP) was established in 1951. There was Otu Edo, an Edo party associated with AG. We had Idoma State Union, Igala Union, Igbirra Tribal Union and Niger Delta Congress, among others.

All these parties were based on ethnic and sectional identities.

I’m sorry if I’m being irreverent, but our founding fathers openly played ethnic and sectional politics. We cannot deny the fact.

Awo was clearly a Yoruba nationalist. I’m not sure he tried to hide it. Sir Ahmadu Bello, the leader of NPC, was very open with his own bias — he even preferred to be premier of the Northern Region than prime minister of the Nigerian federation, sending his deputy, Tafawa Balewa, to occupy a position badly coveted by Zik and Awo. Meanwhile, Zik, who actively tried to cultivate a pan-Nigerian mindset (born in the north, spoke Hausa well, lived in Lagos, spoke Yoruba as well), also resorted to the ethnic game for relevance when the chips were down.

In fairness to the three titans, while their politics might have been unhelpful to national integration, their stewardship brought real development to their regions, even with the relatively meagre resources that they managed. Imagine that Awo, Zik and Bello were lucky to handle the billions of dollars that came with the oil boom much later! Also, even if they didn’t cover themselves in glory on the national unity front, their vision of development and administrative competence are yet to be matched or surpassed. It is a real tragedy that we are still fondly looking back at their stewardships of the 1950s and 1960s as the golden age of development in Nigeria. This should alarm us.

All said and done, as we mark 60 years of taking charge of our own destiny, we need to depart from the divisive, bitter politics that birthed Nigeria. We need to face the future by pursuing the right politics that will build a nation where justice and equity shall reign. Our obsession with replicating and propagating the bitter mindsets of over 60 years ago will continue to obstruct our progress. We will keep moving from one crisis to another. We will never be able to face the right direction. Nigeria desperately needs new founding fathers and mothers: leaders who will promote nation-building, peace and progress — not to keep reviving and propagating the destructive colonial-era rivalries.

We inherited a Nigeria built on mutual suspicion. We have choices before us: to continue fanning the embers of disunity and unhealthy battle for supremacy or to chart a new course, knowing fully that no nation develops by accident. It is a shame that we are busy discussing 1914 while developmentminded nations are discussing 2080. The vast majority of Nigerians — northerners and southerners, Muslims and Christians — still wallow in abject poverty, lacking access to the basic amenities that sustain life: health care, education, water, sanitation, security, roads and power. Shouldn’t this inflame our passion more than “tribe and tongue”? We desperately need a new mindset.

And Four Other Things…

‘NA GOD WIN’ I hate to burst the bubble, but the victory of Mr Godwin Obaseki in the Edo governorship election will not end godfatherism in the state or anywhere in Nigeria. The godfather — that politician who controls the voting machinery — will continue to exist in different shapes and sizes until the average Nigerian has conquered hunger. That is the starting point for free choice. Economic freedom is very vital to political freedom.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the Edo people for a largely peaceful poll; to Obaseki for pulling through; to INEC for a job well done; and to President Muhammadu Buhari for reining in the security agencies which were apparently primed to determine the outcome. Progress.

SUFFERING SOVEREIGNTY Before the Edo governorship poll, the US and UK announced that they would place visa bans on those indicted of manipulating the outcome. The Nigerian government, in a statement by the ministry of foreign affairs, hit back, accusing them of interfering in “our sovereignty”. I’ve not been able to understand this response. What undermines our sovereignty? Rigging of elections or visa ban on riggers? These countries did not even say ‘don’t rig’ — they said ‘we won’t give visa to those who rig.’ Whose sovereignty is being undermined here, if not the countries we want to force to give visa to riggers?

Do some Nigerian officials bother to think before opening their mouths? Ridiculous.

BVN AGAIN? Here we go again: all account holders, including my grandaunt in the village, are to start another round of verification through a so-called self-identification. Although this is ultimately meant for those classified as having dual residency (living in Nigeria and another country) for tax purposes, FIRS says ALL account holders are still required to obtain, complete and submit the self-certification forms to their financial institutions. Nigerians went through hell to get the BVN, but, apparently, hell is not enough. If you have accounts with 10 banks, you have to fill forms for each. Bob Marley once sang: “They make their world so hard/ every day we got to keep on fighting!”

Inconveniencing.

ADIEU, ALIU! Chief Jimoh Aliu, the legendary Yoruba playwright and actor, died recently, closing a glorious chapter in the annals of dramatic arts in Nigeria. His TV adaptation of DO Fagunwa’s Igbo Olodumare was my first encounter with his art. As excited youngsters, we waited impatiently to watch Igbo Olodumare on NTA Ilorin every Sunday afternoon. The sculptor, film writer and director went on to produce Arelu, Fopomoyo, Yanpanyanrin and Ajalu, among others. He was said to be working on another series when he died at 86. Known on the stage as Aworo, this great son of Okemesi, Ekiti state, will be remembered for the generations of artists that he mentored and inspired. Adieu.

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